Beta Read by Lupus Overkill


Shizu's eyes shoot open. For a moment, she panics because of the comfortable bed she's found herself in. As the memories from yesterday come back, however, her heart rate slows down to an acceptable level. She reaches over and puts on her glasses. She's not one for resting in bed after waking up.

When she sits up and swings her legs over the side of her bed, she notices the monitor in her room. Yesterday, it was nothing more than a black screen after the announcement. Now, however, she can see the time displayed on it in a digital clock format. It's currently 7:34 AM, if she is to believe what Monokuma has set up for her.

She also notices a small book icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. Tapping on it brings up a menu displaying the rules they had heard yesterday. Well, at least they are somewhere for reference. She already has them written down in her notes, but it never hurts to have a backup plan.

The new display seems to be the only new thing in her room. Technically, she could rest up here until it's time for the morning meeting, but she's had enough with sitting still and waiting to last her a lifetime. There shouldn't be any harm getting breakfast early. After a quick wardrobe change and visit to the restroom, she exits her room.

All throughout her trip to the dining room, Shizu doesn't see a single soul. Nobody joins her in the elevator, and the only sounds echoing throughout the halls are those from her shoes on the tile. If anyone is awake, they must still be in their room.

When she actually arrives at the dining room, she's shocked to find a Monokuma face hanging on the doors. They were allowed inside yesterday, so what changed? Did they not clean up the mess from Soraru's cake yesterday? Well, she knows that she didn't help, at least. Oops.

"Hungry already?"

Shizu flinches at the sudden question. Looking over her shoulder, she sees Monokuma leaning against the wall with his left paw.

"…Somewhat, yes." He probably already knows that he startled her, but she's not going to give him the satisfaction of reacting. In the future, she's going to have to get used to him popping up whenever he feels like it. She should also figure out how exactly he's doing it.

"Well, you're just gonna have to wait," he laughs. "The dining hall is closed during nighttime. Sorry if that inconveniences you and your sudden food cravings!"

She ignores his bait. "Is there a particular reason why?"

Tilting his head and bringing a paw to his chin, he repeats her question. "Why?" He then shrugs. "What, do you want to slowly starve to death? I have to restock that place at some point you know!"

"And you can't do that when other people are also in the room, I suppose," she says.

"See? You really do understand me! We're going to be the best of friends," he cackles before running off to who knows where.

Shizu pinches her forehead. So, this is what he meant yesterday when he said certain areas would be off limits during certain times of the day. She should check out the other rooms later tonight in case the same holds true elsewhere. However, it is a bit strange that the dining room is what's blocked off. If Monokuma truly wanted to be alone when restocking, then the kitchen seems like the more logical choice. Perhaps he merely wants to inconvenience them all more.

Her thoughts are interrupted when she hears a chime echo throughout the hall. Then, from nowhere, she hears Monokuma's voice. "Good morning everyone! It's officially 8 AM, so let's greet the morning with a smile, shall we? That's all!"

That must have been the morning announcement. If she had to guess, it probably also played from the monitors in everyone's rooms, since their rooms are soundproofed. Thus, everyone else should either be waking up or be going through their own morning routines. Still, how were they going to get into the dining room if the symbol is still…

Huh… The Monokuma face is gone now. That's… odd. Did she somehow miss Monokuma taking it off when he was talking to her? No, that wouldn't be possible, since she was standing between him and the door the entire time. She taps on the spot where the symbol used to be and is shocked to discover that part of the door is a screen. She tests a random part of the door to confirm that the rest of it is wooden. How utterly bizarre. Monokuma has gone through the effort of integrating a tablet into the door. This does technically allow him to change the display for the face very quickly, but it feels very inefficient. Why bother getting a custom made door when a sign would do the trick?

While she could ponder this for a while longer, she would rather get started on breakfast. She pushes them open hesitantly, just in case the disappearing face was a glitch. However, there is no punishment waiting for her. Going into the kitchen itself, she thinks for a moment about what to eat. Then, she remembers that she hasn't technically investigated the pantry or the freezer yet. No time like the present.

She starts with the walk-in freezer and is immediately hit with a wave of chilled air upon pulling the metal door open. It's a bit small compared to the other rooms, but it has way more storage space than a typical household freezer. The walls are lined with shelves, each stocked with frozen goods, like vegetables, meats, and boxes of other foods whose labels she cannot see from the entrance. At the far back wall, there's a container lying on the floor. She's reluctant to step further inside but moves there in the name of research. Opening the top, she finds that it's stocked with all sorts of frozen desserts, like ice cream and popsicles. She vaguely remembers Hachi mentioning this yesterday.

