Hello again, everyone! I am once again back with another chapter, continuing chapter 1!

Couple notes: updates will not be as frequent as the prologue updates were, simply because I am once again in school and my time is going to shrink thanks to that taking my focus. But I will continue working, I promise.

Second, this chapter is also on the shorter side, but we get to see the full Talent Room exploration! Thank you to every creator who sent me ideas, I hope the four who were selected like how I adapted the ideas they gave me! I had a lot of fun designing these, to be honest!

Last note: this chapter has an official sound track that I listened to while writing it! I'll give the specific songs I used at the bottom.

Now enjoy!

Once breakfast was finished, while the others went off to explore the so called Talent Rooms that had been unlocked, Maria headed back to her room and took a quick shower before changing back into her uniform.

Once she was back to normal, the ballet dancer took a deep breath before she opened up her door-

Only to run directly into Fuwari.

"Whoa! Fuwari! I'm so sorry!" Maria apologized, her eyes wide. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine!" The indie filmmaker nodded. "I was just waiting for you is all."

"That's very kind of you." Maria smiled. "Do you want to walk together to see the Talent Rooms?"

"Oh, yes!" Fuwari smiled right back. The walk was quiet for a few moments before Fuwari broke it. "Actually…I was wondering…are white roses your favorite flower?"

"What makes you think that?" The ballet dancer questioned, curious.

"It's just…yesterday, at the ball, you wore a white rose comb and today your skirt had white roses on it." The indie filmmaker explained.

"Good eye, but no." Maria smiled sadly. "I'm not that big of a fan of roses at all, actually. Those are more my sister's flowers. I prefer chrysanthemums."

"Like your hair pin!" Fuwari gasped.

"Exactly." Maria chuckled, her hand coming up to touch the pin in question. "I kinda treat it like my family crest, since the character for 'chrysanthemum' is in my last name, 'kiku'."

"Oh, I see." Fuwari nodded in consideration.

"Why did you ask?" The ballet dancer proposed.

"Oh, it's just…I like flower language, is all." The indie filmmaker shrugged, her cheeks tinting red.

"Ah, my little sister does too. Especially hanakotoba." Maria smiled. "Sasha loved telling I was the white rose, the innocent silent devotion of our family, while she was the red rose, the love in our family."

"That's an interesting perspective." Fuwari mused. "Did you know, then, the white chrysanthemum symbolizes 'truth' in hanakotoba?"

"I didn't…how very interesting indeed." Maria tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Oh! We're here!" Fuwari suddenly gasped, drawing the ballet dancer's attention.

Sure enough, at some point the two of them had reached the courtyard. The first thing Maria noticed was that the four doors that had been blocked by thorns were no longer blocked at all.

Instead, the four doors were free and easy to access. They were made of a dark mahogany wood and each bore a different symbol.

On one side of the courtyard, the two doors bore the symbol of a paint brush and a snowflake. On the other end, the two doors instead had the symbol of a bow and a dolphin.

"I think I know who's Talent Rooms opened then." Maria chuckled. "Where do you want to go, Fuwari?"

"Oh! Um, how about Michi-chan's Talent Room then? I think he wanted to share his room a lot." Fuwari smiled hesitantly.

"Very true. Then let's go." Maria smiled as the two girls made their way to the door that had a dolphin emblazoned on it.

The first thing that registered when they passed through the doorway, at least in Maria's mind, was the music. An orchestral performance of Under the Sea was twining through the air, though she couldn't determine how, considering the only speakers in the room were attached to the TV for Monokuma's announcements.

The second thing she noticed was that the entire room was blue, to the point that the room itself looked as if it were underwater, with the catwalks near the ceiling having the design of the shore. And in the very center was an aquarium that stretched almost to the very top of the ceiling, only barely leaving room for various catwalks above, probably to take care of the fish inside.

And oh, the fish! There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of fish swimming in the one aquarium. Smaller aquariums were on the side, containing different fish, and there were even separate pools that held dolphins and even one that held sharks, though they seemed, thankfully, thankfully docile.

There was also a lot of props near the catwalks, such as nets and seashells and small crabs and even seagulls. The further down to the floor Maria looked, the more the props reminded her of the Little Mermaid movie, as if the room had been designed with Ariel's undersea cove in mind.

