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.]

20. Chapter 3-3: Penjar's Growth

Chapter 3-3

Advance to GO

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Day ?, ? ?

? (?)

Waking up at a desk wasn't something that Eisei had ever done before, he had not once fallen asleep in a classroom. He felt quite uncomfortable, as he noticed the desk was rather small. That was incredibly unusual for someone like him, who rarely ever had trouble fitting into places with his short stature.

"Mrrrgh," he said, his throat and mouth feeling dry. "Ugh, what… what happened? Did I hit the back of my head?"

He reached behind himself, and felt what was the most unruly head of hair in his life. The confusion was amplifying, especially when he pulled some of the longer locks in front of his eyes to study it.

Not only was his hair a dark green, but his hand was… huge! Eisei flexed his fingers, and sure enough, the giant palm and digits were his! As he tried to grasp what was up with his body, he stood up.

The floor was so very far from him, almost like he was on stilts! He would have wobbled, but this body of his was muscular and firm; he didn't fall down, he had incredible balance.

Eisei stared around, then noticed he was also wearing glasses. Correcting them, he tried to grasp where he was, and who he was, but there was a major distraction.

"It's… it's like a whole new world up here," he quietly said, observing what life was like when over six feet tall.

He was in a classroom, and based on the style, he recognized it as a room in Hope's Peak Academy. The blinds were drawn, and he moved over to open them. Outside was something terrifying, even in comparison to the unnatural conditions in Penjar.

The sky was a sinister red, bathing the land in the same kind of negative energy that shade of crimson. Buildings in the distance were dark, as if all had been abandoned. Eisei winced at how grim it appeared, and shut the blinds.

"Whatever this terrible vision is," he said to himself as he moved out of the classroom, "I daresay it is not ideal. I wish I had inquired towards Anzu and Kimiko, then I would have better preparation to this concerning scenario."

The now very tall, very muscular Eisei left the room, and scanned the hallway. It was empty, but everything inside the academy seemed normal.

With a very swift stride (this body was really athletic, and Eisei couldn't help but enjoy how much ground he could cover), he started to search for people. Every room on the floor was empty of people, despite how many he visited.

The entire floor was empty, and yet after searching all of them, he wasn't tired. Again, he was flabbergasted about the stamina of this body, but now wasn't the time to stand around dumbfounded. He had to formulate a plan, and thus he came to a quick conclusion.

"The medical classrooms were a floor down from me, if my memory is correct," he said, heading towards the stairs. "Maybe someone knowledgable in medicine like myself is there."

Eisei headed towards the stairs, as memories of this place caught up with him. He knew which floor he was on, he remembered how much time he spent in the medical training wing.

It always seemed to surprise people when he stated his desire to be a fully fledged dentist. The amount of people who needed oral surgery or assistance would also be as numerous, as Hope's Peak was quite the dangerous place at times.

When he found the medical wing, still in the same place as it was at Hope's Peak (this vision was surprisingly accurate), he started searching through the rooms. He called out for anyone to hear, his voice far deeper and louder in this body.

Just as he was starting to wonder if this was a fruitless search, he noticed one of the rooms, the practice operating room, had its lights on. The bright white lights beckoned him towards that room. Though when he entered, a horrible sight greeted him.

A young lady lay on the practice operating table, a large scalpel impaled in her chest. Blood had poured from the fatal wound, dripping down to the floor. The light in her eyes was gone, tears having spilled from them in her last moments.

Eisei still checked to see if there was a slightness of life in her, but it was in vain. This pretty girl was definitely dead.

He took a moment to memorize details about her: black hair, bandages around her arms, pink uniform and apron. Then he quickly exited the room, and left the medical wing.

The walk back into the hallway felt like it took an eternity for the dentist. He kept thinking about how someone was deprived enough to set up the girl's body like that. What was wrong with this vision, this version of Hope's Peak?

When he made it into the hallway, he could hear voices from down one of the hallways. Almost sprinting to find other people, he found himself face-to-face with a group of four teenagers when he rounded the corner. They stared at him, as Eisei tried to find the appropriate words for what he had seen.

"Gonta? You alright there, buddy?" the tall one, with purple hair and wearing his jacket incorrectly, asked. "You look a little freaked out."

"I'm highly curious as to what that would be about," the redheaded young man in white clothing remarked. "With this big guy, it could anything for a bug he found, to another case of 'women weapon.'"

"Ooo, is someone offering women weapon?" the squat man, almost as short as Eisei normally as well as dressed like a chef, commented. He was grinning in a way only a true pervert could. "Tell me that's it, Gonta!"

"Maybe we should just," the redheaded young lady with freckles and a stern look commented, "let him speak. Come on, Gonta."

Eisei had taken the time to try and formulate the proper words for this announcement. He spoke, in that deep voice he now had, "I regret to inform you all that one of the students here has been brutally murdered, within the practice surgery room. We should take great precaution, with a homicidal being within our presence."

They stared at him. Eisei was rather confused by the lack of impact his words had made, so he tried again. "I assure you I am not pranking you, there is a despicable fiend in our academy. Caution must be advised!"

They stared at him more. The purple-haired one scratched his head, and muttered, "You, uh, okay there, Gonta?"

"Aside from the vicious slaughtering of a young woman, I am fine. Why do you ask?"

"Why are you talking so funny?" the redheaded guy asked. "Seriously, it's weirding me out."

"Gonta, your studies on how to be a better gentleman seem to be paying off," the redheaded girl said, "but you really shouldn't say such scary things."

Eisei was now rather confused by their confusion, and lack of action at being informed of a violent and dangerous predicament was astonishing. He drummed his fingers on his arms and tried to think of how else to say this.

"There is," he said slowly, "a dead girl in the medical wing. I am being completely serious, this is not a drill."

The squat chef-looking man nervously chuckled, and then said, "Gonta, buddy, could you and I have a word in private? I think we need to talk about your identity issues."

"Teruteru," the redheaded girl snapped, staring down the squat man suspiciously, "don't you dare try anything. Just because Gonta isn't feeling himself…"

"I object, I feel quite like myself," Eisei declared, then he nervously scratched the back of his head, and started to explain, "Okay, that may be a bit of a fib, mostly because I am not really myself at the current mo-"

He was yanked backwards when the squat man with surprising strength pulled on his hand. Having Eisei walk backwards and around the corner for a little privacy, the man who had been addressed as Teruteru stared up at him and motioned for him to be silent.

"Monsieur, you cannot talk like that while you inhibit Gonta's body," he whispered, as Eisei knelt down to be more eye-to-eye with him (or rather, as close as the towering Gonta and the squat Teruteru could be). "You are Eisei Amane, Ultimate Dentist, and one of the graduates residing in Penjar, are you not?"

Eisei stared at him for a second, but his unflappable nature helped him from staring in bafflement for long. "Correct. And you are?"
"I am Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Chef; however, there is more to it than that. I-"

"Excuse me for a minute, I must examine something."

Eisei reached forward and pried open Teruteru's mouth. The short chef flapped his arms and let out a cry of protest, but there really no stopping Eisei when he had Gonta's herculean strength backing him up. The dentist examined inside Teruteru's mouth, and then pulled back.

"The detail in this world is exquisite," he commented as he rubbed his chin, and Teruteru rubbed his jaw. "As a chef, you would take care of your mouth more than most, and you have such fine teeth. I believe you are telling the truth."

Teruteru blinked in confusion, and muttered, "Well, I've found… odder things to be attractive, but whatever floats your boat. Listen, Eisei, first off, you should know the man who you look currently like is Gonta Gokuhara. He wants so very much to be a gentleman, and he speaks in third person.

"Oh, that would explain why everyone was confounded by my manner of speech."

"Yep. Now, more importantly, I assume you have spoken with the others about the visions you have been having?"
"No."

The deadpan delivery made Teruteru wince, and then he declared, "What? Wot the ding-dang doodily are y'all DOING in tha' town out thar if you ain't speaking to each utter 'bout tha' most CRUCIAL details ye got!"

"The in-fighting and suspicion has risen to a fever pitch in Penjar. Suspicion is at an all-time high, mostly due to the fact we may have two traitors in our mist, two guilty parties who have shown to be more than heinous, as well as another serial killer, an assassin, a violent drunk, an odd relationship between humans and recently human-made Monokubs, and most of all, relationship issues."

Teruteru's eye twitched slightly, as he nervously started to comb his hair. "W-wow. And they say teenagers have the most angst to bring to the table."

"Teenagers are rarely drugged with aphrodisiac and sent into an orgy of sorts where we end up fornicating with people we barely know, thus causing stressful awkwardness amidst the group."

The chef glanced to the side, and muttered, "An orgy amongst classmates, huh? Funny, I always thought that would be my doing… wait, what am I saying?!"

Teruteru grabbed Eisei's broad shoulders, taking a second to marvel at how strong they were, and then spoke more clearly. "Listen, Eisei, let me try to fill you in on everything this place is, as far as I can tell…

"This is a world between life and death, a supernatural plane if you would, that exists for purposes I've yet to identify. You see, someone created this when experimenting with the arcane, and it is a cycle of death and despair.

"What is happening is the Hope's Peak Killing Game is repeating itself, over and over and over, and it is always different every game. I don't know why it is like that, but it is obvious that someone did this for nefarious purposes."

Eisei rubbed his chin, and asked, "You are self-aware of this, but it seems the others are not. Why is that?"

"Because I know already that I am dead, and this is my penance for what I did when alive," he said with a shrug, and then sighed. "I haven't been able to solve the riddles of this place, however, and I was unable to help the two who came before you."

"Kimiko and Anzu," Eisei remarked. "So someone of great power made a plane between life and death, and is running a Killing Game simulation to achieve an unknown goal; however, that doesn't explain how you know about all this, Teruteru."

"There are forces beyond that of this world, and it is only recently that they are in much greater effect than before. You may have heard of such things that have taken place during the Killing Games recently broadcasted."

Eisei shook his head. "I have had to lay low for the Tragedy, for most of the Killing Games. It is unfortunate, but my life has been in danger since the world went awry."

Teruteru sighed, and paced a little, trying to think of what to say. "Okay, well, let's just say then that since the Tragedy started, the world has been privy to the supernatural."

"So ever since Hope's Peak Academy went under, the world has changed? That cannot be a coincidence."

The chef glanced at him, and asked, "Wait, you think most of this originates from our school?"

Eisei stood up, as he also paced back and forth in contemplation. "The Killing Games have been the academy's choices for future students, have they not? Someone has a grudge, and it may have started within the school. It was destroyed at the end of its Killing Game, correct?"

Teruteru nodded, snapping his fingers in realization. "Aha! I see what you are getting at! So wait, did all of this begin at Hope's Peak? But for what purpose?"

"To know that, we'd have to know what the purpose of this supernatural plane is. Do you have any idea how you got here?"

The chef shrugged. "All I know is I was added into it by higher powers. You see, when the people of the Earth started to interfere with the higher powers, it was mostly to deal with the darker, more sinister powers. I am the counterbalance."

"You are the angel from Heaven to stop the forces of Hell?"

"That… may be putting it way too generously on my part, since I am no angel. Yet I want to make things right, and I'm willing to suffer for it."

"Suffer?"

"I've died more times than I can count in this Killing Game, and the pain of being murdered is not one can ever get used to."

Teruteru laughed bitterly, then flicked his baguette. "Sadly, with the pain of death also comes a poor memory. My mind is… wonky, to say the least. So I haven't been able to keep track of things the way I want to."

Eisei sighed, and then asked, "What can you remember, Teruteru? Anything at all would help."

"Maybe… maybe you could help me? How is it you all managed to get here?"

"I touched a bug containment box, oddly enough, and…"

Eisei stopped, as he realized that he had that same box strapped to his waist. He put one of his large hands on it, and examined it: it was mostly clean, but there were small stains inside of it. It had obviously been used a lot by a bug enthusiast.

