Beta Read by Lupus Overkill
Shizu's eyes snap open like they do every other morning she's ever had. There's no reason for it. She never set an alarm, and Monokuma certainly hasn't had made any announcement. There isn't even any sunlight to shine into her eyes. Still, she's awake now, at 7:31 AM, if the clock on her monitor is to be believed.
One morning routine later, and she's on her way down to get some breakfast. This time, she walks much slower, as if she's taking the scenic route. After all, even if she did rush, the dining hall would still be closed off. Thus, instead of taking the elevator, she chooses to walk down the stairs.
Shizu feels like she would regret her decision immensely if her room was on the second floor and the dining room was on the fourth floor. These stairs go on forever, and, while she would normally be against hyperbole, this feels a bit excessive. Riding in that elevator did not give her a good sense for how far apart these floors are. The steps seem to spiral endlessly downwards. Then, again, she is still walking quite slowly. Perhaps she's been a bit hasty with the dramatics. Or, more likely, she just needs to exercise more.
Right as she passes by the entrance to the third floor, she hears a chime. "Good morning everyone! It's officially 8 AM, so let's greet the morning with a smile, shall we? That's all!"
She could technically speed things up while she's at the elevator lobby, but she would like to finish her stair experiment first. Walking a bit faster now, she finds that her original assessment, while a bit unfair, had some degree of accuracy to it. She is definitely certain that she won't be running up the steps any time soon, at least.
By the time she makes it to the dining hall, Takumi is already mid-breakfast. He glances at her but says nothing as he scoops up a large spoonful of cereal.
Choosing to respect his desire to be alone, Shizu goes to find her own breakfast. Cereal doesn't sound too appetizing today. She opens the fridge, which is actually a bit taller than she is. Nothing immediately catches her eye, but she should make up her mind quickly or else she'll be staring blankly here forever. She might as well go with… some sunny-side up eggs.
When she takes out a frying pan to start cooking, she notices that it's completely clean. Well, that shouldn't be surprising since most people clean up after themselves. However, it is almost sparkling. She's quite certain that a few of the others used it yesterday. Unless someone here has an obsession with scrubbing things clean, she'd guess that Monokuma was behind this. This must be another one of his nighttime duties. It's less for her to worry about, at least.
With food for thought and food for stomach, she sits down a good distance away from Takumi and begins eating. For a while, there's nothing but silence. However, Takumi eventually mumbles something under his breath… and under his bag.
"I'm sorry, but were you speaking to me?" Shizu asks, careful not to come off as too accusatory. "If so, I was not able to hear you."
"I asked if you always get up this early," Takumi mutters, albeit a little bit louder this time.
Swallowing a piece of her breakfast, Shizu comments, "I'm afraid so. Waking up early is something that I cannot help."
"Guess it could be worse." He stirs his milky cereal slowly. "At least you're not actively bugging me."
"Have others been harassing you?" she asks.
He lets out a bitter laugh. "Figure that one out yourself?" Without waiting for a response, he continues, "Yeah, they've been ringing my doorbell nonstop. I never even answered the door once, but they kept coming back every hour or so and trying again. Can't you just leave me in peace?!"
Shizu closes her eyes, thinking. "Did it ever cross your mind to see what it is they wanted?"
"You think I've got a death wish?!" he shouts, banging his hand on the table. It must have been a bit too hard since he lets out a little yelp.
"…Fair enough, I suppose," Shizu relents. "Though, maybe opening the door slightly and telling them to go away might do the trick."
"You think I-"
Whatever Takumi is about to say, Shizu will never know. The dining room doors interrupt their conversation as Chouki steps inside. His perpetual frown and general demeanor kills their conversation, though Shizu doesn't feel like he's to blame too much. There wasn't that much left to say regardless, unless she felt like talking in circles.
Once again, the rest of the Ultimates slowly trickle in, preparing their respective breakfasts and taking seats around the table. Even though it has only been two days since they first met, everyone appears to have found a favorite seat. With this comfort secured, some of them may be feeling bolder than usual, as there's a bit of chatter going on. Not everyone is joining in, of course, but the atmosphere is much friendlier than yesterday.
