6:00am. Again. As usual.
Ryoma yawned as he sat up in bed, having checked the time on his Monopad.
He didn't feel as groggy as he usually did when he woke up around this time. Maybe it had something to do with him training with Shuichi and Kaito the other night, but he felt a bit more refreshed, and had a lot more energy. He didn't have a nightmare either, which was something he was secretly grateful for. Not waking up at dawn every morning was just something he wished would happen, for once.
Maki's motive video still sat on his desk where he left it yesterday. He kept eyeing the tablet, thinking about what could possibly be in his own. He'd never find out until he could get his hands on it, but with the students' plan on not sharing their videos, he still wasn't completely sure if he truly wanted to look for it without casting suspicion on himself.
On that note, getting dressed as always, Ryoma left his dorm room.
Early morning sunlight filtered through the windows of the dormitory. It was odd, every morning was the same, the sky being the same pink-orange color. Something like that was an everyday normal thing, but it didn't feel natural here. There wasn't anything different about it, always looking identical to how it did before. He already took note of this the morning before, but the weather was always the same too. It was always clear and sunny, it was never cloudy, and it never rained. All of it felt... off.
Ryoma put those thoughts aside for now. He wasn't gonna get anywhere trying to figure out everything all at once, especially with their missing memories. They only had gained some, and it was about a group they know so little about. They'd have to wait if they wanted to learn more about their current situation and the Ultimate Hunt.
The prisoner leaned against the wall and sighed. The other night was on his mind. He confided in Shuichi about the constant thoughts plaguing him about what happened in the pool area after the detective continuously pressed him about it. As much as he hated to admit, he felt a little bit better after telling him about it. If it weren't for that, and his workout with Shuichi and Kaito, he probably would've had a nightmare last night.
The only reason he was even out there with them was because Shuichi brought him there. He was a little worried about something happening to him, so he trusted Ryoma to go with him. Why he trusted someone like him, he didn't know. He now knew that he and Shuichi both had a lot on their minds, yet Shuichi was trying to help him despite not helping himself. Kaito was offering to help Shuichi, and Shuichi was trying to help Ryoma.
"You'll only make her worry about you if you try to bear all those by yourself!"
Kaito's words suddenly sounded in his head.
"Your claim that you have no will to live and that you're not worth anything... those are your enemies, right? Sometimes you gotta fight, even yourself, to survive. Even if it seems like it's hopeless, you just gotta keep getting stronger."
Something about the astronaut's words struck him. His sins were his own, but was it really okay to make someone bear the burden with him? And was there any point in fighting in a place like this?
The motive came to mind again. Was it really worth breaking the students' cooperation in seeing his motive video? He already knew it would make him look suspicious, and he didn't want to make a risky move if he were indecisive. Ryoma wondered, though. If the idea of seeing the video of the most important people in his life was even on his mind, did that mean he did actually want to fight to leave here?
Too many questions filling his head, Ryoma left the dormitory to do some warmups in the grass, in the same spot the three of them trained last night.
o0o
The Monokubs' 8:00am announcement played as usual.
Ryoma was back in the dormitory, leaning back against the wall again. The students all headed to the dining hall for breakfast, but he stayed behind, his argument with Kaito yesterday morning and his chat with him last night still fresh in his mind. He didn't want to make things awkward with his presence.
A door was heard opening from across the dorms. Guess not everyone went to the dining hall all at once.
"Oh, Shuichi..." He greeted.
"Ah, Ryoma." Shuichi greeted back, approaching the shorter boy. "Are you headed to the dining hall?"
He turned his head away from him. "Hmph, if I went there the way I am now, I'd just ruin the mood..."
Shuichi paused for a brief moment.
"Ryoma, I know this is going to sound cliché, but..." He gave him a small smile. "Your life's worth living. If you keep living... I'm sure good things will happen."
The prisoner closed his eyes. "Good things, huh? Good things... are when your wishes, hopes, or dreams are fulfilled, right? What's that got to do with someone like me with no wishes, hopes, or dreams?"
"Ryoma..."
"Shuichi, the other night you told me... that I should ask you for help whenever I needed it. But... you haven't been doing that for yourself this entire time?"
"..."
Ryoma noticed the raven-haired boy's gaze averting him. "Well, don't worry about it. It doesn't matter anymore, you've got Kaito now... That's a good thing." He decided it was best to change the subject quickly. Yeah, he was right about ruining the mood.
"By the way, you look different than yesterday."
"Huh?"