The most off-setting prop of them all, however, was the glimmering silver knives that were attached to the wall, as if inviting anyone to take them when they wanted.

But in the center of the room was none other than Michi, his eyes wide in pure joy, especially when he spotted Maria and Fuwari, racing towards them at top speed.

"Maria-chan, Fuwari-chan, look! Look! Isn't it amazing?! We're under water! And there's dolphins! DOLPHINS!" Michi beamed. Then, as if he couldn't sit still, he turned and ran back towards the dolphin pool. "LOOK AT THIS DOLPHIN! LOOK AT HIM LOOOOOOOOOK!"

"I'm looking, Michi-chan, he's very cute." Maria smiled as she and Fuwari made their way over to the pool, the excited marine biologist and the still exhausted looking Hibiki standing nearby.

"He's not as cute as Sokudo, but he's still adorable!" Michi nodded firmly.

"Who's Sokudo, Michi-chan?" Fuwari questioned, tilting her head slightly.

"Sokudo's my pet dolphin! My parents got him for me when I was sixteen, I named him 'Sokudo' cause he swims so fast! I love to go swimming with him!" Michi was practically bouncing in place as he spoke.

"Ah, that makes sense! 'Sokudo' is Japanese for 'fast'." Fuwari briefly explained to Maria, who smiled gratefully at the assistance.

"Do you know everything about all the fish here then, Michi-chan?" The ballet dancer asked, curious.

"Mmhm! There's a lot of different fish here, and I know about all of them! Even the dangerous ones!" The marine biologist declared proudly.

"Dangerous?!" Fuwari gasped before her breath got caught in a cough. Instantly, Hibiki was at her side, resting a hand on her shoulder. He was whispering in her ear, though what he said was something Maria couldn't hear. Whatever it was, it seemed his methods helped her breathing to even out, which was good.

"Yep, yep, Fuwari-chan!" Michi confirmed once the indie filmmaker's breath had calmed. "Like the pufferfish, those are really bad. Then there's the stonefish, the lionfish and whooooole bunch of others too!"

"So…there's murder weapons here…" Maria sighed, feeling frustration well up. Trust Monokuma to turn even an innocent room to help Michi's talent into possible murder incitation. "What about the knives then? Are those supposed to be from the Little Mermaid novel?"

"I think so, why else would they be here?" Fuwari proposed before her face paled at her own words and she looked away.

"Still, this room is so cool! C'mon, Fuwari-chan, look!" Michi grinned as he grabbed the indie filmmaker's wrist and pulled her along behind him towards the large aquarium in the center, leaving Maria alone with Hibiki.

"You look really tired, Hibiki. Is keeping up with Michi-chan that exhausting?" Maria asked, concerned.

"I'm fucking fine, Shortstack, just leave it alone." Hibiki sighed, blowing his bangs up as he spoke.

"I'm just concerned about you, is that such a big deal?" Maria placed her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

"I can handle the Jungle Gym, you just worry about yourself." Hibiki scowled, reaching up to fiddle with his ear piece. "He's not that big of a pain in the ass."

"Oh…I see." Maria's eyes widened before a small smile crossed her lips.

"What the hell are you thinking, Snow." The dispatcher demanded with narrow eyes.

"Nothing, nothing." The ballet dancer smiled innocently. "I just think the two of you are really good for each other."

"We've known each other for one day, the fuck you talking about?" Hibiki spat, looking disgruntled.

"Technically, we've known each other for longer than that. Who's to say some muscle memory isn't working in our favor? Maybe you and Michi-chan are close in reality." Maria theorized, a finger tapping her cheek thoughtfully.

"Keep dreaming, Snow." Hibiki scoffed.

"How very romantic of you, Maria." Ren's voice cut in as he and Sayuri emerged from around an aquarium where Maria hadn't spotted them earlier. "Very fitting for a room such as this."

"Honestly, this whole room is stunning." Sayuri smiled, looking as if she was settling down from her own awe of the room.

"Right? Right?" Michi beamed as he and Fuwari ran back over, a smile on the indie filmmaker's face.

