Naoko, Eryu, and Yori stepped into the storage room and shut the door behind them. The three of them were supposed to have a private discussion about what sort of plans they could lay out for the future, but as soon as they actually got settled in, that specific topic seemed to take a backseat. This was because, well, the three of them had just gotten into an unfavorable conversation with someone they were all very wary of, and Eryu still seemed upset about it.

"I can't believe we just had to go through that," he complained.

"I agree that that could have gone much smoother for all of us," Yori said. "That was why I brought the conversation to a halt."

"I could tell," Naoko responded. "It seemed to me that she didn't really like what I had to say about Haru. I suppose I get why she'd be upset, but…"

"I must admit, her being upset makes a good deal of sense to me as well," Yori said. "I too have considered what would happen if we released Haru so soon."

"What, do you think he'd try something again?" Naoko asked. "I feel like ever since we had him locked up, he's actually been pretty alright, behavior-wise."

"Hm," Yori replied. "Haru, on good behavior? Alright, then, that's something to keep in mind. For now, though, if we're to talk about Bankei herself now, perhaps I should bring up the fact that…Well, to be fully transparent, I'm especially worried about what you said, Eryu."

"What, as in what I said to Mareo?" Eryu asked.

"Exactly," Yori confirmed. "I simply think that what you said was a poor choice of words. It made it sound like Bankei wasn't allowed to begin walking around again without your permission. Bankei is by no means popular here, but acting callously towards her now doesn't seem like a good idea."

"I get that," Eryu admitted. "But that doesn't mean I like having her around. You both know I don't like her."

"The feeling appears to be mutual," Yori noted. "Though I can't pin down why exactly that is. Perhaps it's for a variety of different reasons."

"I don't know about that," Naoko weighed in. "I've noticed she seems to mostly just like messing with him, so maybe it's not really about her hating him, or anything like that."

"She does think it's funny when people are mad, apparently," Eryu said. "I'm sure I remember that being the case. Still, it's not like she thinks highly of me. And now she's in a perfect position to do what Kimi tried to do: make me sound like a bad guy."

"If you're still worried about that, then you should consider how to approach this situation carefully," Yori advised. "Don't give either of them any ammunition to use against you, so to speak."

"That sounds like you're asking me to stand by and be 'passive' again," Eryu pointed out. "But what if she tries to spread slander about me, like she did just now in front of Mareo in the hall?"

Yori paused to consider that question. "...Slander?"

"Right. Slander, AKA a hurtful lie," Eryu replied.

"I wouldn't say that she lied, actually," Yori corrected him. "Just about everything she said, she prefaced by saying it was her opinion. If what she said is really what she thinks, it's not slander. If she gives her thoughts on recent events in a way that makes you look bad, it will only make things worse if you call her a liar."

"Well, fine," Eryu said begrudgingly. "So what are we supposed to do about her now, then?"

"Do we really need to do anything right now?" Naoko interjected. "We came here for something else entirely, remember? Why don't we try focusing on that before we worry about what Bankei could potentially get up to?"

Eryu didn't seem to like this very much. He looked as though he was considering it, sure, but it clearly wasn't what he wanted to hear. "What if she does try something?" he eventually asked.

"If she does, I don't think it'll do much to harm people's perception of you," Naoko figured.

"I feel as though it could, but…" Yori paused. "I suppose that's more of a worst-case scenario."

Eryu, having given Naoko's words some thought, let out a sigh. "Alright. I understand, Naoko. I'm sorry, It's just, well, after Kimi chewed me out in front of almost everyone, I've been pretty worried about…that sort of thing."

Naoko smiled. "That's alright. I think I know where you're coming from." He turned to look at Yori. "Are you interested in starting with that group discussion now?"

"That would be fine by me," Yori said.

"Damn," Eryu swore. "I feel as though you told me before, but after all that, I feel like I forgot what this was all about."

"Oh, it's no big deal," Naoko replied casually. "It'll have to be private, though. Do we have some things to write with?"

"Ah," Eryu responded. "Of course, one of those discussions."

It took longer than expected to get to, but the three of them were finally able to get back to what was really important. Of course, how important it was was only matched by how tricky it was to come up with a definitive course of action. The three of them were in general agreement that if they tried to escape and failed, IMONO would crack down on them, and would probably be able to make any future attempts nearly impossible. So, they needed to make sure that when they made their move, it'd be successful.

