Sorry for the slightly late update, but I'm just glad I got this chapter out. Next chapter should take less than a month.

Almost wanted to update yesterday, but changed my mind. Didn't want you guys to think it was an April Fool's prank :PP

Mixed POV this chapter.

"I was planning on giving you the motive tomorrow, but I've changed my mind. Now seems like a much better time." Monokuma declared, putting his paws on his hips.

"Wow. I don't believe you at all!" Kokichi said, smirking vibrantly at the bear

"Of course, you don't! You're such a rascal Ouma! Always getting in the way and messing things up!" Monokuma giggled.

"I'm just enjoying the game Monokuma. So, c'mon, tell us the next motive!"

"Just a moment. This is all too sudden. We- "Kiibo started.

"Shut it, robot." Kokichi snapped.

"I-I just want- "

"It doesn't matter what you want. We're in a killing game. Monokuma isn't finished with us yet. So, deal with it." Kokichi said, giving his voice a hard edge.

He seemed to be only person who actually noticed just how suspicious Kiibo was because of his robotic nature.

Who was the other robot in the killing game…oh right, their captor, Monokuma.

All of his classmates had seemingly accepted Kiibo with open arms, without suspecting him of anything.

It made Kokichi resent them. And sometimes, some of that resentment came bubbling up. He couldn't help it.

"Who knows, maybe you'll be killed next. Cos' you're one of the most stupid and naïve people here." He continued.

Kiibo flinched.

Both Himiko and Miu glared angrily at Kokichi.

Kokichi braced himself, expecting one of them, or both of them, to start screaming at him.

Surprisingly enough, it was Tenko of all people who stepped forward and came to Kiibo's defence.

"You're making Yumeno-san upset. Kiibo is our…friend. Don't you dare hurt him!"

"Kiibo isn't human. His personality is fake. So, there's nothing to "hurt"." Kokichi explained, rolling his eyes.

"If you don't like him, just stay away from him!" Himiko yelled with surprising vitriol.

"I'm just trying to survive, Yumeno-chan. And I thought you were trying to live for Yonaga-chan's sake. I mean, she practically gave her life for you. Are you really going to throw that away by not playing this game properly?"

"I-I wasn't…" Himiko started shaking, tears spilling from her eyes.

"How dare you...!" Tenko growled.

Kokichi smirked at her, happy that he'd gotten under her skin.

"Yeah. Shut the fuck up you little shit." Miu rallied, putting a comforting hand on Kiibo's shoulder.

Kiibo perked up, managing a wobbly smile.

Good. I need people to hate me. Kokichi thought, looking at Monokuma.

The bear was leering at them, enjoying their suffering. He'd gotten exactly what he'd wanted.

"All right scat-breath. I- "

"Kokichi, stop. I know you don't think Kiibo is human, but there's no point in being a dick about it." Kaito said, stepping between them. "I'm not even going ask you to apologise to anyone, because it would be a waste of time as you wouldn't really mean it. So please, just stop."

Kokichi paused.

I…I actually value Momota-chan's opinion. Huh.

"All right. I'll stop. This time." He said quickly.

"Thank you." Kaito said, grinning at him before turning to the others.

"Can't we all just calm down? We're about to get a new motive after all."

"I can do that. I'm more mature than Ouma." Himiko promised.

"S-same." Tenko squeaked, standing by her friend.

"My inner voice is telling me to let this go." Kiibo thumped his chest.

"You guys- how can you let Ouma get away with being a shit stain?" Miu said angrily.

"Iruma-san…" Kiibo went over to her and whispered something in her ear.

Miu took a deep breath and crossed her arms, but stopped arguing.

Kaito gazed sharply at Monokuma.

"You can tell us the new motive now."

"Nah." Monokuma shrugged.

"W-what?"

"I've changed my mind again. I'm not going to tell you now. Blame Ouma."

Kokichi giggled. Miu and several others glared at him.

"Then when will you tell use the next motive?" Kaito asked, almost sounding incredulous.

