Chapter 2

Heresy of The New Age Philosopher

Daily Life

"…Huh?"

"Oh, uh nothing…"

"…"

"You know…I was just thinking…"

"If you were to d̶̨̨͇̠͉͚͉̟̘̈́̃́͌ͅi̷̢͓̲̙̬̜̾̐̈̓̓͑́́̈́̈́́̋̂͐͜ẻ̵͖̻͕̰̩̠̯͗́, how would you want to go?"

"Haha, no, don't be worried, you jokester!"

"I'm just curious. Is it wrong to be?"

"…Heh, I guess it is a bit weird…"

The morning announcement blares through the speakers, but I merely stir. Eventually, I manage to open my eyes. All my energy seems to have disappeared though, so I just remain in bed, staring at the wall.

Ainosuke and Kikoi are dead.

In all honesty, the reality of that doesn't seem to have fully caught up with me yet. It feels like I'm in some sort of disturbing nightmare, ready to wake up any time soon. I sigh.

Last night was a fucking train wreck. I still remember it clearly.

-Flashback-

After trying and failing to sleep for what felt like hours last night, we had all been called to the cafeteria. No one knew why, but we all came. It was like we had all had collectively given up on our safety at that point and just took the damn risk. When we arrived, Monokuma was waiting for us.

"So, since each and every one of you has done such a fantastic job on solving the case, I feel like you all deserve a reward! Allow me to introduce to you…your four-star celebratory buffet!"

And sure enough, there was a giant buffet with everything you could imagine, even things we didn't know were in the facility, such as whole roasted chickens and shrimps. The tables were put together to form one long table for all of us to sit at and Kumachrome was standing with an apron and a chef's hat to take our orders for drinks.

In the beginning, everyone was wary. What if the drinks were poisoned? What if there was a drug in them? What if this was the start for the new motive?

But soon enough, my stomach reminded me I had barely eaten all day and my hunger won from my common sense. And those chicken nuggets looked delicious…

"Yurika, what the hell do you think you doing?" Noriko asked me when she saw me making my way to those nuggets.

"Feeding my fucking stomach. I'm starving." I merely replied. Noriko looked as if I had just grown an extra head.

"You're eating from this food!? It could be poisoned!"

I turned around, plate with chicken nuggets in my hands. "Each of these nuggets could be filled with arsenic and I wouldn't give a shit. I'm hungry. I have barely eaten all day. My goddamn throat is hoarse from screaming arguments at you guys. Give me a break."

"You're ludicrous!" Ekorin had shouted at me. "Are you that willing to risk your life!?"

"Fuck yeah I am."

Monokuma drooped. "Aw, you guys don't even trust me enough to give you this glorious buffet? And I spend so much time on it too. I guess if you guys don't want, I'll just have to throw it all away."

"What the fuck are you talking about, I was the one who made all of this shit." Kumachrome muttered to himself.

But I had already made my decision. I grabbed one of the nuggets from my plate and shoved it inside my mouth. Everyone was watching as I didn't even savor the taste, I was that hungry. When I finally swallowed it, I looked at them again.

"Well, it's not fast-acting. Or laced with bleach."

Many of them gave a sigh of relief.

"I doubt Monokuma would kill off all of his 'players' at once when he is more interested in this 'game'." Mizuki had pointed out. "It's probably safe to eat."

Rea seemed amused. "Is that why you decided to have Yurika as a test experiment?"

"I haven't seen you eaten anything yet." Hanako retorted.

At that moment, Yuyami seemed to have made a choice. "Y'know, if Rika's still alive, then we probably have nothing to worry about. I'm grabbing a bite too."

"Fuck yeah, like hell I'm afraid of food!" Homura had shouted.

Now that the two loudest people in the class had decided on eating, it didn't take long for the others to follow either. Only Shinri, who was still seeing green, and Toshiya, who was still unconscious in his room, passed.

"Yeah, I don't think my stomach can handle food right now…" The poor critic had mumbled before dashing off to the men's toilets.

"I'll grab something for him later." Hanako noted. "I'm hungry too."

