It was already five in the afternoon on the quiet rock in the middle of the vast sapphire blue ocean known as Meishu Island. From the light blue sky of the day, the horizon has turned a distinctly bright sunset orange with several streaks of dark violet creeping in to prepare the sky for nighttime. The feather-like cirrus clouds have drifted away and are nowhere to be found. However, they have been replaced by the big billowy cumulus clouds rushing in to fill the wide space above. The gust of wind has stopped blowing a breeze of intense heat and has replaced it with a breeze, gradually lowering the temperature. Seen from standing on the island, the sun seemed like it was being swallowed whole by the giant ocean as time went on.
The ten remaining campers have spent their afternoon doing whatever their hearts yearned. Some have decided to trap themselves inside the four corners of their temporary home until an innate force has pushed them to meet the outside world. There were also those who went around looking for their acquaintances to create amusing trouble with. Without an undying will to cause drama, they never stopped looking until something conspicuous has caught their sharp eye. On the other hand, most of them have spent looking around the newly accessible area investigating every nook and cranny for anything that may be a blessing to the group and also objects that may become a grave threat to their peaceful camping life.
All of the campers who have searched the new area have ended up staying in the scenic field of flowers nearby the glass greenhouse of horrors. Entranced by its beauty, the campers have spent their time leisurely in the breathtaking landscape. Some have decided to observe and appreciate the various beauties of the different flowers in the field and the abundance of the flowers that miraculously grown in the area. Some were inspired by the field to let out their inner child and gleefully play to their heart's content. From tag to hopscotch, there was no shortage of ways on how to find simple enjoyment.
In the middle of all of this joyful picture is Mitsue. The ultimate emergency response team leader was silently standing in the middle of the field watching over everyone with his arms crossed. Unable to fight his instinct to protect the group, the assiduous Mitsue looked over the group ready to save anyone in a pinch. Although his eyes are bouncing from one person to another, he cannot help but frequently look at a certain someone. Unlike others, Mitsue's reason for constantly searching for the aromatherapist in his line of sight is not due to their safety but rather due to the speculation of their hidden identity.
Earlier, Mitsue had a short but meaningful encounter with Kaoru. Showing a lavender that has a more pleasant aroma than the average lavender to Otoha, Kaoru has revealed his fondness for lavender since it reminded him of his home. Not only that, the aromatherapist shared his knowledge about Japanese irises and the different variations of them which is not common for people to know. All of this has led to Mitsue wondering if his special pen pal Ayame has been Kaoru the whole time.
It is possible Kaoru is Ayame. This whole time I thought Ayame was only a random name they have picked but hearing Kaoru, it could also mean the Japanese iris. It makes sense if I think about it carefully. From what I know, Ayame loves lavender because of its calming effect. If Ayame is Kaoru, he must have been introduced to lavender because it is widely used in aromatherapy for that reason. And, the flavors of the eclairs they made for me back then were all infused with distinct aromas. Also, lavender reminds Ayame of their home because of the garden they have just like Kaoru. Kaoru for sure has a garden back at his home for his creation of essential oils. And, Kaoru knows what an ayame is. I did not even know that name meant something. Am I reading into this too much? Am I only like this because I am so desperate to meet the person who has been there for me through the tough days I had last week? Kaoru, if you are Ayame, please give me a sign that you are them.
Unknowingly, Mitsue has stared at Kaoru for quite some time as he pondered on the truth behind the aromatherapist. His gaze may not be as deadly as Hiroto's but it sure is noticeable and leaves a lasting impact on the people who unfortunately receive it. Trapped in his thoughts, Mitsue did not notice Otoha walking towards him. After several failed attempts of trying to catch Mitsue's attention by just calling out to him, the dollmaker gently tapped on the emergency response team leader's shoulder.
"Mitsue, is everything alright?" Otoha asked.
In an instant, Mitsue's eyes let go and quickly wandered to Otoha. With his consciousness pulled back to reality, Mitsue asked, "I am sorry! What did you say?"
"I asked if everything was alright." Otoha answered, smiling at Mitsue.
"Of course, it is. What made you think otherwise?" Mitsue asked, raising his right eyebrow.
"Well, you were staring at Kaoru pretty intensely and the poor guy noticed it. He wanted to know if he did anything wrong or that made you upset." Otoha shared, pointing at the aromatherapist who was looking at them.
"He did nothing wrong. I got lost in my thoughts that I, unfortunately, ended up staring at Kaoru for too long." Mitsue explained.
"What were you thinking that made you lose contact with reality? Is it a problem? You can always share with me if something is weighing on your mind." Otoha added, placing her hand on Mitsue's arm.
"It is nothing too serious for you to worry about. Please send Kaoru my apologies. I really did not mean to glare at him." Mitsue shared.
"If you say so, then I trust you. By the way, I think it is getting too late. Let us call it a day and go back together to the dining hall and have dinner as a group." Otoha suggested.
"I think that is a great plan." Mitsue nodded in agreement.
Turning to everyone, Mitsue told all of the present campers to gather. "Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the time you spent on this field but I think we should all go back to the dining hall to have dinner already. It is getting late and it will be hard to go back when it is dark. Does that sound okay with everyone?" Mitsue asked the group.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Connor shouted, giving Mitsue a thumbs-up.
"It has been a lovely day! It would be nice to end it with a filling dinner with everyone around. I think that will complete my day!" Mizuki commented, putting her hands together.
"I thoroughly enjoyed today but I do think it is time to take a rest." Kaito shared, nodding to Mitsue.
"Since no one is objecting, I believe we should get a move on before the sun sets on us." Mitsue shared.
After that, the group began to make their way back to their main camp with Mitsue leading the group. Beside him was the always silent Hiroto. Tailing him were Kaoru, Mizuki, and Otoha who were talking about the possible dinner options for tonight. And, at the back of the group were Connor and Kaito who were still engaging in lively conversation like they never lost an ounce of energy from the activity they did today.
