Beta Read by Lupus Overkill
Another morning, another early wake-up. It's certainly much better waking up on a cushiony mattress than the rock hard one of prison at least. It almost makes her excited to start the day, especially since it's been a bit quieter these past few days. Still, the reality of the situation looms over her uncontrollably.
When the elevator doors open on the second floor this time, however, she's a little shocked to see that Monokuma is standing directly in front of her. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen or heard from him all of yesterday, save for the announcements. "Oh good, I was starting to get bored. You really like to take your time, huh?"
After taking a moment to collect her bearings, she slowly asks, "…What do you want?"
"Wait, that's it? You're not going to apologize for making me wait so long?" He crosses his arms and huffs dramatically. "What nerve!"
"I cannot be held accountable for my transportation. If you take issue with that, then that would require you to adjust the elevator and make it faster," she plainly states. "Now, please answer my question."
He sighs. "I guess it can't be helped… I should really make a rule where everyone has to respect me." Shrugging cheerfully, he bounces right back. "Well, since you wanted to know so badly, I was just about to tell you that I've taken the liberty of opening up a few new rooms to help spruce up your living space. From now on, you have free access to the infirmary and the laundry room. Aren't I the greatest?"
She narrows her eyes. "You're the one who blocked them off in the first place."
"Yeah, because I needed to work on them some more!" Monokuma says dismissively.
"In that case," Shizu says, "Why did you simply not wait a few more days to take all of us and begin this game? What was the point of starting it without finishing those rooms? After all, you only needed a few more days to complete them."
He raises his paws in aggravation, claws extended. "Look, do you want them or not? I can still take them away, you know!"
"Dodging the question then?" She shakes her head. "Well, I suppose I cannot control you. Very well, I suppose I will go investigate them."
He ignores her first statement this time. "Good, good. Now, I've gotta go tell the others. You're quite the chatterbox, but I can't let someone as annoying as you distract me for any longer." He dashes away and out of sight before she can make a remark.
She's left with several questions. For instance, if he needed to tell them all something, why did he simply not make an announcement? Did he already tell some of the others before her? Did he manage to wake Joshua to tell him? That may be a true feat, honestly. However, she has a few rooms that she needs to investigate. She sets off to the right, starting with the laundry room.
Walking inside, she finds nothing out of the ordinary. On one end of the room, there is a line of washing machines. On the other, dryers are up against the wall. Neither of them looks very large, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue. They only have a limited number of outfits. Even if they do use them all, there appear to be enough machines to handle the load. At the very back of the room, there are several cabinets, most likely containing cleaning pods or dryer sheets. There is also a clothesline stretching across both walls.
She sees Kaixi sitting on one of the washing machines, staring intently at his camera. He looks up at the sound of her footsteps and waves. "Hey Shizu! I hope you're not trying to use these." He pats the machine he's sitting on and the one to his left gently.
Shizu blinks rapidly. "Is there a particular reason why?"
"Yeah, Morgan already called them. You'll have to wait your turn." He smiles apologetically and plays with the straps of his backpack.
Well, that's a little odd. "Since when did she own anything? And, more importantly, since when did you agree to follow her orders?"
Kaixi stiffens at her tone. "W-well, she asked really nicely if I would make sure that nobody uses them. I didn't want to say no. Is that really a bad thing?"
"Sorry, my question was a bit vague. Why did she claim those specific ones?" she clarifies.
His eyes widen with understanding. "Oh, these are the only two machines that work. She wants to do her darks and colors separately, so she needs both of them."
Wait, seriously?
"…Did I hear you correctly?" She adjusts her glasses and stares directly in his eyes. "Did you say that only two of these washing machines are functioning?"
"Yes, unfortunately. I checked all of them, and only two of them are even turned on. I guess the rest are out of order or something…" Kaixi swings his leg back and forth but flinches when he accidently hits the washing machine on the backswing.
Still a bit in disbelief, Shizu checks for herself, despite Kaixi's hushed protests. Sure enough, the huge line of washing machines is nothing but a ruse. They only have access to two of them. She pinches her forehead and groans. "Are you kidding me? This has to be a terrible joke."
"I am afraid not." And that would be Morgan. She looks no worse for wear despite the early morning and carrying a small hamper.
Kaixi leaps off of his perch and greets her. "Oh, Morgan! Don't worry, I made sure that nobody else would take your spot."
She smiles politely towards him. "And I thank you very much for that. You have done well." In response, Kaixi bounces on his feet slightly.
Shizu decides to address her directly. "I am assuming you were the first person to get here, correct?"
"You are a good guesser," Morgan says. "To my knowledge, I was the first person to step into this room. Before this, the spirits were undisturbed. However, Kaixi was not far behind me, and he kindly agreed to hold the fort, so to speak. I do apologize, but I am unwilling to let someone else snatch up the limited resources before my clean clothing runs dry."
Shizu wants to question her on why she didn't bring her laundry with her in the first place, seeing how she could have "asked" the spirits how many washing machines were working, but she holds her tongue. Instead, she waves her hand. "It is fine. I wasn't planning on using them right now regardless."
"Investigating before breakfast, I see," Morgan giggles. "That is-"
Their conversation gets interrupted by a chime.
"Good morning everyone! It's officially 8 AM, so let's greet the morning with a smile, shall we? That's all!"
Without waiting for a pause, Morgan continues her thought. "That is quite thorough of you, Shizu Saneyoshi."
She replies, "It isn't as though I had anything else to do. Monokuma did inform me the instant I stepped out of the elevator."
"Huh? That's a bit weird…" Kaixi scratches his chin. "He woke me up by ringing my doorbell. Maybe he stopped by since he knew you were coming down anyways."
Morgan confirms this as she pulls some pods out of the cabinets. "It was the same for me as well. By fortune, I was already awake, getting ready for the day, when he chose to approach my room. The spirits urged me to observe this room as quickly as possible, so I hastened without delay."
"I think I came pretty quickly afterwards," Kaixi adds. "Monokuma seemed annoyed at something, so I kind of wanted to get out of that situation as soon as possible…"
Morgan frowns. "He seemed to be his usual, obnoxious self when he informed me. Perhaps one of the others was not cooperative." Loading up her clothing into one of the working washing machines, she shakes her head. "No matter. I do not care to think about the motivations of such an accursed bear."
