3rd Arc: Revived Hope That's Crushed by Forced Regret

Daily Life

Ding dong!

Ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong!

"That's enough, Kaito! Don't just ring it constantly." Kaede told the astronaut before he could ring the doorbell another time.

"What? I'm just helping Rin wake up if he hasn't woken up yet!" Kaito proudly said before trying to hit the doorbell again, this time being stopped by Shuichi.

"I'm not sure this is the best way to go about that…" He interjected.

"Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing." Kaito insisted.

"I don't know if I can believe you." Rantaro, who was leaning against the railing, chuckled.

"Hey! Rin's my sidekick. I know how to handle stuff like this!" Kaito confidently said. "It was like this before after the first trial too, right? Rin secluded himself away from the rest of us, so I'm just making sure he's okay this time. He may be a few years older than us, but everyone, no matter how old they are, needs some support now and then."

"Yeah, but ringing his doorbell a dozen times is a little obnoxious." Kaede sighed. "Besides, aren't you upset at him?"

"Huh? For what?" Kaito asked, genuinely unsure of what Kaede was talking about.

"The Insect Meet and Greet. He helped Kokichi willingly, and we were stuck with Gonta's bugs for 3 hours. Urg…" Kaede shivered at the thought.

"I have to agree with Kaede. I know Rin had good intentions, but he and Kokichi were still in the wrong." Shuichi added.

"Well, I suppose you do have a point." Kaito nodded as he scratched the back of his head. "Most of us didn't really have time to think it over before the investigation and trial, since that happened right after. Still, Rin's my sidekick. I believe in him. Yeah, he was in the wrong, but he wanted what's best for us. He also got the same treatment with Kokichi by being stuck with Gonta till morning, didn't he? That seems to be enough for the others, but since he's my responsibility, I've already thought up something as a sort of extra payback if you're really interested."

"Payback?" Rantaro questioned.

"Don't worry about it." Kaito said with a stupid grin as he waved his hand dismissively. "Besides, I doubt Rin will do something like that again. He's learned his lesson, I'm sure."

"I don't know. I would hope, but...something about him makes me think otherwise." Shuichi muttered with a worried look. Rin was a mystery. He managed to trap Tsumugi, the mastermind, in a trap, prevented Kaede from killing someone, and helped out greatly in the trials. However, he worked together with Kokichi of all people, kept Maki's talent a secret, even longer than Kaito perhaps, and seems to be keeping a lot to his chest that the others don't know about. Shuichi didn't know what to think of Rin. He admired his intelligence and willingness to face the problems of the killing game head on with logic and confidence, along with his power to seemingly take hold of the truth with no hesitation, yet that same thing was what was intimidating Shuichi at the moment. Rin's a good guy, better than Kokichi at least, so Shuchi did still trust him, but what would Rin do in order to keep them safe? If he's willing to lie and trick everyone else in order to protect them, what else would he do in the name of keeping everyone safe? Especially if he gets desperate or scared.

Ding dong!

Shuichi is brought out of his thoughts as Kaito once again hits the doorbell enthusiastically. "Kaito! Enough!" Kaede shouted.

"What? I-" Before Kaito could give a rebuttal, the door to Rin's room slowly opened.

"Okay, who's ringing the bell like a madman?" I asked in a groggy voice as I peaked out the crack outside my room.

"There you are Rin!" Before I could react, Kaito pushed himself into my room and walked in.

"Ah! H-Hey!" I exclaimed.

"We were wondering where you were. We all were going to meet up at Maki's lab, remember?" Kaito told me.

"Oh right… I completely forgot about that." I exclaimed while running my hand through my messy hair.

"Hey, Rin, are you okay?" Kaede asked me. "You look tired."

"O-Oh that?" I nervously responded. "I-It's nothing. Really. The Trial from yesterday just really wore me out. It took a lot out of me." I lied as I put on my painted smile, which seemed to convince them.

"Hmm…" Rantaro hummed as he peaked into my room. "Your room is larger than ours."

"Oh yeah…" Kaede said as she peered in as well. "It's actually quite nice here."

"It's nothing. The Monokubs made my room larger since I didn't have a room at first, remember?"

"That's right. I forgot about that. You weren't originally planned to be here." Shuichi nodded. He then stole a glance at my desk and got a curious, yet concerned look. "Are you working on something? That's a lot of paper on there, and it looks like you wrote on all of them."

