When Shuichi woke up the next morning, he realized he felt a lot better, almost as if he had been cleansed in a way. Maybe all that crying really did do him good in the long run after all.

Looking around his room made him realize two new things had been added in the night. A small TV on a stand was one, propped up in the corner, and a silver Toshiba laptop was the other, sitting on his desk. It was an older model.

Shuichi tried the computer out first, finding it booted up normally but then blinked a flashing display that read: 'You need one token to use. Please show the camera your token,' He pressed the backspace button a few times in annoyance before sighing, realizing it wouldn't do anything.

He closed the laptop and tried the TV next, assuming it was the same. Much to his surprise, it turned on just fine and was showing a rerun of Seven Samurai on a classic movie channel. Using the remote showed all of the available channels were like that; sports, movies, and childrens', news and all network broadcasting weren't available. Shuichi turned the TV off and looked around his room again.

Two doors were on either side of the room; the first one opened up a closet. Inside were jeans, T-shirts, a few button-ups, a pair of sneakers, and a pair of house slippers. There were also a few baseball caps identical to his current one, and everything was doused grey and black. He even spotted a spring-green yukata tucked near the back. There were no school uniforms or any sort of 'hard' shoe.

The other door led to a small and clean personal bathroom with a large black shower and small white sink. A tiny toilet was across from the sink, which Shuichi was a bit squicked over.

Inside the medicine cabinet were bandages, mouthwash, bugspray, deodorant, four unopened toothbrushes, and a fresh tube of toothpaste. There were also some nail clippers, which seemed to be the most dangerous object in there. He closed the cabinet and stared at himself in the mirror, noticing he somehow looked paler and sicker than ever before. His dark hair was mussed up. He ran a gentle hand along his right earlobe and felt the black stud placed there, put there simply to track him. Shuichi Saihara, who was intended to take over his uncle's detective business when he grew up who passed the days reading about gruesome historical events, was now nothing more than a dot on some screen somewhere.

He went back inside the room and got dressed, staring at his bookshelf. He had books at least, even if they were mainly soppy light novels he didn't care much for. It was far better than just idly scrolling through channels all day long. Did kids here really do that?

Shuichi left his room then, not in a mood to read, hoping he'd run into one of the kids. Instead, he ran into Kyoko Kirigiri, who was carrying a giant basket full of white sheets and towels. Her face was flushed from the effort and Shuichi hurried over. "Hello, Miss Kirigiri. Can I help you with that?" He asked nicely.

"If you want," She handed several of the folded-up sheets to him. "We have five more newbies coming in, two tonight and three tomorrow. I have been on my feet all day as a result, getting their rooms ready," She pointed in the direction of the playground.

Shuichi shyly adjusted his cap. "...Do you happen to know where I could find a token? I need one for the computer in my room,"

Kyoko glanced over at him. "Do you know how to make up a bed?"

"I make my own bed at home,"

"With folded corners?"

"...No."

She chuckled a bit. "Three tokens for five beds. It's all I have, they don't give me a lot,"

"That's fine,"

"Also, do not call me Miss Kirigiri. It makes me feel too pompous and I don't like that feeling," She sighed wearily. "Kyoko-san would do,"

"Kyoko-san," Shuichi repeated awkwardly. She was far older than him so it seemed strange to use her first name so casually.

The two walked for a while, going down another hallway with more motivational posters on the walls and a blue ice machine like one in a hotel. Kyoko stopped walking and moved close to Shuichi, staring.

"You got chipped, but no tokens." She said nothing else as she stepped back. "You may talk here, if you'd like. This area is one of those where the audio devices don't work. There are more, but this is the closest to your room."

Shuichi nodded, still unsure.

"Who chipped you? And who marked your face like that? Nagito-san?"

He nodded again.

"He's one of the mean ones. He doesn't look it, but he is. You know he is, because I don't like to call people by such simple terms. But there's no denying it. Miu-san is too, and so is Celestia-san, despite her smiles. Celestia isn't even her real name, but that's none of my business," She looked away. "A lot of people here like to push children around and treat them like junk, but those three are the worst at it,"

"He slapped me hard," Shuichi whispered. Kyoko looked back at him in shock before she placed a warm gloved hand on his cheek. The simple gesture made him feel comforted and loved, a feeling he hadn't felt ever since arriving at The Institute.

"Do not argue with him. Some people you can argue with, you can even argue with Junko-san if you want, but never him. Nor Miu-san, nor Celestia-san. They will pay you back," She stared at him with a frown.