"I suppose I could agree for this situation," Shizu mutters, though she can't stop her mind from racing. Instinctively, she grabs hold of her pen and starts spinning it around her fingers.
Kaixi says, "Yeah, I guess Monokuma's just a big dumb jerk no matter what. No reason getting upset about it." His words are a bit muffled by the low rumbling of the washing machine that Morgan just now switched on. It's slightly hard to tell, but it also sounds like his stomach growled as well. "Um… If it's not too much to ask, could we go get breakfast now? I'm getting a little hungry, sorry!"
"I was about to suggest the same thing." Morgan moves her hamper out of the middle of the room and smiles. She notices that Shizu makes no effort to move. "We will see you there later, yes?"
Shizu nods. "I won't be too long."
Looking between them, Kaixi frowns. "Huh? Is something up? Are you not hungry?"
"I still need to look at the infirmary," she replies.
"You can't wait until after breakfast?" He looks a little disappointed. "I mean, I haven't checked it out yet either… Oh! But if you want to, I'm not going to stop you. Sorry!"
"It's fine. I prefer to cover everything as soon as possible. I will see you both shortly." Shizu pushes past both of them to get to her destination quicker. She has a feeling this conversation could drag on a while longer and, while socializing can be nice, she has more important things to do.
As she approaches the infirmary, she sees the door open and Chouki walk out, pouting as usual. He doesn't look much more put off than usual, so it's likely that someone else is in there and he simply felt annoyed by having to interact with them. He barely glances at her as he stalks past, although her eyes trail after him, even as he rounds the corner and vanishes. Huh.
The infirmary is about what she expected, similar to the laundry room. There are only three beds, but each of them can be separated by a curtain, and they all have their own IV drips. Across from the beds is a counter with a sink and several cabinets. Presumably, they store things such as medicine, gloves, or other tools for doctors. Close to the entrance and along the wall, she spots a tall cabinet separate from the counter. The only odd thing out would be the mini-fridge right next to said tall cabinet.
As it turns out, there is someone in here. Samia is currently going through the contents of that cabinet, holding up what appears to be a bottle of pills. She looks over her shoulder when she hears the doors open and gives Shizu a cursory wave. "I thought you were Chouki again for a second."
"No such luck, I'm afraid." Shizu looks past Samia but can only see a variety of bottles whose labels are too small to read from this distance.
Samia tries to hold back a snort and is mostly successful. "Hey, you're fine. Believe me, you'd know if I had an issue with you."
"I'm guessing that you have been in here for most of the morning, correct?" Shizu asks.
"You would be right. I've been hoping to find out what this place had for a while now. I still don't fully understand why we didn't get access until now. I would have much rather done inventory on the first day. At least I have the time to go through everything now, I guess." Samia sighs and puts the bottle back inside.
Taking out her notepad, Shizu questions her. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is available to us, at least from what you have seen so far?"
"I'm actually just finishing up, so you came in at the perfect time," Samia claims. "We actually have a lot of medicine here. It's a little surprising, and I'm incredibly doubtful that we'll ever need most of this stuff, but it's nice to have, just in case. Some of this stuff, though…" She trails off, her eyes narrowing as she crosses her arms.
"Not strictly medicine then." Shizu hazards a guess.
Samia snorts. "No such luck, I'm afraid. I'll start with the good news, though." She gestures to the counter cabinets. "Most of the stuff in there is for anyone who wants to play doctor. Surgical gloves, face masks, goggles, scalpels, hair nets… Most of it is in bulk, so we aren't going to run out any time soon. There were also some hospital gowns folded up in there." She pauses and tugs on her hijab nervously before continuing. "…I also found a few coroner's kits in there. I sincerely hope that we will never have to use them, but, if we're ever unfortunate enough, then we have help dealing with it."
The infirmary gets silent as neither of them want to say anything. Shizu's mind races and eventually comes up with, "...I see. If it is not too much trouble, might I ask you to keep the kits a secret? Even from Michio?"
Samia considers her proposal. "I'm going to need a reason for that. It's not a good idea to keep secrets from the rest of the group when it comes to public matters."
"Normally, I would agree. However, as much as I hate to admit it, those kits may very well be helpful in the near future. I know that, if I wished to up my chances of escaping, I would do something to sabotage those kits. If the others are not made aware of their existence, then they may not do anything about them." Her plan does have some holes, but
Thinking over this idea, Samia eventually says, "Everyone can still explore this room as much as they want. They could still find them on their own and destroy them."
Shizu already has a counter prepared. "Yes, which is why I am also going to ask you to take one of these kits back to your room for safekeeping. I will be doing the same. That way, if anyone does anything, we will have backups. Even if you do not agree to keep them a secret, I still think that we should keep a few of them safe."
"…Okay," Samia relents. "For now, I'll go with you plan. If we are doing this, then there are few… other... things that I think we should keep secret as well." She points to the cabinet that she just finished going through. "There are a variety of medicines, pills, and cough drops in there. Most of them are for mild illnesses, like sore throats or headaches. However, some of them are for nighttime use, and I found a few bottles of pills meant to help with sleeping specifically. I'm guessing you'd also like to hide those away."
"The sleeping pills? Maybe." She goes through a few scenarios in her head. "Yes, I believe that would be wise. There are other, less-potent medicines available from the sounds of it. If someone truly needs help falling asleep, they can use one of those."
Samia nods. "I thought as much. In that case, I'll put them in the back. They may be useful for something eventually, and I highly doubt that Monokuma will let us throw them away." Scowling as she says his name, she moves onto the mini fridge, the last container in the room. "The fridge also has a lot of medicine, although most of it's in liquid form. We also have a lot of blood bags. I checked all of them, and they're all O-negative. We won't have to worry about getting the wrong type if something goes horribly wrong."
"That is unusually kind for the circumstances," Shizu ponders. "However, Monokuma may be hoping that we will be too late for the blood bags to be useful…"
"…That seems really likely, because there are also several bottles of poison in there." Having admitted this, Samia looks at the floor, a bitter expression on her face.