And so, pretty much everyone choose food. Even Noriko couldn't ignore her growing hunger and gave in. The meal itself was splendid. However…

Yoru played around with his food. "I know it's crazy…but… I'm really not that hungry."

"Hate to admit it," Homura said as she took a sip from her soda, "but I'm not that hungry either. Guess it's from—"

"Hey, don't upset him even further than he already is. He is just getting stable." Tomoe had shut her up.

"F'real though…" Yuyami muttered. "…on one hand, I could eat a whole cow, but on the other hand, I feel like going after Shinri every time I put something on my plate."

Several nods and murmurs of agreement cemented that today's events had definitely put a damper on everyone's stomach. Hanako pleaded for everyone to at least eat enough to not starve and ultimately, I was the one who ended up eating the most.

It's weird…I know I can be gluttonous, but to be eating more than the boys? Hasn't happened to me before, not even here. And…on one hand, I can understand them. I feel like I shouldn't have been able to eat that much after seeing something that graphic, but on the other hand…somehow…I'm not that bothered.

And that sudden thought scared me so much, I was quiet for the rest of the night. Everyone left after finishing our meal. Hanako escorted Shinri to his room while Tomoe brought Masato with him. With a full stomach, I was finally able to get a few hours of sleep.

-Flashback—

Now, my stomach is hungry again. I know I must get up eventually. But I don't want to. I just want to stay in my room and sleep. And that's exactly what I end up doing.

It's a shame fate apparently hates me.

Someone knocks on the door. It's rather hard, so I doubt it's Hanako, but I hoist myself out of bed anyways to see who it is.

It's Homura, her arms crossed and her face blank. "Noriko wants everyone in the cafeteria again. You better hurry up before she drags you out herself."

I hesitate. Part of me wants to just close the door and stay inside, but on the other hand…

Do I really want to unleash Noriko's wrath?

"Just give me a minute to throw on a new shirt. I'll shower after breakfast."

She merely nods and waits as I dart inside to grab a new shirt. We meet up and we descent. It's kind of silent between the two of us until…

"Oh Yurika, when will you stop oversleeping? Next time, you may be bleeding out in your room and no one will come because everyone will think you're still out like a little light."

Naturally, the voice is Rea's. What I don't expect is for her to stand near the railing, carefully balancing on her toes, her braids tied to the railing. I frown at Homura.

"Come on, do you want her to ruin shit again? 'Cuse me for wanting to prevent her bullshit for once." She rolls her eyes at me.

"Nah." I smirk. "I was just hoping you'd leave a braid for me."

My reaction brings a grin to her face and we fistbump.

"I'm flattered, Yurika. I know you'd take better care of my hair than you ever did with yours."

We both ignore her as we start to walk out of the dormitory.

"If I starve here you get executed."

Homura gives me a wink. "Take one for the team."

"How about no?" I answer amused. "Dying for her is the last thing on my mind."

Giggling, we enter the cafeteria, where our laughter falls silent. It's obvious everyone is still tense after yesterday's events. Yuyami and Tomoe are in the corner flanking Masato, who is looking at his untouched food with an empty stare. He seems detached from reality as Yuyami's pleas for him to eat fall on deaf ears.

The rest aren't doing well either. Isamu is sitting in the other corner, hissing at everyone who dares to come too close. Hanako is going around with food, muttering to herself as she whisks past Noriko, who seems ready to climb the table any second. Ekorin is still trying to comfort Yoru and Toshiya and Mizuki are eating in silence.

Noriko walks to us the moment she sees us arriving. "I see you got Yurika, but where is Shinri?"

The punk throws up her shoulders. "Said he was still feeling ill. Not about to barge into a sick guy's room. Said he was going to grab his own breakfast later, when he was feeling less sick. We probably shouldn't expect him here today."

Noriko breaths out deeply, annoyed. "Nothing we can do about that right now. We should have someone check on him later, maybe bring him some food. In the meantime, we need to revise the cooking schedule now that we are missing two people…how am I going to do this…"

Knowing I'm not going to be able to eat in peace when she makes her announcements, I interfere. "Maybe you should think about it while everyone eats and do it when everyone is finished. In the meantime, I'm going to go to Hanako. See ya."

