"Hey! Rin!" I turned around as I was walking through the courtyard when someone called my name. Upon turning around, I saw Kaede running up to me with an eager smile.

"Kaede? What's up? I thought you would be exploring with Shuichi."

"Shuichi's fine without me for this. I actually wanted to explore the new areas with you. We haven't actually investigated together a lot yet." Kaede told me with a bright smile.

"Hmm? I guess that's true." I hummed with a thoughtful tone. "I don't mind you helping me. But I have to ask, does this have to do with the Insect Meet and Greet? Are you trying to make sure I'm not doing anything like that again?" Kaede recoiled slightly before giving me a nervous expression as she tried to deny the accusation.

"What, no! That's not it. I just wanted to help you out today. I haven't really done that yet."

"I see. Sorry, I've just been thinking about that mistake of mine recently." I sighed. Yeah, that mistake among all the other ones I've made recently. "I'm sorry...about all of that. Again."

"You don't have to apologize for it anymore. You already got your punishment for it with Kokichi when Gonta trapped you both in his lab." Kaede then pouted a bit as she crossed her arms. "I'm still a little upset that you decided that was the best way to do things, though. But we're still friends. We all make mistakes, the both of us know that better than most, I'm sure."

"...Yeah. We do." I nodded solemnly. Kaede then brought out her cheerful expression as she brought her hands together.

"That's enough sad talk. Let's hurry and start looking around!" I couldn't help but give a dry chuckle at that.

"You're more cheerful than usual today. I'm glad you're starting to become happier again."

"Well, it's all thanks to you, Shuichi, and Kaito, if I'm honest." Kaede said. "You three just keep giving me strength to keep going." I gave her a soft smile in response, her cheerfulness spreading to me.

"I'm happy I was able to help, though I'm sure you could have gotten this far on your own. You're plenty strong enough." I said as I started walking to our destination.

"...Without you all, I never could have even made it even a fraction this far." I heard Kaede whisper. I did my best to hide my frown when I heard that. That's...not true. Kaede is so much stronger than she realizes. She's stronger than me, that's for sure. If I was even half as strong as she was, then maybe I wouldn't have made those mistakes. Maybe this new found aching in my chest wouldn't be here. I instinctively grabbed my chest at the thought of the dull pain that had appeared last night. It's back. I'm not injured. Nothing's wrong with me. So why does it ache so much? Why does it hurt? If I ignore it, it'll eventually go away like it did last night, but it'll come back, I know it. It hurts. Why does my chest hurt like this? "Rin? Are you okay?" I snapped out of my trance and quickly let go of my chest as I turned around and gave Kaede a forced smile to reassure her.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" I asked her, the dull aching subsiding with this distraction. "We should get going and check out those new areas. We might find something incredible!" I said with a forced excitement as I picked up the pace, not wanting to linger on the topic any longer. Kaede bit her bottom lip, seemingly doubting my words before she started to walk alongside me, keeping her eye on me all the while. Great...I'm making her worried. Again. I'm grateful that Kaede's worried about me, but I can't keep relying on her or Kaito or anyone else to help fix my problems. I'm an adult, so I shouldn't rely on a kid to help me fix my own problems. And that's when Kaede asked me something that really threw me for a loop.

"Hey, I just want to ask this, just to be sure, but...have you had any more panic attacks recently?" Her question almost made me stop dead in my tracks. I snapped my head towards the pianist with a surprised and almost scared expression, only to see her genuine gaze of concern and worry for me. Her expression...that pure sense of concern she had for me...it was like looking at the sun. I couldn't help but avert my eyes from her own. If she had asked me that a few days ago, I would certainly have felt better answering her with 'Nope! None at all recently! I think I'm getting better!', but now I can't say that with what happened last night. That damn video...I can still remember giving up whatever was in my stomach after watching it, the torrent of bad memories and persistent loneliness all coming back in a way that I couldn't make sense of any of it. I still feel the damp chill that surrounded me as I held myself tight and tried to shrink myself into a tiny ball to hide from it all. That damn video...it gave me something I desperately wanted. It gave me hope...and then it killed it with that damn bonus scene. But of course, like with everything that bothers me in this shithole, I can't tell anyone. I don't want to tell anyone. This is a pain I've caused myself. I wanted to watch the video still, despite what we all agreed on MOMENTS PRIOR and while knowing all the risks involved, so I'll deal with it myself. As long as I don't cause the others, my friends, to worry, then it's fine.

