Chapter 2-3

Just Be Positive

Day 07, 9:00 AM

Housing Area

Shinobu Takahashi's House

The alarm that Shinobu had set since she had arrived in Penjar went off, jarring the historian awake. Knowing the locks would stop working in a half-hour, she took to preparing for the day. A shower always felt necessary, needing to wake up body and mind.

She was scrubbing herself down as she started to lose track of time. The motive hadn't been fulfilled, right? There had been no body announcement to wake her up, would there even be one if someone asked a question and didn't kill anyone? She sighed heavily, letting the warm water massage her tattooed back.

The motive was definitely a trap, a lure for someone to commit the murder that the despair bear and whoever was behind this wanted. Yet she couldn't deny how curious she was, which made her laugh at something a friend had said.

"You're a woman and a historian," she repeated it, "you define curiosity. And now I'm a tourist and a participant in a supernatural mystery. I need to make sure that this burning curiosity doesn't get me killed."

As she tried to collect her thoughts, the sound of the TV turning on in the main room alerted her. She had overshot the time she normally spent in the shower, and felt a small bit of panic. It was coupled with annoyance as she heard the Monokubs talking.

(Day 07 has begun!)

(Monokids' Town Hall Greeting)

*The five Kubs are standing at the town hall, and all dressed up. The four boys are dressed like 1940s reporters, with tan hats and trench coats, pencil and paper, and PRESS hats. Monophanie has on an old-fashioned dress with a sunhat, and the same reporter supplies.*

All Five Kubs - "Rise and shine, ursine~!"

Monokid - "Don't fucking skip this one, buckos! We've got something important to announce this time, see?!"

Monotaro - "Wait, are we really admitting that we normally don't? Then why are we-"

Monosuke - "We'd like to announce that no one has died due to the motive yet. It is ongoing, and we're hoping that you all will participate in this once in a lifetime event!"

Monophanie - "Oh heavens, the fact that it really will be once in a lifetime for some of you is horrid!"

Monodam - "…" *is taking notes for some reason*

Monokid - "You fuckers all came here for the answers, so come at us! We wanna answer questions, that's why we're dressed up like this!"

Monophanie - "If you have an official question, just say so, please."

Monotaro - "Wait… why did we dress up as reporters to answer questions? Don't reporters ask the questions?"

All Five Kubs - "…"

Monokid - "Damn it! I knew we forgot of something when we did this!"

Monotaro - "We could still ask questions."

Monosuke - "Yeah, like, is it true your spouse wants a divorce as soon as their eyesight recovers? Is it true that nine out of ten dentists wish you'd go to the tenth one and never bother them? How long have you managed to survive without a brain, is that a new world record?"

Monophanie - "So, um, please come to Daddy or us if you have a question. We'll be around all day."

All Five Kubs - "So long, bear well~!"

Shinobu shook her head, as she turned off the shower and dried herself off. It was going to be a tedious day, that was for sure. Just how much were her fellow graduates going to work together to avoid bloodshed? Could they?

"The Killing Game is where history comes to repeat itself, every time," she grumbled in frustration. "Why hasn't there been one where people can just behave? Then again, we have a serial killer… hard to imagine everyone behaving perfectly now."

Day 07, 9:45 AM

Penjar's Public Cafeteria

The group of graduates seemed normal for the most part when they met up at the cafeteria. Odelios, Pyrrha, and Isaac were working on the food as usual. Though it seemed a great deal of the graduates weren't keen on discussion with those they weren't familiar with.

Crystal and Samson were having a rather private discussion. They were seated a short distance from everyone else, almost appearing to be a military clique. The blonde adviser was speaking with a more hushed tone than anyone had seen.

"Can I count on your discretion, sir?" she was asking him.

"Yes, ma'am, though I do have some questions."

"Feel free to inquire."

"How am I going to keep the Monokubs' attention? Eventually, they'll catch on."

"That's true, but that's why I believe killing Monokuma would be most beneficial. The Kubs seem to overreact when he dies, and thus the repeated shock may be good enough to keep them occupied."

Samson chuckled, then added, "I never thought I would have to get into a bargaining situation which involved 'killing' someone repeatedly."

"I believe if you employ your bargaining talents, you can truly keep them all occupied. Just remember to be subtle."

As if on cue, due to the word that described them least, the five Monokubs jumped up on an empty table.

"RISE AND SHINE, URSINE~!"

"I demand a sandwich!" Monokid shouted. "Or at least, some questions!"

"Calm down, we cannot push it," Monosuke said. "No matter how much we want to."

"Attention, tourists of Penjar," Monotaro declared, pumping his fists up in the air, "we want to let you all know, that the party we talked about two days ago will be today, just as planned."

"5 PM, at the Western Tavern Bar 'n Grill, like you all voted," Monophanie said, clapping her hands happily. "So please join us, as we celebrate our town improving… AWK!"

She was picked up off of the table by Samson, who tucked her under his arm and headed towards the door. "Hahaha, I am kidnapping your princess," he announced. "Try and stop me if you can, heroes!"

"Haaaaaaaaaalp," Monophanie wailed, waving her arms and kicking her feet. "This brute, this brute, this vicious vicious vicious brute! I am being bear-napped! Save me!"

