STUDENT UNION: CAFETERIA

"A party?!" Ashley was reacting pretty much exactly how I expected her to. "Are you all insane?!"

"No," JP answered. "But we're gonna GET insane! Yeah!"

"This is just the stupidest..." Ashley paced back and forth, waving her arms in the air as she ranted. "I am amazed, I am absolutely flabbergasted that any of you would be so stupid! A party with alcohol during a murder game?!"

"Hold up," Rocky said, raising half of a french fry up for attention. "Will this party need music?"

"You bet it will!" JP enthused, Juliet clapping enthusiastically. "And you're the guy!"

"Agh!" Ashley stomped back and forth, growling wordlessly.

Emily raised her hand nervously. "Um... it does seem a bit reckless. Do people intend to get... inebriated? Won't that put us in danger?"

"We'll make it safe!" Juliet said. "We can have chaperones, and the rec room doesn't really have any hidden places. We'll all be around each other."

"It'll help in the end," JP insisted. "Think about it. We've all had fun together, all been vulnerable with one another. How can anyone commit murder after that?"

"Uh, like this," Ashley said. She held out her hand in a gun shape. "Bang, you're dead."

Earl walked up to her, smiling generously. "Coelho, your eye to security and practicality are important and appreciated! We need your voice reminding us to stay safe." Ashley began to blush as he threw his arm around her and cast his other arm forward. "But picture it! A social event, helping us to form cohesive bonds! A night to relieve stress, under supervised conditions. And you are the one to decide how to make our event as safe as can be!"

Ashley looked at him blankly for a moment, then regained her senses. "This is a terrible idea. But if everyone promises to follow my rules exactly, we can make it minimally terrible."

JP looked like he was going to protest, but a sharp glance from Earl stopped him. "Well, fine," JP said. "As long as there can be beer and good friends, we're set, right?"

"Is this beer even any good?" Nicole asked.

"Whatever you like, we got!" JP answered cheerfully. "We can all even have our own pony keg, if you want. Come by to reserve yours, okay?"

"Excellent!" Earl exclaimed. "The party will be two nights from tonight. It will be a glorious time!"

We all vaguely dispersed to finish our dinner; I sat with Bepi and Emily, chatting normally. But, when I was finished and on my way out, I was surprised when Nicole stood up and waved to get my attention.

"Hey," she said. "I was wanting to check out the costume shop over at the theater in the arts center. Want to come with us?" She nodded over to Barrett, who nodded back. "We kinda had something we wanted to talk to you about, too."

I paused for a second. "All right," I said eventually. All three of us left the cafeteria.

ARTS CENTER: THEATER: COSTUME SHOP

Nicole chatted pleasantly as we walked; Barrett said nothing. When we arrived at the theater, we followed Nicole backstage and into a side room. It was completely filled with costumes: clothes, wigs, and even masks.

"Isn't this awesome?" Nicole asked, picking up a nearby Victorian-looking dress and rubbing her fingers on the fabric. "Think of the shit I could do with this!"

"Aw yes," Barrett muttered. He was holding a terrifying rubber mask, of a wrinkly, scary old man. He pulled it down over his head. "Hey, make me something right chilling to wear next time I'm on television, eh? Horror movie shit, so I can scare those smug fucks at the top."

I blinked. "'At the top?'"

He peeled the floppy mask off, glowering at me. "The ones in power, right? Men behind the throne. They're the real fuckin' enemy."

"He's right," Nicole added breezily, examining a loincloth. "Greedy sons of bitches, ruining everything for everyone." She glanced over at me. "Saya, I told you about the guy I stabbed, right? To protect my family?"

I glanced over at Barrett, who seemed completely unfazed by what Nicole said. I looked back and nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, the dude deserved it. My little brother..." She paused, shook her head as if to clear it, and then looked back at me. "Anyway, but I don't blame him. It's not his fault, not really. We fight every day. I've seen people get killed over a hundred bucks." She looked legitimately infuriated. "Neighbors shouldn't be murdering each other. My family shouldn't be competing with every other family for scraps. It's just in Their best interests to keep us fighting each other."

Barrett was poking at a hazmat suit. "Remind you of something? A little game where people hurt each other instead of going after the ones really in charge?"