"I think Oowada-kun hit Mr. Komaeda once." He relayed, and a small smile formed on Kyoko's face.

"Good for him. Now come help me with these sheets, " She picked the basket up slowly and walked off, the flushed expression returning to her face.

Shuichi followed after her and walked into the first room, which was filled with posters of characters from series like Digimon and Pokemon. A Beyblade set laid out on the windowsill, and a few stuffed animals were arranged neatly at the foot of the bed. The wallpaper was blue with clouds. Shuichi gasped before he could stop himself.

"This is a little kid's room!"

Kyoko glanced back at him, almost looking amused. "Indeed it is. The name is Fujisaki Chihiro,"

"Another girl?"

She shook her head. "A boy, so I heard,"

Shuichi suddenly felt sorry for the boy despite never having met him. He had the girliest name Shuichi had ever heard.

"Fujisaki Chihiro, and also according to my sources, he's only ten years old. Let's get to work. You seem like someone who is a fast learner," Kyoko started to pull a sheet out of the basket.

[][][][][][][][][][]

Back in his room, Shuichi slipped a token out of his pocket and held it up to the camera, feeling a bit silly. The screen flashed white briefly before displaying a message in hiragana that said: 'Welcome Back, Maki-chan!'

This computer used to belong to Maki, and the welcome screen hadn't been changed yet. Shuichi couldn't help smiling just a bit at that. Maybe that meant there were other minor slips somewhere else.

Once the computer loaded up, it revealed a home screen of a simple geometric pattern with the same menu bar at the bottom of the screen. There was an Internet browser and Shuichi quickly clicked on it and typed in FaceBook.

A blue screen with a black jellyfish swimming around appeared instead, with several pieces of writing that all said 'memekagi' over and over again.

Nonsense words. Perfect.

Shuichi then typed in Saihara Kenshin and got the nonsense jellyfish again. He thought for a moment before typing in Toho Cinema Shibuya, not because he planned on seeing a movie there, but because he needed to know what sorts of information he could access.

He could access that site without a problem, as well as the website for his old school. Typing in the name of his old principal gave him the swimming nonsense jellyfish. He huffed a bit. He then had a brief thought of trying to look up the police's website but quickly scratched the idea off. Who knew what they could do to him if he looked something like that up.

Shuichi instead started to think of Kyoko and her good-humored nature and the warm hand she put on his cheek earlier. It wasn't much, but that gesture alongside the tokens really took the edge off Nagito's slap. Aoi said Kyoko was extremely sick and yet didn't really desire help.

Partly from boredom and partly from Kyoko's genuine kindness, Shuichi typed into the search engine: 'i'm really sick what should i do' and brought up what to do in case of a bad flu or cold. He didn't think Kyoko had those sicknesses, she was fine on her feet and never coughed or sneezed. Really the only hint she could be sick was her difficulty carrying things around, but that could also be due to poor physical activity. She always seemed winded whenever he saw her and her face was flushed.

A word suddenly appeared in his head and he erased what he originally wrote and instead typed in 'leukemia'. That brought up a bunch of articles about the symptoms and treatment of leukemia as well as all the different types there were. Shuichi read as much as he could, fascinated. What sort of leukemia did Kyoko have? Was that why she wore her hair so short despite it no longer being fashionable? Was that why she was always tired and flushed? Her face wasn't flushed from the exertion, but from a possible fever. Did those gloves she wore constantly have something to do with it too?

He kept reading for hours, digesting every new piece of information he came across. It was a good feeling to be learning things once again.

It was around five in the evening when his IM service suddenly chimed, making him blink a few times to get out of his daze. There was only one message there, and it simply said:

Hello Shuichi-chan. I am Headmistress Enoshima and I would like to meet you.

Shuichi thought for a second before typing back:

Do I have a choice?

Only a second later:

No. :)

There was a knock at his door, and he opened it to find Kirumi, the woman from the elevator. She gave him a polite curtsy.

"Ready to go?"

"Let me put on my house slippers," He said, hurriedly slipping them on. Afterwards, Kirumi led him to the administrator's building, using her keycard to get them in.

Headmistress Enoshima was sitting at her desk waiting for them, and Shuichi's first thought was she reminded him of his mother. Fakely blonde, perky when she needed to be, huge breasts, and impractical fashion. That day she was wearing a sexy nurse outfit with black thigh-highs and a cap on her head. In her icy blue eyes, Shuichi only saw despair and selfishness. This was a woman who was only out for her own gain.