Crystal watched with the most unimpressed expression, as Samson carried Monophanie out of the building. Monokid was laughing loudly, and saying, "What's that fucker doing? We ain't heroes! Haha, buh-bye, sis!"

"COME-BACK-HERE," Monodam demanded, "YOU-VILE-CAD. THAT-IS-NOT-HOW-YOU-GET-ALONG."

The green Kub sprinted out after them, waving his extendable arms around like a madman. The other three Kubs hurried after him, and thus their bear-napped sister.

"Well, that just happened," Emanuel muttered, pouring a little booze into his coffee. He stared at Drake, who had been watching the whole occurrence. "Still think that there's not going to be another murder, kid?"

"Huh? Well, I mean, I will remain positive," he admitted, sheepishly staring down at his sketchpad. "But I think it would be best if no one goes out alone."

"Sorry, but I don't listen to anyone's advice but my own. Though if you follow it, you might live through today. Maybe you can ask your mime crush to finally spend some time with you?"

He glanced around the cafeteria, spotting Ignatia eating alone. The Bête Noir raised an eyebrow, and asked, "So what do you see in her anyway? She doesn't talk, she avoids you, and seems to be an aggressive punk."

Drake sighed, and stared over at the mime. Ignatia was definitely deep in thought, chewing her food meticulously. The cartoonist watched her, and sighed. "Look, it's a little hard to explain, but… when you start to draw someone, you take notice of their actions, their movements and reactions. It's like you get to know them a little, and what you don't know, you want to know more about."

Emanuel rolled his eyes, and muttered, "Just don't leave yourself exposed, kid. You'll get yourself killed, especially if you put your neck out there in the hopes that things will just get better."

With that, the sullen detective stood up and started to walk out of the cafeteria. Drake stared in shock for a moment, then called out, "Wait, are you just going to wander out there alone?"

"I know how to take care of myself, kid. You do the same, I'm just not your babysitter."

Nearby this table, Fiora was seated alone. Her eyes were whipping about, trying to find a certain someone amid the cast of the Penjar graduates. She was so focused on looking about, she didn't notice someone else sat next to her.

"Boy, don't you look like a deer in the headlights, B-Movie Maker," Aka said, smirking at Fiora.

Yelping in surprise, Fiora turned and gawked at the skier. "What… but… huh?"

"Hey, no need to be all fidgety with me, girl. I ain't gonna bite ya; that's what I got Hikari for."

Fiora blinked a whole bunch, then spoke again. "Okay, what… just what, eh?"

"Allow me to explain myself a bit: Hikari is sleeping in, she wants a little bit of that. So Ken is watching over the housing area, making sure no one is going to sneak in. Without my sexy new squeeze, I'mma gonna bother someone else for once."

Fiora tapped her fingers together, staring at the purple-topped tomboy. "So, um, what do you want with me? Wanna know if I'm available or into women too? I mean, I have to say, with my experience with-"

"Sorry, not into you that way, Fi-baby," Aka said, waving her hand as she dismissed the notion. Fiora pouted a great deal as the skier continued, "But I'm definitely a little worried about you. You're hanging around our resident serial killer a little too much."

"You think I want to?!" Fiora balked. "I… I cannot get away from him! He's not my friend! SHUT UP, BAKA!"

Slamming her head on the table, the movie director curled her arms around her face to hide her sobbing from the skier. Aka stared down at her, and said, "You're a very high-strung chick, aren't you?"

"I hate everything a'boot this place…"

"Maybe you should take up skiing with me after all this is over. You look like someone who could do with a good adrenaline rush that isn't about murderers or killers."

"I fear the snowy mountains ever since I made Siberian Tigers in a Ski Lodge."

Aka glanced to the side, sipped from her orange juice, and muttered, "That's… that's a real movie?"

"YES! I made it! Awwaaaugh…"

As Fiora continued to bawl, Aka reached over and massaged her back. Though this conversation wasn't going the way she thought it was going to go, there was something else to watch. Across the cafeteria was the unlikely trio of Angelique, Yitro, and Kimiko. The conversation appeared interesting, especially with how close the two girls were getting.

"So this is how you get me a girlfriend?" Yitro teased Angelique. "Sleeping with her first?"

"Nothing happened," the red-faced opera singer blurted out, correcting her glasses as a way to hide her blush. She then sighed, and said, much more quietly, "Okay… something happened."

"A little bit," Kimiko said, grinning impishly.

Yitro raised an eyebrow. "Angelique, please stop hiding now, it's okay. If you fell for her, then I'm not going to be upset."

The blond singer stared at him, a weak smile spread across her face. "I'm… I'm sorry, I do tend to get carried away when in the passion of the moment. I kind of blabbered on about my past, about my fellow students at Hope's Peak, my career…"

"I had to kiss her a bunch to give her a break," Kimiko said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Yitro burst out laughing, as Angelique hid her face again. "That's how other girls she liked had to get her to stop too. You haven't changed, Angel, but I love it. It's so good to know you found happiness again."

Angelique ran a hand through her hair, saying, "I'll admit, I really do… like Kimiko. But I feel so guilty, since I was trying to pair you two up."

