Apologies for the short chapter. Ch 17 and 18 will be longer.

Also, this chapter was annoying, but not as annoying as ch 18.

I have also posted this story to Wattpad, in an experiment to see if anyone there will *actually* read it.

Miu got up and stretched out, flaunting her body.

Kaito sighed and crossed his arms while Kiibo buried his face in his hands in an effort to hide his embarrassment.

"Soooooo Momota, what do you wanna talk about?" Miu asked, putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward, exposing her breasts to him.

Kaito ignored them and smiled at her.

"How are you holding up Iruma?"

"Huh?" Miu immediately wilted.

"I know you have Kiibo." Kaito nodded at the robot. "But I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Also, after seeing your motive video, I'm interested in your work. It's fascinating."

Miu fidgeted with her hands, clasping and unclasping them.

"Iruma-san, why don't we talk about my new upgrades?" Kiibo said gently.

"Upgrades?" Kaito said, genuinely interested.

"Right…Kiibo's upgrades." Miu squeaked.

"Oh. Please don't tell him about any of the silly ones." Kiibo cautioned, sounding flustered.

Miu blushed deeply.

"I've umm…been looking at Kiibo's body…and I think I can improve it. I mean…upgrade it and stuff."

"Can you give him rockets?" Kaito asked, thinking about his own dream to go to outer space.

"Puh. That would be easy." Miu retorted. "But he doesn't need flight capabilities at the moment, so I'm not going to install them."

"Iruma-san can actually do much more than that. Because she's amazing." Kiibo complimented her.

Miu blushed again, less severely than before.

"I know that!" She took a deep breath. "No, what I really want to upgrade is Kiibo's armour. Make him virtually indestructible. So that he can't get hurt by anything."

Kiibo nodded excitedly, staring at her with puppy-dog eyes.

Kaito huffed. They were both utterly ridiculous.

I can give Kiibo some pointers on romance later. But I have to learn about Iruma's work. I need something to distract me from Kokichi.

"So, could you make him bulletproof?"

"More than that. When I'm done with him, he'll be able to withstand the barrage of a fucking tank- no- a nuclear blast." Miu vowed, with great conviction.

Kaito took a step back.

She's so serious. I've never seen her act like this before…she must really care about Kiibo.

"I'm not that strong Momota-kun." Kiibo admitted. "If I try and pick up something that's more than 15kg, I get back pains. Aside from that, I can't run that far. I get over-exerted easily. Even electricity is a danger to me."

"Electricity?"

"If I get shocked, I could blow out if the voltage is high enough. But don't worry, as long as my memory chip doesn't get damaged, Miu can easily fix my body and bring me back online."

"Can we please talk about something else?" Miu requested shakily.

"Sure. What other upgrades have you been working on?" Kaito said.

"Well, I've upgraded Kiibo's eyes- they now double as flashlights and they have better cameras, and I gave him better recording equipment. It's the best I've been able to do with my lab. I'm going to need Kiibo's lab to do more interesting things to him."

"Recording equipment? I thought Kiibo already had that."

"It's better quality and it uses less power." Kiibo clarified. "Although I don't like spying on people, I've decided to use it whenever something important happens."

"It could be useful. Record as much as you can. Especially when Monokuma announces the next motive." Kaito said, smiling at the robot.

"My inner voice agrees. I'm thankful that I have it to guide me."

"Kiibo, you don't need it. As soon as I can, I'm going to remove it." Miu declared.

Kiibo panicked, spinning his arms around.

"But-but- "

"It's just holding you back. I know it's a "security blanket", as Idabashi called it, but it's directly connected to your personality matrix and it's stopping you from developing naturally. You don't need an artificial mechanic to tell you right from wrong. Heck, sometimes it gives you opposing directives. Like it's glitched or something."

Kaito was confused. He hadn't understood a single word she had said.

Suddenly, Kiibo stopped panicking and shook his head.

"Iruma-san, please don't remove my inner voice. Don't even consider it. I'm asking you…as a friend."

"All right. I apologise for not considering your feelings. It's just…after Saihara's death…I'm worried." Miu mumbled.

Kiibo immediately relaxed.

"No worries Iruma-san. I just…I'm not ready to move on from it yet."

Kaito frowned, glancing between them.

Kiibo's abrupt change in personality had unnerved him.

It had almost seemed like a programmed response. Maybe Kokichi is right not to trust him?

He sighed.

Despite not liking it, he had to be more suspicious of his classmates.

But he couldn't let them catch on…

"So, what else have you been working on Iruma?" He said, grinning evenly.

"I've been working on a lotta different things. Like X-ray sunglasses!" Miu boasted.

"Let me guess…you can use them to see through peoples clothing. A pervert's dream." Kaito tried not to let his disgust show.

"Duh. But it's only for personal use- for other people to look at me and admire my body. And why would they want to look at anyone else, when these are on display?" She said, gesturing to her enormous chest.