"Now, the question is, which of you lovely ladies or dashing gentlemen will I take on a date here?" Ren mused with a flirtatious smile and a wink.

"That sounds like fun!" Michi grinned.

"Pass, Lover Boy." Hibiki scoffed.

"Awww, but I don't wanna go without Hibiki-chan!" Michi pouted. "Or anyone else!"

"Ah, my poor heart!" Ren gasped dramatically. "I guess I will have to suffice with these lovely ladies instead."

"I shall also pass on a date. I need to learn more about your personality before I agree to any commitments." Maria smiled sweetly, even as the matchmaker dramatically shot backwards, as if her words injured him.

"I, um, wouldn't mind?" Fuwari stumbled over her words, her cheeks a pretty pink. "It…it is pretty here."

"It really is. I think I would also enjoy a date here." Sayuri nodded in agreement. "Or perhaps an outing with all of our friends?"

"Why, that sounds as pleasant as a date itself. That way I can spend it with all of you. An excellent idea, Sayuri." Ren smiled, taking first Sayuri's hand in his to kiss her knuckles, then doing the same to Fuwari. Both girls blushed a pretty pink at the action.

Maria simply chuckled before she glanced at the filmmaker.

"I was going to check out the other rooms too, do you want to come with me?" She offered.

"Oh, yes, if you'll have me!" Fuwari nodded, causing Maria to smile in agreeance.

"Of course I will." She stated.

Then with waves to the four who were staying behind before they moved on to the door next to Michi's Talent Room, this one emblazoned with a bow.

The room they entered, once again, had classical music playing throughout the room. This one wasn't as easily identifiable, but Maria was pretty sure it was based on Little Red Riding Hood, considering who's room this was.

The room itself looked like a quaint cottage, with various journals and manuals littering the room. Along the tables and shelves and even hanging from the ceiling were various weapons, such as bows and arrows, spears and throwing hatchets, and traps, such as snares and beartraps. There was also a lot of building materials, which Maria assumed was for the weapons and traps to be built with, and an abundance of rope.

Even more eye catching was the many, many animal heads mounted on the walls rather haphazardly.

And then there was the bed at the back of the room, upon which laid, what Maria hoped to God, a taxidermized wolf dressed in an old woman's clothing.

At the back of the cottage was another door, behind which who knew what laid.

"This is…eerie." Maria commented as she looked around, spotting Chiasa, Nima, Jordan and Yoshi throughout the room. Unsurprisingly, Chiasa and Nima were on their own, though Jordan and Yoshi stood near the acoustic engineer.

"I agree…" Fuwari trailed off, shivers visible in her shoulders.

"Come on, let's check on Chiasa." Maria tried to smile, to which the indie filmmaker nodded.

The huntress turned as soon as the two other girls approached.

"Can I help you?" Chiasa questioned.

"We just were wondering about your Talent Room." Maria smiled weakly.

"…it is filled with the tools of my trade, and that is all that matters." The huntress stated, looking off to the side. She was purposefully looking away from the wolf.

"Is that what these books are filled with? Hunting information?" Fuwari asked, curiosity outweighing her unease.

"Yes, that is correct." Chiasa confirmed. "All of these books contain necessary information for me to adequately hunt."

"Whoa, that's really cool, actually. You know a lot of information then!" Fuwari gasped, suddenly looking very invested.

"I suppose." Chiasa nodded.

"That's really admirable, I have to agree." Maria smiled.

"And yet this room is a disrespect to all hunting." The huntress scowled, glaring at the many heads mounted on the walls.

"Yeah…those look bad." Maria winced in agreement.

"Now, excuse me." Chiasa bowed her head before she made her way to the remaining door and entered it, closing it firmly behind her.

"By the way, Jordan," Yoshi's voice drew the two girls' attention towards the three boys. "I've been meaning to ask you since last night."

"Yes?" Jordan prompted, seemingly at ease. But Maria could see a line of tension in his shoulders as she and Fuwari approached the group of boys.

"Your jewelry, it was all…costumed, yes?" Yoshi's expression twisted in disgust as he spoke.

"Yes. I can't afford the real deal, unfortunately, so all my jewelry is costumed." Jordan confirmed.

