We went up the stairs, expecting the 4th floor to be similar to the other floors, but what we saw was much different than the other floors. "What...is this?" I asked out loud. The atmosphere changed drastically. Instead of the academy design of the other floors, this floor looked like the inside of an old abandoned Japanese temple or something. It was straight out of a horror film. Even the floor was made of old wooden boards and some of the wooden beams in the walls and ceilings are exposed.

"This is...super creepy." Kaede whimpered a bit while nervous sweat dripped from her face.

'N-No point in daling. Let's check out this floor, creepy though it may be." Shuichi said. He grabbed Kaede's hand and held it tightly. He nodded to her with a reassuring smile, causing her to smile too.

"Aww! Aren't you two just the cutest." I teasingly said as I continued walking.

"Wh-Wh-What!?" Kaede stuttered as she began to blush brightly.

"Th-That's not it at all!" Shuichi said as his face turned a bright shade of red.

"Sure, sure." I said while motioning my hand in a 'yeah yeah' motion. I soon hit a fork in the road and my eyes were drawn to traditional Japanese sliding doors. "Is this a lab? Hey, lovebirds! I think I found Kiyo's lab."

"W-We told you, i-it's not like that!" Kaede argued as they walked towards me. "A-And what's this about Kiyo's lab?"

"There's a pair of traditional Japanese sliding doors. Considering the look of this floor and these doors, I feel it matches all too well for our creepy Ultimate Anthropologist." I explained.

"Is that how you perceive me? Kehehe...how fascinating." Kiyo opened the door to his lab with his signature chuckle. "You are right though. This is my research lab. Would you like to come in and see it for yourself?" Kiyo offered us.

"So it is the Ultimate Anthropologist's lab! Awesome! I wonder what cool stuff is in here!" I exclaimed as I entered the room. I say room, but it was more like a library. The lab was MASSIVE, having multiple stories, each filled with shelves of books and ancient texts. It would probably take a person a lifetime to read them all. There were also various objects that were stored in shelves and display cases. It all seemed ancient and rare. I was absolutely amazed by the wealth of knowledge the lab held.

"Kehehe...I see you are also pleased by my lab, Rin." Kiyo said, his mask not fully able to hide his smile. "I am extremely pleased as well. This place is so wonderful that my face contorts with glee. Not even university labs are so well-stocked."

"If that's the case, then who brought all this stuff here?" Shuichi asked as he and Kaede entered. "...I suppose that's a pointless question though. This place doesn't really make any sense." With that, the three of us began to examine the things in the lab while Kiyo gave us many insightful lectures on the artifacts. I can't speak for Shuichi and Kaede, but I find all of this extremely interesting.

"Hey, what's with this book?" Kaede asked as she pointed to a lone hand-bound book on display.

"Oh that! I couldn't believe it when I first saw it!" Kiyo said with an alarmed look of both excitement and a little concern, which was far different from his usual calm demeanor. "This is an extremely precious document. This book is a history of the fabled Caged Dog Village, said to have been destroyed long ago. The village had a reputation for using many dark arts and spells; however, the village was destroyed at the hands of a feudal lord who feared their power. But one girl, the lone survivor, risked her life to write this book. And since this is the genuine article, this is all her handwriting. This book in particular is an extremely precious one-of-a-kind relic that has been soaked in her bitter grudge. There are a few copies of the book, due to its reputation, but this is the real one. I'd never thought I'd be able to see it with my own eyes. Fate surely is strange, isn't it."

"Ah, Kiyo...what do you mean by reputation?" Shuichi asked.

"The rumor goes that the spells and dark arts inscribed in this book are extremely potent. They surpass the comprehension of people who live in a world of science and technology. That is why...it was buried in the darkness. Along with the entire Caged Dog Village." Kiyo then put his hand on his forehead and made a dramatic pose. "But it seems those were no mere rumors. I can feel power seeping out from this book. The deep-seated grudge of a girl whose village was destroyed...permeates every letter…" Kaede and Shuichi seemed to be freaking out from the explanation (I was quite fascinated by it.), so I decided to change the topic.