Without giving much thought, Mitsue looked at Hiroto who was walking alongside him. Although Hiroto was still carrying his normally stoic face, Mitsue could feel an unusual lightness to the aura the runway model was exuding. It felt like the model was at peace and is more approachable. After looking at a bunch of flowers, Hiroto became a completely different person. I wonder what those flowers did to the usually prickly man that is Hiroto. If I knew flowers are the key to softening this man, I would have given him a bouquet a long time ago. This man operates in a unique way. It is extremely fascinating to me how as simple as flowers can turn him into this. What do those flowers have that can change this man?
Mitsue mindlessly smiled. Immediately noticing the curious gaze of the emergency response team leader, Hiroto turned to Mitsue locking eyes with him.
"Is there something on my face?" Hiroto asked.
"There is nothing wrong with your face." Mitsue answered, looking back to the path they were walking on.
"If that is the case, why were you looking at me? Do you have a problem with me?" Hiroto continued.
"I do not have a problem with you. I am only curious how your mind works. The way you do things perplexes me. And, I am just amazed at the little things that you like. I never thought you will be so captivated by flowers." Mitsue shared, shaking his head in disbelief.
"It sounds like you are admiring me." Hiroto commented.
"Maybe I am." Mitsue shared, turning to Hiroto. "I am in awe with how you do things and how a flower can change your mood for the better."
"Stop." Hiroto stated. Did I say something wrong? Oh shit! I must have totally said something goddamn awful. I should have just kept all of that shit to myself. Why am I acting like we are close enough to say things like that to each other? I must be going crazy. It is probably because of what Kaito told us before breakfast. It is making me think we see each other as friends. The truth might be farther and harsher than that. Maybe he just sees me as someone he can put up with. After all, I do not have any friends in my life. I managed to make one but I shooed them away.
"I am sorry if I said anything that made you uncomfortable. I will just shut up." Mitsue said, shaking his head.
"You did not do anything wrong." Hiroto sighed, shaking his head. "Nothing you said made me uncomfortable. I am just ugh… Nevermind! Stop doing things like this to me." I am confused. If I did not make him uncomfortable, what did my words do to him? Why did he make me stop? I was only complimenting him. Maybe it did not sound like one. It may have come out as insulting. But, what did I do to him though? I guess this is one of the wonders of Hiroto. You will never understand what makes him smile and what ticks him off as well.
The two of them continued walking in silence. After their exchange, an awkwardness between the two emanated and can be strongly felt by both men. It was as if the discomfiture materialized into a thin plastic film and wrapped the two. Throughout the day, the two of them have been together most of the time. It was only now that their silence has equated to uneasiness. Unable to look at Hiroto, Mitsue could only look straight ahead. I can cut the tension with a knife. Should I say something? I do not know how to fucking handle a mess like this. I always end up in fights but I have never felt like I should say something afterward.
After a few more steps of being silently perturbed, the two men finally broke the deafening soundlessness. Turning to Mitsue, Hiroto asked a question.
"By the way, I noticed you seem to be deep in your thoughts earlier when we were still in the field. Is there something bothering you?" Hiroto asked. That is a relief he said something. I do not think I could have made it further if we continued walking side by side without saying anything after our fight. I do not want to be ever in that position again.
"You too noticed that?" Mitsue asked back.
"Who else asked you about it?" Hiroto asked, raising his left eyebrow.
"Well, Otoha caught me in a daze earlier because I was glaring at Kaoru the whole time. She asked if I was doing fine or if there was something on my mind I want to share. I just told her I was fine to not make her worry. Plus, it was not really anything serious. It was just a thought I somehow trapped myself in." Mitsue shared.
"Will you share to me what made you glare so hard at Kaoru that Otoha had to intervene?" Hiroto asked, crossing his arms.
"I was thinking about who Ayame could be." Mitsue shared, looking at Hiroto. "I was reminded of Ayame after talking to Kaoru. I could not help myself but wonder about the person behind the food that I have eaten the past few days. I wanted a face behind the person who has been encouraging me through the wonderful letters they have written for me. I want to meet them and properly thank them. But, I do not know how to do it when I do not know who they are. I have not even received a letter in the past three days." Mitsue shared.
"Is that all you want to do for Ayame?" Hiroto asked, tilting his head towards the emergency response team leader.
"Well, to be completely honest, I want to befriend Ayame as well. I thought it would be nice to finally have someone I can call a friend. I thought the sentiment might be mutual since they were the ones who made the first move. I never asked for anyone's help while I was suffering the aftermath of the first trial. Even so, they made sure I ate well and I was okay. It made me think maybe they want to befriend me as well." Mitsue shared, turning to Hiroto. "Is it childish of me to think so?"
"No." Hiroto shook his head.
"I really wish I know who they are so I can finally put these thoughts to rest! Because of their anonymity, I sometimes wonder if they are the horrible person Monokuma told us during the last trial." Mitsue shared, scratching his head.
"Do you think Ayame is capable of doing something like that?" Hiroto asked.
"I do not think they are that kind of person but my imagination will not let me rest. I am scared that they might turn out to be a bad guy after all. Maybe they were trying to condition me with the letters so that I would meet up with them and kill me. Or, they are only being nice because they think having a good relationship with me will be advantageous for them in the future. Those random thoughts would cross my mind and devastate me." Mitsue added.
"You are getting swallowed by your made-up thoughts. Just let Ayame be the kind person behind the letter and the delicious food you have eaten. Based on what Ayame has done for you, describe to me the kind of person they are." Hiroto ordered.
"Well, they can cook which tells me they are an independent person who can be responsible enough to feed themselves. They like things that remind them of their homes. That shows that they have strong family values. They are thoughtful enough to choose the right words to write in their letter to lift me up. And, they know how to care about people which means they are not ruthless and heartless like Kaya." Mitsue listed.
"If that is the case, do not add anything to it because of what other people have said. Do not let your imagination tarnish your idea of Ayame." Hiroto monotonously advised.