"Well," Kimiko said, still grinning, "threesome?"

"Nope," Yitro replied, "Angelique is not into guys, and I'm certain she doesn't want to see me naked."

Angelique was now hiding all the more, and Kimiko had to pry at her hands to get her to come out from her hiding place. When the two gals looked into each other's eyes, holding each other's hands, there was a romantic pause.

And then the two started kissing, rather passionately. With the biker wrapping her strong arms around the lithe singer and pulling her in, Yitro silently excused himself and gave the girls a little intimate make-out time.

Pyrrha saw this from afar, and let out a happy swoon. She sat down at a table and started to eat, hopelessly watching the rather passionate new couple snogging. She giggled when she noticed Kimiko was visibly trying not to be too handsy… until Angelique started squeezing her in intimate places.

"Wait, it's okay to watch them?" Ishiku asked, leaning in to whisper to Pyrrha.

"Yes," the romance writer said blissfully. Then she shook her head, and exclaimed, "I mean no! You shouldn't be watching!"

"But you're watching!"

"But… I'm a girl! You're a boy, it's… it's not right if you do it?"

"Okay, you told me yourself that you're bisexual, so it should apply to you too."

"But… but… I want an excuse to watch!"

"So do I! Let's just do it together, and feel perverted and happy for them together."

Pyrrha was turning as red as her hair, but pushed that aside because, well, she really wanted to watch the happy couple. Ishiku watched too, grinning shamelessly.

"You know, if we're going to shamelessly watch Kimiko and Angel, along with Hikari and Aka, we are going to do something about that single status of yours, Pyrrha."

"Ish… Ishiku, what are you suggesting?"

"That today, to get your mind off of the motive and the troubles we are all having, you and Odelios need to go on a date!"

From the kitchen, where he was cleaning things up, the clown let out a sensual growl. How he heard what Ishiku said from that far, Pyrrha had no idea. She also had no idea how the magician thought that was going to be a good idea.

Day 07, 11:01 AM

Penjar Streets

Isaac was typing on his phone, making a bunch of additional remarks with the notes he had taken with the Notes app. Working hard on making sure he detailed everything (and liberally using italics and bold and underlined whenever he could), he still managed to carry on a conversation with the two he was with.

"So do we have any idea where we are going to investigate today?" he asked Hara and Saiko.

"I'm going to say something," Saiko remarked, "but don't think that means I am giving up: what else is there to investigate?"

"I have to agree with her, honey," Hara said, sighing in defeat, "because we've gone through every building, and looked through all we could. I don't think the Kubs or Monokuma or anyone else behind this just left a clue behind."

"Unless you count those ridiculous items that are giving people visions," the forensic investigator remarked. "Wait, has Kimiko told you two what she saw yet?"

"No. She was… busy with Angelique when we saw her in the cafeteria," Hara admitted, blushing slightly as she blushed. Saiko stared at her, raising one of her dark eyebrows at her close friend.

"You do realize this is a very dangerous place, with a real danger over our heads right now. I know you're a very shy person, Hara, but are you really not going to ask the important question because the two women are making out?"

Hara bit her lip, wrung her hands, and turned her blushing face to the side. "Yes," she whimpered quite softly.

"Well, I'm not shy! I'm gonna go find out what she saw!"

As Saiko stormed off towards the cafeteria, Hara sighed heavily and stared at her fiancé. "You… you think I'm too soft, honey? She is right, we need to know these things right away, since it's very awful right now."

"Hara, if there is one thing I've learned, you cannot force your characteristics to change drastically. And really, do you want to be the person who can go up to people making out and tell them to stop for something more important?"
Hara laughed, and rocked on her feet. "Part of me thinks… um… well… that… uh…"

Isaac smirked, and walked on up to her. His hands found her hips as he pulled her in, and whispered, "You wanna do the same thing, right now?"

"In public?" Hara said, her voice high-pitched with worry and arousal. She leaned back, but her hands were on his shoulders.

"Yes, why not?"

With another shy giggle, she leaned in and started kissing him. The two were making out until a red-faced Saiko returned back to them, loudly clearing her throat. "Ahem! AHEM! HEY! You two horn dogs! Stop that!"

She eventually moved towards them, and forcibly pulled them apart. Isaac tried to ask casual as he asked, "Well then Saiko, did you get the information you wanted?"

"No," she bitterly remarked. "I… I couldn't do it. They were making out so passionately, I couldn't even work up the nerve to tell them to stop! Damn it…"

"But you stopped Isaac and me," Hara protested.

"That's different! I know you two!"

The three stood there, the feelings of embarrassment and arousal and so on really making them feel helpless. It was like this for a while, until someone approached them.

"If I may," Shuuya said, smiling politely as he walked over to them, "I'd like to help you three today."

"Huh?" Saiko honked, then she cleared her throat and put on a more professional tone. "Listen, we don't even know where to start, Shuuya. Do you have an idea?"

"If you would like a suggestion, I think that we should do a sweep of the new buildings. See if we can find anything new?"

