Chapter 2: Afraid Of Water (Daily Life 1)
Today was going to be an interesting day at first… They survived the first class trial, and Monokuma even said he was going to make an announcement once everyone woke up and got to the lounge. The only problem with that, was Junichi was currently AWOL, and it was almost 11 AM already. The room, once full, now only had a small group of people remained.
"Should someone check on him?" Yuuto asked, sitting on a couch upside down because he had nothing better to do, as he watched Touki, Sora. Rinne and Koba playing a cartoony go-karting game.
"He's probably getting treated by Kageri still," Sora said, hitting a button and smacking Touki's cart with a wrecking ball.
"Oh, that's just BS, Sora." Touki objected.
"You're first place, the power-ups are gonna screw you over!" Sora countered. "Now eat homing rockets."
"A-again!?" Touki complained. "You're a cruel man, Sora! Can't you just give me a break?"
"Never. I'm winning this, dammit." Sora said as Touki started to get a lead again before the next player could pass him. Touki's character then got hit by a bolt of lightning.
"Damn it, Rinne! I'm in a conga-line of fuck right now!"
"Get good," Rinne joked, passing into first place.
"I have plenty of good! You're just all bullying- OH COME ON!" Touki shouted, kicking his feet into the air as Koba came riding in on an NPC rocket designed to get the person in the last place into the top four. "Why me?!"
"I just kind of fell into you, sorry," Koba said sheepishly.
"That was intentional!" Touki exclaimed.
"I'm not good at video games, of course, I would run into things… and people." Koba countered.
"Then why do we have you as our forth and not somebody else?"
"Yuuto's being a spider, Sora won't play with Izumi, Asana and Miyuki are doing workouts, Rokuro doesn't know what a video game even is, Junichi isn't here, and do you really want Saya to be playing with us?" Rinne said, listing off as many people as she could remember.
"We really should have someone check on Junichi," Yuuto said, reaching over to dump more of his bag of chips into his gross, stubble covered face.
"Loser gets Junichi, got it," Rinne replied, changing the track to 'Satellite 17' from 'Sunshine Speedway'
"You're on!" Touki shouted.
"Are we sure this is how we should be deciding this?" Koba asked, getting a shrug from Sora. "What if he's hurt and we've been ignoring him this long?"
"I don't think he has that in him," Rinne said. "I'm pretty decent at judging people for their intent to injure themselves or others… Junichi seems the type to sulk and then distract himself so he can wait out feeling better," she explained as she picked her racer.
"Hmm, that's actually kind of accurate," Touki admitted, picking his own racer, the same one he had before.
"Well, let's try and make it quick…" Koba said as he stuck to the same racer as well.
"It'll be quick cuz I'll be smoking you losers like I'm trying to start a signal fire," Rinne said with a coy smirk.
"Not on my watch," Sora said, leaning forward and holding the controller between his knees, slumping forward his shoulders to lean closer to the huge TV.
"Oh damn, Sora's goin' into the true gamer position," Yuuto said, sipping a soda upside down and getting some on his shirt because he was still sitting in a very impractical, upside-down position himself.
"There's a 'true' gamer position?"
"Yeah! When you lean forward like that it shows you're serious. Sora wants to kick some butt, I guess." Yuuto said, kicking his feet over the back of the sofa.
"That just seems like bad posture." Rinne pointed out.
As the race began, the television screen was suddenly blocked. "Hey! Down in… front?" Touki objected as he looked up to see Saya glaring at him, tapping her yardstick. Chiwa was stood next to her, clearing her throat.
"Ahem! We have been waiting four hours for Ando to arrive," Chiwa began, adjusting her glasses, using her thumb and middle finger to lift both sides at the same time."One of you is to gather him immediately."
"We were just getting around to doing that, we were racing to see who goes to get him!" Touki objected. "And is she still doing this silent treatment thing?!"
"You expect things to change under new management?" Chiwa pointed out.
"Ugh… You'd think after that trial yesterday we'd cut down on the dumb stuff we're doing."Touki groused. "Also, it's not new management! It's just you!"
"Well, I'm glad you've volunteered your services, Minami," Chiwa said.
"What?! I didn't-" Touki objected, only for Saya to suddenly slam her foot into his chest. "OW! W-what the hell!?" he asked, confused as Saya dug her high heel into his chest.
"Heh! Looks like you finally got your wish, Touki!" Yuuto said with a chuckle before Saya turned and swatted Yuuto with her yardstick. "OW! The hell was that for?!"
"Sit properly on the couch, Hagiwara. And stop getting crumbs on the floor," Saya ordered. "You're behaving like a pig."
Touki tried to grab at Saya's foot and pry it off, only for Saya to stamp down on the journalist again. "Ack! This isn't what I had in mind when I told you to step on me!" he cried.
