I guess I upload once a month now. That sucks, I don't want to take a whole other year to finish this story, for both your sake and mine. *cries internally*

Towards the end of this long long chapter, you might notice that Ren's backstory doesn't quite match the canon from Volume 4. It's based on a headcanon I had from before the end of V4, and it's what his "dates" have been building up to.

Chapter 3.2 - Despair Normalcy

Woken up by the announcement, Jaune immediately regretted having removed the tape from the speakers in the night prior. Monokuma's voice sure wasn't pleasant to the ears, especially not when it was the first thing one heard in the morning.

After getting ready, he made his way to the cafeteria. Most other students were already there, a group that still felt as lacking in numbers as ever. Eight, counting with him.

As the boy sat down at the table, Sun barged in through the door, coming in a little less late than usual. Perhaps he too was worried about any possible casualties.

"That makes all of us, right?" Emerald asked loudly, to no one in particular.

"Nora is still not here." Weiss was the one to respond, the first they heard of her that day.

"Huh, that is weird. Nora is usually one of the...first..." The realization struck him like a speeding truck, and was almost just as painful.

The incentive.

No, no, no, no, no! She can't...

He darted off his seat, taking off towards the door with no explanation other than the sound of his chair toppling on the floor. He was almost out when the chef called out for him.

"Jaune, relax. She's fine."

"Huh?"

"Nora's working in the art room. She came by before the rest of you showed up and asked if I could bring her something later." Ren pointed at the untouched plate of pancakes.

"Oh, that's good... I just thought..." His outburst felt silly now that it had been explained, and the eight pairs of eyes on him at the moment were only furthering his embarrassment.

"But if you're worried, why don't you go ahead and take it to her?"

"I… Sure." Anything was preferable from remaining there for much longer, basking in his pathetic little freak out. He grabbed the platter and headed out.

Upon reaching the Art Room, after some juggling to avoid spilling the baked goods all over the floor, he found it empty. No Nora in sight, but instead noise could be heard coming from the storage room annexed to it. He approached the door, and knocked with the free hand before getting in, wary of what he'd find inside.

"Ren?"

He slowly slid the wide plate first, hoping the sight of the food was enough to quell the inevitable disappointment.

"Oh, didn't expect you, Jaune." Her voice didn't sound too bummed out, or maybe his last remaining pride kept him from discerning it.

The girl was sitting by on a tall stool that kept her feet from reaching the floor, next to one of the wooden tables, but if he didn't know it was her he might not have recognized the person in front of him. The pink skirt she favored was still there, but that was where the similarities ended. Instead of the bright orange hair there was a handkerchief covering her entire scalp, and her green eyes could just barely be spotted behind a pair of translucid protective goggles. She had a pair of thick grey gloves on her hands, and covering her torso was an apron that probably had once been white.

"Well, at least you brought the stuff." She got up her seat and dashed in his direction, holding out her grubby paws to the food.

The luckster took a step back, trying to place the pancake platter away from her reach. Nora could've easily outplayed him to get to it, but she got the message loud and clear.

"Oh, right. Oops." The blacksmith chuckled before removing her mask and gloves. Beneath the protective layer, her hands were much cleaner than the rest of her skin.

"So..." He watched her dive in to the tower of pancakes with a giddy glint to her face. "What are you doing up here?"

"Smithing!" Well, technically that's what she intended to say, but in truth it came out as little more than grumbling muffled by her stuffed mouth, yet Jaune managed to somehow understand.

"What are you...making?" He didn't really get blacksmithing, especially not in that day and age. Vale had long since abandoned iron and steel sword as their means of combat, thus the once vital trade had faded into nothingness.

She slipped yet another piece of food into her already bursting mouth, and turned around, shuffling through the many tools and materials scattered across the table. After a few seconds, she grunted victoriously, and presented him with a small dagger.

"A KNIFE? NORA, WHAT THE HECK?"

The redhead looked confused as to why she was being scolded, and she swallowed in a big gulp to be able to speak properly again. "What? You gotta make a lot of iron daggers to level up!"