The bounty hunter started to walk towards the fire station, calling out to the three, "I'll meet you at the tavern, that seems like a nice place to be during this time. If you could check the theater and greenhouse for me?"

The mist was so thick, they couldn't even see each other when he was half a block away from them. The three of them, even with how tall Isaac was, were also lost in the mist before he reached the fire station. This rather perturbed him, but he didn't show it; fear was not a good thing to showcase at a time like this.

And when the bounty hunter heard movement in the fire station, he felt rather vindicated in his decision to do a sweep. Marching into the building, he saw Blake searching through the shelves of the place.

"You of all people," Shuuya said, startling the pyro, "should not be left alone here."

"Hey, bite me, mate," Blake shouted at him. "I'm trying to prevent a disaster, not start one."

"You really think I'm going to take your word for it? Crystal has informed me of your record, and here you are, in a pyromaniac's paradise, during a motive that we could learn whatever we want."

The pyrotechnician let out a long growl, but managed to suck in his anger. Pulling one of the shelves out of a desk, he held its empty state to the bounty hunter. "Want to know what was in this, trench coat?"

"Enlighten me."

"Laser-triggered starters. You can set them up so that when the laser is tripped, it can send a signal to fire starting devices. Even a basic fucker could figure out how to program them so that a laser trigger sends the signal to the spark."

"What exactly is the point of those devices?"

"Normally they're used for testing explosives and such in safe areas, but you're talking about the Monokubs and Monokuma here. You know they put these in this building to be used as weapons!"

Shuuya raised an eyebrow, and said, "Is anything else missing?"

"Look, I just found out about these being missing, I don't exactly have a list-"

"Could these fire starters set a building on fire?"

Blake scratched his head, and muttered, "Um, not really. The spark that comes from them is meant to activate something flammable or explosive, not a building. I mean, it would hard to catch a building on fire with one of these, but fire is hard to control when started anywhere."

Shuuya took a deep breath, and he stared down Blake as he crossed his arms. "You only now just told us about this?"

"Dude, this fucking building is full of a million flammable things, and a fucking flamethrower! You really think I was going to, what, inventory this shit?"

"Then I'm telling you what we're going to do. We're going to lock this place up, and then search everyone's rooms. And you're going to help me."

"Lock it? Monosuke didn't exactly leave us the keys for the place, Shuuya."

"Then nail the doors shut?"

"I don't exactly have planks of wood and a hammer that'll work against the stone walls-"

"Damn it, stop trying to make this difficult, Blake!"

"Stop asking me to do the impossible, Shuuya!"

The two stared each other down, glaring heatedly at the other. Without meaning to, they were flexing their muscles, one of them hardened and developed from prison and working out, one from an active and dangerous career that required such fitness.

"Look, trench coat, we ain't gonna solve anything just standing here arguing," Blake pointed out. "Let's both look through the rooms of everyone, see if they squirreled them away."

"We never even found the DVD player, what makes you think we're going to find tools made for arson?"

"What, you wanna just give up? Come on, man, your whole damn career is about finding those that don't want to be found. Let's do this."

"Very well. I didn't think about asking for a partner like you, but I suppose there are odder partnerships…"

"Heh, gonna treat this like a buddy cop movie now?"

"Ugh. No."

Shuuya briskly walked towards to the housing area, with Blake right behind him. When they made it there, they saw Ken standing outside of a house that wasn't his. The cavalryman appeared rather distracted and deep in thought, not noticing the two until they were right next to him.

"Pardon me, I was lost in translation," Ken apologized. He seemed to recognize that he had misspoke, but didn't bother to correct himself this time. "I… forgive me, gentlemen, but did you need something?"

"Dude, what are you doing outside Hikari's house?" Blake asked, observing the pixel picture of the steampunk model on the building.

"Don't tell me have a thing for her too now?"

"Miss Tetsuhime prefers the feminine company of the lady gender with womanly parts," the Novoselician said, nervous but still showing a kind of determination that Shuuya could recognize. "I am just… on guard duty while she sleeps in."

"Sleeps in?" Shuuya glanced at his watch. "It's a half-hour to noon. I don't think she should be sleeping in that much."

Ken glanced at her door, around the area aimlessly, then shrugged. "Well, if you want to wake her, be my guest."

Shuuya shrugged, and then walked into Hikari's house. He expected a scream or a sudden gasp, he definitely expected to find the woman still in bed. What he didn't expect was very empty the place was.

"Whoa, is she not here?" Blake asked as he made his way in. "Ooo, maybe she's in the shower! Haha, no regrets!"

He bolted towards her bathroom, then stomped out with a scowl a moment later. "She's not in there either."

"You're very observant, you pervert. Now if she's not in her house, where could she be?"

"Shouldn't we be looking for those fire starters? I mean, if she isn't where Ken said she was… wait."

Blake stopped talking, and hurried back outside. The cavalryman was nowhere to be seen, as the thick mists ran down the streets and obscured so much from sight.

"Holy shit, bro," the pyro swore, turning back to Shuuya, "what's going on?"

"I don't know… but I really don't like it. Blake, help me with some of the buildings here. I fear this is more serious than I thought."