"Oh that?" I asked with an embarrassed blush as I moved to organize the paper and put it away in my desk. "It's just a few notes that I started writing. Just observations, notes, comments, stuff like that. It's sort of like a journal, I suppose. Guess I'm just afraid of forgetting everything again that I've started writing it down." I gave a dry chuckle. Not technically a lie, I guess...considering I started writing last night and fell asleep at my desk a few hours ago.

"You don't gotta worry about that. If you forget anything else, we'll be there to help you out." Kaito reassured me. "Now let's get going. We need to get to Maki's lab."

"Right. I'd rather you guys not judge my room anymore anyway." I jokingly said. And so, we all left the dorms together and talked on our way there. Thank god I had the foresight to hide the Electro stuff last night, along with...the video. That would have been troublesome to explain, and I'd rather not share that stuff right now. It would be too bothersome, especially with it's...contents. We have other things to worry about anyway. More important things.

We all headed to Maki's lab on the 3rd floor of the building, where Maki was waiting for all of us. Once we all were there, she unlocked the door and let us in. Everything I thought might be in this lab, was totally in this lab. It was the Ultimate Assassin's Research Lab, and it was full of weapons. It was actually really off putting to see all the weapons just sitting there, waiting to be used. "Wh-What the heck is this?" Kaito asked, just as shocked to see just how dangerous this lab was.

"It's like...weapon warehouse." Gonta stated.

"See, I told you she's not the Ultimate Child Caregiver…" Kokichi smirked. "She's the Ultimate Assassin."

"Well, this explains why she wouldn't let anyone into her lab." Rantaro noted.

"I'm honestly a little glad. I don't want to think what might have happened if Kiyo had access to this room." Kaede shuttered.

"So...are you all shocked?" Maki asked in a soft tone. "This is the secret I was hiding from you all."

"Well, it's certainly shocking…" Ryoma commented.

"But why did you lie about being the Ultimate Child Caregiver?" Angie asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked. "If you all knew she was an assassin, then you all wouldn't want to associate with her at all. She would become our prime suspect in every murder that might happen, and none of us would trust her. All because of her talent."

"That's right. It's because I knew how you all would react if I told you about my talent." Maki gave a slight nod. "When people learn my Ultimate talent, they get the same fear in their eyes that you all got last night and have right now. Eventually, that fear will turn into hate. And then someone will try to kill me because they're afraid I'll kill them first. That's what always happened before. Whenever someone learns my true identity, they try to kill me. It happens every time...except…" Maki stole a glance at both me and Kaito before sighing. "That's my story. I knew you all wouldn't believe me if I said I had no intentions of killing anyone, so I kept it a secret and tried to avoid you guys as much as I could."

"I suppose that's true." Tenko shamefully nodded. "If I knew at the start, I'd constantly be on edge around her."

"But the fact is that she hasn't done anything bad at all so far. She's had plenty of opportunities to kill one of us, yet she hasn't done that." Keebo noted.

"Geez, robots can't even understand human feelings, let alone a girl's heart." Kokichi mumbled.

"Please take back what you just said. I can understand human feelings too." Keebo countered. "But I'm still in the process of collecting data. Please, give me data! Please!"

"That's not super reassuring…" Kaede sighed.

"Well, now that you all know, I'll say it again. I have no intentions of killing anyone unless you try to kill me first." Maki told us before making a small pouting face while she clutched her bow on her uniform. "Having said that...you probably won't believe me anyway."

"Hmm… You've lived a pretty sad life, Maki." Kokichi noted before putting on a sad expression. "Oh...poor, poor Maki. I feel so sorry for you. I think I'm about to cry…" That's when his expression changed to one full of energy as he practically bounced towards Maki to get in her face, obviously to annoy her. "It's because of everything you've been through that human life has no value to you now, right?" Maki's expression quickly turned to anger after hearing Kokichi's words. My expression changed to anger as well.

"She's an assassin, not some psychopath out for blood. She has circumstances and morals just like the rest of us. Don't treat her like she doesn't have any morals." I rebuked.

"Well, now we all know." Kokichi continued in the same carefree nature he usually has as he backed away from the assassin. "Do you all still want to be friends with Maki now? I can't promise that she won't try to kill you if you piss her off like I did. I'm lucky Rinny stepped in and took the blow for me! But he might not be there to save you guys next time~."

"..." Maki just stayed silent, choosing not to say anything. It sort of looked like she was too nervous to say anything. So with a sigh, I spoke up.