"Huh?" Level up? What was she talking about? "You made a weapon! Something that could be used to..."

"Ooooh, that's your problem!"

Jaune watched in horror as Nora gripped the handle of the dagger, and brought the blade up to the inside of her left palm. His heart skipped a beat and time seemed to slow down as she dragged the edge across her hand. His breathing was erratic, but he found himself immobile, unable to rush to stop what she was doing.

She raised her hand to his face, proudly displaying the product of her actions. It was completely unscathed.

"See? It's dull, silly! You couldn't cut someone with it even if you tried."

"Don't...ever do that again..." He struggled to calm down, his stomach still revolting from that short burst of panic.

"Oh, settle down, you big baby." She laughed heartily and resumed her snacking.

He turned his attention to the scattered tools around the "workshop", but that did nothing to ease his nerves. Monokuma's incentives had a way of putting him on edge, considering how effective they had been so far.

"Sooooo… blacksmithing?"

"What about it?"

"I don't know, how did you get into it? Seems like a dying trade." He hoped she wouldn't take it as an insult, considering she had a knife in her hands. "Was it because of your parents?"

"Nah, my parents died when I was little. Like, real little, I barely remember them." She didn't seem bitter or mournful, in fact she didn't seem to care much.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Does anyone else in this class still have living parents? What kind of sick god keeps killing all the parents?

"It's fine, it was a long time ago." He was used to Nora being carefree, but this was completely uncharted territory. Did she really not care, or was that her way to dissuade him from asking further? Either way, it was probably best not to press any further.

"Then, why smithing?"

"Why? Because swords, axes, spears…" She practically shivered with excitement. "...Greathammers!"

"Not guns, huh?"

"Guns are no fun! They're ugly and are way too hard to make."

"You still haven't answered my question." What the hell was even this conversation?

"I know. You're not ready to unlock my tragic backstory yet." She overdramatically clutched her hands against her chest, to emphasize just how tragic it was. Either that or she was screwing with him. Probably the latter.

"Now go, food bringer. Begone, I must work!" Definitely the latter.

Without a clue on what he'd just gone through, Jaune trotted out of the art workshop. The sounds of whizzing and whirring resumed as soon as his back was turned.

When the afternoon arrived, the plain blonde found himself wandering aimlessly again. Despite getting new areas and rooms with each death case, there was a strict limit to how many things he had to entertain himself, particularly considering the presence of cameras in almost every room, which was very inhibiting. Thus, quite unlike himself, he once again decided to seek company to pass the time. However twisted she might have been in the end, Pyrrha did have an influence on him, and her contributions weren't any less real for it.

After some consideration, he opted to search for Ruby. She had been there for him, even in a moment of such immense pain, it was only right to retribute. It didn't take long to find her. She was inside the rec room, sitting on one of the sofas, with a couple of darts in her right hand.

As he walked in, although there was no correlation since the couch placed her back to the door, she flipped one of the bolts onto her left, and with a confident movement of her arm pinned it right at the center of the target that hung on the wall.

Jaune stopped for a moment, impressed by her prowess, and watched as she repeated the process with the other two darts. Just like the first, they both landed right in the central area, sticking out so close to each other that they looked like they might fall off. Precision and perfect depth perception, she truly was the Ultimate Sharpshooter, even if there was no sniper rifle in her hands.

It was only when she got up to retrieve the arrows that she noticed he was standing there. "Oh hey, Jaune. Didn't see you there."

"Hey, Ruby. How are you doing?"

She shrugged and gave him a faint smile. "What about you?"

"Same." There was no point in pretending, or mincing words. They were hurting, and that kind of pain, however different it might be, didn't just go away. All they could do was pick themselves up and keep moving forward. It was all they had left.

The girl sat back down, and pointed one of the darts at the board, closing her right eye in the process. It was almost annoying how she still managed to land a perfect hit despite the absent-minded expression.

"Must be harsh not to be able to practice." He sunk onto the sofa next to hers, melting into the soft fuzzy surface. It was blasphemous how comfortable that thing was, like a hug of bliss that threatened to carry him to sleep if he stopped talking. Or maybe it was just the sleep deprivation talking.