It's not unexpected, but the confirmation still hits Shizu fairly hard. "We are definitely not telling anyone about that. Hide that stuff away as well."
"I've already done that. I know how dangerous poison is," Samia says, crossing her arms. At that moment, her stomach lets out a loud growl.
Shizu moves things along quickly. "Well, thank you very much for taking inventory. I know you did it for yourself, but I am very grateful that you shared this information with me."
Samia shakes her head "I'm going to share it with everyone anyways. Well, I was going to tell them everything, but, since you were so insistent…"
"I can hardly see how most of these things could be used in everyday life, especially in our new everyday lives. They will still have access to the most important medicines, after all. Why would they ever need to use poison?" Shizu defends herself.
"They shouldn't," Samia explains, "But that doesn't mean that they still won't be upset once they find out we've hidden it. Even with the best of intentions, there's a danger to thinking that you know better than those you're supposed to protect."
Shizu agrees. "Of course. At the same time, a great deal of that stuff is meant explicitly for harm. It's not as though its main purpose is for helping people. The only exceptions are the coroner's kits, and we're merely keeping backup copies."
"If I didn't agree with you, then I would argued more," Samia points out. "I think your ideas are fine. I'm just warning you about going too far along that path."
Shizu thinks back to Sawako's idea to block off the storage room and shakes her head. "I will endeavor to never forget that."
Samia's stomach growls loudly again, interrupting them both. A faint blush is visible on her cheeks, and she says, "I don't suppose you'd like to go to breakfast now?"
"No, we have spent enough time in here for now. Eating sounds good right about now." Holding the door open for Samia, Shizu then follows in step next to her, using the time to think back over their talk. "Forgive me for sounding intrusive, but you have a lot of knowledge about security and protection. Does that relate at all to your standing as an epidemiologist?"
Laughing a little, she answers, "Partially? Not everything I do is related to my talent. I'd never get sick of it, of course, but I do need some hobbies and breaks. Up until I got captured, I was spending all of my time working on my PhD, so I definitely need something else to do."
"PhD?" Shizu repeats, a little surprised. "How on Earth did the Ultimate Initiative manage to snag a PhD student? I would have figured that relocating to Japan would have put a major dent in your research, especially considering your talent." She then realizes her mistake. "I apologize. I just assumed you were foreign because of your name."
Samia sighs. "No, I'm from Tunisia, so I did have to immigrate. Even so, I needed the funding that the Initiative was providing. A doctorate doesn't come cheap. All of the time and effort I put into my research would have been lost anyways if I hadn't gotten the opportunity. Also, there's some sunk cost fallacy stuff in clinging to a sinking ship, I suppose."
"That is rough. I can't imagine having to leave home for job related reasons. I hope that your research was going well, at least." It's only a little comfort, but it's all she has to offer.
"Thank you Shizu." Samia sounds genuine, so she probably succeeded. "To be honest, I miss home a lot. I can't say that it didn't have a lot of problems, and I've been able to do my research much more effectively here than I could back in Tunisia. I left behind a lot of problems, and I've only been getting more aware of that as I've spent my time here."
Their conversation is cut short since they've gotten to the dining room. It's a little too loud for them to hold a personal conversation, so they both silently agree to stop talking at that point. Most everyone else is already sitting down and eating, too engrossed in their own activities to notice them. Soraru does perk up when the doors open, but xe give an annoyed look when Shizu immediately sits down at the table. She has some notes to go over first.
Samia gives her a look. "I hope you aren't planning on eating paper for breakfast."
"Cereal basically tastes like paper, so you're halfway to a balanced meal," Michio jokes.
Hachi hits him lightly. "Nooooo! Cereal tastes really good! I love the honey flavored stuff. You're just being mean."
In spite of this, or maybe because of this, Michio continues. "No, I'm serious! Plus, if you pour in some milk, it's basically soggy paper."
As Hachi looks betrayed, Sawako lifts her up and places her back in her seat. "Please, no violence at the table. Eating is a peaceful time."
Chouki mutters something under his breath. Shizu catches something about honey and milk being… bad? She can't actually make out the words, as she's too engrossed in her notes.
Conversation with Samia Bahouri (1)
- Besides me, only person I know who is familiar with everything in the infirmary
- Will also have coroner's kit on hand in case of emergency
- As suspected, foreigner, from Tunisia originally
- Believes in keeping public informed and very against ruling bodies deciding they know better (probably experienced with tyranny or controlling governments)
- Old enough to be working full time on her PhD
- Does not seem completely fond of Ultimate Initiative
The doors open once more, and she catches a glimpse of Joshua hurriedly entering. He looks a little tired but mostly anxious. "Ugh, I didn't want to be late again. Sorry everyone." Most people just wave him off or assure him that he's fine. Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he makes for the kitchen.
Shizu is suddenly keenly aware that Samia is looking over her shoulder at her notes. "…Do you need something?" she asks, angling her notepad to hide its contents.
"Were you taking notes about me?" Samia sounds a little apprehensive.
She defends herself. "I take notes on everyone. It helps me remember things."
Before Samia can respond, a loud crashing noise rings out from the kitchen. Instantly, Sawako is on her feet and rushes inside. Everyone else follows shortly, save for a laughing Soraru.
Joshua is laying face first on the kitchen tile, having collided with the countertop. There's a bowl on his head and his clothes are soaked in juice. His groans confirm that he's still conscious, though in a bit of pain.
As Sawako moves to kneel next to him, she slips a little but regains her balance. She continues, unfazed. "Joshua, what happened? Are you in a lot of pain?"
Samia moves over to him as well and nearly slips. She stares at the tile for a moment before sitting on Joshua's other side, removing the bowl from his head, and checking for injuries. "Can you hear my voice at all? Is it muffled?"
"Ugh…" he groans. He attempts to push himself up but slips. He almost crashes face first into the floor again, but Sawako manages to grab him before that happens. "I think I just ate shit for a second there."
From the other room, she hears Soraru cracking up even harder. Then, xer chair squeaks and xe pushes xemself into the kitchen, leaning against door frame. Through xer laughter, xe manage to get out, "Hey Joshua! You should really be more careful. Can't have you slipping up like that!"
