-Omezo's room-

*Ding dong, bing bong*

"It's 7:00 A.M. ya chumps! Get your asses up, I don't wanna hear you crying over the dead either."

No crying huh? I'm sure we've gotten past that point, now it's just wallowing in what we lost... for those that care anyways. Even though I spent a majority of my time expecting the worst, all that happened yesterday hit me harder than I planned. Fortunately, I can find it within myself to continue onwards… it's what Isoyo asked for after all. Speaking of, she mentioned something about the art room… I should check that out.

-Ultimate dorms 1st floor-

This room returned to its normal appearance. It's as if the murder never happened in the first place. However, the images of the statue we all thought was Erena's real body flashed in my mind when I looked up at the chandelier. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Masakado was standing in the center, underneath the chandelier, he looked at me for a moment, smirking for a second. "All that had occured last night had been so detrimental to our sanity, leaving our souls drowning in sorrow and sadness…" He solemnly shook his head. "How could we ever keep Isoyo's promise at this rate…"

I frowned in response. "What gives you the right to make that judgment?" I question with a hint of venom in my tone. "You know full well that the events yesterday were all caused by your indirect involvement."

Not only that, but I don't recall him ever promising Isoyo anything in her last moments.

The cult leader simply tested the points of the bone spikes on his right arm with an expressionless face. "Do you wish for me to feel the crushing grip of guilt?" Kado queried, before flicking his hair, a hint of denial. "If so, allow me to disregard it, as I never intended the result to be what it was."

I firmly shook my head. "Any result that could've happened was never going to end happily," I informed, clenching my fist slightly, shutting my eyes as well. "It was either this or we all die and Isoyo lives with that guilt her entire life, with it possibly breaking her. There is absolutely no justification for what you did, bastard…"

Kado gave me a dark look as he loomed over me. "If you feel that I should be punished, then instead of insulting me like a worthless worm, why don't you actually do something?"

I crossed my arms and looked away. "I don't know what else I can do, I mean, I could end your life, but that wouldn't end well for anyone,"

He almost seemed disappointed by my answer. "By all means, continue to just stand idly by, despising every second of my existence," the black and green haired man said as he whisked me away with his cape of melded bone, brushing by me, not before granting me a callous look behind his shoulder. "Alas, I have no desire to remain in your presence, it reeks of incompetence."

Even if I cannot do anything, I'm sure the others have their own ideas to give that bastard his just desserts. I just wish I understood why he is being this way, it'd make things easier to comprehend.

-Art room-

Seems like most of the others had the same idea to come here. The only ones that aren't here are Kado, Anzai, and Sozen.

Right, Sozen's probably in some medical room on the new floor, if there was one. Either that or he's… passed on, but that's unlikely, he'd be able to make it through even without medical attention…

Focusing my attention of the whole room. I was shocked to see statues of all of us situated around the room, they were just as faithful to us as Erena's was. The expressions on all of our statues' faces were many variations of happiness, excitement, and cheerfulness. Erena and Isoyo's are seemingly talking to each other while sitting closely next to each other while Isoyo is blushing a bit. Anzai, Heikichi, Sukey, and mine are playing some card game over a round table. Kado and Leiko's are both reading some thick book about demons together. Norito's is posed in some fighting stance with a mop as the twins' observed, seemingly judging it. Sozen and Kaiya's were back to back, as if they were two partners in crime, Sozen holding a revolver, and Kaiya wielding some kind of umbrella sword. Arishige's is applying some makeup on Nene's statue's face, whom was smirking at Juro's as it balanced a soccer ball on the back of its left foot's heel.

I was not expecting this to be so elaborate. Where did she find the time to do all this? It has to be that project that she said she was working on. Nevertheless, this is quite the pleasant imagery. It would be a crime to say it didn't leave me with inspiration...

"Well, ain't this fucking cute as shit," Juro said. "I almost feel hella inspired now! And I don't even know what for."

Leiko jabbed a sharp nail at the soccer player with an irritated glare. "Where's your art appreciation sense?!" Leiko accosted, letting out a huff. "This is very clearly showing us the pure sexual tension that we have for each other and that we should just strip down and have an all out orgy."

An awkward smile pulled at my lips. "I surmise that you're just mixing your wildest dreams with reality," I told the raucous demonologist.

"Na uh! My wet dreams only involve sexy demon lords, SDLs for short," Leiko denied, but still beginning to flush with arousal. "None of you, besides Kado, that hunk, have proven to be a SDL... yet."

Emphasis on yet, because that means she may think more of us are… ugh, why do I care again?

Nene let out a small sigh. "Back to seriousness, I believe this is what Isoyo wanted us to see." The fencer observed, thoughtfully looking over the statues.

"It is certainly magnificent how accurate and fabulous everything looks," Arishige complemented, twirling his fluffy white cowlick around before grinning. "I must admit, she is truly an artist of great magnitude that even rivals my own fantisicent cosmetics!"

Here we go again...

Heikichi rolled his eyes. "Enough with the shameless advertisement already," the hacker requested, putting a hand on top of his beanie with an annoyed look. "Can't you tell that we all just don't have time for your products?"

Arishige then looked absolutely offended. "Ah! Well, whatever! I suppose this isn't the proper environment for my attempts to further my company's livelihood and success," The fuchsia haired man reluctantly complied, fanning himself.

An expression of relief filled my face. "About time, that's already progress towards our unification," I said, mildly pleased.

"It is most stunning to see the near unreal recreation of ourselves," the twins commended, offering an unnerving smile as they looked closely into their statues' faces. "She even made sure to give us an unnerving visage."

"Yeah, I feel like if I stared into the eyes of your statues, my soul would be drained every second," Norito ascertained with an uneasy smile. "Isoyo did a pretty amazing job I'd say."

Rikako covered her mouth with her fingertips. "Hmhmhmhmhmm~ now that we've had the chance to observe ourselves in this light…" the bat winged girl began.

"We can sympathize with those that confuse the two of us, it is truly puzzling," Shuuyo finished, lightly pinching her nose with her eyes closed.

"Seeing everyone together like this just seems too unbelievable," Heikichi commented with skepticism. "There's approximately a zero percent chance that Kado or Anzai would ever care to indulge in these activities as they're represented. Not to mention, this killing game just makes trusting anyone difficult."

He is kind of right in that regard. I do find it hard to imagine some of these people in these situations in actuality. It's almost hilarious to witness Kado and Anzai having fun with others, even if I know it's fake. They just don't look natural with such a bright smile plastered on their faces like that.

Sukey pressed her hand on her collarbone, leaning into it."Isoyo may have been overzealous with this creation, but I find it to be very sweet of her and I get what she's trying to tell us," she rested a hand on her dress's collar, offering a warm smile. "This is what she wants our goal to be, to develop trust and friendship with everyone, so that what we see here becomes a reality. While it may seem unlikely, setting improbable goals is part of life, we just need to strive to reach it."

"That ship sailed once this game began," the twins coldy stated, their lips pursed. "And sunk into the everlasting, deep, dark abyss as soon as our dear biologist succumbed to an eternal slumber..."

Norito gave a powerful thumbs up, beaming at us. "It's not too late, I'm confident that with enough elbow grease and soap, we can lift that ship back onto the surface and dust it right off," the janitor said with much confidence.

"Not everyone will be willing to participate," I doubted, running my hand through my dark blue hair. "We cannot expect to be capable of jumping the gun so hastily."

