Woohoo! Welcome onto the sick ride Valentino!

In any case, I decided to put up these two free time events in a seperate chapter. Seems easier to me. The next chapter might end a bit shorter because of it.

FREE TIME

I pick up the cloths and head out. Luckily enough, Noriko is standing in the dormitory. "Ah, Noriko, hold up!" I call after her when she starts walking out. She stops and turns, just as I run down the stairs.

"You said I should do my best to socialize, right? But I have dirty cloths that need to be washed…"

I see how she takes a deep breath and sighs. "Let me guess. You want me to do your laundry in exchange for hanging out with people?"

"That's the idea." I smirk at her.

She thinks about it, sighs and opens her arms up. I gladly dump my cloths. She gives me a stern look. "But I do want you to spend time with someone now."

"Of course!"

After making sure I have the notebook with me, I head over to the small table where Isamu is sitting. He is currently reading, but there are a few books next to him. I gently tap him on the shoulder. He looks up irritated.

"What?"

"Can I see those books over there? I'm curious. And bored. And I need to socialize."

He grumbles, but nods. I smirk at Noriko, who rolls her eyes. Despite that, she does walk away with me cloths, so I consider it a win. I take the first book from the pile and look inside. It appears to be a collection of Greek myths. I decide to continue reading.

We spend some time reading in silence. Despite that, I think we grew a little closer today.

It is when he finishes his book that I remember I have the notebook. Should I give it to him? Before he can ask me to give back his book, I hand him the present.

"Huh? Why would you…?" He seems perplexed at the idea of someone giving him a present, but considering how he is cutely blushing, he seems to like it. "…I'll take note of it in the future…"

Score!

With the ice broken, I feel comfortable to ask him a question. "Hey, there is something that has been bothering me for a while. It's nothing major, but…"

He visibly bites back a sigh, but surprisingly nods. "Ask away."

"I know that you want to keep your talent a secret, and it is not my business, but how come it's not even listed in the E-Book? Even my likes and dislikes are within it and I sure don't remember ever giving them that information."

He doesn't respond. I'm not sure whether he wants to talk about it or if it's just that he doesn't know how to word it.

"…My father is the original head of this project."

What?

"Or, well, was, because if Monokuma killed all the guards here, he probably killed him too."

Dang, losing your freedom, safety and father in two days. That must suck.

"My condolences…" I carefully tell him. He shakes his head. "As long as I don't have any proof, he might still be alive. In any case, because my father was the leader here, I gained access to a few privileges. Including the option to hide my talent. My best bet is that Monokuma can't access the files that hold my real talent in it, otherwise he would have told everyone already…"

"Why would you want to hide your talent anyway? It doesn't really matter if the point is that we were all supposed to be reformed."

Again, he is silent. When he finally answers, he can't look me in the eyes. "Embarrassment. Besides, outing my talent now…would be a very bad idea."

Somehow, I feel like pushing him for answers won't do me any good. So, like any other person, I change the subject.

"Did you gain other privileges other than the ability to hide your talent?" I ask him. He frowns, but then shakes his head. "No, not really. I'm sure my father would have allowed more contact with my mother, but now…"

"Oh, I…understand…" I say awkwardly. Come to think of it, what would my parents think? Do they know I've been sent here? And if so…do they know the reason? Suddenly, this place feels a lot more claustrophobic.

"Forget it." He suddenly says, breaking me out of my thoughts. "The past is in the past, and all we can do is learn from it."

The way he says those words feels like he is hiding so much more than he lets on, and he refuses to elaborate on many subjects. However, I still think I've learnt a bit more about him.

I give him back his book before retreating to my room again. My E-Book suddenly gives off a sharp beep. Curious, I take the pad out of my pocket and look inside the profile list. There is a star next to everyone's name that I didn't notice before. Isamu's star has one point filled in with pink. There is also an additional tab.

"Isamu's father is the original head of the facility and allowed him to hide his talent. He did this because he was embarrassed over something. Because of Monokuma's influence, he strongly suspects his father is dead, but there is no proof of it yet."

