ding dong bing bong
"Rise, and shine ursine!"
"It's 8 a.m."
"The dining hall and gym are now open."
"So wake up and go eat some grub!"
"Or starve, we don't care."
"How positive," I deadpan.
Miu snorts, "Fuckin' bears."
I laugh. Ignoring the wight in my jacket.
I don't know why I'm doing this.
Miu went to the dining hall at my insistence. I didn't. Waiting until she was out of sight, I make my way down the steps and into the basement. I hate this place, it's always so so dark. Just like that place. I screw my eyes shut, clearing my head of thoughts before walking towards that damned library. I walk straight up to the hidden door and push the bookcase out of the way. There's still dust in the card reader.
"Shuichi will be here soon."
I Know.
Checking behind me, I carefully lift a tiny notebook from my pocket. Turning back to the black and white door, I rip out a page and raise it above the card reader... And jam it inside, shaking it as much as I can to get all of the dustout. My actions become more frantic as time passes. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
I'm breathing heavily by the time I'm done, slamming my hand onto the metal door, the sound echoing across the empty, abandoned room. I leave after that, I walk past a boy with blue hair on my way to the dining hall. He walks into the basement. I watch him before turning away, a small smile on my lips. What will happen now?
I wish I could remember more from the games.
I sigh, picking at my food, deep in thought.
I could use one of the notebooks from the warehouse to write down what I remember, but what if someone finds it? I'd either become a target for the mastermind... or everyone would think I'm the mastermind.
I really don't want that to happen.
I wonder, with no time limit... what will Kaede and Shuichi do...? Their plan in the game was based entirely on the time limit. Glancing at Kaito, I know that won't happen. If nothing happens, Monokuma can give us the time limit, but it wouldn't be the same. Besides, knowing certain people's secrets, it won't take long for someone to make a move.
It really is like a game of chess
Kaede stands up and clears her throat.
"I'd like to apologize for what happened...in the tunnel the other day."
That's new.
"Is it really?"
"I should've been more considerate of everyone's feelings." she sighs "I was too focused on the tunnel... So, I'm sorry..." Kaede finishes with a tight smile. Her words sound so scripted, she might as well have spent all night planning what to say.
"You don't have to apologize for anything, you did nothing wrong!" Kaito replies with a grin.
"We were all just tired," Rantaro states with a relaxed smile. Playboy.
Others other similar reassurances to Kaede, but Maki, Kiyo, and Ryoma stay silent. The group that didn't go in the tunnel, my group, turn away. No one speaks up from our side.
What could we say when we weren't there? We didn't feel their pain. We didn't experience the endless torture of that tunnel. Nothing, that's what. We have no right. I only watched through a screen, and even then, I was detached from them, resetting over and over again to beat it and win some silly prize. Endless torture. How gory.
"What is it?"
"Look at the card reader."
The boy moves the bookcase to reveal a hidden door.
"The dust is gone!"
"I checked it, after nighttime, and the dust was there. When I checked again this morning, it was gone."
"Someone entered this door during nighttime?"
"Yeah"
They look at each other.
"...So, what do we do now?"
After breakfast, I go back to my room and look through everything on my monopad, to do with the student info. I finish in five minutes. No important information. Friendship fragments are apparently real, and I've already got one each with Tsumugi, Kokichi, Kiyo, Tenko, and Himiko. I have two with Miu.
I click my tongue, what to do... I walk out of my room and tie my jacket around my waist, embracing the cool breeze that greets me as I step outside. I spend awhile walking around. I pass about five people before I see someone I want to spend time with. Smiling, I approach K1-B0.
"Why are we being forced to play a killing game, what is Monokuma after?" Keebo asks, deep in thought.
I spend some time with Keebo contemplating Monokuma's motives... I steer clear of the truth.
"Since you have come to speak to me... I can assume you have taken an interest in me," Keebo declares with a bright smile.