"You haven't noticed?" His eyes moved away from him. "...It's like your eyes have stopped focusing on the past..."
Stopped... focusing on the past? Shuichi thought to himself.
Ryoma looked back at him. "Hmph, your face looks more dependable, too."
"Well, I could say something similar about you, Ryoma." Shuichi said back to him in a friendly manner.
"What?" The tennis pro flinched internally.
"I know you said we shouldn't think much of it, but the way your eyes looked before you left us that night, it was as if you didn't actually want to leave."
"..." It was his turn to go quiet.
"I know it's hard, but you should stick to your true feelings. You should listen to how you really feel instead of what you think, and decide what you want for yourself."
"Does it matter what someone like me wants?" He asked.
"Of course." Shuichi confirmed. "You've been through a lot, and I think you deserve to be happy."
"Hmph... if you say so..." Ryoma said lowly, turning his back to leave.
"Are you sure you don't want to come to breakfast with us?"
"I'm fine, Shuichi. Go without me."
"Oh, okay. I'll see you later, I guess." He said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
As the both of them left the dormitory to go their separate ways, Ryoma wasn't sure where to go to spend his time. He had no plans on being in his lab, and there weren't many places here that caught his interest. None of the games in the game room worked, he didn't fancy the casino much, and he doubted he could find anything in the A/V room that would be interesting enough to watch.
He had been avoiding the pool area since the day he fell into the pool. He felt silly, but he wasn't risking having the moment crossing his mind again. Drowning wasn't a pleasant experience, and it wasn't something he ever wanted to go through again. He still didn't understand, though. If he didn't want to live anymore, why should it matter how he dies...?
Ryoma pushed away those thoughts. Shuichi believed that he could get over this, and he wanted to move on from it as well, so he might as well try.
He could possibly go to the pool area, but he'd just have to keep his distance from the pool. Sitting too close to the edge was a bit reckless and naive, he now realized. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of shame, however. Even after beating the mafia at their rigged tennis tournament, he still retained a bit of naivete.
With a deep sigh, Ryoma headed over to the pool area. He hoped he wouldn't regret being there.
o0o
The pool area was exactly the same as it was the last time he was here. He sort of expected that, the only thing that happened here was him falling in the pool and Shuichi saving him. There wasn't anything here to be put out of place.
Ryoma stood back from the pool, closer to the pool chairs. He never mentioned anything about it, but this place looked more like a pool area at a resort rather than a school, with the pool chairs, a few diving boards, and small fake palm trees. He already knew this school was strange, but this was a bit excessive. No school needed a pool this large and extravagant-looking.
He never took note of how the water level was also lower than normal either, being nowhere close to the top of the edges. There was still plenty of water to swim in, he learned that the hard way. He wasn't sure why the water had to be so low, but at this point, he lost count of every confusing aspect about this school. He wasn't planning on swimming anyways, at the very least not now.
Ryoma sat in one of the pool chairs, hands in his jacket pockets, watching the warm sunlight filtering down from the large window on the ceiling. He noticed two other windows that stood out to him on each side of the pool area. He could tell that one to the left of him was the gym window, but the other one on the right that was on a larger part of the wall, he wasn't sure. It was a tad ironic, he was right next to gym when he fell in the pool, having just left from there that day. He just sort of walked in a circle he supposed.
He didn't feel as bad as he thought coming here, maybe he was starting to get better.
A few minutes passed before he heard someone call out to him.
"Ryoma? Are you in here?"
Said tennis pro snapped out of his thoughts and quickly turned his head to see Shuichi passing through the doorways.
"Hm? What is it?" He asked as the detective made his way towards him.
"I was just looking for you. You weren't anywhere in the school or your room, so I came here just in case." He explained with a hint of worry in his voice.
"You thought something happened to me again?" Ryoma suggested, standing up from the chair.
Shuichi was a bit embarrassed to say so, even though he knew Ryoma wouldn't let himself be so careless again. With the new motive in effect as well, he was a little concerned about his wellbeing. He trusted that he wouldn't let someone get to him so easily. It would start the killing game again, and he knew better than to risk putting everyone through that.
"Hmph, you don't have to worry about me so much. Why were you looking for me, anyway?" The question made him sense a bit of deja vu.
"Oh, well... I asked Kirumi to make you breakfast and I wanted to bring it to you, I would feel bad if you didn't get to eat." Shuichi scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Um... Kaito... ate the breakfasts of everyone who wasn't in the dining hall."
"Huh..." Ryoma couldn't help but sigh internally at the astronaut. He really didn't get that guy sometimes. "You didn't have to do that for me, y'know. Also, I wasn't the only one that wasn't there?"