Nothing in the freezer looks too appetizing right now, so she rushes to check out the pantry. It takes a moment for her teeth to stop chattering, but she eventually takes inventory. It's a little bigger than the freezer, yet it looks fairly similar. Once again, shelves line the walls, though this time they're stocked with fruit, snack foods, cereals, and other dry foods. There is something that sticks out from everything else, however. Instead of a container in the back, she sees another door. Did nobody think that this was important to mention or something? She rushes over, pulls it open, and finds…

…a cleaning closet. It has a broom, a mop, a shelf stacked with cleaning supplies and a bunch of rolled up towels, and a bag of washcloths. There's nothing too major, all things considered. None of the labels indicate things being too toxic. Still, somebody should have spoken up.

Shizu's stomach growls at her, cutting her thoughts short. She closes the closet door and looks for something appealing. In the end, convenience rules out, and she grabs a nearby cereal box. It isn't the healthiest, but, after prison food, she doesn't care. That cake yesterday might have spoiled her taste buds a bit, so hopefully this still tastes good.

Right as she steps out of the pantry, Takumi enters the kitchen from the dining room.

"…Good morning," she greets.

At the same time, he says, "Huh? What are you doing up?"

She chooses to answer his question as she opens up the cabinets to look for a bowl. "Preparing some cereal. Is that going to be a problem?"

His bag crinkles when he shakes his head. "…No, not really. Just planned on eating alone…"

He stands still while he watches her move to the fridge for some milk. Her presence alone must be making him nervous, so she speeds up her task. Once she gets a spoon from a drawer, she makes for the door where he's frozen in place. "Is this going to be a problem? Should I eat in my room?" she asks.

It takes a moment for him to respond. "I'm gonna stick around for the meeting anyways. Might as well suck this up." He finally steps out of the way.

For a good while, she sits alone, lazily chewing on her cereal. She's in no rush after all. A few minutes later, Takumi comes out, also holding a bowl of cereal. He takes a seat that's a good distance away from her, but, knowing his personality, she's not insulted. It's lucky that his bag has a mouth hole, so that he doesn't have to take it off to eat.

He really doesn't seem in the mood for conversation, so she is fine with keeping things silent. Then again, he's never sounded like he's wanted to talk. Like it or not, she would eventually need to confront him. For now, that can wait.

As it gets closer to 8:30, more and more people trickle in. Some people, like Sawako and Kaixi, show no signs of exhaustion. Morgan, in particular, shows up both early and with no perceivable mistakes with her makeup. Others, such as Chouki and Samia, appear to have had a rough night. Still, they show up. When she goes into the kitchen to put away her dishes and walks back out, the table is nearly full. There's only one person missing from the group.

"Has anybody seen Joshua today?" Michio asks, taking a bite out of a piece of toast immediately after.

Most people are still focusing on their breakfast, but the few who respond shake their heads. Michio exhales with a mixture of both annoyance and worry.

Sawako stands up and announces, "I will go to his room and bring him here. If anything important comes up, please inform me when I return." She salutes the others and marches out of the room.

It is clear that most people don't want to talk, judging by the lack of responses previously, but it appears that Michio has more on his mind. He clears his throat, but only a few people look over to him. He repeats this louder, finally getting everyone's attention. "Uh… Good morning everyone! I hope you all slept okay."

"As well as I could have, considering everything that's going on," Samia deadpans.

Kaixi has a more positive outlook. "Well, um… I slept really great, and I hope you all slept great too!"

"Which answer will make you stop talking faster?" Soraru's tone is innocent despite xer words. "Asking for a friend."

"Both are equally fast." Michio takes the sarcasm in stride, laughing a little. Sensing potential impatience, he gets to the point. "I don't want to keep you all here for too long, and I personally don't have any big announcements to make. But I wanted to know if anyone else had something they wanted to say. For the most part, there's not much we can do for now, other than think of ways to escape or wait for more rooms to open up. Otherwise, I'm guessing we'll all go our separate ways."

He's met with complete silence. Each person scans the others' faces to see if someone wants to speak up, but nobody does.

"That's about what I thought. In that case, I'll shut up and let you get back to your food. Let's all make the best of this day." Michio smiles widely and then returns to his toast.

Sawako returns alone around the time most people are finishing up. She salutes again and states, "I apologize, but I was unable to locate Joshua. I attempted to call him outside by ringing his doorbell but to no avail. Either he is able to sleep through anything or he is not in his room."

"Maybe he ditched the meeting," Chouki mutters while stabbing an orange slice with his fork.

Kazuha rapidly shakes her head. "No way! I'm sure he's just a slow riser. He did show up late yesterday too. We should give him a chance to adjust to this new sleep pattern."

"We can ask him later," Shizu says. Then, she stands up. It's kind of awkward to sit around and watch people eat in silence, so she's a bit eager to get out of here. "I have some business to take care of, so I'm heading out. If anybody needs me later, it shouldn't be too hard to locate me. This building may be tall, but there aren't too many rooms."

Sawako holds out a hand. "Shizu-", she begins.

"I know," Shizu replies.

When she steps outside, she can faintly hear someone asking, "What the heck was that about?"