Hanako looks incredibly busy, but she gives me a huge smile anyways when I approach her.

"Yurika! Oh, you want to eat too, huh? Oh, uh, wait, let me just…put these down…"

I feel like she needs a little help. "Don't worry about me, just point to me where the food is. Worked last night just as well. Say, don't you feel like you are overworking yourself a bit?"

Her smile is fake, but I just have to give her points for trying to stay up-beat in this downer situation. "Nah, I'm fine. It's just…everything is a mess right now and that makes it hard to stay strong."

"If it makes you feel better, you're doing much better than me. Than most people, actually."

She doesn't know how to respond to that. "Well…life still goes on. Work still needs to be done. If none of us do anything, we'll starve. I don't want that." Again, she flashes me a smile that is just a little too cheery to be real. "So, I'll work to keep us going."

Damn, guess she is stronger than I give her credit for. I can barely even get out of bed and here she is, making breakfast for everyone and making sure we eat. That is amazing.

I take a plate of food and sit at a random spot. I quietly eat while Yuyami finally manages to feed Masato by pretty much shoving it in his face.

By the time I'm done, Noriko climbs onto the table and tells everyone to be silent.

"Alright, listen. I know that everyone is still upset after yesterday—"

"That is putting it lightly." Isamu pretty much spats out those words.

"…But we need to get back on track. Okay, so we're missing both Shinri and Rea today. I'm proposing someone brings food to them. Any volunteers?"

Naturally, no one raises their hand. Noriko pinches the bridge of her nose. "Alright, I know no one is found of Rea, but—"

"I'll do it."

The lone volunteer is Yoru. He looks down. "I…I don't feel very helpful around here. If that's what I can do to help…then…"

The thought of leaving sweet Yoru with Rea sickens me, but I don't want to deal with her either. Besides, Yoru knows what he is signing up for. Better leave him be.

"…Okay, that's that. Furthermore, now that we are missing one person from the cooking schedule and one person is out of commission for a while, we will need to revise it."

Homura shrugs. "Sure. Anything else?"

Noriko opens her mouth, but before she can say anything, Monochrome Doom jumps onto the table. "As a matter of fact, I do!"

Those who are still standing quickly take a few steps back. Those who are sitting, like me, just give a short yell or gasp of surprise.

"What the fuck do you want?" Hanako growls at him.

Monokuma pouts. "I get the feeling I'm not that liked around here."

"Oh, how could such a thing be?" Mizuki sarcastically mutters.

Monokuma seems to ignore her. "Hm, maybe I need to host an event to let you guys warm up to me. Hey, hey! I have an idea! Why don't we see a movie all together? Like a badass action flick?"

It's dead silent.

Oh my god. He…fucking didn't…

There is a whimper. We all slowly turn out heads. And all hell breaks loose.

"A-ahh…. aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream pierces my eardrums, and slices right through my heartstrings. It's the scream like in a horror movie, when the guy comes back to see all his friends are gone. But this sounds far more real and far more terrifying. It's the sound when the man who tried to keep himself together now finally breaks. The sound that reminds us that we will never see Kikoi walking through this door again, never hear her voice anymore and that she is forever gone.

Tomoe and Yuyami are quicker at his side than humanly possible, not entirely sure what to do, but unwilling to leave him alone. Masato's face can't be seen through the mop of hair and the hands that cover it, but I can still hear his cries.

Ekorin, Yoru and Noriko are trying their best to restrain Hanako and Homura, the latter only stopping when Mizuki and Toshiya try to talk some sense into them. Hanako is more stubborn and it takes getting Tomoe to hold her back to finally calm her down. Isamu in the meantime, has left the cafeteria.

Jesus fuck…

I decide to take the role of the speaker in this situation and look at Monokuma. "That was a dick move and we all know it. Do you have anything else to say? Because if not, back the fuck off."

The bear, who seemed to be in glee watching the whole ordeal, merely shrugs. "Upupupu…well…I was going to say that some of you juveniles may need a push or two in the romance department—"

"Yeah, you have nothing useful to say. Upupu-piss off."