I frowned. "I... guess? It seems a little..."

But then suddenly Nicole was right in front of me, staring me down with an intense expression. "You ever heard of Romeo San Marcos?"

I took a step back, surprised. "Uh... maybe? The name's kind of familiar."

"He's a rapper, writes musicals. Super famous. Gareth MacGregor? Does like a million podcasts. Katia Allen? UFC champ?"

I confusedly looked from her to Barrett and back. "Yeah, okay. What about them?"

Barrett kicked a rack of clothes dismissively. "Fuck, didn't you look shit up before you came here? They all graduated from here. This program. Our fucking program."

My mouth slowly fell open as I realized what they were saying. "Hold on. So... if this killing game has happened before... if it's what this program is..."

"Uh, yeah," Nicole said. "Then a bunch of super-famous, super-successful people all survived it. And didn't tell anyone. What the fuck?"

I wasn't sure what I could possibly say.

Barrett spoke up with his interpretation. "It's indoctrination, right?" He sniffed violently. "Like whassiscalled, Stockholm Syndrome. Bring a bunch of people onto your side."

"Their side," Nicole clarified. "The side that wants us fighting each other. Getting fat off exploiting the rest of us. The system."

"How could that work?" I asked. "Monokuma openly said he's doing this because he hates how young people mess up all society's systems. Why would we all suddenly agree with him after he's traumatized us like this?"

"Not all of us would," Barrett answered, eerily still. "Maybe fuckin' Ashley or that monk. But not me or Nicole. Or you." His eyes bored into mine. "But ain't it lucky not everyone survives this little game, eh? Ain't it interesting the first one killed was the one going around fucking everything up, telling us all to fight back?"

I was quiet for a moment. "All right," I said eventually. "You're saying the whole point of this killing game is to indoctrinate the ones who can be indoctrinated ... and kill off the ones who can't?" They nodded, and I scratched my head skeptically. "I mean... I don't know, guys. Ashley's most sympathetic to Monokuma's perspective, and I can't even imagine her going the way you say."

Nicole shrugged, draping a fake fur stole over herself. "Well, if you can think of another reason why Romeo San Marcos wouldn't be screaming all about this, let us know." She looked at me. "And just heads up. I don't think you're one of those Stockholm Syndrome people. So that means They're trying to take you down. Keep your eyes open."

I nodded and suddenly felt awkward... that felt like a goodbye. I started walking to the exit, but as I passed Barrett, he suddenly grabbed my arm. "Oi. You ain't one of the bad ones, so listen. I dunno when, but I am going to burn this fucking place to the ground. Before I do, you'll get one warning." His eyes looked like they were on fire. "One. Warning. Understand?"

I nodded.

ARTS CENTER: MAIN LOBBY

As I stepped into the main lobby, I saw Katy standing there, looking a bit befuddled. She gave me a wave that was somehow both shy and confident. "Oh, hi," she said. "I was just walking around trying to get some ideas. Want to come?"

"Ideas? What do you mean?"

"Story ideas!" She beamed. "Love between artists can be really romantic. Like, I was thinking of checking out the movie section. A romance between actors would be really sweet, right? Oh!" She held up a finger in sudden realization. "Especially if they're rivals fighting over the same part! C'mon!" Without waiting, she turned and skipped cheerfully into the film-focused part of the building. I followed, more confused than anything else.

ARTS CENTER - FILM SET

The film set was a large, black room with lights, tangled wires, and various complex rigging structures. There was a large greenscreen set up in the middle of the room, presumably to serve as a backdrop for filming. But most noticeable of all... were the mannequins.

"Oh my god, those things are terrifying," Katy mused, examining them more closely.

She was right. They were human-sized and looked to be poseable. They felt eerily fleshlike to the touch, but their heads were completely blank; no face at all. One of them wore an afro wig, for some reason.

"Maybe they're to help, like, blocking?" I suggested. "I wouldn't be surprised if the mastermind just put them in here to be creepy, though."

Katy rubbed her chin in thought, then whirled on me with odd glee. "You know what these mannequins are? They're misunderstood! Judged for things beyond their control! But what if two of them fell in love?!"

"...but they don't have faces."