Several people groan. Shizu takes that as a confession. "Soraru, apologize."
Xe plays dumb, scratching xer head. "Huh? Why? I didn't think my pun was that bad…"
Fumika rolls her eyes. "Don't play dumb. You know what she meant."
"I mean, it's pretty obvious that you were the one who slicked the kitchen floor," Michio says.
Kazuha adds, "Yeah, you were the last one in there anyways. I thought you were taking an awfully long time to make toast."
"Do not attempt to say that the floor is not slippery either," Morgan intones. "We have already seen others stumble with our own eyes. This was no folly."
Even while checking for Joshua's injuries, Samia manages to say, "And you were laughing up a storm there, like you already knew what happened."
With everyone ganging up on xem, xe sighs and pouts. "Aw…. You guys are no fun. I just wanted to lighten the mood a little…"
Pal puts a hand on xer shoulder. "Next time… consider a prank that… is not physically harmful."
By this point in time, Joshua has managed to get into a sitting position against the counter. "Nah, it's all good. I'm not hurting too badly." He pauses, as if thinking something over, and then goes with it anyways. "Guess I really fell for you joke, huh?"
More groans resound, but Soraru looks really pleased. "See? Joshua isn't mad. I didn't do anything wrong."
Joshua looks down at his soaked pajamas and makes a face. "Kind of sucks that my clothes are all juicy now… I don't really have a place to wash them off."
"Huh? But I thought the laundry room just opened up?" Hachi scratches her chin.
His eyes widen. "Oh really? Nice. Guess it doesn't matter at all then."
Soraru hmphs. "I put a lot of thought into my pranks."
"Yeah, about that…" Fumika averts her eyes. "There's a bit of a problem with using them right now."
"I'm afraid that I've already claimed them. You will have to wait a while," Morgan elaborates.
Out of everyone, it's Kogi who voices his surprise first. "You actually managed to use all of those washing machines? Last I checked, only two were in use."
"I mean, only two of them work," Kaixi points out.
Michio balks at that statement. "What's the point in having all of them if we can only use two? Aesthetic purposes? Is Monokuma just making fun of us?"
"Guess I'm going to have to wait, then," Joshua says, shaking his head. "If it's okay with everyone, I'd like to go change out of these clothes now. It's starting to get kind of sticky. I'm going to need another shower at this rate."
Supported by both Sawako and Samia, he slowly rises to his feet and makes his way away from the slippery portion of the floor. His clothes kind of drip on the way out, and everyone scoots out of his way to avoid getting hit. With the excitement having died down a little, they slowly trickle back to the dining hall to finish eating. Shizu stays behind to get something to eat. As the doors are swinging shut, she hears Michio say, "You'd better make sure you clean up that mess, Soraru."
After that, breakfast is uneventful. Samia and Sawako return after a few minutes, though Joshua never manages to rejoin them. For what it's worth, people do seem to be in better spirits after Soraru's prank, so something good might have come out of it. Though, in the end, xe is forced to stay behind and undo xer handiwork.
Once Shizu is done eating, she makes a trip to the infirmary to grab a coroner's kit before she starts heading back to her room. There were still a few clocks left to set, and she'd like to get that done before she forgets. It's unlikely that she'll need all of them, but you never know. On her way back, she runs into Joshua, who is still a little wet from his shower. She quickly hides the kit behind her back.
"Yo, Shizu!" he greets, seemingly unaware that she's holding something. "Done eating already?"
"Most people are," she confirms.
He tugs on his beanie. "Aw man, really? I'm really bad at this whole "getting places on time" thing."
"In your defense, you did have to change clothes and clean up. You were mostly on time as well. You arrived shortly after I did, at least." She has no idea if she and Samia were late, however, so it's little comfort.
"Same result though. I'm still eating alone in the end." He shoves his hands into his pajama pants' pockets.
Shizu says, "If you want company, I believe Soraru is still there, fixing xer mess."
"Oh shit really?" He seems to have ignored her sarcasm. "Sweet! I should head over there before xe leaves then! Later Shizu!"
She watches him run off, a bit perplexed. Is he really that eager to spend time with the person who just pranked him? Whatever the case, she has more important things to consider, so she makes no other stops on her way back to her room.
She spends about half an hour setting the rest of the clocks and then making sure that she hadn't made any mistakes with the ones she set previously. Once satisfied with her work, she takes out her notepad and begins marking where exactly she wants to put all of the clocks. With a plan in mind, she opens her door and begins dragging the boxes out with her.
Immediately, she comes to a screeching halt when she notices Tsubame exiting her room at the same time. Tsubame's face lights up, and she comes over to Shizu's room. "Hello Shizu. Is everything going well for you?"
"About as well as things can go," she grunts. "Can I help you with something?"
Tsubame tugs on her braid nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you…"
Shizu quickly undercuts this idea. "Believe me, it would be a bigger hassle to ignore you and have to wonder about what you wanted. You have no reason to apologize."
Tsubame opens her mouth to say something but immediately stops. From the look of things, she was about to instinctively apologize again. To her credit, she gets to the point shortly after this. "You've had this determined look on your face these past few days. I didn't see you at all yesterday after breakfast either, and I was worried that you might be overworking yourself."
"It was more busywork than anything else." She looks back at the boxes. "I appreciate the concern, but there is no need for alarm."
"That's good." Tsubame also takes the time to check out the boxes. "If it's not any trouble, could I ask what you were doing? Those are some pretty large boxes."
"I was setting the time on a nearly endless supply of clocks." Shizu internally shudders when she thinks back to how long she spent working. At the time, it hadn't seemed like much, but going back to check all of them put things in perspective.
"Oh, were you planning on setting them up everywhere?" Tsubame asks cheerfully. "That's a really great idea. Thank you so much. It would help everyone plan out their days better."
"It's no trouble," Shizu denies. "If I wasn't going to do it, then I bet that somebody else would have. After all, anyone could go into the storage room and look for clocks."
Tsubame shakes her head, her braid swinging as she does so. "But you were the first person to think of that idea, so I would still like to thank you. I think it shows how thoughtful you are."
"I would think that my note taking habit would clue you in on that more than me putting up a bunch of clocks." Shizu taps her blazer pocket where she keeps her notepad.
