Mists of Penjar

by The Kobold Necromancer

Graduated students of Hope's Peak Academy want to know how Despair was able to spread so fast and ruin so many lives. In an abandoned town known as Penjar, where windless mist creeps down old streets, they have come to find the answers. But Despair, and its Kubs, still have plans even in this seemingly forgotten place. [Part 1 Spin-Off of Crit Fail's Legacy of Despair Series.]

19. Chapter 3-2: Penjar's Growth

Chapter 3-2

The Big Blown-Up Picture

---

Day 08, ? PM

Penjar (in General)

Penjar was rather quiet, if you were observing it from a bird's eye point of view, and you weren't anywhere near the housing area. There was a quiet in the eastern area, around the Monokuma statue that was the source of the madness that had come this night. The science lab was less quiet, but that was due to the loud humming of all the computers and the fans to keep them from overheating.

The only noise of humans was the light snoring that was inside Ye Olde Tailor Shop. Dam, the young man who wasn't a human yesterday, had fallen asleep against the main doors to the changing room area. He had his arms crossed, head slumped forward, as he let out noises of sleep.

"Zzz. Zzz. Zzz. Zzz. Zzz."

He was suddenly awoken when a chime inside the store rang out. The TV they had on the wall in case of times like this turned on as well, and the face of his bear father appeared on the screen.

"Oh. The. Closing. Announcement." Dam tilted his head to the side, and added, "It. Is. 11. P. M. Father. Is. Getting. Tardy."

---

(Day 08 is over~)

(Monokuma Theater)

*Monokuma holds up a pistol, posing in front of calamity. He seems undaunted by the explosions, harpoons, lasers, and striped bikini tops flying around in the background.*

Monokuma - "Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you had siblings when you don't? Or to not have them if you did? It's hard for me to really comprehend if I have siblings or not, but I still don't feel really alone.

*Monokuma is staring at the camera, with a hypnotic swirl in his right eye. His red, lightning bolt left eye is gleaming brightly, and there's more explosions happening behind him.*

Monokuma - "Actually, I don't think I really have a point here. I was kind of just butting into your business because I have to do this every evening! And I was a little delayed because some shrimp stuck a lollipop down my throat! Like an annoying little brother!"

*Monokuma poses atop the cliff of a tropical island, still holding up his gun dramatically. Fannie, in her bikini outfit, is hugging him and trying to look like a hot supermodel for the camera, but with her lips pushed out too far and her eyes half-lidded, she looks like she's trying to imitate a sleepy fish.*

Monokuma - "Now you all should be glad you don't have little brothers, they shove lollipops down your throat until you die and you have to go get another body! … You know, I wonder if these incidents are killing my credibility. Stupid siblings!"

---

Dam blinked at this message, and rolled his eyes. "That. Wasn't. One. Of. His. Best."

A knocking on the door behind him slightly startled him, with his shoulders bouncing in a swift motion up and down in a way that almost appeared mechanical. "Hello? Dam, is that you out there?"

Dam blinked and glanced back at the door he was leaning against. "Yejoon. Is. That. You?"

"I do believe you know it is me, Dam; you were the one who pulled me in here."

The white 'n green-topped young man tilted his head to the other side, and then hummed aloud in thought. "Oh. Yes. That. Was. Necessary."

"Why exactly was it necessary? If this is about you making sure we all get along, I wasn't aiming to kill anyone tonight."

Dam felt a vibration in the door, Yejoon must still be knocking on the other side. "Now come on, let's be reasonable," the artist said, "I think you should let me out of here."

"No. The. Aphrodisiac. Affected. All. Of. You. And. I. Cannot. Let. You. Interact. With. The. Others."

There was a moment of silence, then Yejoon remarked with the slightest of bitterness in his tone, "I'm not a sexual predator, I'm a gentlemanly fiend. There is a difference."

"Explain. The. Difference."

"Dam, I don't know why you're taking sides, or even how you managed to overpower me and drag me into the changing rooms, but I would like you to open the door now, please. I believe not only has the aphrodisiac worn off, but I would prefer to sleep in a bed tonight, not in the changing room of an old tailor shop."

Dam stretched for a moment, then reinforced himself leaning against the locked door. "I. Would. Refrain. From. Using. Bladed. Instruments. Against. The. Door. Should. You. Stab. Me. The. Guardian. Will. End. You."

"Dam, what if I need to restroom?"

"They're. In. The. Back. Of. The. Changing. Rooms'. Hallway."

"… Why's that, exactly?"

"Bathroom. Stalls. Next. To. Changing. Stalls. It. Seemed. Appropriate."

There was silence in the tailor shop, and then there was a frustrated sigh from behind the changing room door. "I'm getting the distinct feeling that people aren't going to trust me here. And I even got something to show Fiora… oh dear.

"I just realized I'm going to have to sleep on the floor. This is the lowest I have officially sunken."

Dam didn't comment on this, he merely made himself more comfortable, and went back to sleep. Yejoon, resigned to his embarrassing condition, went quiet from behind the door.

Though after a few minutes, Dam's eyes went wide, and he left the building as if something, or someone, had called him out.

---

Day 08, 11:02 PM

Eastern Plaza

Outside, around the eastern plaza, the mist had finally toned down. Thus, it was more clear who was lying on the ground.

Kidd lay in a puddle of drool around his mouth. His hand extended up into the air, wobbling around like a drunk stupor, and he slurred out, "I… dun… think… I like… concussions…"

"Oh what do you know?" Suke remarked, staring up at the sky through the mist. "You don't even get it. I get it. Woo!"

"What do either of you two know?" Blake asked, leaning against the statue base. "I mean… when you take a blow to the head, and you lay here, contemplating life… blargh…"

"Whoa, dude," Kidd blubbered, "ya gonna hurl? Dun hurl, I'm like two feet from you."

"I've got two feet near you!"

The three guys lay there, murmuring unintelligently there for a while. None of them could really make any sense of each other, or anything else, having to deal with the bumps to the head they got and thus were goofy and babbling.

Blake managed to become lurid for a moment, and said, "So, tell me, guys, how do I score with your sister? She kind of shoved me against this statue, and now I cannot straight think."

"See you, we don't actually know how we work out," Kidd blurted out. "You if really wanna know why we are the way we are…"

Blake slumped to the side, and proceeded to nap.

---

Day 08, 11:06 PM

Western Tavern, Bar 'n Grill

"Sho you shee, I'm not trying to intentionally be a jerk," Emanuel slurred, slumped forward on the bar counter as he spoke to the bartender. "But the problem ish, there'sh shome sherious bishinish… business…"

The Bête Noir wiped his mouth, and then put all of his focus on speaking more clearly. "See, all this death… it's unnecessary. I don't want it, and we need to take it more seriously. But the problem is, we have clowns, even literally we have clowns.

"And when you have people who aren't going to help out, because they want to goof around while wearing Monokuma-styled clothing, or have sex… it just makes me mad. I mean, I like sex as much as the next guy, but I refuse to get involved when this serious situation is going on…

"You know what I'm shaying, don't you?"

Emanuel toasted the bartender, who was a cardboard cut-out of Dam. The white 'n green-topped human-Kub's monotone personality was such a quiet and unresponsive one, Emanuel hadn't really caught on in his drunken state.

"Now, when every ish good to go tomorrow, we're going to find out about your shience lab, and all the other shecretsh of Penjar! Got it!?

"Exshept, the thing ish, I'm not keen to go back to my room tonight… that'sh where everyone elsh went after your sex drug went off, and I'm not keen to overhear all of that. Sho I'm jusht gonna hit up your VIP lounge and crash there…"

Emanuel pushed away from the bar, and tilted over due to having absolutely no sense of balance. He instead crashed on the floor of the tavern, and spent the night there.

---

Day 08, 11:11 PM

Housing District

Drake Flare's House

In one of the occupied but quiet houses this evening, two young souls were resting in bed. Though at this point, the two had fallen fast asleep cuddling. Until Ignatia started to stir, fidgeted, and woke up with a sharp gasp.

The mime gal's nightmare unnerved her, she was breathing hard and now fully awake. She regarded her friend, who was still gently holding her, and she smiled a little as his face gave her a grounded sense of calm.

Then she sighed sadly, and very gently pushed away from him. Making sure he was comfortable, she made her way to the sink, and washed her face off. The make-up came off, and soon she had her own face to stare at.

Ignatia reached up and traced a scar on her face that she had long since expertly covered with her make-up. She remembered how she used to have a small beauty mark there; had it really been that long that she had lost it?

Using a towel to clean herself off, she found herself glancing over at Drake. While Ignatia's normal expression was usually one of silent contempt, she found herself unusually emotional when regarding him.

Her face stung a little, she had rubbed herself clean a little too roughly. That was when she saw the marks she had made in the white towel, a bit like abstract art.

Maybe it was her artistic career, maybe it was something else in her subconscious that triggered the thought, but she could only think, "You're alive now. It's a miracle you are now, but what's going to happen in the future? After that last trial…"

She clenched the towel in her hands, and was tempted to tear it apart by force. Drake made a small noise in his sleep, drawing her out of that anger. Ignatia stared at him for a moment.

The two had sprinted the hell out of that situation at the eastern plaza. She had wondered why he was so keen to avoid it too, but as she had learned when the two spent time communicating in his room, he truly was the cinnamon roll that Kimiko referred to him as.

Eighteen years old, almost halfway across the world, in a room with a girl, and Drake still never tried anything with her. Apparently, as she managed to drag out of him, his parents had always encouraged a healthy relationship should he ever find someone he likes.

That meant no sex, not even pushing for physical interaction, just… getting to know her. It wasn't easy, she had to type out everything she wanted to say, but wow. She hadn't thought boys were made like that anymore, from any country or any place at all.

Ignatia kept thinking he was like a lovable dork, but as they had conversed, she began feeling guilty over the "dork" part. It felt so stupid for her to consider him that, that he wasn't a man because he wasn't trying to make that physical move on her.

And the more she realized this, the more she came to a rather painful conclusion. "So long as you're here, he's in the crosshairs. You're expendable, you're too quick tempered…

"I'm not going to get you killed, Drake."

The mime wrote a note out for him on one of the papers of his sketchpad, and gently kissed his cheek. With a heavy breath, she walked out of the door to his room.

---

Day 08, 11:14 PM

Housing District

Isaac Bellamy and Hara Pathik's House

Isaac let out a long, exhausted, but happy sigh. He gently wiped the mint green bangs stuck to his sweaty forehead, and rolled over to look at Hara. "Still awake on me there, honey?"

Hara stretched slightly, letting out a soft moan that was just as sexy to Isaac as all the other ones she had made earlier. She was covered in sweat, blushing like crazy, but also smiling quite merrily.

"What, you wanna go one more?" she teased him, pulling herself to him and kissing him happily.

"Maybe! Heh, this aphrodisiac, it does give energy. I wonder if they included energy drinks in the mix."

"Vapor energy drinks, what a concept," she said, giggling. "Sounds like something you would do on a slow news day, my love."

"What I wouldn't give to have a slow news day again. It's…"

He sighed, then pet her hair. "No, I'm sorry, we're having a good time, this isn't the place for that."
"Isaac, you know me better than that. No matter how happy we are, I don't want to let it be a distraction to you. Please, what's on your mind?"

The reporter sighed. "It's just that, I don't know if it is sex talking, or just being genuinely happy with you in this God-forsaken town, but part of me is thinking if maybe we should heed Saiko's advice."

"Leave Penjar for our own safety?"

"Have you considered it at all?"

Hara caressed his arm, and then said, "I cannot deny I haven't, but I'd feel so awful leaving her here alone. Plus, I know it would eat you up, the moment we left, what we could have found out."

"And yet, I think I would live with it if it meant you were safe."

Hara smiled and cupped his face. "Isaac, these last two years have taught me that there is no assured safety anymore. Whatever is happening in this town, I want to make sure that it cannot hurt anyone.

"And I know that if anyone is going to find out the answers, it's you. I may be rather biased, but you're one of the most capable people in the world for this mission. So I'm sticking with you, and we're sticking here."

Isaac caressed her hair, and kissed her sweetly. "Speaking of sticking…"

Hara burst into a fit of giggles, blushing, and sensual squirming. "You cannot just talk dirty like that when we're being serious!"

"But you're laughing, my dear Hara."

"It's not fair, I… I…"

She hissed in air as he set himself over her again, and her body started to wrap around him. As they stared into each other's eyes, she murmured, "It's so late, and we're still going at it… whatever is in that aphrodisiac, I wonder how much it has affected the others…"

"Oh, you think it finally loosened up Saiko?"

"Oh my God, that sounds hilarious and unbelievable! I doubt our girl would be that affected, we've got an excuse. She… who would she even favor?"

---

Day 08, 11:16 PM

Housing District

Saiko Kobayashi's House

Saiko let out a long, exhausted, but content sigh. She rolled onto her side, staring down at the floor, gripping her blue hair as she tried to register everything that happened.

The aphrodisiac hadn't caused any memory loss, this wasn't like getting really drunk and forgetting your actions; however, the forensic investigator was having a bit of trouble trying to remember what she had just done. The content side of her was replaced with a puzzlement.