"It is that easy, isn't it?" Mitsue replied.
"Yes." Hiroto instantly answered. Hiroto is right. I should just focus on what they did for me. Imagining things about who they are is useless and counterproductive. I should just appreciate what they have done for me and see them as the kind person they are to me. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Thanks for that. I really needed that." Mitsue remarked.
"It was nothing." Hiroto replied. "What did you hear from Kaoru that made you think of Ayame in the first place? I do not get the connection between those two."
"Kaoru showed Otoha and lavender told her it was his favorite and it reminds him of home. Ayame is the same in that aspect. Ayame likes to eat lavender because it reminds them of their garden at home. Also, I just found out that ayame is also a name for a variant of a Japanese iris. Knowing that Ayame likes lavender and has a garden, I can see that their reasoning for naming themselves Ayame has something to do with the flower. Am I going overboard with my analysis?" Mitsue asked.
"No, all of it makes sense." Hiroto reassured Mitsue.
"That is good to hear. I thought I was losing it." Mitsue sighed. "Based on what I have come up with, I just thought who Ayame might be. I was locked in my thoughts because I kept on going back and forth on whether or not I got the right person."
"Why do you not just ask the person directly? To save yourself the hassle of thinking too much about this, just ask that person if they are Ayame. If you are right about Ayame truly wanting to befriend you, they will confess to you about their identity. They will not deny it if their intentions to help you were pure. Just give it a try." Hiroto suggested.
"You have a point but I think I will just scare them off. I might come off as asking about who they are because they did something wrong. I do not want to make Ayame my enemy." Mitsue shared, softly giggling about the thought.
"If you are right about Ayame, they will not be thinking like that. They will appreciate your effort to reach out to them." Hiroto shared. Hiroto is right. I am just making excuses at this point. I want to meet Ayame but maybe I am scared to meet them as well because they might not meet my expectations of them. Also, I guess I am feeling embarrassed to come up to Kaoru and straight up ask him if he is Ayame. I do not think I can do that. We are not that close. I do not have the thick skin I used to have. This island has turned me soft.
Suddenly, Otoha stepped forward, placing her hand on Mitsue's shoulder. "If you feel uncomfortable walking up to Ayame asking about their identity, why do we not figure another way of asking them?"
"Otoha…" Mitsue stummered.
"I am sorry for eavesdropping but I cannot help myself but listen. Mitsue, I admire your intentions of finding out who Ayame is. If you feel shy about doing it face to face, why not come up with a way to indirectly do so. If you will let me, I can help you come up with a plan." Otoha offered.
"You want to help me?" Mitsue asked.
"Of course, I do! I just find it adorable that the strict man that you are cannot even come up with a way to make a friend. You know a lot in life and you have experienced so many things but you still do not have the wisdom to make a friend. I just cannot stay still and do nothing. Listening on the details, I knew I had to step in and do something or else my conscience would not let me rest." Otoha shared, winking at Mitsue.
"Why help me? Do you really think I should have a friend like Ayame?" Mitsue asked, pointing at himself.
"Of course, you deserve a friend! Everyone does. It will be awfully lonely to live a life without a friend. You do not have anyone you can laugh at jokes with. When you have a problem, you can always turn to your friend to listen to everything you have to say. If something is upsetting you, you can blow some steam with them. There are so many things you can do if you have a friend. Nobody deserves to live life experiencing everything on their own. Experiences are less memorable when you have no one to share them with." Otoha added.
"How do you plan on helping me?" Mitsue asked.
"I can help you come up with a plan to meet up with Ayame. How does that sound?" Otoha shared.
"That sounds great." Mitsue smiled.
"I do not have anything specific in mind so we should talk about it more after dinner. What do you say?" Otoha asked with her right arm akimbo.
"I will be looking forward to our chat later." Mitsue nodded.
"Great that you feel that way! I will step back now and let you two continue with your chat." Otoha stepped away from the two and went back to talking with Kaoru and Mizuki.
"You must be ecstatic that you found someone willing to help you." Hiroto commented.
"I am. It makes me more hopeful that I will be able to meet Ayame. I really want to thank them for everything. And, if it is possible, maybe I will get a friend out of them." Mitsue shared, smiling at the runway model.
"I hope you find someone you can call a friend soon." Hiroto remarked, looking at the path they were taking. It would be great if I can call you a friend too but maybe we are not that close yet. I hope that changes in the future.
Hiroto and Mitsue continued with their walk in silence. Out of the group, they were the most silent. While they were focused on carefully navigating their way back to the dining hall, the others engage in boisterous, friendly banters filling the path they took with joyful laughs. After a few more minutes of trekking up and down the hill and exiting the new area, the group has finally made their way back to the dining hall. Once they were in front of the doors of the hall, the bright sunset orange sky has changed into a light purple signifying the few minutes left before nighttime falls.
Without wasting any more time, the group went inside the hall. Mitsue and Otoha opened the doors for everyone and waited until all of them had made their way into the hall. Once all of their fellow campers were inside, the two soon followed and sat with the rest of the group. Mitsue sat in the middle of Hiroto and Otoha while the rest were sitting on the other side of the table.
When everyone was comfortable with where they were seated, Otoha leaned towards the group asking "Does anyone have a suggestion for dinner?"
"I am okay with anything you cook, Otoha. Anything you make is what I imagine an angel would make for God. Your cooking skills are that good!" Mizuki shared.
"Stop it, Mizuki! My cooking skills are just average. It is nothing to write about. I only learned how to cook from reading old cookbooks which means I do not have proper training. Most of the time, I am guessing if what I am doing in the kitchen is correct." Otoha added, waving her hand.
"Dude, that is much more impressive! You learned how to cook all of these delicious meals by studying on your own. I know I will never be able to do that. Even if I have a steely determination, I do not have the natural instinct to cook the way you do. Just take the compliment. You truly deserve it!" Connor commented.
"Oh, thank you!" Otoha blushed. "Going back to the topic. What does everyone want to eat tonight? How about you Kaoru? Do you have anything in mind?"