"Yeah. Not just you, but Kokichi, Gonta, and Maki weren't there either. The others said they saw Kokichi sneaking around with Gonta."
"Hmph, I bet he's still making plans on making everyone see their motive videos. I don't know what his game is, but there's probably a reason why." The tennis pro pondered.
Shuichi frowned. "Whatever it is, it's still a little suspicious. He said we all shouldn't cooperate, so it might be a way to split us all up."
"Maybe, but we don't know for sure."
"Everyone seems to be doing their own thing, but I can't just leave them all alone, especially not you." The dark-haired boy expressed.
"Hey, don't put so much pressure on yourself." Ryoma said. "A tense thread snaps easily. You won't be able to help if you're too stressed out."
"I know... I just don't want another murder to happen." Shuichi explained, Kaede's promise on his mind.
"You shouldn't try to keep tabs on absolutely everyone, though. It's just not possible, and you'll only wear yourself out. You're just one person."
"I guess. Thanks, Ryoma."
The tennis player nodded.
"You actually came back here?" Shuichi suddenly asked, looking around the pool area.
"I couldn't think of anywhere else to go. And..." He turned towards Shuichi. "I thought it was about time I tried to get over this whole thing. I wanna be able to actually think straight again."
"Yeah, I can imagine it's probably really hard dealing with a close call like that. Especially since you were alone, there wasn't anyone around who saw you."
"Lucky chance that you showed up, though. Would've been screwed for sure."
Shuichi nodded. "I'm glad I decided to look for you that day. I don't know what I would've done if something bad happened to you. But... I'm happy you're at least trying to overcome it, though. Like I said last night, if you ever need anything, I'm here."
Ryoma was about to say something else, but he started wondering to himself. Why was Shuichi trying so hard for him? He kept trying to get close to him, seeking him out every chance he got. He saved his life after spending time looking for him, he kept talking to him, and he brought him with him last night because he was worried about something happening to him, and trusted Ryoma to protect him. He even got Kaito involved. What did he see in him?
"What on earth are you thinking?" Ryoma questioned Shuichi. "You know fully well you shouldn't bother with me, so why are you still here?"
Shuichi was taken a little off guard by the sudden question, but he stood firm. "I've been told not to get involved countless times before, but..." His voice grew a bit more direct. "I don't intend on throwing our relationship away, Ryoma. And I won't let you, either."
"..." There it was again. He was speaking the way he did last night. Confidently.
"You knew the consequences of your actions, but stuck to your feelings anyway. I respect that. I don't want someone I respect to tell me they have nothing."
Ryoma continued to stay silent.
"That's why I want to stay by your side... as your classmate, and your friend."
His friend. They were friends? He already knew that was Shuichi's intention this entire time. Trying to get close to him, talking with him... he was trying to be friends with someone like him.
He remembered what Shuichi said the day he saved him from drowning in the pool. That he promised Kaede that they would all escape here as friends. He didn't want to get involved in that, and he knew it was an unrealistic expectation, but it seemed like it wasn't impossible for anyone to form any bonds here despite that. Shuichi and Kaede become friends quickly, and Kaito was trying to be Shuichi's friend. It would honestly be wrong for him to just keep pushing him away, not just because of Shuichi's promise to Kaede, but because he knew he wouldn't stop trying for him. He was persistent and refused to give up on him, and he admittedly admired that. Maybe... he actually found something good in his life for once, and it wouldn't benefit him to just let it slip simply because he feels like he doesn't deserve it.
"Ryoma...?" Shuichi responded to the smaller boy's silence.
"Geez... this is the most I've been at a loss for words." He huffed and shook his head. "You're a bigger idiot than me. But... I don't dislike that about you." He smiled.
"Ryoma..." The raven-haired boy repeated, smiling back.
The smaller boy suddenly had an idea. "Shuichi, you got a minute? Let's go to my research lab."
"Your lab?" Shuichi asked, a little surprised. "What for?"
"Hmph, you'll see." He turned to leave, expecting Shuichi to follow.
"Wait, Ryoma, your breakfast! I left it on the bench near the wisterias..."
"Just bring it to my lab. Let's get going."
"Ah, okay."
After Shuichi went back for Ryoma's food, the two of them headed to the Ultimate Tennis Pro lab.
They had already been in here once before when the lab first opened up. The lab was a large tennis court with a net with baskets of tennis balls littered about. There were automatic pitching machines that would shoot tennis balls, and another machine that would hit the balls back. Two umpire chairs were on each side of the court, and there was a shower room in the back.