"Do you recall what the others touched?" Teruteru asked.

"Sadly, that is information I am lacking. I wasn't around for when Anzu and Kimiko were transported here."

"Kimiko was here twice, you aren't aware of what she touched the second time?"

"No."

Teruteru slapped his palm against his face, and muttered some explicits in French. He paced back and forth, throwing his hands up as he muttered angrily under his breath. Eisei watched him, reaching into his pocket, and then realized Gonta didn't carry candy around with him.

"Does the fact that I touched something that was a prized possession of this man mean anything?" Eisei asked.

Teruteru stopped his angry little rant, and stared up at him. "If that is true, then… it could mean that someone took prized possessions from those who were at Hope's Peak Academy."

"But what could that mean?"

The chef was silent for a few moments, before he snapped his fingers. "Someone took those possessions from Hope's Peak, and brought them to Penjar. They knew about this plan from the start. Therefore… mon Dieu!"

Teruteru grabbed his hair as he shouted with a startled expression on his face, "Someone's been planning this since the beginning!"

"Yes, but planning what exactly?"

"I do believe you're missing the point, Monsieur Eisei! If someone was collecting items from us at Hope's Peak, since our Killing Game, then Penjar is part of a greater plan! You've all been set up to go there, and fulfill whatever is planned!

"You need to get out of here, and let the others know that Despair has meant for all of this to happen! If you don't work together, then-"

The lights went out in the hallways. Eisei and Teruteru were cast in the darkness, illuminated only by the vicious red light that came from behind blinds. Then that same hateful, crimson light was inside, glaring from the same lights as before.

Teruteru stood there, shivering in panic. Eisei glanced upwards, then straightened himself out. "What's going on now?"

"This… this is usually a sign that the Killing Game has someone playing. Someone… powerful enough to turn the very nature of the school into a nightmare."

"How bad is it?"

As soon as Eisei said this, there was a horrific sound coming down the hallway they had left Teruteru's friends. It made Eisei think of something snapping and breaking at the same time, and that sound was followed up with a terrified shriek.

Eisei was about to run back around the corner, when Teruteru grabbed his hand. "Eisei, please, you must unite the people in Penjar! Only then can you all solve the mysteries that are keeping this diabolical realm in place, and find out its purpose. Please, work together to stop-"

There was another awful sound, and it was something Eisei could recognize. Someone had been stabbed. He was now ready to round the corner, but the poor soul who had been shanked came around it first.

The redheaded girl from behind stumbled forward, clutching her stomach as blood flowed from it. She whimpered as she moved forward, eyes searching for help. When she saw Eisei, or rather Gonta, she raised a bloody hand up towards him.

"Gonta, please," she gasped, trying to find words through the pain, "get… get out of here! He's gone crazy! He… he…"

Tears were cascading down her face. Eisei came over to catch her, as her strength was fading fast. When he did so, he heard shouting from down the hallway.

"You really are so predictable. And boring."

A heavy impact followed, and someone cried out in pain. Eisei turned around, and could see down the hallway the others had been in.

There was a young man with unnaturally long, flowing hair standing in the middle of the hallway. A shadow was cast on his body due to the lights, which only made his sinister, red eyes all the more ominous. He was dressed casually, a button-up white shirt and slacks, both stained with blood.

The redheaded young man lay a few feet from the new person, his neck broken so intensively that blood was pooling underneath him. In front of this malevolent being was the purple-haired man, on his knees, spitting up blood.

"I can predict every move you make, and every reaction you'll have," the horrendous man said, pointing down at the purple-topped man. "I know how you'll react when I tell you that I was the one who killed Mikan. So go ahead, react to me now, Kaito."

The purple-haired young man coughed on the blood in his mouth, and then heaved in anger. "You… so… what Gonta was saying earlier… that girl… THAT WAS YOU?!"

"Yes. Now please, do what comes so predictably after being told that."

Kaito heaved in fury and agony, as he attempted to get to his feet. At the same time, he swung his fist at the sinister man's face, but it was caught in one of the man's palms.

"Predictable," the malevolent one spat. He twisted Kaito's wrist, and Eisei heard bones breaking along with Kaito's pained screams. "Boring."

He threw Kaito to the side, slamming him into the wall so hard that he broke the plaster on it. Kaito slumped to the floor, not moving.

"This is why I hate you all."

"Monsieur Hajime!"

Teruteru sprinted around the corner. Eisei called for him to come back, but the chef stood between this malevolent man and the dentist.

"Please, there mustn't be any more bloodshed," Teruteru implored the man. "Hajime Hinata, you know some of these people. They are your friends! They-"

The one known as Hajime grabbed Teruteru's lapels, and lifted him up. The hateful red glow from the ceiling lights intensified, as did the shine from Hajime's eyes.

"My name is Izuru Kamukura," he said, "and I find friends like you… boring."

Then Hajime, or Izuru, grabbed at Teruteru's head, and his shoulder, and started to pull. There was a horrible scream, the sound of a human being ripping apart, but Eisei didn't look. He didn't want to see that, he didn't want to think it was possible.

There were two thudding sounds after the murderous noises, and then Izuru spoke again. "You aim to protect her? She will die in only a few minutes. Protecting her is pointless… but so very boring."

Eisei opened his eyes and looked at Izuru, who was slowly approaching them. He was coated in more blood than before, and yet he seemed even more uninterested in what was happening, what he was doing.

"H-Hajime," the redheaded girl whimpered, managing to look him in the eye, "you're… you're still in there. I know you are… please…"

"Hajime Hinata is a fool and a simpleton," Izuru replied, clenching his fist. "He wanted to be more than just that, and thus he became me. I am the one with limitless talent, with unparalleled potential, I am what he wished to be.

"And I hate it. Everything is too easy, too boring, too predictable. You, Mahiru Koizumi, are so calculable, I can even tell why you still care about the boy who used to inhabit this body. Any feelings of dedication or care, maybe even the pointless chemistry you call "love" or "affection," they aren't there anymore."

"You… you lie," Mahiru spat out. Blood was in her mouth now, but she carried on. "Hajime is stronger than that. You… you're just nothing! You have the power to do anything, and you choose to kill people?"

"It is the only thing that interests me now. I felt that rush when I stabbed Hajime's friend in the heart with a blade. I felt it when I killed anyone who stood in my way. I am inevitable, I am unstoppable. I am-"

A mighty fist shot forward, and caught Izuru's jaw. There was a very brief moment where time seemed to stand still, and then the malevolent man was sent soaring down the hallway. Crashing and rolling, he eventually stood up on his feet in a perfect recovery as he glared at who had struck him.

Eisei, with Gonta's fist brimming with steam from the heat of the strike, glared right back. "You are in dire need," he responded, "of someone to shut your mouth and stop your actions."

There was a blur of movement, as Izuru came racing back faster than most could observe. However, his punch towards the entomologist's neck was countered with a defensive pose, and then he took a blow to the stomach.

Izuru and Eisei fought, glancing blows that could kill a normal person full on almost impacting Eisei, while brutal strikes that would fracture bones were taken by Izuru in stride.

"What," Izuru stammered as he parried blows and threw his own, "what ARE you? Why can I not hit you?!"

The frustration in Izuru's voice was highly noticeable, especially since he had sounded emotionless previously. The malevolent man aimed to strike at Eisei's heart, but a powerful palm slam from Eisei knocked him back several yards.

Izuru skidded on his feet, and snarled in frustration. "You… what has changed? You will tell me, or I will slay the girl there."

Eisei scoffed, and spoke calmly. "I have studied self-defense methods for a long time. I just never had a reason to use them until now."

"Impossible! Gonta Gokuhara, the entomologist raised by wolves in the wild, is a gentle being at heart," Izuru replied. "You are predictable in your ways of becoming a gentleman…"

The malevolent man reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small item concealed in his palm. There was a click, and Eisei could see the switchblade more clearly for what it was; it already had blood on the edges.

"You are not predictable," Izuru said, his eyes blazing, "but I find that I dislike that even more. I am the Ultimate Talent, and the fact that you are countering me is loathsome."

"It should be obvious why I can fight against you."

Eisei had taken a defensive stance, and was staring down Izuru. "What is ultimate talent without passion, desire, meaning? You lack any of it, so whenever you do something, you might be exceptionally good at it…

"But so long as you don't care, you'll never excel like you were truly meant to in you truly have ultimate talent."

Izuru's dark scowl grew more intense, and he glanced to the side, towards Mahiru. He moved fast, but Eisei saw the movement, and reacted.

There was very little time to properly defend Mahiru, so Eisei had to move in front of her. A white-hot pain was felt in Eisei's chest, but it brought him the opportunity to strike back where Izuru had left himself open.

Eisei swung his mighty fist, and it collided with the side of Izuru's head. With all that hair, there was more room to impact, and the malevolent man was launched through the air.

This direction was towards the wall, or rather, the large window that was at the end of the hallway. There was a shattering crash, as the blinds were ripped away.

In one split second, Eisei saw the look on Izuru's face. The dentist hadn't meant to strike him so hard, but the strength of this body was beyond his expectations. He looked into the eyes of the man who he had knocked clear out of the building…

And he saw nothing but indifference.

After that split second, Izuru plummeted out of sight. The blinds and glass now gone, the evil red light the outside world was basked in flooded inside. After a few seconds, the lights inside the building went back to normal, but the outside world's light kept the inside of Hope's Peak feeling as dire as ever.

Eisei let out a long sigh, and the pain he had ignored came back tenfold. He peered down at his chest, where blood was dripping from a deep cut. His hand went over the wound, though he realized how pointless it was.

"Eisei…"

Mahiru speaking his actual name startled him, and he turned towards her. When he moved, his body felt cold and weak, and he fell down. She cried out, and reached out to him, as he slowly picked himself up.

"The knife… made it to my heart," he said, struggling to move over to her. "I am bleeding out fatally. I am sorry… I failed you."

"No, no, you didn't. Eisei…"

Mahiru was deathly pale, the sight of her skin having lost so much color due to lack of blood was highly concerning; however, she moved forward regardless of her condition. Reaching with one of her bloodied hands, she gently cupped Eisei's/Gonta's face.

"It is important for you to find out the answers to this place, but please, be wary. There will be a rebellion in your group, and a betrayal. You must remember that a leopard does not change its spots, nor must you change your stance."

"Mahiru… how do you know such things? How are you always able to warn us?"

The redheaded girl smiled weakly, and whispered, "Clarity comes whenever I'm close to death. I'm reminded of every time I have died, and this place… it is, as they say, beyond space and time. I am aware of Penjar, I am aware of those in it, and of you… I…"

Mahiru's eyes widened suddenly, and she grabbed ahold of Eisei's/Gonta's shoulders. "Eisei! Do not let them know you saw me, or what I've told you! Whatever you do…"

A bright light started to envelop Eisei's vision, and the pain from his chest was growing faint. He could barely see or hear, but there was one last sentence he could make out before all of his senses were overwhelmed.

"Don't let them know you saw me this time, or-"

---

Day 09, ? PM

Housing District

Eisei Amane's House

Eisei blinked his eyes open, and sat up instantly. He moved so fast, that those in his room didn't even notice until he let out a sharp cry. The bug containment box he had been holding turned into dust, the disintegration so fine that he could even see it on the sheets of his bed. He stared in astonishment, and then sighed.

"Sorry, Gonta," he said aloud.

"Eisei!"

The dentist turned towards the sound of his friend, as Souma moved across the room and embraced Eisei. "Thank goodness! You had me worried there!"

"Oof," responded the dentist, as he felt Souma's arms hold him close. "It was just like the others, I would have awakened from that coma eventually."

"The keyword here being 'coma,' my friend, is why I was so worried. We were all worried."

When Souma let go of him, he scanned the room. Sure enough, there were a lot of people watching him: Shinobu, Kimiko, Anzu, Saiko, and Emanuel. The dentist observed all of them, and said as he pulled himself out of bed, "You all were watching me? I didn't think I would be so important."