Day 07, 12:02 PM

Penjar Streets

Souma glanced at his watch, noting the time. "I really must thank Mr. Shyre for fixing up this watch for me. Every time I am curious about the time, I have him to thank; I am afraid I never got used to telling the time by my cell phone."

"You're an anthropologist case in yourself," Futaba said, chuckling dryly. "Seriously, everything I've heard about you, you've had quite the interesting life, especially right now."

"I cannot tell if that is a compliment, but I don't mind being studied. It'd be interesting what you can diagnose."

Futaba shrugged, flipping her silver hair behind her shoulders. "I'm off-duty from being an anthropologist right now. I'm more interested in you as company and protection."

"I am your bodyguard now? I do know some martial arts, as a member of the Future Foundation shouldn't be helpless in combat; however, I cannot help but feel there are better people for this. Unless you mean…"

Futaba sighed heavily, then turned to face him. "Yes, I am interested in what the motive could bring. If I could find out something, anything, about Despair, I could prevent another Tragedy. The greatest potential is in this motive.

"However, the price is too high, especially since… well…"

"You don't want to kill anyone? Or die for the cause?"

"I'm more concerned that Monokuma will not be entirely truthful with me. I don't wish to die for a half-truth."

She pushed her glasses up, as she stared at Souma. "You will be my conscience right now, and prevent me from going to the Kubs or Monokuma."

Souma crossed his arms as he glanced around, as if scouting the area. He could barely see through the mists, wondering how anyone could find the short bears through it. "I doubt you could keep track of anyone out here. Wait…"

He was staring in one direction, near the cafeteria. There was the faint outline of black hair upon a white jacket, which stuck out from the mist; it had to be Ignatia. She appeared to be staring down next to her, and for a brief moment, he swore he saw lavender pigtails bobbing in the mist.

The public speaker was about to call out to them, when he was suddenly grabbed by the arm. Yanked into Ye Olde Café, he was rather surprised as Futaba shushed him frantically.

"I think I saw that psycho killer coming up the road," she hissed. "Quick, hide!"

"Miss Imajuku, I doubt that'll help-"

"Look, you want to know something, Souma? As an anthropologist, I know a thing or two about serial killers, especially after the Tragedy! And the last thing is we want to give that murderer an excuse to act on his sick desires!"

"Was he alone?"

"I don't care, I just saw him with that freaking mask. Keep quiet!"

Souma and Futaba huddled up in that café, keeping close to each other. When he tried to speak, she shushed him. It was a tense and awkward situation, and he couldn't find a way to dissuade her from hiding like this.

And as they sat in the café, the graduates were moving around Penjar, some in duos, some in trios, some all alone. No one could keep track of the others, the mists were building up more as time passed. When 1 PM rolled around, those shrouding mists were almost enough to cover up even the tallest of the rather tall collection of graduates.

The shortest of them all stepped into the movie theater, finishing his lollipop and tossing the stick into the can. Eisei walked in and observed the concession stand, once again wishing there were sweet treats there. With a dramatic sigh, he turned towards Ignatia.

"I am starting to have trouble seeing anything out there," he said casually, rocking on his feet, "and I doubt you'd carry me so that I could have some sort of optimal sight."

Ignatia shrugged, as she sucked on the lollipop that the dentist had given her. The two shared an awkward silence, with one not speaking and one not feeling like speaking until something important came to mind.

It would be about an hour later that something would change very drastically for them.

Day 07, 1:03 PM

Western Tavern, Bar 'n Grill

"Okay, do we know where anyone is?" Saiko asked aloud, throwing her hands up in disgust. "We've been waiting here for far too long, and all we have are us three, and those three!"

She gestured towards Samson and Anzu, who both waved casually back at her. Yitro was also there, shamelessly immersed in a perverted romance novel. Isaac and Hara couldn't do anything but shrug.

"The mists are way too thick out there," Isaac admitted, "and I don't want to risk Hara's life by wandering around out there!"

"At least we know where we all are," Hara said, trying to smile peacefully. "Or I mean, the people here, we know they're here. Because… we're here."

Anzu giggled from afar, and said, "You're so cute, Hara. But hey, if you want, I can go look for the others, if you want. They tend to listen to me, especially when I lean forward."

Saiko rolled her eyes, and rubbed her forehead. "You really going to go flaunting your tits around to get people to listen to, you know, not murdering each other?"

"I'll be fine, baby doll. Don't you worry about lil' ol' me."

And as she said that, she walked behind Saiko, and slapped the forensic investigator on her posterior. Saiko yelped and whirled on Anzu, but the girl was already at the front door.

"Oh, I found someone," the adult actress called out as she walked out, and this other person walked inside.

"Well done," Yitro called out to her, "we're all so proud of your conquests. A+ ranking, for sure, honors all 'round."

"I apparently have been found," Crystal said with a chuckle, as she moved into the tavern. Glancing around, she noted who was there, and said, "Were we supposed to meet up here?"

"No, ma'am," Samson called out, tipping back in his chair as he rested his boots on the table, trying to look like a cowboy in this tavern. "I think some people just decided to gather up here."

"That might be best," Crystal said, "because it seems everyone was just wandering around out there. I think I saw several people alone out there in the hour I was scouting the streets."