"—But maybe I should just keep it by the announcement that the first floor and the basement have been opened."

Upon hearing that, most of us became quiet.

"…We have a basement?" Yuyami asked confused.

"Yup, yup! And because you cleared the trial so well, all of you have access to it! You should find the doors to them into the spiral staircase. Happy hunting!"

He disappears before we can grill him. By now, Hanako and Homura are finally calmed down and Masato has stopped screaming, although he is still crying and curled up in his seat. Seeing how the situation isn't as chaotic, Noriko kicks back into her leadership position.

"Alright, heads up everyone. Hanako, bring out some food for Shinri and Rea and help Yoru bring it to them. Notify them of the opened grounds as well."

"Why should we tell her about the opened grounds?" Homura sneers. "I think we're all better off the less she learns."

"Normally, I would agree, but Rea is intelligent. No doubt she'd figure it out on her own. The less we keep from her, the lesser we're likely to incur her wrath. Rea on her own is a pain to deal with, I don't want to deal with her while she is on a warpath."

Yeah, Rea getting angry is something I hope I never live to see.

Hanako shakes her head and sighs but agrees. "Yeah, as much as I hate her, I'm not gonna let Yoru deal with her own his own. Then, I guess I'll clean up afterwards and come after you. You all go ahead."

Yuyami gets up with an overly bright smile and pulls Masato from his seat. "Sounds good to me. Come on Masato, let's explore. It'll get your mind off."

The guy hiccups slightly as he is led away. Tomoe grumbles and goes after them. Homura rubs her temples. "Shit, okay. Fuck. I'm gonna go too. This stuff is giving me a headache. You guys coming?"

Ekorin briefly looks at Noriko, who nods. "Go. I'll help Hanako with the kitchen."

"Thank fuck."

"You're welcome."

The green-haired girl then walks away, closely followed by Mizuki. Toshiya gives me a brief look before going after them as well.

Looks like it's time to find more info on this building.

Just as Monokuma said, the moment I step into the spiral staircase I notice there is a door open. Not just that, but the back wall suddenly has a door-shaped opening now, with a staircase going down. Should I go up or down? Eh, let's check downstairs first.

I descent the stairs, carefully holding onto the railing. When I step onto the ground, I look around. The first thing I notice is how hot it is here. When I hear laughter coming out of a room, I decide to take a look.

Homura is standing over a furnace, holding something in the fire and wearing a leather apron. When she sees me, she flashes me a toothy grin. "Yurika! Perfect timing! Look!"

She pulls out the thing from the fire. It's a flaming ball on a stick. She takes a deep breath and blows into the stick. I blink.

"This is a glassblowing workspace?"

"Fuck me if it isn't! Monokuma told me everyone here has their own workplace, or talent lab as he calls them. There are none on the ground floor, but the others do have some."

She continues working on her fireball with a large array of tools. When it finally cools off, it has become a beautiful vase.

"Wow." I can't help but comment on its prettiness. Homura however is pouting. "Damn, I've gotten rusty. Shit, I got to show you an actual piece of art some time. Although, considering how out of shape I've gotten, that may take a while."

Really? All those colors, that shape… its hard to think this isn't one of her best.

Homura stokes up the fire a bit more and as the heat rises, I feel like staying here may not be the best idea if I don't want to sweat out of my clothes, so I leave. The next room seems locked for some odd reason, just like the next.

Why bother opening the floor if you're gonna lock most of these doors? Whatever, maybe the last one will open.

And to my surprise, it does. To make the surprise even bigger, it seems to be a dressing room, leading to a full-on bathhouse. I give a low whistle as I look around. A warm water bath, a sauna, seats to wash yourself… nothing is skipped over.

"Damn. This place must have had money to spend."

Yuyami, who is standing near the bath, look up. Masato sits next to him, looking into the water.

"Yo, princess!"

"Are you gonna call me 'Rika' or 'Princess'?"

He shrugs. "Eh, why not both? You can never have too many nicknames. So, whadda ya think? I may spend a day or two here. Why not join me?" He winks.

