Thanks to Hopps for rewriting this chapter hope you all enoyed it and I hope to keep turning out theses rewrites along with Hopps.
Torture Room 3:20 PM
Ryoko's POV
"Ichiro the bees are swarming!" The mass of insects have seemingly covered bare arms and are moving up and down. Where they leave new empty skin, another bee or two or three usually takes it place, reddening the skin it lands on.
"I am very well aware of that Ryoko," Ichiro replies all too calmly. He doesn't even flinch but somehow I can see the fear in his widening eyes.
"Well don't just sit there, get out!" I shout in panic.
"Kinda hard when the door is locked and it's the size of a doggy door, and you know I have to remain here."
"Well...try at least!" I hesitate before almost slamming my fist against the door but hesitate, fearing that I'll further anger the bees if they sense an added weight on the wall.
"Already have," he replies in a monotone voice. "It doesn't work."
"Well did you try-" I start to say as I gesture up at the ceiling.
"Yes, tried that, and everything else you can think of."
Ichiro's POV
I didn't try at all to get out, it was pretty much pointless. Am I scared? Yes. Am I going to show it? I'm not trying to at least.
Ryoko's POV
"Well I guess I could just sit here and give you your lunch, or," I start as I hold out the last word. "I could just eat it right now in front of you," I offer. The bees around him move in a way that I assume to be reacting to his discomfort or anger.
"How about you don't, and give me the food now and maybe the bees will settle down. They are definitely getting quieter though but they are moving way more than I would like," he grunts.
"Okay, but I need the magic words." I bring the sandwich closer to his door and he makes a feeble grab to it.
"Please, may I have a sandwich?" he politely asks.
"Even in the pits of danger, our all american gentleman still remembers his manners. I'm sure daddy would be proud," I comment aloud.
"Could you slide the sandwich through the door now please? Thanks."
"Hey, no need to be patronizing," I reply in mock hurt.
I proceeded to slide the sandwich into the sliding glass door and even with the swarm of bees surrounding him, he was able to scarf it down like there was no tomorrow. Well, maybe there wouldn't be a tomorrow for us all.
"Sorry," he begrudgingly apologize. "I'm just hungry and annoyed at the moment with these pests.
"Hey... no problem. That bear is getting on everyone's nerves. So when do you think he will let you out?" I inquire.
"Probably tomorrow morning, assuming he wants to inflict despair onto everyone he needs to 'punish' nearly everyone, not just the old american me."
"Yah but he seems to not like you in particular."
"I know, but I have had a lot of people not like me for my personality- teachers especially. I can see it in their faces- they want to give me that F but they can't because I always get enough of the right answers. That and somehow I'm usually stuck with the controversial teachers already in enough flack so they want to look nice."
"Or it's because they know who your dad was and they wouldn't want to mess with his son? Or his lawyer mother?" I say with a bit of bite.
"Oh," he muses. "That's it isn't it?" Realization dawns on his face as he puts on a lowly smile.
"Yah it is."
We were there in silence for a while, unsure how to continue. The two of us have taken to playing a very slow game of sticks when the big bug lover strolls in the room with a gentle tiptoe.
"Oh hi friends, Gonta hopes you are well," Gonta introduces.
"Ah, hi Gonta, how are you?" I greet back
"Gonta is well thank you Ryoko. But I can't say the same for our friend Ichiro from the look of it." Gonta casts a sad look over at Ichiro, who has managed to sit up straighter and is pulling something of a smile.
"Oh Gonta I am fine the bees can't hurt me much more," Ichiro says slowly.
"But this is your worst fear how are you acting so calm?" I exclaim frustratedly.
"I can manage. I mean when a three hundred pound man comes after you, that's when you get scared, and I'm usually on the other end of that," he notes quietly.
"But wouldn't that be Ichiro's worst fear?" Gonta asks innocently
"Well... no. It's part of the job description for my talent, so I can't be scared of that if I'm doing it and the heat of the moment is different than this," it seems like he's rehearsed this response over and over.
"Oh ok but Gonta have second question too, why are you afraid of bees they are our friends?"
"I would rather not divulge into that answer with you, and I don't want to give the full story to you like I did with Kaito and Makoto but to sum it up, they creep me out and I have had more than one bad experience with them."