Ryoma ate the breakfast Shuichi gave him, and went to go grab a couple of things.
"First, go ahead and take these." He approached Shuichi with two items from the lab.
"A tennis ball and a racket?" Shuichi asked curiously.
Ryoma nodded. "I don't know if you've played tennis before, but you can hit the ball, right?"
"Ah, I think I can..." The detective wondered if they were actually going to play tennis.
"Then I'm going to check your resolve." Ryoma stood back, his own tennis racket in his left hand. "Ready? Aim for me with the ball." His expression became serious.
"Aim for you?" Shuichi parroted.
"Try hitting me with it. Right in the face if you can."
He reared back in surprise. "What?! Hit you?! Are you serious?"
"I said I was gonna test your resolve, right? So show me."
"Wait, I can't do that, Ryoma! It's dangerous!" Shuichi exclaimed.
The shorter boy shook his head. "You can't be that big of an idiot? Well, too bad." He continued to goad him on. "Come on. Join me in my stupidity. This is the only way I can test your resolve."
"Uh... alright, I suppose I'll do it... if this is what you want..." He accepted, albeit a bit reluctantly.
"Hmph, good answer. Now, let's get stupid." Ryoma gripped his tennis racket lightly in his hand. It had been so long since he had held one. The feeling he got from it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. In fact, it felt good. He thought he threw away tennis forever, but the way the racket felt in his hand...
Ryoma couldn't explain it, was it happiness? Nostalgia?
Before he knew it, the ball Shuichi served at him was barrelling towards him. It was a direct shot to his cheek.
"Guh!" Ryoma grunted in pain and fell, the ball making contact with his face and bouncing on the ground.
"Ryoma?!" Shuichi called out to him.
The tennis pro picked up the ball and stood up straight, hand rubbing his injured cheek. "Heh... That was a good serve. I could feel how serious you were."
His expression suddenly became intense, his stance changing. "But you've still got a ways to go!"
Letting his talent shine, Ryoma threw the ball into the air, and served it back at Shuichi.
"Huh?!" The detective froze as the ball zoomed past him, the fibers of it grazing his cheek. "W-Wait a minute, you're gonna hit it back at me?!"
"Never said I wouldn't. Don't worry, I won't hit any vital parts." Ryoma responded, testing to see if Shuichi would flinch at his words.
Shuichi looked around trying to figure out what to do next, then decided to pick up the ball and serve it back at him.
Ryoma volleyed back without missing a beat, and their battle on the court began.
As the match went on, he felt more and more energized. The passion and excitement from the game coursed through his veins, working up a sweat as he hit the ball back at Shuichi effortlessly.
Ryoma was... actually having fun.
He didn't regret testing Shuichi like this, them playfully taunting each other as they continuously exchanged volleys. An odd feeling was swelling in his chest, a feeling he never thought he would feel again. He felt joy.
Time was lost on the two, being so focused on each other through their game. Eventually they grew tired and collapsed on the court, lying down on the ground on their backs panting.
"Hey, Shuichi..." Ryoma spoke up through breaths of air.
"Hm...?" Shuichi wheezed out.
"Even if we get out of here, I'll still be in prison..." He turned his head towards the detective. "But... if I ever get out... I'm gonna go and pick up everything I threw away."
Shuichi smiled and looked at him warmly.
"It's too late for a lot of things, but if I can still reach some..."
Ryoma closed his eyes and smiled softly.
"I'd like to bear those stains again... Just like how I'm bearing you on my back right now."
"Yeah..." Shuichi agreed.
He realized now that he had a chance. A chance to start again. He hasn't lost interest in tennis, he just couldn't bring himself to play again because of his crime, and because he felt like it was pointless. But Shuichi helped him face that side of himself, rekindle his passion for the sport, and their bond helped him have hope to start over. He decided to put his trust in him.
Now with this newfound sliver of hope, he finally knew what he should do to make that jump.
The pair spent some time on the tennis court, talking, laughing, sharing stories about their lives. Ryoma even told Shuichi about his conversation with Kaede about his cat. He told her he wanted to go get him if he ever got out of prison. He had even more of a reason to escape this school.
"Um, Ryoma?" Shuichi asked suddenly.
"Yeah? What's up?" The tennis pro sat up.
"...When I was in the dining hall earlier, it seemed like Angie had gotten Himiko involved with her god. They were just standing there praying together." He explained, sitting up as well.