"Why is this so hard to remember? I mean, is it because this is so unlike me? Well whatever, I'm sure it'll come to me," she thought, rubbing her forehead. "I mean, that aphrodisiac, like hell it was going to affect me. I don't care much for having sex, I don't let chemicals alter my judgement!

"I… I… I have someone else in this bed with me."

She blinked, and then rolled back. Her resolution on what just happened was corrected within seconds, and everything came rushing back to her. Saiko's eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth, as she realized who else was in bed naked with her, and who had just made her feel very, very good.

"Is everything alright?" Eisei asked her, propping himself up on his arm as he smiled in that cute, friendly manner of his. "You seem shocked to see me, despite what transpired a mere twenty seconds ago. Did the aphrodisiac give you a bit of memory loss?"

"You… I… we… oh my God."

"This might be a kind of system shock, having done something that you are not used to doing. I do not judge, but I believe I am suffering from the same affects. Don't worry, it'll probably pass tomorrow morning, after we have slept. Still… one minute…"

Eisei inched over to her, and studied her quickly. He examined her eyes quickly, then took her pulse at her neck. And before he even realized it, he was kissing her neck. The soft moans coming from her encouraged more…

Until he pulled back, appeared slightly ashamed. "My apologies, I feel that the aphrodisiac has not yet run its course in my body. This is so very unusual and foreign to me."

"You think this is shocking to you?" she balked, shivering. "I haven't had sex in forever, my friends think I'm an ice queen who isn't swayed by human desire! And I'm here with… with you, of all people!"

"Is there something wrong with me that makes me undesirable normally? I suppose it is the appearance I take."

"N-no, it's not that. I… I just got the idea that you weren't into sex either, you're such a calm guy."

Eisei chuckled, and then searched the room for his clothing. Finding it, he climbed out of bed naked and went through his pockets, and Saiko found herself shamelessly staring.

"I haven't taken part in intercourse my whole life, I had no interest or desire. It would seem whatever chemical formula the Kubs developed, it overrode my strongest determinations and caused me to want to fornicate wantonly."

"You have the oddest way of saying that you fucked my brains out, Eisei."

Eisei shrugged, then managed to pull one of the last lollipops out of his pocket. Returning to the bed as he unwrapped it, he asked, with the slightest hint of vulnerability and compassion in his voice, "I hope it was at least pleasurable for you?"

"Um, yes. Yes it was. But you do realize that," she felt awful with what she had to say next, but she managed to do so, "this really doesn't mean anything. We only did this because of that aphrodisiac, I'm… I'm not interested in a relationship right now."

"I haven't ever been, I just didn't know how exactly to say such a thing in response. So I guess… we're just what they say a one-night stand?"

Saiko chuckled, and sat up. "I guess so. Oh, but I thought you were going to go? When you went for your clothes, I mean…"

Eisei smiled at her, and said, "I may not know much about the nature of sex personally except for last night, but I have done several essays and research on it, to identify the signs of arousal, intrigue, and desire. I did that so as to understand human interaction better, as I tend to miss such signs…"

"And, Saiko, I think we're both still highly affected by the aphrodisiac, and you have been showcasing many of the signs, physical. I was believing you wanted to go at it again?"

"What?" Saiko balked, staring wide-eyed at him. "Oh my gosh, if Isaac and Hara find out about this, they're going to think we're such a thing! We're even around the same height! I… I think that…"

Eisei stuck the lollipop into his mouth, then pulled it out and placed it into hers. She closed her lips around it, staring at him, before sucking longingly on it. A heated breath escaped her lips, and she murmured, "That's… that's not fair."

"All's fair in love and war."

"But we're not in love."

"A manner of describing sex is to say making love."

Saiko giggled, grabbed the short but well-equipped man, and whispered to him, "Then make love my brains out again."

---

Day 08, 11:21 PM

Housing District

Hikari Tetsuhime's House

The steampunk model struggled to stand up out of bed, her loins and legs so damn sore that it hurt to stand up. She caught herself on the wall, leaving a bit of a sweaty handprint there. Letting out the longest sigh of sexual delight afterglow out, she glanced over her shoulder, and regarded her partner.

Aka lay splayed on the bed, appearing like a glorious conquerer of sorts. Hikari felt silly for thinking of her like that, but if she could describe the sex they had just had, it was like climbing the highest mountain and racing down it.

"Fitting for you," she thought, smiling as she made her way to the bathroom. She had to splash some water on her face, and get the make-up that hadn't been smudged to oblivion off of her.

As she brushed her hair, trying to get her raven locks in control from how much she had whipped her head around, she thought about her current state. Her inner thoughts, they were starting to grow in concern and worry.

It felt wrong to push them on Aka, she was enjoying their wild relationship so much. Hikari already felt like she had put too much weight on their friendship by explaining so much of her past. But she was starting to grow so concerned, and she didn't know who to talk to.

The model sank into a chair, staring down at her hand brush. "It is true," she ruefully whispered, "there is so much guilt after sex."

---

Day 08, 11:25 PM

Housing District

Shinobu Takahashi's House

"I shouldn't have done this. I really shouldn't have done this! Oh my God, oh my God, why did I do this? Nnngh, I'm so stupid! Argh!"

Shinobu paced back and forth in her room, fiddling with her clothing as she tried to put something back on. The historian ran her hands through her hair several times, to the point where she started pulled strands out in a nervous fret.

She tried to reason with herself, use logic, emotion, anything to calm herself down. Nothing worked, she still realized who was in her bed, fast asleep, after the two had engaged in rather passionate sex.

"I slept with the enemy," she whimpered to herself, staring at Taro's sleeping form. "Oh my God, he's one of our evil hosts or something like that, and I slept with him. I'm the worst! I'm a horrible stereotype of that one type! I'm… I'm…"

Eventually she collapsed in a chair, and remembered some breathing exercises she used for the most stressful points of her life. Shinobu occasionally glanced at Taro, reminding herself of the situation.

"Everyone is going to see it tomorrow morning, when he comes out of my room. If he doesn't go around bragging it, that is. Man, how could I let this happen? Sure, he doesn't seem bad, he's not vicious or cruel, and he can be rather nice…

"And… that was… such a good time. I mean, he really seemed to know what he was doing, and I still feel good in so many ways… NO!"

She smacked herself, and sighed heavily again. "He's still someone who helps with the executions, he is one of those bears! Isn't he? Oh God, I don't know anymore."

Shinobu leaned back in the chair, and then watched Taro slumber. Eventually, she got up and got back into the bed, as she felt the exhaustion of the day catching up fast to her. She didn't touch him, but she did watch him, and wondered if there was an evil soul inside of that slumbering, cute guy in her bed.

"I suppose," she said, as her murmured in his sleep, "it isn't the worst mistake ever, right?"

"I dunno," he said, startling her as he rolled over to face her. He stared at her, and then asked, "What was the question again? Sorry, I was waking up when you asked it."

---

Day 08, 11:30 PM

Housing District

Ishiku Shyre's House

"Are you thinking this was a big mistake on your part? You have that look of doubt and concern in your eyes."

"You're quite observant. I don't think your aphrodisiac has left entirely, but I'm going through those after-sex feelings of guilt and doubt. It's a human thing, very annoying, but still there."

Fannie nodded, her white 'n pink bangs bouncing as she draped herself on Ishiku's body. The two had pulled the covers over themselves, but were snuggling close together for warmth and comfort as well. The former pink bear now human gently caressed his chest, as her own pressed up against him.

"I wish I understood more about being human," Fannie admitted. "I sometimes hate how much my life has been trapped here in Penjar."

"You're trapped here?"

"Yes, it's kind of been our fate since we were… born? I don't know how it really worked out with us, it's hard to tell."

She lifted herself up a little more, so that she was laying more on him. Her body was light, warm, and soft, so he didn't mind so much. "I think I'm feeling some of that afterglow emotions too, if that's okay?"

"It's perfectly okay," he said, smiling a bit more than he meant to, but circumstances felt so nice right now.

"See, we've been in this town for so very long, and I never really knew what our point was. Daddy didn't show up until recently, and then we were determined to make friends, citizens of our town. But everything just seems to come at us, and I don't really understand…"

---

Day 08, 11:31 PM

Housing District

Shinobu Takahashi's House

"The problem is, after so many years of solitude, I haven't even been able to pin down what my purpose is," Taro admitted to Shinobu, who gently caressed his chest as he poured his heart out. "I am not even sure if I am in control of my own actions."

"What do you mean?" Shinobu gently asked him.

"I never even considered becoming a human," he admitted. "But it was only yesterday that the idea came around, and suddenly, I find myself totally on board. I don't get it, am I in control of my own actions, my… my own feelings?"

He slumped down in the bed, rubbing his forehead as he stared up at her. "It's so hard when that amnesia of mine flashes up."

"Do you think," she asked, still caressing him affectionately, "do you think that somewhere down the line, you were human to begin with?"

"If I was, I don't remember any of that. Shinobu, I know I'm not that smart, and this is just a weird moment of clarity, but I'm scared…"

---

Day 08, 11:33 PM

Housing District

Ishiku Shyre's House

"I'm so worried that there was nothing to me beforehand, that I," Fannie whimpered, "I was just some kind of tool or prop that is just being used. Who am I? I don't even really have a name."

She buried her face into his neck and shoulder, holding onto him. "The worst part is, I don't know why I'm thinking like this suddenly. Is it because I'm human? Am I supposed to act like this, for you, for Daddy, for someone else? I don't know!"

Taro and Fannie were both highly emotional, shaking as they tried to figure out who they were, what they were. Shinobu and Ishiku tried their best to calm them down, and be some kind of peace for them.

It was hard to discern if this was some kind of act or plot, or if their emotions were genuine, but whatever the reason, both couples spent a good amount of time speaking to each other as they rested for the rest of the night.

---

Day 08, 11:39 PM

Housing District

Crystal Wilson's House

Blinking a few times as she woke up from the slumber she had briefly taken part of, Crystal felt herself stirring awake. Her body felt so good and tired at the same time. She snuggled up to the grand sense of warmth and comfort that was nearby her.

The military adviser's mind was piecing together what had happened, she was still half-awake and allowing the good feelings to take control for the time being. All she could remember was that she felt great, and she didn't mind how sore and tired her body was, nor did she mind the slight smudges of face paint upon her face.

…

…

…

Wait, face paint?

Her eyes widened, and she saw who she was snuggling against. That rush of memory came back as fast as her vision's confirmation, and her jaw dropped when she realized who she was snuggling.

"Oh dear," Odelios said, grinning sheepishly, "I hope you're not regretting all of your life choices right about now."

"… I went to bed with a clown," she said aloud, despite the fact she wasn't letting go of said clown.

"I went to bed with a military strategic expert," he countered. "You seemed to have a really good time."

"I… I… wait, why are wearing face paint? You weren't earlier today," Crystal said, rubbing her head with one of her hands. "I'm sorry, I've been trained to resist chemical persuasion, so I'm suffering from a bit of memory loss."

"Well, see, when the aphrodisiac gas hit us all, I felt really uncomfortable without the face paint, but you were… kind of all over me."

Crystal went red in the face as she recalled her actions. "I kept reaching into your pants, and I pulled out… props. I kept finding props."

"We left a trail of props from that plaza to your house," Odelios said with a giggle, then he noticed her reaction to that. "Oh. Yeah, well, I can try and go clean them up before everyone else wakes up."

"So," she said, consciously realizing that she was still holding onto him, "when did you have time to apply the face paint if I was all over you?"

"Well, like any good performer, I had a partner assist me when I needed a distraction."

Crystal blinked in surprise, then she felt a soft, warm hand wrap around her. The soft feel of breasts pushing up against her back sent a shiver up her spine, and she felt a kiss on her cheek.

"And I turned out to be a damn good partner too," Pyrrha said, giggling happily. "Turns out going on a 'date' with Odelios really was grand!"

"What," Crystal said, seriously trying to fight her anti-chemical resistance haze with this sudden realization. "You. I. I'm straight!"

"Really?" Pyrrha asked not so innocently as she giggled musically. "Because while he was gone getting ready, and during the time he was ready, you sure weren't showcasing that. It was all I took to keep up with you!"

"I'm straight, I'm," the military adviser stammered, until Pyrrha's hand caressed her more, and laid another kiss on her cheek. The memories came flooding back, and Crystal locked up. "I'm definitely not just straight anymore. Oh boy, I blame the pent-up frustrations in me being unleashed when…"

Odelios smiled and rubbed his nose against hers. "Tonight, you don't have to be the overly serious military tactician genius expert who also is really, really sensitive in a certain area. Tonight, you are just a lady enjoying a slip-up the Kubs made."

"But… but I…"

Odelios kissed her, then Pyrrha kissed her. Crystal shivered, and whimpered, "Oh this is so not fair, but I'm… I'm…

"I'm over the slight amnesia, I remember everything, do me more. Now. And show me more about this alleged area of mine that's sensitive more."

---

Day 08, 11:42 PM

Housing District

Ken Kishi's House

"Believe it or not, this is not my first threesome."

"I would have not believed you, except for the fact that I know your country's culture, and that you knew it was called a threesome. I would have imagined you calling it a three-way, you stud you."

Futaba giggled as she wrapped herself around Ken, nuzzling into his neck. She kissed him multiple times, enjoying how smooth and strong he felt. Glancing back over at Shuuya, who was sleeping peacefully, she giggled all the more.