"But bees pollinate flowers and give us hunny"
"Yes, I know...but wasps and hornets give little, and even bees give a little sting if you mess up how you greet them. It's not enough to say I don't like them?" Ichiro says, getting frustrated
"Gonta sorry. Gonta will teach you to love bugs when you get out."
"If you get me to not be afraid of bees then I will personally give you an eighth of my life's savings?"
"Why would you give Gonta your life's savings?"
"It's a figure of speech, it basically means that you can't change the way I think-now or ever."
"Oh, but why could Gonta not change your mind"
"Because my mind has been made up for about twelve years now."
"Oh well Gonta sorry for your loss then."
"What loss big guy?"
"Your loss of potential friendship with our yellow and black friends."
"There are millions of them all over the world, they don't need a jock muscle like me."
"Gonta is sorry to say that it may be too late, they already look like they like you."
"You know Gonta," I interject. "I think Ichiro is in good hands. You just have a nice element to you."
"Gonta always wants to be gentle and nice when dealing with bugs and new friends," Gonta says simply.
"Am I okay to head off for a while?" I glance at Ichiro, who nods gingerly, and Gonta, who nods excitedly. "You guys have fun now."
Kitchen 4:32 PM
Makoto POV
Now that most of us have spread out through the school, I wandered into the kitchen to grab myself a snack. Like Monokuma said, the cafeteria was well stocked with food of all different sorts and accounted for a lot of our allergies, assuming we had some. The kitchen was high tech but approachable and still retained a lot of simplistic use. I go to the fridge and find ham and cheese. Next to the fridge is a breadbox/toaster with options for light, mild, medium, brown, and dark.
I'm vaguely aware of someone stepping behind me as I put the bread in the toaster in a medium brown setting. I'm setting up the ham and cheese on a plate when I feel a mischievous tap on my shoulder. "Hey who is that?"
"It's me silly," a high pitched girly voice said. She giggled a little and I could instantly tell who it was.
"Oh it's only you, Sayaka," I say without turning around.
"What do you mean it's only me? Don't you mean it's just you and I?" She asks, as if she's almost insulted.
"W-w-what do you mean Sayaka?"
"No the question is what do you mean Makoto…" I turned around to see her with an intense blue gaze aimed a if it was directly at my heart. I begin trembling for moment before a big grin breaks on her face. "Ha-hah! Got you! Just kidding, I scared you there, didn't I?" In the blink of an eye she turns from petrifyingly horrific to friendly.
"Yes you did Sayaka you sure did," I stuttered.
"Well since it is just us why don't we sit down in the dining room after I've made myself a sandwich? We can spend some time catching up."
"That sounds like a great idea Sayaka." She skips off to grab a premade egg salad sandwich and some toppings. She puts them on quickly and gestures to me just as I place my cheese and ham on my sandwich.
"Let's go Naegi-kun," Sayaka beckons. I grabbed my sandwich and followed Sayaka to a circular table with five seats that was placed towards the back of the dining hall.
"So what do you wanna talk about?" I ask as I begin nibbling through my sandwich.
"I want to talk about so of the others, and who you believe we can trust," Sayaka says. "I haven't really gotten the chance to do this."
"Well are you sure you wanna do that? Ideas run and they leave other ideas in its wake, including paranoia."
"Ok, why not just the people we have talked to after the meet and greet?" Sayaka brings up.
"I guess that works, well I have had conversations with Kaito, Ichiro, Kaede, and Hajime," I note.
"Well what do you think of them?" She probes.
"Well Kaito is definitely a little loud, but an all around good guy. He does seem a little rash when it comes to decisions. Ichiro is someone who I think is a little all over in personality, one minute he is joking the next, sarcastic. Though I think his jokes are usually sarcastic, and then he is serious or somewhat depressed the next, but his heart seems to be in the right place and I had my conversation with him when he was in the cage," I ramble.
"So they are both a bit of an emotional train ride and they may need to be taken with a little caution?" She starts to ask. "But their hearts are in the right place and they give the impression that they will do the right thing of something does happen, does that sum them up?"
"I would say so."
"So what about Kaede and Hajime?"
"Kaede is a ball of fun so to speak. She is always happy and she seems reliable. Like the last two, she has a good heart but she seems like the type of person to get attached easily. Not that that's a bad thing but she could turn bad if she gets connected to someone and they die," I say.
"That doesn't sound like your optimistic self."
"I know but it is true and I don't think that we know her enough to write her off from that," I say.
"Ok what about Hajime?"