"Saya! You do not need a face to have a tragic, impossible love!"

"...I guess I can't argue with that."

Katy nodded smartly, then gave me a sneaky glance. "Speaking of love..." She sidled closer, smirking. "You and Emily? Hm?"

I blinked. "What about me and Emily?"

"What about the idea of you and our lovely, little astrophysicist getting together?"

I took a step back, stammering. "What! No! She and I..."

"You're attracted to her. I can tell."

"No! I just..." Sputtering, I realized I was getting out of control. I took a deep breath, pressing a hand against my chest. "Katy. Listen, yes, I am attracted to Emily. But I'm out for the first time in my life, and I'm in a really scary, dangerous situation. I'm kinda attracted to everyone right now."

She started to say something, then she coughed. "Oh. Well. I think you should go for it."

I sighed. "She's straight."

"So were you, a couple of days ago."

I felt a strong desire to change the subject. "Look, can we... uh, you said you wanted to tell me more about lesbian romance. Can we talk about that right now?"

Katy grinned. "Okay, but I'm bringing this up again later!" She danced over the a mannequin and leaned against it casually. "Let's see, I told you about the history in the U.S., so the next thing is the history in Japan! Yuri!"

"Lesbian romance is big in Japan?" I mused. "Huh. And it's an influence for you?"

"Of course! Japanese art... it understands something about the world which is really key to romance." She scrunched her face up in thought for a moment. "Like, here: Furu ike ya. Kawazu tobikomu. Mizu no oto."

I looked at her blankly. "I don't speak Japanese."

"Me neither, but isn't it beautiful? It's a haiku. Really famous. It's just about a frog jumping in the water. But it shows the two important things yuri adds to lesbian romance. First: Gentleness."

"Hmm. What does gentleness mean?"

She hugged the mannequin playfully and smiled at me. "It means subtlety. Implication. That haiku just describes a moment; anything important or meaningful about the moment is up to the reader. It doesn't say what anything is. And that's how romance works best, too! Two girls... meaningfully looking at one another at a special moment. Their hands touching softly, just a little bit. Everything is under the surface, hidden, ambiguous. Those girls are in love! But maybe!... they're not in love."

I raised an eyebrow. "So... the way to present romance between girls... is to make it so no one can tell if there's any romance between girls?"

"Yeah! Romance is best when it's ambiguous and vague! That makes it pure, see? Just beautiful, innocent feelings."

I glanced back down at her finely manicured fingernails, jutting out from her fingers. "I see. What's the other element you get from yuri?"

"Well, think about the frog poem. It's just a moment. Just splash, and it's done. So Japanese art is also about how everything is ephemeral." She clasped her hands and looked up with dewy eyes. "True love between girls is a special light that burns brightly and then fades. With both joy and sadness, we will look back upon the springtime of our youth!"

"Wait." I held up my hand; I thought I couldn't be surprised by Katy's theories on romance, but she kept doing it. "So what you learn from Japanese lesbian romance is... to make the lesbian romance so ambiguous and innocent, people can't even tell it's there, and to have the romance end before the characters even grow up."

"Yes. That captures the graceful, beautiful moments that are central to lesbian romance."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Katy... I asked you this before, but... have you ever actually dated another girl?"

She blinked at me, surprised. Her hand went up to the locket around her neck, holding it gently. "Yes, I have."

"Okay... because, I mean, I'm not any kind of expert on the lesbian world, here, but... it seems like the reality is..."

"That's the point," Katy interrupted. She suddenly looked sad, playing idly with the locket, staring at the floor. "I don't want to portray the reality."

I couldn't think of what to say. I walked closer, took her other hand in mind, and just held it for a moment. "I get it," I said finally, giving her hand a squeeze.

She blushed, still looking down at the floor. "Um... this is a weird conversation to have surrounded by flesh-mannequins."

I laughed, dropping her hand. "Good point." The moment was broken. "Do you want to keep looking around for ideas?"

"Yeah. Let's do it." She smiled, genuinely.

DORM: COMPUTER LAB

After spending a little more time with Katy, I decided to get some exercise. On a whim, I went looking for a particular classmate to ask to join me on my run. I found him in the computer lab, staring with bafflement at a word processing program.