"Oh come on, you're still a person we care about," Anzu said, smiling at him. "We wanted to make sure you were okay, as well as…"

She trailed off a bit, as if ashamed, but Kimiko spoke up. "We wanted to make sure that you saw what we saw too."

Emanuel scoffed, and muttered, "While I don't take much stock in the idea that you're having visions, I find this pattern to be far more concerning than before."

Eisei stared at the Bête Noir, and responded, "You of all people I would think wouldn't believe me if I said what I saw."

"Once is just an oddity that can be dismissed," Emanuel stated. "Twice can be mere coincidence, but thrice? No sir, even I am not going to say it's ridiculous when three different people have fallen into comas and woken up having visions. So what did you see?"

Eisei regarded everyone in the room, his eyes falling on Saiko last. The bluebell smiled a little, and added, "I… wish to know too. This supernatural stuff has me so confused… and I was worried about you."

The dentist laughed a little, then reached into his pocket. Finding his favorite sweets, he took out a lollipop, and placed it in his mouth. "I used to be dubious, but now that I've experienced what I did, I can safely say that things are more unusual here than we originally thought."

He explained his vision of Hope's Peak, describing everything that he could remember. From finding Mikan's body, to the evil red light that the world was basked in, to Izuru's vicious rampage that led to the death of several students, which included Teruteru, he was sure to not leave anything out.

Except for…

"Wait, did you see Mahiru?" Kimiko asked. "I saw her twice, she was so important when I had my visions. Was she not there?"

Eisei scratched the back of his head, and asked, "Mahiru? No, I don't believe I saw her."

"Oh," Anzu said, appearing crestfallen. "Darn, I thought that was an important lead. I guess she's just part of the madness that version of Hope's Peak as much as everyone else."

"Except for what Teruteru said," Souma remarked. "So if I'm getting this right… this plane of existence is artificial, made by someone at Hope's Peak?"

Shinobu, who had remained rather quiet, let out a long sigh. She then excused herself, and left the room. The others exchanged confused glances, as Eisei watched her walk out into the mist, away from the house.

"Excuse me, everyone," Eisei said, clutching his forehead. "I'm feeling very woozy after what I just went through. I was literally stabbed in the heart, that kind of pain… you don't really forget. If you all could, I'd like some privacy and to get some rest."

"Are you sure, my friend?" Souma asked, rubbing his back. "It is almost the evening, you missed most of the day."

"I'm quite sure. Just spread around what I told you all, if you believe it'll help. If anything, it'll give us a purpose to investigate further."

"That someone at Hope's Peak made a plane of existence between life and death?" Emanuel said, scoffing again. He stormed out of the room, grumbling to himself.

Souma excused himself soon afterwards, wishing his friend to feel better. Kimiko and Anzu said good-bye, with the latter giving the dentist a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Though Saiko didn't leave the room, she stared down Eisei as she closed the door.

"Something on your mind, Saiko?" he asked.

"Why are you lying?"

Eisei raised an eyebrow at her, and said, "I believe we are enveloped in truth serum mist, I'm not capable of-"

"I have a good sense of when someone is lying, and when they aren't," she said, "especially when everyone here, myself included, is forcefully blurting out things they never wanted anyone to know.

"Earlier today, I told the two people I cherish more than anything in the world something that I thought would make them hate me. That's how strong this truth serum mist bullshit is. However, you haven't been in the mist for hours, you've been unconscious on that bed.

"So you are capable of lying, and I know you are; you don't want to go out into the mist, you're that concerned about telling people. So what are you hiding from everyone here?"

Eisei stared her down, the tense atmosphere something he wasn't really used to, but his personality helped him cope with it quickly. "Assuming I am lying, why should I confide in you? Because we were intimate last night? That is a cruel emotional trick to use."

"No, it isn't," Saiko shouted, stomping her foot. She stormed over to him, and grabbed his lapels, holding him close to her. "Just because you and I fucked doesn't mean I am trying to guilt-trip information out of you, so get over yourself! What are you hiding?!"

Eisei remained unperturbed at this physical altercation, and he responded, "If I am, don't you think it is for good reason?"

"What?"

"If I do not desire to tell you exactly what I saw in my vision, there is a reason for that. Maybe the reason is that there are two traitors in our midst, and an unhealthy amount of people who work with death as a career or pastime."

There was a moment of silence, then Saiko said, with a calm voice, "Eisei, take the lollipop out of your mouth."

The dentist reached up to do so, and braced himself. "If you are going to hit me," he said, "please don't go for my face. I pride my teeth above all else-"

She kissed him. It was a long and passionate embrace that caught Eisei off-guard entirely. When she finished, he stared at her in total shock.

"This place is evil," she said quietly. "It is full of people I cannot trust, except for the two I love more than anything. And they won't leave, they will not retreat from this terrible, terrible place, until they find the answers.

"At this point, I'm willing to do anything, anything in the entire world, to ensure their safety. They looked at me when I told them my darkest secret, and continued to be my friend. I would do anything to ensure they make it out of here alive.

"I would do," she spoke as she started to undress right in front of him, "anything in the world, and that includes going the highly cliché, awful, stupid route of having sex with a man to get the information I need. Please, Eisei…"

She stood naked in front of him, breathing heavily, holding his shoulders as she kept him in place. "I don't want to say it, but I would literally be… your… your… your fuck slave if you tell me what I need to know to keep Isaac and Hara safe."

Eisei stood there in place, staring into her eyes, as he contemplated all this. He sighed, then placed his lollipop into her mouth. "Saiko, please put your clothes back on. I cannot be bribed with fornication for information."

The forensic investigator shook, appearing ready to burst into tears. She slowly moved to get her clothing, shivering with shame and disbelief. When she reached for her jacket, he handed it to her.

"I'm sorry, I cannot tell you under any circumstances, because the information will leak out from you once you step outside, into the mist," he explained. "And if the wrong person hears it, then something terrible may happen."

Saiko sniffed, as she finished getting dressed. She hated herself so much right now, hated how much she had exposed herself for nothing. "Eisei… I… I am the last person in the world to beg, to put herself forth like this… and I hate myself so damn much for it, but please. Please don't do this."

"Saiko, if you care for your friends, then do this: be close to them tonight. Ensure that they do not venture out beyond what they normally do. If you do that, then they should remain safe with the danger that is looming over us currently.

"Now please, don't do anything else rash or ask further, we cannot risk this getting out. And also, you shouldn't offer yourself to me like that, for it will not work. You're far too good of a person to do that."

Saiko bit down on the stick of the lollipop, and let out a small, bitter laugh. "We hardly know each other, and it was mostly through the casual sex. How do you know anything about me?"

"I have noticed you throughout our days here, you are a very strong and determined woman. I realize that you feel a strong sense of desperation for those you care about, and that led you to do what you just attempted."

The forensic investigator stared at him, then a small smile managed to play on her lips. She ran a hand through her hair, and murmured, "I feel so ridiculous now, offering myself to you like that. You… could you promise never to bring it up again?"

"You have my word."

Saiko giggled a little, pulled the lollipop from her mouth, and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You're such a gentleman, Eisei."

---

Day 09, 8:37 PM

Main Plaza

"Emanuel, will you slow down?"

Futaba chased after the Bête Noir, struggling to as his stride was rather fast. He appeared to be moving after Shinobu, who was getting away from him. Futaba had noticed this unusual chase, and was now going after Emanuel.

"Emanuel! Come on, this is getting embarrassing for me to go after you," Futaba called out. "Look, could you-"

"Could you stop following me?!" Emanuel shouted, spinning on his heel to face Futaba. "I'm trying to get some fucking information here!"

Futaba stared him down, and noticed over his shoulder that Shinobu had also stopped, watching them. The anthropologist cleared her throat, and then asked, "Okay, what just happened that has you all in such a rush?"

"Eisei woke up from his coma, and he spoke about another vision. Whatever that fucking vision thing is, it's a consistency. And I saw that box he had in his little hands disintegrate right after he woke up, that ain't fucking natural.

"I tried to pry that thing from him when he was asleep, and not even pulling as hard as I could would work! There is something very wrong here, and I need to get back to what I was working towards!"

Emanuel took a deep breath, as he clenched his fists and stared down at the ground. "You know she's a danger to all of us, and if things really are as weird as they were made out to be…"

Futaba brushed her hair behind her ears, as she said, "I just don't think Fiora is the root of this problem. How does a B-movie maker get the power and authority to do what was done here?"

"It could be a cover! There's a hundred reasons, but if the previous Killing Games were any indication, it is that someone's talent is not a signifier towards their evil intentions! Futaba, listen to me…"

The detective walked towards her, holding up his hands as he tried to find the appropriate words. "You have no idea what it is like to have been me in the last few years. I have been trying to stop despair, the Remnants of Despair, since the Tragedy started. I've gone on trails, dug up leads, and found possible connections.

"I even found out about the construction of Kuma-Kuma Land before it was public knowledge. There was something in the details of that place that screamed to me it wasn't a theme park under a different name. I warned people…

"But nobody LISTENED!"

He stomped his foot, clenching his fists and his teeth in frustration. The heaving anger in his breaths were palpable, but Futaba didn't back away. She merely crossed her arms, and spoke.

"You think that no one is listening to you here as well?"

"Oh, it's more than just that incident. I've been traveling around, trying to stop the Killing Games from spreading, but did anyone listen? Did anyone take heed when I gave them warning?

"No one! Not one soul listened to me! I tried to tell people that the floating island had protection, and they fired missiles at it. Millions DIED. I was running all over the States, Japan, Russia, trying to find out where the Remnants of Despair have gone.

"I even went to fucking Versailles Academy, on a hunch that something was going to start there, a while back. You know what they did? Had security escort me out the moment I told the officials there I believed there could be a threat to their academy."

Futaba raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, they're kind of uppity like that. So what, are you saying that all these terrible events happened because people didn't listen to you?"

"Oh please, I'm not that vain. I had no idea about Hope's Peak Academy, or the shit that happened out in space. But I know that I've discovered a number of leads that no one listened to me about, and it all ended with a lot, a LOT, of death."

Emanuel kicked at the ground, growling in frustration. "I mean, everything thinks I'm overreacting here, but why else would I be doing what I do? It's not like I can go home and enjoy myself."

Futaba scratched the back of her head, and asked, "Where are you from?"

"Venezuela, a mess before the Tragedy, and now just a gigantic carnage pit. You ask most people, there is no more Venezuela. I ain't got a home to return to, so all I have are my efforts to stop another Tragedy or the like."

She nodded, and then saw Shinobu walk away. Turning her full attention to Emanuel, she asked, "Look, most of us here feel the same, and maybe it is that truth serum mist going around, but I wanted to tell you, I do admire your persistence in trying to stop Despair.

"But you know as well as I do that true Despair will usually present an opportunity to self-destruct, that's how dark and twisted it gets. We cannot rush that, we have to work together and towards the end game of Despair."

Emanuel raised an eyebrow at this. "That usually involves in more killings."

"That's usually how it is, isn't it?" Futaba said with a shrug. "Why do you think I've openly enjoyed what I can here? Because of the high likelihood I could be dead before this is seen through. But make no mistake, I want to find out what is going on just as much as you.

"To profile Despair entirely, to find out its ultimate weakness, that is my goal. I am with you, I just don't believe that Fiora is a primary concern. I'd much rather hear what Eisei said."

Emanuel took in a deep breath, and crossed his arms. "Fine. But if I tell you, can you help me look for her? If she's hiding inside of a building somewhere, I want to just have her wait in this truth serum mist for a while. I need to see how she'll react."

"Very well."

---

Day 09, 8:43 PM

Western Tavern Bar 'n Grill

Kimiko and Anzu traveled together, telling everyone they met about what Eisei had experienced. With three people now having seen this comatose-vision or whatever it was, people were now fully believing.