"Maybe some kind of pasta will be great?" Kaoru answered, unsure of what he was saying.
"Pasta… Interesting choice… How does a butter-poached lobster with spaghetti aglio e olio sound to everyone? It is light and quick to make. I think it will be the perfect dish to end a great day with." Otoha suggested, looking at everyone.
"Lobster and pasta will always sound great to me." Kaito commented, nodding in agreement.
"I do not know what spaghetti aglio e olio is but I am down to try anything new!" Connor added, giving Otoha a thumbs-up.
"That is great to hear! Mizuki, will you help me again this time?" Otoha asked the televangelist.
"Of course! I am delighted to assist you in creating another scrumptious meal for the group! It is the least I can do!" Mizuki shared.
"We should get started then." Otoha added.
The two ladies stood up and were about to leave to go inside the kitchen when the doors of the hall unexpectedly swung open. The doors were pushed so forcefully that they quickly banged against the wall creating a booming thud echoing throughout the spacious hall. The crashing sound caught the attention of the seven campers in the hall making them glance at who was at the entrance. As soon as they took a look, they saw that it was none other than the forever energetic fan club president, Yo Bashira.
The always animated Yo was sweating bullets on her forehead as she stared at the group. What happened to her? Why does she look so exhausted? Is she angry at us? I have never seen her scowl at anyone before. Something must be up. After a few seconds of silence, the scrunched-up face of Yo was instantly replaced by a smile from ear to ear. Waving her hands to the group, she slowly made her way to the table. Once she was in front of everybody, she took multiple deep breaths.
"It is great that I finally found everyone. I thought all of you were abducted by Monokuma or something like that." Yo shared, panting.
"Have you been looking for us this whole time?" Mizuki asked, letting go of the door to the kitchen.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I have!" Yo nodded at the televangelist.
"I am so sorry about that! We all went to the new area to look around and see the place. We did not plan to go together but all of us ended up meeting each other and stayed in the area for a while. We are sorry if we left you behind. We did not mean to exclude you." Otoha shared.
"It is alright! It is no biggie! I know most of you wanted me to come and join the fun." Yo remarked, waving her hands.
"Most of us? I think everyone wished you were there." Kaoru asked.
"Nope." Yo nodded. For a few seconds, she glared at the runway model who was only blankly staring at the table. I guess Yo is not as dense as I thought she would be. At least she knows Hiroto does not like being around her. Maybe that will make her stay away from me when I am around Hiroto. I do not want to be around her. It is nothing personal. She is a sweet girl but she is fucking exhausting to be around. I have to be always on guard because I never know what will happen next when I am with her.
"Well, now that you are here, why don't you join us for dinner." Otoha offered, pointing at the table. "Mizuki and I are going to cook lobster and pasta. How does that sound to you?"
"That sounds oh so wonderful!" Yo shouted, twirling around. "The thought of lobster and pasta is making my mouth drool! I cannot wait to dig in!"
"That is great to hear! For now, you can stay with the rest and wait as we prepare the meal." Otoha remarked, smiling at the fan club president.
Yo nodded as she takes a seat beside Mitsue. Can she pick another chair?. Suddenly, before Mizuki and Otoha could enter the kitchen and begin preparing the food, Yo suddenly jumped out of her seat, pointing at the two ladies.
"Wait! I almost forgot why I was looking for you!" Yo shouted.
"What is it? Is there a problem?" Mitsue asked.
"The thing is we do not know if it is going to be a problem but it is very important we figure out what it is soon enough!" Yo shared.
"What are you talking about?" Kaito asked.
"Believe it or not but Kai found a new recording in the radio shack! I was shocked when he told me about it. At first, I was like 'He must be pulling a fast one on me since he is bored.' But, when I went to the radio shack, there it was, the new tape. I have been looking everywhere for all of you to tell that news but I could not find you because all of you were busy touring around the area while having a lovely time without me. I am not angry you left me out but I am sad that I missed out on a great time with all of you!" Yo shared. A new recording? The outside world tried to contact us again. This must be important.
"Do you know what the tape was about?" Mitsue asked.
"No clue! Kai wanted to randomly jam the tape inside the radio but I luckily stopped him from ruining the message. You should have seen his face when he was thinking of showing all of you the tape busted. It was like seeing a clown spiral into madness." Yo shared, shivering in disgust.
"Why did you not fucking tell us as soon as you saw us?" Mitsue shouted, standing up.
"I am sorry! I was tired and hungry and sad. You cannot blame me for forgetting all of that because I was worn out like a dog that has been walking around the park multiple times without taking any water break!" Yo pouted with her arms akimbo.
"Anyway, we should all go there before that jackass does ruin the tape. Is he there?" Mitsue asked.
"Yup! He is passing the time by talking with Akari. Although, I do not think he is having the time of his life." Yo shared, her eyes drifting to the side.
"Akari is out of her room?" Otoha asked.
"She is. I was able to drag her out of her isolation. That poor girl…" Yo commented, shaking her head in disappointment.
"Everyone, let's go. Dinner can wait." Mitsue ordered, leaving the table first. Soon, everyone followed the emergency response team leader's lead. The group went out of the hall and quickly made their way to the radio shack. In front of the pack was Mitsue with Yo and Hiroto by his side. Behind these three were Connor and Kaito. And, at the back was Otoha guiding Kaoru and Mizuki.
As the group speedily made their way to the shack, Mitsue turned to Yo.
"When did Kai find the tape?" Mitsue asked.
"I am not sure. I do not think he told me when he found it. But, he did tell me about it around past three o'clock. So, maybe Kai found it earlier than that. Honestly, I do not think there is any way of telling when we got a copy of that tape, is there?" Yo asked.
"There is no way of knowing about that." Mitsue confirmed.