"Interesting. This thing updates itself based on what I know. Huh…" Come to think of it, I remember one of the guards telling me about that little thing. Whelp, that makes things easier for me, because I sure as hell wouldn't think of filling that in.

A brief look at the clock tells me I still have some time left. So, I head out again.

This time, however, I decide to stop by the Kumachrome shop. Giving people presents seems to work, so I should definitely get something before trying to talk to someone. Kumachrome acknowledges my presence when I walk in by nodding at me.

I head straight for the Monomachine and put another coin in it. This time, a pair of binoculars falls out. What the hell?

…I exit the Kumachrome shop. With the gift in hand, I look around. Who would like a pair of binoculars? Hmm, maybe Ainosuke…

After a bit of searching, I find him in the cafeteria again. He looks out of the window, where a few other people are talking. When he notices me coming, he waves at me.

"Ah, Yurika! Nice to see you. Are you looking for someone to talk?"

How did he…? Never mind, it's Ainosuke. I should expect things like this.

"Yeah, I am actually. Do you mind if I…?"

"Take a seat. I'm sure you're familiar with relationships in fiction."

We spend time discussing our favorite ships in anime. I think we grew a little closer today.

Should I give him a present?

I do, and the face he makes when he receives the binoculars is heartwarming. "Ah, it's rare for me to receive such a gift as opposed to the other way around. Thank you very much." He smiles brightly.

Despite the fact he is very happy with his present, it doesn´t take long before silence falls between us.

Oh shit, what do I say now? "Um, nice day out there, isn't it?" I try. I want to slap myself.

He blinks confused, but then smiles. "Yes, it is. Such a beautiful day. Though I do prefer summer over spring. Couples walking down the streets, sun in my face, and everything is in full bloom."

I crack a smile. "Isn't spring supposed to be the time of blooming?"

"Spring is when plants start blooming. I prefer them when they're fully grown and thick. Especially trees and bushes."

I…don't want to go too much into that.

"So, did you gain your title with your blog? Because that is pretty impressive." I casually ask him. He chuckles briefly. "While I do have a blog, I prefer to matchmake my clients face-to-face. That way, I can gain a better impression of how they act in everyday situations and around other people. That is why I have set up a real office for people to go to. And I meet quite a lot of people there. I even got into a magazine for helping out a famous internet star." He explains.

I can't help but be amazed at that. "Really? That's impressive. To have an internet star coming to you for advice…you must be very good at it. But it does sound like a tough job. There are so many people in the world."

He holds his chin in his fingers as he looks with deliberation. "You could say that. It's more of a process of analyzing. Look how people act and who they are. What kind of people they hang around with and why. How they think, what their worldviews are. Then find someone who compliments that."

"So, it is complicated." I frown.

"For me, it's really easy. But I guess someone else might think that. I did have a few clients who were really surprised to hear their answer. It sometimes contradicts with their expectations. I had school girls who were disappointed to learn their ideal mate was a nerd instead of the popular guy at school. Regardless, most of my feedback has been positive."

He smiles, but it's not his usual, slightly creepy smile. It a sincere one, even more so that normal. "Sometimes I run into my old clients, and I get to hear how happy they are with their partner. How they were afraid they were going to end up all alone without a soulmate. Their smiles…that's what I do it for…"

His words somehow tug at my heartstrings. It's sounds almost sad how he describes all of this and I suddenly feel like I've judged him too early.

He may be a little creepy and a bit too much into his work, but he definitely sounds like he has good intentions.

I think I learnt a bit more about Ainosuke today.

We end up talking a bit more about ships before I grab some dinner and head back to my dorm.

Just when I arrive, Monokuma's night-time announcement plays over the monitor, wishing everyone a good night. I wonder how long it will take until he gets bored. I also hope Rea will stay quiet for a little while. Who knows, maybe they end up working together?

I hit the bed early tonight and sleep a dreamless sleep.