Warning: There is graphic sexual content toward the end of this chapter. You will know it when you see it. Reader discretion is advised.

5:56 PM, Day 1

Hotel Mirai Restaurant,

1st Island

After Usami's bold declaration, the group meeting hadn't lasted much longer. Byakuya had held them back long enough to sort out that the 'staff' would end up staying over in the farmhouse, and that had been it. Even though Kaede herself felt a quiet sort of optimism in the face of Usami's bet, the mood hadn't been right to really discuss that in depth.

Thus everyone ended up going their separate ways. Shuichi had gone over to check up on Toko, who had still been unconscious by the time his group had gotten back from the central island. Tsumugi, meanwhile, had been dragged away by Sonia, who had seemed quite interested in the girl's talent. That just left Kaede alone in the restaurant, gathering her thoughts together in the peace and quiet left in the room.

"A penny for your thoughts, Kaede?"

Or maybe not so alone.

She jumped, looking up with a startled expression. Korekiyo had come back it seemed, having taken a seat at her table now. The mysterious boy examined her coolly, his yellow eyes studying her quite intently it seemed. She felt perhaps a bit...uncomfortable with his gaze, but tried to push past it.

He was the Ultimate Anthropologist, wasn't he? Didn't they observe people and stuff like that? It was only natural, really. Still, it didn't help that he looked like...well, like a secret serial killer stalking his prey.

It really wasn't her fault he looked so creepy!

"Ah, Korekiyo. What are you doing here?" she asked, putting on a friendly smile for him.

"Well, everyone else is quite busy, at the moment. I thought I'd come back and check up on you, if that is all right. You looked quite troubled when the meeting came to an end," he replied, looking at her with apparent concern.

"Oh, that, well..." Kaede trailed off, looking over to the side uncomfortably. "I...have a bad feeling, I guess? It's just...something I can't shake off. I mean, we're all gonna go home in four days now...and I know I should feel excited about that. I mean, it's not like anyone is that homicidal enough to do something stupid, right? It's just..."

Kaede trailed off, pursing her lips as she played over that encounter with Usami over and over again in her mind. Something about it...hadn't seemed right. Something had seemed off, even. But what? She couldn't put her finger on it, and it was driving her crazy. She'd been trying to think it over since the meeting ended, but nothing had come to mind.

"You doubt the words of our captor?" Korekiyo guessed. "It would be only reasonable to do so, honestly. Given all the troubles our captor must have gone through to gather us all here, I myself am doubtful about us being let go after four days. Though I cannot say why Usami gave such a deadline, unless she was supremely confident that someone would act impulsively within our group."

That was a good point too, Kaede had to admit, though it wasn't what bothered her. Still, she tried not to worry about that, given how she hadn't figured out what even was bothering her. No sense in dwelling on it any longer than necessary.

"Yeah...it's something like that, I guess. I mean, I really do wanna be hopeful, but...you do have a point. Part of me does doubt how truthful Usami is being with us. Still...we gotta hope for the best, yeah? At least, that's what Keiko always told me," she replied, a more genuine smile coming onto her face.

"Mm, there is nothing wrong with hoping for such an outcome. However, there is a saying I myself like to adhere to: hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. In the eventuality that someone does commit a heinous act, or that Usami is lying to us, we'd best prepare. She may well be planning out this entire gambit just to crush our spirits, at the end," Korekiyo proclaimed.

That...was also a good point that she hadn't considered, really. It was a valid enough thought: maybe she should talk with Shuichi or Byakuya about this, later. In the event Usami was lying, it'd be a good idea to lay the groundwork to shore up everyone's spirits. She couldn't let that damn rabbit get the best of them!

"That's a good point, Kiyo. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!" she said, flashing him a grateful smile.

"Of course, Kaede. It is my pleasure. I only wish to assist the group best as I can. Through my studies, I have researched the various ways in which a societal group can break down...so heading off any such threats would be a wise path to take," he stated, giving her a slight nod.

After a moment though, he looked at her curiously, and asked, "Who is Keiko?"

"Huh? Oh! Right, sorry. Keiko's my sister. My twin sister, in fact," Kaede elaborated. She paused, a rather wistful look coming across her face. "She's not here, of course. That's probably for the best, but...I can't help but worry about her, you know? We've always been there for each other, and it's hard not having her around."

"Ah, I can sympathize with that myself. I, too, have a sister," Korekiyo revealed, his eyes lighting up a little. "Haniko is her name. We're quite close as well. While I also am glad she isn't here to suffer in this nightmare, I do miss her...and find myself concerned. Especially since she is...sick."

He paused at that, his eyes dimming as he recalled some painful memories.

"Sick? With what?" she couldn't help but ask.

Korekiyo remained silent for a moment, before giving a weary sigh. He placed his hands on the table, drumming them softly against the surface of the table. "She has breast cancer, I am afraid. It's not as bad as it could be though, and the doctors are quite hopeful about her condition. Between her treatments and her medicine, she's able to live a somewhat normal life. Still, I find myself very much concerned with Haniko. I can only pray that she remains in good health, while I am stuck here."

"Oh, Kiyo..." Kaede's face softened at that, her tone filled with palpable concern. She reached over to him after a moment, softly enclosing her hand with one of his own. "I'm so sorry."