"I'll pass. Forever."

"Dammit."

Before he can try again, I switch topics. "How is he?"

It takes him a moment, but then he frowns a little.

"Not too good." He whispers. "It's hard to pull him into reality and even harder to try and keep him away from dangerous stuff. He keeps on denying she is gone. The slightest thing, the wrong words can send him into tears. I thought I should take him here. Y'know, the water and all. His talent may ease the pain, but we haven't found his talent lab, so this is the next—"

SPLASH!

…That can't be good…

"…OH SHIT!" Yuyami spins around faster than I've seen anyone doing and dives headfirst into the water. I quickly run up to them, making sure not to slip on the wet floor. Yuyami comes up from the water, gasping for breath, holding a writhing Masato in his arms. I kneel onto the floor and reach for them. Gratefully, Yuyami hands him over to me, but Masato is quite heavy.

"I can't do it!" I yell. Fuck, fuck! He's gonna drown!

Yuyami quickly climbs out of the water and takes back control. With one mighty pull, he finally drags him out of the water.

"A-are you fucking insane!? You could have drowned! What the fuck man!?" He yells. Masato doesn't react. He just stares into the water. Yuyami sighs.

"Jesus fuck. Time to go back mate. Last time I'm letting you down here…" He mutters as he drags Masato out of the room. Just before he steps out of the door, he turns to me, awkwardly rubbing his head. "Oh, and, uh, thanks Rika."

It's the most mature I've seen from him. Damn. That took some guts. Of course, even if he is a bit of a jerk, I can understand he doesn't want people to die either. I'm a jerk and I don't like to see corpses either. Still…

I explore the room a little further before leaving with the mental note to come here when it's deserted. Since it's the last room of the basement, I go up two stairs to reach the second opened floor.

The first thing I come across while searching this floor is the broom closet. The second door however, is more special. It has a chemistry flask with a bubbling liquid painted on it. I don't need to guess whose talent lab this is. To my surprise however, its locked.

"I do not think you will get in anytime soon." The sweet voice behind me is from Ekorin. "She unfortunately locked herself in her laboratory when she discovered it. She refuses to be disturbed for all and every reason."

Considering Mizuki's closed nature…yeah, I can see that.

"Alright, so, what's in the room across this one?"

Ekorin giggles and opens the door. "It is the lounge and it is very pleasant in here."

She is right. It is very nice. Numerus couches and chairs are placed, each looking incredibly comfortable. There is a fireplace, a few tables and a whole bunch of accessories and decorations. Toshiya is looking at a shelf with glass bottles when I approach him.

"Anything interesting?"

He looks to his side to see me standing there. "Ah, yes, indeed. I was admiring the handiwork of these exquisite decorations. The colors, the flowers inside of them, it's very beautiful."

I can't help but laugh. "Don't let Homura know you said that, or she'll burn your tongue with her glassblowing tools."

He blushes, looking away in embarrassment. "O-of course, I didn't wish to insult Homura's talent or imply her skills as a glassblower are invalid—"

"Tsk, come on, Homura's got a thick skin. Don't think you're gonna be insulting her anytime soon." I say as I roll my eyes. "I bet she's gonna be up day and night making the perfect glass bottles just to prove they're better than those."

"Perhaps." He says. But his voice isn't as convinced. I decide it's a lost cause.

"Cool place. Have you already checked out the other rooms?"

Toshiya shakes his head. "I had finished the basement, but as I was searching this floor, I became enthralled with this lovely work of art."

That's…one way to get distracted. Hm, maybe I should ask him about what he thinks of the locked doors downstairs. He is the Ultimate Puzzler after all.

"So, Toshiya." I say, urgency in my voice. He faces me, eyebrow raised. I shoot the question. "I noticed there were a few locked doors in the basement. Any theories on what could be behind them?"

He placed his chin on his hand, momentarily lost in thought. "Well, I believe one of the rooms is the garbage disposal. After all, this place doesn't clean up itself. And I think the other room…might be a boiler room of some sorts."