"And you were alone out there too?" Hara asked, worriedly placing her hands over her mouth.

"I can handle myself. I think a lot of people have decided on that strategy, some people alone, some people in duos. Though I didn't see anyone for almost an hour, so I decided to check this place out for who was around."

"We all just got here too, kind of recently," Isaac admitted. "Saiko, Hara, and I, as well as Samson there, and Odelios."

"Odelios?" Crystal repeated.

"OYE! GUV'NAH!" The clown shouted from the kitchen, startling everyone as he pointed at them, his kitchen toque bouncing around on his clown hat. "What the bloody 'ell are you bastids doin' standin' aroun' doin' nawthing when Ah've got me a bloody dinner date tonight?!"

"Is he British or Scottish now?" Hara asked.

"Is he crazy or insane," Saiko grumbled.

"Is he making steak or chicken?" inquired Yitro.

"Is he dating someone," Samson said most dubiously, "like, for real?"

"I'm gonna date Pyrrha," Odelios sang proudly, preparing more food. "Ishiku set me up on a date with Pyrrha~ I'm gonna show her a good time~ Woo~!"

Isaac watched as the clown worked on the food, and he couldn't help but laugh. Turning to Hara, he said, "Believe it or not, that was a bit like how I was when I prepared my first dinner date with you."

"You were talking in a Scottish-British accent as you wore multiple hats and singing happily in front of a bunch of people?"

"Like I said, love, I was excited."

Hara giggled a bunch and hugged her funny soon-to-be-hubby, as the two watched Odelios make a show out of the meal preparation. Saiko headed over to the bar, wanting to distract herself even if there weren't drinks being served at the moment. Crystal sat with Blake, trying to conserve quietly despite a loud, singing clown being rather distracting.

"Anything I should know about?" she asked the trader.

"I'm pretty sure Shuuya and Blake are searching through the houses. Oh, and Yejoon's wandering the streets alone; that psycho doesn't have Fiora by his side, for some reason."

"Any idea where she is?"

"No, and I'm hoping that isn't because she's been gutted by him."

"Don't talk like that," Crystal snapped, frowning at him. "I hate the fact that we cannot do anything about him."

"Sorry. I also saw Aka, Emanuel, and Ignatia alone at some point. The mist is getting really thick out there, I'm starting to think it's tied to the motive."

"First sound-proof and now thick as clouds, I daresay it's starting to become a reality."

Crystal was silent for a while, as she watched Samson take a shot of whiskey. The trader pardoned drinking at a time like this, but the stress was starting to get rather tedious. "Besides," he said, "no one's going to try anything with us all here together."

"I'm more concerned for those outside."

"If they wanted to be safe, they could have all grouped up to ensure that there would be no problems. But they didn't, and we cannot help everyone; especially when some of those aren't able to be helped."

Crystal watched in silence, and then turned towards the others. Isaac was giving Odelios some tips, and the two were now doing a rather interesting impression of Julia Child together. Hara was laughing like crazy over it, and even Saiko was giggling. Yitro continued to read his novel with a smirk on his face, but if that was over the instant bedroom activities of the heated characters within the novel or the shenanigans of the graduates in the same building as him, she didn't know.

The military adviser felt rather restless with her surroundings after a short while. She got up, excusing herself, and started to head out the back. Before she made it through the storage room, she heard Saiko call out to her, "You sure you want to head out there right now, Crystal?"

"I'll only be a minute. I want a breath of fresh air. I'll see you soon."

As she walked through the storeroom, it felt a lot more spacious than she last remembered. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it definitely felt different. This was on her mind until she opened the back door, and mist practically poured into the building.

"Ugh, laying it on thick, are we, Monokuma?" she grumbled, stepping outside.

The mist was actually not as tall near the park, but it was thick all the way up to her hips. Sighing as she tried to shake the awful feelings, she scanned the area. The park was close enough that she could smell the rocky floor that Monokid had picked for his park's substitute for wack grass. The rocky floor had that unpleasant, raw smell of broken stone.

It was rather unappealing, distracting Crystal from why the heck she decided to step out here. Maybe she just felt uncomfortable, sitting around, waiting for something to happen. The Tragedy had long since taught her that waiting usually led to bad results…

While her thoughts and senses were being pulled every which way, something stood out that finally grabbed her attention. The eastern end of the park was nearby the tavern, with the towering, wooden statue of Monokuma a stone's throw away. There was the fire pit, designed like a sacrificial site for the despair bear "god," that had been empty ever since Monokid had created the park.

It wasn't empty anymore. There was a rather large stack, a pile even, of logs and newspaper. It appeared to be the start of a bonfire, with enough kindling in the pit to be the size of a car.

Crystal did not like the look at it. She walked towards it, frowning with determination. Then she heard a beeping noise from down at her feet, and she saw a small device projecting a laser was shining on her leg.

Then there was a clicking sound, like a lighter, and flames erupted from the ground, shining brightly from the shroud that Penjar was known for. Though the moment the fire sprouted up, the mists parted, as if there was a natural repelling effect between mists and fire.

The flames then started to race across a path, weaving and sidewinding, as if to showcase they were there. As brilliantly obvious it was, there was only one destination: the now-full fire pit.