Kaito blinked.

He almost couldn't believe that she was so naïve, so ignorant.

"Iruma, what if someone steals them from you? And then spies on other people? Without their consent?" He said gently.

"That's not a problem. I can remotely disable them. As I said, it's only for personal use. I'd only share it with someone if they wanted to check me out. Kehehehe." She laughed harshly, spitting all over the place.

Well, at least she's thought about all angles. Kaito considered, still disgusted but oddly relieved.

"Iruma-san, have you invented anything…non-sexual?"

"Why are you asking? Are you a virgin?"

Kaito glared at her, unamused by her comment.

"Uhh…umm…well, yes, I have."

"Iruma-san, you're a genius. Tell him about your next project." Kiibo encouraged her.

"Sometimes I design boring inventions for cash." Miu admitted. "And this one is no different."

She took a deep breath.

"It's a voice modulator."

"What's that?" Kaito said.

"It's a device which can perfectly emulate a person's voice. From a single syllable. For instance, I could input the word "fuck" and it would be able to replicate all of my speech patterns and inflections."

"Woah. But can't some computers already do that?"

"My device is *better*. It'll be able to emulate voices*perfectly*. It won't sound fake, like a robot."

She looked at Kiibo.

"No offense to you. Your voice is perfect. I'm talking about direct conversion from living subjects."

"None taken. I understand perfectly."

They shared an affectionate look.

Kaito sensed that this was how they usually acted around one another when they were alone.

He cleared his throat.

Miu scowled at him.

"Does it need much work?"

"Yes. It's going to take at least a week to finish, or even longer. It isn't my priority at the moment." Miu said, eyeing the giant computer at the centre of the room.

Kaito followed her gaze.

"What's that?"

Miu didn't say anything and just bit her lip nervously.

Too excited to notice her discomfort, Kiibo stepped forward and smiled brightly at the machine.

"It's some kind of VR computer!"

"Kiibo! You ruined the surprise!" Miu yelled.

"I-I'm so sorry Iruma-san. I-I didn't know."

"What surprise?" Kaito pressed.

"I don't want to talk about it." Miu snapped. "Don't you dare tell anyone else about this Momota."

Kaito nodded quickly, wanting to placate her.

"That goes for you as well." She pointed at Kiibo.

"I-I- "

"Iruma, please calm down. I won't tell anyone. And neither will Kiibo. I understand why you're so protective about it…It's your escape from the killing game." Kaito assured her.

"Th-thank you."

"Do you need help with anything?"

"Not really… I mean-it's all highly technical stuff. Beyond your understanding."

"And I'm here. If she needs anything, anything light, I can bring it to her." Kiibo said.

"Huh. You guys are perfectly in-sync, aren't you?" Kaito joked.

Kiibo chuckled, blushing again, while Miu snickered.

Kaito laughed with them, enjoying the moment.

Miu looked at him and froze, clenching her jaw and staring at the floor.

"Iruma?" Kaito questioned gently. He couldn't see her expression.

"It's nothing." Miu said, perking up. She sounded very unsure of herself. "Thanks for coming to see me Momota. It was…nice."

"Ah. Well, can I visit you again?"

"Sure."

"Thank you as well Momota-kun. Usually, I'm the only one who spends time with Iruma-san. Please come around whenever you want." Kiibo said, giving him a relieved smile.

Kaito nodded.

So, Iruma is lonely. Good to know. Maybe spending more time with her will get her to open up to us?

"Well, I'd better get going. I need to find Kokichi."

Miu scowled.

"I don't know why you spend so much time with that shitstain."

"I know he can be difficult, but he's my friend."

"Tch." Miu sighed. "Well, it's your life to waste."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'm trying to train him to be less annoying." Kaito gave her a thumbs up.

Miu laughed dryly.

"Good luck with that."

"I'll see you guys around."

"Yeah." Miu went back to the computer.

"See you Momota!" Kiibo waved him off before rushing to join her.

Kaito made for the door, briefly glancing back at them with a conflicted expression, before shaking his head and leaving.

Whatever he had promised Miu, he would have to tell Kokichi about the VR computer.

His gut told him it was important.

"Hey."

Watanabe stirred, but didn't get up.

Someone poked him sharply in the side of the head.

Frowning, he yawned heavily and stretched out, opening his eyes to-

Sakura's grinning face.

"WAH!" He yelled, shooting up in his seat.

Almost immediately, his neck cramped. He swore and fell forward, rubbing at it efferently to try to ease the pain.

Sakura, who had expertly avoided his careening head, winced and then laughed sheepishly.

"Hey sleepy head!" She paused. "Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault. It's my fault for falling asleep at my desk." Watanabe grumbled, sitting up more slowly.

"Did you seriously pull an all-nighter? Why? Nothing happened. The traitor told us we could come in late. She was overseeing the new rooms." Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Didn't you agree with all of her requests?"