"Speaking of the Caged Dog Village, does this have to do with that book too?" I ask as I point to a wooden statue of a dog that was sitting upon a metal cage that was covered in a white sheet. Even I could tell something was off about the statue. It had this...aura about it.

"Ah! You've realized it too!" Kiyo said with excitement. This is the most excited I've seen Kiyo. He really loves talking about anthropology stuff like this. "This is for a ritual from the Caged Dog Village to perform a seance called the Caged Child."

"Seance? As in talking to the dead?" I asked.

"The dead!?" Kaede shrieked and moved a bit more behind Shuichi, who didn't seem to be taking the subject as well either.

"That is correct. I never thought I would see these relics to perform the seance. Perhaps if you all are willing, we could perform a seance using the Caged Child method. I have experience performing seances, and with these genuine relics, I'm quite confident that seance would work."

"If we talk to the dead, then perhaps we'll be able to talk to Tsumugi and ask her more about the killing game and why we're here." I thought out loud.

"W-We should save that as a last resort." Kaede said, probably wanting us to stop talking about the dead.

"Kehehe… I suppose you're right. It would be blasphemy to call upon the dead just for curiosity." Kiyo said.

"Kiyo, this is a katana, right?" Shuichi asked as he looked at a golden sword in a display case.

"Yes, though it is not real gold. It is merely coated with gold leaf." Kiyo explained. "That said...that katana has immense anthropological value. In certain rural areas, katanas used to defeat generals in wars are worshipped as gods. That is one such katana. It is an extremely precious relic necessary to spread-" Before he could finish, Kaede reached out her hand and held onto the blade. "H-Huh!? K-Kaede, please put that ba-."

"Woah! This is an actual katana! This is so cool! It's not exactly sharp though. The tip looks sharp, but the edge is dulled. I guess that's better for us here." Kaede said as she set the sword down. "Oh! The gold plating rubbed off a bit on my hand. I'll have to wash them later."

"Kaede...that's an extremely precious relic. Please do not touch it without permission again, or…" Kiyo made a slightly serious expression. "I will tear out your nerves." What a scary face he's making I think as Kaede cowers a bit under it.

"O-Oh...sorry about that. I kinda just grabbed it without asking. I promise I won't do that again." Kaede apologized.

"Do not worry too much about it." Kiyo sighed. "I tend to overreact when it comes to my research, so I apologize for that. I am thankful for your understanding though."

"We should explore the rest of the floor. We can leave the rest of this room to Kiyo. I'm sure he'll be very thorough with his investigation of the lab." I said.

"Yes… I will be sure to examine each and every detail of this lab." Kiyo stated. With that, me, Kaede, and Shuichi left Kiyo's lab and began to search the other areas. We found 3 empty rooms near Kiyo's lab. The rooms were each devoid of anything other than the wooden floor boards that are resting on cross beams to make the floor and candles on the walls. Each room was the same, so we quickly left them. Near the empty rooms was a wall that was painted to look like a hallway. Kaede accidentally walked into it, which forced me to stifle a laugh. We couldn't do anything about it, however, so we started searching the rest of the floor. We walked past a blood red room full of old broken statues. In this hall hanging on part of the wall were 3 hanging scrolls, though they were blank. We eventually hit the end of the hall, where there was another Ultimate Lab. The door had multiple colors on it, as if it were splattered over the door.

"This must be Angie's lab." Shuichi said as he went to open the door. However…

Click...click…

"Huh? It's locked?" Shuichi questioned.

"That can't be right. Angie is very much alive." I say, putting my hand on my chin worriedly. Did someone kill Angie before we got here!?

"H-Hang on. This lab has 2 entrances like Kiyo's does. Let me check." Kaede said as she rushed to the side entrance. "No dice. This door is locked too."