"That's not quite what I meant." She shuffles in place as she tries to find the right words. "Even if this isn't the case, your notes seem more for your own benefit. That isn't a bad thing, by the way. It's just… a thing, I guess. You may be taking notes to help everyone, but only you can see them, so it feels slightly strange to count that. However, everyone is going to benefit from having the time of day available in every room. Plus, you are doing this without anyone asking you to. I think that is something truly commendable." Throughout her speech, her eyes have been burning with a happy determination in them. "Oh, I'm sorry if that sounded condescending. I really am grateful that you thought about doing this."
It certainly was more than Shizu was expecting, that's for sure. "It sounds as though you have been thinking about my actions for a while now."
Fidgeting in place, Tsubame gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. "Oh no, I hope I don't sound like a stalker. I just meant to compliment you!"
"No, it was just an observation, not a critique on your character," Shizu attempts to calm her down.
It manages to work, since Tsubame starts breathing a little slower. "I see. I'm so-" She pauses and then smirks. "No, I am not sorry."
That gets Shizu to laugh. "That's the spirit. You're learning already."
"It helps to learn who people are and what they like. You've made it abundantly clear that obsessive apologizing is annoying to you, so I will do my best to accommodate."
"And I'm assuming you're doing this for everyone, correct?" Shizu prods.
"It would be rude to not do so," Tsubame confirms. "Some people do require a bit more… maintenance? Does that sound rude?" Shaking her head, she keeps explaining. "Anyways, it's worth the effort to help people feel at ease. I always enjoy watching people interact and go about their lives. So, it's the least I can do to make sure that they feel as comfortable as possible."
"That's quite a goal." It may be necessary depending on how things pan out as well, though Shizu doesn't want to put too much pressure on Tsubame. Not when she's
Tsubame bows her head bashfully. "Like I said, it's the least that I can do. Oh, speaking of which, would you like any help with those clocks? If it would not be too much trouble, I could take a few and put them up for you."
Pondering this offer, Shizu decides to accept. "…That would be a great help, actually. I would need to explain where to put them, though."
"If you are willing to take the time, then I am willing to place the time." Giggling at her own lame joke, Tsubame leans in to get her instructions.
The goal is to place one clock in each room that's currently open. The only exceptions are the pantry and the freezer. It feels redundant when the kitchen and dining hall would both have one. They also plan on placing clocks in the elevator lobbies and on the walls of the hallways between any two rooms. Thus, no matter where someone is, they should be able to discern the time.
Tsubame elects to handle the entire second floor. Shizu, on the other hand, takes the third and fourth floors. It's not exactly an even split, but it ensures that they will not cover the same ground. They agree to meet in the lounge when they both finish. If Tsubame runs out of materials, the boxes should also be there for her to restock.
Their plan now set, Tsubame grabs a large stack of clips and clocks and heads off to the elevators. Shizu stays behind for a minute to prepare herself for the task of carrying the boxes again as well as so that she can jot down some notes again.
Conversation with Tsubame Watari (1)
- Despite shyness, very eager and willing to work with others and learn more about them
- Ardent people watcher, probably watches others as much as I do
- Claims to slightly adjust self to suit different social situations, perhaps slightly involuntary thing despite clear knowledge of this
- Helping me set up the clocks, so, if something goes amiss on the second floor, I know who to blame (shouldn't be an issue, but you never know)
Shizu's work goes a bit faster than she expected it to. With Tsubame's help, she has an entire floor that she doesn't even have to consider. She finds that it takes a fair number of clips for each clock, as the clips aren't particularly strong. However, she has enough materials to work with. A few people pass her by as she works. Fumika walks past her as she works on the third floor elevator lobby, only stopping to figure out what exactly she's doing. Hachi stops by a little later on her way to her room but leaves quickly when she realizes that Shizu is working. Kogi is in the storage room again, looking at the missing boxes. He raises an eyebrow when he sees her holding a clock, yet he doesn't say anything. When she leaves, she can feel his gaze on her back.
Her task is eventually done, so she relocates to the lounge to rest and wait for Tsubame. There isn't anyone inside. Even Chouki, who has taken a liking to the fish, is nowhere to be seen. It makes for a relaxing atmosphere. Stretching out and yawning, she relaxes on the couch.
Ironically, she's not aware how much time has passed, but she eventually hears someone at the door. Could it be Tsubame? Rotating her neck for a better view, she's very shocked to find Takumi standing there, clutching his forearm in a vice grip.
They simply stare at each other for what feels like an hour. Then, she breaks it. "…I take it that you need something important, yes?"
Takumi looks like he wants to say something sarcastic but bites his tongue. A few gurgling noises emit from behind his bag mask, but he finally spits out, "…I was looking for Hachi and Kazuha."
"Well, as you can see, they are not here." She gestures to the empty room.
"I'm not blind!" he instinctively shouts. "Just because I have a bag on my head doesn't mean that I've suddenly lost all of my peripheral vision! Gah!" He clutches his bag, and it crinkles in his grasp. "This isn't what I wanted to talk about anyways. Why does this keep happening? Ugh…"
This is an interesting development. She resists the urge to pull out her notepad. "If I may be so bold, what exactly did you want to talk about? I can't imagine that they would be particularly pleased to see you at this point in time."
He stomps his foot. "Look, that's exactly it. I know I messed up, okay? I know I flew off the handle yesterday. But I was really stressed out and they weren't making things any easier, you know. I just wanted to try to say that I'm sorry to them."
She can't stop herself. "If this is how you plan on apologizing, then you may want to rethink your strategy."
"W-what are you talking about? You're the one riling me up right now!" He points towards her accusingly.
"…No, you're right. I do apologize for that." Shizu is aware that she wasn't being as polite as she could have been. Certainly, Tsubame would be better in this situation. Still… "However, my point stands. Kazuha and Hachi are both very nice, but they are also just people. After your confrontation with them yesterday, they may be on the defensive if you try to talk to them. Best intentions or not, it is entirely possible that things could quickly go south if you lose focus after a few harsh words."
"I know! I know, okay?!" His fists are as tightly clenched as his eyes. "Why do you have to keep criticizing every little thing I think or do? I know it's not going to be easy, and I don't even want to be doing this. So why are you trying to stop me? Do you not want me to apologize or something?!"