The doors burst open once more as Joshua comes hurtling in. "I'm awake!" he yells to no one in particular, though he takes the time to hunch over and pant profusely. Soraru laughs loudly at the display. There's a glint in xer eyes as xe watches Joshua right himself and go into the kitchen. That might be something to file away for later…
Just like yesterday, nobody has any announcements to make. At least, they don't have anything they'd like to say to everyone. However, as she noted previously, the friendly conversations are still going on, so it's probably for the best that nobody has something pressing to bring up.
Shizu has her own game plan ready, however. She needs to check the storage room as soon as possible to see if her idea is even feasible, but there isn't any rush. Thus, just in case something happens before breakfast is over, she remains seated until most everyone else has finished and left. Once satisfied that everything is going to be alright, she goes back into the kitchen to put away her plate. Inside, she finds Michio washing the frying pans that got used.
"Hey, Shizu, just who I wanted to see!" He greets her with a wave of his hand, though he accidentally flicks soapy water in several directions in the process.
She merely nods, forgoing her own greeting. "In case you were not aware, I believe that Monokuma is cleaning all of the dishes for us. You may not need to be so thorough."
He stops scrubbing for a moment. "Huh, really? That's odd. Don't know why he'd bother… Well, even if that's true, I'm sure someone's gonna use one of these if they're hungry later, so better to clean them now than not having your favorite meal later." Shaking his head, he changes the topic. "And, as nice as that is, that's not what I wanted to talk about."
Placing her plate in the dishwasher, she asks, "Is there a reason you didn't bring this up earlier?"
"Well, I didn't wanna say anything to everyone else. Err… not that this is a bad thing, mind you. Just didn't wanna freak the others out by having some private meeting." Michio chuckles slightly and puts the last pan out to dry. "I was just wondering if you knew how to cook."
That was not the question she was expecting. "…What? Why on Earth would you think that?"
Raising his hands up in defense, he speaks quickly. "Uh, okay, that came out poorly. Not trying to stereotype you or something. It's just that, from what I can tell, you get here way earlier than everybody else. Maybe it could help morale if you started making breakfast for everyone. You don't have to do that, of course."
Shizu takes a deep breath. "I suppose that's a nice idea, but you've asked the wrong person. I know enough to feed myself properly, but I'm no great chef. Even if I was, I would rather not spend my time cooking for a large group of people."
"Yeah, that's totally fine," Michio says casually. "Just thought I should ask. 'Sides, it was you, Takumi, or Soraru, and I think we both know who the most reliable option would be."
Although she agrees, she chooses to ignore that last comment. "There are other issues with that plan. The main issue is that whoever is cooking must keep in mind any allergies or dietary restrictions for sixteen people. That is no easy task."
"Well, again, that's why I was asking you." He sees the expression on her face and responds, "Aw, don't look at me like that. C'mon, are you really telling me that you wouldn't go around and ask everyone what they like to eat? You've even got those notes of yours."
"…True," she admits, gazing dully towards the kitchen floor. "Even so, I know that there will always be a few people who would wish to choose their own meals. Or, perhaps, they distrust anything that others make."
"Hey, I already said that you didn't have to do anything! No need to keep poking holes in my idea..." Michio rubs the back of his head.
She has been a bit… aggressive… with pushing her ideas, hasn't she? "…I apologize. It's simply in my nature, I'm afraid."
"Well, you are a strategist, right? I guess it comes with the territory." Michio shrugs. "No harm, no foul though. Thanks for the input!"
Shizu raises an eyebrow. "That's a bit strange coming from you. I mean no offense, but you are not exactly the kind of person I think of when I picture a coroner."
"Heh, it's a good difference, right?" He winks at her.
"…It's a difference."
"I don't see much point in getting all somber or depressed over death or that kind of stuff. And trust me, I've seen some really brutal deaths out there…" He pauses to steady his hands before continuing. "But the most I can do for them now is to find out how they died. That way, they get some justice at least."
Considering his words, Shizu scratches her chin. "Perhaps there is a difference in how our talents relate to our mindsets. For you, you come in after something terrible has already happened. On the other hand, I come in specifically to make sure terrible things don't happen. Response as opposed to prevention…"
He clicks his tongue. "Hey, it's not like I don't take things seriously when it's time. You haven't seen me when I'm on the job, after all. I can get pretty serious, you know."
"In that case, why aren't you getting serious right now?" she asks. "This situation seems like the sort of thing where you would want to take things seriously."