You...are the stupidest idiot I've ever met. No matter how smart you are, you always do stupid things to yourself for the sake of others. For the sake of keeping the peace, you torture yourself silently. Isn't that right, Rin?

My eyes fully opened as I shot my head around swiftly. Who was that? Who said that?! It sounded...so real. Like they were right next to me. "Rin?" I turned back to Kaede, who now looked even more concerned about me. I quickly took a deep breath and calmed down. Relax. You're just hearing things. Don't listen to that voice. You know what you're doing is right. I don't regret watching that video. Through all the pain and sorrow it brought me, even if my mind tells me it's true, I don't have to believe it. I don't know if it's a lie or the truth, but right now, I can believe whatever I want about it. That's the fun thing about unknown truths or lies, I guess. The eye of the beholder and all that. Besides, that video gave me something I'm thankful for. I'm more determined now. I know that I have to protect everyone here, even more so now. They are, without a doubt, the most important people in the world to me at this moment. I don't want to lose anyone else, no matter what. I turned back to Kaede and shook my head to her.

"Sorry 'bout that. Though I heard someone else call for me. And to answer your question, no. I haven't really had any problems as of late." I lied as easily as breathing. Huh...is this what it's like to be Kokichi? I'll have to ask him. Once again, Kaede seemed doubtful at my answer before she seemed to accept it.

"Alright. I believe you." She said before giving me a stern gaze. "But if anything like that happens, then you need to tell me! We told each other we'd help each other out. I don't like you keeping secrets if it's hurting you, so rely on me if you need someone, alright." I felt genuinely shocked by Kaede at her caring words and almost parental attitude when speaking.

"Wow, okay mom. When did you get so overprotective?" I asked with a cheeky smile.

"When you started to do worrying things." Kaede sighed. "Look, I just care about you, and I want to be there to make sure you're okay when you need it." That's when I held my hand to my mouth and suppressed a giggle as I quickly came up with a fun reply.

"Oooh~? So you care about me? Is that more or less than Shuichi?" I teased her in a taunting voice.

SMACK!

"Oww!" I yelped. As soon as the words left my mouth, Kaede's face turned a light shade of red as she swiftly punched my shoulder. For a pianist, she can throw a pretty decent punch. I'm going to feel that for the rest of the day.

"Why do you always tease me like that?!" Kaede yelled at me, her face still strawberry red.

"C-Cause I think it's funny and cute how you react…?" I replied with a nervous shrug. Kaede smacked the back of my head with a deadpan expression at that. "OWW! WHY!?"

"That's what you get." Kaede huffed. "God, you're as bad as Kokichi sometimes."

"Well, if we can act like this, I suppose we're pretty close, huh?" I chuckled as I rubbed the back of my head, still feeling the lingering pain of both attacks. Kaede gave me a warm smile and nodded.

"I suppose you're right. I haven't really had many chances to get this close to my friends. It's sort of nice." Kaede said happily. "I never had to hit any of my friends at least."

"Oh, so I'm an exception, am I?" I asked in an offended tone.

"When you keep making teasing comments, yes." I sighed as I let my head droop. She only gave a light laugh as she patted my back. "But that's just because I think you're one of my closest friends, more so than others." She said happily. "Now c'mon, let's hurry up. Those new areas aren't going to wait for us forever."

"Heh, right." I responded as we went on our way. The first new area we went to was near the academy, right next to the gym, actually. When we got there, Ryoma, Angie, and Gonta were there waiting. Just as Kaede said, there was a plaque with music notes on it, and the area itself was covered in vines. Kaede took out the ocarina and began to play it, the vines withering away with each note. Soon, the area free from nature's hold, allowing us to now examine what this area even was. I raised my eyebrow immediately when I saw the big 'Pool' sign outside of the entrance.

"Oh wow! A pool!?" Kaede asked excitedly.

"Seem so. Sign says 'Pool'." Gonta nodded as he looked at the outside of the area.

"The ivy withered in seconds. How strange." Ryoma noted with impressed eyes as he looked at where the vines once were."

"Nyahaha! Let's hurry and explore the new area!" Angie cheered as she dashed into the area.

"Hey, be careful Angie!" I called out as we followed her inside. As soon as we entered the pool area, what we were greeted with was exactly that. There were multiple lounging chairs next to the large pool which made it seem like a resort pool instead of a school pool, as well as a dressing room in the back and diving boards at multiple heights. There was also a large glass dome at the ceiling, letting in more sunlight than most of the other rooms. There was only one thing that was suspicious about this area at first glance.