"If it's locked, should we get Kokichi just in case?" I asked. Before they could answer, we heard another click, and the door opened, revealing Angie, alive and more chipper than usual.

"Yahaaah! Can I help you?" Angie asked us.

"Angie!? You were in here?" Shuichi asked with a concerned voice.

"Thank goodness you're safe!" Kaede gave a sigh of relief.

"OF course I'm okay! 'Cause Atua is with me, always." Angie said cheerfully. "Do you want to enter? Come in, come in!" Angie opened the door and gestured to us to enter. Upon entering the lab, I noticed how messing and unorganized it was. Black paint was scattered randomly on the floor and walls, or at least that was the design. The room was a blank white color aside from those black splotches. There were multiple crafting tables, buckets of paint, wax blocks, wooden blocks, and blank canvases everywhere. The room was also dimly lit, and the cross beams in the ceiling were fully exposed as well.

"It's a nice lab." I said as I examined all the tools.

"But why does it have locks?" Shuichi asked.

"Atua has spoken… He says this classroom was probably made for me." Angie said.

"Well, yeah. It's your lab." I chuckled.

"We can answer that." The Monokubs appeared out of nowhere. "Angie's the kinda girl who can't focus on her art unless she's alone." Monophanie explained.

"I must shut out all people and noises so that I can be one with the great Atua." Angie further explains while making a pose that can only be described as an "Angie pose". "Nyahahaha! Atua is much too shy to be one with me in front of people!"

"Wow! Like a pornstar!" Monotaro exclaimed.

"What!? That's like the opposite!" Monosuke yelled.

"So any room where I'm gonna make art needs to have a lock and key, but…" Angie continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "I'm surprised the Monokubs knew that."

"...Huh!?" Monotaro gaped.

"And these are all my favorite art supplies and sculpting tools, too.." Angie continued with a creepy expression as she looked at the cubs. "How did you know?"

"U-Ummm… What should I say? I'm...not a good improviser." Monotaro asked the other cubs.

"C-Calm down...I'm even worse." Monophanie whined.

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal if they know." Monosuke said smugly.

"Know what?" Kaede asked.

"WE-KNOW...EVERYTHING-ABOUT-YOU-BASTARDS." Monodam said in his robotic voice.

"Know everything about us?" Shuichi questioned.

"Does that apply to me as well?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought I wasn't supposed to be here and you all didn't have any information about me."

"I wouldn't worry about that now. Around the time of the first trial, we figured out exactly who you are." Monosuke explained.

"...What?" I questioned with a serious glare.

"He's right. Tsumugi was the one to figure it out first. That's how she knew to cosplay as your dead friends to get under your skin." Monophanie added.

"...WHAT!?" I asked again but with a more deathly serious tone.

"Father apparently had already suspected that you were someone like that, but regardless, now we have ways to motivate you too, so look forward to the next motive!" Monotaro cheered as the Monokus left. Monodam stayed behind for a bit though. He looked at us with his usual deadpanned look before handing Angie a key.

"THIS-KEY-IS-FOR-THE-LAB. THERE-IS-ONLY-ONE-KEY. DO-NOT-LOSE-IT." With that, Monodam walked off after his siblings.

"It's nice they gave us a key." Kaede said with a sigh.

"But I'm only gonna lock this door when I'm inside working, so I don't think it's super important." Angie said happily while looking at the key. She then rushed over to me and put it in my hand. "Here! In case you want to see me when I'm working!"

"Huh? Are you sure you want me to have this?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nyahahaha! Of course. Angie trusts you, and so does Atua. Besides, Rin can look at Angie's art without fainting, so you're allowed to come in while I work!" Angie said while giving me a wide smile.

"Without fainting…?" Shuichi repeated as sweat dripped off his head. "I'll...ignore that for now. The Monokubs said something pretty worrying just now. They know everything about us, including Rin." I nodded in agreement. I had already assumed as much, but hearing it first hand was more than concerning. The way they said it...dead friends, huh?