Crystal sprinted forward and stomped on the fire, but it refused to extinguish. Even a direct impact didn't snuff out the flames, it carried on the trail. With the mist parting where it went, she could see it now: a wet trail was leading the flames to its destination, whatever chemicals it was composed of masked by the wretched smell of the sinister park's rock floor.

The military advisor frantically tried to stomp the fire, smear the flammable trail, but nothing was working! The burning route was weaving closer and closer to the fire pit, and desperation led her to do something drastic.

Grabbing at her custom-made jacket, she pulled it off of her and threw it down in front of the fire trail. She stomped down on it, hoping to soak up or smear the flammable path, and punted her jacket aside. Heaving frantically, she kicked at the jacket she had prided above everything else material in this world, destroying it…

But she managed to extinguish the flames. Almost collapsing on her knees, she had her foot pressing down on her ruined jacket, as if moving it could reignite the fire. Gasping for air, which wasn't fulfilling with the combination of chemical smells, the unpleasant rock bed scent, and the thick mist in the area.

Staggering to her feet, she wiped her brow, and tried to process what just happened. Crystal realized that the next step had to be-

An ear-bursting explosion down south in the park knocked her off of her feet. She gripped her head, and tried to find the source of the fiery explosion. One of the statues had been ravaged by a burst of blaze, and it had dispersed the mist.

Crystal winced as she struggled to get up, and then she heard people running towards the area. Someone came through the back of the tavern, but then she heard that clicking sound again, and the rush of flames leaping up.

There were now two blaze trails, one racing down to the western end of the park, and one heading right for her. No, wait, it was heading straight for the fire pit!

And in the military adviser's head, there could be only one reason this was happening: someone was in that pile.

Crystal forced her body to move towards the fire pit, and started chucking off the logs and thick bundles of newspaper. There was a great deal of bulky items, like broken cardboard boxes, that she was throwing side to side. Someone was shouting to her, but there was no time to react. If her feelings were right then…

She saw an arm, someone's arm, underneath the wood and kindling. Crystal risked a glance at the inferno trail, which was speeding towards the fire pit. There was barely time to react, and she grabbed as much of the lumber as she could and chucked it off the person.

Hooking her hands under the person's arms, she kicked off the pile as the fire reached the pit. She soared through the air, and crash-landed painfully on the rough stone floor. It was agonizing, but when a towering inferno took the place of the wood and kindling pile, it was worth it.

The fire roared as it reached up high, blazing so fervently that the people there had to shield their eyes. The giant, wooden Monokuma statue was seared, and its eyes were gleaming with malevolent red from the fire's light. It felt and looked like a conflagration from hell.

Odelios stood over Crystal, staring down at the dazed military advisor and the person she had saved. "Crystal," he shouted, "What… what happened? What's going on?"

"G… get to the other side of the park! NOW!"

She pointed frantically towards the opposite end of the park, where the fire was still blazing towards the other fire pit. Odelios broke off into a sprint, moving so fast that he was kicking up the mist around him.

Odelios was moving faster than he ever had in his life. He caught up with Ignatia and Eisei, who had entered the park and were chasing off the burning trail that was aiming for the other fire pit.

They didn't reach it in time.

The flames touched the base of the bonfire pit, and the large pile of wood and kindling went up like a wildfire geyser. They had to shield their eyes, the fire too intense to look directly at. So hot, they felt like their hair and clothes were in danger of being singed even at their distance.

And the three of them heard someone shriek in unbridled agony from within the fire pit.

Once the initial blaze dimmed down, it still burned furious furiously. They stood there, thunderstruck, gasping in horror.

"Please," Odelios whimpered, "please tell me I was just hearing things."

"No," was all Eisei could say, hand over his hammering heart. "No… I heard it too."

Ignatia desperately looked around, trying to find something, anything. She motioned to the two, managing to mime out that they had to put out the fire. They too looked around, but were baffled on what they could use.

The backdoor to the fire station opened, as Fiora came barreling out. She stood there, staring at the burning fire pit, then stared at the three for some answers. "What… what happened?"

"We need to put this out now," Odelios hollered, running into the fire station. "Now now NOW!"

"The fire station is full of flammable items and things that spread the conflagration," Eisei called to him. "Don't go in there!"

"There's a fire hose," Fiora shouted as she ran into the station as well. "We have to try!"

Odelios pulled said fire hose out of the station, telling Fiora to turn the handle. Eisei was trembling, saying, "Are we sure that's going to hose water, and not a flammable liquid?"

"We… we gotta try, man," Odelios replied, staring at the dentist with tears rolling down his cheeks, smearing his face paint.

There was a sudden rush of liquid, and Odelios was almost knocked off of his feet. If it were luck or a planned purpose or a higher power, the fire hose spewed out water instead of something flammable. It was far stronger than the clown could handle, and he fell down as he tried to wrangle it.

With water spraying at high pressure everywhere, it prevented Ignatia, Fiora, and Eisei from assisting. However, more hands grabbed at the hose and helped to stabilize it.

"What the hell is going on!" Yitro shouted over the gushing water. "I heard an explosion!"