It eventually led them to the tavern, where Aka was drowning her sorrows. Ken sat at one of the tables, nibbling at a meal he had made himself.

"She is apparently upset that Hikari is not talking to her right now," Ken explained to the duo. "I am her designated driver, with how much she is drinking."

"Ken, that only applies if someone needs a drive home," Kimiko pointed out.

"In Novoselic, we use that term if someone needs to be carried home," Ken said with a bit of a smile. "I suspect the Ultimate Skier may try to, how does it go with her sport, slope her way back to her house?"

"Not really, but a hilarious image to think of," Anzu said with a naughty giggle.

"Oh, go ahead and laugh!"

Aka bitterly shouted from the bar, as she tried to pour herself another drink, and got the counter quite wet in the process. "Hic… hic… Hikari is mad at me, and I really had a good thing going with her! She's so hot, and the sex was incredible!"

"Is that all you saw in her?" Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow at the skier.

"Okay, look," Aka spun on her stool, facing the others. "I know everyone thinks that that is a terrible thing, to consider looks above all others. But it wasn't the only damn thing! It just was one of the most important things…

"But whatever," she miserably spat out, trying to knock back another drink and missing her mouth for the most part. "Damn truth telling mists really fucked me over, since she thinks that is all I care about."

Anzu sat down next to her, trying to help her balance on the stool so she didn't crash and burn, which the actress figured was the ultimate shame for a skier. "Look dear, as someone who comes from a profession that is all about the physical looks, I can tell you that you cannot just be in it for that. Maybe you need to back off a little, give her some space, and work on the mysteries of this city."

"I came to Penjar because I wanted excitement," Aka explained, wiping her mouth as if trying the stop the truth from spilling out. "My life is all about action, adrenaline, and… and… again, everyone is just going to think I'm a bitch because my desires are so speff… spiff… direct, damn it.

"Come on now, don't you two get it?" Aka asked, staring at Kimiko and Anzu. "You two have been all over other girls since we got here… I'm not the only one!"

The biker gang leader and adult actress exchanged glances, both blushing a little as they remembered how they woke up. "M-maybe we're not the best ladies to talk about this," Anzu admitted. "I mean, things are highly complicated in this town-"

"You wanna have sex, porn star?" Aka rather bluntly asked, staring at Anzu with quite the look in her eyes. "Come on, if you do it for a living, you can do me for a thrill."

The actress blinked at this, and curled one of her blue bangs around her finger. "Um, Aka, I'm not like that. I-"

"Oh, come on, you've been with more women here than most of us could hope for. Haven't both of you?!"

Kimiko walked over to Anzu, and took the actress's hand in her's. "I think we're done here, eh. Just because you're feeling bad fur yourself doesn't mean you get to treat my friend like this. Go sleep it off, Aka, befur you fully morph into a psycho hose-beast."

The biker gal held Anzu's hand as she led her friend out. Aka watched them go, and snorted as she tried to push through her drunken haze. "F-fuck me," she muttered, "there's… there's gotta be something I can do tonight. There's… gotta be…"

As she rambled to herself, Ken observed her carefully. The cavalryman had closely watched the two ladies who had left, as well as the skier. He stroked his chin as he contemplated the same thing, something that should be done tonight.

---

Day 09, 8:59 PM

Penjar's Public Cafeteria

The cafeteria was a little busy, due to people trying to make something for dinner. Other than the tavern, it had become a hub of sorts for the graduates, and thus they gathered there to avoid the mists. This would last until the bathrooms weren't available to them, but for the time being, they were safe.

Crystal kept to herself, playing a game on her phone. Shuuya and Pyrrha were in the middle of a discussion, trying to plan things out for the evening. Hara and Saiko were also in a conversation, though the forensic investigator made it clear she only wanted her friend seated with her.

Yitro was having a meal to himself, listening to Souma describe Eisei's vision. The public speaker was making it his mission to spread the word about what had happened, not wanting anyone to be left out this time.

Emanuel sat alone, eating dinner as well, though he had eyes on one of the oddest arrangements at a nearby table: Isaac was "interviewing" Suke.

"You've always been about the ratings and viewings of this place," the reporter questioned, "but this isn't being broadcasted, correct?"

"That is correct, youse right," Suke confirmed, adjusting his glasses. "We don't have the tech to do that, not like the official Killing Games."

"So why does it matter so much to you, that people are presentable and such?"

"Because this is our home, youse'see?" the orange 'n white-topped young man said, tapping his spoon against the table as he spoke. "My siblings and I have been here for as long as we can remember, that's why we were given bodies to suit our age."

"You're only in your twenties?"

"Hmm, that's a bit complicated. I mean, all those years when you're learning to walk and poop and such, we kind of got to skip that. Youse wouldn't want to have to toilet train us, would ya?"

Isaac winced in disgust, and made a quick note of that. "Say, Suke, where on Earth have your siblings been? I haven't seen them all day."

"I dunno, actually, they're kind of rebellious in these bodies," Suke admitted. "See, I'm all about making sure Penjar is highly presentable, so this interview here? Totally good for our image. But they're more about finding out about themselves and such, while they can?"

Isaac stopped scribbling on his notepad. "While they can?" he repeated.

"Yes. These human bodies are only temporary, we weren't supposed to stay human for your entire visit. Tomorrow, we'll be back to normal, so I believe they'll be trying to enjoy or explore their human forms."

"What… what was the point of you all being human?"

Suke adjusted his glasses again, then fanned himself with money. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I think my siblings wanted to know what it was like to be all of youse, maybe free from the mechanical restraints we had."

"You had restraints?"

Suke glanced around at everyone in the cafeteria, noticing some of them were listening in on the conversation. He shrugged, and said, "I know the others did. Me, I'm not too sure; I've been perfectly fine human or robot bear, and I can stick to that.

"Now, I think it's getting late, and I need to find a place to sleep. Take care, reporter friend, and remember! Penjar is a place where you can call home by your own self!"

With this odd statement, Suke stood up and walked away. Isaac was rather confused, but he didn't try to stop him; however, Blake did when he walked into the cafeteria.

"Where's your damn sister?" the pyro asked Suke, blocking the snide, former Kub's way out of the building. "Listen, mate, I ain't giving up on tapping that."

"Like I'd tell youse! I have my honor and integrity and sibling pride-"

Blake leaned in and whispered something into Suke's ear. There was a moment of silence, and Suke cackled in delight. "Lemme go find her for youse, buddy ol' chum ol' pal!"

Shuuya and Pyrrha watched this encounter, and were rather confused. The romance writer exchanged glances with him, and asked, "Do you think we should be concerned by everything going on tonight?"

"What do you mean?" the bounty hunter asked.

"We have the manhunt for Fiora," she whispered, pointing over at Emanuel, "we have the news of what Eisei saw, the truth serum mist, and now the Kubs are going back to their original forms."

"The last one doesn't seem to be so much of a concern for me."

Pyrrha smiled sadly, and said, "It may be for those who are befriending them."

"Befriending them? That's absurd, they're agents of Despair, they consider Monokuma their father. Why should we concern ourselves with them, much less the people who want to befriend or… bed them?"

The bounty hunter glanced over at Blake, who was walking around the cafeteria, looking for something to eat from another's plate because he wasn't interested in making his own food.

"Takeo was technically on Monokuma's side," Pyrrha said, trying to keep her voice calm as she felt the emotions rush through her. "He brought the mysterious person known as the Seed of Despair into this town. But his last action was for Odelios and myself, to keep us safe from a murderer.

"I know you have made a life out of taking care of evil people, but just because the Kubs are the children of Monokuma, it doesn't mean they're evil. They probably don't even know any better than to do what they were told to do.

"And now that they're human, they're feeling actual freedom. It's…"

She clasped her hands over her heart, and said, "It's poetic and sweet, and I think that if we want to get somewhere in Penjar, we need to consider more peaceful routes."

Shuuya stared at her, slowly chewing his food. He didn't say anything for a little while, then finally spoke up after a great deal of consideration. "So what are you saying? You want to take action? And you're actually asking for my help?"

"I'm kind of a woman who has a tendency to trust dangerous men, if my history here is any indication," she said with a slightly giggle. "I mean, not bad boys, but dangerous, because they know what they're doing."

As Shuuya took this into consideration, he noticed that Blake was taking food from Crystal's plate. The military adviser didn't notice or care, she was transfixed on her game. Blake finished her food off, and then noticed what she was playing.

"Cthulhu Indestructible?" he asked, laughing out loud. "You actually play that shit?"

Crystal's eyes fluttered, and she took a deep breath. "I just like it, that's all. Did I ask for your opinion?"

Blake snickered as he nudged her shoulder. "Oh come on, what are you, a fucking fangirl of the company that made it? That's the only reason someone would like it, it was a cash grab made by lazy bums. Why are you wasting your time playing this, I thought you of all people would be busy investigating?"

The military adviser rolled her eyes, and muttered, "What's it matter to you, Blake?"

"With the truth serum bullshit mist going around, I'm not all about just waiting for something bad to happen. Why don't we do something worthwhile, try to find answers before we all continue blurting out the truth like we're physically forced to?

"Or are you more content playing a fucking stupid game?"

Crystal took a deep breath, but she slammed her palm down on the table. Turning towards Shuuya, she asked, "Hey, bounty hunter, do you do commissions?"

"For bounty hunting? No."

"Not for your cover job, your real job."

The military adviser eyed Blake hatefully. The pyro stared back at her, then walked wordlessly out of the cafeteria. Shuuya watched the exchange, and frowned with contempt.

"That wasn't funny, Crystal," he said. "I don't appreciate joking about assassinating someone over a trifle matter."

"Who said I was joking?"

She closed her game, pocketed her phone, and left the cafeteria too. Shuuya leaned back in his seat, and stroked his chin.

"I think that we're going to have some real trouble tonight," he said, glancing at Pyrrha. "You may be right, this truth serum business is getting highly aggressive."

Pyrrha swallowed nervously, as she glanced around the rest of the cafeteria. The evening was starting to feel very daunting to her.

---

Day 09, 9:04 PM

Ye Olde Tailor Shop

"Dam, I… I don't understand."

Dam glanced between Drake and Ignatia, his calm demeanor unchanging. He wandered around the store, organizing the goods as if he was an employee at the tailor shop. "What. More. Needs. Explaining?"

"Why do you have to go back into your robotic cub form? Why can't you just stay human?"

The green 'n white-topped young man turned towards the two, and said, "Because. That. Is. What. Father. Requested."

Ignatia made a dismissive motion, as well as a swat. Dam watched her, then responded, "It. Is. Not. As. Simple. As. That."

"But you're human now! You can make your own decisions!"

Dam readjusted the jackets on a rack, as he spoke, "There. Are. Consequences. For. Not. Obeying. Father's. Will. I've. Already. Been. Quite. Disobedient."

"What?" Drake asked, watching him behave like a good-mannered retail worker. "How so?"

"I've. Been. Watching. All. Of. You. All. Day. I. Wanted. To. Help. You. All. Find. Out. The. Answers. To. Penjar."

Dam sighed, and pulled a shirt from one of the compartments, folding it back up properly. "Maybe. That's. Why. We. Must. Go. Back. To. Our. Kub. Bodies."

Drake glanced over at Ignatia, who shrugged in confusion. The mime paced back and forth slightly, then she walked over to Dam and spun him by his shoulder to face her.

The mime "walked" with her fingers, made a pear-shaped motion with her hands, and motioned up and down with her hands with small circles as well. She gripped up on an invisible tool, and then swung several times, before her hands made a bursting motion. She then stomped several times, dusted her hands off, and grinned.

"But," Dam said, "Are. You. Willing. To. Risk. Your. Lives. For. Ours?"

Ignatia rolled her eyes, and grabbed a shirt that had Monokuma's face on it. With a rather strong yank, she ripped it in two, threw the pieces on the ground, and stomped on it. There were also some finger gestures made towards it that were just for flavor.