"I dunno. I haven't come up with one yet. Maybe I'll just leverage a price on Ouma's head. Like "whoever murders Ouma gets a billion dollars"." Monokuma wiggled his arms in the air.

"That's pointless. I'm worth much more than that. At least a trillion dollars." Kokichi argued.

"No way, buddy. I don't have that kinda dough on me." Monokuma scowled. "Anyways, see you losers later. I need to go and brainstorm."

Kaito frowned at the empty spot the bear had been in.

"That fucking asshole!" Miu cursed.

"He was rather annoying." Korekiyo stated.

"That's the understatement of the century." Ryoma said.

"Gonta want to hurt Monokuma." Gonta said angrily, turning red.

"Gonta…don't." Himiko tugged his right arm.

"Okay Yumeno-san. Gonta always listen to you. You are Gonta's friend." Gonta said, taking a shuddering breath.

"Are we done here? I'd like to leave. I have things to do." Kirumi said, tapping her foot against the floor.

"Yeah. I've- we've wasted enough time." Kokichi snarked.

"Wait. Shouldn't we talk about what we've learned? What we've remembered?" Kaito said desperately.

"What is there to talk about? We were violently kidnapped and brought to a lab where a bunch of stooges forced us to remember our talents. So what? That's nothing new. It's all useless information." Kokichi said.

"Monokuma was just messing with us. He'll probably give us the next motive tomorrow. Whatever it is…we can only really deal with it after he's told us what it is." Ryoma said wearily.

"Yes. It's just…I hate the waiting. Every hour feels like torture. I'm constantly looking over my shoulder. Because I'm suspicious of you- of all of you. And I hate that." Tsumugi rambled.

"Shirogane-san, as torturous as it feels, you're doing the right thing. But there's no use in worrying now. No one has any incentive to murder anyone else because there's no motive. Yet." Korekiyo tried to comfort her.

"Th-thank you Shinguuji-kun." Tsumugi said, not sounding convinced at all.

"Okay everyone, let's meet up right after breakfast. So, we can prepare for the new motive together." Kaito said slowly, staring at the floor with sullen eyes.

Kokichi frowned. For some reason, seeing Kaito upset made him upset. He was actually worried about the astronaut.

So much so, that he even stayed behind as everyone else shuffled out of the room.

Except one person.

"Kokichi? You all right?" Kaito said, approaching him with a big smile.

"I'm fine." Kokichi lied, unsure of what to do.

"Kokichi…" Kaito sounded worried.

I need to distract him…Kokichi thought.

He gasped dramatically.

"Momota-chan, I need to ask you something! Something important!"

"What?"

"You want to confess to me, don't you?"

"What?! No!"

"You think I'm sexy. Really sexy. Do you want some of this?" Kokichi gestured to his body.

Kaito didn't blush. He didn't even have the decency to chuckle, even sarcastically. He just sighed wearily and shook his head.

Kokichi's face fell.

"Stop messing around Kokichi. I'm not in the mood for your antics." Kaito said.

"I'm not trying to annoy you." Kokichi muttered.

"Then what are you trying to do?"

Kokichi bristled.

"I'm trying to lift your spirits! Make you feel better! Just like this morning!"

"Oh." Kaito winced. "Really?"

"Yes. Really. Jeez you are so dense when you're stressed."

"Well, umm, thank you…do you want to talk about anything else?" Kaito scratched the back of his head.

"I always want to talk. All the time. I love talking, but I love lying more." Kokichi rambled.

I don't want to become Momota-chan's friend. He's just a temporary ally, nothing more. I'm just wasting my time. I have more important things to do. Like finding a way to end this fucking game.

But he didn't move.

Kaito clicked his tongue.

"Do you want to have lunch with me?"

"Huh?" Kokichi hadn't expected the offer.

"It's almost one o'clock. I won't make you anything too fancy. Just a simple sandwich."

"Thank you. But I don't want your shitty sandwich." Kokichi countered.