A boiler room, huh? "Any evidence for that?"

He shakes his head. "Mere speculation. But, as heat is known to rise, it would make sense to have a source of warmth downstairs to heat the rest of the building. But why they are locked…"

Toshiya mumbling to himself has become nothing new for me. Just as he quickly steps outside of the room, completely dropping the conversation as if it never happened.

He does raise a good question though: why would those places be locked? Monokuma would be more than happy to provide us with more killing methods. And I can only begin to imagine what someone might do in a boiler room…

Feeling a shiver going down my spine, I don't dwell on it for much longer. Instead, I venture out to see the next rooms. The next door is a dark green, with a rock hammer on it. Having a good feeling whose lab this is, I knock on the door.

Tomoe peaks out from the room next to it. "You take a look if you want, but I doubt you understand jack shit."

Okay then…

Surprised by the allowance, I push open the door and look inside.

It's not…what I expected. Although to be fair, I had no idea what I expected in the first place.

Maps and books are scattered throughout the room, posters hanging from the wall. Rocks, minerals and crystals are placed on a messy table, with microscopes and other lab equipment waiting to be used. The only thing that really reflects Tomoe's character is the climbing wall on the far left.

One particular green crystal, locked inside a cabinet, is really catching my eye. It shines from the lightbulb inside of it and it is very entrancing. It lures me closer, begs me to open the cabinet touch it…

But my wrist is suddenly locked with a warm, rough and strong hand. Tomoe shakes his head. "Torbernite. Radioactive. If you wanna fucking kill yourself, that's the way to go."

He releases his grip and I immediately rub my sore wrist. "Then it's a dumb idea to leave it out in a simple cabinet, right?"

"It's not a simple cabinet, dumbass. It's a highly secure radiation chamber."

"Then why does it look like a normal cabinet?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

Alright then…I think it's better to drop the topic.

I finally stop rubbing my wrist as I try to look past him. "What were you doing in the other room by the way?"

For a single moment, he is quiet, but then he turns around and walks to the door. A second before I roll my eyes and snark at him, he gestures to the door with his head. Sighing internally, I follow him. He leads me into the room next to his.

It's…pretty. Very much so. Brightly colored flowers are potted, bushes with all kinds of fruit sit in a row in the middle and hanging plants are in pots hanging from the ceiling. A sweet smell floats through the air.

"Wow…what is this place?"

Tomoe shrugs. "Kumachrome told me it was the garden, but it's more like a botany lab. I've spent the time looking up what these fuckers are and which ones we can eat."

Hmm, fresh strawberries…I can already taste them…

I look around if I see any. A strawberry plant is sitting in a corner. A juicy strawberry hangs from a vine. My hand reaches for it…

And again, Tomoe's hand wraps around me. "Are you fucking kidding me? Leave. Shit. You don't know. Alone."

"It's a strawberry! A goddamn strawberry!" I protest.

He snorts. "Yeah, until you double over from the poison. Just wait until I've read all the information on this shit."

"How do you know these are poisonous? The rock? Sure, that's your talent. But last time I checked, that talent was botany." I inquire.

"Kumachrome warned me some of them could lead to accidental poisoning and 'ruin the game'. So, that's why I'm keeping guard until we've figured which ones are edible and which ones we gotta burn before some decides to take Ainosuke's path."

My blood runs cold upon the mention of Ainosuke. I try to bite the sharp hiss down, but my breath still hitches. Ainosuke's lifeless body flashes before my eyes, every detail still burned into my memory. My body trembles from the horrific sight I was greeted with when I turned the corner, so worried that something might have happened to Toshiya and Ainosuke and—"

A warm, strong and rough hand rests upon my shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. It's almost as if I was hooked like a fish and sudden dragged back onto the surface as I slip back into reality. I look up, meeting Tomoe's strong, yet soft golden eyes. He keeps looking as his hand keeps me steady. With every breath, I can feel my body calming down.

When I'm finally myself again, he lets go and leaves the room without another word. That…was strange. Did he just…comfort me? Well, at least he calmed me down. That's very nice of him. But…why would he just leave after that? Ugh, he is so confusing sometimes.