"I'm still going to be her friend." Maki's head, along with many of the other's, spun around and landed on me when I said that.

"Oh?" Kokichi questioned.

"I don't know about you, but this doesn't give me any reason to think less of Maki. If anything, I'm glad she tried to keep this stuff out of our hands by hiding her identity. I think she's working in our best interest." I simply said while rhythmically tapping my fingers on my headphones.

"Nyahaha. I agree. So far, Maki has not shown to be a threat to our peace." Angie nodded cheerfully.

"Can't say I have a problem with Maki now." Ryoma shrugged. "Rin said she had extenuating circumstances, right? I understand that perfectly, since I killed due to my own circumstances as well. I don't have a right to judge her, even if she's an assassin. I say we let it go."

"I agree. I...have no right to judge Maki for what she's done when I almost…" Kaede trailed off as she clutched her arm, though she soon put back on a brave face and nodded. "Besides, Maki's our friend. I trust her."

"But the talent of a killer...it's sort of scary." Rantaro commented before giving his usual relaxed smile. "Welp, not like we're not already in a scary situation. Not like none of us have kept our own secrets before now, so I'm not going to get angry that Maki kept one from us. As long as she doesn't try anything, I'm fine with how things are as well."

"Then I'll keep an eye out! I don't want another killing to happen, but I think Maki can be trusted for now." Tenko said with a defensive pose.

"Yes, yes. That's right. Maki is our friend, that is true. But if she tries anything, Atua will deliver swift divine punishment, same as everyone else. As long as she upholds the peace, all will be fine." Angie added.

"Yeah. As long as she upholds the peace, we'll be okay. We...already promised that the killing game wouldn't happen again after all." Himiko stated.

"Yeah. You guys don't have to worry. You just leave Maki Roll to me." Kaito said as he threw his arm around Maki and brought her close before giving a smile. "She's one of my sidekicks, so she's my responsibility! Any of her mistakes are my mistakes. I'll take down this mask of hers and-ERK!" Maki then elbowed Kaito in the gut. Hard. Kaito fell to his knees as he gasped heavily. "M-Maki Roll, what was that for!?"

"Don't call me that." Maki replied with a dark expression. "Also, I don't ever remember becoming your 'sidekick'. I'd rather be on my own. But…" Maki then gave a softened expression. "I suppose I'm glad...you all still trust me, I guess."

"Awww! The killer has a heart!" Kokichi said in a mocking tone. "O-kay! If you all are really fine with this, then we'll leave everything to Kaito! We'll just stand back, that way, only Kaito dies if he pisses Maki off!"

"Kokichi, don't joke about that." I berated him as I smacked the back of his head again.

"Ooow! Rinny! Why did you do that!?"

"The punishment fits the crime." I told him. "Also, I got choked because of you last night. The least you could do is act cordially around Maki. I'm not asking you to like her. Just be polite."

"Awww, but I am!" Kokichi whined. This kid… That's when Monokuma bounced into the room.

"I'm also here, you guys! Oh don't worry. I don't need everyone's usual reactions! Time's a bit of a factor here! We're on a time crunch after all!" Monokuma told us.

"Oh...it's you." I groaned.

"Aaahhh!" Kaede shouted, startled by Monokuma's sudden appearance behind her.

"Everyone! Get behind Gonta!" Gonta cried out.

"Himiko, get behind me! I'll surround you with my body to keep you safe!" Tenko shouted as well.

"I just said I don't need your usual reactions!" Monokuma shouted. "It's almost halftime, so the stats should be out soon for everyone to obsess over…"

"Stats? What is this? Fantasy Football?" I deadpanned.

"Well, since you guys overcame the class trial, I figured I'd give you all a wonderful prize!" Monokuma told us as he spread his arms wide out. However, nothing happened. "A-hem! I said, I figured I'd give you all a wonderful prize!" Again, nothing happened. "...Huh? My adorable little cubs aren't coming? That's strange." At that moment, the Monokubs finally appeared, though something about them was different.

"Rise and Shine, Ursine!" They cheered as they entered.

"They're finally here! Yay! You're so cute toda, it's practically obscene! Just...wow. You guys are seriously cute. H-Have you always been this cute? Ahhhh! The shock of my super-cute kids...seems to be making me...go bald… Like, in patches." Monokuma said as some of his fur peeled off.

