Ben was in his dorm room, just staring at the Mask of Loki for what felt like hours. His mind was currently pondering if it was a good idea to put it on right now or to wait until it was actually needed for a situation that required its zany powers.

A knock on his door snapped him out of his staring contest as he went to answer it and saw it was Hiyoko and Himiko.

"Ben, guess what?" Hiyoko said excitedly, "We're going on a field trip! The school was able to rent out the entire resort on Jabberwock Island for our class! And you, Komaru, and those five little kids are also invited."

"Holy crap, really?" Ben asked in surprise. "That's crazy! I'll get packing!"

Jabberwock Islands was an archipelago that housed a massive resort, which included several hotels, a number of beaches, and an amusement park. It was pretty much one of the biggest vacation spots in Japan.

"A nice little vacation spot will be the perfect place to expand my mana," Himiko noted with a sleepy smile. "And being able to spend time with Tenko, Angie, and everyone else is fun too."

Hiyoko and Himiko left as Ben went to get packing his essentials. He then saw the Mask of Loki and quickly took it as well, putting it on top of everything else as he got ready for tomorrow.

The plane ride to Jabberwock Island was quite exciting, considering all of the different personalities from the 48 Hopes on board. Ben was busy relaxing in his seat while listening to music and having a mask over his mouth so he didn't bother anybody with potential snoring.

Ibuki, who was sitting next to him along with Sonia, smirked as she pulled his mask up and then let it snap back onto his face, snapping him out of his concentrated state as he shook his head and pulled the mask off.

"What was that for?"

"Ibuki wanted to make sure you didn't doze off when we landed!" The musician giggled as Ben sighed before fixing his mask and headphones on his MP3 as he leaned back.

"Oh, this is just so exciting! I even packed my best summer wear for this trip!" Sonia sad with stars in her eyes as she kept her face plastered against the window.

"Gonta hopes to find new and exciting bugs!" Gonta excitedly said, already having his own plans in mind to cultivate his talent as well as discover new bugs.

After landing and getting themselves set up in the hotel, the students decided to host a party in the main lodge. Teruteru, of course, had agreed to take care of the food, including several tropical-based dishes such as Churrasco, a kebab-like dish, and a slice of large meat on a bone. Pretty much everyone's jaw dropped at the sight of Akane easily consuming the meat on a bone in almost a minute.

"She's got quite the appetite on her, huh?" Ben noted as Hajime nodded.

"Yeah, from what she's told me, her family grew up poor and she took up gymnastics in order to earn money for her siblings. She doesn't take any food for granted, that's for sure."

"Still, her appetite clearly has been generous to her melons, don't you agree?" Teruteru commented with a sly chuckle as Tenko scoffed in disgust and slammed her heel over his head.

"Degenerate male..."

"Say, Kirigiri, we know you're the daughter of the headmaster, but we never really discerned your relationship." Shuichi pointed out to his fellow detective.

"The truth is..." Kyoko admitted. "I came here to learn why my father had left the family business. We come from a long line of celebrated detectives. But in recent years we've kept our skills secret to avoid criminals learning from them. My father, however... He never wanted to be a detective. So one day he just left. Next thing I hear he's the headmaster at a high school that only excepts the most elite students. So I bring my skills into the limelight so I would be scouted out."

"Whoa, so you're from a family of detectives like Sherlock Holmes?" Kokichi asked excitedly. "That's so cool! Maybe my family line can be considered the Moriarty clan!"

"Doubtful..." Kyoko said with a roll of her eyes before continuing. "I was surprised to find he still had a picture of me as a little girl playing airplane in his arms. There was another thing mentioned, but since it concerns more private information I won't speak of it. I can only say it involves my full name."

"Ooooh, mysterious~!" Ibuki said as she leaned in.

"Sounds like deep down, he missed you," Sayaka said as Kyoko nodded.

"What about you and your idol band, Maizono? I hear you've gone to some interesting lengths to stay on top." Mahiru noted.

"Only indirectly," Sayaka said. "You see, I'm very protective of my friends. I won't let anything bad happen to them just because of some sleazebag manager who thinks he can get some naive teen girl in his bed. I can seem them coming a mile away."