"I am practicing." She threw her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, but it's not the same, is it?"

"No, it's not. There's no recoil, or the feeling of having such big, hard, heavy thing in your hands."

Too innocent... He desperately tried to change the subject. "Have you ever...shot anyone?"

Her silver eyes faced him, locked halfway between wide disbelief and indignation. "Of course not! What the heck, Jaune?"

"I'm sorry! I just... You're a sniper, and..."

"Yeah, but I don't shoot people! We used stationary targets, and plates for practicing on moving things." Ruby toyed with the dart on her fingers, no longer bothering to throw it.

The blond boy didn't say anything, considering carefully on his mistake. He had been curious, of course, as to how deep her sharpshooting experience went, but it had hardly been tactful to phrase it that way. Death was still too fresh of a topic inside that school, and they couldn't count on that too change soon.

"There was an offer, though..."

"Huh?"

Ruby appeared stunned, as if she hadn't realized she was thinking aloud. "Oh, there was... Like a year ago, some men came up to me with an offer. They were from the military, and wanted to offer me a position."

"Holy crap, seriously? What did you say?"

"I said no. Yang wouldn't let me either."

Of course she wouldn't. Army life was not at all the brawler's style, and she wouldn't wish the strict regimen and constant brainwashing on her dear sister. It was one thing to fight, and to enjoy doing it. Killing was another altogether.

"I wanted to change the world, you know?"

"Huh?" He was still deep in thought, so her sudden change of subject caught him unaware.

"When those men came, they pitched it to me as become a hero for Vale. It... sounded so nice. I used to dream of being a hero when I was a kid. Of helping everyone and saving the day." She sighed, her shoulders bearing more weight than any fourteen-year-old should. "I might've accepted if it wasn't for Yang."

"…"

"What am I going to do now that she's not here? Who's stopping me from getting into trouble because I'm so childish?"

"Ruby…" He reached his hand for the girl, and she turned in reaction. Tears were forming on the underside of her wide silver eyes.

"Penny, Yatsuhashi, Yang… Why couldn't we save them?"

Before he could even begin to form a coherent answer, the sniper sprung from her sofa and plunged her face onto his chest. His arms griped tightly around her body. She shuddered, but did not cry.

"Why wasn't I strong enough?" Her voice was so faint, he barely made out the words.

"It's not your fault. You didn't do this to them." Practice what you preach, Jaune.

"I know, but… What good is being special, an Ultimate, if you can't help those you care about?"

He almost chuckled. I wouldn't know.

"It's not over yet. We'll get Monokuma."

"Do you p… I hope so."

They stayed around the lounge for a while, not feeling like facing the rest of the world just yet. He showed her his pitiful dart throwing skills, managing to somehow miss the target altogether, and she attempted to give him a few pointers. By the time the afternoon became evening, he was already doing much better, blindly hitting inside the colored circles, rewarded with a round of gleeful applause.

There was little he could do for Ruby other than keep her company. She was strong, and she was already healing, pulling through.

Their free time together didn't evolve much from there, and they ended up heading towards the cafeteria together. Despite all the difficulties, the class still had yet to fail in gathering for every meal, even right after each trial, when they felt the most vulnerable. Maybe it was a sign that they could heal, that they could persevere. Or maybe it was just a testament to how spectacular Ren's cooking was. One would think they'd gotten used to it by now, that carefully-prepared delicacies had become the norm to the point of blandness, but that was not the case at all. Perhaps it was because of how much they'd lost, that even the trivial things they could rely on were given so much more intensity.

DING DONG DING DONG

"Gooood morning, everyone! It is now 8 am. Time to get up and face another day."

With no response to the incentive, normality seemed to be setting back in. That morning, Jaune woke up to find that his wardrobe's contents were dwindling. He'd have to wash his clothes soon, or there'll be nothing fresh for him to change into anymore.

Wash clothes. For a moment, it almost felt like he wasn't in a twisted murder game. Like he was just another teenager learning the ropes of the world. Like wounds could heal, and life go back to what it once had been.