"He really went all out, maybe he was just super pent-up and released it all tonight," she said. "Well, I mean, he really did release-"

Ken growled a little, the attention to his skin driving him wild. She was tracing his scars with affection, touching him in all the right ways. It was rather impressive to him, considering just how much a time she just had with two men.

"Miss Imajuku, if I may ask-"

"Any man who has been into me the way you have been must call me by my first name, handsome."

"Alright… Futaba, if I may ask, you seem to be very, highly desiring of this. Why do you have such an appetite?"

The anthropologist hummed, and said, "You know, I've been dodging death for a very long time, the Tragedy almost got me killed, a lot of times, a lot of ways. And yet I keep jumping into dangerous situations, like here and now. One day, it'll be my last.

"And something hit me when Taeko, the badass mercenary who was in the same year as me and dominated every physical challenge put forth to him, I realized that life is fleeting, so damn fleeting.

"I want to enjoy myself, I want to do the things that I kept observing others doing, and enjoy myself. I love anthropology, I love what I do, but now that I've put myself in a Killing Game, and I'm too damn stubborn to leave, I'm going to be a bit reckless."

Ken nodded, and said, "I… may be feeling the same thing, I was ready to die a couple days ago; however, I hadn't really planned on doing this."

"Planned on…," Futaba then gave a dirty description of everything she, he, and Shuuya had done in the past few hours. Ken, the cavalryman of Novoselic pride and combat prowess, was blushing bright red by the time she was done; even he knew how silly it was, considering he had just done those things.

The gal giggled a whole bunch, then grabbed ahold of him and rolled on top of him. "Look, that damn drug is still in my system, so long as it is, and in you too, I still got the energy to go at it. Wanna go for round… which is this?"

"I lost count. But I will comply, Miss Im… Futaba."

---

Day 08, 11:46 PM

Housing District

Kimiko Hashiriya's House

There was a gentle stirring in the bed, as Kimiko awoke from her sudden nap. She rubbed her forehead, as she felt a sense of sex-induced drunkenness-like feeling. Her hand ran through her green hair, as she let out a long, low moan. Then the person draped on her did.

The biker gang leader glanced down at Anzu, who was nuzzled into Kimiko's bare chest. She was immediately besieged with emotions, especially since she remembered, and could see both of them were only in their panties.

And Anzu had her hand still inside of Kimiko's panties.

"Oh dear," Kimiko said with a nervous little shiver.

"Mmmmgh… y-yeah, you can call me that too~"

Anzu glanced up at Kimiko, then smirked. She slowly pulled her hand from inside the biker gal's underwear, then held her tenderly with her pale arms wrapped around her. "Hmm, I think we both managed to restrain ourselves appropriately."

"Huh? Oh." Kimiko's sadness grew out of the cluster of emotions, to which Anzu leaned up and kissed her cheek.

"I know you're still in mourning for dear Angelique. I miss her too, so when I found myself in such a sensual tangle after that aphrodisiac mess… I restrained myself."

There was an impish giggle, as she added, "I mean, second and a half base isn't really restraining yourself, is it?"

"That position I believe is called the shortstop, so yeah, you did fine. I mean, we were all drugged," Kimiko said, as he wrapped her own strong arms around the lithe lady. "But dear God, I went to bed with a porn star and we didn't have sex? How am I going to feel about that in the future?"

"If we make out so much more, really go to town on tits, and snuggle each other until we have to get up tomorrow for more of the wretched town… I promise to do right by you, as… as…"

Anzu kissed Kimiko, and whispered, "As your friend. I just… cannot do more, I feel it would be disrespectful to go all-in."

"If Angelique is watching us from Heaven, she would be happy. I mean, anything to get my damn mind off of the horrid things I've seen… but thank you, Anzu."

"I may not have big boobs, but I can still distract you with them, eh?"

The Japanese gal giggled as the biker gal pulled her close, as Kimiko said, muffled due where she had placed her face, "I think they're just fine~"

---

Day 09, 9:15 AM

Housing District

?'s House

The night went by, a great deal of the graduates not falling asleep for quite some time until the early morning. When sleep came after so much foreplay, emotional conversation, and passionate sex, it was the deep kind that would last as long as it would need to.

Morning in Penjar meant that the city was dully illuminated, the sun shining through the overcast. The windless mists drifted through the streets, curling around the corners of buildings as if to rouse them for the new day. Throughout all of the city, if anyone were up and at 'em, they would have seen that in person.

Those who had partaken in incredible foreplay and/or sex throughout the night were still asleep at this hour. Shinobu and Ishiku had conversed until the early morning with Taro and Fannie, respectively, and they were asleep as well.

There were only a few who were awake, a couple of them rousing at this point. Yitro was one of them, as he wasn't a stranger to heavy physical exertion before going to sleep, but for his normal lifestyle, that was usually exercise.

He stretched, his joints popping loudly due to how strong his muscles were. Letting out a long moan, he stared up at the ceiling, before being alerted to the soft coo of the one who had cuddled up to him.

"Can't we stay in bed a little longer?" Fiora pleaded, giving him a sweet smile.

"I'm afraid I normally get up at this point. We're not on vacation here, there's a point to our staying in this town… regardless of what happened last night."

Fiora giggled, and chirped happily, "Sex happened last night! And it was so good~! You were so good… and it's bin so long fur me, eh."

She blushed, her dark tan skin illuminated with a blush. The movie maker gently caressed him, and said, "You doo'nt regret it, do you?"

"Of course not! You were… very passionate, and I must admit, I very much enjoyed it too. But it is awkward, we haven't really gotten to know each other."

"I kind of have had sex with someone I knew less than you."

"Yeah, me too."

Fiora giggled, and he gently stroked her dual-colored hair. When he caressed the top of her head, part of her hair sprung upright. He chuckled and then poked at her hair.

"Keeping this under your fedora, were you?"

"Hmm, that ridiculous thing? Even dyeing it two colors didn't stop it from standing out like that," Fiora said with a huff. She swat at his playful hand, which made him giggle and dodge her attacks. "Maybe if you get your sword out, you could give me a trim?"

"You're crazy, I'm not doing amateur hair styling with a katana. I do rather like you when things are calmer and more in control, so to speak… though I don't know what this means in the future."

"Oh Yitro, we all knoo' that relationships brought a'boot by aphrodisiac gases doo'nt last long, but we're going to be friends and allies to help out our friends! Now come on…"

She straddled him, a happy smile on her face and her palms on his firm chest. Seeing her naked like this gave Yitro all kinds of feelings, and he doubted he'd ever see the silly, loud, energetic movie maker the same way again. He'd definitely never call her B-Movie Maker, that was for sure.

"Are we going to get up, eh?"

"You cannot ask me that while you straddle me, Fiora."

"Can too! Why not… OH! Um, I see why now. I mean, I guess I shouldn't be a tease, I think I'll need a break after last night, eh. Though I really wanted a bit moo'r… it's nice having someone else with me rather than Yejoon."

Fiora went wide-eyed, and then quickly got off of Yitro. She moved, a bit awkwardly due to the physical exertion from last night, and started gathering her clothes. "Oh God, I'm soo'ry, I'm so so soo'ry! If he finds out, he might-"

"I do not fear Yejoon. In fact, if he bothers you any more, come to me. I'll set him straight."

Fiora held her clothing in a bundle in front of her body as she watched him get up. "You'd… you'd do that? No one has tried to help me out with him so far."

"I believe that most of us felt that we should not provoke him, but I do not wish to fall into the indifference category anymore. I failed Angelique, I won't fail you; I don't want anyone else harmed by a killer."

Fiora smiled, blushing happily. "Um, if it is okay, could I use your shower? I'm a mess."

Yitro grinned at her, and said, "You look amazing."

"You're just saying that because we banged."

"Naw, I never would be so crass. Go shower now, I gotta use it next."

Fiora nodded and walked towards the bathroom. She paused, tempted to invite him to join her, but part of her realized that pursuing this was not likely; the whole reason they had been intimate was something other than genuine interest in each other.

It made her sad to think about, so she hurried into the bathroom. Yitro sighed as he gathered up his clothing, as he was also thinking the same things.

"Never thought I would be involved with her, of all people. She's so goofy and loud and crazy, I even though her name was silly; I just got intimate with someone named Fiora, how crazy is that," he thought to himself. "I mean, she's a good person, and I don't regret last night. I just… don't know how to go forward with this.

"Angelique, if you're seeing this, wherever you are, I hope you're laughing your butt off. You probably would be doing that if you could see me now. Not who you thought to try and pair me up with, huh? Still… let's just see what happens next. No sense in moving in any direction but forward."

As he organized the room as best he could, the TV turned on. He was rather curious to see who would be on this time.

---

(Day 09 has begun!)

(Monokids' Plaza Statue Greeting)

*The scene is instead set at the Monokuma statue at the eastern plaza. Kidd was on his hands and knees, appearing sick to his stomach. Suke is leaning against the base of the statue, rubbing his head.*

Suke - "Oh bears, my HEAD."

Kidd - "Blargh… I… I feel so sick to my stomach. What a fucking party we held last night, huh? We must have drunk our weight in booze, snorted a drug cartel's shipment of drugs, and banged until our nuts fell off!"

Suke - "We didn't do any of that, you dimwit! We simply got concussed by our sister, and lay out here last night!"

Kidd - "Hahaha! You said 'lay'! That means sex!"

Suke - *He groans in aggravation as he faced the camera.* "Okay, youse pack of shagging bastards, youse had fun, right? I mean, youse better have! I slept out here in the cold, on the hard ground, and this headache isn't the hangover I wanted!"

Kidd - "Who did I lay with? Was it with the one with the big chest? Was it a man or a woman? Was it both? I don't know what my sexual desires are yet!"

Suke - "Can youse shut up? I just want to forget about this stupid accident, and get on with our town's progression! We have to make up for it and get to the motive today!"

Kidd - "I'm not even sure exactly what this dangly doodle in my pants does, anyway…"

Suke - "Then maybe it's a good thing our dumb sister knocked you out!"

*At this point, Dam leans in within the camera's line of sight from the right side.*

Dam - "You. All. Are. Free. To. Explore. The. Town. Today. There. Is. Still. Much. To. Find. The. Lab. However. Is. Off. Limits. Without. Permission."

Suke - "Where have YOUSE been? But yeah, youse all should have some breakfast. Dam will be making a good brand of coffee that'll cure any after-effects of the aphrodisiac."

Kidd - "Oh… I think I found out what the dangly doodle does. My pants are all wet…"

Suke - "I really hate youse, dude."

*Someone sits up, visible now as the mist had covered them up previously.*

Blake - "Ugh! I'm here? Please don't tell me I feel asleep out here with you two twats last night! Bloody hell, I was hoping to nut in your sister!"

Dam - "Could. You. Kick. Him. For. Me?"

*The broadcast ends with a blur of someone with a white jacket and black hair leaping towards Blake, who is cut off mid-scream as he is assailed.*

---

Yitro blinked in confusion, then shrugged. "I guess that's not the oddest thing ever, but that motive, I'm guessing they still hope to hit us with that truth gas, or whatever.

"And I'm talking to myself again, aren't I? Ugh."

The former Ultimate Swordsman was done organizing the room, when he found his katana. He held it in his hands, and thought about last night.

Indulging in physical enjoyment, dropping his guard, it had happened to him again. Though it was not like with his brother's death, Fiora was alive and fine. As he considered this, he smiled to himself, as he placed the sword on the desk.

"Angelique, Yone, I hope you're watching… because I think it's time to embrace who I was."

---

Day 09, 9:45 AM

Housing District

Souma Koukai's House

There was a small snort, as the lone being slumbering in the bed was riled from his sleep. Souma blinked, and then groaned as he sat up. He shook his head, grunting as he glanced around, then he chuckled in triumph.

"Perfect! I didn't do anything improper last night! I knew that this would work, so that I didn't molest anyone, or engage in wanton sex!"

Souma chuckled again, against the ball gag he had put on himself last night. He wriggled happily, which was all the nylon ropes he had tied around his arms, legs, and chest would allow.

"I must say, I am quite glad I didn't do anything promiscuous. I do have an image to keep up, and I'm not going to be doing anything like THAT. The Kubs, Monokuma, they'll try to corrupt me, but I outsmarted them by making myself unavailable to do anything! Haha!"

He laughed, muffled, as he basked in how he had outplayed the system. After reveling in this for a minute, he tried to applaud, but realized that was difficult in his current position.

"Alright then, well played, self-congratulations should only go on so long. … Wait a minute.

"How do I get out of this again? Ugh, my head's still a little hazy, that damn drug, what's the method to untie myself? It was… I think… oh…

"… Oh God damn it."

Souma glanced around the room, trying to see if there was something he could use to get out of his self-made predicament. He started to feel some panic well up in him, as this couldn't get any worse right now.

There was a knock on the door. "Souma?" Yitro called from outside. "The door was left ajar, are you okay in there?"

"OH GOD DAMN IT!"

Fiora peered in, opened her mouth, then closed it. "Jeez, whoever did that to you should have undone it before they left. Soo'ry, do you need help?"