Rodrigo looked up at me when I came in. He waved, a friendly smile on his face.

I walked up to him. "Hi, Rodrigo. Are you learning how to use that?"

"Ay. 'Tis an irritation." He gestured to the keyboard. "At first I believed it was so simple. Press a symbol; the symbol appears. But the foul triangle keeps moving, and it changes where the symbols appear!"

I glanced at the screen. "Most of us learned this stuff when we were kids, so we kinda don't think about how we do it. If you want help, let me know."

He nodded ruefully. "Perhaps later. I am at my wits end, now."

"Well... I was going to ask if you wanted to exercise with me. I can show you how to use a treadmill."

"Oh!" He clapped with delight. "My best workouts at the monastery were when I was chased by Hector, the mad bull. Is it a device that simulates that sort of experience?!"

I blinked at him. "You know what? Kinda."

GYMNASIUM: CARDIO ROOM

After changing our clothes, we got on adjacent treadmills and set them moving very slowly. Rodrigo was awkward a first, but his ridiculously muscular body soon got used to the machine, and we began a slow jog. "Amazing," he mused. "To constantly go, and yet to go nowhere."

"Okay, well, you phrased that about exactly as dark as you possibly could, but I'm glad you like it." I glanced over at him. "Hey, can I ask you something? You really never saw any modern technology before you came here?"

"Not that I can recall," he answered. "I was born in a small village in the Cantabrian Mountains, and I am led to believe that my home had electricity and similar amenities. However, the monks came to claim me shortly after my birth, and they took me to the monastery near Toledo, in central Spain."

"The monks just... claimed you?!"

"Ay. They said my coming had been prophesied, and paladin training was my birthright. My parents were well compensated, both financially and with grace of the Lord."

I gradually increased my speed to more of a trot; Rodrigo followed suit. "Oh my god, I didn't know this kind of thing actually happened. It's illegal! You can't just take a baby!"

Rodrigo glowered. "The monks said this was a case where the laws of man conflicted with the laws of God. I lack the wisdom to argue against them, but I cannot bring myself to agree."

"You're pretty serene about all this. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I was taken from my parents as a baby."

"'Tis the only life I've ever known," Rodrigo replied, shrugging. "I am determined to become a paladin and to fight for my church and my Lord. But I will do so in the real world."

I was silent for a moment after that. We increased our speed again and loped along; we were both in good enough shape to keep from breathing too hard.

"Oh," I said finally. "I wanted to say, your English is really good, for someone from Spain. You don't even have an accent."

He glanced at me curiously. "Yes, they taught me English at the monastery. Likewise, I had wanted to compliment you on your Spanish."

I squinted at him. "Um... Rodrigo, I don't think I've ever spoken Spanish in front of you. And if I had, you probably wouldn't be impressed."

He looked totally baffled. "But Friend Saya, we are speaking Spanish right now."

"Wait." I slowed my treadmill down so I could focus on him without hurting myself. "Wait. Rodrigo, no. We aren't speaking Spanish. We're speaking English."

"We're... what?" He kept running perfectly, despite the confusion on his face. "No! This is Spanish!"

"I promise, it's not. Didn't you think it was weird a bunch of Americans all spoke Spanish?"

"I thought you were all being very polite."

I regarded him for any hint of deception or sarcasm and perceived none. "Okay, you said you knew English. Could you speak some English for me?"

He nodded. "Of course! 'Jag pratar svenska.'" He looked at me hopefully. "'Var ar biblioteket? Kan du salja lite kokain? Han har ingen aning om att detta verkligen ar svenska.'"

"Rodrigo, I don't know what language that is, but it's definitely not English."

His face darkened. "Then this is yet another cruel lie the monks are responsible for." He shook his head ruefully. "Ah well. All I can do is remind myself their influence fades, while God's is forever."

I just regarded him for a moment then found myself smiling. "I'm rooting for you," I said. He gave me a genuine smile back. I turned up my treadmill, and we both ran.

DORM: SAYA'S ROOM

After finishing my workout, I went back to my room and collapsed into bed. I had slept so badly the night before, I really needed a lot, and even though I'd only seen Lucina once or twice, the whole thing was just... draining.