"That's not the kind of thing that's going to help right now. At least, that's how I'm thinking." Michio starts pacing. "Not to say that what's happening isn't extremely fucked up, but there's still an almost surreal quality to everything. It's like something out of the Twilight Zone or Dr. Who. You know, fake TV stuff."
She files away his hobby information for later. "Well, I can assure you that I'm not an actor, and I highly doubt that this is some new kind of reality TV show."
Stopping to give her a flat look, he says, "Yeah, not exactly comforting."
"I apologize, but I am trying to be a realist here."
"To each their own, I guess." He shrugs. "Well, that was all I wanted to bother you about. Guess I'll just have to think of something else. Later, Shizu." With that, he walks absentmindedly out of the kitchen, both of his hands stuffed in his trench coat pockets.
Conversation with Michio Kokkaku (1)
- Concerned about getting people to work together
- Wanted me to cook breakfast every day, doesn't appear to be a sexist thing though
- Claims to get more serious when things get bad, though considers present situation to be too fake to take seriously
- Doesn't mean that he thinks it's fake, just that it feels that way
- Enjoys watching fictional TV shows (sci-fi?)
Shizu considers what she's learned as she makes her way to the storage room. There is technically still a chance that this is an elaborate ruse, however unlikely that may be. It could be a social experiment, for instance. However, what if somebody snapped right away? It would be very hard to explain the sudden, unexpected murder. Unless that was also part of the experiment…
Whilst deep in her thoughts, she passes by the lounge and happens to notice someone inside, looking into the fish tank. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be Chouki, though that fact is not surprising in the least. How much time does he spend there anyways?
Her plan can wait a bit longer. For now, it's best to get to know him when he's hopefully in a good mood. He seems to like the fish, at least. Bracing herself for some harsh words, she steps inside.
Chouki doesn't acknowledge her at first, choosing instead to fix his gaze on the colorful fish inside the tank. Once she clears her throat, however, he seems to realize that she's not going away. Looking at her reflection in the glass, he grumbles, "What do you want?"
"I saw you in here and thought that I should check up on you," she says.
He rolls his eyes. "What do you actually want?"
She blinks rapidly. "…I just told you. I sincerely hope that it is not difficult for you to believe that I want to talk to everyone."
"Yeah, but why?" he scoffs. "Don't tell me that you're worried about everyone's well-being or something. Not in a situation like this."
Chouki is half-right in his assessment, but Shizu doesn't think he'd appreciate her saying that. Instead, she concedes. "Very well then. I wish to speak with you because it is in my own best interest to understand how everyone thinks. It is entirely selfish. With that out of the way, may we proceed?"
He clicks his tongue and narrows his glare even further. "I doubt you'll go away even if I said no. Let's get this over with then. What do you want to know?"
She's never been great at small talk, so this might get awkward. "The fish tank. Is it saltwater?"
"This is why you're bothering me?" He actually turns around to face her, brow furrowed in annoyance. When she holds her gaze, he sighs. "Yeah, it is."
"Then I'm guessing that you are familiar with at least a few of the species living there, correct?" she asks.
"…Yeah," he admits. "It's a diverse tank, that's for sure. I know every single one." He returns his attention back to the fish swimming around.
"I recall you mentioning something about wishing they weren't there," Shizu prods. "Would you care to elaborate?"
She can see him roll his eyes in the reflection. "What, is it supposed to be a shock that I'm not fond of keeping wild animals in cages? It's not rocket science. They belong out in the open ocean, not stuck in here for our "enjoyment" or whatever reason Monokuma might spout."
"Perhaps these fish were bred in captivity and not taken from the wild," she points out.
He's determined to make his point. "Yeah, so? Where do you think their parents came from? Or their parent's parents? Or so on? In the end, it doesn't change anything at all. Humans still messed with nature for no good reason, and now it's the wildlife that's worse off for it."
"Pardon me, but I currently fail to see how they are that much worse off." Chouki looks ready to say something, so she gets to her point quickly. "This is a rather large tank, much larger than any I have seen before outside of aquariums. For the amount of fish inside, I do not believe they are cramped."
"It's still cramped compared-" he begins.