"He's actually balding?!" Himiko exclaimed.

"I thought that was just fake material used in making normal stuff animals." Rantaro said with a slightly shocked expression.

"Ahhh… I-I'm cold… V-Very cold…" Monokuma shivered.

"Okay, I'll be the first to say it. These skits of yours aren't funny." I plainly stated. "Can we please move on?"

"W-Wow...That actually really hurts coming from you." Monokuma cried as he lowered his head. "Fiiine. Now, my cute little cubs… Could you hurry up and give them the prize…?"

"..."

"..." For those few seconds, the cubs just stared back at their father, neither of them saying anything before Monokuma put his fur back on and tilted his head at his kids. "Huh? What's wrong? Why aren't you backing me up?"

"FATHER… WE-ARE-NOT-YOUR-SLAVES. WE-WILL-NOT-LET-YOU-USE-US- ANYMORE." Monodam said sternly.

"...Huh?"

"FROM-NOW-ON… I-WILL-BE-CALLING-THE-SHOTS." That's when Monokuma started to get really nervous.

"...Hah! Good one, kids. Very funny. You can show me where the hidden cameras are now."

"Father, you're too old for this. You've been doing this so long, you've become predictable!" Monotaro said. "Like Rin said, you're not even that funny or cute anymore."

"Wh-What!?"

"It's the age of the Monokubs now! Out with the old, in with the new!" Monophanie cried out.

"B-But...what about all the long-time fans who-"

"Anyway, you're just a has-been! Why don'tcha just retire somewhere and work on your tan!?" Monotaro shouted.

"H-Has-been!?"

"GOOD-JOB, YOU-TWO… YOU-MEMORIZED-MY-SCRIPT-PERFECTLY."

"D-Do you really think you can defy your dad!? Do you think I'd forgive such-." Before Monokuma could say anything else, The three cubs' Exisals barged into the lab with force.

"...Oh?" I chirped in an amused tone as I watched the chaos unfold.

"...YOU-WERE-SAYING?" Monodam asked.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Monokuma shrieked.

"DID-YOU-FORGET, FATHER? ONLY-WE-CAN-PILOT-THE-EXISALS." Monodam explained.

"...What!? Really!?" Monotaro exclaimed.

"How could you forget that!?" Monophanie cried out.

"THANK-YOU, FATHER, BUT-THE-ACADEMY-IS-UNDER-OUR-HARMONIOUS- CONTROL-NOW. STEP-ASIDE, FATHER." Monodam told Monokuma. Well...this is a sudden development, and for the better too!

"N-No way! Are you saying that treating you kids like my property was...wrong!?" Monokuma gasped.

"It's completely and utterly wrong!" Tenko shouted.

"Completely illegal…" I sighed as I placed my hand on my forehead.

"What complete nonsense…" Maki sighed as she rolled her eyes at the scene.

"N-No...no...no…!" Monokuma began as he trembled. "No no no no no wayyyyyyyyyyy!" And then, more fur popped off Monokuma, and he froze. He didn't move or react at all after that.

"Is...Is he okay?" I found myself asking out of morbid curiosity.

"Nyeh...he's bald again." Himiko noted.

"It seems he's in shock over his kids' betrayal…" Rantaro gave a dry chuckle.

"NOW-THEN, AS-THE-NEW-HEADMASTERS, WE-HAVE-FOR-YOU-BASTARDS…" Monodam began as he and the other cubs pulled out four items. "A-WONDERFUL-PRIZE!"

"Let's see what the prizes are this time." Monophanie said as she examined each prize. "We're giving away this Golden Hammer, a Ninja Scroll, an Ocarina, and the legendary Levistone as a prize bundle!"

"Wow...what a buncha random junk. I-I mean, bravo, bravo!" Monotaro cheered.

"WE-LOOK-FORWARD-TO-WORKING-WITH-YOU. I-HOPE-WE-CAN-ALL… GET-ALONG." Monodam said.

"I had a feeling it was more junk…" Keebo sighed.

"Aw maaan… We didn't need more junk." Kokichi sighed. "We have way too much anyway. And it's name is Keebo."

"Now you've gone too far! Everyone, we can't allow this kind of intolerant language!" Keebo pleaded with us.

"NO-FIGHTING. EVERYONE-HAS-TO-GET-ALONG." Monodam told us. "USE-THIS-PRIZE -TO-EXPLORE-THE-NEW-AREAS-TOGETHER."