Not that chores were fun. After getting some food in him and returning, Jaune picked up a pile of his clothes, as large as he could fit into his arms, and walked out of the room, barely able to make it out the door. He couldn't quite see the way ahead between the blockade of jeans and t-shirts, but he already knew the hallway by memory, and as long as no one crossed paths with him it would be fine.

And so it was that he made it to his destination unscathed and without causing any fatal accidents. He did his best to maneuver through the jumble of obstacles on his way to the washing machines.

"Hi, Jaune."

"Velvet?" He peeked out through the laundry bundle, and was able to see just the two rabbit ears over her head. She giggled at the effort it was taking him, although he couldn't really see that either.

His legs bumped into one of the laundry machines, and he crouched to open it, pouring all the clothes into it indistinctly. Pressing the buttons like Pyrrha had taught him, the machine began a low rumble, and he finally turned to see the rabbit faunus there with him.

Velvet was wearing a loose brown t-shirt and a pair of black shorts, sitting by the central table, hunched over a disassembled camera. She wielded a cotton swab in between her fingers, with which she appeared to be cleaning the inside of the machine parts.

"You really like photography, don't you?" Real smooth, Jaune.

"I do..." She stopped tinkering with the gadget, and raised her eyesight towards him, only to turn it away immediately after. "You know how they say a picture's worth a thousand words? Well, I...huh... I'm not very good with words..."

Me neither. The boy beamed his best smile at her, trying to sound convincing. He might not be gifted like them, but he could appreciate all the wonderful things they did. "Could've fooled me."

"Oh... I... Thanks." She lowered her face back to the camera, probably to hide her rapidly blushing cheeks, but turned back again with an inquisitive look. "You're not going to..."

"What?"

She didn't finish the sentence, but he noticed her lightly touching her ears. Was that what she meant?

"You thought I was going to comment on your ears?"

The faunus nodded. "Everyone does."

"What do they usually say?" Oooooh, boy, that was not the right thing to ask.

"They call me a... freak, or an animal, or... ask me if I like to..."

That conversation was heading off the rails fast, so he acted on the very first idea he had to make it stop. He grabbed her arm, and spoke in a mix of reassuring and panicked screaming.

"It's okay! I wasn't going to ask any of those things!" It was rough choice of words, an inadequate attempt, but it was also earnest and she seemed to settle down a little.

She's not shy, she's scared. It was a heartbreaking thing to realize about someone else, that they'd been living in a world where anyone was a potential attacker, and nowhere was safe. He couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like, making all of his problems feel small in comparison. Why was it that every one of his classmates seemed have some form of darkness lurking beneath the surface of their smiles? Was that the price of being exceptional, the toll required to be called an Ultimate? Perhaps he didn't want to be talented after all.

"Huh... What do you...like to photograph?" He wanted nothing more than to run away, to escape that interaction filled with awkwardness, but he also didn't want to just leave her like that. If he didn't at least try to show he was harmless, the rabbit faunus would probably remain frightened of him forever.

"...everything." She didn't really offer any more explanation than that.

"Even this school? I mean, wouldn't you want to forget?" Velvet was always snapping pictures, probably the one amongst them who acted on her talent more often, which puzzled him. Why would someone want to immortalize their fear and pain?

"I think... I think we shouldn't forget. There is so much darkness, but...there's also light. Friendships, moments of quiet, gestures of selflessness. Those things matter too, don't they?"

"Oh... I hadn't thought about it that way." It was odd, that the shyest student among them would be the one to hold those strong-minded opinions. Perhaps it was another byproduct of her isolation.

"There is beauty to be found in the horrible and unbearable. That's why I photograph."

He was left speechless, disarmed by the depth and kindness in her words. He hadn't signed up for a philosophical and emotional moment, yet he had been taken on one regardless. There was so much more to the rabbit girl than met the eye, so much more than first or even second impressions. Or perhaps she was pulling his leg all along, and if so she was doing a fine job of it.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Her long ears dropped down, trying to cover her face being their brown fur, and her briefly confident eyes retreated back into defensive mode.

