Chapter 1-2
Ahola Basin Celebration
Day 02, 9:30 AM
Housing Area
The TVs inside every room turned on in each room, as if a universal remote had hit the power button. Not everyone was asleep at this time, but those that were awoke suddenly. The sound of the television loudly turning on, the buzz and morning chime that followed, which was more than enough to wake those slumbering.
(Day 02 has begun!)
(Monokids' Town Hall Greeting)
*The picture on the TV seems to be the five Monokubs are standing in a row at the front steps of the town hall. It's still run-down, faded, and old, but they're standing proud as if they are mighty politicians at a prominent government building.*
All Five Kubs - "Rise and shine, ursine~!"
Monotaro - "Today begins your first day in our lovely city!"
Monokid - "Hell yeah! And don't forget that today is going to be our pool party! You dumb fucks all better be there, it's mandatory and shit!"
Monophanie - "If you like barbecue or making drinks, we could always use some help~"
Monosuke - "The time for the pool party for our new guests is 1:10 PM. We will be opening the doors to the public pool building thirty-seven seconds after the party time starts."
Monophanie - "Wait, what? Why are we opening after the party is supposed to start? And why such a weird number of seconds-"
Monosuke - "Bathing suits are mandatory for the pool, so if you didn't bring your own, they will be in the storage area inside of the public pool's building. You have fifty-three minutes to get them on once you have found one your size!"
Monophanie - "What is it with you and weird time limits today, Monosuke?"
*Monophanie turns towards Monosuke to pout at him. Monotaro pulls a barbecue out from the side, with it already having what appears to be a full pineapple being roasted on the grill.*
Monotaro - "It's such a shame no cooking professionals came here, but we'll manage with anyone with any culinary experience."
Monosuke - "You have approximately two hours, forty-two minutes, and twenty two seconds to get the food and drinks ready, or else-"
*Monophanie hits Monosuke over the head with a blender, dazing the orange Kub. As he falls on his face, she poses triumphantly, and the other three Kubs don't seem to notice.*
Monokid - "That about sums it up! So hell yeah, come on down to the pool party! If you all come, there will be a reward for all of our guests to Penjar! We welcome you with all the open arms! Anything to add to that, Monodam?"
Monodam - "…"
Monokid - "HA! Gotcha! You know you're not allowed to talk at the town meetings! Get over here, we're gonna BBQ your face!"
*What follows is Monokid grabbing Monodam, who doesn't appear interested in struggling, and pulling him over towards Monotaro's barbecue. The red Kub is fervently trying to stop his blue fellow, while Monophanie watches.*
Monophanie - "Oh no, don't grill his face again! How horribly violent! Um, anyway, that's all!"
All Five Kubs - "So long, bear well~"
"I think," Isaac muttered as he rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed, "that I have already had enough of their shenanigans. How about you, honey?"
He glanced at the side of his bed, only to notice he was alone. Isaac felt a sudden wash of panic, but then he noticed how their things had been gone through, as well as a little note left on the table of the room. He read it over:
"Sorry, wanted to do my morning walk, no matter where we are. Didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful sleeping. See you soon, my love!
~Hara"
Isaac smiled, and muttered, "And she says I'm the stubborn one."
Day 02, 9:31 AM
Main Plaza
Hara took a moment from her morning hike to stretch. She bent her body side to side, popping out all the joints that still hadn't flexed enough, and curved her back. With a relieved sigh, she glanced around at her surroundings.
It almost surprised her to see the Guardian, in all its height and glory, staring off into the distance. The idea of a three-foot mech still shocked her, and since it was motionless, it was almost easy to forget it could move.
With a sigh, she muttered towards it, "Just how on Earth did they get you across the country unnoticed?"
"Hello? Is someone there?"
Hara froze up, easily riled by sudden interaction. She then recognized Crystal, who was walking through the mist across the plaza. The military adviser had on exercise clothing, instead of her rather prominent attire.
"Oh my apologies," she said to Hara, smiling and bowing slightly. "I usually do a bit of exercise in the morning too, but when I got up, I realized how much I do not to walk around this town alone."
Hara smiled a little, and admitted, "Neither do I, but the wanderlust is a bit hardcore in my blood. I couldn't resist."
Crystal chuckled, and looked over Hara real quick. "You are Hara Pathik, correct?"
"Y-yes?"
"Ultimate Explorer, that's right. Sorry, I do have a good memory of those who went to Hope's Peak, especially close to my time. You are only a year ahead of me, but you do kind of stand out."
Hara blushed, and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm, um, not sure what you mean."
"Your ethnicity, dear, not your figure."
That triggered more blushing from Hara, who stammered out a weak, "I… I knew that."
"Relax, I am straight. Though from what I have gathered from lots of talk and very obvious behavior, we might be the few who are. Hope you didn't get the impression I was making a pass at you."
Crystal was a little bit surprised when Hara burst out giggling. The explorer whispered, "Don't tell anyone, but I don't think Hikari remembers me."
"The steampunk model? What makes you say that?"
"Let's just say… that amorous doesn't fulfill a description when she's on the prowl. And though she wasn't in my class, she did make passes at girls in other classes. I still remember some of her pick-up lines."
Crystal smirked, then placed a hand over her heart in a feminine pose. " 'Oh darling, you definitely look like an Ultimate Military Adviser! That's exactly what I thought you were when I first laid eyes on you.'"
Hara's eyes widened at that. "She hit on you too?!"
"I'm pretty sure if you were female, she had a tendency to try at least once. Makes me wonder what she's going to do at the pool party?"
"Oh my, I don't even want to imagine."
The two ladies talked more as they walked around the city. Though it seemed so casual, even both of them realized how unusual it was to act like this when they were in a bizarre and unsafe city…
But it still made them feel a level of comfort that was much needed in this apprehensive situation.
Day 02, 10:00 AM
Penjar's Public Cafeteria
"Pancakes~" sang Odelios, dropping a very large stack of them on a plate and putting it on the serving table. "Come get your pancakes! We got better, we got blueberries, we got enough maple syrup to drown a Canadian! We got any Canadians here who can help me out here?"
"You're ridiculous and offensive, and I love you," Kimiko said as she placed a bunch of pancakes on a plate. Winking at the clown, she walked back to her table, where several of the graduates were already seated.
"You seem to be a clown of numerous talents," Souma commented as he helped himself to breakfast. "You made all of these in just this morning?"
"I had some help."
The public speaker glanced into the kitchen area. Takeo, wearing an apron, was hard at work making more. Souma face-palmed, and muttered, "You didn't."
"Sure did! Even gave him five for his troubles, since he's a mercenary."
"Oh, well, I guess if he's getting paid…"
Souma started to walk back to his table, stopped, then turned to glare slowly at the clown. "When you say five, do you mean…"
"A high-five, yes sir!"
As the public speaker walked away to eat his breakfast and covers with some of the others, another person walked up for pancakes. "Hey there," Aka said, staring at all the food, "do we have chocolate chip pancakes?"
"No, couldn't find any of those," Odelios admitted. "Left us with a bit of a chip on our shoulder!"
"What? Oh, I see, you mean-"
There was a sudden scream that startled everyone in the cafeteria. Aka had jumped back from the serving table by about ten feet, staring horrified at the server himself.
"Uh-oh," Odelios commented, "we got an It-Scar."
"What's that?" Takeo, who had left the kitchen to see what the noise was about, asked as he walked into the serving area.
"Basically something us clowns call the people who hate clowns. This is normally caused by people who saw It, and thus, it scarred them and they don't like us much. Tragic, really."
Aka flinched as Odelios pulled a hanky from his pocket (which was connected to other hankies), and blew his nose on it. He then yanked on the hanky chain, and it went back into his pocket, pulling back in like a seat beat.