"Ah, I suspected as much. In which case, I propose a collaboration between us once we exit this place." Yoshi smiled. "I provide you with true jewelry and you promote my jewelry line in exchange."

"Wait, what?" The drag artist gaped, looking thrown off.

"Your talent is quite unique amongst Japan, especially since you are originally from the United States. It would be an equivocal exchange for both of us, as my jewelry is most well known in Japan." The jeweler explained.

"That's really generous of you, Yoshi." Fuwari smiled, making her and Maria's presences known.

"I'm simply attempting to assist a fellow classmate. The choice is in your hands, of course, Jordan." Yoshi bowed his head.

"I, uh, wow…" Jordan trailed off, still obviously shocked. "I don't know what to say."

"Just agree…it's a good deal." Nima sighed from where he leaned against the wall.

"Is that another hint?" Jordan smiled slightly at the acoustic engineer, who only let out a small smile.

"Can't say either way." He answered, disappointment hidden behind his smile.

"Once we're out of here, you'll be able to." Maria encouraged. "But I think we're interrupting, so we'll head out."

"Oh, yes, my apologies for eavesdropping!" Fuwari quickly apologized.

"It's alright, don't worry about it." Jordan reassured, reaching out to squeeze Fuwari's shoulder gently.

"Yes, your input is always a value to us." Yoshi nodded firmly in agreement, causing the indie filmmaker to blush.

With waved goodbyes, the two girls left Chiasa's Talent Room behind.

"Where would you like to head next?" Fuwari asked.

"Let's head over to what I think is Robin's room." Maria smiled, to which the filmmaker agreed, with the two girls making their way through the door with a snowflake engraved on it.

This time, the music wasn't the first thing Maria noticed when she passed the doorway, though she did note it.

Instead, the first thing she noticed was the cold. It was as if she had stepped right into the heart of winter itself, which she was most definitely not prepared for.

"Ah! It's cold!" Fuwari shivered at the ballet dancer's side.

"Here, come closer." Maria offered, holding her arm out. Instantly, the indie filmmaker took the offer and huddled close into the ballet dancer's side, taking advantage of the one inch Maria had on her.

It was then that Maria started paying attention to the rest of the room. The music, which she noted before, seemed to be an orchestral version of Show Yourself, as clear as the ice that covered the room.

And oh, how icy it was. The room itself was an ice haven, a cave with beautiful icicles hanging from the ceiling and glittering throughout the room. Snowmen and artic animals plushies were spread throughout the room. There were also several pictures pinned up to strings and the walls, showing a snowy landscape that Maria guessed was Antarctica. Resting on the wires and throughout the room were also several robins and a small ice castle was towards the back of the room.

In the very center of the room, however, was a beautiful ice rink that looked as if it has just been cleaned by a Zamboni, ready for anyone to skate on it if they wished.

Overall, the room was as stunning as the previous rooms. But also like the previous rooms, there was still something very ominous about the whole room.

For this Talent Room, that was the mirror that hung on the wall. Unlike the one in Maria's room, which she was assuming was based off the Magic Mirror, this one was completely shattered, with only a few pieces of glass remaining in the frame. The rest were littered across the floor, and sharp enough that even a single one could serve as a deadly weapon.

Maria shivered as she turned away from the foreboding mirror, her vague memories of the Snow Queen fairy tale telling her to stay away, and instead focused on the classmates who were in this room.

"Ah, Chia!" Fuwari waved, getting the attention of the fire dancer, who was talking to Robin near the ice rink.

"F-Fuwari and Maria! H-hello!" Chia waved back as the two approached. "Robin was j-just telling m-me that he could ice skate!" Her eyes sparkled with excitement at the possibility.

"Really?" Maria gasped, her own eyes widening.

"W…well, yeah…it's not too hard and…I like being out in the cold." Robin shrugged, looking away a bit shyly.

"That sounds really hard, you must have good balance." Fuwari complimented.

"It's similar to ballet, at least for me. I've worked with ice skaters who take ballet to improve their performances on ice." Maria explained. "They're some of the best dancers I've seen."