"You know, it got me thinking. If you are gone, no one else on this island will know how to operate that radio. The only ones who knew how to use them were you, Kaya, and Naoki. Without you, we will not be able to play the recording of the transmission we received. The message of the funny-sounding lady will be lost forever." Yo shared. Now that Yo pointed it out, it is worrisome that I am the only one who knows how to use that equipment. If something shitty does happen to me, god-forbid, the group will lose the only way we can communicate with the outside world.
"Someone else needs to learn how to use that thing." Mitsue mumbled.
"Ooooh! I can learn how to use that cool thing! Pick me as your student! I can be diligent when I want to. Is it not great that an enthusiastic student like me is knocking on your doorstep? So, what do you say? Will you teach me the ways of that radio?" Yo asked, elbowing Mitsue. Love the enthusiasm but hell no am I going to pick you as the person to study that radio. I do not trust you with my food, let alone with that device. Whenever I think of you using that radio, it always ends up in a fucking disaster. I will not let that shit happen.
"We will see about that. For now, we should focus on getting there." Mitsue added.
"Of course! But, I cannot wait to learn how to use that thing! I am going to be the best radio operator ever!" Yo shouted. Calm your ass down! I did not say you will be the one I will teach how to use the radio. This is also the reason why I cannot trust you with the radio. You are kind of a scatterbrain. What you hear is processed by your brain. After decoding the message you want to say, you have a hard time directly saying what you mean. It is like I am trying to crack a code when you speak. The one in charge of the radio should be eloquent since they will be communicating to the group the message of the outside world.
"I hope Kai does not get bored with Akari…" Mitsue mumbled.
"Me too…" Yo agreed.
Surprised, Mitsue turned to the fan club president. "Why are you worried?"
"It is just that Kai told me that if he gets bored of Akari, he might do something to the cassette. I know he is only joking but I can really see that guy rip out the tape and shred it to pieces. It will be bad if that happens! What if we get a lovely message and we do not hear it because of Kai? Why does Kai have to act like a gremlin all the time?" Yo shared, pouting her lips. Same question. Kai does seem like he can be a sensible person but why does he have to always act on his impulses to stir the pot?
"What about Akari? Is she trying to entertain Kai to stop him from destroying the tape?" Mitsue asked.
"Akari… She is lifeless." Yo shared, drifting her eyes away from Mitsue.
"Lifeless? What do you mean she is lifeless?" Mitsue asked.
"You will know what I mean once we get there." Yo answered, nodding her head.
After a few minutes, the group finally reached the radio shack. They did not waste any second and entered the premises. As soon as Mitsue opened the door, he instantly saw what was going on within the room. Sitting in front of the radio were Akari and Kai. The two were facing each other with Akari's back facing the door. Kai's face was only inches away from the actress. The drama writer was smugly grinning at Akari.
"What are you doing to Akari, you bastard?" Mitsue shouted, pointing at the drama writer.
Looking away from the actress, Kai turned to Mitsue and waved him hello. "Oh! The pack has finally arrived! It is good to see all of you find your way here. I never thought we will be able to gather at this time." Kai shared, crossing his arms as he backed away from Akari.
"After hearing the multiple attempts you made and the threat you shared to destroy the recording, we had to rush just to make sure the tape is still in one piece." Mitsue shared.
"Oh, you heard about that? That was nothing! The tape is resting on the radio, still intact. You did not have to worry about anything because Akari here made a lovely companion to wait with for your arrival. She has been nothing but entertaining." Kai shared. Do not tell me Kai has done something terrible to Akari. Akari may be a bitch sometimes but she does not need to be toyed by this asshole right now.
"What were you doing to her?" Mitsue asked, curling his hands into fists.
"Relax! I did not do anything that will violate her human rights. All I did was make her react. You will not believe it but she has not said a single word since she arrived here. All she did was look at me and Yo while we were fighting over the tape." Kai shared.
"But, why was your face so near to Akari?" Kaito asked.
"I was only trying to get a better look at this frightening image. Come closer if you want to see what I have been staring at for the past few hours." Kai answered, waving his hands at the campers to come closer. What is Kai talking about?
Out of curiosity, the group went on to walk towards the two. As soon as everyone had a view of Akari, they immediately understood the drama writer's fascination. Akari, what happened? What did you do to yourself? There was only one word to describe Akari, a wreck. The actress's glamorous presentation was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was only a sloppy mess. Akari's eyes were reddish and puffy. Her makeup was mindlessly smudged all over her face. Her hair was frizzy and was crying for a comb. It was not only her face that was not well-put. Her dress was not evenly put on and looked like it was thrown on her without any care.
Immediately, Otoha walked towards Akari's side. Kneeling down to meet Akari's eyes, she grabbed the actress's hands. "Honey, you do not look like your fabulous usual self. Do you need my help? I may not be as great as your usual staff but I can help you dress up a bit. What do you say? After this, let's have dinner. Then, I will help you look like your normal, amazing self?" Otoha smiled at Akari.
However, the warmth Otoha offered was only met by the ice-cold stare of Akari. Akari is a struggle bus right now. I know how she feels. It is just one of those feelings that make you give up on life and lose the motivation to take care of yourself. We should give her some time for now. She will be able to bounce back to her usual self at her own time. I am sure of it.
"Well, if you ever need anything, you can always ask for my help, okay?" Otoha shared, reassuring Akari.
Suddenly, Kai burst into laughter. Waving his hand, Kai shouted, "Don't! She is more interesting this way!" Kai was trying to stop his laughter. "It will be so much more fun to have her like this all the time! Do you not think so? I just cannot take her seriously like this. And, she is honestly more likable now that she has her mouth shut all the time. Back then, all she did was run her mouth about beauty which was so tiring to hear. Now, she is the complete opposite. She is a quiet sad little girl who gives zero care about her appearance. Is it not this what all of you have wanted from her since day one?"
I did wish for her to shut the fuck up and stop complaining about everything but this is not what I meant by that. I just wanted her pompous, vain self to be toned down. I did not want her to turn into a messy slug.