"No, no, I'm glad you did! It was very interesting!"

Her irises glimmered for not more than a second. "You really think so?"

"Yeah. I'm glad you told me."

"Thank you."

Silence fell between them, and he felt it was best not to say anything else. Their conversation had ended in a good note; and of he kept pushing his luck, his lacking social skills would end up undoing all the progress conquered. In a way, the quiet was fine too. It suggested respect.

He waited for his laundry to be done, stuffing it into a basket for ease of transport. Clumsily, while lifting it up, he bid farewell to the rabbit faunus, and she directed him a smile in return. A genuine smile, and not one hid by the display of her camera.

With the clothes on hand, he soon found himself just by the entrance to his room. He lay the basket on the floor, slid the Scroll over the lock, and then picked it up again. Just as he was about to enter, however, a voice called out for him.

"Jaaaaaune, what's good, homie?"

Jaune ceased to turn the door handle, and peered over his shoulder confusedly. A similarly blonde boy moved close to him, too close, and slid one arm over his shoulder.

"How about you and me get some quality time today?"

"What are you..." He jumped when Sun's hand quickly slid in and out of his jeans' left pocket, almost dropping the basket from his fingers.

"Great, it's a date! Meet me in the second-floor bathroom in ten!" And then he strode off just as hastily as he had come, offering no explanation whatsoever.

Did he just hit on me? The luckster was utterly lost as to what had just stormed past him. Should he go meet the thief? In a bathroom of all places? Was Sun really thinking... what it seemed like he was thinking?

Instinctively, he reached one hand into his pocket, and found inside a piece of paper that hadn't been there before. Picking it up and unfolding it, a clearly hand-written message was revealed.

"Need to talk where Monokuma can't listen to us."

"Huh? Where..." That's right! Bathrooms have no surveillance cameras! But whatever could Sun have to tell him that needs such secrecy?

By one circumstance or another, one might even call it the vote of fate, he hadn't really ever hung out with the pickpocket. The well-toned boy seemed decent enough, with a cheery and carefree personality that never wavered despite the terrifying things they'd witnessed in that school. Perhaps it was his own way of being strong, but it didn't explain why he had picked Jaune to share this new classified information. Why not Blake, or Emerald, people with whom he clicked way more evidently, or even Velvet or Neo. Now that he thought about it, Sun sure was popular with most girls. Not that romance was really on the table for them, due to the climate of tension inside the academy.

With a tinge of curiosity, and an equal amount of worry, the Lucky Student obeyed the instructions after dropping off the laundry in his bedroom, and went up to the second floor, where the door to the bathrooms awaited. Swallowing away his impatience, he pushed it open and walked in.

"Damn, what took you so long?" The faunus was sitting over the plastic wall that separated the stalls, a flimsy barrier that didn't at all look ready to withstand the weight of a person. He only had a pair of jean shorts on, which ended well below the knee, but didn't appear fazed by his semi-nudeness "It's cool, you're here now."

"You wanted to be away from the cameras, right?"

"Yep. I've been snooping around, and I think I found something." He patted the stall door with his hand, signaling towards it.

"Wait, in here?!" What could he possibly have found in the bathroom?

"Yeah, why did you think I called you? I couldn't exactly invite anyone else into the men's bathroom. Blake would've probably stabbed me."

"What about..."

"Ren? I don't know, man... He's always so quiet, it weirds me out."

"You think he's the mastermind?"

Sun shrugged, before jumping down to his level. "Maybe, maybe not. But I know you're fine. Framed mates, right?"

"Heh, I guess that's true."

"Anyway, come check this out." The shirtless boy led him to the last stall, pushing the door so he could see.

There was no toilet inside, but an assortment of brooms, buckets and other cleaning tools. Nothing suspicious, at least nothing that jumped to sight.

"It's a broom closet?"

"No, no, look behind that junk."

Jaune followed the direction of his finger until the back wall of the stall, and moved in closer to inspect it. It was then that he spotted the outlines of what looked like a small concealed door. "Is this..."