"Maybe, It's not every day I meet someone like you!" I giggle. He's like a baby, and I'm talking to him!
"Very well, you may ask me any questions you wish!" Keebo smiles.
I think a bit before asking my first question, "Can you really feel emotion?"
Keebo goes silent, answering slowly, "I can produce heartfelt remarks through calculation, but... I can feel human emotions, like you, if that's what you're asking."
"That's really cool." I offer him a gentle smile.
Keebo beams in response.
Did I ever go through his free time events?
"Did you ever think of him as more than a robot?"
Shut up.
Annoying
After leaving Keebo, I went straight to the school store.
I spend an hour pushing stupid coins into the monomono machine. I even ended up taking a chair from the dining hall at some point. Who knew this thing could be so damn stubborn. I'd grabbed some boxes from the warehouse, and whenever I got something new, I stuffed it in.
"What are you doing?" I turn around and see Maki standing in the doorway.
"Dancing. What does it look like?" I deadpan, pushing another coin into the machine.
Maki glares at me "How long have you been here?"
"Dunno, an hour at most." I shrug. Turning back to the machine to see what I got. A bag of sugar. Amazing. Maki eyes the boxes I'd brought into the room, rolling her eyes before leaving. I turn back to the monomono machine and put in another coin, right as I hear the door open again. I stare at Maki as she walks right up to me and places another chair down.
"Let me try," Maki mumbles, taking a pile of her own coins from her pocket and placing one in. A Teddy Bear. Maki's eye twitches as she quickly inserts another coin, dumping the bear in a box. Oh, it's on!
I spend hours with Maki going back and forth, trying to get the best item possible. She helps me carry the boxes back to my room, where we start sorting through it all.
"Maki, Maki, look!" I wave my hands in front of her face until she turns to glare at me.
"What."
I point to my head where a headband with a pair of bear ears rested in my hair. "They're so adorable!" I giggle.
Maki turns away, "They're not bad." She mumbles, tugging on her hair.
I grin. I consider that a win.
"Stop smiling like that, it's annoying," Maki states, looking through another box.
We sit in silence for a minute before Maki sighs.
"What are those boxes for?" Maki asks, pointing at the boxes on the other side of the room.
"Oh, those? They're from Tsumugi!" I reply, my soul warming at the thought of Tsumugi's kind gesture.
Maki looks at me, "What's in them?"
"Art supplies, silly! Since my lab isn't... open, I need to keep myself busy somehow!" I wilt a little at that. I won't get a lab until after the second trial if I even live up to then.
Maki watches me closely, she changes the subject.
"Where are you from?"
"What do you mean?" I ask quietly.
"Your name...It's different." Maki continues. My name? My name wasn't always Angie.
"From a small island," I reply casually, avoiding her eyes.
Angie, Angie, Angie, Angie, Angie, Angie, Angie, Angie, Angie.
My eyes darken, How can I so easily say that I'm Angie? What happened to the real one?
Maki and I soon part ways. She gives me a sketchbook before she leaves.
ding dong bing bong
"This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles."
"It is now 10 p.m. Nighttime officially starts now."
"Zzzzzzzzzz"
"Aw, Monophanie's already sleeping!"
"We should all go to bed now."
". . ."
"Bedtime, Ursine!"
Nighttime? Things are less tense without a time limit hanging over us. I untie my hair and let it fall around me before jumping onto the bed.
Maki and Keebo, huh. I could've chosen worse. I snuggle deep into my blankets, falling asleep with the bear ears still on my head.
ding dong bing bong
"Rise and shine, ursine!"
"This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles."
"It's 8 a.m.! Time to wake up!"
Friendship Fragments collected!
K1-B0 - 1-5
Maki Harukawa - 1-5
I'm back at school! So sad. Been busy since I got back so I haven't had much time to write. I went back on Monday and edited the first two chapters and merged them into one chapter. I found them too short and merging them was the best option I had. In the chapter Death tunnel, I also added the friendship fragments to the end.