Truthfully, there isn't much left for her to examine, since she did most of that yesterday. Of course, there is always the possibility of secret passageways between rooms or even floors, but she wouldn't even know where to start looking for them. Perhaps she should check all of the blocked off rooms to see if any of them unlocked. However, what she should really be doing is…

She loses her train of thought when Joshua almost collides with her. "Whoa there!" he shouts. "Sorry 'bout that. Almost hit you."

"You missed the meeting." She's not exactly accusing him, but her flat tone causes him to wince.

It doesn't stop his carefree smile though. "Yeah, that's my bad. Totally overslept again!"

"You didn't hear someone ringing your doorbell earlier?" She raises an eyebrow at him.

He shrugs. "Nope. That's not that surprising all things considered. I can sleep through just about anything if I want to. Hell, I slept through a tornado once. Went right past my room, but I didn't even roll over."

That's definitely sounds like a lie, but, if he's not exaggerating, then it is going to be a major problem in the future. Actually, now that she thinks about it, running into him is actually a blessing in disguise. She needs to get to know everyone as quickly as possible, and this is a prime opportunity. "That may be the case, but I hope you can sort out this problem quickly. It would not do to have you continually miss morning meetings."

Joshua is actually starting to look ashamed of himself, scratching the back of his neck and averting his eyes. "Ugh, yeah, I know. But it's not that easy to wake yourself up! At least not for me, that is."

"You will have to put in the effort," Shizu emphasizes, "Or else you may start placing suspicion upon yourself. The others may suspect that you, in fact, are spending your time elsewhere and that you are unworthy of trust."

"Isn't that going to happen anyways?" he asks matter-of-factly.

"Hmm?"

Seeing her confusion, he clarifies. "I mean, even if I do get there in time every day, everyone's eventually going to start being suspicious of me and of everyone else."

"You are referring to the Ultimate Game."

"Huh? That's what this is called?" Joshua slaps his head. "Okay, right, not the time for that. But yeah, this whole… thing. You can't honestly think that we'll really be able to form bonds with others when they're all worried about… well, you know."

Shizu adjusts her glasses. "I didn't take you for the kind of person who would think in that manner."

He laughs cheerfully. "Hey, what can I say? I'm pretty well versed in the parasocial, so I'm super skeptical about friendships."

She scratches her chin. "Parasocial… I've heard the word, but I can't remember the definition. If you wouldn't mind…"

"Oh, sure. It's not often I get to show off like this." His smile grows, and he adjusts his beanie before beginning his explanation. "So, let's say that you're really active on Twitter. You're posting stuff all the time, replying to a bunch of comments, and basically amassing a following there. Over time, you've picked up a decent number of loyal followers, all of whom are really interested about your life. Following me so far?"

She confirms this, although her eyes are glued to her notepad. "I am, though I have never been active on any social media platform. I will have to take your word for this."

He looks taken aback. "Wait, really? I figured everyone under the age of forty basically lived online… Whelp, it's too late for me to think of a better example." He clicks his tongue and continues, "Anyways, one day, you get a DM, err… 'direct message'-"

"I'm not that socially illiterate," she interjects.

"Right, sorry. Erm… Okay, so you get a DM from someone that you can't remember talking to ever. And, lo and behold, it's someone declaring their undying love for you! Isn't that sweet?"

She actually hisses at him. "What?! No, of course not! That's creepy and disgusting."

"Of course it is!" That was apparently the answer he was looking for. "You've never met this person, yet they clearly feel comfortable enough to think that you'd be comfortable dating them. No, not just comfortable, they think that you'd be happy! Isn't that weird?"

"I'm guessing this is what you mean by parasocial." She ignores his question.

He nods. "Yup, you've got it right there. This person hasn't ever had a meaningful conversation with you, yet they're privy to details about your life or your thoughts or even just your physical appearance. There is no relationship between the two of you except entertainer and audience member. The illusionary, one-sided relationship… That is textbook example of a parasocial relationship."

"I see… You sound very familiar with this topic. If I may hazard a guess, you've had issues with this in the past, correct?" She taps her pen against her notepad, leaving a little mark at the top of the page.

He snaps into a thumbs up. "You're really on a roll today, huh? I've had my fair share of parasocial nightmares in the past. It's all part of being the Ultimate Video Blogger, after all. With a title like that, you can imagine that I had a pretty big audience. And more than a few problem audience members as well."

"A rabid fan base that views you as a personal friend… I can hardly imagine that amount of stalkers you had to deal with." She shudders at the thought.

"You don't even know the half of it. Didn't matter how much I moved around. Someone would eventually find my address, and then they'd show up at my door, expecting me to be pleased and invite them inside. Glad I haven't had to deal with that in a while…" Joshua may be chuckling about all of this now, but his eyes look tired.

Shizu contemplates everything that he's brought up. "That was a very enlightening explanation. I do not mean to belittle what you went through, but I believe that the situation is slightly different from the ones you have experienced."