"They will, the instinct for survival is part of the human's genes," Nene justified, looking stoic. "We all should realize the only way everyone lives is if we cooperate against our captor. And guess again before deluding yourself by thinking you can escape through murder. You saw what became of Isoyo, that's what you should fear more than anything, not each other."

Exactly, anyone with half a brain would fear such a gruesome death. The problem is, there will be times where one of us is just pressured and broken by this killing game, to the point where they disregard that fact. Additionally, those that are confident in their skills will believe they will outsmart everyone. I know from my father that you cannot feasibly predict anyone's actions in such a game. Even Monotokage, as a whole new host, is just as unpredictable as the rest of us.

Heikichi tilted his head to the side. "That was well said and all, but there's still a flaw in that logic," the hacker stuck a hand underneath his beanie. "How can you be so sure that Monotokage won't just kill us all if we never do it ourselves? She's not like Monokuma, she may not care enough about entertainment or seeing us fall into despair to keep us alive even if we go against her. Escaping through murder is the only way out that's guaranteed if we pass the trial at least."

I furrowed my brow. "How can you be so sure that she will let you go after you so selfishly escape via murder? As you said, she's not Monokuma, she plays unfairly and her motives are mostly unknown," I countered with reason.

Heikichi looked momentarily unsure. "Well, you one upped me there I guess," the pearl white haired boy shrugged. "Good luck getting everyone to think that way, that'll be just as difficult as beating a boss without getting hit. FYI, I'm not turning my back to anyone just yet."

"That's true, only a few people actually made that promise to Isoyo," Kaiya brought up, a thoughtful expression filled her face. "Yet, Nene was one of them, and that shows that even the coldest of the ice queens can possibly cooperate."

"Something certainly melted her ice, because now she actually cares about us." I commented.

"You know, I think I'll miss her ice cold, femme fatale attitude," Juro lamented, scratching the back of his neck. "I really digged it, you know?"

"Just don't get in over your head about it," Nene apprised, frowning while looking away. "I regret to inform you that I do not consider any of you more than just an ally. Most of you merely proved you have a strong will to survive during that trial, other factors remain pathetic."

That makes things a little more believable in her case. But, the reason as to why she felt the need to promise Isoyo remains a mystery to me… ugh, I just have to know.

"Then why did you go out of character and promise to fulfill Isoyo's request?" I questioned eagerly. "What made her worth that?"

Nene put a fist to her chest, standing up strong. "I value honor more than anything. She had the honor to admit her faults and accept death. So, in my admiration, I felt she deserved to have her promise honored," the blonde bowed her head, closing her eyes, she almost seemed sad. "She… also reminded me o-"

*Breeeeeeeaaaap!* *Breeeeeeeeaaaap!*

I felt my breath hitch sharply at that sound. The wailing siren probably caused some of us quite the fright as we quickly rushed to where it was coming from in a panic. The smell of smoke grew as we got closer to the location of the noise.

-Botanical garden-

The garden was filled with black smoke from the massive, raging flames in the garden. I immediately felt sweat beginning to form thanks to the intense heat of the fire.

Are you fucking serious…? Monotokage straight up went against her own words! Isoyo committed murder just like she asked for! This wasn't supposed to happen after that fact!

"Oh fuck fuck fuckitty fuckin' fuck!" Juro exclaimed while in a panicked state as he paced back and forth.

"Come on, that lizard still began the incineration of the garden!?" Kaiya complained, palming her forehead. "If only I had my ultra water cannon…"

"In hindsight, never trust those with forked tongues," the twins said with a look of contempt.

Leiko rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "Demons will be demons, making everything a living hell," the icy blue haired girl then shifted her demeanor to excitement. "Not that I mind a little suntan!"

"Instead of standing around like idiots, how about you try and assist dousing the flames!" Nene demanded, gesturing us to move out.

We hurriedly spread out and about, Juro and Kaiya found the fire extinguishers and quickly attempted to put out the flames. However, the fire was just too large and had expanded over the entire garden. So, it was to no avail.

This is getting more and more dire by the minute...

Nene grunted in dismay. "Try the sprinklers that are used to water the plants then!" she suggested, pointing at the pipes above the garden. "Follow those to the source!"

I managed to reach some kind of valve on the back wall that appeared to be connected to the pipes above the garden. I tried to turn it, but it was resisting my efforts to turn it, meaning it was probably rusty. Luckily, Nene took over and spun it around effortlessly.

The flames were then completely doused in water from the sprinklers, as Juro and Kaiya helped finish it off. Sadly, there wasn't much left of the garden, it was nothing but ash and charred remains. The sprinklers eventually turned off as we looked at the disaster that was once a lively garden, feeling crestfallen and/or angered.

I fought back the temptation to scream in irritation.

You know, things were starting to look up after the heartwarming scene in the art room. Now this…this effectively cuts our supply of food in half, and not only that, leaves us with little variation in nutrients. Whoever the hell is controlling Monotokage needs to be fucking raked across the coals and ripped to shreds while burning alive.

"Welp, there goes our surplus of food. Meat's the only thing on the menu now," Heikichi joked, not really caring.

Sukey sorrowfully shook her head. "Must this always get more harrowing for us…" the band director's eyes became misty. "Losing Erena and Isoyo was enough already…"

Nene clenched her rapier's hilt in anger. "Tch- I dream of the day I get to rip that robot apart," the fencer threatened dangerously.

I clutched my scarf. "Maybe there's something we can salvage, it couldn't have been burning long enough to destroy all of it," I said with some hope and an anxious look. "Surely, most of the root plants survived."

Norito rubbed his thumb across his fingers. "Unfortunately, Monotokage did more than just light a fire, she also uprooted and smashed everything," the red head bit his lip, glossing over the remains of the place. "There isn't even any seeds. But, at least I have…a new mess to clean up..."

Leiko gave us a dumbfounded look. "Why are you guys getting upset over vegetables?" she asked in disgust. "They only disappoint your taste buds."

Because we are not childish, we understand the importance of all the nutrients...

"We do have some fruits and vegetables in the kitchen, we could use seeds from there, if they are still there that is," Sukey mentioned.

*bing bong ding dong*

"It's 7:00 A.M. Although, I bet that blaring alarm gave you quite the wake up call already! Gahahahaha! Furthermore, I want to see you all in the announcement room ASAP!"

Juro clenched his fists to his sides. "We don't have time for this shit!" the soccer player complained, exasperated.

"Announcements are usually bad, she can't make things worse right?" Sukey mused with uncertainty.

"Only one way to find out. Let's just head over there before she decides to remove the kitchen from existence." Nene suggested.

-Announcement room-

"It's just one headache after another," Anzai announced in annoyance as he entered the room. "Can one of you imbeciles tell me what that blasted siren was about? It interrupted my thinking space."

"The garden is in ashes now thanks to Monotokage," I answered.

"It is the third day, and as she warned, the garden was to be up in flames once this day arrived." Kado mentioned stoically.

"She said only if we never killed," Kaiya said. "And death occurred, unless that was all just a big hoax of a murder."

Kado sneered. "It's possible that she just wasn't pleased since I needed to push things a little," he twirled his dagger around. "A kill isn't the same when the killer doesn't do the deed all on their own, right?"

"Could you just shut the hell up?!" Juro requested in a furious manner.

"Not with that attitude," Kado said with scorn in his voice. "People would be more compliant if you treat them with respect."

"Except, you don't deserve respect," Nene countered disdainfully.

"Whew, it sure is getting hot in here, huh?!" Monotokage announced as she appeared on the stage, seeming pleased with herself.