"She did, huh?" He shook his head. "Didn't think that stuff with her god would rub off on someone else."
"Yeah. She claimed it would be better if we lived here forever, and that it would make the killings stop. She said our desire to escape was greedy, and I guess she got Himiko to agree with her."
Ryoma scoffed. "Yeah, right... Not all of us here think like them unfortunately. If the motive told us anything, there are people waiting for everyone outside the school. We can't afford to just stay put."
"Right... I made a promise to Kaede, I'm not going to break it." The detective said with a stern look.
Ryoma simply nodded in response. "Everything she did would've been for nothing if we just accepted staying here."
Shuichi's expression softened. "There is... one thing though."
"Hm? What is?" The smaller boy asked, confused.
"Himiko announced that she and Angie were doing a magic show for the class tomorrow morning in the gym. They said they needed help with it."
"A... magic show? I guess, she is the Ultimate Magician. What did they need help with?" He asked, hoping it wasn't Angie's way of trying to force more of them to believe in her god.
"Actually..." Shuichi looked at him bashfully. "I asked Himiko if she could include you in the show."
Ryoma's eyes widened. "Huh? Where on earth did you get that idea from?"
"Uh, well... Himiko said that she always used her magic shows to make people smile. She said they brought happiness to people with broken hearts... so I thought it would help you. I guess she noticed too, she said she would let you."
Ryoma was surprised at the extent Shuichi went through to help him. He really was trying for him. But, at the same time, it was a little confusing. "If that's the case, shouldn't I be the one watching it and not performing it with her?"
"Ah, um..." Shuichi knew he would ask him this. "Yeah, but I thought you might have more fun if you were a part of it. Help you get a little closer to the rest of us."
"I see." Ryoma looked off to the side. "Broken hearts, huh...?"
"I mean... you don't have to if you don't want to."
"What kinda magic show was Himiko performing?" He asked.
"She didn't say, so I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Although, she said if you said yes, she wanted you to meet her in her lab later. I guess it's so you can go over how to do the trick with her."
"They're not tricks, Shuichi. It's real magic, remember?" Ryoma playfully retorted, alluding to the magician's claims of being a mage with magical properties. It didn't bother him, though. It was the way she expressed herself, after all.
"Heh heh, right..." Shuichi smirked back.
The tennis player chuckled as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Well, I should probably shower and go meet up with her."
"Wait, you're actually gonna be in the show with her?" He perked up, not expecting him to agree so quickly.
"Of course... Even though the idea seems a bit silly, it wouldn't be cool of me to just turn her down, I don't really have a reason to. If it means a lot to her, then I'll do it." Ryoma replied. "Besides, you went out of your way to do this for me. I could at least accept it."
"Okay. Thank you, Ryoma." Shuichi smiled as he stood up to leave as well. "Hopefully Angie won't try to convert you too."
They both headed out the door of the lab. "Hmph, she's gonna have to try a little harder than that if she's gonna make me worship some random god."
"Yeah, I don't think you'd be swayed that easily. Someone like Himiko... she doesn't seem to have that much motivation to do much. She always says it's a pain..."
No motivation... Ryoma thought to himself. "Seems that way. The only thing she seems to be motivated about is her talent."
"That's true. When she announced her show was the most energetic I've seen her." He agreed.
"Well, I hope her show will get spirits up enough, so she won't need any of Angie's nonsense."
"Ah, yeah."
Ryoma turned to leave. "I'll see you later, Shuichi."
He nodded as they both parted ways, going back to their dorm rooms.
o0o
After taking a quick shower, Ryoma headed back towards the school to go to Himiko's lab.
He had never been to any magic shows in his life, let alone be a part of one. Some tricks he knew about were basic ones like pulling rabbits or doves out of a hat, finding quarters behind people's ears, and more extreme ones like seemingly sawing a person in half and pushing swords into a box with someone in it. Himiko was the Ultimate Magician, so he was expecting someone a little more... out there. He didn't know what, but that's what he was going to find out when he got to her lab. Who knows... maybe she'll pull a cat out of her hat instead of a rabbit.
Ryoma followed the map on his Monopad and reached the end of the hallway to the Ultimate Magician's lab. A tiny part of him wondered why he agreed to this. But, if this is what she wanted to do for everyone, then he had no reason to turn her down. Besides, if the class saw that he was going to be a part of the show, they might be a little more enthusiastic about it. They needed a distraction from the motive.
The tennis player pushed open the door to the lab, and he was a little overwhelmed by what was in it.