"Of course I want you to apologize," she states. "Calm yourself."
"I am calm!"
In the aftermath of his shout, Takumi realizes exactly what he just said. He grips his forehead through his bag and slouches against the doorframe in a mixture of embarrassment and exhaustion. Silence fills the room once again.
Shizu knows that she's definitely not been helping the situation at all. As strange as it sounds, she should take a leaf out of Takumi's book. "I truly am sorry for contributing to all of that. I do know that my words were not helping the situation at all. Even if I meant the best, I certainly was not acting that way."
Still leaning, Takumi manages to spit out. "…Gah. F-fine. It's fine." He shudders and pushes himself up. "I d-don't understand. Why are you so calm? How are you doing this? We just had a shouting match and, suddenly, you've basically reset yourself. It doesn't make sense at all."
"I don't feel like arguing about stuff like this so I made sure that said argument would not continue," she explains.
He groans. "That's not what I meant. How are you acting so calm in a place like this? For fuck's sake, we've been kidnapped by a psychotic bear and told to k-k-kill each other! That's insane! And, somehow, I'm the only person who's taking this seriously! Why isn't everyone else freaking out? How are they able to live their lives like nothing's wrong? Either they're all sociopaths, or they're all stupid. I refuse to think that I'm weird for being afraid."
Thinking back to the conversation she had with Michio yesterday, she adjusts her glasses. "Perhaps it is exactly because we are in this terrible situation that nobody is panicking. The amount of horrible things we were told in such a short period of time was a lot for our brains to handle. Maybe they can't take it seriously, or maybe they take it seriously by refusing to play along."
"And you just expect me to act like that?" he mutters.
"The only thing I expect," Shizu says, "is for you to apologize for yelling at Hachi and Kazuha yesterday. From the sound of things, you were already planning on doing that. Otherwise, you already come to breakfast with the rest of us every day. I can't ask for much more than that."
Takumi doesn't appear to believe her. "I hope you're not expecting me to come to dinner too."
"We do not even have a set meeting time for dinner," Shizu points out. "If it makes you feel better to eat late at night when most people have probably gone to sleep, then, by all means, do that."
"And I'm not going to stop eating my own meals either," he claims.
Shizu scratches her head. "…I'm sorry, I don't understand."
Looking a bit embarrassed after realizing what he blurted out, Takumi says, "You don't understand? I don't understand how you all trust all of the food you eat. Especially not when there's soap in the pantry and now that the infirmary's opened up."
"I get that part, but I still don't understand what "your own meals" entails." She crosses her arms and waits.
"Ugh… I'm not about to eat the same stuff that somebody else has opened up!" he exclaims.
"You mean to tell me that you're wasting food by only eating stuff that hasn't been opened yet?" It's a bit more accusatory than she would have liked, especially given how Takumi flinches. "You know what? It's fine. Monokuma still has to restock, and I will take anything that drains his resources even slightly. You do you."
"…Thank you," Takumi eventually says. "I will."
Then, Takumi jumps forwards into the lounge when Pal suddenly appears behind him. "I heard… more yelling… so I came as quickly… as I could."
"Hopefully quicker than you talk," Takumi murmurs under his breath.
Giving no indication that he heard this, Pal looks at Shizu and smiles. "It appears that you… enjoy… getting into verbal spars… in this room. Should I be worried that… you have claimed this place… as your arena?"
"I think it's more of the fact that we only have about seven rooms open to us, and this is the only one that's suitable for just sitting around," Shizu explains.
Pal chuckles. "How very astute. If I may, I would like… to join in on your… "sitting around", as you called it."
Shrugging, Shizu says, "I have no issue with that."
Takumi looks like a deer caught in the headlights. He instinctively takes a step towards the door. However, after a deep breath, he says, "Yeah, okay. That's fine." For whatever reason, he walks over and takes a seat in the chair on the far side of the room.
"Excellent." Pal joins Shizu on the couch, though he sits a fair distance away. "I hope I have not… stopped the conversation… with my entrance."
Takumi scoffs. "It's not like we were talking about much anyways. Just dumb social anxiety stuff." His voice gets very quiet at the end of his second sentence.
"I see…" Pal taps his foot against the carpet. "That is an… understandable problem… though I cannot say… that I am familiar with it myself. Sirens are… very social creatures… as I am sure you know."
"Wait, what do sirens have to do with anything?" Takumi asks.
Pal smiles. "Oh… my appearance… may be deceiving. I am a member… of the blessed siren people."
This is not exactly a conversation Shizu wants to have right now. While Takumi yells in confusion and Pal tries to explain, she takes out her notepad and begins to write.
Conversation with Takumi Haruko (1)
- Incredibly paranoid, even considering the circumstances
- Claims to only eat at night and refuses to eat anything that's already been opened (normally a waste but acceptable in these conditions)
- Feels sorry for actions but cannot stop self from being paranoid
- Potentially feels isolated as the only person to take situation seriously (in his eyes)
- Calm and patience is required to get to know him
Her thoughts are interrupted by Takumi saying, "I don't care about all of that! You're clearly human! I don't care what abilities you think you have."
"Do not speak ill… of my people," Pal states, his voice harsh.
"Look, if you were really a siren, then I'm going to need more proof than claiming you draw people in with your song or whatever." Takumi crosses his arms and states sarcastically. "Sirens are aquatic, right? Then maybe go dunk your head underwater and try to breathe."
"Very well then."
To both of their horrors, Pal immediately stands up and makes his way over to the fish tank. Shizu and Takumi share a glance before they both dart after him. When he leans over the tank, they latch onto his arms and pull him backwards. He stumbles backwards and falls into Shizu. Takumi comes tumbling after them. Throughout all of this, the fish tank is thankfully undisturbed from its position.
"What the hell man?!" Takumi screeches as he pushes himself up. However, he does not loosen his grip at all.
Likewise, Shizu yells, "Pal, what were you thinking? You can't be serious!"
"What… is the problem?" His question is stern and honest. "I was… challenged… and I accepted. There was no danger… because I am… a siren."