"Well he seems to be the cold and analytical type of person-like Togami-but he has some kindness and happiness in him, like Kaede in a sense, so he could be nice to have around," I continue.
"So he is a nice Togami is what you are trying to say?"
"Yes Sayaka, now I've told you what I think of some of the others I think it's time for you to share I mean it is only fair"
"Of course Naegi, I have had talks with Ibuki, Leon, Tenko, Teruteru, and Ryoko," she rattles off.
"So what do you think of Ibuki"
"To sum her up could either take forever or two seconds but all in all she is a nutcase who can be funny or an idiot, she definitely loves music but she can't sing but she doesn't think that. I consider her a loose cannon that could be used for good but could be steered the wrong way by anyone with evil intentions"
"Ok that's not really optimistic but I guess it is true"
"Yah it isn't but it needs to be said, but next is Leon, Leon is definitely a jock he seems like the guy who wants to take advantage of girls and he even said it to a few of the guys, he also hates baseball and wants to go into the punk genre of music which I think he will fail in but that's his decision. He is also a bit unpredictable in my opinion, he seems to be paranoid which could lead to him going to despair or it could keep him from dying"
"Again rather descriptive of you but not optimistic"
"Yah yah Makoto but you wanted to know my opinions on the others and I'm giving them to you"
At this moment a few of my classmates entered the dining room. This group consisted of Sakura, Tenko, Asahina, and Akane.
"Man what a work out am I right sensei?" Akane asked.
"Yes Akane it was a very tiring workout" Sakura answered.
"Hey guys you wanna sit with us" Sayaka asked.
"Oh hi guys how are you"?" Aoi asked, perky as ever. "We'll join y'all. So what were you guys talking about" Aoi continued.
"Oh we were just catching up, because we haven't seen each other in about a year" Sayaka lied
"Oh that's nice, but why are you hanging out with this degenerate? Why not be with us Sayaka" Tenko asked. Tenko is still going to need some effort in getting used to.
"Because we are friends Tenko that's why" Sayaka answered, bitterness entering her voice for the first time in our conversation.
"But he is a degenerate" Tenko countered.
"A very nice degenerate at that Tenko" Sayaka clapped back. "And that's only if you define Degenerate as being a hell of a lot nicer than you!"
"Ooooook guys why don't we all settle down now, hehe" I mused.
"I agree with Makoto we should all settle down here" Sakura agreed. The silence was thick afterwards. Sayakaa left within five minutes. I joined her shortly after.
Ryoma's Room 6:05 PM
Mastermind POV
There was a knock at Ryoma's door, quiet at first but it got a little louder like they really wanted in. Ryoma got up to go answer, and by that time the knocking had stopped but when Ryoma opened the door all he found was a note reading
Dear Ryoma
I would like us to meet in the dining hall at around one o clock at night after the second torture is announced to discuss some things that only I want to talk to you about in private,
Sincerely an admirer
"Huh interesting I wonder who this kid is but is it wise to even go. Probably not but I'll bring my gift I guess as protection and I'll go a bit later than one so I can try and get the jump on them when they are tired and anxious" Ryoma surmised.
Hours Later in the Kitchen
9:30 PM
Mastermind POV
"Ok just need a decent knife and there we go, this will do"
"Hey who ever is in there could you grab me some of those Gummy Bears, they are in the cupboard" Hiyoko yelled through the door.
"Oh Shit, of course Hiyoko, I'll get them"
Torture Room 9:59 PM
Ichiro's POV
"Ok boys and girls it's time for bed but don't let the bed bugs kill you," Monokuma said through the invasive intercom.
"This is going to be a long night," I sighed.
"Not just for you but for me too," Ryoko noted
"Just lock your door and you'll be fine," I said dismissively through the box.
"Yah and you have a free pass tonight," Ryoko said sardonically.
"Oh that makes me feel so much better" I sarcastically mused. The bees around me begin buzzing loudly and mercifully I'm not getting stung. Good thing I'm not allergic or anything.
"Oh like you have a problem with that," she said, a mix of what I assume to be Jealously and something else going through her mouth.
"Welp, you better get going. Like the teddy bear version of Two Face said don't let the bed bugs kill you"
"Yah yah" She dismissed. "It's not like they will catch me."
I muse on her last words for a couple of minutes before retreating into my thoughts, staring into a bee as it hovers around my face. This is going to be a long night.