Korekiyo looked surprised at the contact, but didn't seem to mind it. In fact, he moved his other hand on top of hers, gently squeezing it in appreciation. "Thank you, Kaede. I do appreciate your sympathy. I won't lie: it's been a hard year for my sister and I. Still, I am hopeful that she will recover, in the end. She's a strong woman, and I am confident she can fight off this vile disease."

"That's the spirit! I'm sure she will!" Kaede readily agreed, beaming at him. "You know, when we do get out of here...I'd love to meet your sister in person. She sounds like someone I'd love to be friends with."

He chuckled at that, his eyes staring at her with genuine warmth. "Thank you, Kaede. I'm sure my sister would love to meet you too."

6:04 PM, Day 1

Hotel Mirai

1st Island

Akane followed Rantaro, Mikan, and Monaca out once the meeting wrapped up, carrying Monaca's wheelchair down the stairs as they left the restaurant. Once they were back on solid ground, Rantaro carefully laid his sister back on her chair, and started wheeling her forward as they walked.

"Hm, the resemblance really is uncanny," Akane mused, glancing down at the cheerful little girl. "Gotta admit, though, I didn't expect we'd find your little sister here. Makes me wonder if there's anyone else here, maybe on the other islands."

"It's a possibility, I'll say. Certainly something to keep an eye out for whenever those other islands open up...if we're here that long, that is," Rantaro said, giving a light shrug. "And yes...happy as I am to see you, Monaca, the last thing I expected was to find you here. I don't suppose you remember much, do you? Before you got here?"

Monaca tapped her chin thoughtfully, humming to herself as she tried to remember. "Sorry, Monaca don't remember a lot, Big Brother. The last thing Monaca recalls for sure is going to Hopes Peak Academy with you for our first day! But, besides that, Monaca can't remember much else. Monaca doesn't know how she got here, and that's super frustrating!"

Rantaro nodded at that, and reached down with his good hand to pat his sister's head reassuringly. "That's fine, Monaca. Maybe we'll remember later. For now though...we really do need to figure out your living situation..."

Monaca stilled at that, and glanced at him with a concerned look. "Huh? Isn't Monaca staying with Big Brother?"

"I'd like to say yes, but..." he grimaced, and gestured to his injured arm. "Until my arm fully heals, my ability to take care of you is severely hampered. And if Mikan is going to be tending to me, that means she'll be in my cabin a lot...and, well, I don't want to make it too crowded in there. Three people, plus your wheelchair, doesn't sound like it'll work out."

Her cheeks puffed out in a pout, and tears started gathering at her eyes. Suddenly she started flailing about, crying out, "MONACA! WANTS! TO! STAY! WITH! BIG! BROTHER! SHE! DOESN'T! WANT! TO! STAY! WITH! ANYONE! ELSE!"

Akane glanced at her, surprised by the sudden outburst, but it seemed Rantaro had anticipated it. He merely sighed, and reached down to ruffle her head with his hand.

"Come now, Monaca. This is for your own good. Believe me, if I were in tip-top condition, I'd love nothing more than to let you stay with me in my cottage. But with my arm fucked up right now...that just isn't a viable option. I know you don't like it: neither do I. But you have to stay with someone else. That's final."

Monaca paused in her flailing, and gave another—admittedly adorable—pout. After a moment though she deflated, and sank back into her chair. "Monaca hates to admit it, but...Big Brother has a point. But, if Monaca can't stay with Big Brother, then Monaca gets to choose who she stays with! And Big Brother better hang out with Monaca all the time to make up for this!"

He chuckled, smiling gently at her. "That sounds like a good deal to me, Monaca. Well...who do you want to stay with, then? Any preferences?"

"Oh, I could take her in!" Mikan interjected, perking up. "It's the l-least I could do, to take care of your sister!"

"I appreciate the thought Mikan, but...well, you'll be spending a lot of time taking care of me, won't you?" Rantaro pointed out. "I don't want to overburden you."

"R-Really, it's no trouble at all!" Mikan assured, though she looked uncertain a few seconds later. "Although...i-it would be difficult looking after two people at the same time...I-I could do it, but I'm afraid your care might s-suffer for it..."

Akane looked at Monaca considerately, silently wondering if she should volunteer herself. She had plenty of experience taking care of young kids, after all, and Rantaro knew her well enough that he might actually trust her with his kid sister.

But did she want to look after her? That was the question here. After all, it wasn't like Monaca was one of her own siblings, so she had no obligation to house her. Besides, there was something...odd about Monaca, that she couldn't quite place. Maybe it was nothing, but it made her hesitant to take responsibility for the girl, all the same.

In the end, however, Monaca beat her to the punch and made her choice.

"Monaca wants to stay with Big Sis Mukky and Big Brother Byakuya!" she happily declared.

Rantaro raised an eyebrow at that, intrigued. Akane herself couldn't help but admit she was likewise bemused by the unorthodox choice.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Well, Big Sis Mukky looked really strong, and really cool! Plus, she's also a girl, so Monaca would feel comfortable staying with her," Monaca elaborated. "And Big Brother Byakuya looks real nice and responsible! Between the two of them, Monaca is sure she'll be safe and well cared for!"

Akane considered that, glancing at Monaca anew. At the same time, Rantaro smiled and gave a slight chuckle.