"Stop it, Kai! It is so cruel of you for making fun of grieving people! Even if they look like a mess, we should not make fun of them. Of course, they will look like that. All they could think about is their loss. I hope when you lose someone important like your siblings, no one will make fun of you as well." Yo shared, pointing at Kai. Siblings? Does Kai have siblings? I was sure that he was a spoiled only child. This is news to me.
"Oh shut up! Do not rope them into the conversation." Kai rolled his eyes. He loves to bring up everything he can to tease other people but he will not stand for someone else bringing up his family. What a fucking hypocrite. It is not fair for him to shut down Yo like that. I want to see what that conversation will be like. Actually, out of everyone here, I think he is the only person I have never talked to alone. Looks like I found out Kai's weakness. I wonder how I can use this information to shut him up in the future.
"Everyone, let us all calm down. This is not the time for petty fights. We already had a long day. We should end it with being at peace with each other. Does it not sound lovely to be in harmony with one another?" Mizuki reminded the group.
"Oh wow… What an amazing reminder from the great leader Mizuki!" Kai mocked the televangelist, crossing his arms.
"Do not be rude to Mizuki! All she is doing is diffuse the situation. Just listen to your leader and shut your mouth." Kaoru shouted, pointing at Kai.
"Or what? Are you going to punch me in the face? Come on Kaoru, the amazing one-punch man! Hit me with your best shot!" Kai added, gesturing to Kaoru with his hands to come at him. This has gone on for too long. I am tired of listening to Kai's taunts. I do not have time to watch Kaoru become a boxer. And, I certainly do not like the idea of tending to Kai's injury. I will kill myself before I spend more time with that jackass. Fuck it! I am just hungry and tired and I want to get some fucking sleep.
"Will all of you just fucking shut up!" Mitsue shouted at the group.
His voice quickly grabbed everyone's attention. All of the bickerings stopped and all eyes were on him. Once the silence settled in, Mitsue continued. "That is much better." Pointing at the drama writer, Mitsue threatened. "Not a fucking word from you." Then, he showed his fist to Kai.
"O-" Kai was about to reply when Mitsue suddenly lunges toward the drama writer. Then, he reached out his fist aiming at Kai's face. With only inches away from the drama writer's face, Mitsue stopped. Immediately, Kai fell on the floor with his face paling from what he had just experienced.
"Did I not say I do not want a word to leave your mouth again?" Mitsue asked, raising his right eyebrow.
Kai only stared at the emergency response team leader.
"Much better." Mitsue commented, then turning to the group. "We are wasting our precious time doing nothing in this shack but argue with one another. I do not know about you but I am hungry and sleepy. I want to get this over with."
After his frightening speech, Mitsue turned to the table and grabbed the tape that was lying on the radio. This must be it. I do not think I have seen this cassette before. Once he determined it was the tape, he popped it on the radio and turned on the device. After a few minutes, the radio began playing the recording.
The transmission started with a loud static noise. As time progressed, the static sound gradually disappeared and was eventually replaced by a familiar voice.
"-shu Island, do you hear me? Camp 5 Meishu Island, do you hear me?" The female voice asked repeatedly. It is her again. I wonder what news she has for us this time. I hope it is something good. After some time, the female voice stopped asking and proceeded with her news.
"Hello, Camp 5 Meishu Island. Let me reintroduce myself. This is Sunako Hekima of Task Force: Foxtrot. I am here to update you about what has been going on here." Sunako shared. Please let it be good. Please tell me that the problems are over and we are free to go back to our homes where we belong. I do not want to stay here any longer. I do not think I can endure living with someone like Kai. He brings out the devil in me.
"Lord, please let it be good news." Mizuki softly prayed.
Mitsue began tapping his foot in anticipation of the news. Suddenly, he felt a hand land on his shoulder. The emergency response team leader turned to the person and found Hiroto beside him.
"Relax." Hiroto whispered, looking straight at the radio.
"I do not want to cause panic but there is no other way to say this. There is no good news to share." Sunako shared after sighing. No good news to share? Seriously? There is nothing you can tell us that will cheer us and motivate us to continue with our lives? Really? How bad are things becoming back home? Please let my family be safe. I do not think I can bear it if the bad news has something to do with them. Do not let it be about them.
"Things have gotten worse here. The Neo-Remnants have gained total control over the government with the support of The Regime. They are running everything; changing policies that would be advantageous to them, replacing officials with ones who are on their side, and reforming the current justice system. They have implemented an extravagant public execution system where everyone gets to watch people executed in ways no one would think of. They use props and costumes as if they are doing a play." Sunako shared. This sounds like the execution system of this game. Are we already under the control of the Neo-Remnants?
"Mother Fornax…" Kaito mumbled as tears fell down his cheeks.
"I pray for the repose of those poor souls. May you Lord show them mercy and save them from purgatory." Mizuki prayed.
"However, there is nothing to worry about the task force being infiltrated. We are a secret organization only a few government officials know about." Sunako shared. That is reassuring. I hope it stays that way.
"We also have news about The Regime raiding several establishments to find some of you. They have raided so far Giwan's orphanage, Kumagai's entertainment agency, Naozumi's rescue team headquarters, Ogino's laboratory, Okumura's marketing company, and Yamagata's church." Sunako added. My team! I hope nothing bad happened to them. Now more than ever, people need my team to be there for them.
"I hope lady Rikona and the others are okay!" Kaoru whispered.
"According to our investigation, thankfully, no one was harmed from the search." Sunako shared.
"Thank you Lord for protecting them." Mizuki praised.
"However, we have observed a bizarre movement from the Neo-Remnants. They have suspended all of your and your family's accounts and liquidated all of your shares in the stock market. They now have full control of your financial assets." Sunako shared. They are controlling our money? Why would they do that? That is a strange move.
"Not our family savings! How will my father feed my siblings? Where will he get the money to buy their needs?" Otoha worried.
"Do not worry. We have sent financial assistance to all of the families of the ultimates we have retrieved and will continuously support them until we resolve this issue." Sunako shared.
