As Kirumi was cleaning up (She wouldn't let me help her.), I remembered something that I really should do before anything else. "Kirumi, do you know where Maki is? I need to thank her for this morning."

"I believe I saw her near the entrance to the basement. You can check the map on your Monopad to make sure, since it tracks everyone's location." That's worrying. " If you wish to thank her, maybe a gift would be a good way to show your appreciation."

"But where would I even get gifts here?"

"You did not find the school store when you first investigated?"

"School store? We have one here?"

"Yes. It's right next to the warehouse."

"Oh...that explains why I didn't find it the first time around." I groaned.

"What do you mean?"

"I met Miu in the warehouse, and her...personality was a bit too much for me. I left the warehouse in a huff and must have missed the store."

"Understandable. Miu is...troublesome at times." Kirumi finished cleaning everything up and turned to face me. "I am glad I got to speak with you today. I do hope you take my suggestions to heart. And please, let me know if you need anything." With that, she left. Kirumi really is too kind. I soon left my room as well and headed to the school store. As Kirumi has said, it was right next to the warehouse. I walked inside and saw an assortment of items lining the walls. I then noticed what looked like a gacha machine, those little things that pop out a capsule whenever you put in a quarter. I walked up to it and inspected it. From what the description on it said, to get anything in the store, you have to win a coupon for it from the "MonoMono Machine", as it's called. And to even use the MonoMono Machine to get coupons, you need Monocoins. "What the hell are 'Monocoins'?"

"They're the currency of this academy!" Monotaro said as he appeared. "As a student, you get these coins for free!" He then tossed me a small bag filled with a few coins, all of which had Monokuma's image engraved in it, the sight making me scrunch my face in disgust. "If you want more, you'll have to look around for them!" With that, he left. Well, at least I have a good number of coins now. Well, now that I have them, I might as well test my luck to see if I get anything Maki would like.

I put in a couple of coins and turned the handle. I got coupons for a three-layered lunch box, a hammock, a milk puzzle, an earnest compass, a space egg, and a perfect laser gun. None of these look like a good gift for Maki… well, guess I'll just have to use more coins. What should I even be hoping to get? Maki would like the space egg. I blinked. What? Maki would like the space egg? I looked at the description of the item. An object made of borosilicate glass. It changes its form depending on the angle you look at it. It looks interesting enough. And my weird knowledge seems to agree.

Actually, this weird knowledge stuff is a major question in all of this. How do I seemingly just know things? And are these revelations happening at random? Actually, now that I think about it, this weirdness always happens whenever I ask myself a question or I see something. I wonder… What would be a good gift for Kirumi? Kirumi would like the items that could help her with her talent, like the Flame Thunder broom, sewing kit, and stainless tray. I blink a few times again. So I can control it to an extent. I wonder what I could use this for. I'll have to test it later. I can probably use this to figure out my next move.

I turn in the coupon for the space egg and grab it, making sure it's carefully secure in its case. After that, I checked my Monopad to check where Maki was. She's inside the classroom near the basement stairs. Probably wants to be alone. Welp, time to ruin those plans of hers. I make my way to the classroom and find her sitting alone at one of the desks. "Hey Maki. How's it going." She turned to look at me with a bit of an upset look before sighing.

"I'm just thinking about things." She said. I take a seat at the desks near her and pull out the space egg.

"So, about this morning, I wanted to thank you. You were a great help, so I thought you would like this." I then handed the space egg to her. As she looked at the object, I could swear that just for a moment I saw her eyes light up a bit, but I wasn't sure.

"...Thank you. This is a really nice gift." Maki said with a smile. "You didn't have to do this. I didn't do anything special."

"You really think that? As the one who needed help, I can't help but feel grateful for what you did. And, I think this makes for a good apology for what happened when we first met." Maki looked a bit confused at that, but I continued. "I was insensitive when we first met and said something I really shouldn't have. I made you really angry by saying what I said. So this is also an apology from me. Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. It doesn't bother me that much." Maki said while scratching her cheek.

"That doesn't mean I should have said what I said. I was in the wrong, and you had good reason to be angry. Despite this, you still helped me when I needed help. So I'm sorry, and thank you again." Maki looked at me with a slight bit of shock in her expression before looking away.