He raises an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Parasocial relationships, if I have understood correctly, are one-sided relationships. However, I do not believe that any relationships built here can be one-sided. After all, we have the ability physically interact with each other, the ability to hold actual conversations with each other. Doesn't that necessitate an actual relationship?"

"Yeah, maybe," he states. "But can you really trust them not to lie or something? Like, couldn't they be faking who they are or how they feel entirely? Then, it would be one-sided because we'd have no idea about their true intentions."

Shizu shakes her head. "That is something we risk whenever we try to become friends with someone. Though the chances of something such as that happening are much greater here than in ordinary life, I don't think that means we need to fear that everyone is being fake."

"Heh…" Joshua chuckles. "You're only just now hearing about this, but you've already put so much thought into it. Guess this'll teach me to steal all of my ideas from videos and put zero extra thought into them." He sticks out his tongue.

At that moment, Shizu hears a set of footsteps approaching. She'd nearly forgotten that she had been standing in the hallway leading to the second floor dorms. Pal and Morgan walk into view..

Morgan greets them first. "Ah, Shizu and Joshua. I had a feeling we would find you both here."

"Ooooh, a supernatural feeling, right?" Joshua's eyes light up. Morgan merely gives a knowing look.

"We were… worried since… you were not present… at breakfast." Pal claims, clasping his hands together. "I was concerned… for your wellbeing."

Joshua waves him off. "Thanks buddy, but I was just sleeping. A sleeping Joshua is a happy Joshua, so I'm definitely doing well."

"I am grateful… to hear that." He pauses when Joshua's stomach growls. "It appears that… the siren song of sleep… has been replaced by… one of hunger."

"Even if the rest of us have eaten already, you should get something. Though nighttime is a long time away, I should mention that the dining hall is closed during that time, so you don't want to wait around for too long," Shizu explains.

"That is the reason we came looking for you." Morgan then extends the offer. "If you would like the company, we would be happy to sit with you during your meal." Shizu notes to herself that she shouldn't speak for Pal, but, first, Pal seems like the kind of person who would enjoy anyone's company, and, secondly, she already knows what Morgan's response would be.

"Sounds great!" Joshua cheers, his stomach rumbling again.

"I would ask you to come as well, but I already know your answer," Morgan addresses Shizu with an infuriating smile on her face. …Maybe it is only infuriating to her.

"…I do have something important to be getting to any moment now," she reluctantly admits, refusing to look at Morgan's face. "Enjoy your meal."

Joshua gives her a double thumbs up. "Thanks for the conversation! It was pretty interesting. Gave me a lot to think about, at least." When his stomach gives off its loudest growl yet, he waves farewell and makes for the dining room, with Morgan not far behind him.

"I wish you luck… on your quest." With that, Pal walks away as well, leaving her all alone in the hallway.


Conversation with Joshua Miller (1)

- Continues to claim that he is a deep sleeper, to nearly impossible levels

- Carefree attitude hides his apparent trust issues, perhaps either an act or no longer cares enough to worry about trusting others

- Has knowledge of parasocial relationships, which are one-sided relationships that viewers create with their favorite media personalities

- Dealt with overzealous fans in the past

- Claims not to be too knowledgeable or to have put much thought into parasocial, but talked for long enough that this seems false (tricking self? hiding true skills?)


That talk ate up more time than she expected. At least, she thinks it did. There aren't any clocks in the hallway, so she has to rely on her own gut feelings. That being said, her internal clock hasn't led her astray many times before. She doesn't exactly remember what time Sawako wanted to talk with her, but this seems like as good a time as any to head to the storage room. She can personally investigate the boxes there while she waits for the… police officer to arrive. With that plan in mind, she heads for her destination.

As she gets closer to the storage room, she thinks something coming from inside. It's not particularly loud, so it's probably not an argument. Actually, it sounds like someone is rummaging around through a box. Peering into the room, she finds Kogi standing on a ladder, reaching into a box from the construction section.

Shizu takes a deep breath and forces herself to speak. "…Is there something in particular you're looking for?"

Not halting his search in the slightest, Kogi says, "No."

…That was unhelpful. "So, you're looking through those boxes for no reason?"

"No, I'm just not looking for anything specific," he replies, as if that were obvious.

"You do realize that these boxes are labeled, correct? Or do you distrust the labels?" she pries.

He takes the time to look at her after that particular comment. "Don't think that "hammer" is descriptive enough."

Sawako chooses that instant to walk into the storage room. She smiles when she sees Shizu, but it becomes strained when she notices Kogi's presence on the ladder. "Oh… Hello, Shizu and… Kogi. I trust you are both keeping out of trouble."

Shizu only has the fortitude to nod in response. Kogi replies with a casual "Yep".

"That is good." Sawako stops there, seemingly unsure about how to continue. There's something in her eyes that looks… distressed or perhaps nervous? It certainly doesn't read as suspicion, which would have been Shizu's first guess.