"I don't think she's going to eat if I'm here, and I don't want to endanger my life by accidentally starving her to death. Takeo, take orders for now!"
"Yes sir!"
"And adjust your apron, it's crooked!"
"Yes sir!"
When Odelios walked back into the kitchen, Aka braved forward and spoke to Takeo. "S-sorry. I can handle a lot of things, I can handle going down a steep hill like a bullet, but I cannot handle clowns."
"I do not judge," Takeo said.
"Thanks. Anyway, I'mma gonna get a lot of these, you might have to make more. That'll suck for the next person in line, so are you okay-"
The room was once again shook by a scream as Aka leapt away from Ignatia, who frowned darkly at the skier. The mime set her plate on the serving table and crossed her arms, huffing silently as she waited for her turn.
At the end of the cafeteria, Hikari and Shinobu watched the commotion. The steampunk model chuckled lightly, and murmured to herself, "I must remember not to wear too much make-up around her if that's how she feels about our comedy performances friends."
"She's a little jumpy this morning," Shinobu commented, while poking at her pancakes. "But I guess that's understandable, considering the circumstances we are in. You said you were interested in her?"
"Yes, I do kind of fancy the tomboys," Hikari said, slowly inserting pancake into her mouth, and pulling it out slowly and surely. She chewed, then her eyes glanced over at Shinobu. "Still, I am a lady who likes to leave her options open. I'm sure a smart historian like yourself would understand?"
Shinobu nodded, then noticed that Hikari was looking her over. "Um, I'm straight, just to let you know. Again."
"Again?"
"You hit on me way back when we were in Hope's Peak Academy. I was in one of the other classes, but we are the same age. You don't remember me?"
Hikari blinked a great deal, and a blush spread across her pretty face. "Um, oh dear, it seems my teenaged years of being overly forward have caught with me. I was… a little flirtatious back then."
"You hit on every single girl in my class too," Shinobu remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Trust me, I remember; I am a historian, after all."
The steampunk model hid her face in her arms, sighing heavily. "And you're not going to let me live it down," she murmured behind her arms, "are you?"
"Oh I dunno," Shinobu said, giggling a whole bunch as she put a blueberry into her mouth. "History does have a way of repeating itself, from what I've seen."
Day 02, 10:45 AM
Ye Olde Taxidermy Shop
"Why don't you just take that to your room?" Blake asked Jin, who was admiring the stuffed owl again. "I mean, I don't think the owners are going to be too upset."
"There's no high shelf in my room," the artist said, slowly spinning the owl around in her hands, "and I refuse to have an owl be so close to the ground."
"Uh-huh," the pyro remarked as he inspected the shop that he hadn't a chance to look at last night. "Heh, part of me wants to take the tiger out and put it my room, bitching decoration."
"I would advise against that," Jin said, slowly turning towards the tall man. Her eyes flashed for a second, and she added, "Because I want to put it in my brother's room and scare him again."
"Really? That sounds hilarious. Imagine that, opening a door and BAM! there is a tiger! Haha, I'll so help you with that. Want some help?"
Jin placed the owl back where she had found it, and nodded. As the two went into the backroom and started to haul the taxidermy tiger out, they heard the front door open.
"What's all this then?" Ishiku declared, standing dramatically in the shop as he stared into the backroom. "Are you all seriously trying to claim the tiger?"
"We're going to prank Jin's brother," Blake explained, huffing a little as he was doing far more of the lifting than the petite girl was.
"What? WHAT? You mean to tell me you two are going to play a prank, a rather unique and odd prank on someone, who'll surely get a heart attack because we're in a creepy town and a tiger showing up wouldn't be the weirdest thing…
"And you didn't plan to get ME involved?"
"If you want to stop being so dramatic," Jin dead-panned her response, rolling her eyes as she tried to shift her weight to lift the tiger some more, "and actually help us, you're more than welcome to. It's going to be beautiful."
"It sure is! C'mon kitty," Ishiku said as he moved towards them. "Let's get you a new home!"
Day 02, 11:03 AM
Outside, Road to Main Plaza
Anzu stared up at the sky, sighing. She was almost motionless, her arms and legs crossed as her head hung back, eyes trailing all over as if lost in thought. There was little movement and less sound to come from the young lady.
It wasn't until Pyrrha came walking by, and noticed her sitting there. The romance writer stared at her, trying to figure out what was going on; she eventually decided asking was best.
"May I ask if everything's okay?" she asked Anzu.
The raven-haired actress turned towards the writer, a nice smile spreading across her face. "It's all good. I'm just… a little bit off right now."
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know, to be honest. But come here, look at the sky."
The actress offered a seat next to her, and the writer sat down. She stared up at the sky, which was so overcast with clouds that the sun could barely shine through.
It had been something she had noticed when she got up this morning. Though it was definitely daytime and not exactly dark, the overabundance of natural shade felt a little miserable. The overcast clouds stretched as far as their eyes could see, no end in sight.
"Not exactly a vacation town," Pyrrha managed to joke, "am I right?"
The actress chuckled and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I know I'm being weird. It's just that, ever since I got here, it's been killing my mood. Like, I haven't…"
Anzu stopped herself, then waved her hand. "Wait no, I shouldn't be talking about that with you. That'd be inappropriate."
"It's all well and good," Pyrrha offered. "I can certainly understand, mood is everything."
As the two talked for a little longer, Angelique was going for a walk of her own. The lovely singer noticed the two, and then thought about her next move. She tapped her lips, which had a nice shade on for this morning because she never believed in rushing anything.
"What to lead with, what to lead with," she whispered to herself, smiling as she thought of what to say to the two.
As she tried to think of a line to use that would be appropriate to chat up a pretty romance writer and a sexy adult actress, she was startled to see someone else come jogging up the road.
"Hello ladies," Ken said, jogging in place as he took a moment to breath. The Novoselic smiled at the two, and said, "Doing alright this morning?"
"Yes," the two responded in unison, both smiling at the handsome man.
"Are we all seriously considering going to the pool party, by the way?"
"Of course," Anzu said.
"I don't see why not," Pyrrha said.
"Don't you want to see how all of us look in bikinis?" added Anzu with a batting of her eyes.
Ken flushed ever-so-slightly, then tried to pull back to his casual mode. "O-okay then. I guess I'll see you there. Stay safe now."
"We will," the two said, in unison again, and both giggled at this. Ken jogged off, still flushed and definitely not from his morning exercise.
Angelique sighed and snapped her fingers, walking away. "Too late now," she muttered, rubbing her locket. "But I must make sure I do have a good bikini for that party…"
Day 02, 12:03 PM
Housing Area
"Okay, are we really all considering this?" Shuuya said to the others who had gathered around their living quarters. The graduates had, for the most part, broken apart as they went to explore the city again, during the day. The bounty hunter was one of those done looking through a molding, rotting city for one day.
"I feel it would be best," Yitro remarked, crossing his arms. "I mean, I very much doubt there is going to be anything sinister at the pool party."
"And if there was," Emanuel remarked, shrugging, "we can handle it. We have more than enough firepower amongst us to cope with anything, except for that Guardian bot."
"I'm just here to observe," Futaba remarked, correcting her glasses. "I'd much rather do it in a nice open place rather than some mist-filled, falling apart old building."
Shuuya sighed heavily, then glanced over at the others in the group who hadn't spoken up: Samson and Yejoon. "What do you two think?"
"I'm not going to go against the flow," Samson admitted. "If most of you are going, I'mma gonna go too."
"Indeed, it seems that this would be the best course of action for us," Yejoon remarked. "Even if it does seem a touch silly, I believe if we appease to our hosts, we might find out a little more, like they promised."
Shuuya sighed, realizing his suspicions and hesitations weren't shared by everyone else. "Fine, I guess it can work out. Just I know a lot of you are fighters, like me, so stay on your guard. We don't want any foul play from the bears."