"What the hell gave you a reason to burn the garden?!" I blurted out in frustration. "Isoyo killed Erena, like you wanted."

Monotokage offered an indignant shrug. "Well, I just thought it was a bit too chilly down here, so I decided to heat things up," the dark purple and white lizard answered, then she looked upset. "I was only giving you comfort… I think I deserve some gratitude from you, kiddos!"

This little pest… I wonder, just how does she compare to Monokuma? Is she worse or better? I'm beginning to lean towards the former.

"You dodge questions just as much as I dodge bullets…" Kaiya observed.

"What do you mean? I've been nothing but completely honest with you!" The lizard exclaimed in bewilderment, before looking menacingly at us. "But, I'm not here to argue with a bunch of disrespectful younguns.' Oh no, I am just informing you about the changes that will be made. Continuing on, there will now be rules in place, so kiss your freedom goodbye. Not only that, but I'm also going to be revealing a few secrets after every trial you survive, because I'd rather not waste them on a single motive, since that's overused."

Great, now we must deal with secrets being dangled over our heads. Some of them may prove to have the weight of a truck. I don't know what I'll do if she drops mine on everyone...

Sukey leaned her head forward into her awaiting palms, shaking her head slowly back and forth. "Looks like things are going to get worse after all..."

Monotokage chortled, lashing her tail around in amusement. "If you think this is bad, just you wait!" the lizard said, raising a claw into the air to obtain our attention. "I'll be introducing tons of new features and twists as well, think of it like difficulty scaling in a video game. Each time you prove to be tougher to beat in a trial, things get more and more torturous! Yahehehehe~ that's sure to outdo Junko's killing game!"

My blood ran cold for a split second.

She's insistent on making this a living hell, tormenting us into murder no matter what it takes. Coming here for safety was a mistake, this is the least safe place on earth now...

"I don't even want to imagine what the killing game's version of the legendary difficulty is," Heikichi commented, scratching his upper lip.

Nene unsheathed her rapier, holding it up straight with both hands, she tilted her forehead towards the blade. "I have proven myself time and time again, nothing you throw at me will break my spirit," she chanted proudly.

"Sure, sure, say that all you want, but even if you're not bullshitting me, the others aren't looking so confident at the moment!" Monotokage said, clearly not buying Nene's miniature speech, as the lizard looked over everyone with a sinister expression.

"You got that right, This shit is fucked enough as it is!" Juro said. "This game is way more grueling than championship league!"

"The future isn't looking so bright anymore…" The twins said ominously, holding each other's hands. "The maw to hell ever opening…"

"In due time, we all will have the strength to persevere," Nene reassured, showing us just how determined she is to follow up on her promise. "For now, I command you to listen to those with a stronger will than you, such as I. Although, I cannot promise my leadership will be the most efficient. A lone wolf can only handle so much of a pack."

She really is taking that promise to the next level… Not that I'm complaining, we need a leader more than anything to elicit some peace in our group. Nene ws just the last person I thought would take that role upon herself. Although, I fully expect Sozen to assist, if he's still okay that is...

"That's fine by me, better than being lost and confused on your own," Heikichi agreed, though it was hard to tell if he was truly being serious. "01001 011001."

Anzai scoffed. "My brain and mentality is worth more than a trillion minds conformed together!" the genius exclaimed proudly, following up with a scornful glare. "I will never need nor want leadership from plebeians."

"Leadership smeadership, I have secrets to tell of! Starting with only three this time around," Monotokage said, sounding tired of all the herioc talk from Nene. "Ahem… Arishige Hashiba's hair is a product of his own creation, or more specifically, a wig." She then quickly rushed over to Arishige, tearing off his wig, revealing him to be completely bald.

Huh… did not see that coming. Honestly, I have no clue what to think of that. I find it funny yet kind of strange at the same. Just seeing his face, combined with the hairless head. Something about it is kind of creepy...

"Ahahahaha~ he was keeping an egg warm underneath that hair the entire time!" Leiko giggled wildly, rolling around on the floor.

Arishige patted at the top of his head as his movements became increasingly erratic. "Hagh! M-my positively fantabulous, beautastic image cannot be shattered like this!" he shielded himself as much as he could, as he became hysterical. " G-give it back you little scoundrel!"

Monotokage looked about ready to bust out laughing really hard as she spun the wig around on he finger. "Gahah! Sure, have it back, skinhead!" she flung it towards the shameful looking cosmetologist.

He caught it, flashing everyone an agitated look. "None of you saw anything! Nothing! You hear me!" he demanded, absolutely furious. "And don't even think about ever relaying this embarrassing and compromising information to the public or I will drown you in perfume! Got that!"

"I think you're overreacting a bit too much there," Kaiya said nervously, trying to offer a comforting smile. "Being bald isn't tha-"

"I said, got that!" Arishige yelled, ragingly pointing a finger at the secret agent.

"Aye aye, compadre," Kaiya saluted, stepping back a ways from the livid man.

"Next, I'll have to expose our resident soccer player, Jurobei Kotake." Monotokage notified, clutching her stomach. "This man sure knows how to take it, as he's a pain loving masochist!"

"Aw god dammit!" Juro sounded more disappointed than angry at the revelation.

"Honestly, that's not really that surprising. He wasn't very good at keeping that a secret in the first place," I pointed out with a slightly amused grin.

"As strange and kind of freaky as that fetish is, it's not something you need to feel terrible about when things such as necrophilia exist…" Sukey offered her support.

Juro laced his hands behind his head. "Exactly, I just take the "no pain no gain" to the next level is all,"

"If you wish to be whipped into oblivion…" Shuuyo started with an alluring gaze.

"Don't be afraid to ask us…" Rikako finished, beckoning Juro over.

Juro went wide-eyed, before twinging in disgust. "Thanks, but I'll have to kindly say hell no."

"At least I understand now why you insist on obtaining my love," Nene mused, playing with her braided mohawk. "I thought you were just astoundingly insane."

No, I think he still constitutes as insane, or at the very least, has a mild case of the crazies.

"Finally, Leiko Yamishiro's demonic signatures are all forged, she hasn't actually met a single demon in her life!" Monotokage examined, raising her hands in the air.

Leiko began to sweat profusely. "No no no… now everyone knows that I'm a pathetic excuse of a demonologist…" she lamented, twiddling with her fingers as she tried to look innocent. "But I swear on my soul that I have met one! Just never convinced them to sign anything…"

"I knew something was fishy when I saw those signatures," Kaiya rubbed her chin. "To give credit where it's due, I am impressed with how good you were at differentiating them."

I was confused when I saw those names in that book of hers, but as far as secrets go, it's not all that bad. It's not like Leiko had much to hide in the first place, I'm more surprised that she had a secret at all to begin with. Although, I'm not sure that discounts the one normal name she had in that book…

"Do with that information as you will, I will be back later to announce a new motive, since I know to expect disappointment from you bozos. Oh, and don't forget to read the rules," Monotokage left with those parting words.

I decided to just get the rules out of the way now.

Rule #1: Violence against your gracious host is strictly prohibited. If you cannot resist the temptation, then Monotokage will turn you into butter.

Rule #2: Damage to any monitor, speaker or camera is also strictly prohibited. Monotokage will turn you to ash if you do.

Rule #3: Breaking into rooms that are locked, by my hand, is not allowed. Unless you want Monotokage to play kickball with your head with some of her clones.

Rule #4: The maximum number of participants you may kill at a time is two. Failure to abide will result in me choking you with your own tongue.