"That must be the reason why the labs seem to fit the owner's individual tastes." Kaede said. "They weren't kidding when they said this place was specifically made for us."

"But that's still strange. Why would an entire academy be built for just 16 people? Well, 17 now." I asked.

"It's a miraculous mystery that only Atua knows. But it doesn't matter. As long as it's comfortable, I'm fine." Angie said as she pushed the handle of a paint brush on her lips as she thought. "If our lives here become more enriched, then there's even less reason to leave this place."

"That's true. They're giving us quite a bit here. In terms of necessities, we have all we need. Clothes, food, water, shelter, and we even have non-essential things like the labs, warehouse, the game room, the AV room, and the library. And there's still all of the areas we still haven't unlocked. It's weird how much they're pampering us with this." I said while pondering what it could mean.

"Who knows? This place doesn't make sense to start with." Kaede said with a tired look.

"Hmm…" Shuichi pondered the idea a bit, probably coming up with theories about it as well. He seemed to toss it around before looking back up to us. "We should probably head over to the last place. I think the last item, this hand crank, can be used on the large doors in the courtyard."

"Large doors? Those were out there?" I asked. "Huh. Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing an area surrounded by a large wall. That wall had those large doors, right?"

"Yeah. I think Kaito, Rantaro, and Keebo are over there right now." Shuichi said.

"Alright, let's head over there then." I said as I walked to one of the doors. "Huh? Hey, check this out. This door is different from the other door." I pointed at the door's lock. "This door has a sliding lock on it."

"A sliding lock? The door we entered had a normal knob and cylinder lock. That's mildly infuriating, having two different types of locks here." Shuichi said.

"No, no. It's perfect that they're not the same." Angie said with a big smile. "Symmetry is a western beauty ideal. They like symmetry and the golden ratio and such, but I think asymmetry and partition functions are more beautiful."

"Really? I guess the locks are to suit your tastes, then." Kaede said. With that, the three of us said goodbye to Angie and left her lab, heading down back to the 3rd floor. As we made our way back to the ground floor, Kaede stopped as we passed Maki's lab. Kokichi was still there pestering her, as expected. Kaede looked at the two of them and nodded. "Hey you two. I'm going to stay here and try to convince Maki to let us into her lab."

"You sure? I don't think you'll be able to convince her." I said with a light chuckle.

"You never know. Maki is...you know, Maki. But maybe she just needs to become more comfortable with us. Besides, I'm afraid of what she might do to Kokichi if they're left alone." Kaede responded.

"She does look like she might strangle him any second now…" Shuichi said with a nervous smile.

"If you're so determined, I won't stop you. Just don't upset Maki too much." I said. Kaede nodded as she walked towards the miffed 'child caregiver' and the evil grape. With Kaede trying to get Maki to open up to the rest of us, figuratively and literally, me and Shuichi head down to the ground floor.

"Hm… That's strange…" Shuichi said as we exited the academy. "There are fewer plants around here. Some places are being renovated as well…"

"It's not just out here. The inside of the academy also looked less overgrown as well. I suppose the Monokubs weren't lying about this place being under construction, though they're going about it at a slow rate." I said as I looked at the slightly better looking courtyard. Shuichi put his hand on his chin as he thought. He's probably wondering about the academy again. The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles… a place built just for us. Why us? And how was this place even made? I've thought about it before, but this entire facility is strange. How has no one discovered this place and come to rescue us, or at the very least investigate this place.

Now that I think about it, this place is called the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. Juveniles? Are we all criminals and delinquents? I can certainly name a few of the troublemakers here. Kaito, despite being a good guy, did break the law to get his talent. Ryoma is technically a criminal as well. I can also see Kokichi fitting into this mold, since he does have his secret organization, though from what my intuition said, his group only causes non-violent and petty crimes and pranks. Maki could fit in the juvenile role as well since she is an assassin, and Miu is...well, Miu. But other than those few, I can't really see why anyone else would be here in a place for juveniles. Maybe we all have something in our past that involves crime or doing wrong? Or perhaps it's just a stylish title to fit the killing game and this setting in which we have to kill each other. I take a deep breath. I ought to stop thinking too deeply into this.

