The last two FTE's before the plot thickens!

Nothing.

There was nothing.

I'm drowning in nothingness.

No anger. No sadness. No pain.

Just…nothing.

I wake up with cold sweat. W-what was that? That…was disturbing. The feeling of…well…feeling nothing is pretty dawn scary. Why am I remembering that? Why is that showing up in my dream?

"…I have to start investigating. Right now."

To avoid Noriko's wrath, I first make sure I don't smell by taking a shower and putting on my new clothes.

I wonder what kind of crazy thing is going on in the cafeteria now.

As I approach the cafeteria, I fully expect the place to explode with arguments, swears and noise. But, to my surprise, it's silent. Dead silent.

Rea is still there, but half the class is glaring at her and Tomoe is watching her like a hawk. Homura occasionally glares at Yuyami instead of Rea, and he glares back. Noriko is trying to juggle watching Homura, Yuyami and Masato. The rest is silent, either unwilling or afraid to break the silence.

I don't know whether this is better or worse than yesterday. I notice Hanako filling up bowls with miso soup and stop by her to fill mine.

"You could cut the tension with a knife." I mutter to her.

Hanako winces. "Yeah…they're still fighting. But, at least they're not attacking each other…"

A chair scrapes over the floor. "I'm about to change that."

"Homura, no!" Noriko snaps at her. "It's doesn't matter how much you hate Rea, violence isn't going to solve our problems."

She cracks her fists. "It's certainly going to solve mine."

Yuyami immediately gets up. "Dude, you're acting like she's gonna care. Punch her all you want, but that won't shut her up."

"The only thing you will accomplish is rifling yourself up even more, which is exactly what a troll like Rea wants. You're setting yourself up for manipulation." Mizuki calmly says.

Homura glares at Rea for a moment, but then settles down. "Fine. But don't think you're off the hook, bitch. I've got my eye on you. The moment you do anything shady, it's lights out."

I am very tempted to shake my head in bewilderment. But, this has become normal for me.

"Jeez, what a mess." Hanako mutters.

"I'm surprise you're not trying to kick Rea." I quip.

"Believe me, I want to. But I've got better things to do right now. I'm leaving the threatening to Homura. I'll be fine as long as I don't get pissed."

"Aww, are you afraid of me?"

Hanako slams the bowl of miso soup so hard in front of Rea that its content splashes all over her.

"See, I've got better things to do, like replacing that bowl."

Well, I probably shouldn't argue with her.

Yoru, deeming it safe to speak up, asks: "does anyone have any fun plans for today?"

"Punch Rea."

"Homura!"

"Chill, Noriko, I'm joking."

Ekorin claps her hands together. "I know! We could have a ball tonight!"

Isamu raises an eyebrow. "A ball?"

"Yes! After seeing Yurika yesterday with such a cute dress, I asked around and learnt that everyone has formal attire. We could wear such attire to a ball we can organize. It will be delightful!"

Shinri's voice is muffled under his mask. "Absolutely not."

Yuyami rolls his eyes. "Ew, pass. Like I'm gonna go to some girly dress-up party."

"I think it's a good idea. We could certainly afford to release some tension." Toshiya smiles as he says it.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna bodyguard for that." Tomoe growls.

Murmurs fill the room. A ball? Yeah, not for me. Dancing's too exhausting. Although, if we could get Kumachrome to cook for us again…

The sweet thoughts of fresh, warm chicken nuggets are irresistible. I am getting hungry just by thinking about them. Which is probably a sign I should start eating breakfast.

"Alright, settle down everyone."

Noriko clears her throat as everyone looks at her. "I get everyone is a little worked up right now. How about we stall this idea until dinner? In the meantime, we can give it all a little thought. Maybe we won't set up a ball, but a party sounds fun. Let's think about this a little more and discuss it later. Everyone dismissed."

Some people are still grumbling, but at least everyone seems to be okay with stalling. As I eat my breakfast, more and more people leave the cafeteria, until I'm all on my own. Well, except for Noriko, who scolds me for not cleaning up my plate.

All right, if I want to start investigating, where should I start?

The library seems the obvious choice. There are hundreds of books, and I'm sure I can find some information on it. So, my first stop is the library.

Rows upon rows of books line the walls and bookcases create almost a labyrinth of wood and paper. I glance my eyes over the backs of the first row of books.

"Murder in the Senate, Lullaby of Death, Sweet Dreams Sheep…why are there so many murder mystery books?

…Oh, duh.

I tear my eyes away and try another bookcase. This one seems to have books about survival. Books about tying knots, making fires, building traps, basic self defense, setting up camp…

For a moment, I consider opening a book about lock picking to find out what's behind those closed doors, but then I realize I'd probably just end up pissing off Monokuma. And that's the last thing I want.

Isn't there any kind of book about the history of this detention center or whatever?

I stop in my tracks. Of course not. Why would Monokuma leave behind such obvious clues? He already stocked the library with books about murder and survival, what's to say he didn't remove any he didn't like?