Rule #5: Each floor of the facility will be accessible after each trial, if any participant is found in a district not currently available, Monotokage will promptly blow them to smithereens.

Rule #6: Further rules can be added at host Monotokage's discretion.

I'm just happy they aren't all that oppressive. It actually makes things a little safer for everyone with established rules like this.

"So, Juro's a masochist, surprising no one, Leiko's signatures are forged, and Arishige isn't as gorgeous as he made himself out to be." Heikichi went over what was learned before shrugging. "Not the worst secrets in the world."

"That's not what we should worry about," Norito disclosed, shaking his head. "Now that we know she'll be tossing out secrets like this, those with serious or very bad ones are going to feel pressured into escaping before then."

"Why don't we just tell everyone our secrets now then," Kaiya boldly suggested. "Better to get it out of the way before it becomes a real issue for our sanity."

I firmly shook my head. "It's not that easy, I don't think any of us are so willing, especially when we have no idea what the repercussions will be."

"May I have permission to offer some insight?" Kado piped up, raising his hand as if this was a class in session.

"Fine, make it quick." Nene complied, albeit reluctantly.

"If we all admit to our darkest secrets, it'd be all too easy for us to lie," Kado said, bringing up a rather valid point. "For example, I could just say that I kiss those I sacrifice on the nose like a good mommy, and you'd believe me."

"What kind of madman kiss- actually, that's not really that bad…" Heikichi commented.

Kado grinned menacingly. "After I separate the nose from their face of course,"

He sure loves painting horrific images in our minds...

Norito flinched in revulsion. "Yeah that's more nasty, certainly would believe that you actually do that."

"It seems the case of our deepest secrets warrants discussion for later." Nene scrutinized. "Right now, we still have an entire floor to search for any possible answers or ways out."

"Then let's move out soldiers!" Kaiya commanded, marching out of the room.

-Laundry room-

Pretty much what I was expecting, just a standard laundromat. It matched the theme of the ultimate dorm room outside. There were four dryers lined up along the left wall, and 4 washing machines mirroring them on the right wall. In the back, there was a large container, made of beige fabric, situated underneath a laundry chute. Fortunately, I did not have to bear witness to Erena's body within it. Furthermore, in the middle of the room was a long, rectangular, white table. In the back, in both of the corners, were green cabinets.

"I see that Erena's body has been taken care of…" I realized, inspecting the container meant for laundry.

"Yeah, and I had to clean up the dreaded corpse myself," Norito admitted, looking a bit despondent. "I may be the cleanliness hero, but I've never handled an actual human body before. I don't think I'll ever forget the feeling of a cold, lifeless body, and that expression… it'll haunt me for a long while. At least she's spared of the horrors that may await us."

Sukey offered a look of understanding. "I can imagine, I've already got enough nightmares from that execution…" she said, deeply saddened. "Nobody should have to experience such pain."

If anyone is capable of forgetting that sickening execution, I would love for them to tell me how to wash it out.

"Did you also clean up the rest of the crime scene?" I asked.

"Yep... Monotokage insisted on it, since she wanted to just sit back and relax, and I'd get it done the quickest," Norito answered in a dejected manner. "That is the first time I've ever disliked cleaning in my life."

"You shouldn't have to do all that dirty work," I told him. "We've all dealt with enough crap recently."

Norito waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, it's fine, If I can get used to the acrid smells of an outhouse, and the slimy, moldy, old houses. I'll be able to deal with corpses sooner or later," he said with a hint of confidence.

"Just, please don't overwork yourself, Norito," Sukey said. "You do too much for us already."

"I appreciate the concerns, but we should shift our focus to things like keeping Isoyo's promise, and searching for some alternative to escape," Norito said.

"That reminds me, Sukey, you didn't accept her promise, which I found very unexpected," I mentioned, furrowing my brow.

Sukey was awash with unease. "I just… don't have the motivation or confidence that I could keep everyone in line and unite them," she gave a sullen expression as her limbs went lax. "I would only fail Isoyo…"

Norito flashed her a charismatic smile. "Cmon, Sunny! You are the ultimate band director," he said enthusiastically, draping an arm over Sukey's shoulders, to which she smiled ever so slightly. "Sure, you are used to drawing people together through and for music, but that doesn't change how inspirational you can be, and you're the most capable out of all of us in that regard."

Norito stayed true to the nicknames at least. Sometimes, I wish I could just obtain the mindset of people like him on a whim, since that would make life much more of a blast...

"He's right, I told you that I was a fan of yours, so I know how much you value chemistry, and have shown firsthand that you can unify all manners of people," I added with a smile.

Sukey glumly shook her head. "This is exactly why I fear failing, because I knew that everyone would just rely on me," she hugged herself, turning away from us. "And if I couldn't do it, then we'd all be lost as a result. I've never had to deal with people that are rotten to the core like Anzai and Kado, or just plain outrageous like Leiko, and then you have the fact that everyone has their own interests and motives that aren't even close to mine. Furthermore, I already tried to host a bonding session, but barely anyone cared and it was ruined in the end…"

After that whole spiel about the scene Isoyo created in the art room, she reverts back into this brooding mindset. I'd hate to be on the rollercoaster of emotions she's been dealing with lately, must be nauseating. She's just thinking too far ahead.

I stroked my chin, taking a moment to think. "I see… maybe, starting small would work out better," I suggested. "Clearly, worrying about all the others doesn't help, and convincing them is a challenge."

Norito pumps a fist. "Yeah! We could just make a bit of an arrangement for just the three of us," the janitor said, beaming with positive energy. "Like, we could just hang out and do whatever together 30 minutes before the morning announcement every day. One by one, we could get the others to join in and prove that we can get along. That should revitalize your motivation and confidence and drain out all the nasty memories."

Sukey idly stood in silence for a bit, until she snapped out of her stupor. "That… sounds good actually, and it'd also allow us to counsel each other when the going gets rough," the band composer agreed, her spirits lifting. "Thanks, Nori- Scrubby, for picking up the ball that I dropped."

Norito puffed out his chest with pride. "All in a day's work! I figured my heroic deeds could extend past cleaning, just remember that you always have my shoulder to cry on! I have the absorbency of a sponge when it comes to emotions," he twirled his mop around like a baton, then pointed the handle at me. "And I'm sure the same goes for ol' Ace."

I gawked for a second. "Sure… uh, of course." I agreed with a bit of reluctance.

-Men's locker room-

I had to go through the men's bathroom to enter the locker room, which I assume then leads to the actual shower area. There are more than enough medium sized, red, lockers to use. The floor is made up of many small, square, tiles that had a red and white checkered pattern to it, and the walls matched it, except with larger tiles. The ceiling looked like it was made from metal. There were two, large, recessed light fixtures in the ceiling, one for each side. Directly underneath them were two long wooden benches. There were also two baskets, one with a bunch of different colored towels and the other empty. Not all that extravagant I must say, but who even cares, it's a freaking locker room.

As much as I would love to search each and every locker, I doubt it'll be worth the effort. I'll leave that to someone else more willing.

-Showers-

This place has the exact same type of walls, floor, and ceiling as the locker room. There were 8 shower heads protruding from the left and right walls respectively, lined up, and evenly spaced apart. Of course, there were also two knobs underneath each of them. Leiko was standing over one of the shower heads, but before I could say anything, she whipped around to look at me.

"Whoa there! Seems I spotted a terrible Creepin' Tom, you sly devil~" Leiko wagged her finger.

"Um, n-no, that's not what I was doing, Leiko," I negated, hiding my now red cheeks with my golden scarf. "Don't get the wrong idea."