"So I see. Yes, I suppose that could work; Byakuya would be able to take care of you in the mornings and nights: he is the Ultimate Butler, so I'm sure he has experience in taking care of the physically disabled. And Mukuro is probably the strongest person on the island, and would make for an able bodyguard. Plus, the two of them are members of the Staff...and they wouldn't have any reason to harm you. Not to mention, the farmhouse is some distance away from the hotel, giving you a further barrier of protection," he summarized, closing his eyes thoughtfully.

Monaca only gave an innocent little giggle in response, though the cunning gleam in her eyes showed something different entirely.

Hot damn, this girl was something else! That was all Akane could think, after what Rantaro said. She might be a kid, but Monaca seemed far more intelligent than she gave her credit for. Then again...hadn't she said she was the Ultimate Roboticist? Akane hadn't given much thought to it at the time, but if that was true, then there was more to Monaca Towa than she initially thought.

Hm, was that it? This odd feeling she had about the girl...was it due to her intelligence? Possibly, though Akane had the feeling it wasn't quite that. There was something else to it...something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Well, I'm fine with you staying with Byakuya and Mukuro...just, ah, make sure to keep your distance from Miu and especially Yasuhiro," Rantaro went on, grimacing slightly.

"Heh, think they might be a poor influence on sweet, innocent little Monaca?" Akane jeered with a smirk.

"...Something along those lines, I suppose," Rantaro admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a contrite smile. "I am still her big brother, after all. Still, if I put the fear of God into Yasuhiro some more, I'm sure he'll steer clear away from Monaca. Miu though..."

"Aww, don't scare them away, Big Brother!" Monaca insisted with a pout. "You always try and scare interesting new friends away from Monaca! It's not fair!"

"I only look out for your best interests, Monaca," he replied. "Besides, you have some...unique definitions of 'friend'. I mean, 'befriending' that drug cartel in Mexico wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I wanted you to make some friends with the locals."

"But regular kids are boring! Monaca finds that adults are much more interesting friends. They can actually keep up with Monaca!" she insisted, her lips curving into a frown. A moment later though she fully smiled, adding, "Besides, Monaca found it super funny when Don Eladio broke down in tears!"

Akane just stared at the two of them, not entirely sure if they were being serious. Before she could question them though, Rantaro glanced over at her.

"Akane, think you could track down Mukuro and inform her about these arrangements? We'll go find Byakuya," he said.

Akane blinked, but gave a shrug a moment later. "Yeah, sure, I'm fine with that. I'll go tell her."

That said, she departed from the group, heading out to go track down that black-haired, freckled bitch. At the same time, she decided to take her mind off of Monaca, and instead focus on something else:

Revenge.

Ideas started to swirl in her head, and Akane began to smile.

Mukuro had surprised her the first time: damn near ambushed her and taken her out with dirty tricks! Next time, however, she wouldn't be so lucky! For the next time they fought, Akane was determined to put Mukuro in her goddamn place!

6:35 PM, Day 1

Rocketpunch Market

1st Island

With the group meeting dispersed, Mukuro had gone over to the farm house to claim a room for herself, as well as stow away most of her weaponry for the time being. When she was done with that, she made her way over to the market, feeling somewhat peckish for a snack. She had no trouble getting in and finding some sweets to tide her over for the night. Before she could leave though, one Sayaka Maizono walked into the store as well.

"Oh, hello Mukuro! I wasn't expecting to run into you here. Let me guess, you got hungry as well?" the idol asked, noticing the sweets the girl was holding.

Mukuro glanced at Sayaka, briefly wondering if she could just pretend she hadn't heard her and just leave. Her better judgement stopped her from doing that though, as she instead nodded. "Yes. I thought I might grab a few snacks before retiring to my room in the farm house."

"I see. Well, I'm stocking up myself. I'd rather not leave my room in the middle of the night if I can help it," she replied, walking toward the nearby chips. "Do you have any recommendations on chips? There's too many flavors to pick from." she added, holding back a giggle.

"Pringle's," was Mukuro's immediate reply. She paused a moment later though, clearing her throat as she blushed slightly. "That is, it is the type of chips that I'd recommend. They're a superior quality of chips, in my opinion. Classic is good, but I'm also a fan of barbecue flavor."

"Really? I'm a classic girl myself. I've never tried the barbecue ones. I'll give them a whirl." she said, grabbing a can of the aforementioned chips. The blue haired beauty turned to face Mukuro, a small frown on her face. "Are you worried? About what might happen here, I mean?"

Mukuro tilted her head, considering her words before giving a careful reply. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. A crazed rabbit wants to make us murder each other, and I have a bomb strapped to my neck. I imagine the best we can do is to keep our heads down, and run out the clock with Usami. If she keeps her word, we'll all be free in four days."

"Yeah, you're right. You have it harder than the rest of us. While we have to worry about being killed, you gotta worry about your head not being blown off," she said, rubbing her arm. "I'm certain we'll make it. It's just four days after all. We'll be off these islands in no time!"

"Indeed. I'll be glad to get away from this wretched place: I need to find my sister Junko. Hopefully, she's still back home in Japan," Mukuro replied. Though if she were being honest with herself, she had her doubts that Usami would keep her word.