"Hey, why is the water level of the pool so low? It looks like it's almost empty." Angie asked.

"Yeah. Pool deep, but not filled up much." Gonta nodded. "Still plenty water to swim in though."

"But it's strange. Why not fill the pool up all the way?" I asked.

"Hey, look at this, guys." Kaede said as she directed us to a notice on the wall. "There are rules for using the pool."

"'Do not die from a leg cramp', 'do not die from slipping', 'do not die from choking on your food'," Ryoma read out. "Geez, what kind of rules are these?"

"Look at the last rule. 'Swimming is prohibited during nighttime'." I read. "So no one can swim at night?" That's when the Monokubs came in.

"That's right! No one is allowed to swim at nighttime!" Monotaro answered me.

"It'd be terrible if someone died due to an unfortunate nighttime swimming accident." Monophanie explained.

"YES. WE-WANT-YOU-ALL-TO-GET-ALONG, SO-THERE-CAN-BE-NO-ACCIDENTAL- DEATHS." Monodam added.

"You can visit the pool at nighttime, but even touching the water is against the rules." Monotaro clarified. "Actually, now that the pool is open, we should add the rule to the school regulations." As soon as he said that, we each got a notification on our Monopads.

Rule 16. Swimming at night time is strictly prohibited.

"Guess that's nice, I suppose." I sighed as I put away the device. "Anyway, why's the pool's water level so low? It can hold a lot more water, can't it?"

"What are you talking about? There's enough water to swim. It only looks shallow because the pool is so deep." Monophanie told me.

"And someone would be more likely to drown if we filled it up all the way." Monotaro added.

"THAT'S-WHY-IT'S-SO-LOW." Monodam nodded. "...WONDERFUL-EXPLANATION-YOU -TWO."

"What? Really? Oh I'm so happy to hear you say that." Monophanie said happily.

"Tee-hee! Now that Monodam's happy, we can get back to our headmaster duties!" Monotaro cheered as the cubs left.

"They're annoying, as usual." Kaede said as she placed a hand on her forehead.

"Still, they gave us some helpful info." I said. "No swimming at night, huh? Not being in this area, but specifically swimming. And the reasons they gave for that...they really don't want us to die unless it's because of the killing game."

"Then all we have to do is not play the killing game and we'll be able to live happily!" Angie said. "Once we all give up on escaping, we'll be free to live in harmony."

"I'm not so sure about that." Ryoma muttered. "They still want us to die in the end. And the motives they provide us make sure that something will happen between us."

"Still, we have to try. We can't keep playing this killing game. One way or another, we have to end it." Kaede said determinately.

"Right." I nodded as we began to explore the pool area a bit more.

"Oh? What this?" Gonta asked as he walked over to another room near the back of the room. He opened it up, revealing multiple supplies to use with the pool.

"That must be a storage room." Ryoma said as we walked over to examine what was in it.

"There's a whole bunch in here! Kickboards, water polo balls, and even rubber inner tubes! It has everyone we could want to use with the pool." Angie said as she pressed her hands into her cheeks with amazement.

"They really care if we enjoy ourselves here." I noted. "Well, you know...amongst all the killing, mystery, and death around us constantly."

"That still confuse Gonta. Why do all this for us when we forced into killing game?" Gonta asked.

"If only we knew, big guy. If only we knew…" I sighed. I walked away from the storage closet and walked over to where Kaede was. "Hey, Kaede. What're you doing? Why're you looking up?" I asked as I followed her gaze.

"Look. There are two windows up there." Kaede pointed out. "If I remember where we are right now, that window should be connected to the gym, and that window is on the second floor."

"Second floor?" I muttered. "Wait...wasn't there a window in Ryoma's lab? Y'know, in that damn locker room?"

"Oh! You're right! That must be where that window leads." Kaede said. "It makes sense for the gym to be next to the pool, but Ryoma's lab being over the pool as well? That's a strange coincidence."

"Yeah...coincidence…" I muttered. She's right. It's just a coincidence in the academy's structure. So...why does it feel intentional? I shook off the minor feeling of dread as I looked around the pool one more time. "That seems to be all for this area. Want to move onto the next?" I asked Kaede.

"Sure. I don't mind." Kaede replied. "We'll be heading off now, guys. Are you going to keep searching here?"

"Yep. Gonta keep looking here. Will find anything important if here." Gonta told us in his usual happy voice.

"Nyahaha! And we'll be here too if he does find something!" Angie cheered as she brought her hands together.