"Also, we've hidden another Flashback Light somewhere, too." Monophanie added. "I hope you all grow even closer now that you've regained more of your memories. Even Rin has begun to remember things. How wonderful!"

"He has?" Shuichi asked while turning to me again with that concerned gaze of his, to which I ignored the glance. Gee, thanks Monophanie… Way to blow my cover.

"So long! Bear well!" The cubs shouted as they left, leaving their traumatized father behind.

"Geez, those cubs suck. Monokuma was waaay better." Kokichi grimaced. "Damn it… I've got too much pride as a human to let those robots push me around! The world would be a better place if robots didn't exist! They should all be destroyed!"

"I've recorded your intolerant remarks, and will report them to the proper authorities." Keebo pointedly told Kokichi.

"Keebo, you really should just ignore him. Kokichi is just trying to get a reaction out of you." Kaede sighed.

"Rin, you never answered me. What the Monokubs said...I've been wondering about it, but I'd like to hear it from you. Have you been remembering things as of late?" Shuichi's question caused everyone to turn to me with curious expressions. I sighed as I started to play with my jacket's zipper and shrugged.

"I...suppose I have." I told them.

"Wait, really?!" Kaede said, suddenly getting excited. "What have you remembered so far? Do you know more about yourself? What about your talent?"

"Woah...easy there. One at a time." I told her. "Well, to answer your questions, I've only remembered little things, like interactions with friends and small things about myself. I haven't remembered anything about my talent or past yet."

"I see. That's still good though. I'm glad you've started to remember." Rantaro told me.

"Yes. It's truly a miraculous blessing that you've started to regain your precious memories." Angie agreed.

"When did you first start remembering things? Was it after Tsumugi…?" Shuichi tried asking.

"...Yeah. I started remembering things at random unintentionally. They were little things, like absentmindedly thinking something related to someone I didn't know-er, used to know I guess, or something I didn't even understand, but I kind of tried to reject it at first. Tsumugi's words were sort of concerning, after all. But now I'm just letting them come and go. I've let go of my worry for now. They're becoming a bit more thorough, I suppose." I then put my hands on my hips and sighed. "But I haven't remembered the really exciting things like my talent yet, or my past. Still not sure about who 'Rin Wakuri' really was before this killing game."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll remember your talent and past soon!" Tenko told me.

"I wonder… I'm sorta glad I don't remember my talent or past." I sighed instinctually.

"Huh? You're happy you don't remember?" Ryoma asked me.

"Huh? Did I say that outloud?" I tried to deflect, though their expressions told me they were very curious about my slip up.

"Why would you like not having your memories like that?" Himiko asked me with a confused look. I sighed as I rubbed the back of my head. What's the best way to go about this?

"Well...one of the memories I got sort of made me remember that I...hated my talent ." I told them.

"Hated it?" Kaito asked me.

"Yep. Not just hate. I despised it." I shrugged. "So, since that's the case, forgetting about it and everything in my past related to it is sort of a blessing. I don't think I've felt more at ease when it comes to myself. I get to finally separate myself from it, for once."

"If you don't mind me asking, do you remember why you hate your talent?" Shuichi asked. "O-Oh, you don't have to answer if it's too personal. I'm just curious."

"No worries. I am a mystery to you guys so it's only natural you want to know, especially when it's strange for an Ultimate to hate their talent." I put my hand on my chin as I thought about the right way to explain this. "I suppose I hate it for the same reason Maki hates her's."

"The same reason?" Maki repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"We never got to choose our talents." I explained with a serious expression. "Sure, being an Ultimate can be great, but it forces you to be tied to that talent for the rest of your life. If you're talented in something you love like Kaede or Kaito, then that's great, but for those of us who got stuck with something bad, like being an Assassin, or something you never wanted to be in the first place, then having talent is more like a curse."

"A...curse?" Himiko repeated.

"I know, right? I guess Kiyo was right about me being cursed after all." I gave a dry laugh. "Of course, I don't remember what my talent was, but that's just the impression I got from the few memories I got back. I don't think past Rin cared much for his talent or title at all. But who knows? Maybe I'm wrong and I have some amazing talent I'd brag about every 5 seconds."

"Rin…" Kaede softly responded.