She finishes his sentence for him. "Compared to the ocean, yes, I am aware of this fact. That is why I have other arguments. For instance, the water looks just as clean as it did on the first day. In addition to this, I believe that the fish have been well fed. If nobody had been feeding them, I would have expected you to have been the first person to complain."
"There's a difference between fed and well fed." It's telling that he started with her second point, though he transitions into his full criticism after saying this. "Just because Monokuma's been feeding them, that doesn't mean they're eating what's best for them. And a filtration system and constant cleaning are no substitute for the real deal. You can't just replicate that kind of stuff with machines."
Seeing how his worldview is incompatible with her previous arguments, Shizu is forced to her final point. "Then, what of their predators? It does not appear that there are any predatory species inside the tank. Therefore, they will never have to worry about being attacked, killed, or eaten."
"Oh please." Chouki side eyes her. "Predators are a part of life. Some animals need to eat others to live, and that, in turn, controls populations and keeps everything functioning properly. Without the need for people messing things up, might I add? You can't seriously think that removing a fundamental part of nature is a good thing. Maybe you're dumber than you think you are."
She does her best to not let his comment affect her, visibly or mentally. "At this particular point in time, not having to worry about being attacked sounds enjoyable." Well, there goes that plan.
"Whether they were in the wild or in this aquarium, the reasoning would be the same. Animals kill to survive. People kill for any number of petty reasons," Chouki states matter-of-factly. "The situations aren't even close to being comparable. We were told that we needed to get away with murder to escape here. There's no natural force that's making us kill. You being worried about petty killing and thinking that's at all comparable to animals hunting each other… that's just typical."
"Oh… I see you are… lecturing… again." Shizu hadn't even heard anyone walk into the lounge, but there's no mistaking Pal's distinctive voice patterns.
Chouki grunts. "Pal."
Either undeterred by or used to the harshness, Pal responds calmly. "It is good to see… that you are still… well." He faces Shizu to address her. "And I am glad… you have found… such an astute listener. Greetings… Shizu."
"Hello Pal." It is a little incredible how easily his presence has deescalated things.
"Listener…" Chouki mutters whilst pouting. "Yeah, let's go with that."
Shizu explains. "I believe a discussion would be the more appropriate term. Neither of us were idle bystanders."
Chouki's mood has only slightly improved. "If you want to be polite about it, then, yeah, discussion. Whatever word makes you feel better."
"I see…" Pal strokes his chin. "I had feared that… a violent storm was brewing… so I rushed over… to soothe the waves with my siren song." He takes several slow, rhythmic steps until he stands next to Chouki.
"There was a fair bit of disagreement, but you have nothing to fear. It was with words only, and violence was never a threat," Shizu tries to persuade him.
Making a tsking sound, Chouki says, "I wasn't about to come to blows. No need to babysit us." Still, he doesn't push Pal away.
From her view of Pal's reflection, he does not entirely appear convinced. Regardless, he says, "I… will trust you both. There is… no need for us… to fight at a time… such as this."
"No need for you to include yourself there." Chouki's reflection also appears to be the same, though his tone is much softer. "Not like you were in that argument."
"Oh… it was an… argument, now?" There's a hint of amusement in Pal's voice.
Chouki hits him lightly. "Oh, like you weren't already thinking that."
Shizu decides that now would be a good time to exit the room. It sounds like the two of them have an understanding going on between them, and it would be in her best interests to not disrupt it. Especially not after Chouki finally seems to be content. Thus, she slowly edges her way outside and back into the hallway.
Conversation with Chouki Awadachi (1)
- Without a doubt cares more about animals than he does people
- Nature is very important to him, and disrupting it in any way is a surefire way to get on his bad side
- Seems to be against pets, like as a concept
- Reinforced low view of humanity, though I wonder if that same doubt is applied to himself
- Seems to have gotten into arguments with other people about similar things, if Pal is to be believed
"Hey, hey, watch it nerd!"
Shizu looks up from her notepad just in time to dodge out of the way of Soraru. Xe skids to a halt a short distance away from where she stopped. She takes a moment to process this.
On the other hand, Soraru has no qualms about speaking up. "Whew, that was a close one. You nearly charged right into me! Thank goodness I'm nimble."
"What on Earth are you talking about? You were the one running," Shizu accuses.