"You can count on us." Ryoma nodded.

"Thanks guys. We'll see you later." I said as we waved goodbye and left. As we walked down the stairs that led to the Shrine of Judgement, we ran into Shuichi, Tenko, and Himiko near the shrine.

"Ah! You two. Have you found anything yet?" Shuichi asked us.

"Nope. Just a pool." I answered.

"We have a pool now!?" Tenko cried out happily.

"Yeah. It's right next to the gym." Kaede nodded.

"Aah! I've always wanted to lounge around like a celebrity at a pool!" Tenko exclaimed like a little kid as she shouted in innocent joy.

"By the way, have you two noticed something about the courtyard?" Shuichi asked us.

"The courtyard?" I asked as I looked around and noticed what he was talking about. "It's been cleaned up more. There's even less overgrown greenery now."

"Now that you mention it, the hallways in the school barely had any weeds in them today." Kaede added. "I suppose the Monokubs' maintenance is going well."

"It's becoming more and more beautiful… Just like me." Himiko commented.

"Ah...really…?" Shuichi asked.

"That's a rude thing to say, Shuichi." I told him. "When a girl says something like that, you just nod your head absentmindedly."

"That's also rude, Rin." Kaede said as she put her hand on her cheek and tilted her head.

"Yeah! You both just made Himiko angry!" Tenko told us. "You guys wouldn't know this, but this is Himiko when she's mad!"

"No...I was just blushing." Himiko corrected Tenko.

"What!? From your own compliment!?" Tenko cried out in confusion.

"You can't really blame her for getting that wrong. You don't really emote much, Himiko." I told the girl.

"Changing expressions...is a pain." She replied with that same bored look she always had.

"That's the only reason you don't do it…?" Shuichi asked.

"So how has your investigation been going so far?" Kaede asked the detective.

"Oh, we were actually about to use the Ninja Scroll. Look. There's the statue." Shuichi said as he pointed to the ninja statue with the fox mask on.

"Looking cool, Fox! Keep it up!" I said as I made finger guns at the statue. Kaede, Tenko, and Himiko just made confused faces at me as Shuichi slid the scroll into the statue's mouth. As soon as it was completely in, the ground started to shake, and the trees nearby began to fall as a building appeared out of the ground.

"Woah! What the-!?" Kaede exclaimed.

"A...A building? What kinda technology makes a building suddenly appear?" Shuichi asked nervously as he stared at the large building, the bright neon 'welcome' signs shining brightly at us.

"Haiyah! It's not just any building, it's a dojo! So it doesn't matter how it appeared! Tenko squealed happily. "Like, I wouldn't care if a chef came by car or train, as long as they made me good food!"

"That's...a strange analogy…" I commented.

"There's only one place this could be! This has to be my research lab!" Tenko shouted as she ran towards the dojo.

"This sudden appearance...this is my magic, too…" Himiko stated as she started to walk towards the dojo as well.

"Ah, no, I used an item on the statue and-"

"It's my magic." Himiko interrupted Shuichi's explanation.

"...Yeah, let's go with that." Shuichi sighed, sweat forming on his forehead as the two of them walked to the dojo.

"Y'know, I thought I would have gotten tired of Himiko's whole 'it's magic' thing by now, but it's still just as endearing as when we first met." I commented.

"It is quite cute." Kaede nodded. The two of us chuckled as we followed the others towards the dojo. As we made it to the entrance, Tenko was bouncing around like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Yes! A dojo! No school is complete without a dojo!" She shouted in the happiest voice I've heard her use. "Now, let's gooooo!" But right before she opened up the doors, she turned to Shuichi and I with a small grimace. "...Oh, Shuichi, Rin, you both can decline. I'd actually prefer it, since you both are males and all." Shuichi and I both sighed at the same time. Even if we have earned her respect, I suppose Tenko won't ever change, though there's something relieving about that. "Alright! The Ultimate Aikido Master's lab! Let's hurry up and go inside! Don't be shy, Himiko and Kaede! Ladies first!"

"Hehehe...thanks Tenko." Kaede gave a soft, warm laugh.