"That is a relief. At least my father can buy food with that." Otoha sighed.
"The last thing we want to tell you is that we have found suspicious activities on the different camps we have made. Various camps have been ransacked and taken over by The Regime. We discovered that the campers that were under their reign of terror either vanished into thin air or were found as corpses hidden somewhere within the camp. After receiving a distressing message from one of the camps, we sent a troop to rescue them and were successful in doing so. Because of this, we have decided to send rescue teams to certain camps to retrieve the ultimates." Sunako shared. Are they going to save us? Are they going to take us away from this hellhole as well?
"However, we have to postpone this activity since several of our troops have been ambushed and influenced to change sides. Because of this, we have decided to stop sending troops. Instead, what we are going to do is do a simultaneous transmission with all of the camps tomorrow at 1 pm. If we receive any message asking for help from your camp, we will be sending a troop to save you. But, if we do not receive anything from your side, we will be assuming that your camp is one of the lucky few that is safe from all of the mess." No! We cannot send any message to your camp! A fucking stuffed toy cut off the microphone of this radio! Send a troop to get us! We are not one of the lucky bunch!
"That is all for now! We are looking forward to your reply and stay safe." Sunako ended the transmission. Once the radio stopped playing, the room fell into complete silence as everyone stared at the device that has brought them the worst news they could hear for the day. With a single transmission, their amazing afternoon was completely overshadowed by the depressing reality that hit the ten campers in the face. They were reminded of the cruel fate they have been dealt with and no amount of screaming will get them out of their unfortunate situation.
A few more painstaking seconds have passed when the heart-wrenching silence was broken by the soft voice of Mizuki Yamagata.
"Are we going to be rescued?" Mizuki asked, fidgeting her hands.
Mitsue turned to the televangelist and slowly shook his head. I wish I could say yes. I wish I could tell her someone is on their way to save us from this fucking prison but I cannot lie to her. There is no way I can sugarcoat our situation. It was crystal clear what scenario we are in right now. Even if I lie to her, she will figure out that we are on our own and no one is coming to get us. This is… depressing. I just lost every ounce of joy I got from the flower field.
"Is there a way to tell them to get us out of here? Did they not say something about telling them through another communication attempt that we need help? Can we participate in that activity?" Mizuki asked.
"I want to but our microphone has been cut off by Monokuma. That bear snipped it off before we even found this radio. They knew we will not be able to communicate to the outside world without it. Also, there is no device on this island that we can use as a substitute. And, even if we attempt to make one, none of us has the skill and knowledge to make one. It will be a waste of time and resources." Mitsue shared, sighing heavily.
"Are you saying we cannot ask for help and be rescued out of here?" Mizuki continued.
"I want to tell you it is possible but lying will not do anything well. There is nothing we can do other than wait for them to come here of their own volition." Mitsue answered, staring at the floor.
"For how many days we have yearned to be rescued, the only chance and maybe the last chance we have is blocked by a stupid microphone… Why is God testing us like this!" Mizuki shouted, squatting down on the floor. The televangelist instantly burst into tears and proceeded to cover her face with her hands.
"We are stuck and no one can help us. The Regime… The Neo-Remnants… The Remnants of Hope… My sister and her friends… Her minions… Monokuma… They… will… kill… us… We are going to die." Kaito mumbled.
"Kaito, snap out of it." Connor put his hands on the astrophysicist's shoulders, turning him to face him. "You are not going to die. No one will. Get a hold of yourself dude!"
"I am good as dead. There is nothing I can do to stop it. I am dead. I will die in the hands of other people. It has always been destined to be like that." Kaito continued mumbling to himself as he stared at the ceiling.
"Are you not listening? You are not going to die!" Connor shouted.
"I am going to die! We all are!" Kaito shouted back, falling down on his knees with his hands covering his ears. "I am dead… I am dead… I will be killed by my sister… If not by my sister, the Neo-Remnants… If not the Neo-Remnants, The Regime will… If not The Regime, one of you will do it… Or Monokuma might do it himself… I will die no matter what!"
Out of nowhere, Akari, who has been silent the whole time, finally spoke up. "We are all going to end up like Naoki. We will all die. Someone will take our lives and abruptly give an end to it. It is either going to be by Monokuma's doing or one of us will be responsible for it. There is no escape. This is our fate. It is cruel but it is our fate. Just accept it. You will find peace once you have accepted it." What the fuck! Hell no am I going to accept this shit! If you are okay with this, fine with me. Just do not tell me to be like you. I am not going to put up with this shit.
Looking around, Mitsue saw the despair sinking in. He wants to tell them to look at the brighter side of life but he cannot even see one. All he can see were the faces of those who have given up on escaping the grip of their situation and are finding trouble believing the severity of their circumstances. What do we do now? If only I have a wand that I can wave to erase all of the shit we are in, I will gladly use it immediately. It is not right to end this day like this but I cannot even change my mood. What more can I do for the others.
Suddenly, Yo cleared her throat, garnering everyone's attention. What does this mean? Please do not say any bullshit right now. No one is in the mood to play around with you. I will not tolerate bullshit. I do not think anyone will at this point.
"I know it is hard to be optimistic but we should try to be. If we act like there is no hope, that is when our situation does pose no hope since all of us have given up. Maybe I am asking for too much right now but why don't we look at it from a brighter perspective? Instead of thinking that we lost the chance to escape, we can think of it as they have an idea of what is happening in our camp which means they will act quickly to help us out. And, they did say this will only be temporary. We are going to get out of here eventually. The only thing we need to think of is not falling into Monokuma's hand. Everyone will stay safe as long as no one is tempted by Monokuma. I believe in all of us. I know we are stronger than that bear. We can get through this!" Yo shared.
That is all I needed to hear. Everyone who was listening was stunned by the uplifting words of the fan club president. It is not yet over. We can still get out of here just not through that call. The only problem left is the game which will not really do anything if no one does anything about it. Our situation is not hopeless. We can still pull through this.