"Hey, look over there." I looked up and saw what Shuichi was pointing at. The large doors he was talking about no longer had a large lock on it any more. There was also a slot that had the hand crank I gave to Rantaro in it. I guess the crank was for this area.

"'Avaritia and Luxuria'... I'm pretty sure those are Latin for 'Greed and Lust'." I said as I read the words on the door. "Does that symbolize the area past the doors?"

"There's only one way to find out. Kaito, Keebo, and Rantaro are probably already on the other side." Shuichi said. I nodded and helped him push open the large doors. What we saw past them was quite the sight. The sky on this side of the door looked darker, as if it was permanently night, but there were two large buildings that lit up the area like spot lights. They both had spot lights shining in the sky and large neon signs. It was kind of like Las Vegas. One of the building's signs said 'casino', while the other said 'Hotel Kumasutra'. A casino? I guess that's where the greed comes from. But why is there a hotel here? Avaritia and Luxuria...Greed and Lust...a casino and a hotel… Wait a minute… I walk over to the hotel with a nervous expression. There was a sign outside the hotel. It had prices and rules for the hotel, though there were a few things that caught my eye. 'Guests may only stay during nighttime. To be a guest, you need to have a Love Key won at the Casino, and a visitor will visit one random guest per night'. So this is a love hotel. Why the hell is there a love hotel here!? Except me, everyone else is a highschooler for crying out loud! "Did you find anything over there Rin?" I hear Shuichi ask.

"Nothing of importance. All I can say is that this place is a place none of you should go near." I say as I step away from the building. Shuichi walked closer to it to read the sign, only for his face to become a dark shade of red as he quickly moved away from it. We dismissed the hotel's existence as we entered the casino. As soon as we entered, bright lights blinded us. When my eyes adjusted, I could see a fancy looking lobby with an exchange counter and a premium prize exchange counter to the side. However, this just appeared to be a lobby, since there were no gambling machines in sight. That's when a set of stairs caught your eye. The stairs had a sign on them that said 'Casino Entrance' with an arrow pointing down. I guess the actual casino is down stairs. "It really is a casino. Does this place use the monocoins that are scattered around here?"

"I don't think so. This exchange counter over here is for exchanging your monocoins to casino coins. It's a different currency." Shuichi said as he examined the counter. "We should examine the lower floor here. I think the others should be down there as well." I nodded and followed him down the stairs. The lower floor was coated in a blue light as I looked at all the machines that were available. They ranged from your average slot machines to racing games and a Monokuma themed fishing game. Certainly many options, and I'll admit I sorta have a desire to play some of these. As I scan the area, I see Kaito, Keebo, and Rantaro at one of the slot machines. Kaito turns to us and gives us a huge smile.

"Oh! Rin, Shuichi! Look at this!" Kaito lifted up a huge bag of coins that he had apparently acquired.

"Whoa! Where did you get that mountain of coins!?" Shuichi gaped at the sight.

"I hit the jackpot! I got this much just from one coin!" Kaito grinned as if he had just won the lottery, though I guess this is a little similar to that. He had amassed quite the amount of coins. Rantaro chuckled as he rubbed his head.

"We were each given a coin to start off with, but Kaito here really was the only one who managed to make so much." Rantaro admitted with a smile.

"It truly was incredible to watch." Keebo nodded. "I never would have expected Kaito to be so talented at gambling and slot machines."

"Of course! Just a regular day for the Luminary of the Stars! My intuition usually leads me to victory!" As Kaito said that, Monokuma appeared with an evil grin on his face.

"Nice work, maverick! That's some uncanny luck ya got there!" Monokuma said.

"Why are you here?" I asked with a tired sigh.

"I was lured by spaceman's luck! I couldn't resist!" Monokuma admitted. "It's quite the haul ya got there. You could cash in those coins for somethin' really splendid! They're only good here, though. But if ya earn more, you could reach the best treasure in this place!"