"Nyeeeh...what a paiiinnn…" Himiko groaned. And so, with Tenko pushing Himiko along, we all entered the building. To say it was impressive would be insulting to just how grand the lab was. In the middle of the building was the dojo ring, which had multiple wooden dummies that could be used for training on the side. There was also a large gap around the dojo ring, sort of giving it a moat like medieval castles. I suppose it gives the arena a sort of Mortal Kombat feel to it. There were also many raised platforms around us that were suspended by chains and balance poles around the gap, which I could only assume was for extremely dangerous training. And to top it all off, there was a giant wooden dummy in the back, watching over us with red eyes and a mustache. I don't even want to know…

"Whoa, this is a huge dojo." Shuichi gasped. "The tatami mats are new, too. It gives it that fresh dojo smell."

"See, this is my lab, you jerk!" Tenko shouted at the blue-haired boy.

"Wh-Why are you angry? I didn't even say anything about you being wrong." Shuichi defended himself.

"Sorry. I'm just so happy! I just can't contain my emotions! Like an excited dog that just pees everywhere!" Tenko cheered.

"The exact opposite of Himiko." I noted quietly as to not upset Tenko.

"Wow, this is such a nice dojo! I'm sure sparring will be incredible here!" Tenko nodded.

"But, without a sparring partner-" Shuichi never got to finish his sentence as Tenko rushed over to him, grabbed his arm, and tossed him over her shoulders to the ground at her feet.

"HAIYAAAAAAAAHHH!"

SLAM!

"AAUGH! Wh-What was that for!?" Shuichi cried out after he hit the ground.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed out loud as I held my sides, Kaede right beside me giving Shuichi a very concerned look. Sorry, but after getting thrown around by Tenko multiple times the other day, I'm very much happy to see it happen to someone else.

"Ow! Ow! Owww! Wh-Why are you throwing me for no reason?" Shuichi asked as he slowly got up.

"Neo-Aikido is a super serious martial art! Instead of training, we just fight head-on!" Tenko explained in a fierce fighting pose. "Now, Himiko! Aim for the heart!"

"You're going to start with that!?" Shuichi yelled in a terrified tone.

"Hahaha! I'm just kidding!" Tenko laughed, with me still laughing just as hard along with her.

"This is just kidding?" Shuichi asked, now sounding a little upset. "Why did we go straight into actual fighting-?"

"You don't have a lot of confidence in yourself, do you, Shuichi?"

"...What?" The room went dead quiet after Tenko asked Shuichi that question. I stopped laughing as Tenko began to speak in a soft voice to the detective who was still on his knees.

"You lack self-esteem...and because of that, you doubt your strength. You seem more confident than before, but I can tell you still question yourself." Tenko then gave Shuichi a small smile as she helped him off the ground. "...Well!? I'm right, aren't I!? I can tell when my sparring partner is burdened by doubt!" I blinked in disbelief at that. Wow...Tenko is incredibly insightful when it comes to reading people! She might be just as good, maybe better, than Kaito! Seriously, how are those two so good at it!?

"...You might be right." Shuichi eventually admitted.

"You know what works real good at lifting all that doubt!? Neo-Aikido! Because Aikido itself is a Japanese martial art that treasures a pure heart above all else!" Tenko told Shuichi before she set her sights on Himiko. No...she wouldn't would she? "So, how about you, Himiko?"

"Nyeh?"

"If we combine your magic with my Neo-Aikido, then we'd be able to solve things by force!" Tenko told her.

"I thought you said it was about having a pure heart…" Kaede said nervously.

"Nyeeeh...I don't wanna do any exercise. It's too much of a-" And that's when the most surprising thing of the day happened. Tenko grabbed Himiko's arm and threw her over her shoulders like she did with Shuichi.

"HAIYAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Nyeeeeeeeeeeehhh…"

SLAM!

"I see… It seems you are still too shy to show your emotions, Himiko." Tenko nodded. "What a waste. You have the richest heart of all. You should do Neo-Aikido, Himiko! Training your body will help you express your emotions. Now, come sweat with me! And afterward, we'll hit the showers together!"

"Nyeeeh… M-My back…" Himiko moaned with a pained expression, which quickly turned dark as she glared at Tenko. "I feel like...turning you into a gross frog with my magic right now…"

"Oh...you're angry. I can see it in your heart." Tenko said nervously as she poked her fingers together.

"We all can see that. I can't believe you did that to Himiko." I commented. "Who's next, Kaede?"

"Good idea!" Tenko said as she rushed towards Kaede.

"H-Huh!? W-Wait a minute! I don't think that-" Kaede was too late as Tenko grabbed her and she shared the same fate as Shuichi and Himiko.

"HAIYAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Aaaaaahhhh!"

SLAM!