"Saya has heard your objection and she disagrees," Chiwa stated.
"God, I hate both of you. Izumi was way better to deal with…" Touki muttered, as Chiwa lifted her flat-footed shoe into the air and tried to copy Saya grinding her shoe into his chest. Chiwa immediately lost her balance and fell backward.
"A-aah!" she exclaimed, Touki snickering before the child prodigy kicked him in the shin.
"OW! Cut it out, you brat!" Touki shouted, getting smacked on the side of his head. "Ooooowwwwww! Alright! Alright! I'll go get Junichi! Just let me go!"
Saya nodded and took her foot off Touki. Touki scrambled off the couch, heading for the elevator, as Saya turned to the rest of the group, her gaze unbroken from everybody else.
"Chiwa, send word to the others that Ando will be joining us finally," Saya said, Chiwa nodding and heading off, pulling out her student handbook as she walked to check the map for the others.
"It looks like Igarashi in her diner with Akada. He probably ordered a steak or some other protein... thing." Chiwa said, wandering into the hallway, nose buried in her handbook. She reached for the elevator call button, barely able to press it while standing on her tip-toes. She grumbled as she waited for the elevator to arrive, Saya following after her.
Chiwa and Saya climbed into the elevator, the door closing behind the two of them until an arm wedged itself into the door of the elevator. And a familiar, blonde-haired celebrity forced himself into the closing elevator. "O-oooooow!" Sora exclaimed, falling to the floor in front of the two of them. "T-that hurt all my ribs!"
"Why did you do that? That's dangerous!" Chiwa said critically.
"Anh… I forgot I have to ask you two for something... But now I'm just thinking about how much my ribs hurt right now!" Sora said while writhing on the floor, Chiwa and Saya watching awkwardly.
"You did that to yourself, Hitose," Saya noted. "Now, what did you want?"
Sora slowly stood back up, holding his ribs with one hand. "Damn door scraped all my ribs…" Sora muttered before thinking for a moment about what he wanted to say. "You said you guys were going to Izumi's diner, right?"
"Yes. And we're women." Chiwa corrected.
"Look, Dude and Guys are gender-neutral terms to me. It's fine, alright?" Sora said back. "Stop making me get off-topic and answer the thing I asked!"
"We are going to Igarashi's diner, yes," Saya said. "Will you be joining us?"
"God, no! You know how she gets around me! I don't have Junichi and Yuuto is getting fed of up of being a middleman. I need people who will get me some takeout.
"Then why not just get food from the dining hall?" Chiwa asked.
"Because that costs money. Do you think I'm made of money?"
"Yes," Chiwa said.
"Not MonoMoney! I only got like three! I didn't pick up any of the coins after the trial!" Sora exclaimed. "I'm basically broke!"
"Uhh... Why would you do that?"
"I didn't think there was any point to them! Izumi cooked free food and I hung out in the mini-mall and didn't find anything I cared about," Sora said.
"Very well, we'll get you breakfast. But we need you to find Kakihara, Kudo, Nanashima or Ashikawa," Saya said. "I'm not going to let Monokuma give us any lip for not being in the same room at the same time."
"Oh, so I gotta find all the jerks, Cool."
"Is that how you feel about Ashikawa and Nanashima?" Chiwa asked.
"No, they're alright just… look, I picked the wrong words, okay? I don't want to talk to Airi or Daichi, but I guess I'll try since you're getting me food." Sora said with a shrug. The elevator soon stopped, doors opening to the 20th floor. Saya and Chiwa stepped out while Sora began checking his student handbook for the remaining students. "I'd like something kind of low in fat. I'm not picky, but something fatty like bacon would make my stomach sick."
Saya nodded as the elevator doors shut, her and Chiwa heading for Izumi's diner. Saya stepped in, seeing Rokuro tearing into a well-cooked steak with his teeth, barely even touching the utensils he was given. She walked past Rokuro's table, smacking him upside the head as she walked over to Izumi's counter, ringing the newly placed bell.
"Welcome to my dine- Oh," Izumi announced as she turned around, only to realize who just rang the bell. "Hi, Saya…"
"Igarashi," Saya said curtly.
"Good morning, Igarashi! The usual, please." Chiwa said, getting a nod from Izumi.
"Okay. One streusel cake. And for you, Saya?" Izumi asked, smiling for the brief moment she spoke to Chiwa.
"I'm getting Hitose something to eat. Something with protein and low in fat." Saya explained "As for myself… If you had an apple danish I would prefer that."
"Hm… for Taiga… How about a biscuit, cheese, egg white, and turkey melt?" Izumi asked. "If I said it was anything else Junichi would come and stab me or something." She said with a little laugh.