"I do- I mean, I did. I'm just having second thoughts about-"

"It's her first season in front of the camera."

"I know, I know. The traitor needs all the support she can get. I still agree with most of her decisions. I'm just unsure about the next motive- it's a fantastic one, and I can't believe producer-san gave us permission for it- but it could tempt multiple contestants."

"Oh." Sakura relaxed. "I see your point. But don't worry, I'll do everything in my power to make sure that everything goes to plan."

"Yeah…"

Sakura cocked her head.

"Who do you want to win?"

"I know you want to traitor to win."

"Well, she is my favourite."

"She could…well, lose."

"She could, but she won't. She understands the risks." Sakura gave him a pointed look. "You're avoiding my question."

"My feelings haven't changed..." Watanabe swallowed. "…from yesterday."

"What do you mean?"

"I still want a proper ending."

"I know. I was just messing with you."

"Please don't."

"Well then, out of our remaining contestants, which two do you want to survive?"

"It's tough to narrow it down to two." Watanabe demurred. "I kinda want all of them to survive."

"Directors get so, so attached to their first casts."

"I lied."

"I know."

"I definitely want Hoshi to survive. He's my favourite character."

"Good choice. Is it because he survived chapter two?"

"Nah. I just think he has the most depth. Also, he's a cat lover. Like me."

"That's cute. What's your cat called?"

"She is called Muffin."

Watanabe got out his phone and showed her a picture of a fluffy white cat. It was a Persian.

"She is very cute." Sakura praised.

"Thank you.

"What about the other survivor? Your second-choice?"

"I have no idea" Watanabe laughed. "This season can go anywhere. Anything can happen. Anyone can survive."

Sakura smiled at him solemnly.

"" Everyone here has something to lose, even you"."

"What's that?"

"It's something Producer-san told me when I first joined the company."

"It sounds ominous."

"I suppose when you've seen dozens of teenagers die, you do get a bit cynical."

Suddenly, the door behind them burst open and a wizened old man in a lab coat stumbled into the room.

"Idabashi-san!" Watanabe squeaked, scrambling out of his seat and hurriedly bowing in respect.

Sakura huffed abrasively, but also bowed.

"How is my son?" Idabashi rasped, not bothering to bow in return.

"He's fine." Watanabe assured him. "He's just had a scene with Iruma and Momota. Iruma wants to "improve" him". Remove his inner voice and everything."

Idabashi laughed.

"I'd like to see her try."

"She's only allowed to make some minor cosmetic changes to him." Sakura said. "We're respecting your "creative wishes"."

"Good, good. And the audience? They aren't causing too many problems?"

"Nope." Watanabe said.

"Personally, I think we should give them more control over him. Let them make more interesting decisions." Sakura teased.

"Absolutely not!" Idabashi bristled. "They could damage my son- or even derail the killing game!"

"I was just joking! Chill."

"Well, don't. It's not something to joke about."

"Isn't Kiibo really easy to rebuild?" Watanabe said quickly, trying to distract the scientist.

"He is. But that isn't the point."

Idabashi launched into a lecture about Kiibo's inner workings and how annoying it was to put him back together after every season.

Sakura smiled gratefully at Watanabe. He briefly grinned back at her before sobering up and pretending to listen to the rant.

"-I mean, I know it doesn't hurt him, and the audience loves him- "

"Idabashi-san, we need to get back to work. Momota and Ouma are about to meet up with Harukawa and Tojo." Watanabe said.

Idabashi nodded.

"Completely understandable. I know Producer-san wants you to watch them. They're planning something." He smiled at them. "Thank you for listening to me."

He slowly scurried away.

"Sad old man." Sakura snarked, once he was out of earshot.

"He's not sad…how long has he been here?"

"I have no idea. At least more than a decade. Maybe two decades."

Watanabe bobbed his head, counting silently.

"But Kiibo's only been around for five years."

"Idabashi has been in charge of Monokuma and other robots for a looong time."

"Even the Nanokumas?"

"Of course." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"No need to be mean."

"I'm not. I just find him annoying. He sees his robots as his "children". Especially Kiibo. He tries to "protect them" from harm and restrict what we can do with them. Thank fuck for Producer-san. He always manages to talk Idabashi-san down."

-beat-

"So, Idabashi-san and Producer-san have probably known each other for years?"

Sakura nodded, then noticed movement on his screen and flinched.

Watanabe followed her gaze and cursed.

Kaito had just met up with Kokichi.

"Time to get to work." Sakura said, hurrying to her desk.

Watanabe nodded and leaned forward, zooming in on the two teenagers.

He had a feeling that if he didn't keep a close eye on them, his career would go up in flames.

Howzat?

I wanted to explore the side of Miu's character that we never got to see. The "good person" that Kiibo talked about. At the same time, it's still Miu, so...

Also, Idabashi is the last new character. With his introduction, our cast is complete.