"Heh! After hearing that, there's no going back for me!" Kaito said with gusto.

"Is that really a smart move?" I asked while raising my eyebrow.

"You could trade what you already have right now…" Shuichi also said.

"What are you saying? If I don't meet his challenge, I'm not a true man! Besides, there's no way my intuition as Luminary of the Stars can be wrong!"

"That's it, maverick! You da man!" Monokuma said as he led Kaito to the slot machine he was just at. And thus began the sad tale of Kaito's downfall. The 4 of us watched in sympathy and a little amusement as Kaito's winnings slowly dwindled away.

"Aaaaaargh! Damn it! Not again!" Kaito growled as he once again won nothing.

"What's wrong, maverick…?" Monokuma said in a teasing manner. "You're down to half your coins. Wouldn't it be best to walk away now…?"

"It's just half! I'm gonna get everything back! Just you watch me!" Kaito declared.

"This is...difficult to watch." Keebo said he made a face that could only be described as pity towards Kaito. I had to agree. Watching Kaito insert his coins one after the other, only to receive nothing was a little depressing. Eventually, the Luminary of the Stars was down to his final coin.

"Th-This...is my last coin! This is where I'm gonna have my dramatic comeback! Just you watch!" He inserted the coin, and then pulled the lever with a determined stare. "Right heeeeeeere!" However… "ah...aah...aaaaaaaaah…" Kaito's expression dropped to one of horror and despair as he once again lost.

"Too bad! Your intuition was totally wrong, Kaito!" Monokuma laughed. "Man, I'm glad I built this casino! Watching suckers lose everything is hilarious!"

"Damn it! I was set up!" Kaito slammed his fist into the floor as he dropped to his knees. "If only I'd stopped while I was ahead…" Ah, the old familiar line that addicted gamblers tend to use. "I-I'm gonna quit gambling forever! You can bet on that!"

"That's also what gambling addicts tend to say…" I muttered, smiling a little at the state Kaito was in.

"Now, now, Kaito." Rantaro said, trying to comfort the astronaut. While he did that, Monokuma looked at me.

"What about you, maverick? Do you want to test your luck? I'll even give you 10 free coins, on the house."

"Hmm… I do want to test the machines here…" I put my hand on my chin as I pondered a bit.

"Don't do it, sidekick!" Kaito begged me with a pained look. "You'll only end up like me! Save yourself from the pain and disappointment!"

"I feel as though you are overexaggerating…" Keebo pointed out with a confused look.

"Hmm… If you're not convinced, then let's make a deal." Monokuma said with a grin. "If you get a jackpot with all of those coins, I'll tell you more about that flashlight that you found earlier."

"Flashlight?" Rantaro asked as he raised an eyebrow in concern. That's right, I told him our memories were probably erased and brought back by a flashlight device. Hmm...what to do… I already know what this thing probably does, but… I do want to put Monokuma in his place. And it would be better for Monokuma to say it himself than me. Besides, I have a feeling this kind of thing is what I'm good at. I love a good challenge afterall.

"What happens if Rin loses?" Keebo asked.

"Oh that? Well…" Monokuma thought for a bit before smiling more. "If Rin loses, then I suppose I'll give him a handicap until someone dies!"

"Handicap? What kind?" Shuichi questioned.

"I'm not telling you!"

"Hmm…" I thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright, you got yourself a deal." I said.

"Puhuhu… how exciting!" Monokuma giggled.

"Are you sure this is a wise decision?" Keebo asked with a very distressed expression.

"I'll be fine. Besides, it's not often I feel this confident about something." I said with a smile while I sat down at one of the slot machines.

"Confident?" Rantaro questioned as I put my first coin in. I placed my hand on the lever and watched the slots with an intense stare. I don't know why, but watching the slots go by gives me this feeling of...familiarity. I watch intently, watching each slot spin at incredible speeds. That's when I suddenly see it. The right moment is there.