"I'm. Responsible. For. The. Merchandise. Here."

Ignatia started doing a whole bunch of hand gestures and signals, losing Drake in the process. The mime proceeded so quickly, her hands were almost a blur. Yet Dam managed to follow, as he nodded, and then asked:

"But. How. Will. You. Get. In. There? It. Is. Closed. Until. Tomorrow. And. I. Cannot. Tell. You…"

Dam then grabbed onto the shelf, and took several deep breaths. Drake held him up in support, and his friend looked him in the eyes as he said.

"Resistance. Is. Very. Difficult. I'm. Sorry."

---

Day 09, 9:34 PM

Ye Olde Clockwork Shop

"So, I'm sorry, but what are we doing in here?"

Fannie giggled as she caressed Ishiku's shoulders, staring into his eyes as she finally put her hands on his shoulders. "I told you that tomorrow morning, I have to go back to being a bear cub robot thingie, didn't I?"

"Yes. Are you sure there's no way I can stop that?" Ishiku asked, lifting his staff up in the air as he took a confidant stance. "A magician knows how to play a good switcheroo! I'll have it so that they'll think they download you back in the robot, but it'll be a frog instead!"

"You'll have them download my consciousness into a frog?"

"No no no, a frog's consciousness will get downloaded into your robot body!"

"Oh. But there are no animals in Penjar, Ishi," she said sadly. "And it won't work with a plant or even a reasonably clever mushroom."

"Drat! That was my back-up plan!"

Fannie sighed, and looked into his eyes. "I… I want to spend my last night as a human with you, Ishi. It felt so amazing and sweet and fun!"

There was quite the excited blush on Ishiku's face, as he realized what she was asking. The magician took a deep breath, and tried to play it cool…

"But I'd rather try to find a way for you to remain human for your sake, Fannie. After all the time we've spent together, I see you as more than just a friend with benefit."

He actually did play it cool! Even he was surprised by this. Fannie cocked her head to the side, repeating, "What is a 'friend with benefits'?"

"Friends who have sex together but don't date."

"Oh. But doesn't that describe us already?"

Ishiku nervously scratched the back of his head. He didn't want to be completely direct, but he felt that he didn't want to let go of what they had, no matter how confusing and odd. So he asked, "But don't you want more?"

"I do! I have felt so free and happy, being with you all this time. "But I cannot just go against Daddy's will on this… it could be really bad for my brothers and I if we resist."

"Then I'll go in that lab of yours and destroy the machine that swaps your consciousness!"

Fannie tapped her chin as she contemplated this. "I suppose that could work… but the lab is locked up, and I cannot give you the access codes."

"Why not?"

"I… I, um," she stammered, flustered suddenly as if something was holding her back, "I cannot. It was the one thing that they prevented me from revealing what I do know."

"But if we stay outside long enough, the truth serum mist will get you to talk!"

Fannie whimpered and shook her head. "No no, I don't want to stay outside! What if that nasty man finds me, he really scares me! You don't understand, Ishiku…"

She clenched his shoulders as she said, "The mist isn't just truth serum as in it makes you say the things you keep secret, it can also have you do things that you truthfully want to do."

Ishiku froze in astonishment. "You… you mean if someone like Blake is in the mist long enough, he'll try to take you if he finds you?"

"Yes, but only if we're out in the mist. The moment you go inside, you lose the urge to fully go against your physical wants and merely tell the truth."

"This would have been so nice to know earlier on, Fannie honey."

"I know, but Daddy wanted to keep it secret. I don't know why…"

"I do. He's hoping that someone stays in the mist long enough to become a danger to others."

Fannie shivered, and whispered to him, "I… I don't want to be part of the Killing Game anymore. I just want to stay human… I just wish… I wish I had more time with you!"

She clung to Ishiku, and they held each other close. There were very few words to be said at a time like this, so they held onto each other, as if letting go truly meant the end.

They had no idea someone had been spying on them this whole time…

---

Day 09, 9:49 PM

Eastern Plaza

Monokuma Statue

"TALK! TALK, DAMN YOU!"

"You'll never get me to talk! Not you nor your damn chicken!"

"Rubarrow has ways of making you talk!"

Odelios proceeded to stuff his rubber chicken down Monokuma's throat, choking the bear. As he practically rammed his fist down the bear's "throat," he could hear two people approaching him from behind.

"Odelios, what on Earth are you doing?" Souma asked, raising an eyebrow at the clown's actions.

"Yes, as fun as it is to abuse Monokuma," Yitro remarked, "I don't think we're going to get information out of him. Reliable info, anyway."

"Let me try, damn it!" Odelios declared. "I'm not having anymore of this Killing Game with vague actions and optional options! I want the truth!"

"You… gggrhrhgdle… tha… truuuoooghgghgh!"

Odelios was furiously trying to insert all of Rubarrow, and his arm, down into Monokuma's stomach. Souma and Yitro watched this for a while, before Yitro finally couldn't tolerate it anymore.

"You know, if you really want to help," the swordsman said as he grabbed Odelios and yanked him back, freeing Monokuma's mouth, "you should try doing something closer to some of the points we're facing!"

"I've done everything I could," Odelios argued. "Short of looking for Fiora, searching that creepy school, or breaking into the lab…"

"That sounds like everything we're trying to do," Souma remarked as he face-palmed.

"Hey! I don't trust anything I don't trust, trust me on that! I'm trying things that no one else has! I won't let them down!"

Yitro stared at Odelios. "'Them'?" he repeated.

The clown's eye twitched, and he slapped his hand over his mouth. He started speaking, too muffled to be understood, and then began to sprint away.

However, Yitro grabbed the back of his collar, and prevented him from escaping. "Odelios, did I ever tell you about the time I actually had to kill a clown?"

The clown squeaked in fear, as Yitro spoke calmly but quite directly towards him. "You see, one time my friends and I went to a circus. The crew loved our own skills so much, they wanted us to be part of the show. But little did any of us know, there was a murderer amongst the clown crew.

"He was part of the knife-throwing act, and he loved those knives. Too much. You see, we had heard that someone was stabbing people in the spine within the vicinity; this was right at the start of the Tragedy, before my arrest, mind you."

"Oh, so detailed, you should be the Ultimate Storyteller," Odelios mumbled, as he walked in place as he tried to pull out of Yitro's iron grasp.

"Anyway, this clown was on such a murderous spree, I took it upon myself to stop his carnage. Decapitating someone, even a crazed lunatic aiming to stab you six ways to Sunday, it's not easy.

"So I'm telling you all this to let you know that if you, or anyone else is yet another crazy psycho in disguise, I've picked my sword up again. So be honest with me."

Souma swallowed nervously, as he pulled on his collar. "I'm certainly up for telling you everything, after hearing that. Do you want to know my family history? I think most of you-"

"That's nice, Souma, but I'm more interested in hearing why Odelios is trying to murder Monokuma for information."

"I'm not dead!" Monokuma hollered from the ground. "I just got better."

Odelios moonwalked towards Monokuma, and stomped on his face. As the bear howled in "pain," the clown eventually twisted out of Yitro's grasp. "Fine! You want to know what's eating me?

"Ishiku is smitten by Fannie, and I'm not letting my friend get hurt! So long as this damn truth serum mist is around, he's in danger of people like Emanuel attacking him! Did you know about the little twist to this mist, that if we stay in it for far too long, it makes us even do the things we truthfully want to do?"

Yitro and Souma exchanged glances. "That's… news to me," the public speaker admitted.

"It's not going to be long until someone kills someone else, especially after that rather emotional orgy we had last night. I mean, come on, Yitro, if you really were with Fiora like I heard you were, then that's going to cause all kinds of strife between you and Yejoon, Emanuel, and great rubber chickens above who else."

Yitro sighed as he shook his head. "Odelios, you still haven't mentioned who 'they' are."

Odelios growled in frustration, then he heard diabolical chuckling underneath his foot.

"Maybe he's talking about his dead family. Upupupupu-URK!"

Odelios stomped so hard on Monokuma's face, that his foot went through the bear and planted on the ground underneath him. Standing there with a foot puncturing through the bear, the clown crossed his arms and scoffed.

"I'm sure none of you really care, but yes, my family, the entire circus posse of performers, clowns, staff, and managers, they all dead. The Tragedy killed them all, because if they weren't going ballistic with Despair and massacring people until they met a bloody end, they were on the receiving end of that madness.

"Everyone thinks it is so funny to see a circus get massacred, that we're a freak show that's funny to watch die like it was a horror movie twisting so much, it's practically a murder pretzel. So yeah, that's why I came to Penjar, to find answers.

"And I'll be totally and utterly damned," Odelios shouted, pointing at the two men, "if I let my new friends here die or suffer! I'm going to find a way to get into that lab, or at the very least, stop someone from committing a murder!

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have serious work to attend to. And no, I'm not helping you look for Fiora; that girl isn't guilty of anything, as far as I am seriously concerned."

And then Odelios walked off, dragging Monokuma's corpse around his ankle, and holding his rubber chicken in his hand. When he rounded a corner and out of sight, Souma and Yitro exchanged glances.

"You and Fiora?" Souma asked with a wry smile.

"You pester me about that, I'll grill you over why I found you as a self-bondage act."

The public speaker didn't really feel like speaking publicly now.

---

Day 09, 9:53 PM

Penjar Grade School

Classroom 04

Shinobu was seated at one of the desks, slowly reading the history book she had found. She kept flipping back to one section, as she tried to mentally deliberate something that was causing her a lot of frustration. She even considered being out in the mist, maybe that would force her to be honest with herself.

There was a sudden knock on the classroom door, and she glanced up to see Fiora standing there. The movie maker smiled weakly as she said, "Hey there."

"Hey. Fiora, are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm… peachy," she said, the obvious lie apparent by how much Fiora's eyes darted about as she spoke. Though they settled on Shinobu and showcased honesty again. "How a'boot you?"

"Fiora, Emanuel is certain that you're a traitor; everyone is looking for you. Where have you been?"

"In the school, actually. After Eisei fainted, I made my way in here, and settled doo'n in one of the classrooms. It worked rather well, but I had to make Yejoon promise not to follow me around anymore tonight."

Shinobu sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "He's still pursuing you?"

"You want to know the crazy part? I cannot honestly tell if he's just being a creepy stalker anymore."

Fiora walked into the room and sat down in the desk next to Shinobu. She pulled off her fedora, and rubbed her head; the historian noticed her ahoge bounced when she fiddled with her hair, looking rather adorable.

"Yejoon is a serial killer, and I'm terrified of him, but… today, he's showcased what looks like genuine concern fur me. I doo'nt knoo' what to do a'boot that, Shinobu."

Shinobu stared down at the textbook, her fingers touching the text which she had read over and over. "You want to know what I think?"

"What's that?"

"That history is a lesson, not a guilt-trip weapon."

Fiora stared at her, completely confused, until the historian clarified. "You see, I have always believed that history is something we should learn from, something to take to heart and become better from. To see what worked, what didn't, what we should do, what we shouldn't…

"I've seen far too many times that someone uses it as a weapon, to shame and guilt others into do things. It applies to entire countries, so much so that they would rather forget things.

"Do you know the name of Marie Antoinette?"

Fiora nodded, as she tilted her head to the side. "She was the queen or something like that during the French Revolution?"

"It is widely regarded that she said, "Let them eat cake," in regard to the people starving. She never said that. She was practically a teenager, arguably a child, when she was made into the royal status she was known for.

"Then the French Revolution happened, a bloody and vicious mob of the middle class revolting against taxes for the most part. While murdering so many people, the mob captured and imprisoned the poor woman, tortured her, murdered her friends in front of her, and took her son away to brainwash him into their crazed ways. It wasn't even really a revolution, it was a bloodbath, one that is marred with the most deplorable actions; it's no wonder many people wish to think of it as an uprising rather than the evil coup it was.