"A secret tunnel!"

"What's on the other side?"

"Take a look for yourself."

Reluctantly, but oblivious of how easily he was falling to what could be a set up for murder, the boy removed the cover from the wall, and crawled on all fours through the narrow passage. It wasn't too long, so he quickly arrived at the end of the road.

No longer constricted by the tight walls, Jaune got up and looked around. He was in a room shrouded in shadows, making it hard to tell which part on the school he had crawled into. The only source of brightness was a faint red light coming from the right wall, which did little to cast away the surrounding darkness, but in turn was doing a terrific job of exponentially enhancing the ominous atmosphere.

His eyes gradually adapted to the lack of light, letting him discern the furniture within. There was a desk and a chair approximately at the center, and a shelf resting against the back wall. It was almost like office, except one that had no windows, doors, or any other conventional means of entry.

Why would it be hidden, though? It was a strange thing to include in a school's layout. Was it perhaps because it was the office of the mastermind?

Energized by that possibility, Jaune scoured through whatever he could find.

A whole ten minutes later, he would have found nothing apart from two books atop the desk, the environment too dark for him to read them. The drawers were locked, the shelf empty, and the chair had no secret mechanism waiting to be unfold as far as he could tell. It was annoying, infuriating, that they could get the taste of a breakthrough at long last, only to have it be hollow.

In a fit of rage, the luckster kicked the chair until it toppled over, and then grabbed the books and headed out. It felt like they had been played, like the mastermind had deliberately given them that feeble hope, only to squash it mercilessly.

After crossing the dark vent tunnel, he rose on the bathroom again, where Sun awaited him.

"What's that?"

"The books that were on the desk, I brought then to see if I could read them here where there's more light."

"You couldn't... Oh, right, I forgot you guys can't see in the dark."

The cogs and gears in his head began turning all of a sudden. "Do you... Do you think the mastermind is a faunus? Since only faunus can see in there?"

"No way! Blake is kinda scary, but she wouldn't do this, and same goes for Velvet, she's so sweet and harmless." He didn't even put a second thought into it, answering instantly. His faith in his classmates was that strong, or perhaps it was a silent bond shared by their kind.

"It's...not you, right?"

"Bruh."

"Alright, alright. Sorry." The disappointed glare shot at him was uncharacteristically intimidating.

"There's probably a light switch in there and we didn't see it, or it's powered in the central board. Also, the guy behind all this might not even be one of us. Wasn't there like a headmaster or something?"

"Ozpin?"

"Yeah, that! He could be living in the upper floors, and controlling everything from there."

"I guess so." He wasn't convinced, but it was likely they weren't going to find a better answer so soon.

"Anyway, let's see those books."

Jaune lifted the tomes that he'd been griping against his chest. "Surviving an Irradiated Wasteland and Psychology and Psychiatry 101. What the hell?"

Sun grunted in agreement, and picked up the second volume. He flipped through the pages in a blur, his blue eyes flashing through the content in an inhumane speed. "This is just gibberish!"

Or maybe you're just not smart enough to get it. Although the Ultimate Lucky Student doubted he would understand any of it either.

Instead he checked out the remaining book. It was a survival book, apparently written by someone who piously believed that humanity was doomed to face the zombie plague. With varying levels of trustworthiness, it offered basic instructions on how to build shelters, makeshift water purifiers, and even recipes from scavenged ingredients. It had little to no literary value, but might've been a useful tool to have in case of catastrophe.

"Is the outside really…" He only noticed those thoughts were being spoken out loud when the monkey faunus asked about it.

"Huh? Found something?"

"Dunno. It's a survival guide for extreme conditions."

"Ah, right, for the supposed wasteland we'll find outside."

Oh, yeah, you don't buy it, do you? In the fight over the state of outside world, Sun had sided with Emerald, whereas he had been on the believing side.

"Whatever, let's just put these back where we found them."

"What? You're not going to show them to the others?" What was he on about?

"And let Monokuma know we found his secret hideout? Are you nuts?" Sun picked up the two books, and moved to the entrance of the tunnel.