In my dream, Monokuma yammered away silently, and Therion stood behind him. At one point, he stepped forward. "Best games operate under simple rules of suspense," he said. "Players settle into groove. Then, at unexpected moment? Bam. Things change."

I woke up in a cold sweat.

STUDENT UNION: CAFETERIA

I sat with Emily and Jane. I tried not to resent Katy, who was sitting with Lucina, chatting away pleasantly.

Emily glanced down at her cereal, frowning. "I sometimes miss a full, British breakfast," she said sadly. "I never ate tomatoes or beans; I always just liked Corn Flakes or Frosties. But now that I see Americans don't eat them, I want some."

Jane sniffed. "I just want a decent cup of tea," she grunted. She seemed to be tolerating my presence, but she still sneered at my cup of coffee. "Vile concoction. I can't understand how you do it."

"Why don't you just change the molecules of coffee around and make it taste like tea?" I asked, honestly not sure if I was teasing her or not.

"I would, if I had a decent centrifuge and some agar," she replied haughtily.

Emily leaned forward, apparently overcoming nervousness to ask this next question. "Are you girls... looking forward to the party?" she whispered.

Jane rolled her eyes. "It seems terribly unnecessary and dangerous, to me."

"Oh." Emily frowned. "I was... well. I was thinking it might be really fun. I've never been to a... a real party. And I've never..." her voice dropped to a whisper again, "...had alcohol."

Jane and I glanced at one another; Emily was almost unbearably adorable. "Well, if you go, you're sticking to my side all night," Jane announced. "No harm in being safe, after all."

I was about to say something, but a clanging noise interrupted me. Ashley stood in the middle of the room, banging a fork against a ceramic plate. "I have devised rules about the party that will take place the day after tomorrow!" she announced. "These rules will be posted publicly! No one will be allowed to come, and particularly to partake in alcohol, until they have demonstrated to my satisfaction that they have read and understand them!"

Rocky groaned. "Aww man, I don't even understand what you just said!"

"Furthermore!" Ashley continued, ignoring him, "I will need at least two volunteers to serve as chaperones! These individuals will help maintain security and may not drink alcohol. If no one volunteers, then the party will not take place."

Rodrigo stood up. "I have no intention to imbibe," he said.

After a moment, I raised my hand too. "I'll do it."

"Aww, Saya!" Juliet moaned. "I figured Roddy wouldn't be drinking, but you don't want to have fun with everyone?"

I shook my head. "Uh, no. I am way too recently out of the closet to drink. That's just a bad idea."

"Thank you for volunteering!" Ashley screeched. "I will speak to you about your duties!"

"Puhuhuhu!" a voice laughed. We all turned to see Monokuma standing on top of a table. He held a phone in his hand, and he typed away on it. "It's wonderful you all are enjoying the new parts of campus!"

Nicole waved her hands at him, rolling her eyes. "Oh, fuck off."

Monokuma stomped his feet, still looking down at his phone. "That's no way to talk to your... wait. One moment." He typed silently for a moment. "There. That's no way to talk to your adviser! I am here to inform you that I just sent you all a Monomail, and also that you're all spoiled babies!"

Beeps suddenly went off all around the room as we received the email. Monokuma nodded in satisfaction. "It says that all students must report to the auditorium immediately for a special announcement! Puhuhuhu, how ominous! I wonder what the announcement is for!"

"Uh, actually?" Rocky said, looking at his tablet. "It says that all students must immediately report to the euphonium. I think autocorrect got you, dude."

"Waaagh!" Monokuma stomped in fury. "Just go! Everyone just go!"

GENERAL EDUCATION BUILDING: AUDITORIUM

I was not enthusiastic to go back into the auditorium. Everything had been cleaned up; there was no sign of the murder at all. But still, that one seat where Morgan's body was just glowed. I felt weak.

I sat with Emily, Jane, Bepi, and Rodrigo. I saw Lucina come in and thought she might come to us. But to my surprise, she walked to the other side of the room and sat with Rocky. He grinned and began speaking to her.

"Mmh," I grunted, frowning. "That's weird, isn't it?"

"Hm?" Emily looked over. "Oh! No, I think it makes sense! They're both musicians. I think it's nice DJ Rocky is opening up to someone."