"...I have doubts that Junichi's current emotional state would-" Saya began, Izumi cutting him off.
"Oh no, he'd know," Izumi said. "Apparently his true passion is being picky about naming food to the point of having a temper tantrum over grilled cheese. It'd be funny if it wasn't kind of sad."
"I see…" Saya said as Izumi started fixing up the orders.
"So, why are you picking up food for Taiga?" Izumi asked.
"He doesn't like you," Saya said simply.
"Do you really have to s-say it like that?" Izumi asked, hurt.
"I see no reason to sugarcoat this. Hitose wants nothing to do with you and needs me to bring him food." Saya said. "Try to make this quick. We're burning time and I'm Monokuma is getting testy."
"Uhm… Alright." Izumi said, discouraged but sticking to her promise of good service, as she quickly gathered the ingredients she needed for both Saya and Sora's food. "...You know you should've told someone about Katsuya…" Izumi said.
"What was that?"
"You should have told someone that Katsuya threatened you… You could have saved Surumi, and stopped Junichi from having this depressive episode. You tried to keep things calm, but you put everybody in danger to keep order…"
"I could've told someone, yes. But let's not pretend that anyone would've acted rationally in this situation. What if someone tried to kill him to prevent his murder attempt? Would they even know he was attempting murder in the first place? We'd think Suba would be innocent in that circumstance… and if we uncovered his murder plot, we might not have voted for the correct culprit." Saya said.
"Stop trying to justify things and pretending you're always right, Saya. You're moving the goalposts to make yourself not look as bad!" Izumi accused, while she was continuing to cook. "Him murdering someone is better than someone else murdering him? How about nobody murders each other, why isn't that an option?"
"Now you're putting words into my mouth. I did not say that Suba murdering anyone was good. I was simply making a point that telling people about him would've changed nothing. The outcome would've been the same, just a difference in names. Someone like Akada or Nanashima would've probably tried to attack him in retaliation and would've been potential targets or Suba would've changed plans to find a way to avoid suspicion." Saya responded.
"That's also ignoring the fact that it didn't necessarily have to be Suba. We all watched our motive videos, whose to say that none of them would've acted on them? Can you look me in the eyes and say that you trust everyone in this hotel?" Saya asked.
"Yes. I do." Izumi said. "Unlike you, I-"
"Even Kakihara?" Saya responded.
"Well… no…" Izumi said. "But he's-"
"And Surumi? Ando said it himself, none of us knew her. We suspected her almost the entire trial once Ando and his… stupid failure of a stunt slipped everyone's minds."
"O-okay, but-" Izumi tried once more.
"And let's not forget about the presence of the traitor, someone who would no doubt act on Monokuma's orders to influence someone to murder without us even knowing it," Saya said, pulling her hands behind her back.
"Look, I know.. Just… This lack of communication and blatant disrespect… Someone's going to die because of your stubbornness, Saya. I just wanted to warn you." Izumi said, placing Sora's food in a small styrofoam container, and handing Saya a warm apple danish wrapped in a paper sleeve.
"You're gonna be in the lounge after this, right?" Chiwa said, hugging her rabbit as Saya glared at Izumi in uncomfortable silence.
"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute," Izumi said, handing Chiwa her streusel cake.
"Good. I expect to see you after you finish eating as well, Akada," Saya said, not breaking eye contact from Izumi.
"Sure! I was wondering what that stupid bear wanted to tell us." Rokuro said as the door to the diner was knocked on, getting several people's attention.
"Who was that?" Izumi wondered.
"Hitose, he's probably back to pick up his food. We should see who he managed to find and drag to the lounge." Chiwa replied as she headed for the diner door, cracking it open and peeking her head into the gap, then gesturing back to Saya to bring the food with her.
"Are you sure I can't talk him out of not liking me?" Izumi asked Saya, who just shot a look back at Izumi in response.
"Your actions are your own responsibility, Igarashi," Saya said taking the food with her and walking out of the door, only hearing a sigh from Izumi as she closed the door, where Sora and Chiwa were waiting.
"So, you got me food?" Sora asked
"Yes. Have you been successful in gathering the stragglers?" Saya asked in response.
"Yeah. Daichi told me to eat a dick but he still went to the lounge after I asked. Airi went without saying anything, and I had to jog after Miyuki and Asana, but I managed to find both of them, even though Miyuki was on the verge of fainting from running 3 laps of the top floor. Asana said they're gonna do another lap before going."
"I see. Any news of Junichi?" Saya inquired further.
"Touki was outside his room. He's getting treated by Kageri, but they'll be down soon." Sora explained, getting a nod from Saya.
"Very well. Then we'd best be going ourselves," Saya said, handing the styrofoam box to Sora. The three students headed down the hall to the elevator.