"Marie suffered so terribly, it was like a model for how Despair could make a single person hurt so much. Yet this woman, who people keep trying to say was a mean little tyrant, was put through such inhumane treatment…

"And then when they dragged her up to the guillotine, she even apologized when she stepped on someone's foot. The crowd cheered as she was beheaded; it sounds so much like the same kind of madness we had to handle during the Tragedy."

Shinobu took a deep breath, trying not to let her emotions overwhelm her. "Then this so-called revolution went about murdering everyone who so much as disagreed with them, from religious figures to the provenly innocent to even their own. They were so dedicated to this cause, they murdered their own to prove a point. Like Despair followers, they eat their own."

The historian turned to the rather startled movie maker, as they looked each other in the eye. "I love France, I was there during the Tragedy. I have the Eiffel Tower tattooed on my back, because I actually survived there with other people when the bloodshed was mounting.

"And you know what I learned? That saying the truth can get you killed by those who don't want to hear it. It can be as simple as that."

She tapped the textbook, and said, "Do you know about Gilroy Lanceson and Jibri Patando?"

Fiora's eyes lit up at this. "Oh yes! My history teacher in grade school told us all a'boot those two!"

Shinobu smiled at this, and said, "Well, that's definitely nice to hear. When I saw those two names, I realized that they saw the truth, and they risked their lives for it. They weren't afraid of the consequences for what would happen if someone told them what to do.

"And that's why I want to do right by others, specifically someone else."

She glanced over at the doorway, and Fiora followed with a slight tinge of confusion. "You can come out now," Shinobu said.

Taro glanced into the room, worriedly staring at Shinobu. "I… I didn't want to eavesdrop, but you were avoiding me."

"I am sorry, Taro."

Shinobu stood up and walked over to him. She kissed him, and looked into his eyes. "The thought of you going back to your robotic body, it reminded me of enslavement. And it upset me so much, I was worried what I would do in desperation."

She caressed his face, and then glanced back at the movie maker in the room. "Fiora, do you want to stand up for the truth?"

The movie maker nodded and said, "I think I need to keep my mind off of something rather big that I found 'oot, so yes. Let's do the right thing, I'm all a'boot that!"

"The right thing?" Taro swooned, staring into Shinobu's eyes. "This feels so right."

---

Day 09, 9:59 PM

Housing Area

"Hey ladies!" Kidd shouted as he jumped out of Samson's house. The blue 'n white-topped guy was only wearing boxers, those Monokuma-themed ones. He was grinning at the small group consisting of Crystal, Saiko, Hara, and Hikari. "Last night to get a taste of a true rock star! So who wants their rock world?

"I mean, who wants to star their rock? World star? Um, hang on, let me try this again, words are fucking hard. LIKE ME! HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR!"

He ran back in the house, slamming the door behind him. The four ladies exchanged glances.

"Do we wait to see how badly he screws up the second time?" Saiko asked with a sly grin on her face.

"I'm not interested in that," Hara admitted. "I'd rather just go to sleep."

"Yeah, about that…"

The forensic investigator took Hara's hand, and said, "You're staying at my house tonight."

"Huh?"

"It's just something that I need you to trust me on."

"But… but Isaac-"

"He can be in the same bed or something like that. Please, Hara?"

Hara nervously scratched the back of her head, and she whispered, or at least tried to with how embarrassed she was in front of the other two girls. "But… our bed is bigger, it's meant for two people, so…"

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. Come on then, lead me to your room, Hara-baby."

"Eeek, don't call me that in front of other people!"

Hikari had to avoid laughing out loud at how cute Hara was like this, and she watched the two head off to the couple's house. With them having gone, she turned towards Crystal.

"So I may have heard-"

"This better not be anything to do with last night," the military adviser said, staring at the steampunk model with a firm glance. "I am not one to discuss my sex life in public."

Hikari twirled her parasol on her shoulder, and let out a whistle-like sigh. "I'm just curious about you, that's all. I'm not asking for what you did with others, I'm asking out of interest of a more personal reason."

"Tell you what," Crystal said, smirking at the model, "if you join Hara and I for the early morning walk, I don't mind chatting with you."

"Oh? Really?"

"You seem so surprised."

"I honestly thought that there would be more resistance. Though…"

Hikari froze up for a second, and let out a long, heavy sigh. It really did sound like a train whistle to Crystal, which made the steampunk model seem a little more genuine to her. "You look like a woman with something on her mind, and no one to talk to," she said to Hikari. "Okay, come on in my house, we can chat a bit. But we're not having sex."

"I'm not that easy…"

"I wasn't implying that you were, I thought you were hitting on me."

"I am… but… argh! Just let me sit down!"

She practically burst into Crystal's room, and sat down in one of the seats available. The military adviser took off her jacket and set it up on a rack, saying, "Okay, I am just going to get ready for bed. You can speak while I do so."

"Aka admitted to me that my looks are the main reason she wanted to have sex with me, and that everything else is secondary. She's a thrill seeker and a physical lady, the kind that just wants to see what excitement she can find."

"I've known soldiers and other people like that," Crystal said, as she pulled off her top and moved to one of her drawers. Hikari stared shamelessly for a little bit, but then reminded herself this was why she was upset with Aka. The military adviser went into the bathroom, and came out wearing pajama tops with no bra on underneath.

"Is it wrong then, that I'm upset by that, when I'm kind of the same?" Hikari asked. "I know it's weird talking to you about this, since you and I haven't really interacted… but you're an adviser."

Crystal couldn't help but laugh, as she reached for the hair band in her blond locks and pulled it out. "Military adviser, if you haven't forgotten."

"I know that, but I just thought… well… you seemed approachable on this, if what I heard about last night is true."

"Now I'm rather confused. Because I found out I rather like sex with women last night, you think I'm the best person to talk about sex and dating life?"

"I think that someone who carries herself so well even after such drastic changes and events is someone I can trust to talk to about this."

"Oh," Crystal said, smiling a little. "You think I have it together?"

"Yes. Am I wrong?"

The blonde extended a hand to the model, who was a little confused and excited by this. She was pulled up to her feet, and Crystal placed something into her hand. Hikari noticed it was a video game controller, and she stared in utter bafflement.

"I find that I get to know someone when I play some games with them," Crystal said. "And since you make a life out of the unusual types of fashion and technology, I think you might appreciate an unorthodox way of bonding."

Hikari held the controller, and laughed a little bit. "And to think, I thought you would outright reject me as an emotional mess while much more serious matters were going on."

"The serious matters can wait until morning, my dear. Now, as I think they call it nowadays, you want to smash?"

The steampunk model's blush was rather attractive to Crystal, and she couldn't help but feel that arousal when seeing the model looking a mixture of interested and vulnerable. It would appear that her new outlook on life was catching up to her fast.

The two played games for hours, learning about themselves, with Hikari teaching Crystal how to subtly pose in a feminine manner, and Crystal taught Hikari all kinds of swear words when she lost games. It was a rather enjoyable evening to them, only interrupted by one thing.

---

(Day 09 is over~)

(Monokuma Theater)

*Monokuma is sitting on the side of an old-fashioned train car, legs dangling over the side. Monodam is seated next to him, staring blankly forward.*

Monokuma - "Sometimes we get the desire to run away from our problems. Figuratively and mentally, it is said that you're only human if you have the urge to dodge responsibilities. I mean, think of all the things that you have to take responsibility for that you never even agreed to begin with."

*Monokuma and Monodam have hopped off the train, and are walking through a rather old-timey town. The two are staring around the place, which is rather interesting considering all the buildings and lights are in black and white while the bears still have their color.*

Monokuma - "See, that's why I say being human is overrated! You have to accept a million things right off the bat, and then you're not considered mature if you don't want to accept them! Screw responsibilities, screw child support, just let the little adorable bastards fend for themselves!"

*Monokuma and Monodam are at an old-timey cafe, sipping drinks. While Monodam is content with his shake, Monokuma seems more interested in the waitress, who looks like another Monokuma in a blonde wig and a polka-dot dress.*

Monokuma - "You know how we sometimes were allowed to play dodgeball when we were little? I'd like to think it is training for dodging responsibility when we grow up! So get to leveling up your dodging skills, and avoid all responsibilities."

Monodam - "FATHER-I-DO-NOT-LIKE-THIS-LESSON."

Monokuma - "I know you don't, son, I know. Upupupu~"

---

Day 10, ? AM

Housing Area

Someone up very late or maybe it was very early wandered through the housing area. They had a couple stops to make, before they were ready for their main mission. The doors were't locked to the houses, much to the surprise of the one going through some of the buildings with a sneaky kind of grace that surprised themselves.

Wearing one of the Monokubs jackets, the person quickly made their way out of the housing district, towards the eastern side of town. They were right in front of the taxidermy store when someone behind them spoke.

"Whatever you're up to, my little flower, you shouldn't go through with it."

"YEEEEEK!"

Fiora jumped upwards, and she gripped onto the drain pipe alongside the building's roof. It supported her weight for a few seconds before it cracked, and she fell down, landing on her butt. The movie maker winced in pain, then her eyes widened in terror as she looked over her shoulder.

"How are you even awake?" she asked Yejoon. "Don't tell me you stay up all night in the off chance I'll sneak out!"

"I have my ways, but that may be it. After all, you were determined to leave Penjar yesterday."

The artist walked over and extended his hand, to which she took it and pulled herself up. She strained out a long groan, and muttered, "Listen, I'm not leaving town, I promise. I'm doing something else."

"I am aware of that. I came to stop you."

"What? Why?!"

"Because what you are planning is dangerous, and you risk the ire of Monokuma, and the Mastermind in control of Penjar. Fiora, if you go off on a mission, you risk dying, or worse."

Fiora scoffed as she adjusted her jacket and hat, then turned to face him. "I see no need to listen to some psycho murderer who is trying to groom me as he sees fit."

"Fiora, you can see me as a cad, a monster, a fiend, any number of things, but I speak from my heart when I say that what you plan to do is too dangerous."

Yejoon tapped his cane against her shoulder, as he added, "And I know about how you have a great amount of fury in your heart right now, putting yourself at more risk."

The movie maker snarled as she glanced to the side. "What would you have me do, eh? I cannot hide in this town forever, Emanuel will eventually find me and have the others lock me up. I refuse to be useless or a hostage or… or a casualty with no purpose or reason."

She took a deep breath, then stared into Yejoon's eyes. The artist raised his mask to allow her a more civil conversation. "But," she said with a heavy sigh, "maybe you're right. Maybe I should just… forget a'boot this."

"You really think that, Fiora?"

"Yeah, I mean, if you of all people say this is too dangerous, then it really must be. Hell, I cannot lie in these mists right now, so I guess I really do think this is too much to some degree.

"I doo'nt even knoo' why I bother trying to hide stuff from you," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "You already seem to knoo' what the plan is."

"Not entirely. Perhaps if you fill me in with the details, I could be able to help you."

"Sure. Let's get some tea from the cafeteria, I could use some at this hour."

"Now that sounds delightful."

The two walked to the cafeteria, and Fiora prepared the tea as Yejoon sat properly at one of the tables. The movie maker hummed as she stirred both mugs, and called out, "So how did you find 'oot a'boot this, anyway?"

"A certain Kub turned human told me some of the details," Yejoon explained. "They are so very happy to bond with anyone in their own odd ways. You really should consider that if he knew all those details, and would tell someone like me, this isn't a secure mission."

"Drat it," Fiora said as she brought the mugs out to the table. "The mission was shot from the beginning! I hate that… wait, does that mean you knoo' who else is on the mission?"

"Only you, the leader, and the Kub you have tricked so cleverly. Fear not, Fiora, once you go back to bed, I'll handle the situation on your behalf."

Yejoon took the mug handed to him, and smirked at her. "I can be quite persuasive, as you know."