Kogi's rummaging is the only sound that breaks the simultaneously tense and awkward atmosphere. Sawako keeps looking at Shizu pleadingly for some reason. Police officers relying on her plans… that is not something she wants to remember. Still, neither of them will get anywhere without doing something.

Shizu settles for the truth, though only after long, internal deliberation. "…Kogi, if it would not be too much trouble, could you leave us alone for a while?"

Kogi looks over his shoulder. "Can't you go somewhere else?"

Sawako shakes her head rapidly, and Shizu signs. "Unfortunately, no."

Giving in, he climbs down the ladder. "Sounds like you're the one searching for something then. Good luck finding it." He's already out the door before she can ponder his words.

Sawako lets out the breath she was holding in and slouches slightly. Almost instantly, however, she's standing straight again. "I am very sorry for pushing the burden onto you. That was completely unprofessional of me, and I should not have done it."

Well, that's one problem out of the way at least. Shizu feels her throat release, like a snake had been strangling her and only now was she free of its constriction. "…Don't worry about it. Let's just get down to business. You had something you wanted to say, correct?"

Sawako nods quickly. "That is correct. I am in need of your strategist expertise. As you have most likely surmised, I wished to consult with you about the contents of this storage room. I believe you are already aware of the general contents of these boxes."

"The three main categories are construction, furniture, and decoration, if I remember correctly," Shizu answers.

"That is the basics of what is stored here," Sawako confirms. "However, I am concerned about some of this. The construction materials and furniture in particular are troublesome. With those tools available, anyone could theoretically use them for harm. For instance, someone could use them to set up a trap, either for killing or for restricting where people can go. In addition to this, they could use the tools to break into areas they are not supposed to. They may potentially try to break the rules by smashing through the bars or doors on the second floor. They could also break into one of our rooms while we slumber. Finally, the furniture parts and blueprints give them even more materials with which to work. We have no guarantee that the furniture parts will be used for their intended purpose."

…Whoa.

Clearly, Sawako has put a lot of thought into this. Shizu actually feels ashamed for not going this much in depth in her own notes. However, as she takes the time to analyze Sawako's fears, she starts getting a clearer picture in her head. She slowly responds, "I… see. From your tone, I'm guessing that you wish to do something about this."

Sawako nods, her expression darkening. "I believe it would be in our best interests to block off this room by whatever means necessary. Perhaps we could use the wooden planks to block off the doorway, thus preventing anyone from accessing it."

"Hold on." Shizu holds out her hand to stop her. "I have several issues with this idea. First, I don't think it wise to stop people from coming here. There are sure to be people who simply wish to decorate the rooms or the hallway in some manner. Should we punish those people as well as everyone else?"

"That would be unfortunate, but it is a small price to pay for keeping everyone safe," Sawako rebuts.

Shizu argues right back. "Think about the psychological impact, though. Surely they will get anxious if they see one of the few areas they had access to block off. That will increase the tension here, and suspicions might rapidly get out of hand."

"However, they will have less of an ability to act upon those suspicions if they cannot access this room." Sawako refuses to back down.

Sensing a dead end, Shizu shifts the topic. "That isn't my only issue either. I have my doubts that we could effectively seal off the storage room. Even if we did decide to physically block the entrance, that alone would not stop someone who is desperate. There are enough objects in the rest of the building which they could use to smash through our barricade."

"Your argument makes no sense. If you are using the fact that people break rules to argue that we should have no rules…" Sawako begins.

Shizu cuts her off. "That isn't the issue. My point is that it would be ineffective. It's a rule that can only be enforced when someone is actively keeping watch, and we physically do not have the ability to keep watch without putting ourselves in danger." She sees Sawako about to speak up, so she talks louder. "Finally, and most importantly, if all of that did not convince you, there is a very big reason why that would not work. Even if we somehow constructed a barrier that nobody here could break down, that would not stop Monokuma. He has set up a game which revolves around murder. He has made this room open, and I am certain he will make sure it stays that way."

Her speech finished, Shizu takes several large breaths, gasping for air. Some of that probably came out harsher than she intended it to. She looks up and sees Sawako looking at her with worry. "Are you quite alright?" She looks like she wants to comfort her, but Shizu holds up a finger.

"I'm fine. More importantly, does that answer your question?"

Sawako nods. "I'm afraid I have misjudged the situation. Thank you very much for your thoughts. It appears we can do little about this room. I apologize for jumping to such an extreme solution, but it was the only one I could think of. Monitoring the supplies in this room is out of the question." She waves her hand to indicate all of the boxes. "There is simply too much for anyone to keep track of. That is most likely Monokuma's intention. By giving us so much to work with, we would never notice if something went missing."

"…Don't put yourself down. You've put quite a lot of thought into how to keep everyone safe, even if it didn't bear any fruits," Shizu tries to comfort her.

