For the rest of the long evening, Kiyo wasn't very focused on finding a place to spend the night.

If we're killed by crossing the threshold, he worried, how are we supposed to find out anything about this world? There's nothing to be found in the school.

"Hey," Mondo said, snapping Kiyo out of his thoughts. "What's up?"

"Huh?" Kiyo asked. "Nothing. You know, besides what the rest of you are going through."

"Which… yeah, I guess isn't good," Mondo said, nodding. "Hey, you alright?"

Kiyo nodded slowly. "It's just… how are we supposed to get out of here if we're trapped in one place?"

"No freakin' clue," Mondo replied. "Maybe there's another way out that doesn't involve crossing the threshold?"

Kiyo shrugged. "I have no idea. If I had to guess, the threshold is surrounding the school completely. Unless there's a gap or something, we're stuck here."

"That's awful pessimistic of you," Mondo commented. "Taka wouldn't like that."

Kiyo shook his head. "Well, it's not like we have much to be happy about," he said, holding up his hand and listing their various problems off on his fingers. "We're trapped in a strange world, a girl fell off the roof and died today, Kaito is here now and I have no idea how or why, and now we can't even leave the school without painfully disintegrating. What are we supposed to do? How am I— how am I meant to—"

Kiyo stopped himself, subconsciously smacking his hand over his mouth. What was he thinking?! He had almost given away his secret, and for what? Some petty complaints?

"You good?" Mondo asked, noticing Kiyo's tension.

Kiyo nodded. "As good as I can be."

Mondo crossed his arms. "Riiight."

Kiyo stood up. "Don't worry about me, Owada-Kun. I'll see you later."

Before Mondo could protest, Kiyo walked away, hoping to find something useful.

"Korekiyo. What are you doing?"

Kiyo looked up. Oh, come on… not now…

"Can you hear me, Korekiyo?"

Kiyo sighed. "Yep. Loud and clear, sister."

"Oh! Good! Now, what are you doing? Why are you just sitting here like a lazy cat?"

"Well, it's been a long day, and—"

"Have you forgotten your mission?"

Kiyo flinched. "N-no, of course not. I'd never forget someone as important as you."

"Good," the voice in Kiyo's head crooned. "You had me so worried. Now, then, if you remember, why have you not been trying to complete it? There is a great abundance of teenage girls here."

"W-well," Kiyo explained. "I-I'm not sure if they would, y-you know, make good friends. I don't know any of them."

"Then learn," the voice said sternly. "It shouldn't be too hard for an anthropologist such as yourself. Unless… y-you don't care about me anymore?"

Despite his sister just being a voice, Kiyo could practically see the disappointment on her face, the worry that he had forgotten her. He couldn't stand it.

"Of course I care!" Kiyo urged. "Don't be upset! I would never leave you all alone!"

"Well, then, complete your mission, Korekiyo! I know that you've been hesitating! You've been putting it off!" the voice cried. "I don't want to be alone here! Please, I can hardly bear it anymore! I need friends! I need friends or you know what will happen!"

Kiyo flinched at the outburst. He still wasn't fully convinced of his sister's claims of what would happen if she ever got too lonely, but he hated, no, despised hearing her in such despair.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said. "But I… you know…" he finished his sentence in a whisper that even he could barely hear. "I hate it. I hate killing people. I…"

Kiyo trailed off, waiting for an 'I understand', a protest, anything, but his words were met only with silence. "Sister?"

Silence. No words. No sound at all. Just… an empty, deafening, pounding silence.

"Heeeey! Shinguji-Chan!"

Kiyo looked up. Kokichi was standing over the desk where Kiyo had fallen asleep, frantically drumming on the fake wood with his fingers.

"What?" Kiyo asked. "Is something wrong, Oma-Kun?"

"Come on!" Kokichi shouted. "We have to get down to the gate!"

"Huh?" Kiyo asked. "Why?"

"It's around the time the school day starts here! We can't just already be in! It'll raise suspicion about us, and that's never good. 'Cause if we get kicked out of school—"

"I know, we're dead meat," Kiyo finished. "How do you know so much about—"

"It doesn't matter right now!" Kokichi snapped. "Now, come on! Come on, before everyone gets here!"

"And so, that's why the answer is…"

Kiyo didn't know why Kokichi had insisted everyone go to class. They were ultimates, dammit. They should probably already know all of this. Yet, Kokichi had been so vehement about the group fitting in with the rest of the students that none of them had seen much of a point in arguing.

Ironic, wasn't it? The one person there who nobody trusted, the one person who seemed to take enjoyment in seeing people suffer (except, maybe…), was leading them, he was making sure none of them were hurt. Maybe Kiyo had been too quick to judge the boy? No, that couldn't be it. He was an expert at reading people. Kokichi was probably just doing this to make things more… ugh… 'interesting'.