At any rate, there was a sudden crack of thunder from outside, and the power flickered out, bathing the room in darkness. It kicked back on just a second later though, much to Mukuro's relief.

"Ah, you two are shopping for snacks as well? Excellent! It seems great minds think alike!" Sonia Nevermind enthused, suddenly appearing behind Mukuro.

Mukuro did not scream, nor did she jump nearly a foot in the air. She wasn't scared at all, and her heart had not nearly flown out of her chest. She maintained a calm and civil demeanor through Sonia's surprise appearance, and she would maintain that stance to her dying breath.

Sayaka on the other hand did scream, as her dulcet voice reverberated throughout the empty store. She placed a hand on her chest, her heart beating a mile a minute as she glanced at the princess.

She took a deep calming breath, her shoulders shaking in a dry laugh. "C-could you refrain from doing that in the future? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Oh, my apologizes! Did I spook you two? I'm sorry! I won't try to do that again," Sonia proclaimed, giving them both an apologetic smile and a bow. "Still, this is great luck! I was hoping to talk with you, Sayaka. I must admit, I'm a huge fan of yours."

"Fan?" Mukuro questioned, before recalling her talent. "Oh, you mean Sayaka's idol group."

"Yes! I have to say I've taken a shine to idol culture in general, but Sayaka and her band have really captured my attention!" Sonia confirmed. "And I'm not alone in that. Novoselic is the second largest consumer of idol media after Japan itself, and nearly 87% of the country voted that Sayaka Maizono was their favorite idol!"

"O-oh? Sheesh, I didn't know it was that high," she said. She smiled brightly, feeling giddy at the news. "I'm so glad to hear that! Though to hear that a princess is my number one fan, it's so cool! I'm sure the other girls will be happy to hear that Novoselic loves them so much!"

"You're very welcome Sayaka! I do hope your band comes to do a tour in Novoselic after we leave this island. I know my people would love it!" Sonia declared, smiling brightly at her. "And...well, this is a little embarrassing, but I was wondering if you might sign something for me?"

"Of course! I'd love to give you my autograph! It would be an honor!" Sayaka said excitedly. She reached into her skirt pocket for a pen she always kept around. "So, what would you like me to sign?"

Sonia clasped her hands together excitedly, and reached behind herself to pull out a rolled up poster. She unfurled it, revealing a high quality picture of Sayaka on stage: nothing too abnormal there. However, it soon became apparent that the picture was far from normal. The Sayaka on it looked noticeably panicked, as her top wasn't properly pulled all the way on: as a result of this, her bare breasts were visible for everyone to see.

"Hm, I didn't know you did that kind of photography, Sayaka," Mukuro declared with a smirk, studying the picture with keen interest.

"What...what the fuck?!" Sayaka cried, eyes wide as saucers, as her pen fell from her hand. "Where the hell did you get that? My manager made sure all of those pictures were deleted!"

"Oh, it was ever so simple! An attaché to the Novoselic Ambassador was at the concert this took place at, and recorded the whole thing for the royal family. From there, it was fairly simple to take a screenshot, and have it printed up as a poster!" Sonia gladly explained, smiling cheerfully at the stunned idol. "I must admit, It is my favorite picture of you! The overall crown jewel of my collection!"

"The crown jewel? You have a full blown picture of my tits hanging up in your room? What the hell!" she thundered, her arms hastily covering her breasts, even though they were covered. "I am not signing that! I refuse too!"

"Oh my, did I do something wrong?" Sonia inquired, looking rather concerned as she glanced at the picture again. "Is the poster too small for your liking? I have a bigger one back home, but this was all that was available in my cabin at the hotel. Or...oh, this has to deal with Japanese opinions on nudity, doesn't it? I still don't quite understand the cultural differences there, I'm afraid. In Novoselic, it's not at all uncommon for popular female performers to go topless during performances."

Mukuro, meanwhile, was looking off to the side, her hand covering her mouth as her shoulders shook with mirth.

Sayaka sputtered, unable to come up with any coherent questions. Her face was flushed, cheeks glowing brighter and brighter as time went on. "I just- I...you have a bigger poster at home? I can't even...Ugh! Just get rid of it will you? I tried so hard to keep that buried. I don't want anyone to see my boobs like that okay?"

She paused for a moment, Princess Sonia's words sinking into her head. "Wait...idols perform topless in Novoselic? I am most certainly not holding a concert there! So don't bother asking!"

"Really? I was ever so looking forward to getting this autographed, too!" she pouted, giving a slight sigh as she rolled up the poster. "And not all idols in Novoselic do that! Certainly, foreign artists don't have to. Let's not be so hasty about never going to Novoselic!"

Sonia paused, an idea seeming to come to her head. She gave a triumphant pose, reminiscent of Rosie the Riveter, and declared, "I know! If you are so troubled by this, perhaps taking a photograph of my own breasts would set you at ease? We'd be even that way, yes?"

Before Sayaka could even think to object, she was already undoing her blouse. All the while, Mukuro was doubled over, face red and her body shaking with voiceless laughter. The normally stoic girl unable to take the increasingly farcical nature of the conversation.

"No! I don't want to take a pictures of your boobs! God what even is this conversation?" Sayaka cried out. She grabbed a hold of Sonia's hands, stopping her from undoing her top.