"Fine." Kaito pursed his lips. "See you around?"

"One more thing." Kokichi grinned maniacally and hugged Kaito close.

Kaito didn't push him off.

"Yes, Kokichi?" He said wearily.

"Let's discuss our real feelings later. In privacy." Kaito whispered, before abruptly releasing him and running away snickering.

After he was gone, Kaito opened his mouth, then shut it and shook his head.

Sometimes Kokichi was too weird even for him.

"What do you want for lunch?"

Maki stopped in her tracks, giving Kirumi a pointed look.

"You don't need to make me anything."

"It's not a problem. I can make something easy." Kirumi said.

They were in the inner courtyard. Alone. Everyone else had either gone to lunch, or left to do other things.

"It's not that…I'm not hungry." Maki stated.

Kirumi mulled her options.

She wanted to be useful…do something for somebody…even if it was as simple as cooking a meal.

She changed tactics.

"What did you eat for breakfast?"

Maki didn't say anything.

"Did you even eat breakfast, Harukawa-san?" Kirumi pressed.

"No."

"Why?"

"I was looking after my lab. And then I had to watch you."

"That isn't an excuse. I know that you're very physically fit…because you're an assassin. So, you need to keep up your strength." Kirumi said slowly. "Even I squeeze in meals, or at least snacks, while serving others."

Maki furrowed her brow in confusion, before quickly nodding.

"All right. But if you make me something, you have to make yourself the same dish."

Kirumi frowned.

"Harukawa-san, thank you for thinking about me. But I don't usually- "

"Tojo, I'm not thinking about you, I'm just being practical. If you make one meal, you may as well make two. You also need to keep up your strength." Maki said, like it was no big deal.

Well, it's a big deal to me. Kirumi thought.

She really didn't want to waste time arguing, so-

"Fine. What do you want?"

"Something simple." Maki said.

"I'm not making you a sandwich." Kirumi said distastefully.

"All right. You can make me something slightly more complex." Maki conceded.

"How about an omelette then? With herbs? Nothing else."

"Sounds perfect."

They went to the cafeteria.

Thankfully, the room was almost empty. Everyone still gave them a wide berth, but neither of them really cared.

Only Kaito, sitting alone at the far end of the table, acknowledged their presence with a polite nod.

Maki joined him, while Kirumi went into the kitchen.

Once she was alone, she shut her eyes and breathed in deeply, quietly celebrating the fact that she was finally doing something useful.

I can't waste any more time! She chided herself, getting to work.

Her body operated on a happy autopilot as she cracked four eggs and emptied them into a bowl, added some water and chopped parsley, beat it all into a mixture, and then cooked it in a frying pan, making two omelettes.

The whole process took ten minutes.

Kirumi came back to reality as she served Maki at the table, handing her some cutlery and a napkin, before sitting down next to her.

She blinked at the steaming plate in front of her, then turned to see if Kaito was still present.

He was gone. Good.

"Thank you." Maki said minutely.

Kirumi nodded, accepting the compliment, even if she didn't want it.

No. She was waiting for something else.

Maki took a bite of her omelette, chewing it thoughtfully, before swallowing.

"Tojo?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to eat?"

"I will. But did you like it?"

"I've only had one bite…but yes, it's very good Tojo. Now please eat."

Kirumi bit her lip and reluctantly picked up her fork.

They ate in silence.

Kirumi had almost finished when she noticed someone watching them.

It was Korekiyo. He was all alone at the other end of the table, eating a salad, staring at them with guarded eyes.

He's jealous. He misses my cooking. Kirumi realised.

She almost got up and offered to make him something, when Maki suddenly shook her head.

"If he'd wanted something, he should've asked."

Kirumi remained silent.

"I don't want to waste any more time. We still need to visit your lab and then prepare my lab for Ouma and Momota's visit."

"Okay. Cleaning my lab won't take long." Kirumi said, scooping up the last bits of her omelette.

Maki cocked her head.

"Do you want to do something else?"