"And how can you manage that?" Celestia asked curiously.

Sayaka giggled as she tapped her forehead. "Because I'm an Esper!"

This got a good laugh out of most of the class. Ben then ended up quickly catching Mikan before she fell and got tangled up in a mess.

"You okay?"

"Y-Yeah, thank you, B-Ben-Kun..." The nurse said with a bright blush on her face at being in the hands of the man she had a crush on since their first meeting.

The next day saw the gang hitting the amusement park. From seeing Fuyuhiko and Peko emerge from the Tunnel of Love kissing, to actually hearing Akane scream like the girl she is while on a roller coaster, the day was full of fun and amusement.

"You're never gonna hit the bell, you dummy!" Hiyoko laughed as Ben was at a Test Your Strength machine. "Those weak nerd arms won't do you any good."

"Hiyoko, please be nice." Mahiru chided.

Ben spat on his hands, rubbed them together, then took the hammer and with all his might slammed it down on the pressure pad. To Hiyoko's surprise, the bell was hit with a satisfying DING.

"What the hell?! How did you do that?!"

"The Mask of Loki clearly unlocked some inhibitors on me the first couple times I wore it." Ben guessed with a shrug as Mahiru quickly took a picture to immortalize the moment.

Meanwhile, Teruteru was with Hifumi and Mayuri as he talked about his reasons for becoming the Ultimate Chef.

"I actually got serious about cooking after my mother took ill. She's practically worked herself to exhaustion. I hope to get the ensured success that comes with going to Hope's Peak so I can bring the Hanamura family restaurant back from the brink of ruin. I was a little worried about leaving mamma behind, but she said she would be alright."

"Such a truly compassionate and inspiring story!" Hifumi said, moved to tears. "No amount of writing in my mangaka would ever come close to that level of dedication!"

"It's truly an admirable motive you have," Mayuri added with a smile. "If only you weren't so lewd most of the time, Hanamura."

Teruteru smirked. "Apologies, but I'm a slave to my passions, after all."

Nagito had been winning most of the midway games and was currently with Leon and Ryoma at the milk bottle game.

"Watch this," Leon smirked as he took a ball and threw it with the pitching strength worthy of an All-Star, successfully knocking down all the bottles.

"Not bad." Ryoma chuckled as he nodded in admiration. Nagito stepped up next and took a ball before throwing a shot that was a little wide.

"Dude that'll never make it," Leon said but Nagito simply smiled.

"Wait for it..."

Sure enough, even his wide shot was able to knock all the milk bottles down.

"I'd make a remark about how that was just luck. Except knowing you, it probably was." Ryoma noted as Leon rubbed the back of his head, kicking himself for not considering Nagito's uncanny luck.

Mukuro was impressing everyone with a sharpshooting game, getting a bullseye on all the targets with silent efficiency.

"You truly know how to handle a gun. Then again, as the Ultimate Soldier, that is to be expected." Korekiyo said, smirking behind his mask.

"Man, I wouldn't want to face you in a paintball match, Ikusaba," Komaru said. "You'd take me down before I even realized it!"

One of the more prominent features on the islands was a large resort hotel with funhouse-like qualities. While here, Ben noticed Yasuhiro acting nervous around Fuyuhiko.

"You didn't call him the 'B-word did you?"

"If he had he wouldn't be conscious," Fuyuhiko replied. "I just realized where I had seen him before. About four years ago one of Hagakure's fortunes didn't go over well with another Yakuza family. I heard he'd been in hiding for three years before they finally took down the contract on his head."

"Which explains why you're older than the rest of us and why you didn't want to disclose why you were held back during orientation," Ben said.

"Yeah, but even now I get the heebie-jeebies near anyone tied to the mob," Yasuhiro admitted as Ben and Fuyuhiko looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

"What's up, lover boy?" Junko asked as she sat beside Ben, wrapping her legs around his waist playfully as he blushed.

"Well...I feel like singing at the karaoke bar. You know...for everyone?"

"Awww, what a heartbreaker. You already had me pop your cherry, remember?" Junko teased as Ben's face got even redder.

"Don't remind me."