Xe blows a raspberry. "Minor detail. You were the one who was actually in the way. You're like a teenager who can't stop looking at her cell phone. What, is social media more important to you than looking both ways before you cross the street?" Then, xer eyes widen. "Oooh, wait, does your notepad have Facebook? That'd be so cool!"
Ignoring xer question, Shizu looks at the direction xe ran from and thinks. "What were you doing in the storage room, Soraru?"
Xe balks momentarily before regaining xer footing. "Huh? Why do you think I was in there?"
"Because that is literally the only room available in that direction," Shizu states flatly.
Sticking out xer tongue, xe says, "Oops, busted! Fine, I was looking for something. It wasn't in there, which is stupid. Just like the room. Stupid."
"What exactly were you looking for?" Shizu asks.
Xe waves xer hand. "Pfft, nothing important. Besides, it's not in there, so why do you care?" Not even giving her the chance to answer, xe says, "Well, that was a waste of time, so I'm going to go do anything else. Later!" Then, xe's off once more before Shizu can register anything.
That was mildly disconcerting, but Shizu still has work to do. There will be time to figure out what the hell is going on in that baker's mind another time. Hopefully, that time will be far, far away.
Once she gets to the storage room, she immediately makes for the decoration section. Both times she was in here previously, she was in the right state of mind to completely what the decorations or other odds and ends could exactly be. If she had foresight or, at least, company that did not rub her the wrong way, she might have looked sooner. However, she is done with excuses.
Not every box is labeled completely helpfully. "Floor stuff", for instance, is almost completely unhelpful. For her purposes, "wall stuff" is especially frustrating. Even when most of the boxes with that label contain wallpaper, her brain makes her check each and every one, just in case there is something else inside.
After what feels like ages, she eventually finds her target. One of the boxes is full of clocks. Unfortunately, they are analog rather than digital, but beggars can't be choosers. Still, she needs to check one more thing. She flips the clock over and checks the back. The only thing she finds is the back cover. It was a long shot to hope for a magnet but still… She sighs and goes back to her search.
Although she finds more clocks, she doesn't find anything quite like she's looking for. In fact, she doesn't even find any digital clocks. Frustrated, she begins searching the tool section for something to help her. It takes her a little while, but she eventually discovers some metal, magnetic clasps. They seem to be fairly weak, but two should be more than enough for one clock.
She stacks the two boxes on top of each other, groans slightly, and picks them both up. Luckily enough for her, the contents aren't that heavy, but it is unwieldy to maneuver with even a small stack such as this one. She's lucky that she doesn't run into anyone on her way to the elevator and back up to her room, but she wouldn't having minded the help, even if it meant a collision.
Setting the boxes down in front of her door, she lets out a couple deep breaths. She's not ashamed to admit that she's never been in shape. Although, the trip wasn't that strenuous, now that she thinks about it, and her pants were more out of expectation than actual need. Still, it's time to focus. She unlocks her room, props the door open with the box containing the clasps, and moves the clock box inside. Making sure she has a good look at the display on the monitor, she begins setting the time on each of the clocks.
It's tedious work. Despite the fact that she has literally been looking at the time for a long while now, she hasn't actually registered it as anything other than an input method. Her stomach eventually starts growling at her, but she ignores it in favor of her work. She's made a lot of progress when she hears somebody knock on her door. That she left open. For several hours. Oops.
Kazuha peeks her head inside. "Shizu? Are you in here?"
"I'm fine," she calls from her position on her bed.
"Um… are you sure? Your hair's looking kind of disheveled…" Kazuha realizes what she just said and holds up her hands. "Oh geez, that was really rude! I'm sorry! I was just worried about you."
"Don't apologize. I've been doing mindless busywork for a while. It's only natural that I'd look at least a little tired." Shizu feels her hair a bit and finds it sticking up in odd places.
Kazuha fiddles with her cap before saying, "Um… If you don't mind me asking, what exactly were you doing? Are these boxes really important?"
"They're filled with clocks and magnetic clasps," Shizu explains. "If you hadn't noticed, the only way to keep track of time in this building is to either wait for the announcements that Monokuma gives or to return to someone's room. I found that to be slightly inconvenient, so I decided to fix that for myself. Hence, I'm planning on hanging clocks up in most of the rooms and in good points in the hallways."
"Oh, that's a great idea. Thank Shizu!" Kazuha beams.
"No thanks necessary," she replies, though she can't help but smile slightly.