There were plenty of contraptions and tools a magician would use. A box with fake swords, a table with a buzzsaw, a guillotine, a couple of large water tanks in the back, and so forth. But, the thing that stuck out to him the most was the large, golden cauldron in the middle of the room surrounded by lit candles, which was brewing something that he had no idea was.
"Nyeh...?" Himiko was feeding the lab's doves in their cage when she turned to see Ryoma in the doorway. "You came."
"Yeah..." He answered, approaching the magician. "Shuichi told me he asked you if I could be in your magic show for the class."
"Ah... so you've decided to become the Ultimate Mage's assistant?" She drawled.
"I guess." Ryoma responded. It was a little bit off-putting how Himiko referred to herself and the things around her, but he didn't object. "Where's Angie? Shuichi said she's working with you too, right?"
"She went to the gym to get everything set up. Kaito, Keebo and Kirumi are helping us, too."
"Hm. Looks like it's gonna be a pretty big show."
"Indeed... You all will get to see the powers of a mage. I've been saving all of my MP for this." She lazily smiled. "Besides... it looks like you need to experience it more than anyone else."
"Hmph... thanks." Himiko didn't seem like the type to notice much, but he now knew she listened more closely than he thought.
"So, what kinda magic trick were you performing tomorrow?" Ryoma questioned.
She gave him a frustrated look, her curled lips pursed. "They're not tricks, it's magic."
"Right, sorry Himiko." He apologized.
"Nyeh... as long as you understand."
"What kinda magic were you showing to the class tomorrow?" The tennis pro repeated, correcting himself.
The self-proclaimed mage bounced excitedly. "Extreme Water Magic, the Underwater Escape Act!"
Ryoma was a bit flabbergasted.
"What?" He accidentally let the question slip out.
Himiko let out a laugh not unlike a witch's cackle. "Were you surprised? Only mages of a high enough skill level can use this kind of magic. It's pretty hard, and just this time, I'm going to teach you how to cast this spell."
"I see..." Ryoma tried hard to hide his dismay.
She was going to perform an underwater escape trick.
Ryoma knew he could just say "no". He wasn't necessarily scared or terrified of the trick, but after two days ago, he couldn't handle being underwater again.
...
He chased the thought away, having told himself he needed to overcome this. Not only would his refusal disappoint Himiko, but also Shuichi. The detective did this for him after all. Though it probably wouldn't hurt to just tell Himiko about what happened, there wasn't really any point in doing so if he were already trying to get over it.
"Nyeh?" Himiko reacted to his silence.
"Well..." Ryoma responded as naturally as possible. "...How do I use this kinda magic?" He desperately hoped it didn't involve being trapped or restrained in some kind of way, as he knew most escape tricks were like that. The last thing he wanted was to have the nightmare he had two nights ago to become real.
He felt a little stupid, it wasn't like him to get unsettled like this.
"A mage never reveals how they use their spells to people, so you can't tell anyone." She said, her way of saying not to reveal how a magician's tricks work.
"Right." He agreed.
She walked over to the back of the lab where the water tanks were. "First... I will enter this tank when it's filled up with water. I will then use my magic to escape the tank."
"What do you mean?" Ryoma asked, perplexed by her wording.
"Oh, I forgot. I have to explain it to you since you're not a mage." Himiko pointed to a panel near the top of the tank. "This is a portal that will help us escape the tank. It will lead into a magic staircase so we can walk out safely."
Ryoma understood what she meant. It was an escape hatch, and they both would climb through it to get out of the tank without being seen by the audience. What she meant by a staircase, he didn't know.
"That simple, huh?" He felt a little more relieved. They don't have to be in the tank for very long.
"Oh, but we only have 60 seconds to escape." She warned.
"Hm? Why's that?"
"If we don't escape the water tank in time, a school of piranhas will fall into the tank."
The tennis pro's blood ran cold. "W... Wait, piranhas?" She had those in her lab?
"Yes. I raised the stakes on this spell and I added a time limit, and the piranhas were Angie's idea. I wanted to show everyone how powerful of a mage I am." The magician announced proudly.
"Isn't that... a little dangerous?"
"We don't have to worry about being devoured, the piranhas from my lab only eat dead flesh." She explained.
Ryoma was not the least bit comforted by that. "Uh... where are they now?"
"They're still in my lab. Kaito and Keebo are gonna help us carry the tank with them in it to the gym. It'll be placed above the water tank during the magic show. And if something goes wrong, I'll instantly kill all of the piranhas with my magic."