"Listen, I'll visit Novoselic okay? But this stays between us. You will not show that poster to anyone. You will not talk about it, don't even think about it! When you get home, you destroy the other one too, understood?" she finally said.

Sonia paused, thinking it over for a moment before giving an agreeing nod. "Very well! I still don't understand why you're so embarrassed over such a lovely photograph, but I shall comply! I must say, I look forward to giving you a tour of my homeland. It shall be a glorious time for us all!"

Sonia beamed at her, before leaning in to give her a kiss on both cheeks. That done, she happily waved them goodbye, and left the market.

"...Well, now I've had dinner and a show. Good performance there, Sayaka," Mukuro snarked, a smirk on her face as she recovered from her silent bout of laughter.

"Don't you even! This stays between us as well, got it?!" she exclaimed, wiping the princess' lipgloss from her cheeks. "Jesus, I wasn't expecting this when I woke up here,"

Mukuro carefully glanced over at the security camera pointed their way, but decided not to draw attention to it. Perhaps it was best Sayaka hadn't noticed its presence. "Fine, fine. But I gotta ask...how does something like that even happen, anyway?"

"I was in a hurry. We had just finished a song and needed a costume change. We had to get in a new outfit in less than a minute. The stage hand called for time and I ran out," Sayaka said, looking away in embarrassment. "It wasn't until one of my friends pointed at me that I noticed. I was jiggling,"

Mukuro couldn't help but outright snort at that, shaking her head in amusement. "Sorry, but you gotta admit, that's pretty funny. I can only imagine the crowd went wild at that."

"Oh I'm sure they did. I fainted shortly after, so aside from videos, I have no recollection of the event. That's how I want it to stay." she said firmly. "Can we just move on? I just wanna get outta here now,"

"Sure, that's fine." Mukuro nodded.

She felt a little tempted to tease the other girl a bit more...but she probably felt embarrassed enough about the situation. Besides, she had the odd feeling she'd wake up one night with Sayaka standing over her bed, knife in hand, if she said anything else. That wasn't the kind of enemy she wanted to make.

"Ha, there ya are! Been looking everywhere for you, you bitch," the voice of Akane roughly announced, as she suddenly walked into the store.

She stared at Mukuro long and hard for a moment, before dramatically pointing at her. "You, me, rematch. Tomorrow. This time around I'm gonna steal your clothes! Got that?"

Sayaka looked between the two, a look of confusion on her face. She had calmed down enough from what had happened to finally speak normally. "Steal her clothes, why would you want to do that?"

"Because she stole my clothes first! She walked up into the restaurant completely naked, ambushed me, and stole my clothes! And she's still wearing them!" Akane fumed, growling a little as she glared at her.

"Well, to be fair, The jacket is from Nagito, and he gave that willingly," she retorted, giving an uncaring shrug.

"Yeah, yeah. Look, I'm getting my rematch, and I'm gonna win this time!" Akane declared, crossing her arms.

"...Oh, by the way, Rantaro wants you and Byakuya to take care of his little sister. He wanted me to tell you that, too." With that said, Akane flipped Mukuro off, and strode out of the room.

"Pfft, you stole Akane's clothes?" Sayaka asked, after a few seconds of silence. "And you woke up naked? Well, I guess we both have each other's secrets to keep,"

"It wasn't like I wanted to wake up like that!" Mukuro exclaimed, before giving a sigh. "Well, you've got a point there. Also, um...I still don't have any other clothes to wear. Usami wasn't...keen on giving me any of my own wardrobe for some reason. Could I maybe...borrow some of yours?"

"I suppose you could. I'm sure that I've got something that'll fit you. That is, if you are okay with wearing frilly clothes. I'm sure you'd look cute in a pleated skirt!" Sayaka said happily.

"...God, kill me already..." she mumbled to herself, before nodding. "Fine, let's go then."

That said, the two of them finally departed from the store.

7:01 PM, Day 1

Hotel Mirai

1st Island

After her talk with Korekiyo, Kaede left the restaurant and decided to wander around, wanting to take a more intimate look over the first island. By the time she was done, she'd thoroughly explored all the locations of interest, including a few places she hadn't visited during her initial explorations of the island. During that time, she ran into some of the others, and chatted with each of them for some time before resuming her explorations.

By the time she returned to the hotel, it was late in the evening, and Kaede felt ready to retire for the night. Before she could make it to her room though, she ran into Shuichi and Tsumugi.

"Come on, I just want to hear you say it! I'm sure you'd sound so cool!" Tsumugi enthused, clasping her hands together as she pleaded.

Shuichi, meanwhile, looked rather embarrassed with whatever it was she was requesting of him. "I-I'd really rather not. I mean, it feels...embarrassing to say something like that. Besides, I'm a detective, not a lawyer. That quote would fit a lot better with someone who's actually a trial attorney..."

Shuichi glanced off to the side, becoming the first to notice Kaede as she approached. He noticeably brightened, and immediately tried switching subjects. "Oh, Kaede! It's good to see you. What have you been up to?"

"Hm? Oh, not much. Just took a more thorough look of the island," Kaede replied, shrugging slightly. "What about you two?"