Samson cast a salute. Emanuel shrugged again. Futaba and Yitro nodded, while Yejoon chuckled and added to the conversation, "Then I will see you all at the pool at 1:10."
The artist walked towards his room, and opened the front door. He froze in place for a minute as he stared into his room, and then said aloud, "I am going to get my sister for that."
Day 02, 1:03 PM
Outside of Penjar's Public Pool
Fiora impatiently tapped her foot on the ground, staring at the front door to the pool's building. She glanced over at the pool, behind that gate, and frowned harder.
"Can't you just let me in now?" she declared to Monodam, who stood outside with her, in front of the door.
His response was no response at all. Fiora groaned, and then saw someone else coming up the road. Saiko, who had a satchel on her shoulder, was focused with a game on her phone as she approached the building.
The forensic investigator had on a white shirt, so it was a little obvious she was wearing a blue 'n white striped bikini top on underneath the shirt. Her bottoms were the same style as her top, which had a cute look on the otherwise stern-looking woman.
"Hey there," Fiora called out to her. "Saiko, maybe you could convince the green one here to let us in."
Saiko glanced up from her phone at Fiora, then at Monodam, then at Fiora again. "What," she finally said, brushing her blue bangs aside to get a clear view, "are you wearing?"
Fiora glanced down at herself. She had on her one-piece bikini, which she thought was totally normal. The white-outlined swimsuit was a tie-dye mess with cartoonish characters all over it, one of them mimicking bench-pressing right underneath the movie maker's ample bosom.
"I like it," Fiora said, staring cluelessly at Saiko, "what's wrong with that?"
"And why are you still wearing your hat?"
"I never go anywhere without my hat," Fiora shouted, gripping her hat with both hands. "Come on, Saiko, why you gotta judge?"
"Why you gotta look so ridiculous, B-Movie Maker?"
Before she could respond to that, someone came walking up to them. It was Eisei, wearing a one-piece bikini that could have looked like a mixture of trunks and a swimsuit, but it covered his chest, back, shoulders, legs and thighs, and it had more frills than a frilly dress.
"Oh, I'm not too early, am I?" he asked, staring at the front door, then the two ladies. "I assumed if I were to dress for the pool party, and come here, it would be more appropriate for the occasion. Looks like I wasn't the only one to think of this, however."
Saiko just stared at the short man in an outfit more ridiculous than Fiora's. Fiora groaned aloud and pointed at Monodam. "He won't let us in," she whined.
"I-CANNOT-LET-YOU-IN," Monodam spoke, "BECAUSE-I-MYSELF-CANNOT-GET-IN."
"Did your fellow Kubs lock you out?" Fiora asked. When Monodam didn't answer, the movie maker dropped to her knees and hugged the green bear. "You poor thing!"
"This is too weird," Saiko muttered.
"Relax, you are stressing too much," Eisei said, as he reached into his bag and pulled out a couple lollipops. "Would you like a lollipop, perchance?"
Saiko's eyes widened, and she swallowed hungrily. "Yes," she said in the same way someone dying of thirst asks for a bottle of water.
"Excellent! Though if you could come down here real fast, I need to check you for something…"
Day 02, 1:15 PM
Penjar's Public Pool
Women's Shower Room
"He got you too, did he?" Crystal asked Saiko, who was rubbing her jawline. The military adviser hit the button on the wall to activate the shower, which sprayed her with nice cool water.
The forensic investigator nodded, then rolled the lollipop around in her mouth. "Worth it, though."
Crystal chuckled after she was done washing herself off, and then headed out of the room. "See you out there, then." She was wearing a cyan 'n white bathing suit, and had put on a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses to complete a rather demure look.
Saiko laughed a little too, then she glanced around the room. Several of the other gals had changed into their swimwear, and she noticed that they were all conversing with each other. The bluebell sighed as she realized this didn't come so easy for her, and started to head out.
As she did, she almost walked right into Hikari. The steampunk model was grinning ear to ear as she stared at Saiko, and eyeing her up rather a lot too. "Hello~ there, my dear forensic investigator! My my, you are looking good there!"
"I'm still straight, Hikari."
Saiko walked by her, as Hikari struggled to find the words. The model turned to speak when she finally found them, and the investigator called back, "And I was literally the same year as you, how could you forget?"
Hikari sulked, and then stared down at herself. Her dark red bikini barely covered her supermodel body, the color sensually contrasting with her fair, asian skin. Letting out a sigh, she muttered, "Curse you, teenaged me, you may have doomed me now."
"Curse who 'n what now?"
The steampunk model spun, not a professional model heel-turn at all with how rushed she was. She was now staring at Aka, who had showered down and was dressed in a red bathing suit.
"You seem a bit starved for attention, so guess what?" Aka said, leaning forward with a very impish grin on her face. "I'mma give you all the attention, girl."
"Oh my, I wonder if I can handle it," Hikari said, giggling a great deal. She extended her hand, all lady-like, and Aka took it. The two walked out towards the pool.
It was already a bit busy, but the pool was large enough to accommodate all of the graduates, the five Kubs, and Monokuma. Hikari and Aka, holding hands, walked over to a couple poolside chairs and sat down to engage in conversation.
Inside of the pool, there was a swimming match already started. Samson, Yitro, and Ken, and had engaged in a laps competition, and they were really churning up the waters. Pyrrha watched and cheered them on, enjoying herself.
Blake sat in a pool chair, mostly uninterested. Occasionally one of the ladies would walk by, and his neck would crane to watch them. He would chuckle and sip from his drink, saying to himself, "All things considered, not that bad here."
Ignatia dangled her legs in the pool and leaned back, staring up at the sky as she lazily kicked her limbs. The mime may have had on a dark purple bathing suit with a mesh top for her cleavage, but she didn't appear willing to swim; she still had on her face paint.
Speaking of face-painted souls, Odelios was busy arguing with Monotaro over the barbecue. The two were struggling with the spatula, as both insisted that they knew how to grill a hamburger better. This resulted in a rolling wrestling match, as Monotaro had to stand on the floaty the clown was wearing, bear feet on the ducky head.
Monophanie was serving drinks, which Drake had volunteered to help make. Though the cartoonist knew nothing about alcoholic drinks, this actually worked with the pink bear's rules.
"I'm not about to have a bunch of drunk guests," she declared proudly, "who could drown because they are in the water and are too sloshed to swim."
"Yeah, that would be bad," Drake admitted. "Um, can I get you something, Monophanie?"
"Aww, you're so nice! But no, I'm good for now, I'll get myself some honey later. For now, I think Mr. Shokyaka needs a refill."
Isaac, Hara, and Saiko were all seated together, talking about the good times back at Hope's Peak. Shinobu, interested in hearing some of their tales, joined them and it was a lively, happy conversation. Drake swung by to get them all drinks, and it felt far more of a special occasion than the dark and dreary town they were in.
Jin and Futaba engaged in a conversation near the pool. The artist was at first not so keen with discussing details about her work, but Futaba had been insistent (and could be quite complimenting of her tattoos), so Jin was describing one of their art halls in Korea. She was rather getting into the description of the place until her brother walked alongside them and, very casually, pushed Jin into the pool without breaking stride.
Monokid and Monosuke were standing near the barbecue, taking orders from everyone. They occasionally had to wait for Odelios and Monotaro to stop fighting, in order to get the orders across. There was also the occasional pause as Monokid went to go throw Monodam into the pool whenever he felt like it (which was about every five minutes).
Ishiku had started up the hot tub, and all the jets inside. He had plopped himself in there, and grinned happily as he had one of said jets massage his back. Emanuel sat at the other side, not particularly interested in anything or anyone else.