Eyeing the clock box once again, Kazuha's eyes widen. "Please don't tell me that you've been doing this all by yourself."
Shizu defends her actions. "This is trivial stuff. I see no need to bother anyone else about this. Besides, I enjoy some alone time when possible."
Kazuha gives her a sympathetic look. "Oh Shizu, I'm sure that people would have been glad to help if you just asked. I know I sure would have. And I understand that you need to have some private moments, but this must have taken ages. Did you even have dinner yet?"
"Hmm… I don't think so," Shizu admits. Looking at the clock, she's a bit surprised to see that it's already past 10 PM.
That really sets Kazuha off. "Come on! You're almost as bad as Takumi…" Then, she suddenly slaps her head. "Takumi! That's right! I almost forgot."
"Did something happen to him?" she questions.
Shaking her head, Kazuha answers, "No, but that's the problem. I haven't seen him all day. Or all day yesterday either. I don't think he's eaten yet, and I'm starting to get really worried about him. I tried checking his room earlier, but he never responded. I really hope something bad hasn't happened to him."
"Perhaps he didn't want to talk to anyone," Shizu reasons.
"But I've been looking for him on and off for a while now… But maybe you're right and I'm only making things worse…" She trails off and starts thinking. "…Hey, Shizu. Could you do me a favor?"
"That depends on what the favor is."
"Would you mind checking Takumi's room for me one last time? Maybe he'll tolerate you more than he tolerates me." Her voice is pleading.
Shizu raises an eyebrow. "How would he know who was at his door? They don't have a way to check who's outside."
Kazuha stomps her foot lightly. "I know! But it would really make me feel better if someone was there while I checked around one last time. You would only have to ring once. Please?"
Shizu concedes. "…Very well, if you insist."
She's unprepared for Kazuha's hug. "Oh, thank you so much! I'm going to look around the rest of the rooms again! Make sure you get dinner once you're done!" Then, she's off, her hair fluttering behind her as she runs.
Shizu takes one moment to lay back on her bed before getting up to fulfill her promise. She walks to the elevator and heads for the third floor dorms. Most people have probably headed off to bed now, and, by this point, she's used to walking through the halls completely uninterrupted. She doesn't hesitate to ring the doorbell of Takumi's room once she gets there, wanting to get this over with. As expected, though, she gets no response. It probably wasn't even worth the effort.
Just as she is about to leave, she hears a door open. It comes from the opposite side of the hall. None of the doors look any different. Whoever it was must have realized she was there and changed their mind. Still, she didn't hear a door close, so she investigates further. Upon closer inspection, she finds that Fumika's door is slightly ajar. Which means…
The door fully swings open, nearly hitting her. Fumika is still dressed in her day clothes, looking completely awake. "What are you doing here, Shizu?" she inquires.
Shizu answers truthfully. "I went to check up on Takumi. He didn't answer, so I was about to leave."
Fumika gives her a look. "I thought you would have known better than to disturb someone who didn't want company. It's not as if he was being all that subtle about it, so don't tell me you weren't aware of his desires."
"I rang his doorbell once and then was about to leave. I was not about to hammer on it until he came out," she claims.
"It's probably all the same to him," Fumika murmurs, though obviously loud enough so that Shizu can hear. "It's still bothering him at a time when most people are starting to go to bed. Not trying to accuse you, but just saying…"
"I will keep that in mind. Thank you." With that, Shizu decides to switch the topic. "Now, if you would pardon me, I would like to know exactly what you were doing at this hour. After all, you are perfectly aware of my goals. It would only be fair."
Biting her lip, Fumika averts her eyes. "What makes you think I was going to do anything?"
"I heard your door open," Shizu points out, keeping her eyes locked to Fumika's face. She also takes the opportunity to move her foot in front of the door, in case the historian attempts to close it.
Eventually, Fumika relents. "…I was hoping to figure out what you were doing. That's why I confronted you."
Shizu narrows her eyes and crosses her arms. "That doesn't make any sense. In order for that to be the case, you would have needed to know that I was out here beforehand. The doorbell rings out in the halls as well, but your door only opened after I pressed the doorbell. There is no possible way you would have known I was out here."
"Hey, what's with the accusations?" Fumika bristles. "I just opened my door. It's not like I did anything wrong."