"Not much. I checked up on Toko, and she was up by the time I visited her. She acted a little...odd at first, but after a sneezing fit she seemed to come to her senses. After that, I filled her in on everything that had gone on in the restaurant," Shuichi dutifully reported.

"I spent a little time with Ibuki myself. I must say, she's quite...excitable. She did seem to have some odd misconceptions about my talent, but I managed to set her straight," Tsumugi added, giving a slight shrug.

Kaede nodded at that. She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could speak, there was a sudden crack of thunder from the skies above! Not only that, the power around them flickered out, the lights lighting up the walkway suddenly going out.

Just as soon as it went out though, it came back on. Still, in that split second of total darkness, Tsumugi let out a small shriek, and a second later the sound of splashing water could be heard.

When the lights came back on, Tsumugi had somehow tripped and fallen off the walkway, landing in the waterway beneath the cabins.

"Tsumugi!"

Kaede immediately leaned down and reached over to the side, Shuichi following right behind her. Between the two of them, they were able to help pull up the now dripping wet girl.

"Sorry about that...the sudden darkness, well, surprised me, and I ended up stumbling and falling down into the water," Tsumugi apologized, fixing her askew glasses. She looked down at herself, frowning as she observed her soaked clothes.

"Don't worry about it, Tsumugi! We just need to get you a new pair of clothes, get you a shower, and you'll be fixed in no time!" Kaede enthused.

"Ah...that might be a problem...the shower part, that is," Shuichi spoke up, scratching his chin nervously. When Kaede and Tsumugi both looked over to him, he elaborated. "The bathrooms in the cabins, far as I can tell, only have a toilet. There aren't any shower stalls or bath tubs in there, far as I can tell."

"Really?" Kaede questioned, eyebrows raised. "Well, where are we supposed to bathe, then?"

"An excellent question, Katie!"

Before they could react, Usami suddenly appeared between them, settling herself in front of Kaede. The rabbit gave a tittering laugh as she crossed her arms, looking quite pleased with herself.

"The communal showers were off limits before, since it took extra long to scrub out all the blood from last time. But now they're clean, and ready for action!" Usami declared. "You can find them in the lobby, the door across from the staircase to the restaurant. I'll be letting everyone know about this, so you schmucks don't have to worry about spreading the word."

"Blood?! Wait, 'last time'?" Shuichi pressed, a thoughtful look on his face. "What does that—!"

Before he could finish his sentence, however, Usami turned and dived off the walkway, disappearing into the water below.

A moment of awkward silence passed after that. When it got too unbearable, Kaede cleared her throat and spoke up.

"Well, let's go get you some new clothes to change into, then we can check out these communal showers! Sound good?" she suggested.

Shuichi and Tsumugi nodded at that, and so they went off.

It was a simple matter to get a new change of clothes from Tsumugi's cabin, and after that they walked back into the lobby. Kaede strode up to the previously locked door, and sure enough, it opened up when she tried the handle. Peering in, she could see a large wall that divided the room ahead, with a sign on the left that said 'men' in several languages, while the sign on the right said 'women' in just as many languages.

"Huh, and here I thought there was a set of stairs behind this door," Kaede mused, looking around.

The three of them peered into both wings, revealing that boy were styled near identically. Both sides led into a wide locker room, that itself led into a communal shower area, wide and spacious enough to host two or three dozen people. It didn't offer a lot of privacy, of course, but considering there was a gender separation, it wouldn't be too much of an issue. Ideally, at least.

"I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I gotta admit, the locker rooms here aren't too bad," Kaede commented later on, as she and Shuichi hung out in the women's side of the locker room, the two of them facing each other as they sat on opposing benches.

Tsumugi was already in the shower itself, washing herself off of the water beneath the walkway. From her vantage point, Kaede had a good view into the area of the showers Tsumugi was in, and watched the girl with some interest as she bathed. Shuichi, meanwhile, couldn't see her at all from where he sat. Though his face was still noticeably flushed, the boy detective tugging at his collar nervously.

"I, uh, still don't feel comfortable just...waiting in here," he admitted, letting out a nervous laugh. "M-Maybe I should just wait outside or something..."

"Nonsense! It's fine, I mean, it's just the three of us here. And neither of us mind you being in here with us! Right, Tsumugi?" Kaede asked.

"Yup! I don't really mind at all," she called out from the shower. "I mean, Shuichi isn't the type of guy who'd force himself on a girl, from what I can tell at least. So I don't really mind!"

Shuichi flushed even harder at that, looking away nervously as he crossed his legs. "W-Well, if you say it's all right..."

Kaede gave an impish giggle, and felt the sudden urge to tease Shuichi further. It might be mean of her to do so, but...she couldn't help it! He looked so cute when he got flustered like that!

However, Tsumugi ended up beating her to the punch.

"Still, this seems like the perfect setup to something you might see in anime," Tsumugi voiced aloud. "If we were to call Shuichi the 'protagonist' here, you'd see the very universe itself conspire to get him into lecherous situations. An entire cadre of girls could start to come in, forcing him to hide in a locker, lest he be branded a pervert. Or, some series of events could transpire where he ends up seeing me naked in here. Or...well, the possibilities are endless, I suppose, when you factor in anime logic."

Kaede snickered at that, while Shuichi himself blushed all the harder. He pulled his cap lower over his face, obscuring one eye, before abruptly standing up.