"You don't have to keep repeating yourself. I get it." She said as she played with one of her tails of hair. I smiled and nodded.

"Actually, since I'm here, this is a good chance to get to know more about you. I don't know much about you, since you tend to keep to yourself. Do you mind if you tell me more about you?" Maki didn't say anything for a while, appearing unsure about what she should say.

"...There isn't much to talk about. My life isn't anything special." She said with a sigh.

"If anyone should be saying that, it should be me. Compared to an amnesiac who can't remember anything, I'm sure you probably have some interesting stories that you're willing to share." I put my hand on my chin and thought for a moment before an idea came to mind. "I know. Maybe you can tell me about your orphanage and the duties you had as the Ultimate Child Caregiver."

"...I suppose I could talk about it if you really want to know. It's not anything special though. The orphanage wasn't anything special. It was probably the same as any other orphanage. The kids who were there were expected to take care of themselves, but the older ones would help care for the younger ones."

"Wait, you all were expected to fend for yourselves? The people running the orphanage weren't helping you and the other kids."

"No. They gave us an allowance, but it wasn't much. Once kids were old enough to enter high school, we would earn money from jobs to help around."

"That sounds...really rough." I said, a little taken aback by how this orphanage was run. Guess they prioritized independence in the kids, but still… "If that's the case, I bet the other kids must be worried about you. For you to suddenly disappear and be trapped here, they must be worried sick."

"...I wonder about that. Honestly, I don't know why kids are so attached to me… They probably just want someone to spoil them. It doesn't necessarily need to be me."

"Even so, that doesn't mean that they wouldn't be concerned if you were hurt or upset. I can't imagine that they don't care for you like you care for them. After all, you all sound like a family."

"Family?"

"Maybe it's not my place to say this, but I can't imagine those kids don't see you as family. You all live together at the orphanage and take care of each other. After so long, I would think that they would care for you like family. I mean, whether the kids annoy you at times, you still care for them like that too, right? I mean, a family isn't just people that you're related to. It's the people who are important to you. They're the ones you would do anything for, right?" Maki thought for a bit before showing a small smile.

"...Perhaps. I've never had a family, but I've never thought of it like that." Maki thought some more before asking me something. "What about you? You said you can't remember anything, so does that mean you can't remember anything about your family?"

"No I don't. I haven't actually thought about it a whole lot. There's so much I'm missing." I run my hand through my hair a bit and sigh. "I wonder who I've forgotten. God...now I feel bad for forgetting all the people who've probably helped me in the past, and everyone who might've been important to me."

"Why? It's not like that's your fault." I laugh at Maki's response.

"True. But still, I wonder when I'll remember, and what I'll remember." I then remembered the panic attack I had and shuttered. "Not sure I'm looking forward to remembering."

"Why wouldn't you want to remember?"

"Well...what if I'm actually this horrible person? I wouldn't want to remember that."

"Don't be ridiculous." Maki said sternly. "If you're worried about that, then I doubt you actually are a horrible person."

"I guess. I guess the anxiety is getting to me." I chuckled nervously. Maki and I talked a bit more before she had to go. It was actually really nice to talk to Maki. She isn't as scary or mean as I pegged her as. Well, I still got time before nighttime. How should I spend it?

I exited the classroom and walked around a bit, just thinking about the situation. I still don't believe Monokuma will kill us at the end of the time limit, but maybe I should do something to make sure that nothing happens. But how? Maybe I could go around and try to activate my weird knowledge. Might find something useful with it. "Hmm…" I kept thinking to myself until I noticed someone start walking up to me. I looked up and saw Tsumugi. "Hello Tsumugi. How's it going?"

"Ah, I was just wondering if you're ok. I was really worried this morning."

"You don't have to worry about that. I wasn't thinking logically about the situation. Now that I've thought about it, I think I'm ok. But what about you? This situation is pretty horrible. Are you worried?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if there's anything I can really do about it. I'm just a plain old cosplayer after all."