"Got it!" I pulled the lever swiftly. The slots stop, and the machine lights up as coins pour out. "Jackpot!"

"O-On his first try!?" Keebo explained.

"Holy shit! Rin, how'd you do that bro!?" Kaito asked, his pained expression now one of happiness and curiosity. I shrugged as I put in the next coin. I wonder how far this will go on for.


"I-Incredible!" Shuichi exclaimed as I put my winnings of 10 jackpots in a bag Monokuma begrudgingly gave me.

"H-How did you get 10 jackpots in a row!?" Kaito gasped while staring at the very large bag.

"I don't know. If I had to give a reason, it would probably be muscle memory." I answered the best I could.

"Muscle memory? Like you've done this before? Were you some sort of gambling king before all this?" Rantaro asked.

"Wouldn't that make you the Ultimate Gambler?" Shuichi asked.

"Oh no, no. That's not it. I'm definitely not the Ultimate Gambler. Doesn't sound right at all. I just...have a knack for this, I suppose. Even games like this." I said. "I'm not so good at gambling and such for it to be a talent. Games like poker and blackjack require too much luck for me to be consistently good at; However, slot machines aren't really like other gambling games. The slots always have a certain pattern for each run. They can be predictable, and I just found it easy to see the patterns of the machine." I turned to look at Monokuma, who was muttering under his breath.

"Stupid little...had to go and win...ban him for life…" I heard Monokuma mutter.

"Hey, Monokuma, about that deal…?"

"Yeah yeah I know!" Monokuma shouted. "I'll tell everyone to go to the gym and I'll tell them there alright!? Freakin' teenagers and their stupid friggin' luck and skill…" Monokuma huffed as he stormed out.

"You seemed to really upset him." Keebo said.

"Yeah… I guess that's another casino I'll get banned from." I sighed.

"You've been banned from casinos?" Shuichi questioned.

"Hmm?" I thought about what I said. "I kinda just spat that out without thinking about it, but yeah...I guess I have. I kind of remember being dragged out of a casino after cleaning a few slot machines completely clean. I remember the bouncers mumbling something about me being as bad as this 'gothic lolita Ultimate Gambler' that almost ran the casino dry back in the day." I laughed.

"That's some luck. Or perhaps it's more accurate to call it skill." Rantaro laughed.

"Anyway, we should gather everyone and head to the gym."

"Right. You'll probably want to drop those coins off somewhere though." Shuichi said while looking at the Ryoma sized bag.

"Oh right. I'll probably drop it off at my dorm then." I responded, but before I could grab the bag, Monotaro grabbed the bag and lifted it over his head.

"Don't worry! I'll take this to your room. You need to go to the gym to hear what father has to say." Monotaro then waddled away with the bag of coins, leaving the rest of us in the casino.

"The Monokubs are annoying for sure, but it's nice whenever they do stuff like that." I said.

"I suppose. The Monokubs are indeed strange. Stranger than Monokuma…" Keebo said with an exasperated look.

"We should get going. Don't want the others to be waiting for us in the gym." Rantaro said.

"Alright! Let's hurry up and head out!" Kaito said fiercely as he led the charge out of the casino.

"W-Wait! Kaito!" Shuichi said as he followed after the astronaut. Keebo left immediately after, leaving me and Rantaro in the back of the group. I was about to follow them before Rantaro grabbed my shoulder to stop me.

"That flashlight Monokuma was talking about...is it…?" Rantaro looked both skeptical and concerned as he asked me that. I took out the device from my jacket pocket and nodded.

"I'm almost positive. It looks just like it did back then. Even so, this could still have different properties than the one I saw. It's better for Monokuma to explain what it does. Still, I get the feeling this thing is nothing but trouble." I pocketed the device and sighed. "What do you think?"

"It's very strange, though the situation here is just as strange. If that is a memory giving flashlight, I wonder what memory it holds. Doubtful it's something good if Monokuma is allowing us to find it."