"Th-that won't be an issue, I'm sure, Tsumugi," he declared, stuttering slightly. "I-I think I should really get going, anyway. I don't want to make you two uncomfortable or a-anything."

"Aww, come on, Shuichi, we're just teasing you!" Kaede reassured, giving him an apologetic smile. "Please, just sit down and talk with us. We really don't mind—oh my god."

She cut herself off, flushing horridly as her eyes caught sight of something peculiar: something that she couldn't see when Shuichi had been sitting with his legs crossed, but could now, given he'd stood up. Worse still, she was eye-level with his waist, giving her a perfect view of it.

Shuichi looked down, his entire face covered with a deep crimson blush, as he noticed what she'd seen. He immediately turned away from her, and practically bolted from the locker room.

"I'llseeyoulaterKaedebye!" he rushed out as he fled.

Kaede was left there in stunned silence, unable to believe what she'd just seen. Tsumugi, meanwhile, came running out of the shower, naked and dripping wet.

"Wh-what's wrong? Huh? Where did Shuichi go?" she asked, a bewildered look on her face.

"Sh-Shuichi...h-he...he had a..." Kaede trailed off, unable to complete her sentence.

Tsumugi appeared confused for a moment, before she abruptly understood. Her eyes widened, and she glanced toward where Shuichi had been sitting. "S-So he got a..."

"Y-Yes," she confirmed with a dim nod.

Tsumugi lightly nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. "...I see, I see…"

A moment of awkward silence passed, while Kaede herself felt tempted to go after Shuichi and apologize to him. Before she could however, the silence was abruptly broken.

"So, how big was it?"

"Tsumugi!"

9:27 PM, Day 1

Hotel Mirai, Rantaro's Cabin

1st Island

It took some time, but Rantaro managed to make his way back to his cabin, alone, and ready to retire for the night. When he walked in, Akane was already waiting for him.

"About time you showed up," she complained, leaning back on his bed. "Couldn't shake off Mikan or something?"

"Heh, actually, yes. She was...quite persistent on becoming my live-in nurse, as it were. It was all I could do to convince her not to sleep under my bed," Rantaro confessed, giving a small sigh as he sat next to her.

"Ha! Sounds like you got yourself a girlfriend," Akane teased, playfully elbowing Rantaro's side.

He rolled his eyes at that, giving a dismissive laugh. "Please, I doubt she sees me that way. She's just, well...doing her job. She's just worryingly thorough about it."

Akane wasn't so sure about that herself, but frankly, it wasn't any of her business. Matter of fact, she had come here for something far more important than just small-talk.

"So, is there a reason you showed up here in my room? Come to kill me or something?" Rantaro casually inquired, giving her the opening she needed.

"Hmph, something tells me if I even tried, you wouldn't stay dead," Akane retorted, offering him a fanged smirk. And given the scars that littered his body, not to mention all the shit she'd seen him live through personally, she honestly believed it.

Then again, he was still human. He'd die for sure if he got shot in the head, or had his face caved in. Not even the Ultimate Survivor could withstand an injury like that.

"Then what are you here for?" Rantaro asked, gazing at her curiously.

Akane's smirk stretched into a wolfish grin in response. A moment later, she reached over and pushed Rantaro against his bed, sprawling him on his back. She didn't waste any time at all, and soon straddled his waist, towering over him.

She leaned down, pressing her lips against his own hungrily in an open-mouthed kiss. Rantaro seemed surprised for a brief few seconds, before he reciprocated, and their tongues met.

They kissed like that for a good while, before Akane finally broke for air, her face flushed with desire. Rantaro seemed similarly affected, to her great satisfaction.

"Well...and here I thought you were quite taken with Teruteru," he managed to breathe out, of all things.

Akane barked out an honest laugh, not expecting that at all. "Really? You have a smoking hot girl ready to ravish you, and that's the first thing you say? Heh, well, you know me. Teruteru is a charmer, I'll say, and I'll probably fuck him later. Tonight, though...well, I wanted you."

She paused, laughing again as she felt a certain something stirring beneath her, and poke at her rear. "And it seems like you want me."

"Well...guilty as charged, I suppose," he amicably admitted, a sensuous smile on his lips. "Although, I wasn't sure if you were still interested in me that way. I don't hold a grudge over what happened in Roanapur, but—!"

"Forget Roanapur," she interjected, poking him forcefully in the chest. She reached down with a hand thereafter, casually feeling his muscled and scarred torso through his shirt. "Forget everything that happened there two years ago. Well...maybe not everything; it wouldn't do me well at all if you suddenly forgot how to fuck!"

She snickered at that, and Rantaro honest to god blushed. For once his cool demeanor failed him, and he couldn't help but defensively retort, "I certainly didn't envision my first time happening in a rundown warehouse, I'll have you know. That was entirely your doing!"

It definitely was: but in her defense, she really couldn't help herself. Learning that a boy as handsome and as pretty as Rantaro was a fucking virgin...well, she'd been a bit tipsy at the time, and things had escalated from there.

"Like I said, forget Roanapur. I don't care what happened back there. Right now, all I wanna focus on is the here and now. And right now...I want you inside me," Akane firmly declared, even as she leaned down to playfully nip at his neck.