Bepi glanced at me. "I agree," he said. I tried to minimize the glare I found myself giving him.

With a sudden boom, Monokuma bounced out of apparently nowhere into the front of the room. He surveyed the seats carefully. "Good! Everyone's here. Let's begin."

He paced authoritatively across the floor. "I'm very disappointed in all of you!" he announced. "All this time, and only one murder so far!"

"Did Romeo San Marcos do better?" Nicole called out.

Monokuma stopped moving. He stared at Nicole; his expression was the same as always, but somehow I could tell it was a death-glare. Then he just kept pacing like nothing had happened. "I decided you all need some encouragement! A motive!"

"A motive?!" Juliet exclaimed.

But Earl just laughed confidently. "I believe in my classmates! You can give us any motive you wish."

"Oh?" Monokuma tittered. "Maybe you're right! I can't fight my own programming."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Barrett asked.

"It's simple! If there's not a murder soon, I'm going to need to find someone to blame. And that person is going to suffer a punishment! Not execution, no no. That's too easy." He grinned and looked around the room. "The punishment will be the severing of the spinal cord. If there isn't a murder before a certain period of time, determined by me, then one of you... will never walk again."

Before we could even recover from that, he raised a paw. "But! I understand your worthless, childish generation." He stomped back and forth in rage. "I hear you whining all the time. 'Oh, nothing is my fault! Everything's just out of my hands!' So, I'll do you a favor! I'll only punish someone who's the kind of person you all blame for everything, anyway." He stopped and stared. "I'll only punish someone... who's a white male."

There was a bit of an uproar, as confused as it was appalled. "This is insane!" JP protested, louder than the general din.

"Oh, don't blame me!" Monokuma said innocently. "I'm just doing what you idiot kids love to do, anyway!"

Rocky raised his hand. "Uh, I'm gay," he said. "Do I count?"

Monokuma tilted his head. "You're gay? Christ, you goddamn kids are all gay, aren't you? Fine! DJ Rocky K doesn't count."

Giuseppe raised his brown hand. "Um, I actually don't really know how white I am," he said. "Do I..."

"Shut up! Shut up!" Monokuma pointed out at the room. "I decide who's a white male and who's not! JP Laettner! Giuseppe Perfetto! Earl Morale! Barrett Wood! Rodrigo Diaz! You are the white males! And you're on a time limit."

"How long?" JP asked.

"I won't say! It might be next week, it might be five minutes from now. Better hurry!" Giggling, he disappeared.

The room was silent for a moment. We looked around at one another, unsure and confused.

Then, suddenly, Earl stood. "We must have a meeting and a discussion!" he barked. "Let us adjourn to the lounge in the dormitories!"

We filed out of the room, tension nearly suffocating.

DORM: LOUNGE

We sat around in the various seats and couches of the lounge in a vague circle. It reminded me of the trial, and I felt very uncomfortable, but no one could think of any other way to actually discuss things. Lucina stood off to the side, hugging herself and looking down at the floor. Barrett leaned against the wall with mock-casualness. The rest of us just huddled.

"Okay," Giuseppe said. "This is stupid, right?" He looked around at the others: confident Earl, confused Rodrigo, anxious JP, and stewing Barrett. "Legs for a life. It's an easy choice."

"Of course!" Rodrigo sputtered. "None of us could be so cowardly!"

Earl nodded. "Monokuma believes he understands us. But a man could never live with himself after doing what he suggests! Am I right, my friends?!"

Barrett scoffed. "Let the fuckin' bear come. I won't do shit he wants me to do, no matter what."

"An excellent attitude!" Earl enthused. "Let him come! It's no great sacrifice. I already intend to spend my life in the greatest wheelchair of all: a tank!" He gestured to JP. "Laettner! Your social gifts and business savvy will in no way be hindered by the inability to walk, yes?!"

JP looked at him for a moment, vaguely trembling, then he swallowed and nodded. "I wasn't thinking about it that way, dude. You're right."

Rodrigo stood up. "A paladin is trained to protect others no matter the circumstances," he said. "I may be hindered if I cannot run, but I know God will be with me." He glanced at Giuseppe. "But, Friend Bepi. Your talent requires athletic ability."