I exit the garden, noticing there are only three rooms left. The first room has the silhouette of a dancing lady on it. Not hard to figure out whom this room belongs to.

I haven't seen Noriko yet, so I don't know if she knows about her lab yet, but I'm too curious to keep away. I gently push open the door. Try, rather. But no matter how much I push or pull, the door refuses to open.

"Christ, why is every place locked here?"

"I can answer that!"

Turning around, I am greeted with Monokuma standing next to me. The incredible height difference makes him look more harmless than usual, but I can't stop myself from stumbling back anyways.

W-when did he got here!? Another one of his teleportation tricks?

"To answer your question, talent labs can only be unlocked with their owner's Handbook. Not just that, but when you find your talent lab, you can also lock it! Upupu, seems you haven't found yours yet. What a pity…"

I gather up my courage and stare him down. "So, you're saying it's locked because Noriko hasn't opened it yet? I know enough. Waste of time. Now shoo."

"Aww, you want me away so badly? But I'm supposed to be the series most lovable character! What did I do wrong? Is it the violent nature of this game I'm encouraging here?"

The amount of sarcasm that drips off my words is enough to fill an ocean. "Nah, noooo waaayyyyy…"

He doesn't give a bother. He claps his hands together like a ninja from a very long manga series. "Alright, time to make a change! Hiyyyyyaaaaaa!"

His red eyes glows ominously and I keep my distance, fear crawling into my throat, scared whatever he might pull—

BLEEP. BLEEP.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Alright, that should do it! New rule added: locked rooms may not be broken into. This will keep you vandals from breaking doors and stealing other people's stuff! There, my popularity rate should grow now. Well, happy killing!"

And with that, he disappears, leaving me stunned silent for a few minutes.

…What the fuck just happened?

Shaking my head, I redirect my attention to the door next to Noriko's lab. It has a picture of a microphone. If it's not Noriko's lab, what kind of room is it? Ekorin's, maybe?"

I swing the door open so I'll know just how wrong I am. And indeed, like I guessed, it's not Ekorin's room. Unless you call a recording room with music instruments her room. Microphones in every shape and size are standing in place, the walls are soundproof and there are even cameras and a video player to film and play whatever you want.

Softly whistling at the expensive equipment, I walk into the recording part and run my hand over the wall. "Wow…how much must this have cost?"

"More than I'll ever be able to afford."

Shinri is standing behind me, eyes sparkling and mouth wide open, though that last bit is a guess, as his facemask is covering the bottom half of his face. Despite that, he is looking around in wonder.

"Just imagine all the things you could do in this place. Music, filming, maybe even gaming if I manage to bring my game station here…this place is incredible."

It's like he is a little kid in a toyshop. Every crook and nanny is carefully examined. His glasses are fogging up from all the excitement that is going through them. When he takes a break from looking at an expensive camera to clean his glasses, I take the chance to ask him about his health.

"Feeling a bit better now?"

He blinks at me for a moment, and then puts his glasses back on. "Oh, yeah, I guess. Still feeling a bit iffy, but nothing I can't handle. I don't think I'll stay for too long here. I'll probably go back to my room soon. I'm just here for the recording studio Ekorin told me about."

She probably decided to check on him.

"Is Rea still tied up?"

"As far as I know, yeah. Last time I saw her, Hanako and Noriko were discussing on what to do with her. From what I could hear, Noriko wanted to allow Rea to her room, while Hanako argued she couldn't be trusted."

Sighing, I throw my arms into my neck. "No real surprise here. Don't think anyone knows how to deal with someone like her."

Suddenly remembering how Yoru was supposed to bring food, I eye Shinri with worry. "Did you see Yoru on your way?"

His forest green eyes look away. "Yes. In fact, he was the one who brought me food. He sounded very…off…when he knocked on my door. I got curious, so I opened the door a little…and…well…he isn't doing too well. He looked just so lost, as if the last pillar that supported him just crumbled beneath his feet, leaving nothing but misery and fear."

Damn. I hope Rea didn't go too harsh on him. The poor kid is already struggling; he doesn't need this.