"What?"

"Do you need to clean your lab? Or are you just doing it because you feel you have to?"

"No!" Kirumi said defensively, before realising what she'd done. "I need to do it. I haven't cleaned it in two days. I neglected it, because of…well, Hoshi-kun."

"All right. But if you change your mind, we could always go to the library and read, or go for a walk."

"No thank you."

Maki shrugged and dropped the subject.

They finished eating and Kirumi did the washing up, before heading to her lab.

"Tell me when you're done." Maki said, getting out a book and sitting in a corner.

Kirumi sighed and started cleaning.

She dusted and wiped the furniture, then vacuumed the floor and scrubbed it by hand, before cleaning the windows and then the drapes.

Maki moved to the table when Kirumi approached her, seemingly engrossed in her book.

But Kirumi quickly caught on.

Maki was only skimming through the pages, pretending to read, while still watching her closely,

Kirumi decided to ignore her. It made things easier.

In the end, her lab was sparkling. But she still wasn't satisfied.

She checked her monopad.

It was only half past three. They still had an hour and a half before they need to meet Kaito and Kokichi in Maki's lab.

"Harukawa, can we go to your lab?" Kirumi requested.

"Are you finished?" Maki shut her book.

Kirumi nodded.

"Tojo, it won't take long to prepare my lab."

"I need to do something. Occupy my mind."

So I won't think about my failures.

Kirumi stared at the floor, ashamed of herself for being so weak.

"How is your wound?" Maki asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Kirumi mumbled.

"I forgot to ask about it earlier." Maki paused. "Sorry."

"There's no need to apologise. I don't even know why you're asking about it."

Maki glared at her lightly.

"I treated it alcohol- from my cleaning supplies- and wrapped it up with fresh bandages- I used spare cloth. It's fine." Kirumi said quickly.

"Good." Maki curled her lip.

"I have an idea…I could clean your lab for you." Kirumi said listlessly, her chest tightening.

She needed to busy herself, or she would despair and contemplate…murder again.

"All right. But we'llclean it together." Maki insisted.

"Harukawa-san, I don't need your help."

"Tojo, I'll be blunt with you: I don't trust you. I'm not going to let you clean my weapons without supervision. Plus, some of them need special care." Maki explained.

Kirumi took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"Thank you, Harukawa-san."

One short walk later, they arrived at Maki's lab.

Kirumi didn't flinch when she saw what was inside.

"You're not shocked?" Maki said, raising an eyebrow.

"No. Several of my masters had similar rooms. A few months ago, I worked for the head of a security company. He had quite a collection; antique muskets, various swords, even a rocket launcher. So, I know how to clean weapons." Kirumi explained.

She froze.

He'd been her last master before she'd started serving the prime minister.

My people need me…

"Good. It means I won't need to give you any instructions." Maki said curtly. "Shall we get started?"

Kirumi nodded, trying to focus on the present.

"Here." Maki opened a small cabinet at the back of the room.

It was full of cleaning supplies; metal polish, various rods and patches, and a ton of brushes and cloths and assorted chemicals.

"Even if I'm not using them, by principle, I still keep my weapons in perfect condition." Maki said.

Kirumi nodded again, understanding completely.

"I need to clean my katanas today." Maki said, wrinkling her nose slightly.

She doesn't like blades. Kirumi realised.

"I prefer guns." Maki clarified, as if reading her thoughts. "Because blades are a pain to handle and transport. Do you have any other questions?"

"What type of weapon do you like the most?"Kirumi asked, not passing up on an opportunity to learn more about her classmates.

"I like crossbows the most. Because they're silent, small, and easy to assemble and disassemble." Maki confessed.

"How practical." Kirumi noted. "Shall we get started?"

Maki nodded and handed her a cloth and a tin of polish.

Kirumi took them, almost smiling.

It was time to get to work.

Howzat?

My favourite bit of this chapter is Jealous!Korekiyo.

I needed to develop Kirumi's character some more. Hope you didn't mind.