Amid all of this chaos and goings-on, Souma leaned back in his chair and sipped from his drink. He watched everyone and smiled, resting his body. "Almost feels like we're on a cruise, doesn't it?" he asked the person seated next to him.
"Yes, it truly does," Fiora said in-between bites of her food. "Though I really wonder if this is all safe."
"Why's that, my dear?"
"I mean, we all traveled to this city to find some answers, and now here we are, swimming, lounging, taking food prepared by animatronic bears, and… here I am, eating ribs at a pool party surrounded by graduates of Hope's Peak.
"Don't you think we should be a bit more cautious?"
Souma cocked his head to the side as he watched Fiora stare at him, chewing on her food with the sauce around her lips. "My, you're normally not so serious. Are you alright?"
"I… tend to get a little restless when I'm not working. I'm always working on movies."
"Ahem."
Fiora blinked, then turned to see Monokuma staring at her. The white 'n black bear grinned as he pointed at her plate of ribs. "When you're done eating those, I would like the bones, please. Bears love their marrow, don't you know?"
"Aw, did you want some food, Monokuma?"
"That is literally what I just said, B-Movie Maker."
Fiora chuckled, finished the ribs she was on, and then slapped her plate right into Monokuma's face. The sticky rib bones and the plate stayed there, unwilling to slide off with how sticky they were.
"… Thank you."
Monokuma waddled off with the plate and ribs stuck to his face. The graduates all avoided him, wanting absolutely nothing to do with the avatar of despair, even if he looked ridiculous.
Angelique stared at a bottle of sunscreen, then glanced up at the sky. She sighed regretfully, the overcast sky was not going to give them enough sun to justify the lotion. "So much for that plan," she murmured to herself as she placed it on the table next to her chair.
Yitro, having won the swimming competition, walked over to her. He was still wet, his toned and fit body glistening in the light. It was a glorious sight for anyone who had a desire for the male body, though his friend wasn't so much interested in that.
"You look kind of down," he said to Angelique as he sat on the pool chair next to hers. "Something wrong?"
"Sorry, Yitro, but I think I'm losing my charm. It's been so long since I was at a social gathering, it hasn't been terribly easy since the Tragedy. France was hit rather hard, I haven't been back home in so long…
"I was so dedicated to my craft and such in the past few years, I don't know how to approach women anymore. Earlier today, I was beaten to it by a handsome man. Wish I could be like her."
She pointed over at Hikari, who was leaning forward towards Aka. The skier was giggling a great deal, giving a rather girly tomboy appeal for the gal she was flirting with.
"Hikari… wait, didn't she hit on every girl in our classroom back at Hope's Peak?" Yitro asked. "Wait, didn't she hit on you too?"
"That's besides the point, my handsome friend. I just don't want to feel like an old woman past her prime, especially since there are more important things going on. I vowed to make this pool party my bit of selfish desires, before I become most serious about Penjar and the troubles that await us."
Yitro hummed in thought, then tapped his chin. "Do you remember the plan we had way back when we were chilling at the pool at Hope's Peak?"
"Yes, why?"
Across the pool, Kimiko slogged down the rest of her drink, and called over to the Kubs and Drake for a refill when they could. The biker's tattoos were all visible, since she was wearing a green, flame-decal bikini. She appeared to be enjoying herself.
When she glanced upwards, she saw the French opera singer standing up. Then the lady stretched, accenting all of her figure, her assets, and she was letting out a long, sensual coo as she stretched. Kimiko stared openly, mouth hanging open a little.
Angelique turned towards to Yitro, and then the opera singer started to walk around the pool. Kimiko panicked, pulled her hat down over her eyes, and pretended to be drinking her drink aggressively sucking on the straw.
"Did you like what you see~?"
Kimiko glanced up, and was at first greeted by one of the most plentiful bosoms she had ever seen. The red bikini top with a golden 'A' on each cup was doing a marvelous job containing the feminine DDs.
The biker glanced to the side, and was trying to pretend to be drinking. "I… don't know what you're talking about. I was here enjoying my sweet drink."
"Your drink is empty, belle fille."
Kimiko realized she had been caught, and set her glass on the table with a sigh. "Okay, yeah. But I get pissed off when I see someone staring at my tits, so I didn't want to come off as a hypocrite."
"As long as you're honest with me, dear."
"Can you blame me, though? I mean… damn girl, you got so lucky from Mother Nature," Kimiko said, grinning excitedly. "Seriously, can you even see your feet when you look down? Look at those."
It was at this point that Drake came over to refill Kimiko's drink. The biker turned towards the cartoonist and declared, "Back me up here, kid! Doesn't she have great tits?"
Drake turned bright red, quietly excused himself, and hurried back to the drink preparation area. Angelique pursed her lips and crossed her arms, staring down at Kimiko. "Don't do that to the poor boy, he's a total cinnamon roll."
"I know, that's what makes it more fun," Kimiko said, grinning wickedly, "but also a little frustrating. I love cute boys like that."
"Oh, so you're bisexual, belle fille?"
"Yeah, pretty much always have been. You too, right?"
"I prefer the company of ladies only."
"Really? But you've been with Yitro since we got here."
Angelique laughed as she sat down next to Kimiko. "He's a good friend of mine, we're catching up since we missed each other so much during The Tragedy. But tell me, my dear biker rebel, what's your type of woman if you have a type of man?"
Kimiko chuckled a little, a combination of nervous and excited. "Well, um, that's a little weird to talk about, all things considered. And um, it's a little hard to at times."
Angelique watched as the biker reached up and touched her dog tag necklace, which was still around her neck; it seemed like a subconscious thing to do. The opera singer reached up towards her own neck, and touched her locket.
"Say no more, my dear, I think I understand. But tell me at least, which of the ladies here caught your eye? Besides me just now, of course."
Kimiko giggled and said, "I'm kind of into that."
She was pointing at Hikari, who was "walking" her fingers down Aka's legs, seeing just how fit the skier was. Angelique stared at this, then turned to Kimiko. "Forward is your thing?"
"I'm not the most patient of bitches, I kind of get into it as fast as I can if I like what I see."
At that moment, Jin popped up from the pool, pulling herself up and staring at the two women. Her bright, dyed hair was clinging to her head, and she had on one of the provided black swimsuits; she definitely didn't look like the type to go swimming.
"Where is my brother?" she growled. "For I am going to kill him tonight."
"See, I like that," Kimiko said to Angelique, and then said, "Why don't you come over here instead, we're having a really fun conversation about sex and attraction."
Jin scoffed, and glared from side to side. She pooled herself out of the pool and wiped her bangs away from her face, slowly turning her neck as she scanned the area. "Maybe another time. I wish to hunt in a different way now."
There was a scream, as Odelios was thrown through the air and landed upside-down in the water. His ducky float kept him afloat, as his legs kicked around until he managed to flip the thing around. When he surfaced, water flying around due to his wild orange hair acting like mini water launchers, he turned back towards the BBQ area.
"You'll pay for that, Monotaro, you poor procurer of properly prepared pork! I'll see my lawyer about this, once he graduates from law school or Hope's Peak!"
The pool party continued for quite a while, everyone getting to know each other a bit more. Almost everyone took part in swimming at some point, though some of them preferred to stay out of the water. The Kubs, Odelios, and Drake helped out with the food and drinks, when some of them weren't getting thrown into the pool at random.
The only disturbance that truly happened was when Monokuma tried to get into the hot tub. He lounged there, as Emanuel stared angrily at him.
"I'm not sharing this tub with you, of all beings," he snarled.
"Oh yeah? Well, we bears do love a good amount of relaxation and rejuvenation. Don't worry, I won't get any fur in the hot tub.
"Or blood… fuhuhuhuhu-AWK!"