"Don't be like that. You're not just any cosplayer. You're the Ultimate Cosplayer." I then hit my palm with my fist. "That reminds me, I actually want to learn more about you. Ultimate Cosplayer sounds like a really cool talent, so maybe we can hang out. Maybe that'll ease our nerves about all of this."

"That's a great idea!" Tsumugi said happily. We found a bench and sat down and began to talk a bit about her talent.

"So Tsumugi, you said you prefer to make outfits than wear them, but started to wear them since other cosplayers aren't cosplaying with love, right? They're making it about themselves, I think you said."

"Yeah. It's plain horrible. Some cosplayers still care for the characters they're bringing to life, but some just use the characters as stepping stones."

"Stepping stones?" I ask, the phrase sounding unpleasantly familiar. Makes me think of bagels for some reason.

"They do it to become famous, since some cosplayers get famous and become like idols or celebrities."

"I see. They're not even cosplaying for enjoyment or passion. It's all about money and fame for them. I can see why you're so upset now."

"Exactly! It's fine if they disrespect me, but I won't let them disrespect the characters! But whenever I get mad and try to tell them, they just call me an elitist and stop listening." Tsumugi then begins to rub her head as she speaks. I can only imagine how stressful it is to have something you're so passionate about be misused like that. "When people first start cosplaying… They just want to dress up as the characters because they like them. But before long, it...warps. It gets more warped the longer you do it."

"Warps? More so than with what you already said?"

"Umm, well...for cosplay, you have more contact with others than most hobbies. In the beginning, it's just fun to wear the outfits, but...then you start comparing, pushing your opinions, and starting drama… And before you know it, the feeling of wanting to dress up as the character. It's replaced by a need to put in the effort to meet other people's standards. Makeup, wig color, contacts... Whatever you need to make it perfect."

"Hmm… I'm not sure I understand the problem with wanting to have perfect cosplay. Doesn't that show that the person wants to perfectly represent the character."

"You're right, but that's not the problem. The problem is that other cosplayers then start to make fun of anyone who doesn't get it perfect. Of course, I believe you should work hard to make quality cosplay, but… It's even more important to feel like you can become your favorite character. That's why I don't want to call anyone just starting out 'bad' or a 'newbie'." Tsumugi then sighs sadly. "Ahhh! Geez! I don't have the right words for it! I can't say it well!"

"No, I understand. It's like they're ostracizing people from cosplaying." I said, trying to reassure Tsumugi that she got her point across. Tsumugi nodded before she seemed to realize something.

"Oh...! Sorry! That wasn't just boring, it got pretty heavy too, huh? Don't think that's all cosplay is, okay? Lots of things about it are just plain fun."

"I'm sure it is. I said this when we met, but I don't think I would mind cosplaying if I had a costume."

"Then maybe I can make you one!" Tsumugi said, perking up happily. "What kind of outfit would you like?" She then starts to look me up and down as she thinks. "Personally, by just looking at you, I can see you in many different interesting outfits."

"You're already sizing me up, then?" I say with a laugh.

"Well, I can imagine you as a pretty good Aru Akise, but if you want a more mainstream character, then I can see you as a good Ragna or Bell, since you have white hair and red eyes." Wow, she's really sizing me up.

"I don't really remember any specific character or outfit I would like wearing, so I'll trust you with picking. I guess if I had a single thing to ask for, I guess it would be nothing too crazy or revealing."

"I see… That's a little disappointing, but still doable." Tsumugi said sadly. Just what did she have in mind? "Well, it's still nice to talk to someone who's interested in cosplay! I can't wait to make you an outfit! I'm sure you'll love it!" I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"Yeah. I can't wait."

"Yay! Hey, once we get out of here, maybe we can go to a con together!"

"That sounds like fun. Maybe we can convince everyone else to come and we all get dressed up. You know, like a group cosplay or something." Tsumugi gasped at my suggestion.

"That sounds like a great idea! I can see it now. We're all dressed in Fate outfits, or perhaps Attack on Titan or Fairy Tale outfits! It would be so much fun!" We talked some more about cosplay and what outfits we would wear before Tsumugi put her hand on cheek. "I completely forgot! Before I can make you an outfit, I'm going to need your measurements." She says with a smile.

"Measurements?" I've got a bad feeling about this.