"No danger?!" It sounds like Takumi is about to have an aneurism, and, for once, Shizu can't blame him.
Giving him a harsh look, Pal states, "You were the one… to suggest this to me… correct? Are you so… fickle… that you cannot keep track… of your own actions?"
Takumi splutters. "I… That was sarcasm, man! I didn't mean for you to… This has to be a joke." He sends a pleading look in her direction.
She attempts to salvage the situation. "Pal, please do not do that again. Perhaps it would not be dangerous to you, but think of it from our perspectives. We do not even want to think about someone drowning, even if that is not a risk."
"I do not think… I fully understand. Nevertheless… I will do as you say," he sighs. "It would not… behoove me… to be struck down… for my arrogance."
There's a small cough from the door. Tsubame looks over the scene, having seemingly finished setting up all of the clocks. "Um… is everyone alright?"
"We're fine, for the most part." It only takes a gentle nudge for Pal to realize that he's still pinning Shizu down and for him to stand up. "Did you need more clocks, or have you finished the second floor?"
Nodding proudly, Tsubame says, "I did as you asked. We should be able to tell the time no matter where we are from now on." She takes another look around. "I didn't interrupt anything important, did I?"
"Only something really stupid. It's probably best that you came in now." Having scuttled back to his chair, Takumi crosses his arms, yet makes no indication that he wants to leave.
"I… see?" Tsubame takes a seat at the couch. "I'm glad it's over with, I suppose."
Pal walks over to the couch as well. "You mentioned something… about clocks. Were you the ones… responsible for setting… all of them up?"
"It was Shizu's plan," Tsubame defers. "You should be thanking her."
Shizu internally raises an eyebrow at that, but explains, "We needed some way to see the time. I hope that you find some use for it."
"I don't see what the big deal is," mutters Takumi. "I never had any issue figuring out the time."
"That would be because you never leave your room," Shizu snarks.
He shoots back. "Does this look like my room?"
"To be fair, I don't think any of us know what each others' rooms look like." Tsubame plays with her braid as she interjects.
Having been thrown off guard with a legitimate comment, Takumi asks, "Huh? Isn't everyone's room the same? Aren't they like hotel rooms?"
"That would be… a reasonable assumption," Pal agrees. "However, we must not… take anything for granted. Even the simplest of things… may prove to be illusions. Odysseus expected his return… from Troy… to be but a simple journey… yet his arrival to Ithaca was delayed… for ten years."
"I don't think that it could be anything quite that drastic," Shizu says, hoping to calm the others down. "However, that is an interesting point. Depending on our lodgings, some of us may have different things provided to us. Perhaps by floor?"
"Would it really be so obvious though?" Tsubame inquires. "I mean, the first thing I would guess is that there's something shared between floors."
Mulling over her words, Pal adds, "It would not… be much of a secret."
A chime suddenly sounds throughout the building. Shizu glances at the clock she had just set up in the lounge. It's only 8 PM, nowhere near midnight. What's going on?
"Attention all Ultimates! This is Monokuma speaking. Please make your way down to the briefing room immediately. Any stragglers will receive a harsh punishment, so you'd better show up. See you soon!"
Takumi's chattering teeth and Tsubame's uneasy shuffles keep the lounge from being quiet, but it's clear that nobody is looking forward to this.
Shizu stands up. "There's no way out of this. We might as well get this over with as soon as possible." She doesn't bother waiting for the rest of them before walking away.
From behind her, she hears Pal's voice. "It appears… we cannot escape this fate." His slow footsteps get overshadowed by the sounds of Takumi scrambling to his feet, desperate not to be left behind.
In the end, all four of them walk together to the elevator. There, they meet up with Kogi and Fumika, neither of whom seems willing to start talking at all. The sound of the elevator moving downwards feels a bit ominous, at least to her. The ding resigns them to their fate, and they all step off, together, yet somehow alone.
Most everyone else is already inside the briefing room. It's a little bit livelier than their group, but the anxiety is palpable. They seem to have converged around Morgan, who is in the process of assuring them that they will be alright.
As Shizu finds a seat near the front, the doors open again, revealing Soraru and Joshua. Neither of them looks too worried. "Huh? What's with mood? Did someone get punished already?"
Joshua stretches out his beanie. "I uh… think the looming threat of something worth administering punishment is what's causing that mood." He bites his lip. "That was almost a logical sentence."
"Too late, no take backs. You have to live with your mistakes," Soraru tuts.
"I mean, my existence is kind of a mistake, so…" Joshua draws out the last syllable.
Xe giggles. "Hey, no fair! I was just about to say that! You're stealing all of my jokes!"
Giving a lazy grin, he sits down near the back. "Sorry, my existence is a joke too, so I've got you beat there as well. Better luck next time."
"Jokes are supposed to be funny," Xe sticks out xer tongue.
"Yeah, well… fuck, you got me there." Both of them start laughing.
"Oh, you're all in good spirits then. Great! I love knocking people down! I'm feeling really pumped now!"
Just as he did a few days ago, Monokuma leaps from behind the podium and lands on it gracefully. "I see you all managed to show up this time." He glares at Joshua, who gives an exaggerated shrug. "In that case, let's not waste any more time. I couldn't help but notice that none of you have died yet."
"We told you that we had no plans on killing anyone!" Sawako shouts.
"Yeah, yeah, save it." Monokuma blows a raspberry somehow. "I figured no one would jump at the opportunity so quickly. That's why I've been preparing a motive for you all!"
…A motive, hmm? It makes sense, but Shizu is alarmed by how natural this all seems to her. She has already been captured while until the "protection" of the government. She really should not underestimate the power that this bear represents.
"A… motive?" Kazuha asks, fiddling with her cap.
Monokuma laughs. "That's right! See, I know that all of you have people in your lives that you care about. So, consider this a hostage situation. If nobody dies within the next three days, I'm just gonna kill them all."
The reveal is completely unceremonious, and Shizu's mind needs a few seconds to actually register what he just said. And, even then, it was so casual, so mundane, and yet so horrible. She has no idea how to react to that.
Chouki, however, seems to have a pretty good idea. "Bullshit. You can't just drop something like that without backing it up. You're totally bluffing."
