The day after the trial was tiring, but the same could be said about all of the trials. The events that transpired gave me and most likely everyone else a lot to think about, Yoshiki killing for his son and M killing because of his dad. M may not have followed through with his orders but he certainly thought about it considering the death trap he made. But in the end I guess I couldn't really blame them, after all this is the masterminds fault. Yoshiki because he was desperate to save his family, and M in the end decided he was better off without his and stuck with his friends. It was all this contemplation that made me stay up throughout the night and before I knew it the morning announcement rang.

"Oh man, did I seriously stay up all night?" I groaned. Well this isn't the first time. The first motive suddenly crept back into my mind and I shivered at the thought of being forced to stay awake like that again. In a desperate attempt to not be dead on my feet I try and force myself asleep, I'm sure no one will mind if I'm a little late.

Two hours past before I resign and sluggishly I make my way to the cafeteria where I'm met with a very odd sight. Haruna was holding a paint pallet full of different colors, what was odd was what she was painting, a feminine Monokuma teacher was sat in a chair before her and being coated in glitter.

I go to Akira to ask what was going on. Danny notices me first and gives a tired wave then yawns, it looks like I wasn't the only one who didn't get any sleep.

Akira looks up from her cereal, "Haruna wanted to make a get well present for Veliah, and before you ask, what she's doing isn't a rule break."

Thankfully Kenta decides to elaborate, "Haruna told the Monokuma teacher that painting them is part of her murder plan to kill Veliah with glitter," Kenta laughs, he was obviously enjoying the sight of Haruna turning the monochrome mask forest green and sparkly, "Apparently the Monokuma teachers are pretty dumb."

The now forest green Monokuma teacher took offense to that, "We are not dumb!" they squeak, it wasn't a voice I had heard before so this one must be new.

Haruna gave a sly smile, "Yeah you're not dumb, just super gullible!"

The back handed comment went over their head, "T-that's right!" The Monokuma cheers.

"Hey Haruna where did you find her?" Kojiro asks once he finishes his drink.

"She was in a classroom on the 4th floor, she's apparently Mono-teacher 6," Haruna replies, "that's open by the way if you guys want to check it out."

Kojiro got out of his chair, "Anyone want to come with me? I can't stand to sit here and watch such a artistic atrocity happen," Kojiro states before a depressed aura overtakes him, "all of my good paints... wasted."

"Maybe after we're finished exploring we can check on Veliah too?" Danny asks, "I heard she's still in the infirmary."

"Not until I'm finished!" Haruna commands, she then slaps her hand in the paint and then slathers it onto the Monokuma, causing Kojiro to cringe. He runs out of the room and everyone else follows after. I hear the mad cackling of a mad scientist working on their Frankenstein grow distant as I ascend the stairs.

I yawn tiredly before following the others in their search. The fourth floor had the Music Room, Staffroom, Headmaster's Office, Data Room, and Chemistry Laboratory if I remembered correctly. I never actually seen these rooms in person, only what the first killing game has shown of them. So I'm a bit giddy at the idea of entering the headmasters office. If I had gone to Hope's Peak, would I have ended up in the headmasters office? Probably, I wasn't a delinquent but you don't start competing in street races at 10 without doing something illegal. I find the office in question and ready myself to enter, only to discover it locked. Disappointed I check the other rooms.

The Music room was as big as a concert hall. A grand piano was in the center of the stage, but other then that there was nothing. The data room was locked as I found out when I jiggle the knob. I quickly take a look at one of the classrooms only to find it vacant, this one must belong to the Monokuma teacher Haruna graffitied. I check the other one and find a Monokuma teacher present confirming my suspicions that 6 must own the other.

The staff room was still just as boring, but the flowers were gone. I sit on one of the rolling chairs and spin around. Now I have only one room left.

Despite knowing, nothing prepares me for the burning smell of chemicals when I enter the chem room. Kojiro and Danny are already inside and rummaging through a large cabinet full of medicine bottles.

"They restocked the chemistry laboratory," Kojiro notes, he turns a bottle over and reads the label, "Cold relief, patented by Seiko Kimura... wait."

Danny walks over to Kojiro after hearing that, "The Mastermind seriously got their hands on genuine Seiko products?"

Kojiro put the bottle down and begins shifting through the cabinet, before coming back empty handed and disappointed, "there's no poison, just antidotes and pain relievers."

Danny rolls his eyes, "that's not something to be sad about."