Shinri continues on. "I felt something was wrong, so I asked if he wanted to talk. But he said he didn't want to disturb a sick person, so he left. He already dashed out of the dormitory before I could stop him. It was useless to follow him and I didn't feel fit enough to deal to deal with either Rea or over-protective moms Noriko and Hanako."

I snort, but there is too less humor in the conversation to break into a smile. "Shit, I hope he doesn't get as bad as Masato. I don't think Yuyami can deal with two suicidal boys."

Shinri's eyes widen when I say it. "A-are you serious? Is Masato really that bad? I know he isn't himself after what happened to…you know…but I didn't think…"

Flinching back, I'm at a brief loss for what to say. But he continues staring at me, demanding answers. I can't find it in myself to lie. "He tried to drown himself earlier in the bathhouse. It's a good thing Yuyami and I were there to save him…"

He looks away, frowning deeply. "Jesus Christ…I'm happy Yuyami's around to keep him alive."

"Yeah…"

Awkward silence hangs in the air between us. Shinri cleans his glasses while I play with my hair. When he has put them back on, he carefully meets my eyes, almost as if asking for permission. "Um…I heard the next room has a library. Haven't seen it yet, but…"

I sort of get the awkward hint that continuing the conversation may not be ideal right now. I nod and try to give him a smile.

"Oh, I'll check that out then. Have geeking out here."

My joke is met with a chuckle. "Alright, see you later."

I leave the studio and the awkward air within behind and head for the last door.

This door is different. While all the other doors were simple wooden doors like you would find anywhere else, this door looks like it came from a royal palace, so grand and detailed is it. The wood is a beautiful deep color, with flowers and animals carved in it.

Already impressed by the door itself, I open it and step inside.

It's dark, but it's clear the original owners of this building did not want to miss out on any books. Bookshelves reach to the ceiling, stacked with all kinds of books. In the middle of it, there are a few tables and armchairs. Only one lamp illuminates the room and it is sitting right next to the armchair Isamu is sitting in.

He is quietly reading in a thick book, occasionally making notes in the notebook I gave him. There is an aura of concentration around him I don't wish to break, so I just grab a random book and position myself in another chair. He doesn't notice, or he just doesn't care.

It's a book about lock picking. And to be honest, it's more interesting than I thought. Soon, I'm so engrossed in it, I barely notice Hanako walking into the library and having to be shushed by Isamu. She leaves soon after, while I continue the chapter on the difference between newer and older locks.

Time passes, until my stomach starts screaming it's time for lunch. Isamu looks up annoyed from his book.

"Do you mind?"

"Yes, because I can totally control my hungry body."

He just rolls his eyes and goes back to reading. I put my book aside on a nearby table and get up. Just as I crack my stiff shoulder, I see the book Isamu is reading looks old. It has a red cover and the pages are almost falling out of it. Curious, I approach.

"What are you reading actually?"

The eyes that look up from the words in black, almost faded ink are very annoyed. "Just a collection of 18-century poems. Now, do you have anything else to say or will you finally leave me alone?"

I shrug. "I'm pretty sure it's time for lunch. Are you coming?"

The answer is short. "No."

Sighing, I roll my eyes and decide he is a lost cause.

But just before I turn around, my eyes fall on the cover again. "The Tragedies of History and Fall of Humanity."

That's a strange title for a collection of poems. And looking closer, it seems more recent than I thought. Did Isamu…lie to me? Or is it just some pretentious 'gloomy' book that recently came out as a bundle of old poems? Rewrites and collections exist. Although…

My stomach warns me again and I drop the subject. I'll come back to it later…

To my surprise, I'm pretty much alone in the cafeteria. Only Yuyami and Toshiya are eating. I go into the kitchen and make a sandwich for myself. I don't bother to go back and just eat in the kitchen, getting a glass of milk to go with it. When I finish, I look at the clock.

There is still quite some time before it becomes nighttime. Maybe I should do something.

FREE TIME

It's time for the FTE's again! Please leave a comment on which person you'd like to see more of! Stay tuned!