The demonologist bit her upper lip. "You're the one that has the wrong idea," she disputed, giving me a seductive look and sway of her hips as she walked up to me. "I was not upset at you creepin' I was disappointed that you were doing it improperly. I mean, you must catch a girl when they're in a revealing position. Cause if you ain't getting a nip slip or a full moon, then you're doing it wrong."

If she wasn't dressed so scandalously, it'd be so much easier to deal with this woman.

I am quite confused now. "Alrighty then… I never needed lessons on being a pervert. That's the last profession I'd ever want or need," I told her, with a nervous grin. "I'm just here to look at the area and not at its inhabitants."

Leiko flashed her eyes wide open for a second. "That's a weird fetish…" she mused for a moment. "Anyways, I don't know what you're expecting to find, Mr. Looksalot. This place just has shower heads, knobs, shower heads, tiles, more shower heads, and sometimes water."

I could use some water to splash myself out of this fucked up nightmare… but, that won't happen, I just have to accept this terror as reality...

"I could see as much," I said, my eyes scanning the entire room once more. "I wonder, if this may be one of the few areas where we get some real privacy from Monotokage."

Speak of the devil and thy shall arrive, as Monotokage appeared once more. "Oh, Omezo, you clearly don't know me as well as you'd like," she teased, dissatisfied with my deduction. "Do you really think I'd have that kind of decency? For shame."

I responded with a shrug. "I mean, even Junko respected others' privacy from what I know." I reasoned, remembering what I knew of the first killing game.

Monotokage forcibly crossed her arms. "Bah! Another reason she fucking screwed up her killing game," the lizard spat. "I for one, will not allow any blind spots. I have cameras in every single room, covering every inch. I cannot allow anyone to discuss things or pass information without me knowing about it!"

Alright, I hereby dub thee, worse than that annoying ass bear and mentally unstable woman. Congratufuckinglations Monotokage and whoever is controlling you… you did good.

Leiko purred. "How devious! Do we get bonus points if we give you a show?" she arched her back with an alluring yet innocent look. "Maybe, like real cookies?"

Monotokage shielded her eyes. "Hell no! Seducing me won't work you slut," she insulted, denying Leiko's attempts. "Besides, I won't be watching the entire time anyways, I'll just take occasional glances while listening in."

"I guess that's better than stalking us the whole time," I concluded, then frowned. "Doesn't make it any less uncomfortable though."

"Don't worry, I'll just tell the others that you're packing some real heat! So you don't have to feel so self conscious all the time. Gahahahaha~" Monotokage mocked, lashing her tail back and forth.

I was grossed out by that statement to say the least. "But wait… did she mean that in the event that she saw it or did she already did see it…?" I pondered aloud, then I face palmed in realization that I just said that aloud.

Crap! I just queued Leiko to make some nonsensically pervy comments… I really need to keep my mouth shut sometimes.

Leiko gave me a skeptical glance. "And you told me that you weren't a creepo, but here you are, making me think you are packing some heavy luggage!" Leiko grasped her head with both hands as she looked perplexed. "Stop making me feel these conflicting emotions! Kado has done that enough to me already!"

Welp, that's my cue to get the hell out of dodge.

-2nd floor main hallway-

As the doors of the elevator slid open, I was greeted with the sight of a rather wide, but not all that long hallway. It looked about the same as every other normal hallway in this facility. There was a single door on either side, dead center in the wall. The one on the left led to an infirmary, and the one on the right contained a fencing arena. At the end of the hallway were two double doors with a large neon sign above it that read "Theatre" in fancy lettering. Kind of a drastic change in scenery from what I've seen so far.

So we had some luck after all. There is in fact an infirmary on this floor. Hopefully, that means we won't have to worry about Sozen giving up on us anytime soon.

-Infirmary-

The Infirmary was nothing short of state of the art. It contained a dozen beds, multiple cabinets filled with various medicines and reagents. There were also numerous scalpels, operating tables, X-ray machines, and stretchers. It was fully equipped to serve as a functional hospital. Sozen was sitting up on one of the beds, discussing something with Kaiya.

They don't skimp out on anything huh? Good, we needed something like this.

I decided that I would rather stand idly by as Sozen and Kaiya spoke to one another, as it seemed to be an important debate.

"It is a bit of a gamble, but we cannot allow him to walk around freely," Sozen reasoned. "He has proved to be nothing but a walking hazard for us."

Kaiya nodded in agreement. "I'm with you there, trouble seems to follow him like a man's best friend," she rubbed her shoulder while looking thoughtful. "But, how should we go about this…?"

This has to be about Kado. Guess I should be glad that someone is going to deal with him, otherwise, he may usher our group into a catatonic state.

"Apprehending him is the least difficult option," Sozen answered, closing his eyes. "Luckily, whoever designed my room included handcuffs and shackles, so we can use those."

A doubtful expression flew across Kaiya's face. "I don't know, keeping him locked up in a room seems like a safer option," The turquoise haired girl mentioned. "His words are his gadget of choice right? Better to keep him where his words cannot reach anyone's ears."

"I understand that, except, taking away all his freedom doesn't leave us much room for convincing him to cooperate with us," Sozen rationalized. "Plus, one of us could keep a continuous eye on him."

"Oh, so you're interested in taking Isoyo's request on," Kaiya said, seemingly stunned. "I figured you'd just brush it off as impossible"

"You must've missed my words after that trial," Sozen assumed, a serious expression filling his face. "I stated that I'd make my best effort to unify everyone, however, I did not promise. Furthermore, if it turns out to be a hopeless endeavor, then I will take more serious precautions."

"Huh, well, aye aye captain! I can be your assisting deputy!" Kaiya saluted blissfully. "Now then, how will we chain up our not so dear friend?"

"I don't mean to intrude, but, uh... you do know that Kado possesses a weapon?" I asked, feeling concerned. "I feel like it's important to factor that in your little scheme here."

"Omezo! How could you have so little confidence in the ultimate secret agent and sheriff?" Kaiya queried, sounding offended. "A petty nutjob caught up in his own beliefs couldn't possibly fare well against us, with or without a dagger."

Sozen squeezed his arm. "He has the right to concern," the sheriff stated, sharing my worries. "It's best we don't underestimate Kado's combat prowess. While he may not possess any training, the chance of him striking back, possibly with lethal force, is there. I don't want to be the result of another death."

Kaiya firmly shook her head, frowning at the stoic man. "Nonsense, Erena's death had nothing to do with you. So, you better stop blaming yourself before it affects your mind negatively," she negated, crossing her arms. "Anyways, I guess a straightforward approach is out of the question then."

"All we need to do is get the jump on him," Sozen planned, tapping his shoulder. "I know the proper way to disarm him before he can do anything once he realizes what's going on."

"Right, and I can keep his attention away via the use of my patented cupcake distraction technique!" Kaiya volunteered confidently. "It's surely a foolproof plan."

Sozen gave her a skeptical look. "Do you really believe that Kado, a cult leader with malicious intent and a penchant for manipulation, is going to be distracted by a tiny treat?" he asked, treating the notion as silly.

"Not even a psycho would be capable of resisting the sweet temptation," Kaiya defended, cocking her head to me. "Just ask Omezo!"

"Are you serious?! Why are you comparing me to an insane cult leader?" I exclaimed in bewilderment.

"To be fair, you are one of the more mysterious people here, to us at least," Sozen pointed out, tapping his foot. "We can't exactly knock anything out of the question when it comes to your true intentions."