"Y-yeah, he's right!" Kaixi agrees, though his quivering stance suggests otherwise.
"Oh? Do you really doubt that I'd be able to find all of your loved ones?" Monokuma leers at Chouki.
Fumika cuts in before he can answer. "Of course we don't think that. We're Ultimates. Our profiles are well documented online, and I doubt you'd have to look far to find information about our lives. You did manage to kidnap all of us. However, there's no way you would be able to target our friends and family specifically. You've already captured us. The government would have had to have noticed by this point that we're missing."
"It would be difficult to pull off an assassination under those circumstances," Shizu continues. "They may even be put under protection."
"Exactly. At most, you'd get, like, one or two people before people realize what you're up to," Michio states.
Hachi pales. "B-but one or two people would still be too many!"
"The point is that his plan stinks. If that actually is his plan…" Kogi's voice is hard to hear over the clamor of the others, but she's able to pick it out regardless.
Despite all of the protests, Monokuma doesn't flinch at all. "Well, you wouldn't be wrong. It would be very hard for me to kill a bunch of super specific people. Who has time for that these days?" Suddenly, his grin seems more ominous than previous. "That's while I'll just hit the general area. A few thousand drops of deadly poison in the water supply will probably do it. I'll kill them eventually. It's just like killing ants! You've gotta go right to the source, or they'll never stay dead!"
Chouki actually hisses. "You wouldn't."
"Y-you're going t-to poison my hometown?!" Kazuha shrieks.
Hands trembling, Michio shakes his head. "Not just your hometown. All of our hometowns…"
"You would dare do something so horrible?!" Sawako stands at her full height, yelling with all of her might.
"Well not if somebody dies." Monokuma places his hands on his hips, like a stern parent. "It's like you guys aren't even listening to a word I've been saying."
"I mean, we get that much, I think," Joshua calls awkwardly from the back of the room. "It's the whole "and now you must kill each other" part that's still tripping us up. Er… me up, at least."
"Speak for yourself! I'm not letting him hurt-" Takumi starts to yell.
Kogi interrupts, his expression grim. "And are you going to kill someone to stop that?"
Instantly, the shouting ceases. The tension from their first day is back in full force.
"I can see you all have a lot to think about!" Monokuma laughs. "Well, that's all I wanted to say anyways. If you have any further questions, please consult management. Sweet dreams!" He cackles as he jumps backwards and vanishes from the room.
Before things can get too tense again, Morgan speaks loudly and clearly, authority dripping from her tone. "Listen well, everyone. My vision has not changed at all from the moment we set foot in this building. None of us desire to kill anyone else. We will not fall victim to such hollow traps as this. The spirits are adamant that our loved ones are in no danger. Our fear will be our only undoing, yet it only comes from within ourselves."
They all take in her words. Shizu knows that Morgan is a fraud. She knows that she cannot trust a word that she says. However, she wants to believe that to be true. Perhaps this is Morgan's true talent: the ability to exploit her desires. Then, she internally slaps herself for being so pessimistic. At the very least, Morgan is trying to keep things together. Being a skeptic will help nobody at this moment.
Michio picks up where Morgan stopped. "Morgan is right. We'd be fools to blindly trust what Monokuma is saying. Even if he has the ability to act, we've got no indication that he'll actually do anything."
"H-he doesn't have that ability," denies Kazuha. "If he did, h-he'd have given some proof, right? Like a video or a prized possession, or something, right?"
Sawako clenches her fist. "He is exploiting our anxieties. We cannot fall victim here to something such as this. I won't allow it."
Though a few people, notably Takumi and Chouki, are still incredibly weary, everyone agrees to break for the night. If they keep talking now, someone is sure to step one someone else's toes. Privately, Shizu thinks that it would definitely be Soraru's fault. A few people stay behind, like Kaixi, who clings to Morgan's side, and Hachi, who seems literally unable to move her feet.
Shizu hates the fact that she immediately dives back into her notes. She knows that she should try to comfort others at a time like this because she knows that she can process this much easier than them. However, her notepad calls out to her, and she can't find it in herself to resist its call.
Shizu's Notes
Laundry Room
- Lots of washing machines and dryers, yet only two washing machines actually work
- Seriously, what the fuck?
- Perhaps indicates a rush to get things ready or physical limit to make us uncomfortable
- Laundry supplies, like pods and dryer sheets, are in the back, so no need to get our own or look in the storage room for them
Infirmary
- Contains about what you would expect: medicine, blood bags (all O negative), doctor's supplies, hospital beds and gowns, IV drips, etc…
- Coroner's kits also inside, currently only Samia and I know about them (both of us should have one in our rooms as a backup plan)
- Sleeping pills also there, though Samia hid them in the back of the tall cabinet, as Monokuma likely would restock them if we dumped them
- Poison in the fridge, though Samia also hid it
Clock Setup
- One clock in each room
- One clock in each elevator lobby
- One clock in the hallways between every two rooms
- Tsubame set up all of the clocks on the second floor, so keep an eye out for time inconsistencies
- Metallic clasps are fairly weak, and clocks could easily be taken down, though only person who might do that is too short to reach them
- Clasps are back in the storage room for others to use, clocks stay in my room for when more of the building opens up
Loved Ones Motive
- Monokuma threatened to unleash a deadly poison into the water supply of wherever our friends and family live
- Provided no physical evidence for his claims, but it is certainly possible for someone with his power to accomplish this
- Others may check in to verify his claims, so he may provide physical evidence there (should I check myself?)
- Despite stress, cannot see self getting tempted by this, though must watch others carefully
A/N: We have some new rooms to explore and what's this? Our first motive? Our first, very generic, very obvious motive? Who could have seen this coming? ...Sorry, where was I? Ah yes, the chapter. This chapter is a bit longer than usual, but the next one is probably going to be a bit shorter, so I hope that's not disappointing. I feel like I say this every time I write one of these notes... Hopefully, there's enough here to keep you all satisfied. We're almost to the point where someone is going to die, so I hope you've all gotten attached to someone! If not, maybe look back over some of the free time events, pick your favorite, and hope they don't die horribly! It's like Russian Roulette but with less self-danger! In any case, I hope you all have a fantastic day!