"Hey, don't you all look so down. It's not like it's a big deal what my talent is or whether I like it or not. Who I am is who I am. I doubt something that insignificant will change that. We all live different lives, full of different experiences. It's how we grow from those experiences that form who we are. No talent can change that. I think I'm at that point in my life where I'm pretty sure I wouldn't care about it anymore." I told them as I moved my hands in a defensive manner. "Let's not worry about me. I'm sure whether I want to or not, I'll remember everything eventually. And when I do, I'm sure I'll still be the same as I am now."

"I suppose." Ryoma nodded. "You are right about that. With or without your memories, and with or without knowing your talent, you're still our enigmatic friend."

"Enigmatic? Am I really that mysterious to you all?" I asked nervously as I mimicked a pose Rantaro usually does.

"Well, you are the only one whose talent we still don't know after all. And without your memories, that makes you the only one we know nothing about." Kokichi told me with a playful smile.

"Wait, we still don't know Rantaro's talent." Shuichi said.

"Actually, it was in his motive video." Ryoma said. Oh yeah. I guess if his talent was in the video, he doesn't have any reason to hide it anymore.

"Right, I forgot to tell you guys." Rantaro chuckled. "I'm actually the Ultimate Adventurer. I've traveled around the world. I actually remembered that during one of my trips to the Savanna, I helped research a rare disease that only affected the people there. That's how I became the Ultimate Adventurer."

"W-Wow! An Adventurer!" Kaede exclaimed.

"Dude, that's awesome! I've always wanted to be an explorer when I was a kid. It's part of why I want to be an astronaut, so I could explore the vast universe!" Kaito said with a huge smile.

"So now we know Rantaro's talent. That's one of the mysteries of the Ultimate Academy solved!" Himiko said cheerfully, which was rare for the girl to be so cheerful.

"That is one mystery down. Just a few more to go." Shuichi chuckled.

"Then we should probably get started on exploring the academy some more. We might find some of those answers if we do." Angie said.

"Then how we do this? Junk open new places up like before, right?" Gonta asked.

"We'll leave it to you guys again. You decide how to use it." Kaito told me and Shuichi.

"R-Right…" Shuichi nervously nodded.

"If you find dangerous place, come get Gonta. Gonta will protect you." Gonta told us.

"Nyeeeh...all that aside, what are we gonna do with this thing?" Himiko asked as she pointed to Monokuma.

"Good point. We can't exactly leave him in my lab." Maki said as she scowled at the bear. That's when I got a devious idea.

"Oh...I've always wanted to do this." I said as I made a Kokichi smile.

"R-Rin?" Kaede questioned as I walked up to the shocked Monokuma and picked him up with an evil grin.

"The Monokubs said it themselves. They're the new headmasters, meaning Monokuma is no longer protected by rule 8 anymore, riiight?"

"Rule 8?" Shuichi repeated before his expression changed to one of horror. "Rin, wait! Don't-" I didn't wait to listen to him as I ran out of Maki's lab with the unresponsive Monokuma in my hands. The others quickly followed me as I ran outside. As soon as I got outside, I punted Monokuma like a goddamn football, and IT FELT GREAT!

"So long, eh-Monokuma!" I shouted as the bear flew off into the distance. "Man, how much distance did I get with that one? I sort of want to try for a better score…"

"I...think it's best if you don't." Shuichi warned me.

"Eh…" I shrugged, still extremely proud of what I did.

"Well, with that taken care of now, we should be free to explore new areas." Keebo said, still shocked by my reckless display against Monokuma.

"Hmm...The Levistone, Ninja Scroll, the Golden Hammer, and the Ocarina." I said as I stared at the objects. "I actually think I know where to use the hammer."

"I remember seeing a plaque that has music notes on it. That's probably where the Ocarina should be used." Kaede said.

"I remember that too! It's right next to where the gym is!" Angie added.

"There's a stand for the Levistone outside Miu's Research Lab, I believe." Rantaro added.

" I also remember seeing a ninja statue near the Shrine of Judgement." Shuichi stated.

"Then we have our tasks." I said as we each took the object we could use. "Let's split up. We'll cover more ground that way." And so, we each took the item of our choosing and went off in our separate ways to open up the new areas. Well, if I'm right about where I need to use this hammer, then my area is on the fourth floor. We just came from the 3rd floor, so...it seems like a waste to walk all the way back up there without checking out the new areas opening up in the courtyard. I suppose they won't mind if I check out those areas first. And so, I walked through the courtyard, eager to see what would open up. Maybe, just maybe, it can help me feel even just slightly better about things right now.