"The fire pit back there is burning too," Isaac hollered. "What's going on? Was this a trap? Did the damn cubs set this up?"

"Oh dear God," Hara whimpered repeatedly, staring at the drenched and charred collection of wood in the western fire pit. Saiko was standing next to her, holding onto her for support.

With Odelios, Isaac, Yitro, and finally Samson and Ignatia holding onto the hose, they managed to put out all of the flames. Fiora, soaked but undaunted, ran back into the fire station to turn off the water. The graduates dropped the powerful hose, and then Isaac spoke first amongst them all.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" the reporter declared. "There was a freaking inferno in the other fire pit, and Crystal was holding onto-"

"That's not important right now," Odelios cried, pointing frantically at the fire pit. "Some… someone… someone was in that."

The graduates froze in terror. Yitro raced over and started tearing off logs from the pile, ignoring any sense of preservation for himself.

"Wait wait wait," Fiora called to him. "We don't know if that's safe-"

"I don't care!" Yitro bellowed. "If she was in the other one, then… then…"

He threw the charred wood and smoldering kindling aside, until he saw an arm. A charred, fire-mangled, human arm, with a clenched fist. The utterly horrid smell would have deterred anyone from getting closer, but he moved in closer to examine.

The fist had a silver strand across it, seared into the burnt body. Whoever this had been, they had clutched it before they died. Yitro, shaking, moved to pry open the hand to see what it was.

The victim's last action had saved their most precious belonging from being completely destroyed. The locket dropped from the charred hand, and onto the seared remains in the fire pit.

Yitro picked it up, as tears spilled from his eyes. He screamed in anguish, louder than the body discovery announcement that was currently happening, as he hunched over the remains of his friend.

Angelique Angolmois, the Ultimate Opera Singer, was dead. She had been burned to death in a fire pit, in front of a now singed-black statue of Monokuma, with the burn marks highlighting his vicious grin.

…

25 Graduates remain in Penjar.

…

…

…

…

…

…

The green-haired woman groaned from down on the floor. Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw that she was inside. Everything was hazy at first, then it cleared up to be the hallways of Hope's Peak Academy.

"H-hey there," a nervous, feminine voice nearby said.

Kimiko sat up, shaking her head, and glanced over at who was speaking. Mahiru was hunched over the biker gang leader, staring at her incredibly concerned.

Swearing aloud and scurrying to her feet, Kimiko started putting as much distance as she could away from the photographer. Mahiru held her hands, showcasing no harm or threat from herself. The two stared each other down, breathing hard, fear of the other in their eyes.

"What's," Kimiko shouted, "what's going on? Why am I here? How are you alive?"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about," Mahiru cried out. "Who are you? I've never seen you before!"

Studying herself out quickly, the biker gang leader noticed she was in her own body, in her own clothes, sans her leather jacket. She felt the back of her head, and muttered, "I… I was with Angelique, and then… I was here."

Mahiru cocked her head to the side, then she covered her mouth with one of her hands. "You're one of the graduates of Hope's Peak, currently in Penjar."

"Y-yeah. Wait a damn minute, how do you know that? Matter of fact, you realized that last time when I was in Sayaka's body! Who the hell are you, Mahiru?!"

The redhead sniffled, and glanced to the side, clenching her camera strap as she struggled to keep calm. She finally regained eye contact with the biker gang leader, and spoke.

"I'm the eternally damned. I'm a monster's punching bag. I'm… I'm… Mahiru Koizumi, and whenever I gain this kind of clarity, it means I'm going to die soon."

"What?! What does all of that mean? And how the hell did I get here?!"

Mahiru had both hands on her camera straps now, and she stared at the furious woman. Tears spilt from her eyes, and she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry for WHAT?! Who are you, what are you talking about? Speak clearly, damn it, I want to know what happened to me, and…"

She froze up, and scanned the area, a fast and frantic search. "Angelique? Angelique! Where is she?!

"I'm so very sorry."

Mahiru walked up to Kimiko, and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. The two were quiet for a moment, as both of them were shivering with overwhelming emotion.

"What," Kimiko stammered, "what happened to her?"

"We haven't got much time," Mahiru said, squeezing Kimiko's shoulder for support. "If we try, we may find some of the answers. Just please, trust me to help you-"

"WHO is your friend, Mahiru?"

The photographer locked up, her face contorting into the most apparent visual of fear ever. Her eyes turned as far as they could without her neck moving, her body unwilling to face the person whose voice that belonged to. Kimiko could look, and did so.

The pretty, busty girl with big pigtails and a tight-fighting school girl's uniform was a familiar sight to anyone who knew famous models. Her gleeful expression, mixed that subtle hint of overwhelming sadism, was fixated on the two. The grin on her face spread, before she asked, "Is this one of the visitors in my town?"

Junko Enoshima stepped forward, and revealed the bloodstained baseball bat she was hiding behind her curvy body. "I don't want the visitors ruining my contingency plans for my contingency plans, that's not according to plan, nosiree! So how do you think we keep her from waking up again?"

Mahiru pushed Kimiko to get her attention, and said one word with all the urgency and fear a person could possibly project:

"RUN!"