Emanuel grabbed the back of Monokuma's head and pushed him under the water. It was impossible to tell if he was drowning the bear, since there was always a million bubbles due to the jets. Monokuma thrashed around, looking rather desperate to breathe despite being what he was.
This disturbed a few of the party-goers, especially so when Monokuma stopped thrashing and then went perfectly still. Emanuel grabbed the "lifeless" body and threw it out of the pool with one hand. The Kubs shrieked in terror as their father's body flopped on the ground, a "drowned corpse."
"Now then," Emanuel said, resting his tan shoulders on the side of the hot tub, "stop making fruity drinks, we are all adults here. Get me a real drink, now."
As if defeated by the "death" of their father, the Kubs brought around some alcohol bottles. Monophanie seemed to know how to mix liquor with fruit drinks and the like, and taught a nervous Drake how to do so. Monotaro poured some beer on some pig ribs, saying it was an old classic.
Beer cans, as well as alcoholic drinks in glass bottles, were provided. Emanuel got the strongest one and started to drink it down. Kimiko took to the beer immediately. Eventually, a good deal of the graduates had a strong drink or two.
This resulted in the party becoming a little more wild in areas, and more calm (but definitely not placid) in other areas. It was a little unusual, as the one making the drinks for them all couldn't legally drink (nor did he want to), but Drake quickly became a favorite amid the graduates.
Blake was sloshed fastest of them all, claiming that he was "half-Australian, we don't get drunk!" He had his arm wrapped around Drake and saying what a good kid he was, and did he want to see a fire trick with alcohol?
Shuuya and Crystal got into a debate about organized tactics or hit 'n run attacks It almost becoming heated, before they went into the pool's building; the others found them there playing ping-pong, as if the victorious one was correct.
Yejoon watched as his sister tried to tell him off, claiming that, "You, Olppaemi, you take all the credit for the best things I do! And you pushed me in the pool too! I hate you, I hate you…" She was reduced to pounding on his chest with her fists, but only enough to lightly tap him, as he pat her purple-pink hair.
Not everyone was a heavy drinker, thus not as amusing but a bit more friendly and vocal after their drink. Some of them didn't drink at all, which included Yitro, Eisei, and Takeo; the three guys were immersed in conversation, despite their different walks of life.
"I do miss a bit of sake," Yitro mumbled, glancing at the wet bar that was a pink animatronic bear and an eighteen year old cartoonist. "But I don't wish to drink, ever again."
"You'll live longer if you avoid it," Eisei commented. "With the amount of research I've done, I can tell you now, it will increase your life expectancy."
"I personally don't mind drinking a bunch when I have downtime," Takeo admitted. "But I wouldn't want to do it now, I want to keep my wits about me in this strange town. Therefore, I'm not doing anything that could be distracting to my senses."
The guys nodded, understanding this mentality. Then Odelios slid over, waving his arms around. "TAKEO! Belly flop in the pool, NOW!"
"What?" Yitro said. "Why on Earth would he do that-"
The rather painful sound of a flat surface that was someone's stomach hitting the pool water echoed around the party area. Several people glanced over, as the mercenary surfaced and glared at the clown. Cackling happily, Odelios returned to the barbecue area, telling Monotaro he so won whatever bet they just made.
"I hate that clown," Takeo shouted, shaking his fist in the air.
Yitro raised an eyebrow, and then turned to Eisei. "You know, the more crazy things that happen here, the more I think we more or less fit in."
The dentist rolled his lollipop around in his mouth, and nodded. "Say, my good sir, if you could lean in here real quick…"
Day 02, 4:51 PM
Penjar's Public Pool
Game Room
Ishiku walked into the room, patting himself down with a towel to ensure he didn't drip on the floor. He glanced around the room, stunned by how much it was not like the town. The floor was solid and clean, the walls were painted over with a nice burgundy shade, and everything in the room was well-maintained.
There were a couple arcade games, a table that had a few boardgames nearby (consisting of chess, shoji, and checkers), a ping-pong table, and a pool table. The very last of these items was being used by Samson, who was sinking a shot.
"Ah, still got it," the trader said, smiling as he circled the table. He walked around, and spot Ishiku watching him. "What's up, you want to try?"
"I'm afraid I've never played pool before, I prefer the pool next to the pool. Like a fool."
Giving a cheesy grin to Samson, the magician finished scanning the room, and noticed Shuuya and Crystal collapsed in chairs. They appeared to have nodded off. "What happened to them?" Ishiku asked.
"Oh, they were still going at it with a ping pong table in a rather hardcore way, whacking the shit out of that little ball. Eventually they started falling over due to the alcohol and momentum of, ah, intense sports, and took a seat. I think both of them just need a rest."
Samson chuckled as he rubbed down the tip of his pool cue with the little chalk block. "Even the best of military and combat experts, it would seem, cannot overcome the stereotypes that a blond white girl and an asian dude aren't going to be the strongest of booze drinkers."
Ishiku raised an eyebrow, glanced at the two again, and asked, "Wanna sharpie up their faces?"
"Not especially, since I don't have a sharpie…"
He glanced over at the magician, who pulled a sharpie from 'behind his ear' and was presenting it with a big grin. Samson tilted his head to the side, hummed in thought, then said, "No, still probably shouldn't. I guess I'm babysitting them as they sleep that off."
"Aw well," Ishiku said, tucking the sharpie away behind his ear, where it mysteriously disappeared. "I'd say that you are rather chill about our situation, but I mean, so am I."
"Yes, it does seem like we've become a bit lax about our search efforts, but," Samson remarked as he sank another shot, "I think we can easily search the place more once the Kubs declare the pool party over; hopefully, half of the party-goers so drunk that they cannot carry."
A snort of Crystal in her sleep seemed to accentuate this point. Ishiku shrugged and carried on through the building, keen to see what else he may have missed.
Day 02, 4:53 PM
Penjar's Public Pool
The Pool
"Just stay there until you feel able to stand up properly," Yejoon instructed his sister, as she lay down in a pool chair. "Honestly, you don't drink, why on Earth did you start today?"
"Hey, I just wanted to try it once! All I ever got from the damn art shows was some wine, and that simple stuff isn't all that exciting. I wanted an incredible… exspear… spear… fence. Words are getting difficult."
Yejoon tsk-tsk'ed and walked away, leaving Jin in that chair as his sister tried to get words back in working shape with her mouth. She turned, and noticed Futaba was in the next pool chair.
The silver-haired anthropologist was busy writing in a journal, not really noticing her new neighbor. She was watching everyone with a hum every now and then, eyes bouncing around the area. Jin took a moment to examine her as she examined the party goers.
The artist took note of how Futaba was still wearing her glove, the wrist of it going down almost all the way to her elbow. Futaba had a rather modest red bikini, nowhere near as daring as some of the other get-ups. Jin also stared a bit at the gal's scars that trailed from the corners of her mouth.
"What are you doing?" she suddenly asked Futaba, who merely glanced over at the artist. "I just ask because I don't understand what you would want out of this odd group."
"Really now? This is a large collection of graduates from Hope's Peak, and after everything that happened, I don't think something like this will ever happen again," Futaba explained. "From all my research, the vast majority of graduates were killed during the Tragedy."
Jin raised an eyebrow, toying with her purple hair. "Sure, fine. I just never got the appeal of people. They can be so very predictable and dull."
"Is that why exactly you have so many tattoos?" Futaba said, glancing over at the artist. Her eyes traced over every ink artwork, noticing that this gal had owl-themed tattoos on her shoulders, arms, hands, and her back as well. It was rather startling.
The purple-topped artist chuckled, and said, "Tattoos are a bold statement that you have a passion for something, for all time. That's why I did it about my favorite creature, and my dumb, sober brother decided to do them over those bushy-tailed mini-dogs."