"Shinguji-San!" the teacher shouted. "Just because you're new does not mean you get to slack off and daydream! Face to the front!"

Kiyo's attention snapped to the front of the room. "Sorry, Ma'am."

The teacher crossed her arms. "Alright, I suppose it's fine," she said. "Just pay attention next time."

Kiyo relaxed. Everything was fine. He wasn't in trouble. No expulsions today.

After a long day of sitting in class doing basically nothing, the group met up on the roof. Well, except…

"Where's Oma-Kun?" Kiyo asked exasperatedly.

Kaito shrugged. "Dunno." Kaito paused briefly to cough before continuing. "He said he didn't feel safe on the roof. Guess we're doing the meeting without him."

"'Kay, then!" Ibuki exclaimed. "What are we gonna do?"

"Well," Fuyuhiko said. "Maybe we could get to know some of the other students. See if they have any information."

"Also," Kaito added. "It would be nice to make some new frie—"

"No."

"Uh— what?" Kaito asked. "What's wrong with meeting new people, Shinguji-Kun?"

Kiyo shook his head. "It's a bit of a long story. But I can't get to know anybody. You guys can, but I can't. I hope you understand."

Everyone stared at Kiyo, confused. And he hated it. He hated letting them down like this. He hated it, hated it, hated it! But the more he thought about it, the more he just didn't want to. He loved his sister and all, but he didn't want to kill for her. It was a wonder the pull from both sides of his psyche hadn't torn him apart yet, hadn't forced him into doing something he'd regret, hadn't—

"Shinguji-Kun?"

Kiyo jolted from his thoughts and saw Taka waving his hand in front of his face. "Earth to Shinguji-Kun! Are you still with us?"

Kiyo nodded slowly. "Of course," he said. "I'm just… really socially awkward. I was kind of having flashbacks to all of the times I embarrassed myself."

Geez. That was the worst lie Kiyo had ever heard. Just hearing it embarrassed him. More embarrassingly, it had come out of his own mouth. Kokichi would be very unimpressed, Kiyo thought. Either that, or he'd be laughing hysterically. Knowing him, probably both.

"Oh, I see!" Taka exclaimed. "Well, then, I won't make you go outside your comfort zone!"

Kiyo breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Ishimaru-Kun. I'll see you later."

"Later!" Mondo called.

Kiyo watched as the rest of the group departed, when—

"Korekiyo! What the hell are you doing?!"

Kiyo flinched, and dashed behind the metal boxes that sat on the roof so he could have his conversation in peace. He'd never heard his sister sound… angry before.

"You don't want to get to know more people?! Why not?! Don't you want me to be happy, Korekiyo?!"

Kiyo nodded. "Of course," he whispered, unable to hide the waver in his voice. "Just… aren't there better—"

"NO!" The ear-splitting scream rang through Kiyo's mind, causing him to clutch his head in pain. Since when was she so loud?!

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" the voice cried. "This is the only way I can be HAPPY! I THOUGHT YOU WANTED THAT!"

"Of course I do," Kiyo replied quietly. Or maybe loudly, considering the piercing ringing in his head. "Of course I do. I just can't do this anymore… I can't do it…" The anthropologist took a deep breath, and grabbed onto the box to pull himself up. "I hope you can—"

"SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE COWARD!"

The sudden burst of noise in Kiyo's head knocked him back to his knees, and he found himself face-to-face with the ground.

"I thought you loved me, Korekiyo! I thought you wanted me to be happy! Why can't you just do this ONE THING FOR ME?! Why are you such a DISAPPOINTMENT, Korekiyo?!"

She didn't say anything else. The voice was gone as suddenly as it had appeared.

His sister's parting words echoing in his mind, Kiyo stood up. She wasn't usually like that, not since she'd died. She was only like that when she was really angry. "S-sorry, Sister," he whispered, hoping for a speck of forgiveness in the deafening silence, one beam of light in a void of darkness… but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Kiyo tried to ignore the spike of sadness, the throbbing in his head, and turned his attention to the stairs back inside. Maybe it wasn't too late to change his mind and help the others.

Kiyo just hoped that he could abandon his mission, that the other half of his split psyche would give out… but all he could do now was take a chance.

Author's Note (THIS IS NOT A GOODBYE MESSAGE): Hey, I hope this chapter is good! I haven't been getting that many views or anything, but I'm glad you guys are all reading it! I hope that I've made your day a little bit better with this story. And, if I do, I hope I keep doing so with future chapters as well!

I'm hoping I can get as much support as possible, but hey. More than 140 views is definitely a start! :D