"Jeez, what a waste of my time." It's better to report back to Toshiya and ask him for help. I leave the library behind me.

"Hope he's in there…" I mutter as I approach the dormitory.

My heart sinks as soon as I open the door. Rea and Mizuki are sitting by the table, the former looking bored at a military book and the latter reading through a scientific paper. As soon as Rea sees me, she brightens up and gives me a big smile.

"Yurika!"

"Nope, fuck this."

I close the door and go the other way. Like usual, the Kumachrome Shop is empty, safe for Kumachrome himself, looking just as bored as Rea did.

"Welcome to the shop, what the fuck do you want?"

I ignore him and instead roll a Kumacoin into the Monomachine. A safety pin rolls out. I stare blankly at it.

What the fuck? Okay, who in the world would like a safety pin?

With the nagging voice in my head saying it probably means Noriko, I step outside and look around. Hanako seems to be free of her duty and jogs around, Noriko takes the time to practice dance moves and Yuyami is napping in the sun.

I'm almost tempted to head for Noriko when someone slings an arm around my shoulder.

"Hey nerd, whatcha doing?"

Homura gives me a grin. One that says trouble is coming.

"Not much, maybe talking to someone."

"Boring."

Just as she lets go, something in my head reminds me of a fact. Don't punkers use safety pins in their clothes?

"Would it still be boring if I were talking to you?"

"Eh, probably. But if you're that desperate, then at least choose a cool gal like me."

Well…might as well give it a try.

"Accepted."

She flashes me a grin. "Come on, let's shred some air guitars or something."

We spend the time listening to rock music in the recording room and playing air guitars. Ekorin comes in once to complain about the noise and our barbaric choice in music. Homura just shrugs it off. I think we have become a little closer.

I should probably give the safety pin now.

When she takes it, she bursts out laughing. "I don't know whether you're a genius or ignorant. I'll go with genius for now."

Nice, she likes it!

When we take a breather from our made up concert of rock and metal, I decide to just go for it.

"So, uh, how did you become a glassblower in the first place? It's not exactly the first thing I think of when I at look at you."

Homura looks at me in amusement. "Are you dissing my style?"

"No, not really. But I get more of a rocker vibe from you than a glassblowing vibe."

She snorts. "I'm disappointed the fire motif isn't tipping you off. But, even if it didn't, my hobby doesn't dictate my clothing style. And I have more than one hobby."

I eye her interested. "What more do you do then?"

"Eh, not much. I play air guitar, do a bit of karaoke, listen to rock, rebel or hang out with my gang…"

"You have a gang?" I don't know if I should be surprised or not.

"Yup." She laughs. "But we're not yakuza or anything. We just come together, complain about society, eat some chips, laugh and occasionally group up to protest."

I cross my arms, but keep a cheeky grin. "Peaceful protests, I hope. Or is that why you're here."

"In a nutshell, pretty much. We usually have very peaceful protests, the worst thing I got was a fine when I tried to take my top off during a protest, but aside from that, we were pretty chill."

Her casual grin slowly morphs into a frown. "But yeah, one time, it got out of hand. I guess I was more pissed off then usual. Ended up starting a few fights and destroyed property. Next thing I know, I'm behind bars. And I considered myself lucky. My friends also got arrested, but since they weren't 'talented', they didn't get the chance to undergo rehabilitation. They're either in jail or doing community work."

"Lucky you then."

The smile she gives me is sadder than her usual grin. "Well, so far, that 'luck' hasn't gotten me very far, now has it?"

I can't muster up to return the smile. "Yeah…"

The two of us sit in silence. It…feels a little unnatural, considering just how loud of a personality Homura has. It compels me to say something, anything.

"Do you…miss them?"

She glances over to me, but then turns her eyes away. "How can I not? They were my family in times my own family failed me. So yeah, I miss them a lot. But, if I'm really honest here, I'm happy I am the one who ended up here."

Chuckling when she sees my look, she explains. "I'm not saying I want to fucking die here. It's just that if any of us had to go to this place to die, I'm glad it ended up being me instead of some of the others. Those pussies wouldn't last a second out here. I at least got a better chance here. Not that anyone deserves to die, but you know…"

I smirk. "I wouldn't be so sure about Rea."

"Oh, can it already. Sure, I'm pretty explosive on her ass, but not even she truly deserves death. Humiliation? Sure, but death? I'm not that vengeful. And I shouldn't be."

Defeated, I roll my eyes. "Well, if the queen of getting angry says so, I guess I should obey to her wishes."

She lightly punches my arm. "Bitch, please."

We laugh together. It feels nice. I suppose Homura is really just happy her friends are in safety. I hope my friends are in safety too. If I have them…

There is more to Homura than I thought. And she is leaving me with more questions than I think she realizes. Still, I think I have learnt more about Homura today.

We end our conversation with a few more light punches and some friendly curses before I head down to the dormitory.

To my annoyance, Rea is sitting near the door to the dormitory, weaving and grinning at me when she sees me. I immediately turn around.