"Yeah!" Tsumugi then takes out a measuring tape out of nowhere. "If you don't mind, I can get you an outfit before the nighttime announcement, but I'll need to find out the specifics of the outfit. So…" Tsumugi then starts to get a little closer to me.

"H-Hold on Tsumugi. Maybe we can-." I couldn't finish or even run as Tsumugi, at blinding speeds, gets the...information she needed.

"Perfect! But wow, Rin, you have a better body than I thought. That thick jacket really hides it. You should take it off from time to time." Tsumugi said.

"When you say things like that, it makes me feel like I've been violated." I say with a shutter. How did she get all that in just a few moments?

"Well, just wait in your dorm for a bit. I already have the material I need in my room, so I should have it ready for you in a bit."

"A-Alright." With that, we headed back to our dorms. I waited for Tsumugi, as she wanted, and after about an hour, I heard the doorbell. No way. There's no way she got done with an entire outfit in an hour. I opened up the door and there was Tsumugi, a red outfit in hand. "You're done already!?"

"Yeah. It wasn't that hard. Do you mind putting it on right now? I want to see how it looks."

"O-Okay." I said as I took the outfit and closed the door. I guess this is the talent of the Ultimate Cosplayer. I look at the outfit. It's really well done. She even made a giant foam sword to go with the outfit. I stare at the outfit in amazement for a bit before putting it on. After making sure it was on properly, I opened up the door and let Tsumugi in. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw me.

"Wow! You look so good! Other than the one jade eye and hair style, you look just like the character!" She beamed as she circled around me to get a better look.

"You think?" I said, blushing a bit.

"Absolutely! You're a really good cosplayer, Rin!" Tsumugi had me pose a bit after that. She seemed to be enjoying herself. After talking a bit more about the outfit, something seemed to catch her eyes. "Hmm? What's that?" I followed her gaze to my slightly opened closet. From the crack, I could see the suit in the closet was visible.

"Oh that? I have no idea. It was there when the room became available. I don't think I'll wear it though. I don't really like formal stuff like that."

"Do you mind if I look at it?"

"Nah, go ahead." Tsumugi took the suit out and looked at it a bit, her eyes widening a bit.

"This is…" She trails off as she stares at the formal outfit.

"What? Does it remind you of something?" Tsumugi then looked at me with an excited look.

"This is exactly the kind of outfit that would show off that body of yours! You should try it on!"

"Yeah, I don't know about that one." Tsumugi then tried to convince me to put on that suit, but I kept declining. Tsumugi eventually gave up and left. She let me keep the cosplay though, which was really nice. I hope we can get out soon. I would like to do that group cosplay we were talking about. Being with everyone and having fun...it would be really nice.

Ding dong, bing bong.

The monitors turned on, revealing Monokid, red faced and a bit wider than he was last time I saw him. The other cubs were standing behind the couch that Monokid was taking up. Monokid appeared to be clutching a pot of honey.

"Hic! This is an official announcement...from the Ultimate Academy...hic!" Monokid attempted to say.

"As you can see, Monokid has had a little too much honey." Monotaro explained.

"He was really, really happy about Daddy's return." Monophanie added.

"Hic! Now let's play darts! Monodam can be the dartboard! And let's go bowling...Monodam can be the ball!" Monodam didn't react to Monokid, like usual.

"By the way...which announcement were we making?" Monosuke asked.

"...The nighttime announcement." Monophanie answered.

"What, it's already that late? Then we should go to bed soon!" Monotaro chirped. Monokid then immediately passed out and fell off the couch. He really is smashed.

"Bedtime, ursine" And with that, the monitors turned off.

"Nighttime already, huh?" I asked myself. One day as already flown by. That leaves tomorrow and the day after before the time limit ends. I need a plan. I need to find out what I should do, what I can do, and what I need to pull it off. I need to make sure no one dies. I should also test out more of my intuition tomorrow as well. Maybe it can give me more details about this. It already has given me a lot of information when I didn't really need it, so maybe it has information on this time limit or the mastermind. Either way, I can think about it tomorrow. With that, I put on my pajamas and let sleep take hold of me. Tomorrow, I start planning. I will not let anyone die.