Despite the poor attempt, Sawako brightens considerably. "It is no trouble at all. It is my duty as a riot police officer to keep everyone safe. On or off duty, I have a responsibility to protect."

Shizu is unable to hide her grimace.

Sawako smiles at her. "I have avoided bringing it up, but you do not appear to like me very much. Perhaps it is because of my talent… Am I correct in assuming that you are not fond of law enforcement?"

"…Yes," she admits. "You mentioned that you protect, but…" She trails off.

"It is only natural you would have your doubts. I have been in the force for too long to say otherwise. However, I hope you will give me a chance to show my dedication to helping the innocent." Sawako straightens her back even further and gives a trademarked salute.

"…We shall see."

Undeterred by her attitude, Sawako finishes. "I am grateful that you assisted me despite your reservations. If you wish to leave now, I will not stop you. You have done so much already."

Explicit permission has been granted. Shizu walks out of the storage room without saying goodbye. The conversation was enlightening, but it brought back a lot of bad memories… At the very least, she hopes that she's learned from that last time. Sawako seems nice enough, but still…


Conversation with Sawako Kido (1)

- Views storage room as a safety hazard, thought best course of action was to block it off entirely

- Respects(?) my strategist skills (no)

- Clearly thinks a lot about safety, willing to admit when she is wrong, though it may take some effort

- Claims to always be on duty and to desire to protect

- Who decides who is innocent?


Shizu is still deep in thought when she passes by the lounge. Kaixi's voice calls out to her from inside, "Hey Shizu! What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just thinking," she answers. Looking inside, she sees him sitting on the couch, along with Hachi and Samia. Tsubame is there as well, though she is sitting in one of the chairs, despite the fact that there's room on the couch.

"You should join us! We're talking about some of Kaixi's shots!" Hachi calls.

Kaixi stares at his feet shyly. "Heh, well, they're not that great, you know. Plus, there used to be a lot of bad shots in there, but I already deleted them. So, they're post-filtered."

"You should stop downplaying your skills," Samia chides. "Your pictures are nice. Just accept the compliment. There's point where being humble gets to be kind of annoying."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He holds his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean to…" He realizes what he's saying and tries to backtrack. "Um… that is… I uh… thanks?"

Hachi laughs. "It's okay! We'll help you get better by showering you with losta compliments!"

Shizu interrupts. "If it's no trouble, might I have a look at what you've taken pictures of?"

"Sure, go right ahead! But, uh, please be careful with my camera. Not that I think you wouldn't, but it's an important disclaimer." He passes her his camera delicately.

Shizu looks at the first photo on display. It appears to have been taken as he was walking into the briefing room. Kazuha is sitting in the middle of the room, staring curiously into the lens. "This is the first photo?" She asks.

"Yeah," he confirms. "Is it… uh… Is it okay?"

Tsubame supplements his comment. "If you're wondering about all of the possible previous photographs, there aren't any."

Kaixi snaps his fingers. "Oh, right! I had some other stuff on there, but, when I woke up here, everything got deleted."

Shizu moves on to the next picture, which is of Morgan walking into the briefing room. She's almost jealous of how photogenic she is, a smile plastered on her face, looking off camera mysteriously… She shakes her head. "Are you sure that this is your camera? Perhaps they got rid of yours and replaced it with a new one."

"No way, I've had this one for a little while now. I can see the places where I normally grip it," he denies her claim.

The next picture is of Kogi power walking. As she notes how, even for a scene that she's technically already seen before, the action and positioning is different, Samia says, "I still don't get why you're allowed to have your camera here. If the people who locked us up were so concerned about not giving you any pictures of stuff outside this building, why even bother letting you have it in the first place?"

"I bet they liked his photos so much that they wanted him to take even more here!" Hachi states proudly. Shizu is only half paying attention, having reached the picture of her, Michio, and Tsubame. The composition is nice, kind of like the cover of a game or movie, with the coroner as the star.

"It's not like they're ever going to get them," Samia counters. "Unless Monokuma's going into your room when you're sleeping and downloading the pictures…"

"I really hope not. That'd be super creepy." Shivering, Kaixi averts his eyes.

Shizu briefly glances at the picture of Chouki, arms crossed and brow furrowed. "It doesn't seem to be that much in character. Whenever I've seen him, he's been a complete ham. I doubt he has the ability to sneak around when he's in the presence of a potential victim."

"It might be… a sort of consolation prize?" Tsubame wonders. "Maybe they felt bad about sticking Kaixi in here, so they gave him something to occupy his mind."

"Oh, kind of like Shizu and her notepad, right?" Hachi stares at her with cheerful eyes. Shizu looks back at the camera, which shows Sawako dragging Takumi inside by the elbow.

"…I'm not sure what you mean," she lies. To distract herself, she advances to the next photo, which is of Samia.

Speaking of Samia, she scoffs. "Please Shizu. I've only known you for a day, and most of that time, you've been either staring into space or fiddling with your notes. It's not a bad thing by any stretch, but don't lie."