"Oh God damn it…"

---

Day 09, 11:06 AM

Penjar's Public Cafeteria

Everyone eventually was in the cafeteria, some coming in with who they had spent the night with, some going at it alone to avoid the questions. Though no one was immune to stares.

Fiora and Yitro had started making breakfast for them all. The service was polite, but the "customers" were either embarrassed, privately engaged otherwise, or bitter after what happened to them individually.

Drake had been rather miserable, until Ignatia walked into the cafeteria with Dam by her side. Drake spoke to her, and she confessed to trying to leave Penjar; Dam had stopped her, but why she wanted to leave or how the green 'n white-topped guy managed to stop her, she wouldn't say.

The vast majority of people weren't sitting with who they slept with last night, most of them agreeing now that the aphrodisiac was over, it was just embarrassing. The ones who had started off as couples beforehand were still seated with each other.

Yejoon sat with Fiora, who did not appear happy, nor did she tell him anything. Yitro, with his katana at his side, watched intensively to ensure the murderous artist didn't try anything.

The five Kubs, all still human, were helping up with the breakfast as well. Dam's coffee definitely did help them out, it felt so very soothing.

Taro was watching Shinobu from afar, and she was doing the same when he wasn't looking at her. It was awkward, neither knew what to do. She kept trying to convince herself that what she had done was not wrong.

And just as she summoned the courage to do so, Ishiku thanked Fannie for giving him a drink. The two giggled, blushed, and then she kissed him.

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

Both of them, as well as most in the cafeteria, jumped sharply. Emanuel was on his feet, quaking in fury. "You… you didn't! You fucking didn't!"

"What is your problem?" Ishiku declared, standing up.

"You fucking… fucked her? The enemy? The freak?"

Emanuel stared deep into Ishiku's eyes, and the two tanned skinned men appeared ready to fight. Everyone was apprehensive, watching and wondering if they had to intervene.

"That's really none of your business," Ishiku said.

"Oh right, you're right," Emanuel said, throwing his hands up in the air, pacing in fury. "Yes, it's none of my business. You just stuck your dick inside someone who wants Despair for the entire world, one of our vicious hosts who is encouraging to kill us, someone who was a mechanical bear a couple days ago.

"I guess it is none of my business that you literally fucked an avatar of DESPAIR!"

Emanuel stood there, heaving in outrage. He pointed a finger at Ishiku, and barked, "You're practically an ally to Monokuma, to Despair, leading headfirst with your nut sack!"

"Stop talking about her like that," Ishiku declared. "You don't get to tell me what-"

"ENEMY! MONOKUMA! DESPAIR!" Emanuel screamed, punctuating each word so hard that spittle flew from his mouth. "You… you get the fuck out of Penjar!"

Fannie raised her hand, and whimpered, "Can I say something?"

"NO!"

With a horrified squeak, Fannie clung to Ishiku, shaking in fear and anxiety. The magician wrapped an arm around her, then glared at Emanuel. "You do realize I refuse to do anything you say, right? Your words hold no authority over me."

"My fists will!"

"So will mine!"

Blake stomped over, holding up one of said fists. "She picked YOU over ME? You're dead, mate!"

Before anyone could stop it, a fistfight erupted. It quickly evolved into a free-for-all, screaming and blows and all kinds of chaos; it didn't help that Kidd started bellowing about a mosh pit and crashing into everyone he could.

Those not interested sprinted out of the building. Isaac took Hara's hand and held her close as they made it all the way to the eastern plaza; Saiko was nearby them, panting from that retreat.

"Okay, well, that sucked," Isaac declared. "I mean, I knew things were going to be bad after that aphrodisiac incident, but I didn't think a bar fight would break out!"

"Damn immature twerps," Saiko spat out. "I guess throwing your fists around is easier than talking about it! How the hell are we going to handle this town if we cannot even freaking talk about this? God damn men."

"Hey, it wasn't just guys fighting there," the reporter protested. "I mean, I saw… oh, I guess there's no point in arguing this. Sorry, I think that we're just not as united as possible."

Hara sighed as she tried to collect herself, then she said, "But what is up with Ishiku doing… it, with Fannie?"

She quickly covered her mouth, mortified, and then whimpered, "I didn't mean to bring it up! I just, oh God, I sound awful."

"Listen, as much as I don't like Emanuel," Saiko said, "he has a damn good point. What the hell is Ishiku doing, having sex with one of them?"

She glared at Isaac, who held up his hands defensively. "Why on Earth are you looking at me? I don't know why!"

"You're a guy! Maybe it is that simple? You see a pair of breasts, you wanna get them!"
Hara stared at Saiko in utter confusion. "Honey, why are you so mad at Isaac? That's not like you!"

"Because I'm mad about something I did last night, and I want to blame someone other myself for my decisions!"

Saiko blinked, then slapped her hands over her mouth, not unlike how Hara had done herself earlier. "What… what was that?" the forensic investigator blurted out. "I didn't mean to say that!"

"You're. Feeling. The. Motive."

Dam walked over to them, his hair a mess and his clothing torn at some of the seams. The green 'n white topped guy spoke as calm as ever, despite appearing like a riot victim.

"Your. New. Motive. Are. The. Mists. Of. Truth," he spoke. "Early. This. Morning. The. Truth. Serum. Was. Placed. In. The. Mists."

Saiko shook her head in confusion. "That's not possible! I mean, the mists here, isn't that nature? Are you making them artificially?"

Dam shook his head. "The. Mists. Are. Penjar. Penjar. Is. One. With. The. Mists. Father. Controls. The. Mists."

Isaac and Hara exchanged glances, then faced the young man. "You know, it's not too startling to me," the reporter said. "If you can make the mists soundproof, what else can't you do?"

"Not to mention how you intentionally made it so thick that someone could do something awful," Hara said, shaking her head and sighing. "It's terrible. So now you're saying that there is some kind of truth-telling serum in the mists? How does that work?"

Dam stared at them silently for a few seconds, before speaking again. "So. Long. As. You. Touch. The. Mists. You. Will. Feel. Its. Effects. Those. Effects. Will. Last. A. Short. While. If. You. Stay. Inside."

Isaac drummed his fingers against his knuckles in contemplation. "Sounds like if you want to avoid blurting out the truths, you have to stay inside. As a reporter, this is like a dream come true, but I'm wondering what on Earth makes you think this'll work, Dam?"

"Oh. I. Forgot. To. Mention. That. Bathrooms. Will. Lock. Up. If. People. Spend. Too. Long. Inside."

Hara scratched the back of her head, and sighed. "I guess that's one way to ensure someone goes outside."

"Indeed. Also. The. Longer. You. Spend. In. The. Mists. The. More. Compelled. You. Are. To. Tell. The. Truth.

"Secrets. Will. Be. Unleashed. Let. Us. All. Get. Along."

Dam started to walk off, heading to the Lab. He stopped, and turned to them, and said, "Oh. And. The. Lab. Is. Off. Limits. Unless. You. Have. A. Guide."

They watched him go, disappearing into the lab. Isaac and Hara exchanged glances, wondering to make of all this. Eventually, the reporter shrugged and spoke his mind.

"I don't fear this motive, but I believe it could be something horrid for anyone hoping to hide a secret; however, I don't believe that we have anything that terrible to be exposed."

Hara smiled, and said, "That makes me more likely to be victims rather than culprits. It's not terribly comforting."

"That's true. Still, we should start investigating the new places, at least the ones we have free access to. Shall we?"

The explorer nodded at him, and turned towards Saiko. The forensic investigator was shivering, keeping her face hidden from them. Hara immediately noticed this, and she placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Saiko, if you end up saying what happened last night," the tall explorer said to her short friend, "we won't judge you at all."

Saiko shook heavily, gripping her clothing, her hair, trying so hard to physically restrain herself. Finally, she spoke as if the words were being ripped from her mouth.

"I framed an innocent man and got him executed."

---

Day 09, 11:27 AM

Penjar's Public Cafeteria

Directly Outside

After the brawl that resulted in some bruises and blood, everyone poured on outside, eager to get away from everyone else. It was then, when they were immersed in the mists, that Kidd and Suke informed them of the truth serum they were more or less soaking in.

All of them were skeptical, until Odelios started to talk. As per usual with the clown, it was difficult to get him to stop. It was only when he started loudly describing about the "activities" that he, Pyrrha, and Crystal got into last night that everyone knew the mists were truly making them honest.

That was mostly due to the fact that Pyrrha stepped in to give him additional details, even as she tried to mute herself. Crystal, red-faced at being exposed, grabbed Odelios by his ear and marched off with him. Ishiku, Drake, and Ignatia followed after, with Fannie sticking close to the magician as she watched the others nervously.

This realization couldn't be more horribly timed with everyone there, as the fight had made them rather distrusting towards everyone. They all sprinted off to find a new place to hang out inside, as the cafeteria and all of their homes had been locked mysteriously.

At the Western Tavern, Emanuel hurried over to the bar to get a drink. He stopped when saw that Kidd was already there, and was making himself rather sloshed.

"Thish ish what you do for fun?" he asked Emanuel, his lithe frame draped on the counter from behind it. "I feel shix degrees of shick."

"Okay, first off, you've been human for two days," Emanuel snapped, grabbing one of the bottles near Kidd. "Secondly, you hit the hardest stuff here. Are you trying to destroy your new liver that quickly?

Behind him were Ken and Shuuya, both of who wanted to be left alone for the most part. The two sat at different tables, silently contemplating everything that had happened. As Emanuel argued with Kidd, Shuuya eventually had to speak up.

"I thought you hated them," the bounty hunter said. "Why are you giving that one life advice?"

"He's provided the drinks for me when I'm fed up with the idiocy that the trials devolve into," Emanuel remarked. He stared at the sloppy drunk, truly looking like a rock star who had done too much heavy drinking, and sighed in frustration. "Besides, I was hoping to get to see inside the lab again, and you need permission for that."

Shuuya raised an eyebrow, and replied, "I suppose you'll have to wait for him to sober up to do that, lest you walk through that mist more."

Emanuel scoffed, and tried to prepare a drink for himself. "I've always spoken my mind, I don't fear any truth serum or whatever it is that they've pumped into the air. I just do not wish to have to deal with the morons who drag us down, as well as our IQ."

Ken rolled his eyes, and muttered, "You speak an awful lot of crap for someone who's been wrong twice during the trials."

The Bête Noir and cavalryman glared at each other, while Shuuya regarded the tension with mild concern. Eventually he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, saying, "It's no wonder we haven't made much progress, with how much this group has divided up."

Emanuel shot him a glare too, adding, "We don't need to work together, we just have to have the competent people do the investigating."

"And yet you're not investigating," Ken pointed out.

"There's nothing important in the eastern plaza except the lab, and I'm not going to go chasing after the Kubs."

"Why not?"

"Because it sickens me too much to try and bargain with the enemy, especially if they're going to seduce people to get them on their side," Emanuel said, then he shook his head. Rubbing his temples, he growled and said, "Damn it, I didn't mean to say that much. I guess whatever truth serum this is, also makes people talk incessantly."

Ken nodded, standing up as he headed for the kitchen. "That would be ideal for such a motive. I myself do not wish to be completely honest, I find those who are rude."

Shuuya watched as the Novoselician started to prepare some food, rather curious about his actions. "You surprise me there, Ken, I would think you would use this time to see if anyone here is on the side of Despair, or Chaos."

"What do you think I'm doing, dangling out with you two?" he replied, grinning slyly.

The bounty hunter/assassin grinned right back. "Touché. That's why I'm here too."

Emanuel regarded Shuuya, and said, "You would think an assassin would be against forcibly babbling. Wait, you are an assassin, truly?"

"Yes, I am. I have slain a great deal of corrupt, sinful monsters masquerading as humans," he responded, shrugging indifferently, "and I feel no guilt over such actions. Like I've said, the only one who should fear me here is Yejoon."

"How many people have you killed?"

"I do not keep count. What I do isn't a sport or a contest…"

Shuuya narrowed his crimson eyes at Emanuel. He was speaking so calmly, so honestly, it unnerved the detective. "What I do is because when there is true evil in the world, it must be eliminated before it hurts more of the innocent. Every kill, I investigated, I hunted, and I slew, knowing how dangerous the individual was."

Emanuel leaned against the counter, scratching his head. "Well, damn. You may be colder than me. I mean, I've never hunted and killed, and you're so proud of it."

"It's not something to be proud of, it just is how it is. I prefer not to showcase my past, which is why I wanted to destroy that one DVD in the movie theater."

The bounty hunter/assassin froze after he said those words, startled that he had said that without meaning to. Emanuel stared him down, and then asked, "The parking garage Killing Game, wasn't it? Why's that, were you in it?"

"No, but I assassinated the one responsible for creating it. I did not wish for such a horrid event to be showcased to you all."

A muffled laugh came from the bar, as Kidd lifted his head. "Oh, that one?" he asked, not so slurred now but woozy sounding. "Yeah, we put that one in the collection because it has some crucial details on one of you all."

"Yeah, Mr. Killer in a Trench Coat just said he was part of it."

"No, there's another person involved with that Killing Game."

Emanuel went quiet, then snapped his fingers. "That's it! We need to watch that movie, right now! What with the Seed of Despair, the Entity of Chaos, and whatever shit could be brewing, we need to know more about each other!"