Rantaro groaned in appreciation, and she felt the bulge pressing into her pulse wantonly. She smiled at that, and leaned back up, quickly undoing her top, shucking it off and freeing her tits. His good hand reached up almost instantly thereafter, seizing hold of her breast as he groped her.

Akane sighed with desire, as the familiar tingle of lust starting to cloud her senses. She ground against him greedily, feeling her bare, already wet slit rub up against his bulge: bare, because she'd taken her panties off before he'd even arrived.

Akane reached down between them, lifting herself up briefly to grasp at the crotch of Rantaro's pants. She fiddled with his fly, zipping it down easily enough, and then reached inside to fish out his penis. She grabbed hold of his shaft a moment later, feeling it throb hotly in her hand, and she got it out, smiling wide as she started pumping the foreskin up and down, stroking him off.

Rantaro tensed beneath her at that, his hand squeezing her breast roughly in response as he groped her. She smirked down at him, pumping his shaft one more time, before maneuvering herself over his tip.

She couldn't wait any longer now: there had been enough teasing, and now she was determined to claim her prize.

She guided him to her entrance, and let gravity do the rest of the work, as she sank down against him. Rantaro let out a shaky breath, groaning softly as she took him inside; Akane, for her part, likewise trembled and moaned, her face flushed as she felt his shaft stretch her out.

It'd been far, far too long since she'd enjoyed herself like this!

Once he was fully inserted, Akane wasted little time, and started riding Rantaro's cock. She grunted and groaned with effort, content to do all the work as she lowered herself onto him again and again. Her inner walls gripped his shaft tightly, squeezing and clenching down on him roughly as she had her way with him.

Rantaro, meanwhile, took it all with good grace. He panted beneath her, shuddering with parted lips as she humped his cock. He played with her breast all the while, gently fondling her tit and rubbing his thumb against her nipple—perhaps too gently for Akane's tastes, but then and there she found that she didn't care too much about it.

She fucked Rantaro like that for what felt like an eternity, the passage of time slowing down for her as she focused on their mutual pleasure. Ever so slowly, however, she felt the heat between her legs start to rise, the euphoria and pleasure she felt building up to a grand finale. It made Akane ride him faster, her body eagerly chasing that growing feeling, her hips slamming against Rantaro's own with abandon, as his cock slid in and out of her.

Rantaro came first, his orgasm crashing over him without warning. He gave a long, drawn-out groan, and Akane could feel the warmth of his seed start to spread inside of her. His shaft pulsed hard within her, his semen forcefully pumping into her, much to her own delight.

The feel of Rantaro's cum deep inside her pussy was enough to set off Akane's own orgasm. With a heated moan of her own, she reached her climax. Her inner walls clamped down against his throbbing penis, as her world went white with blissful, overwhelming pleasure! Akane shuddered her way through it, grunting softly through it all.

Eventually, her euphoria started to fade, and Akane was left to bask in the afterglow. She gave a small sigh, eyes closed as she lifted herself off of Rantaro's lap, and rolled over next to him. She settled against him, a content smirk on her face, even as she felt his sperm start to trickle out of her.

Well, it wasn't like she had to worry about protection anyway.

Akane felt his hand softly stroke her cheek a moment later, and she instinctively flinched away, hissing, "Don't touch me!"

She paused after that, an irritated feeling passing through her briefly, before she apologized. "Sorry about that. Force of habit."

She glanced over at him, catching Rantaro's simple nod. He smiled at her with a flushed face, taking a moment to catch his breath before giving a reply.

"Don't worry about it. I didn't mean to bring back any bad memories."

They remained silent after that, Akane using the break to recover as well. After awhile though, she decided to speak up.

"They weren't all bad memories. You certainly weren't," she said, a genuine smile working its way onto her face.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I must admit, I feel the same way about you. Roanapur was a hellhole of a city, but being there with you made up for that," he declared with a slight chuckle.

Akane felt something odd twist and flutter in her stomach: a foreign feeling, one she found quite confusing and embarrassing at the same time. She decided to push past that, and found herself rolling onto her side facing Rantaro.

"Enough about that sappy junk. I'm ready to start round two if you are," she proclaimed, a devilish smirk on her face.

"Round two? So soon?" Rantaro replied, mock-surprise evident in his tone.

"You bet, lover-boy. I don't plan on sleeping anytime soon, you know. And I know you don't either. So why don't we pick up where we left off?" Akane said, sitting up in his bed.

And so they continued like that, for some time. Forgetting, if just for one night, the troubles and tribulations that lay ahead.

End Day 1

21 Students Remain

Also, special thanks to CSD for writing that scene with Sayaka with me!

Review Responses

Crit: Haha, indeed! Funny enough I didn't set out to include Monaca, but I couldn't resist when I came up with the idea of her and Rantaro being siblings came to mind.

Sky: There is indeed fuckery afoot! But would you expect any less in a Killing Game?

Trust: Aww, but Kiyo wants to make all sorts of friends! And indeed, Usami might well be expecting certain individuals to go rogue and make her job much easier.

JC: Remember JC: Just Monaca!

Tiger: Glad you like things so far!

Kirb: Glad you like all the interactions so far! I certainly enjoy writing them.

Kobold: Ha, glad you caught that! I love sneaking in these references.