"Hmm…" Tenko hummed as she frowned. "Kaede, you're still blaming yourself for what's happened, aren't you. You're burdened with guilt for what you did in the library, and for not being able to prevent a second murder. You've forgiven yourself, but you're still having trouble letting it all go. I understand how you feel, but you can't blame yourself for what happened. There wasn't anything you could do, and you didn't even do anything wrong when Kiyo did what he did. You can't keep blaming yourself. We'll move on from this tragedy together."

"Oww...ow ow ow!" Kaede groaned as she laid on the ground, pain painted across her face. It took all my willpower to not break into hysterical laughter. "O-Okay Tenko. I'll try, but please don't do that again…"

"I'll try not to, but I can't promise anything!" Tenko responded with gusto. It was at that point I felt a cold chill crawl up my spine. Oh...no…

"Well, this has been fun and all, but we should really start exploring the other areas. I bet Rantaro has already-"

"Nyeeeh...where do you think you're going?" Himiko asked as she latched onto my arm, keeping me in place.

"H-Himiko…?" I asked nervously.

"Do you really think...you can get away so easily?" She asked me.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to refute, sweat forming on my face. That's when I felt someone latch onto my other arm. I turned my head to see Kaede with her head looking down at my arm, her hair covering her eyes ominously. I then saw her make a wicked smile. Oh...noooo…

"Tenko! Get him!" Kaede shouted.

"Got it! I'm on it!" Tenko shouted as she started sprinting at me.

"W-Wait! You've already thrown me enough! I don't-"

"HAIYAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

SLAM!

"Huh…?" Tenko made a noise of confusion as soon as my back hit the ground with a thud.

"Augh... Why!?" I moaned.

"That's what you get for making Tenko throw me." Kaede said in a victorious voice.

"Yeah, but Rin did get thrown multiple times 2 days ago by Tenko. Was that really necessary?" Shuichi asked.

"Nyeeeh...all is as it should be now." Himiko replied with a small smile.

"...I hate you all." I grumbled.

"R-Rin…" I turned my head to Tenko, who now looked absolutely horrified at something. "Are...you okay?"

"You just threw me. Again. What do you think?" I asked with a chuckle and a smile to show her I was fine while making a joke.

"But...you're in so much pain." Tenko said. My smile faded immediately. Shit…

"Pain?" Kaede asked.

"Rin...before when I threw you a few days ago, I felt your doubt and worry. You were so concerned about us and confused on what to do. But when I threw you now, what I felt was your pain. You're in so much pain. You're hurting." Tenko cried out softly with a worried expression like she was looking at an injured puppy. "What's wrong, Rin? Why...do you hate yourself? We're your friends, so please tell us." Tenko begged me. Her words horrified me. Just with a single toss, she was able to see everything I was hiding. The emotional pain from last night. The dull heartache. The doubt and hatred. I couldn't help but stare at Tenko and her talent for uncovering a person's hidden thoughts and emotions.

"R-Rin…" Shuichi said, a similar look of concern forming on his face. Kaede and Himiko's faces were similar. They all were worried about me. This is exactly what I didn't want. So I need to convince them nothing is wrong. I won't cause them to worry anymore than they already have. So I'll fix this. A few more lies shouldn't hurt...right? I kept my monotone face as I got up and looked at Tenko with a serious expression.

"...You don't have to worry about anything. I'm fine. I've always been fine, and I'll always be fine." I told her with a small smile. "This...will all pass eventually."

"But you can't just-"

"Like I said, I'm fine. I'm not in any pain at all. There isn't any 'hurt' to talk about." I lied. "So stop that frowning and sad talk. Your lab is open now, so you should continue looking around. Kaede and I will head over to where the others are and check out that area. We're counting on you to find anything that might be hidden here." I told Tenko in a determined and light voice.

"O-Okay." Tenko nodded.

"Cool." I nodded. "Alright. We'll be heading off now, right Kaede?"

"R-Right." Kaede nodded as the two of us walked out of the lab.

"Rin…" Shuichi softly said.

"I can't tell if he was being honest or stubborn about his feelings." Himiko commented with a slightly nervous expression.

"He acts as if nothing is wrong, so it's hard to tell, but I don't think I was wrong with what I felt from him." Tenko said as she crossed her arms in a concerned manner. "I...think I'm going to talk to Rin later about it if I'm able to. Maybe I can get him to open up about it?"

"I think I'll do the same if I'm able." Shuichi nodded. Rin was their friend, after all. It only makes sense to help out their friend. So why does it seem like Rin doesn't want it?