Ken, who was eating some meat on the bone he had prepared, glanced up from his meal. "Is that really necessary?"

"Of course it fucking is! The Kubs made it against the rules to destroy those DVDs, and now we know someone was involved in a previous Killing Game?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised it took you this long," Kidd muttered. "The DVDs have been available since Fannie made the theater, you were all supposed to watch them and find out that dark secret. It's like… it is like in a video game, when you technically had access to something, but you weren't allowed to use it because the game wouldn't allow the interaction because it was important for a future chapter…"

None of the graduates were listening to Kidd at this point. Shuuya stood up, confronting Emanuel. "You do realize that this could be a trap," he snapped, "and that they want to be infected with Despair?"

"There's no Despair brainwashing stuff on those DVDs," Kidd murmured.

Now they were listening to him. Emanuel chuckled, then said, "Okay, look, you all want to do something to find answers? If we're not getting in the lab, we should watch that video, and get as many people in it as possible. The lack of knowledge between us all is pathetic."

Ken finished the meat on the bone, and then asked, "I guess this couldn't hurt, we do need to do something, rather than try to avoid the social awkwardness that comes from the fact that I was involved in a threesome with one of you."

Shuuya leveled an annoyed stare at Ken, and muttered, "Thank you very much for making it sound awkward. I'll go ask people to participate, just to get out of this situation."

---

Day 09, 11:37 AM

Ye Olde Café

Hikari felt like someone had punched her in the stomach, as she gingerly sipped her coffee. Aka stared at her apologetically across the table, as she nervously tried to explain herself.

"Listen, beautiful, just because I have led the lifestyle I admitted to doesn't mean I'm sticking to it with you," Aka blurted out. "Yes, I was very sex casual, and I had a lot of one-time flings, but there is something far more special about you than others!"

"It's not romance," Hikari bitterly remarked. "I mean, I didn't think you'd fall in love with me after a few days, and I was casual a little in the past, but to hear the way you spoke…"

Aka winced, remembering how she had remarked, without being able to stop herself, how much she wanted to have sex with Hikari more. It was becoming obvious that the relationship was more physical for her than mental.

"Hikari, can you honestly say that you considered something more than a good friends-with-benefits relationship with me?" the skier asked. "I mean, we're not in the kind of place or position to get up to romantic shit."

The steampunk model crossed her arms and stared outside. She could see a trio of ladies outside, consisting of Kimiko, Anzu, and Pyrrha. They were giggling and chatting, with blushes on all their faces. Whatever they were discussing, it was much more fun than this conversation she was having.

"Hikari? Come on, you cannot just cut me out like this, it's not fair."

"Fair? Nothing's fair in this world, especially nowadays," she remarked, shaking her head. "Aka, I didn't want to think it, but I'm sure if I asked you, you approached me because you liked my looks and just wanted to have sex with me."

The skier strained, clenching her teeth as she squeezed her ceramic mug. The pressure eventually became too much, and it shattered in her hands. She didn't even notice, the painful scratches that amplified with hot coffee on them, she just didn't want to answer Hikari's inquiry.

"The mere fact that you're trying so hard not to speak," Hikari remarked, "says just as much as a yes, Aka."

"Okay, fine," the purple-topped skier shouted, "I thought you were super hot, and when I realized you were a lesbian too, I really wanted to bang you! I like beautiful women, I like sex, and when I found out I was in this shitty town with a fucking Killing Game, I wanted something to work towards!

"I mean, I'm no detective, I'm not going to find out the answers to the murders or all of the history to this town! So you were the reason I stayed! But how many times do I have to say that I don't think of you as just a hot bod?"

Hikari felt her heart pounding, her mind screaming about a hundred courses of action to take this news. She didn't want to cry or holler, she didn't want to cave in to her own primal desires as well. She just didn't know what to do.

It was then that Ken walked into the café. The cavalryman noticed the two women sitting silently, and walked over. "Excuse me, ladies, but we're gathering up everyone to watch a movie that the Kubs have implied has crucial information on one of us. We need something to do while we cannot investigate the lab…"

Hikari stood up, and said as she walked out of the building, "Anything to get my mind on something else!"

Aka sighed in frustration, rubbing her forehead. "God damn it, this is the hardest part of being into women, they can be so freaking emotional. I thought we had a good thing going here!"

Ken glanced around nervously, really not sure how to answer this. Aka stared at him for a few moments, then shrugged and stormed out of the building too. The Novoselic cavalryman stood there in silence, before heading outside too, wondering how it could get more awkward for him.

That was right when Kimiko, Pyrrha, and Anzu were walking by. "Ooo, Ken," Anzu shouted as she ran over to him, "you gotta tell us who you banged last night~! And give us details!"

This was the worst motive in the entire world to Ken right now.

---

Day 09, 11:40 AM

Ye Olde Tailor Shop

Fiora was browsing through the Monokubs-themed clothing, trying to find something else she'd like to wear. One of the faux fur hats with Monokuma's head was such a stark contrast to her hair, she couldn't help herself.

As she removed her fedora, the front door chimed. Before she could turn around, a voice she was growing unfortunately accustomed to chuckled and said, "You really have styled your hair in the most fun way, haven't you?"

"Damn it, Yejoon," she spat out, turning to face him as she placed the white 'n black hat on her black 'n white hair. "Can't you just leave me alone for one day?"

"I'm afraid I am not accustomed to leaving my prey alone when I am hooked on them," he said, giving Fiora a hell of a shiver up her spine. "Ah, forgive me, but that truth serum mist is making my choice of words rather strong."

"You're still thinking of killing me, aren't you?" she remarked, her curiosity driving her words more than her common sense.

"That is certainly a possibility, I have a habit of killing a lot of people I know," Yejoon said. "But not all of them."

"You killed your parents, your sister was casually trying to kill you, and don't think I haven't forgotten about you claiming two hundred victims! What makes you think that not killing everyone you meet calms me down, eh?!"

Yejoon leaned against the counter of the store, as he watched Fiora fiddle with some of the clothing articles. "Have you ever been to South Korea, Fiora? You mentioned traveling a lot with your parents."

"No. I mean, I kind of want to, just haven't bin there yet. Why?"

"Because while that is my home country, I mostly did my work in North Korea. You see, it was far more challenging in our hostile, neighboring country. The change came after my second girlfriend in South Korea, when I found that it was becoming too… familiar with the people."

Fiora groaned in frustration. "Oh, how pleasant. Are you going to tell me how you murdered your girlfriends now?"

"I murdered neither of them, though the second girlfriend is dead; the Tragedy ended her life. I have no idea where the first one is, but those were the most normal relationships I had in my life. Oh, how I considered making them into beautiful works of art…

"However, I find that when I have attachments to someone, the usual urge for my most sensational works of art is not there. You see, death is the grand finale for what makes a person beautiful, but if they are able to have an equally beautiful purpose in life, the perfection of deadly art is not needed. I guess what I am trying to say here is…"

The artist approached her, and placed his hands on her shoulders from behind. He noticed her fearful shiver, and said quietly into her ear, "I'm trying to find a reason to not make you into a beautiful work of art, my little flower."

Fiora couldn't stop shivering, and she said back, with as much force as she could muster, "I hate you."

"Your cooperation isn't really necessary for my goal, dear flower. Though I imagine your new bodyguard may have a say in it."

"My what now?"

Yejoon gestured towards the main window of the building, and Fiora saw Yitro standing out there. The swordsman pointed at Yejoon to remove his hands from Fiora, then clutched his katana's handle. Yejoon complied, and chuckled. "Have you not noticed he's been following you at a distance? Guess he wants to make sure I don't try anything."

"Well good! Stop following me, damn it, I'm sick of being so scared and threatened and feeling like prey! Leave me alone!"

Fiora replaced the Monokuma hat with her fedora, and then hurried to the backdoor. Yejoon casually followed after, having no trouble keeping up with her. Yitro was about to give chase as well, but that was when Emanuel showed up and started to drag him off for the movie viewing.

---

Day 09, 11:43 AM

Penjar Grade School

Front Desk

Eisei watched Shinobu going through the papers for the nth time, curiously tilting his head to the side as he observed her organize them too. "Would it be safe to assume," he asked, "that you've worked in a school before?"

"I'm wearing a university uniform," she responded, smiling at the dentist. "Isn't it obvious?"

"True, just that I never judge people by their clothing. Still, I guess it was a ridiculous question. Perhaps I am a little off-base due to my disregarding all of my previous lifestyle decisions by fornicating with someone I have a casual relationship with."

Shinobu blinked in surprise, and opened her mouth to say that that was really awkward to hear. What came out instead was, "I slept with Taro."

The overwhelming silence was rather crushing to her, as Eisei stared up at her questioningly. The historian whimpered and exclaimed, "Please don't judge me! He was so sweet and he is a real person, not an evil bear thing!"

"The more you talk, the more I want to inquire, but I'll try to resist," Eisei stated. "But is that why you are here? You want to find out more on the history of Penjar, and thus the Kubs?"

"Y-yes. If there is anything to discover about this place's history, it would be here. And I've worked at schools long enough to know where they keep records… but there isn't anything here!"

Eisei shrugged and said, "Maybe we should search more of the classrooms? We aren't finding anything here, after all."

As Shinobu nodded in agreement, Souma walked in through the front door, Taro alongside him. The public speaker chuckled as he said, "Eisei, I had to fend off Shuuya's request to go to the movies by saying I was helping you out with a current investigation. If you don't need me, I fear I'll run back outside screaming that I must follow after him."

"Your assistance would be highly appreciated," Eisei remarked, then regarded Taro. "Is our ninja-like Kub joining us too?"

Taro nervously tapped his fingers together, staring at the blushing Shinobu. "I… I really wanna help her out. That's something a good boyfriend does, right?"

"Taro! We're not dating!"

"Oh, I meant that if I was going to be your boyfriend, I should be helping you out! I mean, I wanted to ask you out earlier, but there was the fight…"

As Shinobu and Taro walked off together, a nervous but interesting duo, Eisei and Souma watched them go. The public speaker chuckled, and said, "Well, I've seen a lot of crazy things in my time, Eisei, but this ranks rather high up with them."

Eisei popped a lollipop into his mouth, as he replied, "If what I heard about your condition when you were found in the morning is even half true, then yes, I would say this town has made us all a little silly."

Souma pursed his lips as he looked to the side. "I have an image to keep, you know…"

---

Day 09, 11:49 AM

Science Lab

First Floor, Chemistry Room

"Hold still, my honey-bunny," Fannie chirped, as she placed a band-aid on Ishiku's forehead. "That mean old Emanuel got you good here, and I don't want you getting an infection~"

Odelios stared, flabbergasted, at this interaction, as the two were working near the first-aid room. The clown tried to distract himself, regarding some of the refrigerated bottles. Several of them were labeled, "HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE, DO NOT SHAKE!" He considered shaking the whole fridge just to see if it were so, but he wasn't stupid; he'd find Kidd to do it later.

The clown saw that the members of their tour group were in the corner, away from the others. Drake was trying to talk to Ignatia, but she was playing the distance game again. Suke was watching them, curious about what was going on; the orange 'n white-topped young man was actually trying to stay away from his sister at the moment.

Odelios then regarded the one person in the group he was actually considering regarding in more regards, in regard to the fact that they had had rather pleasant intercourse last night (and some this morning). Crystal was observing an empty chemical jar, which had been labeled the truth serum that was now in the mists.

The military adviser set it down, then saw Odelios was staring at her. She sighed, and then opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm not actually the Ultimate Military Adviser," she said. "I lied to you all."

This got the attention of everyone in the room, who stared at her in shock. Crystal took a deep breath, running a hand through her blonde hair, and added, "You see, I faked all of my credentials, I'm not official in any way shape and form. In fact, my greatest military achievement is winning twenty-seven games of Risk in a row."

"You're an imposter?!" Drake balked.

"You lied about who you were?" Ishiku declared.

"You won twenty-seven games of Risk in a row?" Odelios hollered.

"I managed to get a negative number on my SATs back home," Crystal continued. "Also, I'm not a natural blonde, I actually have puke green hair that I'm totally ashamed of."

"What?" Odelios stammered. "Okay, first off… TWENTY-seven? And secondly, I know for a fact you are a natural blonde, because we…"

When Crystal stared at him sharply, he paused. Then he stared back, he stammered, and then it dawned on him. "Oh my gosh, you're lying, aren't you?"

"Damn right I'm lying, you think that the Ultimate Military Adviser would allow a truth serum from blurting out classified military secrets?" Crystal said with pride. "Ha! I trained myself to resist all kinds of truth serums, so whatever the Kubs put in the mists isn't working on me!"

Suke stared incredulously at Crystal, and then slammed his fist on the counter. "Damn it! I was so hoping you of all people would be susceptible!"

"Wait, I'm confused," Fannie said, scratching her head, "so you actually are a military adviser?"

"You slept with Odelios?" Ishiku asked, eyes widening.

"You actually didn't win twenty-seven games of Risk in a row?" Odelios muttered, rather crest-fallen. "But that was so very impressive."

---

Day 09, 11:53 AM

Penjar's Public Cafeteria

Isaac provided Saiko some food and drink, knowing how much substance helped calm his friend. Hara sat next to her, waiting for her to talk. Saiko had promised to explain everything when she had a chance to sit down.