"I think it shows how thoughtful you are," Tsubame says, leaning forward slightly in her chair.

"It's kind of like taking pictures with words, if that makes any sense."

Quickly flipping past the picture of Soraru kicking the doors open with Hachi running behind xem with her arms outstretched, Shizu coughs and feels sweat fall down the back of her neck. "…Thank you." She attempts to distract herself with the next picture. Unfortunately, it's of her and Pal this time.

"But Kaixi, a picture's worth a thousand words!" Hachi giggles. "So you're, like, extra super noteworthy!"

"I uh… thanks," he settles on, blushing with the praise. Seeing Monokuma jumping up in the next photo upsets Shizu's stomach, so she passes the camera back to Kaixi but not before flipping it to one of Joshua rubbing his eyes.

"Thank you for sharing those, Kaixi. They were lovely," Shizu says.

He graciously accepts both her praise and his camera. "I did have a lot to work with, so I can't take all the credit." Samia fake-coughs, and he scrambles to appease her. "B-but thank you so much! I'm glad I can bring some comfort, at least."

Her stomach growls at her, causing the conversation to halt. She did only have a single bowl of cereal for breakfast, and it has been a good deal of time since she last ate. Perhaps she should go get something to eat.

The others hear her stomach as well, and it causes a bit of a chain reaction. In the end, it's Hachi who suggests that they all go get some dinner together. Nobody refuses, so they make their way down to the dining hall. Inside, Fumika is halfway through a plate of dumplings, though nobody else is there. She tenses up when she sees them all but has no quarrel keeping them company throughout dinner. Michio and Kazuha both show up a bit later as well, keeping the party going. Altogether, it's a fairly pleasant experience, though Shizu has little memory for small talk.

By the time that Shizu returns to her room, it is ten o'clock at night. Normally, she would be getting ready for bed at this moment, but she has some nighttime investigating to get done. Waiting a whole two hours doing nothing sounds like hell to her, so she goes through her bedtime routine, showering, brushing her teeth, and even changing into her pajamas. She still hates their design but comfort wins out in the end.

There's still a lot of time left even after all of this, so she simply relaxes in bed, checking her notes and adding some sections now that she's further removed from the situation. Truth be told, she feels as though she could lay here for hours on end, even if she was awake. The fluffy pillows, the comfortable mattress, the soft blankets… It all makes her feel content.

A chime startles her from her thoughts. How long has she been sitting here?

"Attention! It is now 12 AM, and nighttime has officially begun. Sweet dreams!"

She leaps from her bed and hurries her way down to the third floor. Going to check every room, she finds that nothing has changed. So, the storage room is open at night. That must mean that Monokuma isn't restocking it, at least not on a daily basis. It also means that anyone could go there without being detected, provided they were patient enough.

She moves down to the second floor and finds that things are also the same. So far, the restriction only appears to apply to the cafeteria. In particular, it also means that no rooms are night exclusive, for what that's worth.

Shizu yawns loudly and makes her way back to the elevator, her search complete. Suffice to say, she is not expecting to find Morgan standing in the elevator lobby, still in her day clothes.

"What are you doing here?" Normally, Shizu would be more tactful, but her sleepiness is starting to catch up with her.

Morgan answers, "I had a feeling I would find someone wandering these halls tonight. The spirits were quite clear about that. I merely wished to see who it was."

"That sounds dangerous," Shizu points out. "What if I was looking for somebody to attack? You would be a prime target, since you're all by yourself."

"I am not fated to die so easily," Morgan giggles, covering her mouth. Her silver bracelets and rings sparkle even in the dim light of the nighttime halls. "Surely you are not suggesting that you are planning a murder."

Shizu rolls her eyes. "Of course I'm not. Though you should already know what I'm doing."

"If you wish to throw shade upon my talent, you must put a bit more effort into your insinuation," Morgan says with an even tone.

"Let me try again then," Shizu says. "Please tell me exactly what I am doing at this time of night."

Morgan sighs. "If you insist." She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and puts her hands together in front of herself, almost as if she is praying. She mutters a few things under her breath that Shizu cannot hear. Then, after a few seconds, her purple eyes slowly reopen. "Please forgive the slight wait. I had not asked about this topic until now, so I needed to search. However, I believe I have found the answer."

Shizu plainly states, "That's fair. Please tell me then."

Clearing her throat, Morgan begins. "You were exploring these dark hallways in an attempt to find something. Of course, that something was not a person or a victim. After all, you are not willing to kill anyone, nor would you be aware of the fact that there would even be another soul awake in the middle of the night."

"You're correct so far. You are, in fact, very good at knowing what I am not doing. However, please get to the point." Shizu taps her foot impatiently.

"There is no need to hurry. Time will not bring me more answers," Morgan intones. It gives her more time to think of possibilities, technically, but saying that would only waste more time. "If you must know right away, you were experimenting with nighttime."