He highly doubted that, but it would be odd for her to not have a backup plan in case the trick didn't work out. "Okay... is that all we need to do?"
"You should just bring an extra set of clothes. We already got some towels from the pool's storage room."
"Does Angie or anyone else know I'm going to be there with you?"
"Just Angie. Since you were joining the magic show, she asked if you were interested in her divine god, too."
Ryoma knew this was coming eventually. "No, I just came because Shuichi asked if I could be in your magic show. I didn't just want to turn you down."
"Nyeh..." Himiko sighed dejectedly. "Angie's handsome god helped me, so I thought he could help you too. He makes me feel safe, makes me forget the reality I'm in. The fear and pain I feel from my loneliness and insecurities... he makes them go away."
"Hmph, I appreciate it, but no thanks. I'm fine on my own."
The magician had good intentions here, but they were misguided. He was all for escapism, but it seemed like she was running away from the reality they were in. He couldn't blame her for being scared, but to avoid accepting the situation wasn't the right way to deal with it. From the looks of it, Angie seemed to take advantage of that, convincing her that her god will save her.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about it. "Anyways, if we're finished... I'm gonna go. I'll bring the extra clothes later." Ryoma turned to leave the lab.
"Oh, okay. I hope you'll have enough MP ready for tomorrow."
"Yeah... I'll be ready." Considering what kind of show he was going to be in, he really needed to be.
o0o
Lunch came and went, and evening had fallen, the blue sky starting to turn a bright orange hue as the sun began to set.
Ryoma stared at Maki's Kubs Pad sitting on his desk.
He spent a lot of time being indecisive about seeing his own motive video. After the past few days, and his interactions with Shuichi earlier, he had finally come to a decision.
He was going to go find his motive video.
The idea was if he learned who the most important people to him were... he might have a reason to live. He'd have something to go back to.
He knew he was going against the students' plan on not sharing their motive videos, but this was different. For him, it wasn't a motive to kill. It was a motive to live. He spent all this time believing he knew the answer to whether he wanted to die or not. Thinking back to what Shuichi said earlier about staying true to himself and listening to what really wanted, he realized dying wasn't what he truly wanted. He learned why he was so confused. He was pushing away that side of himself that actually wanted to live, and rejected his fear of death to force himself to believe something that was not entirely true.
With this, Ryoma devised a plan. He can't go look for it just now, he'd attract the others' attention, and he would look suspicious. He decided the best time to look for it was late at night, when everyone was guaranteed to be asleep.
There were a few problems though. Shuichi and Kaito were going to train at night from now on, and he was sure they would invite him. Turning them down all of a sudden would be odd to them, especially Shuichi. Also, he didn't know who had his motive. He could ask Kokichi, since he was devising a plan of his own to make everyone see their videos. The supreme leader was antagonistic towards them and was difficult to talk to in a serious manner, but he was willing to do whatever it took. His best guess for who had his video was Maki, likely being that everyone's videos belonged to the opposite person, but he wanted to be completely sure so that he doesn't bother her for no reason.
Ryoma headed towards the door. He figured he'd just ask Kokichi now, he'd deal with what time he'll find his motive later.
Kokichi might be in the school, still snooping around as usual. He didn't know how he was gonna make them see their videos, but he had to have some knowledge on who has the other's motive. He just hoped Gonta wasn't with him.
The tennis pro made his way up to the second floor to check the classrooms. There weren't many places Kokichi would go to carry out his plan. Despite this, he was stealthy, and he knew how to avoid the others with ease. Ryoma would have to look harder than that to find him.
After he checked both classrooms, he headed down the hallway to go to the third floor. Before he could make his way there, he suddenly heard loud footsteps.
He turned around, only to see Gonta. Things were very different though.
The aura he felt emanating from the entomologist was so aggressive he could almost see it, and he had a look of pure rage written on his face. His red eyes seemed to glow as he fixed his glare onto the smaller student.
"Ryoma," Gonta spoke in a low, intimidating tone, "Gonta wants you to come with him."
The tennis pro wasn't fazed. "Sorry Gonta, but I can't go with you right now. Maybe later." He turned to leave in the other direction, hoping to shake him off.
"No! Ryoma needs to come with Gonta right now!" He shouted. "If he does not go with him, then he's afraid he has no choice..."
Gonta suddenly charged at him like a bullet train, faster than he could've imagined.
He never got the chance to even touch him though, as Ryoma was already a few feet away from where he was standing.
"Hmph, I can just dodge you with my Shukuchi Method. You can't catch me so easily."