It took a little time, but she was finally speaking. "It was a case involving a gang turf war. The one on trial was the son of the Dark Nails gang leader, being accused of killing several members from the Acid Bath gang. Now, this guy was a real bastard, I know he was guilty of a lot of stuff, but not the murders he was on trial for…"

Saiko slogged down her drink, before gasping and breathing hard. Hara rubbed her back, but it didn't really help out the forensic investigator. "I was approached," she continued, "at first peacefully, to sway the course of the trial. I refused, and the next time it came by, it was with a picture of my sister tied to a chair."

She shivered at the memory. "That picture of Touka, tied, gagged, with the text attached to it, it still fucking haunts me. It's so sick, but I went with their demands right away. It was… much easier to do than I thought. I'm pretty sure there were people in the justice system working the case for the Acid Baths, because it went so smoothly.

"The trial was so quick too… yeah, I'm sure there were more people than just me. Then the guy received the death penalty, even invited me to see it happen. I didn't go, of course, they were just rubbing it in my face that they had control over me. I just thank God that I got Touka back."

Isaac wrung his hands, as he tried to mentally sort out the times of events in his head. He could only vaguely remember when this trial was, but by the time he pieced it together, Saiko said what was on his mind.

"I didn't have her that long, though," Saiko muttered. "I know time is relative, but looking back, it wasn't that much time before the Tragedy. Before she fell into despair, before… someone killed her."

She ground her teeth, covering her eyes with her hand. "God DAMN it, I was even made to investigate it! Why didn't I have more backbone? Why… damn it, I got someone innocent of the crime they were accused of declared guilty, for, in the end, nothing!"

"It wasn't nothing," Hara assured her, trying to get through to her friend. "You were saving your sister, you couldn't have known about the Tragedy! Don't put that on your conscience."

Saiko scoffed, and shook her head. "I still got that man on my conscience. I don't have much else to go on, except maybe finding answers in this damn town."

Hara and Isaac were quiet for a moment, trying to let their friend vent a little more. All three of them were startled when someone cleared their throat from one of the doors.

"If you three aren't busy," Shuuya said, crossing his arms, a frown on his face that seemed gruffer than normal, "we're going to be viewing an important video in the movie theater. If you could report there ASAP, it would beneficial to be on the same level of information.

"Since we have way too many cases of people not being forthcoming with information in this town."

He then turned on his heel, and left the building as swiftly as he had entered. The trio exchanged glances, and Saiko felt a rather cold shiver go up her spine.

"Did he overhear me?" she asked, glancing between the two of them. "If he did, and he said he takes care of bad people-"

"You are not," Isaac declared, "a bad person. If he tries anything, he'll answer to us."

"That's right," Hara said, taking Saiko's hand. "You're our friend, Saiko, we're not going to let anything happen to you."

The forensic investigator glanced between the two of them, and smiled softly. "Well then, let's go to the movies together, shall we?"

---

Day 09, 11:58 AM

Eastern Plaza

Monokuma Statue

Blake glared up at the statue, as he inspected the base. "Come on, I know there are vents here! I'm gonna find them and burn the fuck out of them!"

"What on Earth are you doing?"

Futaba, making notes on her pad, approached the Japanese-Australian man. She corrected her glasses, and asked as well, "Are you really trying to break the Monokuma statue? You do realize that'll bring a lot of trouble on you, most likely?"

"Like I can't handle that bear, he's now a big fuzzy pushover," Blake snapped, then groaned as he tried to find some kind of grate around the base of the statue. He fanned away the fog, and muttered, "If I can stop them from pumping truth serum into the mist, it'll stop the motive."

Futaba balanced herself on her feet, and glanced around the area. Seeing no one else, she then eyed the pyro. "You're a very blunt person, a characteristic I rather admire, so I don't understand why you'd do that."

Blake glanced up at her, and found her gaze rather demanding. There was something about her eyes that made him feel like she was scanning him, and that rather unnerved him. "Look, maybe I don't want to blabber everything on my mind at every given moment! The others will thank me for this, I'm sure."

The anthropologist shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it. You see, I have a good idea about the people here, and you are one of the most obvious people. You really don't care about other people."

Blake glared at her, before shrugging it off. "Yeah, not in particular. I've been an introvert all my life, and prison didn't really change that; I don't care much about anyone else anymore, I'm just here for my brother."

The pyro stopped himself, then realized he was speaking without really meaning to. Trying to find the grates that were unleashing truth serum into the mists had made him immersed in the mist, and even his incredibly stubborn nature was overrun.

"He died in prison. Prisons were like Killing Games with no Masterminds or trials, just motives to kill and everyone had them. If I can find out how to stop Despair from ever spreading again, I'll do right by him."

Futaba nodded, then asked, "I can understand that. I received some rather personal wounds from Despair fanatics."

"Those scars on your face?"

The anthropologist flinched, then caressed the scars around her lips which almost led to her ears. She never liked talking about this, but she could practically the chemicals in her system driving her forward.

"Yes, someone tried to carve a smile on their face, but I managed to fend them off before they fully got their pathetic attempt at being the Joker fulfilled. Luckily, plastic surgery and medicine have ensured I have a normal life again.

"It's not really something I like to talk about, but I guess since we're getting each other to express our biggest secrets, we cannot help herself, now can we?"

Blake stood up and leaned against the statue. "You're an anthropologist, right? Guess you're doing studies on us, this must be the best fucking motive for you ever."

"If I can profile one person who is hiding something terrible, I can definitely make it all worth it. So yes, so long as I take advantage of the Kubs' motive, I will make it work towards destroying Despair.

"For instance, there is something," she said, her eyes blazing behind her glasses, "I have wanted to ask you, our resident pyromancer."

Blake was a little unnerved by how forward she was being. "Damn, I liked you much better when you were just an observer."

"Observing isn't getting answers, I couldn't tell Jin was a serial killer by watching her or a simple conversation. I want to know why you were arrested, Blake."

The Australian graduate ground his teeth, but his body was acting against his will. He gripped his forehead, his tattooed arms flexing and making the flame ink work visually move, like a motion picture.

"I'm… more or less responsible for Melbourne's Great Fire."

There was silence in the area. Futaba had been gripping her pencil and pad, but dropped them when she heard this. When she knelt down to pick them up, she kept her eyes firmly on Blake, thinking he might lunge at her to silence her after overhearing this.

"You," she stammered slightly, gripping her pad and reaching for her pencil. There was a wooden snapping sound, and she gave up on trying to find it. "You caused that horrible fire?"

Blake scratched the back of his head, and said, "I was trying to make Greek Fire, and turns out I was on the right track. I did it, I really managed to make my masterful life's work come to light… heh, I actually hated puns, but that works so well-"

"Blake," Futaba shouted, stomping her foot to alert his attention. A small gasp echoed around the area, as Blake stared at her with a mixture of worry and frustration. "You cannot be serious! Melbourne's Great Fire resulted in the death of hundreds!"

"No no, listen," he said, holding up his hands. "That area I was testing in was known for some meth heads, who were making some shit when I wasn't around. They found my lab, and messed with the instruments, so when I tried an experiment, one of the fires got out of control!

"I did everything I could to stop it, but it raced out of my reach within minutes. It spread to the city faster than I could imagine, and in that instant…"

He clenched his hands, and chuckled slightly. "I found the answer to my Greek Fire! It was the answer found in the disaster, and now, the beautiful fire that grows with water and takes special measures to stop.

"Greek Fire was mine to control, to use as a tool, for the best of reasons. Do you have any idea how useful it was, when I was accepted into Hope's Peak? How much it is used in science labs, how the formula helps us with tools and advances that move us forward?

"I believe that my Greek Fire formula is the reason we've managed to make rocket ships that made it to the moon, the vehicles that we can use for grand design and rebuilding the world after the Tragedy!

"It was worth it, my research advanced us by decades! And it wasn't entirely my fault, Melbourne's Great Fire was because some meth addicts messed with MY tools!"

Blake took a few moments to collect himself, heaving in exasperation. He ran a hand across his short hair, and stared at Futaba. "Look, I never wanted people to die. That was never my goal, and it isn't something I am proud of. I have come to terms that it was partially my fault, just like the courts decreed."

Futaba shook her head, staring at him flabbergasted. "You… you went to jail for less than a decade over a fire that killed hundreds of people?"

"They could only prove that I was involved with the outskirts area that had my former lab. I mean, it was only the fact that I had illegal materials around the area linked back to me, like some chemicals, drugs… nuclear material."

Futaba wondered if her bottom jaw could detach at this point. Blake noticed her gaping mouth, and chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I was just arrested for illegal material, but when Hope's Peak accepted me, I had to work on a lot of community service projects to reduce my sentence, as well as go to that school.

"So… yeah, I'm responsible for Melbourne's Great Fire, in a way. I don't like to say it, because I don't think those deaths were entirely on me. But maybe I don't like admitting to everyone that happened."

Futaba rubbed her forehead, and then let out a long, heavy sigh. "Well, you did your time, and you're trying to help us. I guess I shouldn't try to shame you."

"Shame don't work on me. I'm going to do what I can to get us closer to the truth."

"And get into Fannie's panties."

Blake chuckled at the rhyme. "Well I mean, you want information, right? Pump her for information! Speaking of which, I still have to find Ishiku and rearrange his face…"

Before the anthropologist could make a scathing remark, there were sounds of scuffling footsteps nearby. She turned around, and saw Emanuel approaching them. "Hey, you two," the Bête Noir said, eyeing both of them suspiciously, "we need everyone we can at the movie theater. There's something we have to view."

Blake glanced at him, then Futaba, then shrugged. "Whatever, it'd be better than standing out here admitting to all my secret shames to Miss Interrogation."

Futaba shrugged, and said to herself, "Wasn't like I forced it out of you."

---

Day 09, 12:07 PM

Movie Theater

Projection Room

"Is this it?" Ken asked, holding up the DVD to the two men in the room. Shuuya and Kidd both nodded, the former ruefully and the latter excitedly.

Emanuel walked into the projection room next, observing the exchange between the guys. He dusted off his hands, and said, "That's great, we have enough people here to start it up."

"Shouldn't we get everyone for this?" Shuuya asked. His tone was calm, but had all the subtle begrudging of someone who'd rather have root canal surgery.

"We have enough, I'm not going to head off and fetch every idiot. Some of those putas will insist on making popcorn, or some shit."

Emanuel took the DVD from Ken, and started to work it into the machine. He glanced out over those who were in the audience, and realized how displeased he was when he realized it was only going to be a little over half of them. "I swear, it's like herding cats to get these people to do anything right."

Ken scoffed as he made his way out of the projection room. "Just get the movie started, it's not like any of us want to see something that Monokuma and his children want us to view."

Kidd laughed as he followed after the Novoselic man. "What's the matter? You don't like totally improved theater? That's what Dad does best!"

"Do I hear someone talking about me?" came the familiar, sinister voice from the screening room's audience. "Come on already, I got popcorn! I'm raring to go-HEY!"

"If I'm going to sit here," Saiko could be heard as she fought with Monokuma, "and watch your shit, I refuse to let you also hog the food! Give it here!"

"No! My popcorn! I finally got the butter and salt amount I prefer, and I won't have-GRRR! GIMME!"

"You give it over!"

Emanuel snarled in frustration. "Shuuya, help me get this thing running!"

"Is this actually necessary?" the bounty hunter asked. "You do realize that this could be watching people die."

"We've all seen people die, so what?" the detective snapped. "What, you afraid they may have caught your bad side on film?"

"The Mastermind behind this Killing Game was taken out by me a couple weeks afterwards. This is going to be something else entirely, perhaps the Killing Game, and people did die-"

"Stop being a fucking puta and start this up!"

"MINE! MINE! MINE!"

"Give me the popcorn, you freaking bear!"

Shuuya accepted that it was going to happen with or without his help, and he sighed as he helped Emanuel set up the movie. He could also hear Saiko beating Monokuma up with one of the chairs for the popcorn, and hoped that something could cancel what was about to happen.

---

Day 09, 12:08 PM

Penjar Grade School

Classroom 04

Shinobu rummaged through the desks, searching for something, anything. She had found disposable gloves in the medical room of the school, and was wearing those for a little protection. She hated to touch the incredible amount of dust, cobwebs, and who knows what else with her bare hands.

"Feels a bit like a historical dig, doesn't it?" Souma commented, as he observed the drawings. "You must feel right at home, Shinobu."

"I'm not an archeologist," she replied with a small laugh. "But I want to find out as much as I can. There's a lot riding on the history of Penjar, more than Monokuma is letting on."

Eisei eyed Taro, who was watching Shinobu as he also went through the desks. The dentist said, "Shouldn't we ask the original citizens, as in the Kubs?"

Taro paused his search efforts, and said, "The weird thing is, I don't really retain the memories of things that happened before you all showed up when I'm in my human form like this."

The dentist tilted his head, and asked, "So they gave you selective amnesia when you were placed in a human body? Why do that?"
Taro sat in the desk, tapping his chin. "I'm going to guess because in our mechanical bodies, it is easier to prevent us from speaking our minds?"