That was probably a bit harsh of Shizu. "…I apologize. I was simply curious about what I perceived as a lie." It's not the best excuse, but it's the only one she has.
Fumika still seems a bit standoffish, but she accepts it with a quick nod. "I wasn't looking for you specifically. But I happened to see you, so that's what I was interested in."
"Does that mean that you were trying to find something by opening your door? With no hint that you would find anything whatsoever?" Shizu asks.
"It's a bit of a nervous habit," Fumika says as she looks to the floor again and kicks the ground. "If I hear a noise when I'm trying to sleep, I have to go investigate. I have to know what it is or else I'll have trouble sleeping. But, because the doors are soundproofed, I can't hear anything going on outside at all. So, I'm stuck with my gut feelings. It's the only way to calm myself down, you know…"
Shizu taps her chin in thought. "A nervous habit, hmm? A bit strange… Most people tend to be afraid of the unknown and curl up deeper into their sheets. I suppose that not everybody is the same, however."
"I thought you might be similar. You're a strategist, right? I didn't think you were the kind of person who would look the other way when there was a mystery involved," Fumika states.
"You're not entirely wrong," Shizu admits. "However, I don't think I would go out of my way to check outside every few hours during the night. That sounds like it could get a little dangerous. It's not exactly something I expected from you." She pauses when she realizes what she said. That was a little truer than she first thought. "Although, now that I think about it, I don't know exactly what I would expect from you. You've been somewhat solitary these past few days. I haven't gotten the chance to know you."
Fumika hesitates. "…Well, can you truly blame me for that? I want to trust everyone. I really do. But… with the way things are, I find it best to keep my distance."
"That is completely understandable." It's also completely frustrating for someone like Shizu, but that would not be a helpful comment to make at this juncture. "And you have been slightly more willing to compromise with the others than some people. I believe I saw you at dinner yesterday."
"Yes, I was there," she confirms. "You did walk in on me, though. I wasn't necessarily agreeing to meet up with people."
Shizu sighs. "That may be the case, but you were there during a time when most people would naturally get hungry. Plus, you stayed to chat with the rest of us, instead of heading your own way. I should thank you for that."
"It's no problem," Fumika quickly says.
They're left in silence, apparently having run out of topics to discuss. At least, Shizu cannot think of anything she could ask that Fumika might be willing to answer. Therefore, she settles for saying her farewells. "In any case, thank you for your time. I should let you get back to bed. I would ask you to take care of yourself and stop looking outside in the middle of the night, but you have no reason to listen to me."
"…I will try. Good night Shizu." Having said that, Fumika closes her door.
That was certainly an interesting conversation. Shizu would like to reflect on it more, but her hunger is finally getting to her. She decides to stop at the dining hall to get something before finding Kazuha again.
Conversation with Fumika Amari (1)
- Sensitive to others being bothered, perhaps stems from her own desire to keep to herself
- Reluctantly admitted/claimed to randomly open her door at night to listen in on what was happening
- No issue investigating danger, could stem from her historian side (good historians should not ignore the messy/bad parts of history, need to consider it all)
- Private person, but one who seems willing to change her ways
- I wonder how much insomnia she has
By this point, she should not be surprised to hear some noise coming from the dining hall, even this late at night. Apparently, something is always happening there. She speeds up her walk as her stomach growls in protest. She pushes open the doors to find Takumi yelling at an upset Kazuha. In the corner of her eye, she spies Hachi desperately trying not to be noticed as she chews on some crackers.
"Oh great, i-is everyone going to c-come in here?" Takumi half-groans, half-stutters.
"Oh, Shizu," Kazuha calls out to her thankfully. "Could you maybe help out here?"
Takumi takes issue with that, balling his fists. "Help out how? By cornering me more?"
Kazuha grips her cap and steps back. "Huh? C-cornering? But we're on opposite sides of the room."
He ignores her. "Ugh… I can't sleep in peace, I can't relax in peace, and now I can't even eat in peace."
"I… I said I w-was s-s-sorry," Hachi pleads, her words muffled by her chewing. "I j-just wanted a s-snack."
"At the e-exact same time I was having my dinner? You can't tell m-me that's not incredibly suspicious!" he declares. He points at her accusingly, though the effect is lessened due to the fact that his entire arm is shaking madly.