"But we need to tell someone!"

"I hear ya, but…who? Who do you really trust enough for this?" Before any answer could be uttered, the thief crawled in the vent and disappeared.

Dinner went by in a blur, conversations and jokes all flying past him. He looked at the faces of each classmate sitting at the table with him, unable to keep that fateful question away from his mind. Who did he trust among them?

Ruby would be the first choice, obviously. He had spent the most time with her of all the students, and they got along quite well, even despite the pain both been forced to endure. But was she the best choice? The young girl was, well, young and already facing more than she should. Last time he'd been alone with her, she'd ended up in tears. Maybe that new piece of information would give her the reason to keep fighting, to persevere, but was that a risk he was willing to take?

Perhaps Blake? She was fast-witted and perceptive, and had played a key role in helping them solve the various killings. If anyone could handle the knowledge and do something with it, it was her. Unlike with Ruby, however, the matter was trust was much more complicated. Could she really be trusted? And even if he decided to, would she be able to trust him back? Try as he might, he couldn't figure her out, which greatly dampened a potential reliance.

Ren? Apart from the sniper, he had been the one Jaune had spent the most time with. He felt some form of bond forming between them, even if it was one built on little words. Sun didn't really trust him, but the luckster knew better. He could trust Ren.

Making his decision, the boy was surprised to find himself back in his room. Amid the considerations, the meal must've ended and he mindlessly walked back there. Leaving the comfortable bed who called for him behind, he took off.

He would find the cook sitting in the cafeteria, enjoying some time to himself, away from the busywork of being their resident nutritionist.

"Ren, I was just looking for you."

The dark-haired boy nodded to acknowledge his presence, and took a second cup from the tray next to him, placing it next to the one he already had prepared. Without a word, he grabbed the teapot and gently poured into both small cups, before pushing one of them in Jaune's direction.

"Thanks." He pulled up a chair in front of the dark-haired man, and accepted the tea.

"We get to keep our clothes on, for once." There was hardly a trace of humor in his tone, but that didn't mean it wasn't intended as a joke.

"Heh, you've got that right." The blond sipped from his drink, feeling his lips burn at the touch with the steaming liquid. "So, there was something..."

"You want to know the rest of the story."

"Well, that wasn't... Of course, I do. You can't just drop the bomb that they tried to kill you and leave me hanging, man." That wasn't what he had intended, but he wasn't about to pass on a chance to know the chef more deeply.

Ren sighed. "My family... Well, I guess 'tribe' would be the better word..."

"...tribe?"

"I was born in a small community of wanderers. We were never in one place for long, instead we roamed from town to town. Children weren't really raised by their parents, but by the whole clan. So, in a way, there were all my family."

"Wow..." It was hard finding words. He didn't know such communities actually existed, and they were so radically distinct from his city upbringing. How was it possible that the same world could encompass such different lifestyles? "Was it rough?"

"I don't know. Was yours? A child doesn't really have a point of comparison, so it's hard to tell what truly is rough or not."

He had no retort for all that philosophical mumbo jumbo. "So, how did they..."

"One day we came upon a village that had been destroyed. Houses crumbled, wreckage everywhere, and also the bodies, I couldn't tell what had happened but it was clear that it had been a disaster."

The cook paused, and he didn't press on. He knew the details would soon follow.

"We salvaged what we could, and left. There was no one left we could help. Or so they thought."

"You found someone?"

"A girl, must've been around my age, hiding under the ruble, waiting for us to leave. She was coated in mud and dried blood, but at least she was alive."

"Who was she?"

"Don't know. She never told me her name, or spoke in any manner. She was terrified, and starving. There was no way to know how long she'd been there all alone."

"I wanted to bring her along, but... The clan would've never allowed it. So, I did all I could. I gave her some food, all I could carry without being noticed, and small knife that my father had given me, so that she would have something to defend herself if need be. Not that she was in any condition to."

"..."

"After that we took to the road again. It didn't take them long to notice that supplies were missing. I refused to tell them why, afraid that they would go back for the girl. Out leader, Raven, didn't take kindly to that. She said I was weak, called me a weasel for conspiring behind their backs. That'd how I ended up being banished."