Futaba raised an eyebrow, then leaned forward and exposed a large, elaborate tattoo of a Chinese dragon on her back. It was rather impressive, so much so that Jin smiled in appreciation. "Not bad, your tattoo artist is very talented. I'd love to know the story behind that, but you don't talk about yourself."
"No, I don't," was the answer, and then Futaba went back to writing.
Jin chuckled, and leaned back in her chair. "Sometimes people say tattoos are to cover up things about themselves. Unusual that you use other tools than that."
Futaba didn't hear her or didn't bother to respond, she was too busy watching something going on. As it turned out, Pyrrha had drunk three whole glasses of a powerful alcoholic drink that she had thought was a rather tasty fruit punch mix.
The romance writer was a laughing, giggling, swooning mess, gushing on and on about romantic tales she loved; she also would break down into tears because the couple dies at the end or something like that. This happened repeatedly, and she was getting more passionate with her descriptions of each tale. She was unable to even stand, she had unintentionally overdone it with the drinking.
Takeo had come over to check on her. The mercenary, unable to ignore orders, was now carrying her in his arms, acquiescing to her desire to be "taken home."
Also, Saiko was checking on Emanuel in the hot tub, making sure the Bête Noir had in fact not died but had just passed out. Isaac and Shinobu helped to pull him out, as leaving him in the hot tub was a rather bad place to have him stew.
Day 02, 5:16 PM
Penjar's Public Pool
Men's Shower Room
At 5 PM, the Kubs said that the pool party was officially over, and the graduates could leave if they wanted. Some of the graduates immediately broke away, and went back to exploring the town. Some of them had drunk a bit too much, and were resting (or stumbling back to their rooms, or carried there).
Ken finished cleansing himself of the pool water with the shower water, and sighed in relaxation. He toweled himself out, and started to dress up in his casual clothes.
"I haven't been to a pool in a long time," he said to Yejoon, who was also showering and cleaning himself off. "I think I swam too much, my legs feel quite heavy."
"You seem to do a good service to your body," the tattooed artist remarked as he finished toweling off. "As a warrior, your fitness is a work of art as well as a necessity."
Ken wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but he nodded and smiled. He walked back out into the pool area to see who was still there, with a protective stare over the area.
Jin and Futaba were seated next to each other, but not talking. Fiora, drunk and sobbing, was bawling on Souma's shoulder, begging to know why she couldn't be recognized as a real movie maker anymore. Blake had passed out in his chair, snoring quietly.
Emanuel, drunken snoring that was far louder, had been placed in a pool chair as well. Aka and Hikari were still chatting, far closer than before with both ladies a touch tipsy and touching a bit too. Anzu was sitting down alone, but when she noticed Ken scanning the area, she waved back playfully.
The cavalryman waved back, a little bit confused as to why the very pale girl was wearing oversized sunglasses and staring up at the overcast sky, but he didn't want to bother her. Speaking of pale girls, Ignatia was washing her legs in the hot tub, flicking her toes in the water.
The Monokubs were busy cleaning things up, packing up the barbecue and wet bar and throwing Monodam into the pool one more time. Monosuke walked over to the "drowned corpse" of Monokuma, who hadn't moved since his hot tub execution; he unceremoniously dragged his "dead" dad away, leaving a watery streak on the ground as he did so.
No longer helping the Kubs out, Drake had taken out his sketchpad and was doing a bit of work there. Ken walked over to the young man, and glanced at it. The cartoonist had done cartoon versions of the few of the graduates, a rather cute but sleek version of them.
"That's a nice style," Ken said, as Drake glanced up at him. "While I have never got into cartoons, I can still appreciate the work."
"Oh, thank you," Drake said with a smile. He was staring in the direction of the hot tub, and was sketching something new. "It's a shame you don't like cartoons, however; there are so many amazing stories and characters to see."
"Heh, I know, but as someone who knows how to fight realistically, to see it being overdone in cartoons always makes me feel standards are too high. I'm not going to jump ten stories and cut a dragon's head off, or fight with a sword in my mouth."
Drake chuckled, and carried on his work. "I understand, but I don't do fight scenes; I'm far more slice of life."
Ken nodded, then he sighed a bit. "Okay, I must admit, I was making tiny talk because I wanted to ask you about something."
"Tiny… oh, wait, I know what you mean. W-what did you want to know?"
Before Ken could ask, someone stood over them, looming rather imposingly. Both guys looked up to see Ignatia, glaring down at Drake. The cartoonist swallowed nervously, and stammered out, "Is… is something wrong?"
Ignatia pointed at the hot tub, then at herself, then down at Drake's sketchpad. She held out her hand, making it clear she wanted something. Ken was rather confused, and he said, "Do you have any idea what she wants, Drake?"
"Um, I think she saw me looking over at her and sketching, and she wants to know what I drew."
Ken stood up and got between Drake and Ignatia. "Listen here, silent improv expert of street performances," he said, pointing at the mime, "you've been very aggressive since we got here, and if you start abusing your compatriots here, I will have words with you. Very harsh words."
Ignatia's snarl curled deeper, and she audibly cracked her knuckles. Ken made it clear in return that he wasn't afraid to fight a woman, as he crossed his arms and stared her down. The tension was mounting, until Drake stood up.
"Ken, it's okay. I… I don't want there to be any problems. Here, Ignatia."
Drake handed over his sketchpad to Ignatia, who grabbed it roughly. She scanned the page, until she found what she expected: the picture of her.
The cartoon version of her, wearing her normal clothing, was checking the pulse of an unconscious, cartoon Emanuel. She was staring at her wrist, and appeared puzzled by the lack of a watch.
Ignatia stared at the picture for a few seconds, and for the briefest of seconds, a smile tugged at her lips. She simply gave Drake his sketchpad, and left for the women's shower room.
As Ken and Drake processed what just happened, they noticed the Monokubs leaving the pool in a line. Monosuke was still dragging "dead" Monokuma behind him, Monotaro was wheeling the barbecue, and Odelios was carrying Monokid.
"Put me down, you damn clown bastard," the blue Kub was hollering. "I'll bash you when I get down from here! I'll get a lawyer! I'll get your lawyer! I'll bash you with your lawyer! There'll be hell to pay!"
Day 02, 5:45 PM
Eastern Area of Penjar
Isaac sighed heavily as he stared at the buildings of this area. Every building was a run-down and almost nondescript place. Most of them were so devoid of anything noticeable, they didn't have anything inside or any signs outside.
"Okay, I have to admit," he said to Hara, Saiko and Shinobu, "I don't think we're going to find anything. It's like this town doesn't want there to be anything of interest except for what's around the main plaza."
"And I'm not being paid for this, I'm not going to search every single house in the hopes that there may be something there," Saiko muttered. "Though I don't think I would search every nook and cranny even if I was paid."
"Maybe we needed someone like that?" Hara said with a smile. "The Ultimate Nook and Cranny Examiner?"
"With some of the titles throughout the history of Penjar," Shinobu said, "I wouldn't be surprised if there was one. I mean, there were a lot of examiners and restoration experts, but I don't know of a particular set of skills for this place."
"Out of curiosity," Saiko said, glancing at the historian, "do you know the entire history of Hope's Peak Academy?"
"Most of it, since sadly some of the first few years are lost, due to records being unavailable," Shinobu said. "World War II was a bad time to be keeping records."
She sighed, and said, "Hope's Peak Academy actually started during WW2, it is believed that the founders wanted to make a generation who could solve the world's problems without war. Sadly, there is little to go on otherwise, which is a shame because I'd love to know all the answers, good and bad.
"That's more or less why I wanted to come here. I wanted to see if I could find out about the origins of Despair, or as much as I could. It's way too dangerous to leave ourselves in ignorance."
Hara sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. "I actually feel like this may be a lost cause. Considering what the Tragedy brought to the world, and how horrible those Killing Games were, this seems the exact opposite. I mean, a pool party in a ghost town?"