Ryoma often used the Shukuchi Method back during his tennis days. It was sort of like a flash step, where he could move quickly across the court in the blink of an eye. He moved so fast it was almost like teleportation.
Before Gonta could recover and try to run at him again, he was already back down the hallway. The bigger student still tailing him, Ryoma swiftly made his way downstairs, reaching the entrance hall. Making sure he wasn't still following him, he ran into the courtyard and hid under the bench by the wisterias.
He wasn't sure what the hell had gotten into Gonta. The usually gentle giant was angrily trying to catch him for some odd reason. He didn't have time for it, though.
Ryoma waited for a while, and watched from under the bench as he suddenly spotted Kaito racing out of the school and towards the dormitory, running as fast as he could.
He had somewhat of an idea as to what was happening.
If his guess was right, Gonta was trying to capture all of the students, not just him. He wondered if he had already caught Himiko or Angie, or maybe Shuichi. Whatever Gonta was up to, it had to involve everyone, and it was something the entomologist clearly wasn't happy about.
Gonta burst through the school doors, looking around for him and Kaito. Ryoma maneuvered himself between the legs of the bench to make sure he was out of sight completely, his small size aiding in such.
Aside from his strength, Gonta had incredible vision. A few days prior, he claimed that he had seen a tiny bug around the school, but even with his superhuman sight, he couldn't be sure. There was no sign of any animals or bugs here, so his claim was certainly a strange one.
Gonta turned to the right to go look in the pool area. Ryoma wasn't taking any chances and stayed put. It wouldn't take very long for him to check and come back. Eventually, Kaito peeked from the dormitory's entrance, then rushed back out towards the school again. The tennis pro was a little surprised at how he could run so quickly in his slippers.
Gonta came back from the pool area and stomped into the dormitory, likely going to check everyone's rooms. He could easily find some of the others if they were in there, as they often left their doors unlocked if they were occupied.
To his surprise, Shuichi managed to sneak out of the dormitory, and ran towards the wisterias. Kaito probably went to the dorms to warn him about Gonta tracking everybody down.
"Hm, from the looks of it, you ran away from Gonta too." Ryoma spoke up, deciding to come out of his hiding place.
"Ah, Ryoma!" Shuichi exclaimed as the shorter boy stood up.
"I don't know why, but... it seems like he's gone into a rage and is trying to catch everyone. He was charging right at me at top speed." He stated.
The detective was a bit shocked. "Wait, he threw himself directly at you but you managed to get away? That's amazing..."
"Yeah, I used the Shukuchi Method, a technique from my tennis days. Like a... flash step, y'know? Of course, I've gotten rusty since back in the day, but..." He shook his head. "Hmph, Gonta's still got a ways to go if he thinks he'll be able to catch me like that."
Shuichi stared at the tennis pro in wonder. He already knew he was an amazing tennis player, worthy of being an Ultimate, but he never imagined anything like this, beyond what he had learned from him.
Ryoma frowned and looked away a bit, thinking about this morning.
He told Shuichi to his face earlier that he had nothing good to live for, and avoided going to the dining hall because of yesterday morning. He thought differently now, thanks to Shuichi getting him to open up a little. However, he wasn't going to tell Shuichi about his plan to find his motive video out of risk of breaking his trust.
"By the way... I'm sorry." He apologized.
"Huh? What for?" Shuichi asked, a little confused.
"...For saying something so uncool like 'I've got no reason to live.'"
"Ah, no, you don't have to apologize Ryoma..."
"I'm gonna say this so we're clear. I'm not so stupid that I'd waste my life." He turned his head away. "I... only said something like that because I was jealous of you." He admitted.
"Jealous...?"
"If... I had a stronger attachment to life... I could try my best alongside you all-"
He suddenly cut himself off, ducking down back towards the bench. Shuichi turned to see what made Ryoma duck for cover...
...only to see Gonta standing right in front of them.
"There you are... Hey, where are you going?" The hulking boy asked menacingly.
"Huh? Gonta...?!" Shuichi reacted, utterly baffled by his hostile demeanor.
"Sorry, Shuichi, but I'm gonna run... I've still got things I need to do." Ryoma felt a little guilty for leaving the detective, but they would both be captured if he tried to take him with him. Besides, he needed to look for his motive video. He couldn't afford to get caught.
"No! Gonta cannot let you leave! Sorry, but... this is for your own good!"
Ryoma ran off just as Gonta charged and slammed into Shuichi, knocking him out cold.
He heard the entomologist's frantic apologies towards the unconscious detective behind him as he shot back towards the school again.