Fiora nodded, sitting across from him. She stared at him, and said, "You do realize that doing this or not, I'm still in a lot of trouble with everyone else."

"Oh, let them fret over you, you are not the Seed of Despair, nor are you a danger. But you shouldn't be involving yourself in peril like this. And also…"

He reached forward, and took her mug from her hands. When she stared at him in confusion, he handed her his mug of tea, and added, "You shouldn't try this old trick."

"What?"

"I could tell by how fast you agreed to backing down that you had a reason to suggest getting some tea. Did you really think you could drug me?"

Fiora stared at him, her mouth hanging open in bafflement. "What are you even talking a'boot? Where would I get knock out drugs?"

"Didn't we theorize at some point that Samson had some, and used them to assure that Ishiku would be without an alibi? I figured you found them when hiding out, and planned to use them against me.

"Now drink your tea, my little flower, and we'll continue this conversation when you wake up."

Fiora stared at him nervously, then took the mug that was meant for him, and drank it down. Her eyes were locked on his, and when she was half-way done with her replacement drink, he downed his.

"Even if I had found Samson's knock-out drugs, I wouldn't spike your drink," Fiora remarked bitterly.

"Really now? So you're saying that my paranoia was unfounded? Well, that's a shame," Yejoon said, chuckling as he adjusted his gloves.

"Because I knoo' how controlling you are at this point."

Yejoon stopped suddenly, and rounded his eyes on her. She was glaring at him, arms crossed, more defiant than he'd ever seen her. He glanced down at the mugs, and noticed they were starting to become blurry.

"You're not going to stop me from doing the right thing, or from doing what I want to to him," Fiora said as she stood up. "So please, stop getting in my way. If you care a'boot me at all, Yejoon…"

As she spoke, the world became much more dizzy to the artist. Whatever those drugs were, they worked fast. Even with his incredible coordination, sitting up straight was increasingly impossible.

"Just stay out of my way!"

"Fi… Fiora…"

The movie maker turned around, her jacket fluttering behind her. Yejoon reached out to grab at her, and then fell out of his seat. Impacting on the floor, he felt the woozy darkness settling in fast.

"D… don't… do… this… don't… throw…

your…

l-life…

away… ffffffor… re… rev

re…ven…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

---

Day 10, 9:00 AM

Housing Area

Isaac Bellamy and Hara Pathik's House

A half hour before the morning announcement came, Hara was up and dressed. Both Isaac and Saiko were still asleep, and she smiled down at them, allowing them a bit more rest. She was such a morning woman, she had to get up and at 'em as soon as she could.

When she stepped outside, she glanced around to see where her morning ritual partner Crystal was. Normally, Crystal would be outside first, but today was not the case. She waited for a few minutes, and then, with slight concern in her heart, she walked over to her house.

The moment she knocked on the door, Crystal opened it widely. She was dressed and ready, but the expression on her face said anything but good morning. She appeared highly concerned and terrified.

"Hara, I'm afraid that I cannot go with you this morning," she said. "Samson's gun is missing."

"What? Wait, why do you have it?"

"Because after Kimiko tried to shoot herself, I took it upon myself that no one else should get their hands on it. I," she let out a sigh, and muttered, "I didn't want it to get into a major debate, I didn't trust a gun to anyone else."

"But how could it be taken?"

"I don't know! I have it in one of the drawers in my place, and when I was getting ready, I saw it was gone!"

Hara took a deep breath, then stepped into Crystal's house. The military adviser had turned her place upside-down in a frantic search. "Okay, well, you obviously looked for it, but maybe we should consider someone stole it last night."

"That's not possible, the doors are locked at night, remember?" Crystal remarked. "And our places were all locked up during the day to avoid holding up in our houses to avoid the truth serum mist."

Hara tapped her chin, and then said, "Did you have anyone else here?"

Crystal's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Yes, yes I did."

She hurried out of her place, and made a beeline for Hikari's. Hara followed swiftly after, though she didn't have time to tell her not to simply barge into someone's house as Crystal barged into Hikari's house.

The military adviser stared at an empty bed, and glanced around the room, as if expecting to find the steampunk model hiding somewhere. She searched the bathroom too, but Hikari was nowhere in her own place.

"Crystal, calm down," Hara said to her. "You don't know for sure that she stole the gun."

"Who else but her?" Crystal snapped. "Oh gosh, I should have known that she didn't really want advise. She wouldn't even consider an early morning walk, or to… to…"

Hara walked over and put her hands on Crystal's shoulders. "Focus. I know you feel betrayed, but you should not jump to conclusions."

A minute of deep breaths followed as Hara helped to calm Crystal down, and then the explorer spoke to her. "Now, you said something about our morning walk. Did you invite Hikari?"

"Y-yeah. She said she'd meet us at the main plaza facing the housing district."

"Then let's check that out before anywhere else."

The two walked out of the housing district, and almost instantly saw Hikari standing in place, poised. Hara had a terrible flashback to Takeo's body at first, but she could clearly see the model twirling her parasol on her shoulder.

Hikari appeared rather forlorn, and when she noticed Crystal and Hara approaching, there was a dash of dread in her expression. "H-hi, ladies," she said nervously. "Listen, I don't think I can join you on a morning walk through the mists-"

"Hikari," Crystal said, stepping up in front of the model's face, "I had Samson's gun stored in my room last night, and now it's missing."

"What?" Hikari blurted out, staring at her in confusion. "You… you think I took it?"

"Hikari, you were in my house until I fell asleep, and when I woke up, you were gone. Now the gun I was holding for safe-keeping is gone!"

"But I didn't take it! I swear! Look!"

The model stood there, extending her arms out as if to present herself ready to be frisked. "Search me! I've been standing out waiting for you, in this truth-telling mist! I couldn't lie to you about this!"

Crystal crossed her arms as she stared at Hikari, dubious but trying to keep her temper. Hara glanced between the two of them nervously, and then spoke up. "O-okay, I know things are a bit tense right now, but let's all take things into consideration. Hikari cannot lie, Crystal."

"Not that I'd have any reason to," Hikari said, then added bitterly, "not about this, anyway."

"What does that mean?" Crystal asked, clenching her hands against her jacket sleeves.

"Okay, ladies, let's not stand out here in the mist arguing. I feel like that just plays into Monokuma's desire to get us angry and accusing," Hara said. "Let's just go into the cafeteria and get something cool to drink, and we'll talk about this rationally."

Hikari sighed, that steam whistle noise still quite the unique noise to hear. She was staring sadly at Crystal, such a look of shame and regret on her pretty face as she saw the military adviser appearing quite stern.

"You do look quite beautiful like that," Hikari remarked before she could stop herself.

"Don't," Crystal snapped, as she walked away from the two. "Let's just get to the damn cafeteria and get a drink. Because if you didn't take the gun, then someone else did, and we have to find out fast!"

The three of them made their way to the cafeteria, though when they opened the door, the last thing the expected to see was someone slumped on the floor. They rushed over to the person's side, but all of them hesitated when they saw who it was.

"Yejoon?!" Hikari declared, gripping her parasol tightly. "What… what is he doing here?"

"I have no idea," Crystal said, kneeling down next to him, checking to see if he was still alive. "He's not dead, but beyond that, I don't know what else to do."

The three ladies were rather confused on what to do next, so Hikari moved her foot out and nudged Yejoon. The artist groaned, and one of his hands slapped down on his ground. He pulled himself up, gripping his head.

"Oh, that hurts," he muttered, glancing around. "Blargh, how many did she use? There is such a thing as overdose, my little flower…"

"Oops," Hikari whimpered, glancing apologetically over at the other two. "Sorry, I just thought that… okay, I wasn't thinking. But-"

"Hey there," Yejoon said, pulling himself up to a seat as he gripped his cane in both hands, slumping on it as he tried to lift his head, but it hurt too much. "I… apologize, but who am I talking to right now? I don't recognize you by your shoes."

"If you don't mind, I'll ask the questions here," Crystal remarked, glaring down at Yejoon. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, is that Miss Wilson? Well, my military expert, Fiora is off on a mission, and she drugged me to ensure I didn't interfere. You all might want to consider stopping her too."

"What?" Hara asked, worried and concerned, but managing to keep her cool; she really didn't like talking to Yejoon, or being close to him, but it seemed now wasn't the time to worry about such things. "What is she planning to do?"

Yejoon managed to pull himself up to his feet, which made the ladies back up slightly. Hikari was holding her parasol tightly, the only "weapon" they had with them.

"If I told you all," he said, managing to glance up at them, "would you even believe me?"

"If it's for Fiora's sake, yes," Hikari remarked. "Please, just tell us what is going on."

Yejoon opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get any more words out, the world shook. The muffled but powerful sound and feel of an explosion from a relatively close distance startled them all.

"What was that?!" Hara exclaimed.

"Whatever it was, it doesn't sound good," Hikari remarked nervously.

"That," Yejoon said as he forced himself to stand up, "is what I was going to tell you. Fiora is part of a group planning to stop the Monokubs from being put back in their robotic bodies!"

"Wait, what?" Crystal shouted. "You cannot be serious, she wants to save them?"

"That explosion must have come from the lab," the artist said, using his cane to support his sluggish weight. "They're really going to do it… Fiora…

"She's going to get herself killed over this!"

He started to hobble towards the door, but almost fell over with how much the drugs were affecting him. Yejoon struggled to stay on his feet, and he glanced over at the three.

"You… you have to go stop her. Please, you don't understand just how much she doesn't care about surviving this."

Crystal walked up to him, glaring suspiciously. "And you expect us to just run towards where the explosions are going on? We might walk into a blast zone!"

Hikari and Hara exchanged glances, then the former spoke aloud. "Either way, we should still go, Crystal. We shouldn't just stand around and wait for something terrible to be announced."

The military adviser stared at them, then corrected her jacket's collar, and sighed. "Very well. Just keep close to me, alright?"

The two nodded, and then they made their way out of the cafeteria. Yejoon called out that he would follow as soon as he gained his composure.

Running towards the lab, through the thick mists that covered the streets and walkways, the three ladies felt and heard another muffled, intense explosion. They all froze for a minute, rather fearful of the fact that they might be walking into a bombing zone.

As they collected their wits and nerves, it turned to 9:30 AM. In all of the rooms, the TVs turned on. For the graduates who were awake, they noticed that the morning announcement, like yesterday's, was slightly different than the norm…

---

(Day 09 has begun!)

(Monokids' Very Important Lab Greeting)

*The scene is set in front of the lab's main doors. Monosuke, Monophanie, and Monodam, in their robotic bear bodies, are standing in front of the doors, appearing rather confused. The inside of the lab is dark, with none of the lights on inside.*

Monosuke - *adjusting his glasses on his snout* "My word, what's going on in our very important lab? This place is very important to us, don't youse know?"

Monophanie - "I'm so worried! What's happening? Oh I'm feeling so tense and nervous… I may puke from the apprehension!"

Monosuke - "Now we don't need none of that now! Monodam, what's going on in our lab this morning?"

Monodam - "HOW-SHOULD-I-KNOW?"

Monosuke - "Youse is closer to these meat bags than any of us! Are they fooling around with our sweet, practically holy lab? Did youse hear anything about this?"

Monophanie - "EEEK!"

*Monophanie is frantically pointing into the building, as behind the glass doors, there is smoke collecting up inside the main lobby.*

Monosuke - *glances into the building, then turns back to the camera* "Well, that's not good, eh?"

Monodam - "IF-ONLY-WE-HAD-A-REAL-FIRE-STATION."

Monosuke - "Oh, picky picky picky! Youse know we have other ways to handle this! And yet…"

*As they are talking, with Monophanie panicking, Crystal, Hikari, and Hara run into the shot.*

Monosuke - "Hello, dames! Haha, being short again makes me realize just how lucky I am when one of youse wears a skirt-"

Hikari - "Shut up, and open the door!"