"Maybe they stole these from future foundation? We were going to rebuild this place originally so it wouldn't be surprising if future foundation originally gave us this stuff to help us," I theorize.

Kojiro mumbles a, "whatever," before leaving. Danny puts the bottles back in order before taking one out to take with him. He must have seen my questioning look.

"I must be getting better at reading your face," Danny snickers before shyly explaining himself, "This says it's for insomnia, I thought Veliah might appreciate it."

I've got literally no clue on how concussions work, but that makes sense I guess?

Having checked all we could, we meet Haruna on the stairs on the way back to the first floor.

"Oh, I was just about to surprise you guys," Haruna grumbles when she sees us.

"You still can," I offer, "I don't know what you're going to show us."

Haruna rolls her eyes and steps to the side to reveal her complete creation.

We all let out a hiss of sympathy at the sight of the poor Monokuma teacher. The usual standard black suit they all wore was now a puke green with glow in the dark stars taped on, the Monokuma mask was in a even worse state. The round bear helmet was unrecognizable with its forest green matte finish and blinding glitter coating it. The most horrific aspect was the fact some of the usual felt fuzz on the helmet was coming off in clumps leaving bald spots of metal.

Akira put a hand on Haruna's shoulder and spoke for the whole group, "Maybe we should just give Veliah a card."

Haruna pouted in response before resigning, "I guess that would be better, do you really think Veliah won't like it?"

Akira glances at us, then the defaced Monokuma teacher before answering, "I think she'd like like the thought more."

Haruna rolls her eyes and huffs out a "Maybe," and we set out to visit Veliah in the infirmary. None of us were totally sure how Veliah was doing, we haven't even seen her since she left the trial yesterday. We only know what's wrong from what Akira debriefed us on, and she says Veliah has a grade 2 concussion. So I was a little nervous to actually see her again.

I walk up next to Haruna who was trailing behind with her horrifying Monokuma teacher art project, "Why are you going through all this trouble anyway?" I ask.

Haruna adverts her eyes and picks at her nails in apprehension, "I don't know, feels like I just have to, but I don't know why."

I stare at her, "Sounds like guilt, have you never felt guilt before?" I joke.

Haruna punches me in the arm before indignantly replying, "You did it too, you know? in Yukihiro's trial you said you were sorry for blaming me."

I stop playing around and get a bit more sincere, "Why do you feel like that, you've done nothing wrong."

Haruna stops messing with her nails and groans before answering my question, "I was so sure she was the killer that I completely ignored her injuries and just made them worse, not to mention I practically flung her down a flight of stairs."

"That's nothing to worry about, I think if you simply apologize Veliah will accept it," I assure Haruna, I give a thumbs up in encouragement.

"If you weren't you, I would think you were patronizing me," Haruna deadpans, she then speeds up her walk with a more chipper step to it..

Soon we were clustered outside of the infirmary waiting for the first person to break rank. Haruna was our unanimously chosen volunteer to go in. Haruna shot us all a dirty look before entering the room, the rest of us trailing behind.

Veliah was in one of two infirmary beds looking like she just woke up. Her forest green hair was tangled up in its pony tail and she had white bandages wrapped around her head. She looked very surprised to see us.

"Why are all of you here?" Veliah asks.

"We wanted to see if you're ok," Haruna scoffs, rubbing the back of her neck nervously, "I made a get well present but I was told it wasn't your style."

Veliah was even more surprised by that, "Oh, thank you Haruna, but this wasn't even that bad."

Evan step forward breaking the the pleasant but awkward atmosphere with his question, "I want to ask you about yesterday."

Veliah's mood darkens but gestures for him to continue.

"I've been wondering who exactly attacked you," Evan asked, "we never figured it out in the trial."

"My memory is still a bit fuzzy but the one who attacked me was Yoshiki, I think," Veliah informs, "I remember going to the third floor to find something important, but then someone came up behind me and I was knocked out. I woke up briefly and saw Yoshiki nearby so I believe he did it."

Kojiro looks concerned at the new information, "Do you remember what you went upstairs for? Maybe Yoshiki called you there."

Veliah shakes her head no before continuing, "No, I went to the third floor by my own volition, but I just can't remember it."

"Let's get of of this dreary topic and on to something totally cooler," Haruna declares, she side steps out of the room then comes right back in dragging something.

Akira puts a hand over face in denial, "You didn't seriously bring her did you?"

Haruna pulls her terrifying living art into the room and onto full display. Veliah does a double take at the sight of it, her orange eyes going wide.