"Y-yes, I agree! I-I would love t-to see you ice skate sometime, R-Robin." Chia nodded adamantly

"U…uh…I…I can teach you…if you'd like…" Robin quietly offered, looking shy and bit red.

"Really? If it wouldn't be too much trouble!" Fuwari gasped, her eyes widening.

"Y-yes, I agree! I-it could b-be a good way f-for everyone to do something fun together!" Chia smiled, reaching out to squeeze the glaciologist's arm lightly.

"Y-you think so?" Robin stuttered, his eyes disbelieving.

"I agree, ice skating is a great group activity. And your Talent Room is perfect." Maria smiled in agreement.

"No way in hell!" Nat's voice cut through the air as they and Rosamie came inside. "It's pretty in here, but way too cold!"

"You're not wearing the correct amount of layers, Nat." Rosamie stated bluntly. "If dressed correctly, you would be much warmer."

"Oh shut it, we're here because you wanted to philosophize about the ice!" The historian scowled.

"You did not have to follow me." The midwife mused. "Why did you follow me, if you did not want to be cold? Could it be you feel a responsibility for me or perhaps you feel a connection to me? In which case, we must determine how such connections are formed in the first place-"

"Let's talk about when we aren't freezing our asses off." Nat cut in, though they sounded more exasperated then annoyed.

"It looks like you two are getting along." Maria chuckled as she observed the two.

"Indeed."

"What the hell gave you that idea?"

Their two polar opposite responses just caused the ballet dancer to sputter out a laugh, while Fuwari, Chia and Robin let out slightly quieter giggles.

"I-I'm glad the two of you are friends." Chia said aloud once her giggles ceased.

"Yeah, it's really nice to see." Fuwari nodded in agreement.

"Whatever." Nat scoffed, crossing their arms as they shivered. Rosamie simply stared at them all, while Robin shifted from foot to foot awkwardly.

"We should probably get going. We've got one more room to explore, right, Fuwari?" Maria nudged the indie filmmaker.

"Oh yes, thank you for letting us see your Talent Room, Robin." Fuwari smiled.

"N…no problem. You're…cool as ice." Robin hesitantly smiled back.

With a few more quiet waves, Maria and Fuwari left the four behind, making their way to the final door that remained for them to explore, this one emblazed with a paintbrush.

The music that played when Maria passed through the door was an orchestra version of I See the Light, giving the room a quiet and peaceful ambience, fitting of an art gallery.

The room itself was an elegant gallery that allowed for a lot of natural sunlight, considering it resembled a forest meadow, with greenery as far as the eye could see. In the distance, on the wall, was a painted tower, as if to say Tori had escaped Rapunzel's tower in this room.

The floor continued the meadow theme, with flowers and tree trunks sprouting everywhere, yet not seemingly crowding the room itself.

And the paintings, god the paintings.

If every painting here was Tori's work, Maria could see why she'd been given her title. Though her work was mostly abstract, it was stunning to behold, with colors and designs that seemed to convey a message all without saying a specific word. On top of that, there were also several easels for Tori to create more art, along with all the necessary tools she needed.

There were so many painting tubes that it seemed ridiculous, lined up as they were along the wall so they were easily accessible. There was also enough paintbrushes to be used by an entire army of artists, their ends sharp enough to look like weapons.

Actually…they probably were. And paint was also toxic to humans…so yes, more murder weapons.

Joy.

Turning away from her dark thoughts, Maria smiled as Arisu happily waved her and Fuwari over towards where she and Tori stood.

Before the could head over, however, Satou suddenly ran over and grasped onto Fuwari's arm.

"There you are, Fae! I thought you got lost!" The executive producer cried, her eyes wide and worried.

"Sorry, I was just exploring with Maria." Fuwari smiled placatingly.

"Well, how about you and I look around ourselves then? Wouldn't this be the perfect set for the beginning of our movie? It's so pretty and the aesthetics fit us both to a T!" Satou beamed as she began to pull Fuwari away. The indie filmmaker looked at Maria with worried eyes, however.

"Go on, I'm just going to talk to Arisu and Tori." Maria smiled, nodding to the girl in encouragement. Fuwari smiled back in thanks before following her partner, leaving Maria to approach the game host and the painter alone.