"Part of me feels like we all just got tricked into some weird kind of secret rave," Isaac said. "You know, how a bunch of teens or college kids will find some abandoned place and have a party there with tons of booze and drugs? I remember doing a story on one of those, before the Tragedy."
"Oh dear, was that the one with the four deaths?" Hara asked. "I begged you not to tell me details about that."
"Hehe, I remember that case, four deaths at the hidden rave party," Saiko said, chuckling. "Man, I know kids wanna get high, but I never thought I would see someone overdose on cleaning powder. He had it bubbling out of his nose-"
"That includes you too, Saiko," Hara declared, hands flying to her ears. "Ewwww! Ew ew ew! How can you find amusement over that, I thought you hated it when creepy stuff happened! Like that time a spider-"
"Nope," Saiko retaliated, throwing her own hands up to her ears, "la la la, cannot hear you!"
The two women were now blocking all sound out and singing loudly to avoid hearing what the other wasn't actually currently saying. Shinobu watched, then smirked at Isaac. "Is this what it's normally like?"
"Yes," Isaac replied, grinning as he shook his head, "yes it is."
Day 02, 6:07 PM
Western Area of Penjar
Nearby the Ye Olde Antiques Shop
Anzu hummed to herself, as her sandals made loud noises that seemed to echo down the road. She had a towel draped on her shoulders, which was far more clothing than her skimpy bikini gave her. She was dry, but her ivory skin almost appeared to be polished after her swim, and soak in the hot tub.
While she was comfortable wearing this, even in a strange place, it was starting to get cold. She regretted changing into her bikini at her place and walking to the pool, because it was chilly walking back in just her tiny bathing suit and a towel.
As she was walking by Ye Olde Antique Shop, something in the crusty front window caught her eye. She took a moment, considering going into the shop to look at it. Before she could make up her mind, she saw the unusual combination of Shuuya and Crystal, walking down the opposite side of the road towards the housing area.
And thus, the adult actress couldn't resist a tease. "Hello you two~" she called out to them, waving gleefully. "Did you two have a nice time sleeping together?"
As if on cue, the two glanced at each other, and Shuuya picked up the pace to not be seen next to Crystal. The blond lady sighed and shook her head, then glanced over at Anzu, raising an eyebrow.
The actress giggled, then slipped into the shop before either of them would come over to give her a lecture. She couldn't help but feel impish, and was covering her mouth as giggles sprang out uncontrollably.
She stopped when she found what she had spot inside of the antique shop, which was a small collection of rings inside of a crusty styrofoam rack. Anzu reached down and checked each one, seeing how they looked on her.
"Not bad," she commented as she appraised them, "they're quite cute, but I dunno if I want to be only wearing one of these during a shoot."
There was a small commotion, and she glanced outside. Souma was helping Fiora walk, the movie making lady still going on about how much she hated her nickname/altered title. The public speaker had an incredible amount of patience, or a poker face to hide his annoyance that a gambler proud. Either way, Anzu could barely comprehend Fiora's drunk, sobbing regrets.
"Girl really needs to own up to what she does, even if there will people who scoff at her," Anzu said with a laugh. Glancing around the countertop, she tried to see if there was any other jewelry she could try. Though there wasn't, she found something else of interest.
"What a quaint looking camera," she chirped as she reached for the lone photography device.
Day 02, 7:10 PM
Housing Area
Ken, standing rather vigilantly in the area, watched as the graduates eventually returned to their rooms. He had retrieved his broadsword, and was wearing it along with his casual clothing; it was quite the stark contrast.
Shuuya, back in his black trench coat, stepped out of his room and approached the cavalryman. "Hey there, Ken," he said, "what exactly are you doing? Standing guard?"
"I feel like I want to make sure as many people get back alright. Some people were so drunk, it would be best if there is a designated driver… or the equivalent of someone watching over you party animals."
Shuuya rubbed the back of his head, murmuring to himself for a moment before saying, "I think we'll be okay. It wasn't that bad."
Ken grunted in response, and said, "I haven't seen so many people needing to be carried since the Novoselic River Dance competition. Those people would river dance for hours, and they needed to be lifted off of the dance floor afterwards because they couldn't physically feel their limbs when they completed."
"Man, the more I hear about Novoselic, the weirder it sounds," Shuuya said, then noticed the frown from Ken, and added, "Wait, don't mind me, dude. I've still got a big ol' headache. Never let me drink again…"
Ken stared at him for a second, then let out a scoffing laugh. "Asian boys are so 'weird' when it comes to how much liquor they can hold, aren't they?"
"Hey now, I haven't had a drink in a while so-"
"RISE AND SHINE, URSINE~!"
The loud announcement from the Monokubs made Shuuya cry out in agony as he covered his ears. Ken merely stared at the five Kubs, asking, "What brings you all back here?"
"We're here to help people with their hangovers," Monotaro declared. "We brought the hangover supplies!"
"That's right, we have the antacids and all that good shit," Monokid added.
Monosuke was about to say something, then noticed Yejoon open the door to his room. The artist hadn't bothered to move the taxidermy tiger from his room, and thus it stood there, posing in a clawing motion towards whoever was coming into the building.
"Cripes, there's already a tiger in someone's room!" Monosuke shouted. "This is a hangover situation for sure! Who got a tattoo? Who got married?"
Shuuya growled in frustration, and muttered, "Man, their voices are so much more grating right now, for some reason…"
"Do not fret," Monophanie squealed, making Shuuya wince all the more. "We have the hangover supplies ready for you all!"
"You do realize," Ken spoke up, "that everyone here is either still drunk, or about to sleep it off. The hangover doesn't happen until after they wake up."
"… What?" was their response.
"I knew we were forgetting something!" Monotaro cried out. "Dang it, we got here too early for the hangovers!"
"What if we have an after-party?" Monosuke suggested. "We can milk this party for everything it's got!"
"Dude, we have hangover recovery supplies, we don't have anything for a party here!" Monokid shouted.
As the Kubs debated this with a disinterested Shuuya and a watchful Ken, Monokuma came waddling up. His prominent figure was slightly hidden by the mists until he was close-by, and even the mist seemed more devious when he was around. He chuckled as he watched his children.
"They're so-oooooo keeyute~," Monokuma said, clutching his pudgy stomach and laughing. "Trying so hard to appease to our guests, working so much!"
"Daddy," Monophanie declared, "we missed you so much during the party, since you died halfway through! Did you eventually get the rib bones you wanted?"
"Kind of, I didn't get to rip out a ribcage and feast on a disruptive guest," Monokuma said, cackling as he held his stomach. "But that BBQ was so good! Come here, children, Daddy sees some sauce still left on your faces!"
He grabbed the Kubs, one at a time, and licked their faces. When he was done, he tossed the Kub through the air and would grab the next one. This rotated a few times, with Shuuya growing rather disgusted.
"Okay so, while that's happening," he said, turning towards Ken, "if you're just going to stand around here waiting for everyone, I'll just let you know who did get back here. I came back with Crystal, I saw Anzu, Fiora, and Souma heading this way. And just now there was Yejoon, no idea where his sister is…"
"Hey! Don't ignore me just because I'm tending to my children! I came here to give you all an important message, after all."
Monokuma tossed the Kub he had in his paws, turning towards the two humans. He chuckled deviously, and wiggled his hands, as if trying to do "jazz claws." "The motive will be coming out tomorrow! The time and place will be announced during my children's morning broadcast. So don't be a heavy sleeper…
"Or you may find yourself sleeping, for all eternity."
The bear covered his mouth with repressed laughter, then threw his head back and cackled loudly. It echoed throughout the streets, up into the overcast sky. With the sunlight having all but faded, it almost felt like the last of it was gone with Monokuma's laughter.