"Come on, let's knock 'em dead!" The Fashionista said as she pulled Ben to his feet and led him to the karaoke bar, where everyone was taking turns singing.

"Hey-Hey-Hey! Benny's here!" Ibuki cheered as she had just finished her song. "Come on up here, Sunshine! Show us your pipes!"

Ben gulped as Junko pushed him onto the stage and Ibuki handed the mic to him as he looked through the selection of songs, taking a deep breath as he began to sing.

(Play Chicago by Frank Sinatra)

Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town
Chicago, Chicago, I will show you around, I love it
Bet your bottom dollar you'll lose the blues in Chicago, Chicago
The town that Billy Sunday couldn't shut down

"Whoa, Jazz, that's unexpected!" Komaru exclaimed in surprise.

On State Street, that great street, I just want to say
They do things they don't do on Broadway
They have the time, the time of their life
I saw a man, he danced with his wife
In Chicago, Chicago, my hometown

Mikan covered her mouth with a blush as she couldn't help but fall in love with how well Ben's voice mixed with the lyrics.

Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town
Chicago, Chicago I'll show you around, I love it
Bet your bottom dollar you lose the blues in Chicago, Chicago
The town that Billy Sunday could not shut down

"Damn, a modern-day Frank Sinatra if I ever saw one," Fuyuhiko whistled.

On State Street, that great street, I just wanna say
They do things that they never do on Broadway, say
They have the time, the time of their life
I saw a man and he danced with his wife
In Chicago, Chicago, Chicago
That's my home town

Celestia giggled as she fanned herself with her hand. "You might want to take your chance, Ikusaba. Otherwise, I might just steal him away from you and Enoshima."

Mukuro, whose freckled face was bright red from how well Ben had sung, didn't even register the gambler's words as she bit her lip. Junko noticed her sister's fidgeting and smirked playfully, a devious scheme brewing in her analytical mind.

Mukuro sighed as she was in the hotel room that she shared with Mikan. Honestly, she enjoyed the nurse's company and Mikan was grateful to have someone who gave her space and treated her kindly without ever really getting mad or frustrated.

Suddenly, peaceful guitar music was heard from the window, much to the soldier and nurse's confusion as they went outside to see Ben sitting on a tree branch with a guitar in hand.

"Ben-Kun?" Mikan asked curiously.

"Sorry, Junko forced me to do this..." The Reserve Course student embarrassedly admitted as he strummed the strings and took a deep breath.

"Knock 'em dead, lover boy!" Junko egged on from the edge of the tree as Ben sighed before beginning to play and sing.

(Play I Love You Too Much from The Book of Life)

I love you too much
To live without you loving me back
I love you too much
Heaven's my witness and this is a fact

I know I belong
When I sing this song
There's love above love and it's ours
'Cause I love you too much

I live for your touch
I whisper your name night after night
I love you too much
There's only one feeling and I know is right

Mukuro leaned on the balcony as Mikan covered her mouth, her pale face going cherry red.

I know I belong
When I sing this song
There's love above love and it's ours
'Cause I love you too much

Heaven knows your name I've been praying
To have you come here by my side
Without you, a part of me is missing
Just to make you my own, I will fight

I know I belong
When I sing this song
There's love above love and it's ours
'Cause I love you too much

Ben was now playing on his own without feeling like he was forced to. He now felt more confident in expressing his feelings to the first two Ultimate students that caught his eye.

I love you too much
I love you too much
Heaven's my witness and this is a fact
You live in my soul
Your heart is my goal
There's love above love and it's mine 'cause I love you
There's love above love and it's yours cause I love you
There's love above love and it's ours if you love me
As much

Ben had ended up stepping onto the balcony unconsciously as he finished the song, He then took a deep breath as the adrenaline faded from his body before he realized he was face-to-face with Mukuro, who stared at him for the longest time possible before speaking.

"You. Me. Bed. NOW. Tsumiki, you too."

"Eh?"

Ben had no chance to speak as he was pulled into the room, Mikan embarrassingly bowing her head to Junko from over the balcony and heading inside, not sure where this was going to lead but feeling a sense of excitement in her heart.

"You go, girls." Junko chuckled as she turned on her heel and left for her own hotel room.

Next Time: A New Threat!