I rolled my eyes. "I apologize for not being an open book around a bunch of outlandish personalities…" I shook my head and gave them a somewhat honest smile. "I promise that whatever I haven't revealed about myself is nothing to fear. You can count my life on it. Furthermore, everyone has their own skeleton in their closet, so don't hold it against me for keeping a secret or two."

It's just a relation I have to someone else that is well known… for not the best reasons, that's all. It's not anything that would make me kill another over.

"I'll take your word for it, for now. However, as soon as I suspect something's off with you, I won't hesitate accosting you about it," Sozen warned, his deep blue eyes boring into mine, before releasing his gaze. "Getting back to business at hand, I'll trust that you, Kaiya, have the right idea when it comes to a distraction. I'm not sure what Kado's ideas are at the moment, so I suppose we'll take our plan into action whenever we see him next tomorrow. Just, keep whatever you need on you at all times, and try to hide your intentions around him."

Kaiya saluted once more. "Gotcha sir! He'll never see it coming," the agent then left the room in a rush.

"I don't think it's the best idea to attempt this capture in your current condition." I tried to recommend, with a concerned expression.

Sozen let out a deep breath. "I appreciate your concern, but that's nothing to worry about," he reassured, placing a hand over where his wound was located.

"How can you be so confident? I doubt whoever patched you up did a good enough job, as no one here has some sort of medical knowledge." I questioned, showing my doubts.

"That just shows that you're not as proficient at reading people as you're with books." Sozen noted, tapping his arm. "Because, Nene does know a thing or two about patching someone up, even as far as to tell me what exactly my injuries were, none of which were serious. Apparently, part of her training involved such things, and she knows the location of all the organs and which ones are vital, or as she put it, "the primary targets."'

I folded my arms across my chest. "Sounds like she's not the traditional fencer you see on TV, since I doubt they need to know where to stab someone to injure or kill them," I mused. "Regardless, it's good to hear that you'll be able to quickly recover, physically at least. Anyways, I'm going to resume my exploration."

"You do that, make sure to watch your back, who knows what may happen next when you're alone," Sozen recommended as he layed back down onto the bed.

Way to make me more anxious than I already was. If death wants to come for me, so be it...

-Fencing arena-

This room had a bit more of a futuristic tone to it. The most notable thing being the large, square, ring in the center. There were three metal bars guarding each edge, connected by 4 metal posts in every corner. Around the walls were racks of melee weapons, mostly just different variations of rapiers, but there were some others as well. My eye was also drawn to a few human-like robots that were standing in place around the ring, they looked very hi-tech. I am unsure of their use though. One thing's for sure, this room was made specifically for Nene. Speaking of, she and Juro were exploring the area currently.

"Guess our rooms weren't the only thing designed with our talents in mind," I remarked with curiosity.

"I fail to see the utility of an arena in an underground facility," Nene said, expressing uncertainty.

Juro looked dumbfounded at that comment. "What do you mean? I think it's pretty damn rad to have a place where you can do what you love," the spiky blonde haired boy declared in admiration. "Would it kill ya' to appreciate what's given to you?

Nene's eyes flitted around the room. "I see no skilled fighters in this room to challenge to a duel to the death," she stated firmly, her displeasure obvious. "This is just a practice room that is worthless to someone of my calibur. Although, it may provide me with mild entertainment, that of which I've been lacking since I've been down here."

Juro walked up to a humanoid robot that was wielding a rapier. He took a minute to look it over before pressing some unseen button. The machine then activated, it's eyes flashing into a blue hue, as it got into a fighting stance.

"Downloading fighting techniques… … complete, all systems operational," A robotic voice from the machine was heard. "Prepared to duel."

Interesting…they even designed robots for her to fight. They definitely wanted to make this place as appealing as they could to us.

"There you fucking go, you asked for someone to fight and now you have a freakin' robot to take down," Juro remarked, brushing his hands off as if he just did something magical.

"I could imagine that it's a more than worthy opponent, considering the capabilities that robots have," I guessed, rubbing my chin.

"Physically, sure, but a tin can couldn't compare to the satisfaction of fighting and beating a living being," Nene explained, approaching the robot, studying its face. "There would be no mind games, it will just feel unnatural, not to mention..."

Suddenly, Nene stepped back an inch as the robot quickly jabbed at her with the rapier reaching dangerously to her face, it's tip practically touching her forehead.

"Predictable," the fencer then knocked the robotic arm to the side with a single swipe of her own arm, and followed up by shutting down the bot.

Nothing can satisfy this woman… She probably wouldn't even bat an eye if you offered her a billion dollars...

"If that's so much of a damn problem, then why don't you just duel one of us?" Juro suggested.

Nene blinked rapidly. "Would that interest you...?".

"Hell yeah it would! I've always wanted to learn how to fence and shit," Juro exclaimed enthusiastically. "Who better to learn from other than the smokin hot ultimate fencer herself?"

I admire Juro's unbridled determination to steal this ice queen's heart. However, I don't think this'll end the way he wants it to.

"You couldn't possibly put up that much of a fight…" Nene assumed, then crossed her arms while looking away.

"What if I told you I can make you eat those words?" Juro challenged. "And who the fuck cares anyways?! We all need to have some damn fun once in a while. So, why not dedicate some time to push aside all the bullshit we've been dealing with. We all could lighten up a bit from it."

"Very well, I shall participate in this activity with you," Nene complied, seeming like she was satisfied. "You certainly need to learn a thing or two about true strength."

What? Well color me surprised…he got her to listen to him for once.

Juro beat his chest with a single fist. "I'm ready for that, and you know what, Omezo, you'll join us as well!" the soccer player exclaimed, roping me in unwillingly. "The more the merrier."

"Uh… sure, even though it doesn't seem like I have much of a choice…" I said, accepting the unexpected invitation. "I guess it could prove to be amusing and interesting to learn about fencing."

I need to stop letting myself get dragged into everything… but it's too late now.

"Tomorrow, seven P.M. Meet me in this arena," Nene informed. "Furthermore, do not make this a waste of my time, so remember to bring your finest game with you."

"Don't have to tell me twice, I'll bring my motherfuckin' A-game!" Juro shouted with excitement.

I wasn't as hyped. "As long as you're not expecting some miraculous talent, I can certainly try my damndest to compete."

I'm pretty sure Juro is thinking more along the lines of "Kissmekissmekissme please!" rather than actually having a fun time. Whatever, I'm sure it'll be worth something to go through with this.

Nene scoffed. "The thought never came across my mind that either of you would compare to any of the warriors I've fought," she said, judging by her eyes, she was hiding her first, genuine smile underneath those bandages. "Just be prepared to face true terror in the ring."

-2nd floor main hallway-

Approaching the theatre doors, I promptly noticed a long, thin hallway off to the right, inside of the right side wall, it sloped up to a door. That piqued my interest, so I headed up to it, but it had no sign indicating what exactly it led to. However, it did open up much to my surprise.

-Hallway B-

I was now in another hallway that stretched quite a long way. I could tell that it diverges into a different hallway off to the left at the very end. Close to me on the right side was a door that led to a dressing room.

Oh, I think this is all part of the theatre. All the way in the back must lead backstage…Might as well check out everything here.

-Dressing room-

Much like any dressing room you'd find in movie sets and the like, this one was just as fancy and high quality. There are makeup booths, standing mirrors, comfy looking chairs to sit on as you get all the makeup and your hairdo done for the show or movie, sinks, tables with a bunch of makeup kits on them, and desk drawers with a mirror on top of them. Arishige was already rummaging around in this room.