Let's see if I can get something else from the machine.

I roll in another coin and out pops a nice-smelling body lotion.

Lets see…there are multiple people I can give this too. I'll just step outside and see whom I run into.

So, I exit the Kumachrome shop and look around. And, well, I don't run into someone. Someone run into me.

"OUT OF THE WAY!"

"AHHH!"

CRASH!

"Not again…"

"That's my line…" I mutter.

Hanako looks up sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Should have seen where I was going."

"It's okay. I was kinda hoping to run into someone, but not like this…"

She ponders for a moment and then beams. "That's right! You usually try to find someone to talk to during this part of the day!"

Has that become a habit already? Sheesh, to think I used to be an introvert.

I don't get any chance to make a point though, because Hanako suddenly lights up. "That's right, we still have the training pact! We haven't even truly started on that yet! Now seems like the perfect time, so let's start!"

"Wait, no, don't—"

It's hopeless. Hanako hauls me to my feet and immediately drags me away to begin our workout. Before I know it, I'm running around in circles, desperately trying to catch my breath. No matter how bad I'm doing though, Hanako still cheers me on. I suppose we got a little closer together.

"Alright, I think we should call it a day."

"Thank fuck…" Is the last thing I say before I faceplant into the ground. Hanako giggles. She offers me a bottle of water and I gratefully take it. When I finish drinking, I decide now is the time to give her the body lotion.

"Aw, that's very sweet. Thanks!"

Well, looks like she's happy.

As I revile in the fact I can finally rest, Hanako giggles as she gives me some advise.

"You still need to do a cool-down before you go and take a shower. If you don't, you'll have more muscle strain in the morning. Don't forget to drink lots of water too!"

I give her a light smile. "You're really mothering, eh? Didn't really expect that."

She shrugs. "Eh, if most people can't take care of themselves, I guess I'll just have to step in. I'm used to it anyways, so it's not much of a deal to me.

Oh?

"Used to it? Did you take care of others before you came here?" I ask her, a hint of curiosity in my tone.

"Yeah, that's what happens when you have three younger siblings. Mom and dad both work, so I have to take care of the brats when they're not home. I'm also expected to go to my grandma whenever I can, since she's too old to fully take care of herself. And dad had some health problems in the past, although he's been getting better."

Wow, she's taking care of three siblings, her grandma, and herself? No wonder she often sounds so mother-like. Talk about busy.

"No wonder you had no time to join the track team. School and homework already take a lot of time, I can't imagine having to take care of other people on the side too!"

Hanako laughs. "Yeah, I'm still surprised I managed to get this far with just running doing daily chores. Guess I just won the lottery on that one."

Remembering something she said to me earlier, I frown at her. "But how did you make time to get not one, but two part-time jobs?"

Her smile leaves her face. "Like I said, my father got health problems a few years back. A total burnout. He had to stay home, but like me, he hates doing nothing, so he starting taking care of my siblings. That gave me time enough to try my hand at working jobs. Y-you know, for the future!"

"You're very responsible." I note. She immediately brightens up when she hears that.

"Thank you! That means a lot to me! I love helping around, so I try to help everyone here as well, even that jerk Rea, unless she is planning a prank again, and it's really nice to hear someone call me responsible! Can you even believe the nervous of some people? Calling me some ditsy shojo protag-fuel, hmpf, I'll show them! I've done more at my age than they did, even with my bright pink hair, which I can't do anything about. It's not my fault everyone calls me cute!"

Heh, now she's just like when we first met again. Wanting to be seen as more than her looks. I guess I can sympathize on that front.

"If I'm totally honest, I'm far from responsible. But, if there is one advice I can give, is that you shouldn't overdo it. You already work hard, don't do more than you're able to." I tell her with sincerity from the bottom of my heart.

She blinks at me a few times, but then she nods. "Yeah! I've seen it myself, overworking isn't good. But, that's why I run too. To clear my mind and train my body."

"That's great, but resting on the couch is also really relaxing."

"Not when there are three tiny demons screaming for you."

We laugh, and even though I feel like there is more to this story, I decide to let it rest for a while, like my body. I think I have learnt more about Hanako.

We tell each other goodbye after my cool-down, and I head for the dormitory to take a shower. This time, Rea is no longer there to annoy me. I head into my room and before I head into the shower, I take out my Handbook.

Homura used to hang out with a group of other rebels and occasionally have peaceful protests with them. However, one time, it got out of hand, with ended with her coming here. Despite that, she is happy she is the one to be stuck in this death game. She clearly cares a lot for her friends.

Hanako is very responsible because she had to take care of her three siblings and her grandma. She loves helping people and likes to be complimented for her responsibility. However, she is so busy, I'm worried she'll end up burned out, like her father.

I close the Handbook and take my shower. When I turn off the shower to dry myself, the monitor switches on. Monokuma beams at us.

"Hello my sweet inmates. I have something very important for you! Please head for the gym straight away! Make sure you aren't late~"

I wonder what he wants now…