"Oh Akira, if there is one thing you should know," Haruna says all knowingly, "it's that I'm always right."

Veliah doesn't know how to react to the creature and ends up just laughing nervously, "What is that?" She asks Danny quietly.

"It's Haruna's get well present," Danny whispers back. Veliah doesn't seem anymore enlightened but thanks Haruna for the gift anyway.

At Akira's insistence that Veliah needs time to relax, we wave goodbye and leave. We go back into the cafeteria with a lighter mood. And with our new found clarity we also see something else... dust.

"This place is actually disgusting..." Kenta grimaces when he steps in something sticky.

"We were here to originally clean," Evan replies, "I guess even in this kind of situation we still need to..."

Kojiro observes the dusty chairs, "It wasn't this dirty before?"

"Yukihiro used to clean on her down time," Akira remembers with a smile, "it's probably why we never had to before."

"Well why don't we clean then!" Haruna says enthusiastically, "We could set up some tasks to do everyday and we can sign up for them?"

"Like a chore chart?" Danny asks.

"Exactly!" Haruna snaps her fingers.

A chore chart doesn't sound all that appealing but it will give us something to do and keep the school clean as a bonus. The place certainly needs it, the trash can was over filled and there were dishes piled high in the sink. Haruna doesn't wait for a response before rushing out of the room only to comeback moments later with a arm full of iteams. She flips to a random page in a notebook she brought and begins to write things down.

"Ok, so we can do laundry, dishes, ummm, cleaning, garbage disposal, anything else?" Haruna asks, she bites the end of her pencil, "oh! Night patrol!"

"Are those the jobs?" Kenta asks leaning in to get a better look. Haruna nods.

"Ok everyone sign up! These jobs are daily and we need at least one each," Haruna orders sliding the notebook over to us. Evan scowls and hesitantly takes the chewed up pencil, before long we all had our tasks.

"Haruna and Kenta signed up twice," Evan points out, "you two sure you want extra shifts?"

"To tell you the truth I think this whole clean up the school thing is kinda fun," Haruna admits, "so I don't mind!"

"I think everyone should be in pairs," Kenta reasons, "so I signed up twice to not leave anyone alone."

Haruna then rolls out a large sheet of paper and starts to draw a schedule with the words Chore Chart in bubble letters at the top. Haruna tapes the sheet to the cafeteria wall for us all to see.

Chore Chart 3

Laundry- Haruna, Kenta

Dishes- Veliah, Kojiro

General Cleaning- Danny, Sanyu

Garbage disposal- Evan, Kenta

Night Patrol- Haruna, Akira

I ended up with Danny for general cleaning, and he was pretty friendly so I didn't mind.

"I guess we don't need a set time so do them whenever you want," Haruna waves off, "let's start doing them now! The sooner the better right!"

"I have a question on what a few of these mean," Danny says catching her attention, "like general cleaning and night patrol?"

"General cleaning is things like sweeping and dusting," Haruna elaborates, "and night patrol means Akira and I will make sure everyone is in their rooms after the nighttime announcement!"

"I don't know if I like the idea of being confined to my room," Kojiro protests.

Haruna scoffs, "We aren't doing that, we're just making sure no one gets hurt at night so you can move around all you want."

Kojiro seems satisfied with her answer.

So with our questions answered we begin our new daily routine. A few jobs like laundry and garbage disposal were quickly found to be to crowded with two people so they were broken up in to a rotating schedule. Danny and I decided to start with the first floor then work ourselves up a level each day.

I liked my general cleaning job despite its vagueness and I usually ended up bumping into others around the school which was a fun surprise. The day passed surprisingly quickly and when it came time for bed I ached with a pleasant tiredness only earned from hard work... it was nice.

Haruna and Akira began their job with the announcement and I waved them goodnight before settling in for the best sleep I've had since I got here.

If more days were like this, then maybe this place wouldn't be so bad?

(Pen Pals #1)

A paper burned in the incinerator, it's writing was thick and heavy, like the writer pressed too hard with their pen.

"Do you remember the first killing game, don't you think this is similar? Something is definitely up." The letter had said, now it's just ash.

After returning to their room the receiver quickly wrote their answer, their penmanship much more fluid.

"I do remember, and I agree," they replied, "so what should we do about it?"

The next day that note was torn up and flushed down the toilet.

Just a lighter chapter, felt like a break was needed :v

Question: if I drew your characters would you guys like me to post it? It'll just be my interpretation so you guys can still imagine them how you want.