"My talent's a shit sandwich," Bepi replied. He looked around with his one good eye. "I've seen grunts get their legs blown off on purpose to try to get sent home. Always envied their guts."

Juliet looked around at everyone, worried. "So... so that's it? You're all saying you... plan to just let the time limit come?"

"Let it come!" Earl bellowed. He stood and glared up at a camera, sticking out of the ceiling. "Do you hear, foul villain?! We are men, and we are brave, and we stand tall in the face of your motive!"

Nicole walked to the center of the room. "Hold up," she said. "This manly shit is all great, but for the rest of us, what matters is trust. Get me? How can the rest of us believe you guys?"

Earl opened his mouth to talk, but Jane cut him off. "We can't." She looked coolly around at everyone. "But we never could. This doesn't really change anything."

JP glanced at her, then at everyone. "I'm gonna be totally honest, here," he said. "I might kill someone to save my own life, but anything short of that... I just couldn't. It'd totally wreck me." He shuddered. "I think this motive just isn't going to work. All these strong guys aren't gonna fall for it, and all us little weaklings are too chickenshit." He glanced up at the camera, too. "So, yeah. Bring it on, Bear Man."

Juliet was tearing up. "You... you're all so amazing! It's so wonderful to see men who can be men!"

All five of them, even Barrett, seemed at least a little affected by her praise. Ashley, with an annoyed glance at Earl, took a step forward. "All right, all right. The matter's settled. Now, Saya, Rogrigo! I need to meet with you to discuss the party!"

"Whoa, hey," Nicole said. "Uh, you sure the party's still on, with the motive and everything?"

"We're no more or less in danger now than we were before," Ashley insisted. "The party will proceed." She waved a hand at me and Rodrigo, then turned and strode to the door. "Come on!"

Glancing at each other, Rodrigo and I followed her out.

DORM: COMPUTER LAB

She led us into the computer lab; she marched to the front of the room and pulled out one of the rolling office chairs. She perched herself on top, her feet dangling over the floor.

I pulled out two more chairs and gave one to Rodrigo. We pushed them near her and sat. She nodded in satisfaction.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked. "I don't mind staying sober, but this party..."

"The party must go on," she snipped. She gave us each a look. "We will discuss your duties. I'll write them on this computer, as it helps me remain organized!" She hopped off her chair, wheeled it over to a computer, and jumped back on. Bewildered, we followed her.

She had a word processing program open, and she was typing. You are both not unintelligent, so I'm relieved you didn't figure it out on your own. This party is not simply to help us relax. It's a trap. Only Earl and I know.

I glanced up at the ceiling. A multitude of cameras pointed every which way, but none pointed directly towards the screen of the computer she was using.

"It is important," she declared, "that you pay attention to the partygoers who may be overpartaking in alcohol!"

The party will allow people to drink to excess, she typed. The mastermind is unlikely to allow themselves to be so distracted and vulnerable.

"If you note anyone who appears to be demonstrating an unhealthy level of intoxication, or who appears to be hiding how much they're really drinking, then you must alert me immediately!"

I'm aware either of you might be the mastermind. But if so, we lose nothing: you were not going to drink, anyway. And you see again how unwilling we are to play your game.

She turned away from the computer, eyeing us. "I'll get into the details tomorrow. But, do you both understand the basics?"

We nodded, and she gave a small smile (the first smile I think I'd ever seen on her face). "I'm looking forward to working with you both."

FACT 7: The party will be held in two nights. Rodrigo and I will be working with Ashley to chaperone.

FACT 8: There's a costume shop at the theater with a huge variety of clothes, wigs, and Halloween masks.

FACT 9: Barrett and Nicole pointed out that some really famous people have graduated from this program. Either these people didn't go through a killing game, or they somehow survived it and won't tell anyone.

FACT 10: There are goddamn terrifying mannequin things in the film studio. They're truly horrible.

FACT 11: Monokuma announced a new motive: If there isn't a murder in some set period of time, he'll cripple Giuseppe, Barrett, Rodrigo, Earl, or JP. All five insist they are not compelled by the motive.

FACT 12: Ashley and Earl set up the party as a chance to gain information on the mastermind, reasoning that whoever they are, they won't be willing to get drunk.