"Finally, a place where I feel closer at home," Arishige commented with glee. "It's positively stupendous, there's so much to experiment with in here."

"Good to see that you're back to your usual self after what happened earlier," I said with a slightly amused smile.

His face twinged in embarrassment. "Ergh, don't remind me of that horrendous moment," the effeminate man requested, cooling himself off with a mini fan. "I've never felt so exposed and ashamed in my entire life."

I furrowed my brow. "You say that, but didn't you tell me all about how horrible you looked in the past? Is being bald really worse than that?"

"In my current time, it is," Arishige responded, flicking his cowlick back. "I have built up a foundry in my fabulous image as what you see now, not as a hairless freak. The repercussions are unimaginable if people find out that I'm just a phony of true beauty."

"I think you're just being too harsh on yourself," I said, trying to reason with the cosmetologist. "There's plenty of bald people that are handsome and beautiful."

That was sort of a lie… but anything to not upset him.

Arishige offered a cocky smirk. "I know that as well as anyone, I've personally made cosmetics that compliment hairless folks quite well," he bragged, then he rubbed his forehead. "But, as you probably noticed, my overall appearance doesn't compliment my lack of hair. Plus, society tends to appreciate luscious locks more than a shiny naked head. So, I require this wig until I can figure out the secrets to 100 percent natural hair growth."

"That would certainly solve a lot of people's problems."

"Exactly, that is the next step in cosmetics, and as the ultimate cosmetologist, it is my duty to guide the industry in that direction," Arishige announced, posing proudly while spraying himself with cherry scented perfume. "Rest assured, no matter your genes, you will get to experience the wonders of flowing locks of hair."

I gave him a small smile. "You know what, I'll cheer you on," I informed him. "This is the first time I'll see eye to eye with you,"

He seemed taken aback by that. Yet, he had a merry expression. "How joyous of you to finally understand my plight!" he then frowned. "Unfortunately for you, I've already renounced my advertising nature while we deal with that putrid, scum of a reptile."

"That's alright with me, I'd rather you keep it that way,"

I sincerely hope I didn't open the doors to something I did not want arriving...

-Hallway B-

As I got closer to another door, I began to hear yelling and loud clunks from the direction the door was in. Naturally, I wanted to figure out exactly who or what was causing all the noise.

I dread that this is a murdering that I'm walking into...

-Prop storage room-

What I saw was nothing short of astounding. Anzai was wearing what looked like steel-plated armor and a long flowing dark blue cape. He didn't seem to notice me, so I observed the rest of the room. There were all manner of props and outfits scattered around. Ranging from weaponry, armor, capes, guns, bows, instruments, etc. To add to that, wooden crates of various sizes were stacked on metal shelves surrounding the back half of the room.

I watched on as Anzai went about the room, acting out some kind of fight. He was even making the pained screams and grunts for the imaginary enemies he was fighting. He was practically dancing around the room, swinging his sword, bashing with his shield, spinning around, kicking, and even tossing his sword and shield around. After about 20 minutes or so, he stopped, heavily breathing from how worn out he must be.

"Haha! Your guards are nothing more than chumps! Childs play at best," Anzai exclaimed cockily, wiping his face off, then pointing his sword at an armored mannequin wearing a crown. "As for you, I, Sir Sadakuno, knight of Malstav, kingdom of vast knowledge, will present your bloody head to the world, and they will all bow down to their true genius overlord! Now, let's dance!"

He spun around quickly, swinging his sword powerfully, using the momentum to cleave the mannequin's head clean off it's shoulders.

Anzai went over to where the head landed and picked it up with one hand. "As expected, I am triumphant once more!" He exclaimed with gusto, raising the mannequin's head up victoriously. "This moment will be remembered for generati- huh…?"

He then finally noticed me leaning back on the wall.

I began to clap rigorously. "That was a pretty good show I must admit," I complimented, nodding my head contented with what I witnessed.

I never thought I'd see such a thing in my life, and boy, was it hilariously entertaining.

He became agitated after he heard that sentence. "Excuse me, what gave you the idea to impede my victorious moment?!" he questioned, stabbing the sword into a crate nearby.

I didn't think that weapon was real at first… jeez, aren't props supposed to be fake?

I shook my head with an amused expression. "You were the one shouting and making a racket, don't blame me for being curious," I teased.

Anzai let out an annoyed grunt. "Aren't you familiar with the saying, curiosity killed the cat?" he cracked his knuckles, giving me a deadly stare, then he just shrugged. "No matter, I won't give you the courtesy of a death by the hands of myself, as I don't wish to dirty my hands with an imbecile's germs. However, I will demand that you never mention this to anyone."

"All you were doing was roleplaying, and doing a fine job at it even," I remarked. "I don't think that ruins your whole "number one genius" image."

I'm going to regret saying that, aren't I?

He threw the mannequin head at the wall, nearly hitting me directly in the face."Do not defy my demands! You simply lack the right judgment, and how could I trust someone so far below my level of intellect?" the genius queried, crossing his arms indignantly.

I have an idea... here goes nothing, time to put a dent into that ego. Maybe… I need to help unify everyone somehow… for Isoyo.

"When you realize that being intelligent doesn't affect your ability to interact with other human beings," I countered, wrapping a hand around the side of my neck. "Because, you certainly haven't made any good impressions since you've been here, despite your so-called superior intellect. This whole roleplaying thing you were doing is the first time I've seen you as human, and I'm sure the others would as well."

Anzai clicked his tongue. "How disingenuous, all of what you said are fallacies, this world only respects top of the line minds! My brain has earned me countless recognition globally, these rewards are not counterfeit treasures after all! And just look at history itself, they only remember outstanding, genius human beings," he clutched his platinum medal, pursing his lips. "All the folks back at home would be disappointed if I stained my image with rudimentary activities such as what you saw."

I nodded my head, but not in agreement. "I see, but why let others keep you from enjoying yourself?" I tilted my head in curiosity. "I guarantee you that if you just ignore your image, life would be so much better."

"My life is already the best it has been and I have only my beautiful mind to thank for it," Anzai cockily smirked, he then jabbed a finger at my face. "But, don't think I don't see right through you. This is just your pathetic attempt to worm your way through my barriers so that you can corrupt me with your filth, so that I join your moronic cult. I have already stated that I do not require allies to survive this killing game."

That went about as well as I thought, I did nothing but chip away at a brick wall. Fortunately, I am able to gather some information from what he said. That being, he must be feeling pressured by someone or something to be so determined to keep up his reputation, to the point where he doesn't allow himself to enjoy things like roleplaying since it's not what he was told to do…

"If that's what you want, then be my guest," I shrugged.

He then swapped to his bruiser personality, putting on the sunglasses. "Now outta of ma' sight foo!" the slate haired man grabbed a nearby glock from the top of a table, he held it sideways aiming it at me. "Before I pop a cap in yo' dumbass!"

I better listen, because if that sword was real, that gun may be as well. No sense in unnecessarily risking my life.

-Backstage-

I walked over to the end of the hallway, and as I assumed, it led backstage to the theatre. It was kind of decrepit looking, with dust particles everywhere. There also wasn't much to look at besides a metal ladder that led up pretty high.

Most likely reaching up to the catwalks that some theatre's have. No sense in not exploring up there.