Shizu narrows her eyes. "…How so?"

"It is simple. You have been paying attention to the rules, correct? Specifically, the rule about time in the building," Morgan asks.

"I have," Shizu acknowledges, intentionally keeping her response brief. She is not going to give away any additional information, at least not with her words. Her body language, on the other hand, is not so easy to control. Perhaps that is why Morgan appears to be sizing her up.

"Then you remember how Monokuma mentioned changing the availability of certain rooms." Morgan smiles at her when she nods. "That is what you were searching for. You wished to see which rooms would be locked or opened up. Am I not correct?"

"No, you've got it," Shizu admits quietly.

Despite the positive result, Morgan's grin looks a little sad. "I see… Even though I was able to correctly discern your reason for being here, you still do not believe in my abilities. I will be frank with you. If a live demonstration does not convince you, I am not sure what will."

She's starting to feel a little guilty for being so judgmental. "I am a skeptic by nature. Fortune telling, magic, and the supernatural are all the same to me. There are alternative ways of explaining these things without resorting to spirits or psychic powers."

"I would appreciate not lumping me in with those other subjects, if you would not mind." Morgan's tone is a bit less mystical and a bit more biting with that statement.

That's… strange. "You do not believe in the supernatural?"

Morgan scoffs. "When you mention the supernatural, you are most assuredly referring to all of the hoaxes and scams that others have claimed to be true. However, my power is true. Putting the two in the same circle is not only incorrect, but it is also very insulting. Would you appreciate it if I claimed your talent was in the same field as an AI that could play chess?"

The two are loosely connected, but Shizu has a feeling that Morgan would not appreciate such an answer. Therefore, she instead says, "No, I suppose not."

Morgan appears satisfied. "Thank you. I know that you still doubt me, but that is no reason to be so hostile. Keeping an open mind is part of having good strategies, correct?"

"There is a limit to how much I can believe," Shizu claims.

"Of course," Morgan agrees. "I would never say otherwise. However, I have convinced many other nonbelievers in the past. I am sure that, one day, you too shall know for certain that my fortune telling powers are beyond compare."

Both of them yawn simultaneously, though Morgan makes an effort to hide hers politely behind her hand. It truly has gotten late.

"With that, I believe I will turn in for the night. May your fate lead you true, Shizu Saneyoshi." With that, Morgan walks back down the hall towards her room.

Shizu simply stands there in front of the elevator, unsure of what to think.


Conversation with Morgan Feysonn (1)

- Was apparently waiting for someone to talk to tonight, daytime clothes indicate either that she has no pajamas or that she has been waiting here for some time, perhaps to make her story more convincing

- Does not seem malicious, perhaps just dedicated to proving herself

- Despite my own reserved responses, was able to determine what I was doing (perhaps used body language? maybe reason was far too obvious?)

- Has dealt with other skeptics before, claims to have convinced them, though no evidence to back up claims (no, on second thought, being scouted as an Ultimate would be evidence enough)


Shizu's Notes

Kitchen

- Connected to both pantry and freezer

- Pantry contains mostly dry foods, though also has cleaning closet (probably unable to use for poison unless knowledge of chemistry is there)

- Freezer contains frozen food (duh), though container of desserts is notable (perhaps ran out of shelves)

Daily Meetings

- Informal, no real structure

- Open floor to anyone who wants to say something

- Perhaps supposed to foster camaraderie, yet that hasn't happened yet

Kaixi's Photos

- All pictures are from after our capture

- Only looked through the ones of everyone entering the room, but there are definitely more

- Strange that Kaixi is allowed to keep his camera, perhaps could be useful for keeping tabs on people or clearing up crimes (why would Monokuma allow this, though?)

- Do other people have their own personal supplies, either related to their talent or their past? (for example, my notepad)

Nighttime Restrictions

- Not allowed to enter the dining room, kitchen, pantry, or freezer during nighttime

- Monokuma claims this is for restocking purposes, yet storage room not subject to same conditions

- No other rooms under same conditions

- Only dining room or will future rooms have similar restrictions?

- Though lights dim, still able to see comfortably, easier on the eyes actually.


A/N: Hey folks! This chapter isn't as long as the previous one, and I didn't get to give every character an equal amount of screen time, so I apologize if your favorite character didn't have much to do this time around. At the very least, I hope that the characters who got the spotlight were interesting enough. And hey, maybe you even learned something about the way that they think. Things will be a bit more casual for a while, as the motive isn't come for a few more chapters. Thus, please enjoy this period of rest and getting to know everyone. I would also like to thank everyone who has reviewed. I'm pretty awful at remembering to review myself, but getting a review honestly means the world to me. I cannot thank you enough. And, if you don't have time to review, that is also fine, as I'm flattered that you have taken the time to actually read this in the first place. Okay, sappy times over. As usual, if you have any issues with how your character was portrayed, please PM, and I hope you all have a fantastic day.