"Thank you for those kind words Yo. Everyone needed to hear that." Otoha went to the fan club president and hugged her tightly.
"Oh come on now! It was nothing! I just said what came to my mind." Yo hugged back the dollmaker.
"That is what makes it more amazing. Your mind instantly thought of the more optimistic idea unlike most of us who have been swallowed by fear immediately." Otoha let go of Yo, smiling at her.
"That is not true! I was shaking my boots back there listening to that transmission. I only chose to think of something better. From everything life has thrown at me, I have learned that there will always be a happy ending with us in it. All we have to do is think that it is possible! Something is amazing about manifesting what we want in life." Yo added.
"Well, I am glad you are here to remind us all of that." Otoha shared.
"That is great to hear!" Yo cheered.
Out of nowhere, Kaoru walked towards Mizuki who was wiping off her tears.
"Mizuki, my great leader, what should we do now?" Kaoru asked.
From behind the aromatherapist, Kai snickered loudly. Everyone turned to him as he looked funnily at Kaoru. With his arms akimbo and his right eyebrow raised, the drama writer stared at the two of them for quite some time. With his mouth agape, it was as if he was shocked by what he just heard. What is his problem this time? Do not ruin the moment Yo made.
"After everything that happened, you are still seeking help from Mizuki?" Kai asked.
"Of course! She is our leader. It is only natural to ask for her guidance. What is wrong with that?" Kaoru answered.
"Out of everyone in this room, she cried the hardest and did not even say anything uplifting. She only cared about getting out of here. Her first thoughts were about herself and not about the group. All she did was whine which honestly made everything worse. Is that really leader-like? If you ask me, it will be a hard no. If anything, Yo stepped to the plate a million times better than Mizuki has ever done for the group. It felt like she was the leader listening to her speech." Kai pointed out.
"Just because you are the leader does not mean you cannot have feelings. Of course, it is only natural to think of getting out of here. We have been taken in as hostages. And, after hearing what happened outside to the people close to us, it would make us want to get out more. I am sure she was worried about her family and churchmates. Are you not worried about the people you care for outside this island?" Kaoru defended Mizuki.
"I am worried but it does not excuse her blatant lack of leadership skills. I would have loved to hear something comforting from her. Instead, what I got was a depressing exchange of questions followed by a childish cry. I hope you use your head to understand why I am so doubtful of her as a leader." Kai shouted, rolling his eyes.
"All I am hearing from you are dumb attacks against my leader all in the name of disagreeing with everything she does and stands by. You do not know what she has gone through and you are in no position to understand that. I mean, what have you done for the group anyway? Have you even contributed anything to the group other than being a bothersome fellow?" Kaoru asked, curling his right hand into a fist.
"Well, you are in no way in the position to question me. You have been as bothersome as I am. All you do is blindly follow people that you end up doing all of their dirty works without realizing it until it is too late. When Mitsue was the leader, you tolerated and even encouraged his violence towards everyone. When Kaya was the leader, you let her use her in her diabolic scheme. Now, you are defending Mizuki who has not done anything for the group. Open your eyes and think! You are not a rug that can be passed around and be used to clean up the mess until it has outlived its purpose and is tossed to the side." Kai added.
"If you hate seeing Mizuki so much as the leader, why don't you take the position. Be the leader of the group! Let us see how better of a leader you can be than Mizuki!" Kaoru continued shouting.
"Just because I am criticizing Mizuki as a leader does not mean I want to be one. I know I will be a shitty leader. That is why I have never volunteered to be one. I am free to criticize her and she should listen to it because she is the leader!" Kai clarified.
"If you cannot be the leader, then shut up and just follow her lead since that is all you can do to help the group anyway." Kaoru added.
Groaning in frustration, Kai acted as if he wanted to grab Kaoru by the head. "Criticizing leadership is a form of helping the group. Gosh, I cannot deal with this close-mindedness anymore. I am out of here. I am scared I might grow dumb just from listening to this trash." Kai shouted before leaving the shack.
So much for the uplifting speech Yo gave. Everything that it did went down the drain quickly. Why can people not choose the right time to fight? I swear I am going fucking insane dealing with all of this crap from these assholes.
After the confrontation ended, the room grew quiet with everyone staying still. The first to move was Akari who got out of her chair and left. Then, Kaito ran away while Connor quickly followed the astrophysicist. Only six of them remained in the room.
"We should get back to the dining hall and have some dinner before going to sleep." Otoha remarked, smiling through the awkwardness wafting through the room.
"I do not think I am in the mood to eat anymore. I am going back to my room." Mizuki shared with the group, walking away.
"Wait for me, my leader!" Kaoru shouted as he followed the televangelist.
Suddenly, Yo shouted as she raised her hand, "What are we eating tonight?"
"Didn't I already told you we are having some pasta with lobster?" Otoha asked.
"Oh, right! That sounds perfect! Hearing it is making my stomach grumble so loudly!" Yo answered, rubbing her tummy.
"What about you two?" Otoha turned to Mitsue and Hiroto.
"I would still love to eat dinner." Mitsue answered. Then, the emergency response team leader turned to Hiroto. "You should have some too before sleeping."
"Okay." Hiroto nodded, looking straight at Mitsue's eyes.
"If that is the case, we should get going before it becomes too late." Otoha remarked.
"I am so excited to eat one of your amazing creations again!" Yo commented, linking arms with Otoha.
At least one of us is still in a good mood after all of that. I wish I can be like that or at least be able to pretend like it. The four of them went on to have a decent dinner together with Yo doing most of the talking.
That is it for this update! I hope you enjoyed it!
What do you think so far of what is happening? Do you have any thoughts on the dynamic of the group? What do you think will happen with Mitsue's search for Ayame's identity? What are your thoughts on the transmission? You can tell me through the comments.
If you ever want to talk about fun stuff and this story as well, you can hop into the discord server for this story. The invite is on my profile.
Anyway, that is it for now!
Good luck and stay safe!