"You may leave now, Kirumi-chan!" She waved, and Kirumi curtsied once more and walked off. Afterwards, Junko stared Shuichi down with a smirk, putting her hands on her hips. "I have dealt with a ton of kids. A lot. I like to spend at least ten minutes with every new kid we get. A lot of them are in emotional states and try to attack me. Children have poor impulse control, you see," Her tone sounded formal and stiff, and Shuichi felt as though if she wore glasses, she'd be tapping them anxiously. "I see it as a teaching moment. Will I have to teach you, Shuichi-chan?"

"No," He shook his head.

"Excellent. Have a seat." She sat across from him, still looking professional despite the get-up. He suddenly wondered if Mondo was one of the ones who attacked her upon arrival. Maybe he could ask later. "I see you have made friends. That is excellent. You will meet more in your time here in Front Half. Two of them have just arrived, in fact. A girl named Mioda Ibuki-chan and a boy named Fujisaki Chihiro-kun. They're both sleeping right now, but you shall meet them soon. Ibuki-chan you may meet shortly before lights-out at ten, but Chihiro-kun might sleep through the night. He's still very young, and will likely be in a very emotionally upset state when he does wake up. I hope you will take him under your wing, as I know Sayaka-chan, Aoi-chan, and Kokichi-kun will. Perhaps Mondo-kun will too, but who knows. Not even he knows how he'll react at times.

Helping Chihiro-kun adapt to his new environment will earn you tokens, which you already know are the primary currency around here. It is up to you, of course, but we'll be watching,"

Of course you will be. Watching and listening. Except in the places you can't, if Kyoko-san wasn't lying about that, Shuichi thought to himself.

"I understand your friends have told you a lot about The Institute already. Some of it is true, some of it isn't. What I am about to tell you is the truest truth, so please pay attention. I do not like to repeat myself,"

"Yes ma'am," Shuichi said quickly, staring straight at her.

"You'll spend a certain amount of time here in Front Half. Might be ten days, two weeks, maybe even a month, though none of our volunteers have stayed that long in recent history," Junko began.

Shuichi covered his mouth. "Volunteers? You're making it sound like we were all drafted for a war or something.."

"Indeed, you are correct. You are fighting a war and have been drafted for that very purpose,"

"Why? Just because things move sometimes when I'm not paying attention? That's stu-"

"Shut up!" She cried suddenly, making Shuichi reel. He quickly shut himself up. "You don't get to fucking interrupt me! When I'm talking, you listen!"

Shuichi quickly nodded. Junko brightened and smiled briefly before her voice turned analytical again.

"It is like an arms race, but instead of building arms, we are raising minds. Are any volunteers for a war pleased? No, but it is what must be done. And as I'm sure you know already, there will be consequences for people who do not listen. This is not your home, nor your school. Bad children do not get off with detention or an extra chore or a swat on the butt, they will get punished. That includes you. Understand?"

He nodded, not wanting to know what could possibly be considered worse than a harsh slap to the face.

"You will be given a number of injections and tests, while your physical and mental condition are monitored closely. You will eventually graduate to Back Half, where you will have specific services to perform. You will spend at least six weeks there, then we shall wipe your memories and you will get to return home. To your family," She finished.

His eyes widened. "They're alive? My uncle is alive?"

She laughed. "Totally! We ain't murderers!"

"Then let me talk to him!" He leaned forward in his seat, and in a flash, Junko had appeared behind him and gently set his chair back on the floor.

"No. I do not think you completely understand. You will do whatever we say, regardless. You will have no outside contact during your time here. You will obey all orders and comply with what we say to do. Your time will pass quickly, and then you shall wake up in your bed one morning with no memories of this whatsoever. It is almost a pity, you won't remember how greatly privileged you are to serve your nation,"

The personality whiplash was starting to make him feel dizzy. What kind of a person even was this woman?

"But...my classmates. My uncle's coworkers. So many people know about me...you can't erase everyone's memories!" He protested.

"You will be very surprised at what we can do, I think. Anyway, I do believe we are finished here." She bowed nicely to him, waiting. "Bow to me, Shuichi-chan,"

Shuichi very slowly rose from his seat and bowed to her as stiffly as he dared, arms at his sides, not looking her in the eyes. She gave him a pleased smile.

"We may see each other around in the halls, but know that if you are called into my office again, we will be having a far less pleasant conversation," Junko warned.