"Welcome, Player Maria, to Tori's Wonderous Room of Art!" Arisu enthusiastically greeted the ballet dancer. "Here, the art of the Ultimate Painter, Tori Keji, is put on display as it deserves to be seen!"

"Ari…stop…" Tori blushed, obviously not used to the attention.

"I think your art is really pretty, Tori. This room seems perfect for you." Maria smiled, hoping to encourage the girl.

"Thanks…I do like it. But…I just want to go outside somewhere for a while, and paint. Is that so much to ask?" Tori sighed, looking a bit forlorn. "It looks like the outside here, which is nice, but…it's not real."

"I agree, you would suit the real beauty of nature much better." Arisu nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe we can play a game of hide and seek when we get out of here!"

"That would be nice. I've never played hide and seek with anyone before." Tori smiled slightly.

"What?! This is an outrage, hide and seek is a right of passage game!" Arisu fumed, her cheeks jutting out cutely.

"Maybe we can all play together later to make up for that." Maria suggested.

"What a fantastic idea, Maria!" Akihito grinned as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Thankfully, this time he didn't wrap an arm around Maria, but he still stood within arm's reach of her and quite happily put his hand on her lower back when his voice made her jump back in shock.

"Akihito-kun, don't do that!" Maria glared up at him, but the track and field star only grinned in response. "You better not have stolen anything again!"

"Of course not, I'm trying to change, after all!" Akihito gasped dramatically. "I was simply admiring Tori's beautiful art, is that a crime?"

"No stealing the artwork, Akihito-kun." The ballet dancer deadpanned, her glare still sharp.

"Aw, you caught me!" Akihito winked before he turned his gaze to the other two girls. "But I do agree, a hide and seek game hosted here by the wonderful Arisu would be really fun for everyone!"

"You really think so?" Arisu gasped, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I-I'd like to play. If we can…" Tori trailed off shyly.

"Of course! I'll start planning right away!" Arisu beamed, practically bouncing in place as ideas no doubt flashed across her mind.

"That sounds like it'll be fun. I hope we can all play." The painter smiled, staring at Arisu the whole time with a soft expression on her face.

"I'm sure everyone will play, even Hibiki, Chiasa and Nima." Maria encouraged.

"If nothing else, we can trick them into being seekers!" Akihito grinned.

"That's not fair sportsmanship, Akihito." Arisu scolded, her eyes narrowing dangerously at the track and field star.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean a thing by that, honest!" Akihito raised his hands in surrender as he backed away slightly.

The quiet atmosphere was suddenly broken by the doors to Tori's Talent Room bursting open as Yoshi ran inside.

"Everyone, gather in the gallery immediately, we have much to discuss!" He announced, as all six classmates turned towards him.

And instantly, a wave of cold unease washed over Maria as she and the others followed the jeweler out into the courtyard. In the corner of her eye, she watched as Fuwari and Satou clung to each other, while Tori and Arisu's fingers were clutched tightly between them. Akihito remained right at her side, radiating warmth and somehow still seeming to be at ease.

She needed that, at the moment, because she had no idea what was hidden behind the gallery doors and why Yoshi wanted them all to gather there at this time.

Can you tell I'm a former musician? Lol, I loved finding the music for each room, it was a bit of research to find what fit best! Here's the final selections I made:

Under the Sea-Neverland Orchestra

Little Red Riding Hood-Rachmanioff

Show Yourself-Frostudio Chambersonic

I See the Light-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Also, most of the Talent Rooms have references to the original fairy tales, hence their more...dangerous items. I take my fairy tale research very seriously, even with fairy tales that I know well, like Rapunzel and Snow White.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed Maria and Fuwari's adventure through the Talent Rooms! The conversation between them and the one between Jordan and Yoshi were two conversations I came up with for the ball chapter originally, but I thought they fit better here. So here they are, at last!

Also! With this chapter, we will pass 50 reviews, so I just want to say an early thank you to all of you for giving my little story such support! I'm honored that you all are enjoying the ride so far! I hope it proves worth it in the end!

I think that's everything then. Next chapter, if I write it correctly, should include at least two FTEs so look forward to that! See you later!