Monosuke - "I'd love to, but we're no longer tall enough to reach the door code! And I'm not allowed to tell youse!"

Hara - "Monophanie! Monodam! One of you, please tell us!"

Monophanie - *whimpers as she glances to the side* "I… I cannot. I'm… I'm not allowed…"

Monodam - "WE-CANNOT-TELL-YOU."

Hikari - "But… but you wanted to help us get along and such. Can't you-"

Monodam - "BUT-IF-YOU-LIFT-ME-UP-TO-THE-KEY-CODE-PANEL, I-COULD-INPUT-IT-FOR-YOU."

*Hikari moves over to Monodam, lifting him up and holding him in front of the key code panel. As Monodam is inputting a code, covering it so that no one, not even Hikari, can see what it is, Monokid walks up to the doors from inside the lab.*

Monokid - "Hey, you dumb fucks wanna hurry up and get in here to clean up this mess?!"

Monophanie - "What… what are you doing in there?! No, wait, why aren't you activating the emergency devices to handle what's going on in there?"

Monokid - "Because cool guys don't look at explosions, therefore I'm not physically able to head towards the danger! Plus-"

---

There was a beeping sound as Monodam finished inputting the code, and the doors unlocked. Crystal started to push her way into the lab, but the smoke that was filling the building poured into the main lobby, blinding and choking her.

"Don't go in there," Hara said, holding Crystal back as the military adviser coughed out some of the smoke she had inhaled. "It's too dangerous!"

"HIKARI-IF-YOU-COULD-PUT-ME-DOWN," Monodam asked, "I-CAN-GO-INSIDE-TO-ENGAGE-THE-EMERGENCY-DEVICES."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" she asked him, as she set him down on the ground. "I mean, there's been explosions and such-"

"I-AM-NOT-HUMAN-ANYMORE. SMOKE-DOES-NOT-BOTHER-ME."

Monodam scurried into the building, out of sight within seconds. Monophanie whimpered nervously, pacing back and forth, as Monosuke and Monokid casually stood around.

"So what the hell is going on?" Monosuke asked. "Youse do all know that there will be serious repercussions if you have been messing with the lab."

"Don't make me slap a bitch!" Monokid hollered. "I can do that again now that I don't have to worry about it hurting my hands!"

He air-guitared, mostly because he didn't have one of his actual guitars with him. Chuckling happily, he said, "Aw yeah, I missed this! Being human was fun for a couple days, but I don't want to go back."

"There'll be things I miss," Monosuke commented. "But we are digressing from the matter at paw, with how the LAB WAS BROKEN INTO!"

Hara winced at the sudden shouting the orange Kub broke into, but Hikari and Crystal rolled their eyes. "Oh calm down," Crystal remarked, "we're just as confused as you are. We don't know who is in there, what they're doing, and why."

Monosuke eyed her up, then muttered, "Well, youse would be telling the truth since youse is standing in the mist, so I'll buy that. For now!"

Before any more discussion could be made, the sound of fans turned on inside of the building. The smoke building up inside started to thin out. Monosuke corrected his glasses, as he noticed this happening as the humans did too.

"Ah, I see our brother has turned on the emergency ventilation, in case of smoke or poisonous fumes build-up," he explained to them. "It'll be a few minutes, but youse'll be able to go in soon. He's just gotta vent the smoke out, and then bring some of that oxygen stuff youse all like.

"I just wonder if he's gonna…"

Before Monosuke could continue, the lab was illuminated with bright red emergency lights. The orange Kub chuckled again, and said, "I guess he felt that necessary. The main generator must be too unsafe to use right now, for some reason… huh. Wonder what that is…

"What DID youse people do in our lab?"

"How many times," Crystal shouted at him, "do we have to say we don't know?"

She glanced over at Hikari and Hara, silently requesting that they not speak; while she could lie in the mists, she knew they couldn't, and the more Monosuke implored to know, the more likely they might blurt something out.

Monosuke glanced side to side, trying to figure out what was going on. Monokid seemed more interested in doing an air guitar solo, and Monophanie was waiting for Monodam to return.

There were a few tense minutes, and while they were waiting, Yejoon finally managed to catch up with the group. He was still woozy and slightly dizzy from the drugs, but was able to move around now.

"So why are we standing around out here?" he asked, observing the three ladies and three Kubs.

"We're waiting for Dam… or rather, Monodam to come back," Hara explained. "He had to vent out a terrible amount of smoke, and then recirculate breathable air back into the building."

As soon as she was done explaining, the green Kub came wandering back to the doors. "YOU-CAN-ALL-COME-IN-NOW."

The lab was still illuminated with the bright red emergency lights. The four humans stepped inside, inspecting the place intrepidly. The chemistry lab part of the building could be seen from down the hallway, but it appeared empty.

Yejoon started to make his way down the other hallway, calling out, "Fiora! Little flower, please come out if you can hear me! Hey, anyone who is not dead should call out too! Fiora? Fi…"

He stopped when he saw further down the hallway…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Fiora was laying on the floor, a small pool of blood underneath her head. She was sprawled out on her chest, unmoving.

Yejoon shot forward and started to reach for her, when Crystal shouted, "Don't move her! If she's injured, you could exacerbate it."

The artist didn't respond, but he did move to check for her pulse. There were a tense few seconds, as he held his fingers against her neck.

"She's still here," he said, letting out a sigh of relief. "But I don't know how bad it is… do any of you have medical knowledge?"

The three ladies and Monodam walked up to Fiora's unconscious body and the artist, trying to discern what was going on. Hikari, ever the fashion lover, noticed that the movie maker wasn't wearing her hat.

Maybe it wasn't just that, maybe she also was curious to find out what was going on in general. She peered down the hallway, into the main room where the body tanks and massive computers were located.

The lights in that room were flickering, causing a bad vision, but she could see an enormous amount of devastation. It appeared that a great portion of the ceiling had collapsed, with large chucks of concrete and rebar collected on the floor.

Not only the ceiling, but a good portion of the wall had been utterly destroyed. The mists of Penjar were seeping into the room, through the collapsed shelves of computer processors, one of which had fallen in a directional angle in front of that gaping hole.

Hikari ventured forward, her boot splashing upon stepping inside of the room. There was flooding that made it across the entire floor, and she realized it was because the tanks had all been shattered, the waters inside emptied out inside of this lab.

"Hikari," Hara called out. "Be careful! We don't know what caused this!"

The steampunk model turned back to call to the explorer, and that's when she saw something out of the corner of her eye when the emergency lights flashed just right. One of the large concrete chunks wasn't entirely building material…

…

…

…

Hikari couldn't believe what she saw at first, and when it registered, she gasped in horror. Her parasol slipped from her hand, and splashed against the wet floor. The steampunk model took a few steps back, covering her mouth in horror to prevent herself from screaming.

It never failed to shock her, how horrible the sight of it was. The Tragedy, her own personal experiences, she had never grown used to seeing this. And it was made all the more awful when it was someone she knew.

Impaled on a broken piece of rebar jutting from a concrete block, her body slumped on the bloody metal as if made to sit in on the watery floor, was Shinobu. The redhead was practically dangling from the rebar that was sticking through her chest.

Hikari didn't have to check for a pulse. The girl's wide eyes were devoid of light, her body unmoving. The emergency lights flickered and blinked, but the poor woman in front of Hikari didn't.

Shinobu Takahashi, the Ultimate Historian, was dead. Penjar's Killing Game had claimed another victim in the wreckage of this diabolical lab. Despite the noise and confusion, Hikari could hear the Body Discovery Announcement begin to play, signaling that there would be no rest for the graduates at this early hour.

---

…

23 Graduates remain in Penjar.

---

…

…

…

…

…

…

A classroom with thick ivy covering the left wall, as well as the floor, ceiling, and the other walls attacked to it, sat in total silence. The room being overtaken by nature seemed at peace, unless you compared the vines coiling around some of the chairs to a hostile takeover.

Next to the blackboard, decorated with drawings of Monokuma and dumb sayings, was a tall locker in the corner. This seem inconsequential, until it started to rattle. It shook, then there was someone's voice inside.

"Hey, let me 'oot of here! I've got things to do!"

"Ouch! Cut it out, why are you shouting?"

"Awk! There's someone in here with me, eh? Why'd you stuff me in this closet with yourself?"

"What? How does that even make sense, I wouldn't… HEY!"

"Oh, soo'ry, I was looking for the exit, I didn't mean to grab yoo'r-"

"Look, there isn't time to be fooling around when we-WHOA!"

The locker door swung open as Fiora tumbled out through onto her back. She landed rather roughly, though it was equally as rough when the girl inside of the locker with her fell down on her.

"Ow," Fiora groaned, then she glanced around at the place she was in. "Wait a minute, where is this? This isn't the lab! Did… did that explosion throw me into another building? Did I… oh… hello!"

The movie maker couldn't help but blush a little when the flushed, freckled face of a redheaded girl lifted up, and stared into her eyes. The two made eye contact for a while, before Fiora tried to break the tension.

"So, um, why did I joo'st get pushed into a locker with a redheaded cutie like you? Wait… redhead… SHINOBU!"

Fiora got up so fast, she pushed the other gal down onto the classroom floor in her haste to get to her feet. The movie maker sprinted out of the classroom, and then realized something rather terrifying.

This wasn't the lab in Penjar. This wasn't anywhere in Penjar, definitely not that grade school that was locked nearby the lab. It was a school… but…

She had absolutely no idea what school or academy this was. The vine-covered left wall of the hallway was rather unnerving, it was like a different version of derelict like Penjar was.

Fiora glanced down both ends of the hallway, and reached up to grab her hat. When she heard footsteps behind her, she whirled around to see that redheaded gal approaching her.

"If you could just," the girl snapped, glaring with the kind of disapproval one would expect from a stern mother, "hold still for one minute-"

The black 'n white-topped gal grabbed onto the redhead's shoulders and pushed her up against the vine-covered wall. "Alright you! Where am I, who are you, and what happened to Shinobu?!"

The redhead took a deep breath, then stared into Fiora's eyes. "You are in Hope's Peak Academy, I am Mahiru Koizumi, and… about your friend… I'm so sorry."

"Wait… Mahiru? That photographer who died during the Hope's Peak Killing Game? The one who Anzu said she saw in her vision? Wait… am I in a vision? Oh, that makes…

"… Wait," Fiora repeated, backing up from Mahiru now, as her body began to shake in apprehension. "What do you mean you're 'soo'ry,' eh? Why are you soo'ry a'boot Shinobu? Did… did she…"

Mahiru nodded, and reached out towards Fiora. "I'm so very sorry, Fiora."

Fiora stumbled backwards, bumping up against the opposite wall, and slumped down to the floor. She hiccuped, then sobbed openly. Mahiru walked over to her side, and then wrapped her arm around the movie maker's shoulder before pulling her into a hug.

"I know you're upset and confused," Mahiru whispered as she caressed Fiora's back, "but I'm afraid we don't have a lot of time. Your current state in this realm will endanger you if we don't seek shelter."

"Wh-what?" Fiora sobbed. "What could be worse? I… I got Shinobu killed."

"Fiora…"

Then the lights went out, for a brief moment, only to be replaced by the vicious crimson light that seemed to seethe hateful energy into the air. Fiora shivered, and then saw the vines on the opposite wall start to move.

At first she thought it was wind, but then she saw the leaves curl up, and shape into ghastly looking thorns. The stems thickened, dripping nasty looking sap in places. It shifted and moved as if waking up.

"There's something really bad going on right now," Fiora whispered to Mahiru, "isn't there?"

Mahiru nodded, and as she helped Fiora to her feet, the intercom blared to life, as laughter spewed forth from it. It was the most malicious cackle Fiora had ever heard, and then words were spoken…

Words coming from a malicious voice that struck terror into the very core of her being.

"Does Fiora want to play in another Killing Games? I think she does, ahahahahaha!"