"Pops really likes his announcements," Monosuke said, over the diabolical laughter of Monokuma. "Maybe we should let him in the morning broadcast? Morning ratings, after all!"
"I ain't letting him take my fifteen minutes of fame," Monokid declared. "Dad's got enough screen time with all the shit he's been part of, I wanna rock when I got my own show!"
"Maybe we can-" Monophanie started, then she stopped when a metallic slicing sound and a heavy thunk alerted their attention.
Ken had his broadsword drawn, and the tip was now resting on the ground, underneath Monokuma. The bear was silent for a moment, and then said, "Upu… pu… puuuuu…"
And then he fell into two vertical halves. The Kubs screamed in horror, as Ken sheathed his sword and lifted up a single finger: a scolding finger.
"I've had quite enough of that annoyingly loud laugh, especially when I have so many people who need peaceful rest," he declared, shaking his scolding finger. "Now kindly vacate the premise or lower the decibel of your voice, as we have a lot of people who need to recover tonight."
"Man," Shuuya said, "that was awesome! Tell me, have you ever thought of taking up bounty hunting as a career? I could show you the ropes."
"I don't really need a job as of now, but if you wish to converse careers, I could entertain the motion as of now."
"DADDY," Monophanie wailed, until Ken whipped out the scolding finger, and she responded with, "Oh, sorry! Ahem. Daddy, no…"
Day 02, 8:15 PM
Penjar's Public Cafeteria
"What an unusual day," Blake commented, as he tucked into the hamburgers that had been made. He was still drunk, but he was able to maintain himself right now. "Still, all things considered, if this is how the Killing Game is going to go, I think I'm going to enjoy this."
Eisei stared at the man, as he nibbled on his burger. Glancing around the cafeteria, he saw the quartet of adventurers were also eating, Aka and Hikari carrying on their flirtatious manner with each other, and a couple others were eating and resting there.
"I don't think we're going to get anything else done tonight," the dentist commented, as he sipped from his drink. "However, I hope you're not going to embrace the ideology that this is a party. This is still quite the dangerous place."
"The tiny guy dressed like a little girl is lecturing me about how to be serious," Blake shot, then gathered up his food. "Not here for a lecture, mate, I'm off."
Eisei shrugged, and said to himself, "Maybe I'll check that mouth later. It is all well and good, but there is no way, physically or emotionally, I'll ever be that man's mate."
The rest of the night went fairly quietly, with it being unofficially declared over without much else that could be done. While some of the souls tried to find more answers in the town by exploring the southern side, nothing new was discovered.
The graduates were all asleep, either from an alcoholic haze or exhaustion from a rather unique day, before midnight this day. And most of them didn't want to know why there was two halves of a Monokuma in the road of the housing area either.
The moonlight could barely illuminate the city, but it did make that mist a little more prominent in the dark. There were no crickets, no frogs, no noises of cars or traffic or any sounds of civilization.
Just the mists and the creaks of rotting houses were there for the graduates.
(Day 02 is over~)
(Monokuma Theater!)
*Monokuma is super buff, a six pack where his chubby stomach used to be. He is wearing a toga that showcases this fit form, as he stands in a dramatic pose on a cliff, sun highlighting his perfect form.*
Monokuma - "We all strive to be the greatest we can be, but tell me, what happens when we achieve that? Do we grow bored, stagnant? Do we try to find something else to do?"
*The muscular Monokuma is now shown from a bird's eye view, pumping a mighty muscular fist into the air that appears so powerful, he's breaking the air around it.*
Monokuma - "After all, if you were playing a game, and you had unlimited health and mana and all your abilities could defeat any enemy in one shot, would you keep playing that game? Would you want to do something you couldn't find any challenge or risk in?"
*A lightning bolt strikes Monokuma's fist. He seems unfazed.*
Monokuma - "So when someone, including you, wants to be the very best, just remember that you shouldn't want to. Or maybe you should, no one can be the best forever, unless they have herculean skills that'll never be bested. That's the case with me and so many records, some of which I am sure could never be bested."
*Monokuma is now vibrant with energy, posing in his toga and six-pack and electric power. He poses even more dramatically, looking more grand than ever.*
Monokuma - "Unless of course, the world ends. Puhuhuhuhu!"
Day 03, 9:29 PM
Housing Area
Isaac and Hara's House
Isaac strained as he stretched, waking himself up. Again, he was alone as Hara had headed out for her morning walk. He had woken up himself, as if his body wanted to ensure he would not be forcibly awakened by the morning announcement again.
Despite having a little time, he was still startled by the TV turning on and a loud chime echoing from the device.
(Day 03 has begun!)
(Monokids' Town Hall Greeting)
*The five Kubs are all standing at the town hall again. They appear normal, though Monotaro is still holding a spatula.*
All Five Kubs - "Rise and shine, ursine~!"
Monotaro - "We hope you all enjoyed the pool party! I spent so much time making food for you all, it was a lot of fun! I'll cherish these memories forever!"
Monokid - "The pool will now be open from here on out. If you dumb kids want to go swimming, you can anytime you want. Make sure you crack your head during a dive and drown!"
Monophanie - "How horrid! You're supposed to warn them not to, Monokid!"
Monosuke - "There was also something all of you need to know. So clean the wax out of your ears, wake yourself up fully, and listen closely."
Monotaro - "Yes, because Father is going to announce your first motive today! It's so shocking, so amazing, so overshadowing of everything else that's happened in the town!"
Monophanie - "Please come to the Main Plaza at 5:30 PM today, as Daddy and us will all be there. While not mandatory, this is something that concerns all of you, and we wouldn't want you to be at a disadvantage."
Monosuke - "5:30 PM, Main Plaza, your first Motive! And it's going to be a good one, bigger than all other motives that were ever done before. One of a kind, unique!"
Monotaro - "Yes, this day is going to be incredible! And so much better than the boring, uneventful day yesterday was! Haha! … Wait."
Monodam - "…"
Monokid - "Until then, do whatever the hell you want! Buh-bye!"
Monotaro - *scratching his head with his spatula* "What did we do yesterday, again? The excitement of today is making me forget…"
All Five Kubs - "So long, bear well~!"
Isaac sighed, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "Oh great, the motive, the last thing I wanted to hear. Great, now I gotta trust more than twenty people not to be tempted…"
He quickly got dressed, and headed outside. Trying to look and act casually, he glanced around the town. It was overcast again, the sunlight just barely illuminating the place. The mists swirled on the ground, as if inviting travelers to traverse down the creepy roads.
"I cannot believe I'm not used to this place yet," he grumbled to himself. "Of all the awful places I've visited, you'd think I could get used to a crappy, old town that is more or less mist and buildings that are falling apart-"
"ISAAC!"
He was snapped out of his rant quickly, when he saw Hara sprinting towards him. She beckoned him to follow her, and they headed towards one of the shops. He could feel his heart hammering already, pounding against his chest like it needed to leave immediately.
"I… I saw her through the window. Oh God, Isaac," Hara declared, clasping her hands as she panted in worry. "Is she… is she…"
Isaac braved his way into the shop. He stared down at the floor…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Anzu was lying on the floor. She was still wearing her bikini and towel. In her hand, she was clutching a camera, the one that had been part of the antique shop's wares.
Isaac reached down and checked her pulse. It was still there. He examined her, seeing no injuries or blood, and couldn't see anything wrong. Though when he shook her shoulder and tried to wake her, thinking she had fallen asleep somehow, nothing woke her up.
Hara entered the store gingerly, and tried to help out, but nothing worked. Anzu didn't wake up, it was like she was comatose with how unresponsive she was; however, she had the camera clutched tightly in her hand, and they couldn't pry it from her fingers.
…
28 Graduates remain in Penjar.