"Agreed." I nodded as we began to walk to the gym. "Oh yeah… Rantaro, wasn't there something you wanted to show me before...you know…" Rantaro looked confused for a moment before remembering what he told me in the library when we talked about my talent.

"Right. I did say that. Hmm…" Rantaro thought for a few seconds as he wondered how he should respond. Eventually, he sighed and turned to me. "Give me a few days to think about it. With everything that has happened, I want to trust you, but I want to get a better understanding of everything before I do. It has nothing to do with you or the things Tsumugi said about you if that's what you're wondering. I just have to figure out if the situation here has changed drastically or not." He must be referring to the killing game. Even with the 'mastermind' supposedly dead, the game is still going on. Any wrong step, and there'll be another victim. I don't blame him for being wary, especially of me.

"It's fine. That just means it's really important. I would probably have a hard time trusting someone else with it too." I replied. I have a hunch what he's referring to though. That time I found him in the library, he was in front of the moving bookcase with his Monopad out. He quickly put the thing away when he heard me come in and saw me, but why would that be? I can only imagine because it has something important on it. If my previous theory about the mastermind trying to lure Rantaro into Kaede's trap, then it most likely reveals the hidden door. But we all know about the door now. Why would it still be troublesome for me to know? There must be more than just info on the hidden door. And if that's the case, I wonder what Rantaro knows. "Either way, I'm glad you're even considering showing me whatever you have. If I were you, I'd probably wouldn't trust me at all." What am I even saying? Do I even trust myself now? Out of everyone, the one I have the most doubts about is me. Ironic, huh?

"I suppose under any other circumstance I would be more wary of you." Rantaro said with a shrug. "But none of that changes the fact that you saved my life yesterday." I turned to look at the green haired youth with a surprised look. He just gave me a smile and put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm really grateful for what you did. I'm sure Kaede is too. Honestly, I feel a lot more relaxed today than I have been for the past few days. You would think I would be more tense after almost being killed, but I'm strangely calm."

"More so than usual?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Very funny." Rantaro said with a chuckle. "I won't forget what you did for me, so I hope I can make it up to you one way or another."

"You don't have to worry about that. I didn't do anything special." I said, brushing it off. "I say that breakfast you and Kaede made is good enough of a gift."

"I'm sure Kaede would like to hear that, though I bet she still wants to make it up to you. She was also a bit fidgety around me. She probably still feels guilty about what she almost did." I sighed at Rantaro's words. I guess that's why she seemed uneasy around me when we were walking around.

"I'll have to talk to her later. I already told her I wasn't upset, but I suppose just saying that wouldn't remove her guilt." I then turned to look at the adventure and gave him a serious look. "What about you? You would have been in my situation if I didn't stop you from going to the library. Are you upset at Kaede?" Rantaro put his hand on his chin as he calmly thought about it before shaking his head.

"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't surprised when I found out Kaede was trying to kill whoever opened the moving bookcase, but I can't hate her for it. She was trying to kill the mastermind, not me or you, and I didn't even get close to being killed because of your plan. You were the only one in danger. It would be ridiculous for me to be upset at her, especially if you aren't."

"I'm glad you see it that way. Honestly, I'm worried about how the group sees her now." I said while scratching my neck. "No one has said it yet, but I'm sure they're concerned about what we should do about Kaede. It only makes sense, what with the killing game and all, but I'm worried how they'll treat her from now on."

"I have to agree. While what Kaede did was wrong, it wouldn't be fair to treat her too differently because of it." Rantaro then chuckled as he placed his hand on my head and rubbed my hair. "I'm sure that if they do treat her badly, you and Shuichi will do your best to stop it though."

"I suppose." I said as I took his hand off my head. "What was that for?"

"...Old habit, I suppose." Rantaro answered, though his tone indicated he didn't want to elaborate any further, so I dropped it.

"Anyway, we're almost at the gym. I wonder what'll happen." I said as we continued on our way.