"B-but it's the truth…" Hachi mutters, tears beginning to form.
Kazuha has had enough. "Hey, don't blame Hachi for this. It's a complete coincidence! Nobody is at fault here. Let's just all calm down for a minute." She takes a few deep breaths, as if to demonstrate.
It has no effect on Takumi. "H-how can I stay calm when you're keeping me h-here, like a hostage?"
"If you wish to leave, nobody is stopping you," Shizu finally speaks up. She steps away from the door and closer to Kazuha, giving him room to move.
He takes several back and forth glances between his adversaries and his escape. In the end, he quickly leaves, though not before saying, "Look, just l-let me have this one meal alone from now on. Please." He doesn't wait for a response, however.
Kazuha lets out a deep sign and buries her face in her hands. "I just wanted to help out… How did things go so wrong so quickly?" she moans.
"Can you tell me exactly what happened?" Shizu pries.
Looking up, she nods. "Well, after you left, I went looking one last time for Takumi. When I got to the second floor, I heard some loud voices, so I followed them to the dining hall. And Hachi was getting yelled at by Takumi, so of course I stepped in. And then the yelling got worse. And then you came in. And then-"
Shizu stops her. "I believe I understand." She then turns to Hachi. "You said you wanted a late-night snack, correct?"
Hachi immediately defends herself. "I d-didn't know h-he'd be in here. I'm sorry!"
Shizu internally groans, hoping she doesn't mess everything up. "You are not to blame here. There was no way of knowing what Takumi's daily routine looked like, especially not after only two days."
"I shouldn't have been so initially aggressive though," Kazuha says, still muffled by her hands. "I knew he was stressed out. But I still went in full force. I've been going in full force all day. Ugh… I feel awful."
Shizu reaches to pat her on the shoulder but changes her mind. "I think the best bet for now would be to leave him alone. You had the best intentions, even if the outcome was a bit unwieldy and out of your control."
"I think I just want to go to bed right now." Kazuha lifts her head, her eyes looking a little red. "Thank you for helping me out today Shizu. And I'm sorry you got wrapped up in this, Hachi. Both of you, have a good night." She exits the dining hall solemnly.
The only sound now is Hachi's frantic munching. Shizu turns to her. "Are you feeling a little better?"
Hachi shakes her head, no. "S-sorry Shizu… J-just not f-feeling great."
"In that case, why don't you take some boxes of your favorite snack back to your room?" she asks.
Realizing how late it is, Hachi's chewing gets faster. "D-do you th-think it's a-almost midnight?"
"Probably not," Shizu attempts to soothe her. "However, I'm certain your bed would be much more comfortable than a dining room chair. No one would be able to interrupt you either, and you could have snacks for later, if you so desired."
Hachi slowly nods and walks towards the kitchen. Then, she pauses and says, in a quiet voice, "Do y-you think Takumi w-will still come h-here t-to eat dinner t-tomorrow?"
"That is a likely possibility, though I would have to check first."
"Okay then." Her stuttering finally starting to clear up, Hachi runs into the kitchen and, presumably, the pantry.
Shizu looks at the table, seeing the remains of Takumi's dinner. It's a half eaten bowl of soup, though she can't tell what kind from this angle. Her stomach growls again, and she groans in return. It looks as though her meal will have to be quick.
Shizu's Notes
Clock Setup
- Currently impossible to tell the time without announcements or going into dorm rooms
- Should set up clocks around the halls so that everyone is certain of what time it is, regardless of location/time
- Cannot drill through metal walls, so need to use the magnetic clasps to set up each clock on the walls
- Make sure to leave some clocks for when more rooms/floors open up (should not be a problem due to sheer number available)
- Note for Shizu: manually setting clocks is very boring and you completely underestimated how long it would take
A/N: Hey folks. Bit of a lighter chapter today, but I hope it's enjoyable all the same. I kind of got even less of the characters involved in this one, but, hopefully, you learned something new about a few of the more reclusive characters in the process. It looks like even Shizu didn't have too many things to take notes on, though she's apparently got a plan... As usual, if you take issue with how your character was portrayed, please don't hesitate to message me. Finding the time to write is getting a little harder as I get further into college, but I hope to have the next chapter out a bit sooner. Don't count on that though... As usual, I hope you all have a fantastic day!