Souma and Shinobu were both looking at Taro as well, confused by this statement. The historian walked over to him, and asked, "Taro, how much do you know about yourself?"

He stared up at her, and smiled sadly. "I know that the five of us are… something of a culmination, of sorts. I don't know what exactly, I just know that Penjar has felt like home to me for longer than I can fathom.

"It was only recently that it felt more clear, like I had a sense of self. And," he rubbed his forehead and strained, "I don't want to lose it. This human form is so liberating, and amazing, but I don't know why I have it."

"Um, what's it like," Shinobu stammered to say, "to be in your mechanical form? Were you like that from the start?"

"That's the only other form I remember. But it always feels like something other than myself is controlling me. The amnesia is so… difficult to comprehend, like something in my head won't allow me to remember."

Taro bumped his forehead against the desk, groaning in frustration. "I wish I could live without all this amnesia! I don't want to forget the good times I've had, the friends I've made… and you, most of all."

Now that made Shinobu blush like crazy. She giggled, then felt his hand take hers. When he squeezed it affectionately, the desire to help him out increased tenfold. She leaned in…

And in the process, she accidentally bumped into the desk. Something rattled inside, and it immediately grabbed her attention. She reached into the desk, and pulled out a large textbook.

"Ooo, did we find something?" Taro asked excitedly, clapping his hands. "I hope it's something you'd like!"

Shinobu dusted off the cover, and realized by the cover that it was a school history book. She felt her heart race, but then sink. "I mean, yes, I guess a historian would be excited to find a history book… but…"

"But what? Isn't that the most fitting thing we could find for you?" Taro asked, confused.

"If I may hazard a guess," Souma spoke, "it is because we need the history of the town, not of the world."
"Especially the dumbed-down version," Eisei spoke as he unwrapped a lollipop, "that would come from a grade school textbook."

Shinobu nodded to this, but sat down in the seat next to Taro's. She noticed that there were a couple bookmarks in the textbook, and opened up the book to one of them. Casually reading through the text (which she was able to do impressively quickly to the point that the writer would wonder how she managed to process it all so quickly, did she skip right to the end, seriously, how do you people do it?!), she found something interesting.

"Oh wow, this is about Gilroy Lanceson and Jibri Patando," she commented, studying the text carefully.

Eisei paused before popping his latest candy into his mouth, though before he could speak, he heard something from outside the room. The dentist quickly moved over to the door and glanced out the hallway, trying to see who was there.

"Who are they?" Souma asked.

"Famous abolitionists from American history," Shinobu said. "It's been debated if they were real or not, but I just find it interesting that a Japanese school textbook mentioned them."

"What's an 'abolitionist'?" Taro asked.

"During American history, when slavery was legal, there were a great deal of people who were trying to stop it," she explained. "While some tried to find legal means to outlaw slavery, there were those who took matters into their own hands and worked to free slaves."

"So it was criminal to free slaves?" the red 'n white-topped young man asked.

"Technically, yes, but the people helping the slaves saw them being inhumanely treated and detained against their will, so while the law and the social norm said otherwise, they worked to free their fellow human beings."

Souma raised an eyebrow. "You seem rather passionate about this, Shinobu."

"It's part of history that I find admirable, those who risked so much to do the right thing. History in some places, well," she sighed, and rubbed her head, "they don't want to talk about the good that people did, they only want to heap the guilt on and let that be how we 'learn' from history.

"I'm against that, I do not wish for our history to be nothing but guilt and shame. Slavery in the United States is one of those topics, while all countries have had their shames and terrible periods of history, but it is reminders of this that there were those in history who made a difference."

Eisei, unable to see anyone in the hallway, returned back to the classroom with a slightly confused look. He was mentally wondering if someone was spying on them, or maybe they wanted something from this room?

"You said they risked a lot," Taro spoke, listening with fascination to Shinobu, "was being an abolitionist dangerous?"

"If caught, they could be put in jail, or sometimes outright lynched," Shinobu said. "Social standing, careers, freedom, their very lives, it was all risked to help people go free."

She scanned the text some more, and continued to speak. "Gilroy Lanceson was a successful businessman who, when he witnessed inhumane treatment upon slaves, worked to free as many people as he could. Jibri Patando was one of the first slaves he freed, but instead of heading to safety, Jibri befriended Gilroy and worked alongside him.

"It was the kind of teamwork and friendship that inspires me, but the problem is, no one knows what happened to them. There was never any records of them being caught or killed, or where they ended up. So that's why people think they might be a story rather than the truth."

Shinobu closed the textbook, and said softly, "I wonder why this textbook was here to begin with?"

"It might be a red herring," Souma cautioned her, "something to distract us from what is going on in Penjar. We are in Japan, after all, not America. Still, I wouldn't ignore it all together."

He stroked his chin, as he regarded Shinobu and Taro. "Who knows, though? Maybe someone in your past was here, Miss Takahashi."

She smiled at him, then she noticed Eisei rummaging through the bookshelves against the wall. "Is something wrong, Eisei?"

"I'm not going to leave things up to chance," the dentist replied. "I believe someone was spying on us, and there might be something in here that they want."

"Spying? But why?" Souma asked. "Aren't they all at the movie theater right now?"

---

Day 09, 12:10 PM

Movie Theater

Screening Room

The camera turned on, revealing the inside of a parking garage. There were only a few cars within this relatively small, one-story garage, which could have only housed about a hundred cars. The shutter door, visible on the right side of the screen, was closed shut.

There were twelve people lying on the floor of the garage. They were unconscious, their breathing signaling they were alive. With only a couple small lights inside the garage on, it was impossible to distinguish who these people were.

There was a brief bit of static, and the footage changed to another room. In what appeared to be a control room, with several screens and a control panel, there was a man seated and observing the screens.

His casual but ratty clothing didn't appear to be that of a security guard, though that wasn't the most telling visual about him. He had unbrushed hair, and a crazed smile on his face, appearing like a madman who had stayed up several nights.

"Okay, they've slept long enough," he said with a sick laugh, holding up a small remote. He pushed one of the buttons on it, and then glanced directly at the camera. "Okay okay okay, we're filming. Hehe, this is going to be good, I know it."

The footage cut to inside the garage again, and a visible gas was released from a small box that lay on the floor near the fainted people. As the chemical vapor reached them, the box also started playing a high-pitched noise. The sound was so shrill, even the recording of it was enough to make those watching wince.

The combination of whatever gas was released, along with the painfully sharp alarm, woke all twelve of the souls. There were six men, six women, only recognizable by their figures rather than faces; it was still too dark to see who they were.

"Welcome," a voice on an overhead speaker declared, alerting the twelve people inside of the garage. The footage bounced back to the man in the control room, where he was leaning forward and staring intensively at the screens. He also had a microphone in his hand, connected to the control panel.

"I'm sure you're all wondering what is going on, and I want to welcome you all. You've been randomly selected for the hottest, latest Killing Game there is! This is a test of intelligence and sanity, curtesy of your charming host here."

The footage cut back to the people inside of the garage, all of them visible flustered and horrified. They were moving around, testing doors, the shutter, but they were locked and too sturdy to break down. It didn't stop of them from trying to kick them open.

When one of the people in the garage approached one of the cars, trying to open it, the voice on the overhead speaker cried out swiftly. "Ah ah ah! I wouldn't go opening the cars at random. You see, one of these cars is outfitted with a bomb, a very powerful fire bomb that will incinerate everyone in the garage.

"It's a rather special kind of fire bomb that was created to be a flash fire, capable of fatally burning anyone the explosion comes in contact with. I suppose you could find something to shield yourselves with, but what is there in this garage that'll keep you safe?

"Okay, there are a few things!" The footage switched to the guy in the control room, who spun a keyring around in his fingers. The metallic clinking of keys echoed like a cruel taunt. "You see, the car that has the bomb in it will go off if someone tries to open up the car, or in…

"Let's see, where'd I put that… oh, there it is!"

Inside of the garage, a large, electronic sign turned on. The bright red lights from it illuminated the garage some, casting a vicious shade of bloody crimson in the building. The lights were showcasing a timer, reading thirty-one minutes.

"When I hit the right button, that timer will go down, and that's how much time you have until the fire bomb goes off. And well, I wouldn't want to be in there with you all when that timer hits zero, because you'll be far from okay!

"There's just… one other way to get out of there okay and alright. Would you like to know?"

The cruel laughter burst from the speaker as well as the sound of the man slapping the counter in giddy enjoyment. "You probably guessed it, but if you didn't here it is: you must be the last person alive inside of that garage.

"Fun, huh? Everyone else, all these total strangers who you've never met, have to die for you to go free. I have my ways of assuring that you aren't faking deaths or hanging on there with a faint pulse, so don't think you can cheat my system, okay?"

The footage cut to the man leaning back in his chair, as he wiggled the remote around in his head. "So you have thirty-one minutes to make your choices. Oh, and the cars all contain weapons in the seats, but then you run the risk of opening the one with the fire bomb.

"Still, it is relatively easy to kill a human being with a blade or a gun or something else far more lethal than your bare hands, is it not? Think you can strangle eleven people, or set a record for breaking necks?

"Okay, I've talked enough. Why don't I just start up the timer, and…"

The lights in the garage switched to the same awful shade of red as the timer board, which made everything appear like a vision of Hell. "Oops, wrong button," the man on the speaker said. "Here, let me…"

There was an electronic beep, and the timer board went from 31 minutes to 11. And then it proceeded to count down.

"Oops, wrong button again. Oh well, have fun!"

The timer included a milliseconds counter as well, and the racing numbers made everything feel much, much faster. The twelve people inside of the garage began to scream, some panicking, some trying to talk.

"Listen, listen everyone," one of the men, wearing a nice suit and tie, shouted. "If we pick one car, we can hide inside of it to hide from the fire blast!"

"That's fucking stupid!" someone else, a woman dressed up with punk-styled clothing and hair, shouted. "We cannot fit twelve people in one car!"

"We're all going to die," a young man with an athletic build was hollering, "if we don't do something!"

"We only have," a lady wearing a summer hat and dress shrieked, "ten minutes! Please let us out, please!"

The shouting continued, until there was a shattering of glass that made them all jump. One of the men had kicked at a car door's window, breaking the safety glass. He reached into the car, as the others all stood in shock at first.

Then they began to scatter, running around the garage. The lady in the summer hat was too scared to move, as was the girl with an ahoge standing behind her. The man at the car pulled out a gun, and pointed it at the two.

"No," the summer hat lady shrieked. "No, please, there has to be another way-"

The explosion of gunfire overloaded the speakers, making the recording fuzzy for a few seconds. The sun hat lady slumped over backwards with the girl trying to hold her up. Shrieks and cries echoed around the garage, as well as other car windows shattering.

The man with the gun approached the two, and pointed his gun at sun hat lady's head. She was still alive, her body shaking as the girl held her tightly. If words were said from either lady or the man, they were too distant for the recording to pick one.

One more gunshot, and the sun hat lady's head snapped down to the floor with blood flowing from the fatal shot. The girl shrieked and backed up, as she saw the man level the gun on her next.

One of the other men in the garage sprinted towards the gunman, and swung a fire axe at his back. The gunman slumped forward, the head of the axed embedded in him. The axe man sobbed and sputtered as he wrenched the axe from his back, and lifted it up again.

Near the back of the garage, one of the women was trying to use her heel to break open a window. One of the men grabbed her, and slammed her head against the window, over and over. The glass didn't give, but blood was splattering against the window more and more.

One of the men was swinging a shovel at the athletic young man, heaving and grunting with every swing. He tried to dodge the attacks, but he was striking him repeatedly as the fight went on. He wasn't going down just yet, but the impacts had slowed him down.

Another explosion deafened the recording. The one who had fatally beat a woman's head against the side of car was suddenly without most of his head. Blood spurted out all over as the body collapsed, and one of the other ladies was holding the shotgun stood there, terrified. The others ran from her, even though she didn't move.

One of the women huddled in a corner, sobbing, too terrified to move. The punky girl, holding a baseball bat, approached her. As blood-curdling screams filled the garage, she stood there, staring down at the horrified women as if she couldn't comprehend her.

The footage made a hard cut to the man in the control room. He grinned at the camera, wiggling his ugly eyebrows in entertainment. Sounds of carnage and screaming could be heard from this instruments.

"Fun, isn't it?" he said.

Another hard cut back to the garage was a quick dive into Hell. The punky gal was bashing in the corner woman's head with the bat, and the axe man was opening the gunman's head with the axe.

The athletic man being attacked the shovel was shouting for mercy, for the carnage to stop. The ahoge gal cried for the same, as she went for the dropped pistol of the dead man. The axe man got there first, and she backed up hastily.

Gunfire echoed around the garage, but the axeman now with a gun was shaking too hard to aim properly. The girl didn't go down, she was trying to hide behind one of the cars.

Hammering against one of the doors alerted those still alive in the room. The man with the suit was desperately kicking at one of the doors, trying his best to escape. The axeman turned gunman slowly approached him, and raised his gun.

There were two gunshots, and then the gun clicked empty. It didn't matter, the suited man fell to the ground, clutching bloody gunshots. He was still alive, so his attacker gripped his axe and approached.