"...banished."

Ren snorted, an uncharacteristic moment of emotion. "They left me behind, with a warning of what would happen if I followed. I was eleven, that was practically a death sentence.'

So, that's what you meant by 'tried to kill' you.

"How did you make it?"

"Foraging and hunting. Chose a direction and kept walking for days until I made it out of the woods. There was a village there, Kuroyuri, where a man was kind enough to let me work in the local inn."

Hardly kind to make a child work for the food he eats, but Jaune could hardly call it out. Life was so different outside the large cities, where civilization wasn't as advanced, and people lived much closer to their ancient roots. Besides, having Ren talk so openly was a victory, interrupting with criticisms would've been unfair and unwise.

"I swept floors, but when I could I would sneak into the kitchen. Maybe it reminded me of a home I no longer had." His expression didn't waver, coldness that would've made Weiss Schnee proud. "The innkeeper didn't like it, but he liked what I made. It wasn't long before I became the main chef."

"Business must've boomed. I mean, I've tasted what you can do." He smiled.

"I didn't have the quality ingredients I have here, but yes, it did. I was able to end up enrolling in school because of it. The rest you already know."

Chosen into Beacon as one of the Ultimates, which placed him in the mutual killing game with the rest of them. Not a happy ending, although not necessarily an ending.

"And what happened to the girl?"

"I don't know. I went back for her, but she was long gone. Never saw her again. I can only hope she made it."

"Oh..."

Ren reached for the teapot, and refilled their now empty cups. "That's my story."

"Thank you... You know, for telling me. I know you don't usually talk this much, so...thanks."

The other boy smiled, but didn't offer any verbal answer. Which was fine, not everyone communicated through words, and he respected that, especially after the mess he had made of his own.

They drank together, and in the quiet moment of companionship he ended up forgetting about the secret room on the second floor. He would only recall it again later in the night, after finding himself back at the entrance to his room just as the nighttime announcement blasted through all nearby speakers.

Oh, well. I guess there's always tomorrow. He closed the door behind him, and dragged his feet to the bed. It had been 48 hours since Monokuma's incentive announcement, and everyone was still alive. There was still hope for them after all.

DIIIIIIIING DOOOOOOONG

The Ultimate Lucky Student was just about to plunge onto the mattress when the doorbell suddenly called out to him, beckoning his presence. Malcontentedly, he slid his pants back on, and retreated to the entrance.

When he opened the door, no one was there waiting for him. Just an empty red hallway, completely quiet. Confused, he went inside again, and finally noticed the slip of paper on the ground at his feet. Jaune crouched down and picked it up.

"I found a way out. We'll all meet in the Rec Room in 1 hour. Keep quiet, Monokuma might be listening."

WHAT? A way out? Was it possible that they had found an escape after all that time? He had been there when they searched the Recreational Room, did they overlook anything? It all sounded too good to be true, that the prize they had sought since the first day had actually been found, but again, he had seen with his own eyes the secret room inside the second-floor bathroom. Monokuma, or rather, whoever was behind him, was just as prone to failure as any other human. Of there was a way out of that damned school, Jaune wasn't going to be left behind.

Seconds seemed to take so long to pass until the indicated hour. He tapped his knees impatiently, checking the time on his Scroll in a constant frenzy. He had to know. It might be a trap, he wasn't deluded enough to think otherwise, but he was going nonetheless. He couldn't give up hope.

The door almost ripped off its hinges when he stormed through as soon as the time came. The gnawing in his stomach was unbearable, that unease, that need to know. Were they finally going to escape that dreadful game?

The stairs were but a blur, and he was standing on the third floor before he knew it, just by the door to the lounge. He pushed on, entering the darkened room.

"Where is everyone?" Despite the agreement, it was empty. Which could only mean one thing, yet the realization came too late.

He felt a burst of pain coursing from his neck, but before any reaction could be formed, the world turned black, and Jaune Arc lost consciousness.

TO BE CONTINUED

Students Alive - 10