-Catwalks-

Boy, it is really dark up here. I had to take a moment for my eyes to adjust, even then, seeing was still pretty difficult. I could barely make out everything. There were three long metal catwalks, with near chest high railings. One went directly down the center, while the other two were closer to the left and right walls. I also saw what I presumed to be curtains that hung down the walls, but I couldn't tell what the color was. Upon closer inspection in front of me, I saw a figure that resembled Heikichi, I assume anyways.

"Find anything worthwhile, Heikichi?" I shouted at the shaded figure from the darkness.

The figure swiveled around and approached me. As it got closer, I was able to conclude that it was in fact Heikichi, thankfully.

The hacker began to gesture around the place. "Well, if you look over there, there's some dust. If you draw your attention down here, there's more dust. Above your very head, you will in fact see, dust," Heikichi joked, suddenly, he went wide eyed, turning me to look in a different direction. "Oh! What's that over there, is that… particles that are often referred to as dust!?"

"Thanks for the generous tour, Mr. Sarcastic," I grinned in amusement.

Heikichi adjusted his holographic visor. "You get the idea. The only thing I've succeeded in doing was almost pass out with how stuffy it was when I first came up here," he informed me, waving away all the dust particles, scrunching his nose. "Makes me wish that Norito would have beat me here and cleaned it up."

"If we had actual light, we might be able to spot something…" I commented, looking over the railing. "Meandering about in almost pitch black darkness won't get us anywhere."

I also don't feel like possibly plummeting to the floor below.

Heikichi raised a finger. "Luckily for you, there was an unknown function in our handbooks," he whipped out his handbook, tapped on it a few times and then light erupted from the back of it. "Voila, I have ripped darkness asunder."

I then tried to follow suit, but after fumbling around with my handbook for a few minutes, I decided to give up on trying to figure out where to activate the flashlight. As far as I know, it's not a visible option at all.

"Um… I don't see how to access that function," I admitted, scratching my hair.

He gestured for me to hand my handbook over. "Then hand it over to me and I'll show you how it's done,"

He pressed on the screen, but it didn't seem to work at all, even though it was in fact powered on. "Hmm, this handbook doesn't seem like it wants to react to my inputs at all…"

I reached over and pressed on the options button, and strangely enough, it responded perfectly. "Yet, it worked for me just then, maybe there's some kind of security implemented…" I stroked my jawline thoughtfully.

Out of nowhere, as usual, Monotokage appeared in front of my face, standing on top of the railing.

"Gah!" I yelped in fear, jumping back a few inches.

Fuck, when did this become a horror movie?

"Yahehehe~ don't jump too high, you might fall off! Although, it would've been entertaining to see you flatten against the ground below. I would then have a pancake to go with my butter." Monotokage licked her lips, looking hungry.

That's pretty disgusting to think about...

"Let me guess, you are going to confirm our suspicions of a security function," I assumed.

"Well, I mostly just wanted to scare the life out of you, literally, but you're correct," Monotokage confirmed. "The handbooks only respond to the fingerprints of their respective owner."

"That does make these things harder to tamper with, smart choice," Heikichi commended with a bit of admiration in his voice.

"Glad you agree," Monotokage said, pleased. "I bet you really want to hack into one of them, so I'll just go ahead and tell you that I don't give a damn. All that's at risk is the owner's privacy, so not my problem. Anyways, I'm gonna bounce."

And bounce she did.

"In that case, I could just hack into yours," Heikichi said, messing around with his wrist device. "I've been itching to really flex my talent since I've been here."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine, I'll figure out how to activate the flashlight on my own," I told him. "So, I'll leave the searching to you,"

"Suit yourself dude," he then turned away to walk further down the catwalk.

Alright, just the actual theatre left I believe.

-Theatre-

The theatre was absolutely massive and had quite the extravagant theme to it. The walls had massive, velvety, blue curtains draped over them, and most of the flooring had a black carpet over it. There were probably hundreds of many matching seats that looked quite relaxing. Each row had exactly 20 seats. I was a bit shocked to find that the stage was made of metal though, as well as the floor covering the space between the seats and stage. Maybe, that's because this stage utilizes pyro. I wouldn't know, I've never really been in a theatre this large before. Regardless, this theatre certainly is impressive. I didn't realize till now that the twins were up on the stage with me admiring the place as well.

"It pleases us greatly that such a grand theatre exists in this underground hell," the twins remarked with pleased expressions.

"Perhaps, we may make use of it." Rikako mused thoughtfully.

"Hmmhmhmhmm~ oh yes, of course we will sis," Shuuyo answered, running her hand along one her sister's ponytails.

"You guys have an idea for some kind of show or something?" I asked curiously.

"Possibly, we would take much enjoyment and pleasure out of putting on a terrifyingly…" Shuuyo started in an off-putting manner.

"Outstanding performance for everyone, what good would it be to leave this wonderful stage to the cobwebs?" Rikako queried, tilting her head to the side lightly, with a smile.

"I'd be lying if I said I'm not intrigued by that idea,"

If only to create bonding scenarios for us. Plus, it gives people the chance to take the load off and just relax for a few hours.

"Hmm~ we shall make that idea reality then," Shuuyo said, peering around the theatre.

Rikako leaned a cheek into her palm. "Not before recruiting some of the others, to liven up the show even more,"

Shuuyo leaned close to my right ear. "That said, are you interested in joining us…?" she quietly asked in an eerie voice.

Her sister licked her thumbnail, then trailed a finger around the side of my face, causing me to shudder. "We may have just the place for you in the show…" Rikako whispered in my other ear.

I pushed my way out between them, blushing lightly. "U-uh… sorry, but I'm better off playing the audience role," I tried to dissuade, eager to leave now that things are getting unsettling.

I am reminded as to why being alone with them is not the best idea if you fancy clean dreams. Besides, I know that the others would join in with a little convincing. They don't need me, a lowly novelist, to create a spectacle...

Their expressions softened a bit. "That's too bad… alas, we must plan everything out beforehand," they said with a hint of dissatisfaction. "Then we will bring some much needed thrilling experience in your lives in this dreaded situation."

"I'm sure it will be a soul stealing performance," I remarked, with a half smile.

"It will be nothing less than that, we assure you. Alas, our eyelids are beginning to feel heavy…" Rikako mentioned, rubbing her eyes.

"Therefore, we must rest before our slumber consumes us…" Shuuyo explained, clutching her magenta bow-tie.

"Good idea, it's been a rough day." I agreed.

"Goodnight…" Rikako said, her lips pulling into a fine line.

"Don't let the shadow beast drag you into the depths from beneath the bed," they both said, letting their magenta gaze linger on me as they strolled away, hand in hand. "Hmmhmhmhmhmm~"

That last creepy laugh reverberated throughout the area. Sending a huge chill down my spine.

I hope that's not what they plan to tell their children at night. Otherwise, it'd be bad parenting and child services will be needed.

-Omezo's room-

There was a lot to comprehend today. I'm not entirely confident in what my future has in store for me… I just can't help but feel frightened after what Monotokage said about revealing our deepest secrets, making thing continuously more torturous… Can I really handle it? Do I have the wherewithal to push through? Even then, I worry about everyone else and their thoughts… they must be thinking the same right? Nonetheless, I should get some shut eye, all that walking and talking has worn me out.

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Review responses:

TheRoseShadow21: Thanks! Glad you liked the trial that much, since it was my first one that I've ever written. So, it's nice to know that I'm on the right track.

Katastic Writer: Ah yes, Kado and Monotokage are like two peas and a pod when it comes to being trolling bastards, which is why I adore them! It's good to hear that chapter one did what it needed to do, as I was mostly worried about that more than any future chapters.