The athlete had avoided the shovel-wielding man long enough, but was bruised and bloody. The one with the shovel then noticed the lady with the shotgun was still standing in place. Something must have registered in his head, so he came at her.

She saw him coming, and pointed her weapon. Nothing happened, and she desperately fumbled with the weapon. It was obvious she had no idea how to properly use a shotgun, and it cost her dearly.

There was a horrible sound of the shovel slamming into her head. As she fell down, the man yanked the shotgun out of her hands. He properly cocked it, and then pointed at her. Her spine and a good portion of her back were blown to pieces.

His deed had unnerved him, and he stood there for a few seconds. During that time, the athletic man grabbed him and desperate tried to take the shotgun from him.

The punky gal charged in, and her baseball bat struck the athletic man's head. She then slammed the head into the shotgun man's face, knocking him back. She was stomping on them both, desperate to end them.

In her haste to kill the two men, she didn't notice that one of the other women, the one who had been viciously slammed against the car door, was still alive. This woman approached from behind, and plunged a butcher knife into the punky gal's side.

Shrieks of pain and rage echoed around the garage. A horrible brawl with lethal weapons was happening, within the corner of the footage's shot. Eventually, the camera panned towards them, and as the blood splattered around the garage floor, none of them saw the axeman approach.

The red head of the fire axe swung, and caught the athletic man in the neck. He was bleeding profusely, and appeared dead before he even hit the floor. The axeman turned towards the other two, only to stare down the barrel of the shotgun.

The punky gal had managed to get it, laying on the ground and firing. It launched the man off of his feet, and in a bloody mess a few feet from the carnage that was around her.

The punky gal slowly got to her feet, wobbling as she clutched her side. She glanced around her, noting the other people.

The woman who had stabbed her now had her own butcher knife embedded in her throat. The man who had used the shovel initially had part of his head caved in. Everyone around her was dead.

With a pained groan, the punky gal stumbled through the garage, looking around. There were dead bodies all over the place, from the suited man at the doors to the woman in the corner she had killed.

Though she noticed the one other survivor, the girl with the ahoge. The punky gal stumbled towards her, pumping the shotgun as she prepared for one more shot.

The girl cried out, backing up, screaming, "No! No, please, you don't have to do this! Please-"

The shotgun was leveled at her, the punky gal aiming from a few feet away. There was a terrible moment of silence, as if the killer wanted to savor this, or if there was some other kind of hesitation.

The answer to that was when the punky gal fell down to her knees, and down on the ground without any effort of catching herself. Blood flowed from her stab wounds, pumping out of her at an alarming rate. A few seconds later, the flow was far less, and she didn't appear to be breathing.

There was finally silence in the garage, except for the terrified whimpers from the only person still alive. A small electronic buzz came from the speakers, and then the man from the control spoke.

"Okay okay! You managed to survive! Though wow, you didn't kill anyone… that's kind of lame. Still, a deal is a deal! I'm not about to go back on my word, so you're okay!"

The shutter to the garage made a loud clanging sound, and then slowly start to rise up. As sunlight poured into the garage and blinded the camera temporarily, the footage switched to the control room.

The savage man turned directly to the camera, and spoke. "They didn't take the alternate route, just like you predicted. You were so very right, oh wonderful deity of Chaos. I look forward to working with you more in the future, as well as this one's future. Such despair and chaos, it's gonna be fun to pursue!"

With an affectionate pat to the camera, the man chuckled and started to leave the room. He pushed one more button on the control panel, and the camera changed one more time.

The garage was fully lit up, with the shutter fully open. The timer had stopped at two minutes and forty-seven seconds. This Killing Game's sole survivor was slowly approaching the entrance of the parking garage, shivering so hard she had to place her hand on the back of a car.

She then glanced at the trunk of the car, staring at it for a long time. The pause was concluded when shouting could be heard outside. "FREEZE!"

The girl raised her arms, her dark splashing around her shoulders. "Wait, wait, wait!" she cried out, voice shrill. "Please, I didn't-"

"Keep your hands up! No funny moves!"

Police officers entered the garage, pointing their guns at the sole survivor. They studied the scene, and several of them checked on the fallen people. Ambulances were being called, though it was obvious none of those on the floor were alive.

One of the officers approached the surviving girl, and ordered her to turn around. She was shaking, but compliant. The police officer forcibly yanked her arms down, and started to cuff her.

"Hey! Stop that," one of the other officers shouted, approaching the one cuffing the girl. "We have no proof of wrong-doing on her part-"

"Fuck off, we know what these Despair-fanatics are capable of!" The officer shouted, and then, much to the shock of everyone, he pulled his gun out and placed the barrel against the back of the girl's head. "We should fucking end her now, it'd save us all from more Goddamn death!"

"Wait, wait please," the girl cried out. "I didn't do anything! It was the man on the speaker! He did this! He's probably still up there!"

When she looked up, she stared directly at the camera, the first time anyone got a clear view of her face. The footage abruptly cut off then and there, and that was the end of the Parking Garage Killing Game.

Though for those watching the movie in Penjar's Movie Theater, the last few seconds where they could see her face, and match her voice to it, they realized who it was.

The sole survivor of the Parking Garage Killing Game, the girl with the ahoge, and the reason this DVD was so important to the personalized collection of the Monokubs, was…

---

Day 09, 12:26 PM

Movie Theater

Screening Room

"Fiora?!" several of the graduates shouted, practically jumping up with the realization.

"Oh my God," Shuuya said, transfixed on the now blank screen. He rubbed his forehead, and muttered, "How could I have overlooked that?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Futaba said, rubbing her temples. "She was in a Killing Game? She survived one?"

"The… the poor dear," Hara said. "That was so very horrible, and she… she…"

"She's a FUCKING LYING TWO-FACED TRAITOR!"

Emanuel's shouting startled everyone, and they turned towards him as a collective. He was heaving in fury, red-faced; it felt physically painful to him to hold back.

"Wh-what?" Kimiko blurted out. "What the hell are you on?"

"You cannot be serious," Anzu shouted, as Emanuel started to storm out of the room. "Fiora's a victim, and she-"

"Are you all fucking retarded? Are you that fucking stupid?!"

He turned towards them all, clenching his hand so tightly that he was in danger of drawing blood. The group of graduates, as well as Suke and Kidd, the latter holding up the severely beaten Monokuma, were rather startled by this outburst. "She survived a Killing Game like that, and now she's this clueless, happy-go-lucky twerp who makes crappy movies? And… and… even her hair!

"It wasn't two-toned in the footage, so she did that afterwards! She styled her hair like Monokuma's after surviving a Killing Game! She's-"

"She's a victim," Saiko shouted, "you son of a bitch!"

"She is the fucking Seed of Despair!" Emanuel hollered. "No one walks away from something like that, and behaves like a stupid little puta the way she does! I knew it, I knew she couldn't be that intensively incompetent and idiotic! It had to be more than that…"

"Calm the hell down," Yitro shouted, stomping right up to Emanuel and getting in his face. The two men were seething as they stared each other down. "You're acting like this is proof that she's corrupted."

"Why else," Emanuel said with the most vicious of snarls, "would Monokuma have this footage? No one leaves a Killing Game without being changed in some way, and she's obviously trying to put on a farce."

"You are just being bitter and hateful," Yitro snapped. "If you go within twenty feet of Fiora right now, I will break your legs. Don't think I won't-"

"You put your dick in her last night, didn't you?"

Emanuel's brash question was answered with Yitro grabbing his collar and moving to punch him in the face. Ken managed to get there in time and stop a fistfight from happening. As Yitro quaked with fury and had to be restrained by Ken, Emanuel let out sharp, barking laughs.

"The quicker you all finally realize the seriousness of this issue," he declared, turning towards the other graduates, "the sooner we can find some real answers. To despair, to chaos, to Penjar, to ensuring that we don't all fucking die in here like foul dogs! Like the countries we came… the families we lost…"

Emanuel took several deep breaths, then concluded by saying, "Fiora is our enemy now. I suppose we could know more, but our local assassin killed the only lead on who turned her into an agent of despair. Now, we're going to find her, and we're going to keep her locked up until she answers questions."

The Bête Noir shook his head, and walked out of the screening room. Everyone was struck mute, until the "local assassin" spoke.

"I was such a fool," he muttered. "When I found that man, I thought he was a crazed Despair fanatic, he made that Killing Game himself. I should have interrogated him."

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked him.

"I mean that what he said last in the footage, he wasn't working alone. Someone gave him the idea, maybe even the resources, to this Killing Game. There was a bigger person at play, the real Mastermind… this person of Chaos… and they could be-"

"They could be the Entity of Chaos?" Isaac interrupted, staring fiercely at the blank screen.

"And I let that lead go, we're stuck with the possibility that whoever made that Killing Game happen," Shuuya admitted, "is here in Penjar now. Along with that Seed of Despair, whoever that is…"

---

Day 09, 12:31 PM

Penjar

?

The rushing of wind, as well as the mists swirling around her legs, was all Fiora could feel. She was sprinting, unable to think of anything else but to run more. It was starting to hurt, her legs were feeling like lead, but she kept moving forward at the panicky, brisk pace.

She then recognized the edge of Penjar, where she had originally arrived. Standing there for a brief second, she tried to collect her breath. When she pitched forward to gasp for air, her fedora fell off of her head and to the ground. She reached down and picked it up, smoothing her black 'n white ahoge down before pushing her hat down.

That was when she heard footsteps behind her. Her eyes widened, and she started to run again, but the pursuing person was already on her. Quite literally, as she was tackled and knocked down to the ground.

"Ow! Ugh! Ye… Yejoon," she struggled to say as she attempted to wriggle out of his grasp, "let go of me!"

"No! I cannot let you leave Penjar," he said, grasping her shoulders and keeping her pinned down for a few seconds.

She spun onto her back swift enough to wrench out of his hold, and started to swing at him. Yejoon pulled his mask up to avoid it being damaged, and then pinned her arms down. "You cannot retreat now," he said, staring into her eyes.

"You doo'nt understand! If I stay here… if… if I stay…"

Her blue eyes had a kind of fire in them that Yejoon could only remember from one other person in his life. It made him squeeze at her arms, keeping her down harder as if that would stop what would be said next.

"I will kill him."

The movie maker stared up at the artist, as her hands balled into fists, and she spat it out again. "I will kill him!"

---

Day 09, 12:31 PM

Penjar Grade School

Classroom 04

"Eisei, you seem a little bit unnerved," Souma said, watching his shorter friend go through the shelves up against the wall. "I don't recall ever seeing you like this, not even when studying for important exams."

"Studying is not stressful, it is taking the test that is," Eisei remarked, glancing over at his taller friend. "I'm telling you, I heard someone out in the hallway."

Taro rocked in his chair, as he watched Shinobu study the history book more. He rubbed his chin, and said, "I honestly don't know who would spy on us, or why. I mean, wouldn't we have to be doing something bad for that to be the case?"

Shinobu glanced up from the book, and stared at him. "Wait, Taro, if you stayed in the truth serum mist long enough, would you start saying things that you had forgotten? Maybe the forceful telling of truth will help you out."

"Oh, maybe that could work," he said, clasping his hands together. "I hadn't considered that! Maybe that's why people are spying on us, they wanna know what I'll say."

A splashing sound distracted him. Taro looked over at Eisei, who had pulled his sleeve back and was reaching into the aquarium. His hand sifted through the gravel, hoping to find something there; the short man standing on a chair in order to do this was still so vertically challenged that his face was almost dipped in the water.

"She's very eccentric," Taro remarked.

"Eisei is a man," Shinobu corrected him.

"Oh, sorry, he just looks a lot like my sister."

"I'm not offended, your sister has great hair," Eisei responded, after finishing digging through the aquarium. He shifted his lollipop to the other side of his mouth as he grunted in frustration. As he moved towards the other items on the shelf top, Souma winced slightly.

"Maybe you should dry off before you start touching other things?" the public speaker suggested. "You are always about cleanliness."

"I plan to sanitize thoroughly after I am done searching," Eisei said, as he grabbed the bug containment box. He looked under it, in it, then studied its sides.

Shinobu shrugged, and turned back to Taro. "When would you like to try our theory out?"

"Anytime you are ready," he replied, grinning excitedly. "Anything I can do with you is amazing, Shinobu."

The historian blushed and giggled slightly. Souma merely raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of the rather affectionate relationship that she was sharing with the Kub turned human. The public speaker glanced over at Eisei, when he heard his friend make a small noise.

"S-sorry," Eisei muttered.

"It's okay, my friend, we know you're trying your best, but you don't have to-"

"G… g… ghhh… awwwn… ta…"

Eisei squeezed the bug containment box in his small hands, and was shivering a great deal. He shifted on the chair he was standing on, as if trying to get off, but then he locked up.

"Gonta is sorry," Eisei said, "Gonta… couldn't help."

The lollipop fell from his mouth, bounced off of the bug box, and fell to the floor. A split second later, Eisei plummeted down as well off of the chair. His small form landed in a heap on the classroom's dusty floor.

"Eisei," Souma cried out, as Shinobu and Taro scrambled out of their seats. They gathered around the fallen man, trying to see what was wrong.

He was unconscious, and his hands clutched the bug box to his chest with a grip that was stronger than iron.

---

…

24 Graduates remain Penjar.