"I understand."

"Good. And just remember, every day is darkest just before the dawn,"

Shuichi left then, feeling like he was one of the followers of Stalin who would eventually become 'un-personed'. Erased from every single document and photograph in history. He shivered.

"I will take you back to your room, Saihara-chan," Kirumi curtsied to him politely again before she led him away. Shuichi was silent as he walked beside her, suddenly pausing as a huge wave of dizziness came over him.

"W-Wait..." He trembled and felt his knees buckle, forcing him to collapse. Bright coloured lights swam in front of his vision.

"Are you alright?" Kirumi asked. "Did you get a shot?"

"Yes," He finally managed to stand up and wobbled more, taking a deep breath.

"Some children have a delayed reaction to it. I saw one once who didn't see anything for ten whole days," She started walking again. "Come along, darling,"

"I'm not your 'darling'," Shuichi glared at her in a moment of bravery.

"You are in The Institute, which means you are everyone's darling. The sooner you adapt, the sooner you'll get used to it," Her eyes glittered strangely, and when she left him at the elevator, she did not curtsy.

Shuichi decided to try and wander the halls, noticing Sayaka's door was left open. Curious, he walked inside and saw a bunch of pink frou-frou-ness, posters of idols everywhere.

"Hi?" He asked shyly. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Hi yourself, Shuichi-san," She was sitting on colourful beanbags and motioned to the empty purple one beside her. He sat and saw she was watching a program featuring pink idols spinning around on the stage.

He watched for a bit when he remembered what she said the other day and looked over at her. "You were on X-Factor Japan, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah! I placed second! Good enough for a record deal if I worked at it, they said!"

"Why do you want to be an idol?"

"Watching them always cheered me up. Seeing their bright, happy, smiling faces..I wanted that life for myself. To make someone else happy too," She drew her knees up to her chest. "My mother died when I was young and my father was a workaholic...those shows were the only things that kept me going, in a way,"

Shuichi nodded. "My parents probably don't even know I exist...they're always traveling the world and dumped me on my uncle,"

Sayaka looked over at him. "I want to get out of here." She said suddenly. "There's never anything to do and the tests are invasive...I need to go back home and continue trying to fulfill my dream!" Much to Shuichi's surprise, she leaned in forward and pressed her face up against his chest, trembling. He sat there, numb, unsure of what to do.

"Hey, you're turnin' into bit of a ladies' man, huh?" Mondo's voice reached him from the door, holding an orange wrapper. "Wasn't expectin' that,"

Shuichi blushed heavily and Sayaka sat up, rubbing at her eyes.

"You want this?" He held out the wrapper and Shuichi saw there was still a peanut-butter cup left inside. He quickly took it and ate it in three bites, making the two giggle. "Had your first shot, I bet. Those things make ya crave sugar like crazy. You're gonna attack the dessert options tonight,"

"Did you see the dots?" Sayaka asked curiously, and Shuichi nodded.

"Yeah...a little bit. What are they?"

"They're called Stasi Lights, according to the tech people. Guess they're a part of prep. I barely get shots and no weird tests because I'm TK-pos, and so's Ouma-san. And Asahina-san is TP-pos. You get more if you're just a regular kid," Mondo paused for a second. "Well, I guess none of us are really regular, are we?"

"Are they upping our abilities?" Shuichi asked.

"Nobody really knows," Sayaka shrugged. "We just know it's prep for going to Back Half,"

"How'd it go with that crazy chick? She thank ya for bein' a good soldier?" Mondo rolled his eyes.

"I felt more like I was 'un-personed'. You know, in Soviet and communist nations, if someone did something the leader in charge didn't like, they were erased from all forms of media," Shuichi explained.

"I know that crap, I did go to school ya know," He sighed. "Wanna head outside again? The three of us could start up our game of Monopoly again,"

"I just feel tired," Shuichi declined. "The candy helped my dizziness a bit, but..."

Sayaka pulled him closer, letting him rest his head on her shoulder. He blushed.

"How'd you get a token?" She asked curiously. "You finally being a good person?"

"Nah, Miss Kirigiri gave me one before she went off-shift. Asahina-san is right, she's the one good thing about this place," He turned to leave. "See ya both at dinner, I guess,"

Sayaka and Shuichi nodded and returned to the idol show, Sayaka starting to nod off a bit. It was strangely pleasant, and almost made Shuichi forget about the horror of his experiences thus far.