But what would that move be? None of them were really sure, because the only exit they could think of was that big shutter door on the first floor, and it looked sturdy as all hell. Eryu suggested using the pickaxe and shovel that Haru had made to break the stone around the shutter door, in order to squeeze past it and open it from the other side, while everyone else barricaded the floor to keep the Droids from stopping them. He seemed pretty confident in this idea, until Yori reminded him of an observation she made of the room early on. It looked to her like something was built into the ceiling that could likely be used to stop them if they tried something like that. Eryu, understandably disappointed, maintained that they could still try it if they figured out a workaround for that specific issue, but ultimately agreed to put that idea on the back burner.

On the flipside, Yori suggested that the real issue was IMONO itself. If they found some sort of way to bargain with or even threaten IMONO, they could earn their freedom. However, even she didn't know how they'd be able to do so, as they had no real leverage against it, and it seemed pretty adamant that the facility was a lot nicer than it actually was, so simple reason wasn't a very good option.

A few similar ideas would be thrown out, but they met the same fate as the aforementioned two, being ultimately flawed and therefore not being good enough to be carried out. Naoko himself had difficulty putting his own ideas out there because of this, as it seemed to him like they still weren't in a great position to carry out any real plan. The best he could come up with was to just fall back on waiting until rescue came from outside, but that wasn't as much of a plan as it was a lack of a plan.

Suffice to say, it wasn't as productive as Naoko had hoped, but he was at least glad that they came together as a trio and managed to weigh their options. Perhaps, he thought, they should try bringing more people together in order to come up with a good plan. Then again, if what they were doing wasn't already conspicuous, bringing in more people would certainly be.

After all was said and done, Naoko decided to take a breather. Perhaps some socializing was in order.

It wasn't much later when Naoko managed to make his way to the second floor and passed by the music room. It wasn't hard to notice that the door to the room was wide open, and somebody was walking out of it in a rather sour mood. That somebody just so happened to be Takeshi, who didn't seem to acknowledge Naoko until he got his attention himself.

"Oh, hey Naoko," Takeshi greeted him.

"Hey. Were you doing something in there just now?" Naoko asked, pointing over to the open door.

"Actually, I was thinking I was gonna play in there for a while, but I decided against it. It just felt kinda wrong to me."

"I think I know why you feel that way," Naoko responded understandingly. "Would you like to hang out?"

"I don't see why not, sure," Takeshi agreed.

It was that simple. And truth be told, Naoko really did mean it when he said he thought he understood why Takeshi felt the way he did. He felt similarly about the gymnasium after the first trial. Going in there still skeeved him out, actually. That place had some bad memories associated with it. But hey, it's not like either room was really that important to either of them. They had a room to exercise in on the third floor now, and Takeshi probably still had all those wooden reeds - wait, no, cane reeds, he had to remind himself of that - in his room, so they were fine without them for the time being.

All in all, things weren't too bad, and Naoko felt like he and Takeshi grew a little closer after all was said and done. Still, Naoko did rip him away from whatever he was thinking of doing, so he figured it would only be fair that he gave him something for his troubles. It was a pair of drumsticks that looked like they'd seen much use.

"Huh. I didn't think you'd feel the need to give me anything special today. I'm pretty flattered, honestly."

At around that point, Takeshi looked like he'd remembered or realized something. It was hard to say for sure just by looking at him, but he obviously had something on his mind.

"Got something on your mind?" Naoko asked.

"Hm?" Takeshi responded. "Kinda, yeah. I was just sort of thinking about how we've been hanging out for a while now, and I still think we haven't chatted very much."

"Now that I think about it, I guess we haven't," Naoko said. "Still, it's not like I'm against it. What about you?"

"I dunno," Takeshi replied. "I feel kinda hit-or-miss when it comes to touching base. I actually remembered just now when we first met, and I described myself as being 'in touch with my roots' or something like that."

"Is there something wrong with you saying that?" Naoko asked.

"Maybe not inherently," Takeshi supposed, "but maybe it's also a bit simplistic? I'm not even sure if you understood what I meant when I said that."

"I feel like I might," Naoko shrugged.

"Well…I guess if you do, then you must have some knowledge of American culture, right?" Takeshi asked.

"Some knowledge?" Naoko replied. "Sure. I've learned some interesting things about the country just in general, and I've definitely consumed a lot of western media. I'm not an expert, but I know some basic facts about it."

"Huh," Takeshi responded contentedly. "Okay, then. So maybe you have an idea. Honestly, when I met you, I had no idea, so talking like that was kind of a shot in the dark. Not everyone's going to understand something like that."

"Well, that makes sense, I guess," Naoko said. "People mainly know about the culture they're raised in, generally. Then again, I know that a lot of people are really into foreign culture."

"Oh yeah, definitely," Takeshi said. "Like people that are really into Japanese culture. You know what I'm talking about?"

That question really got Naoko thinking, as he was well aware that Takeshi was referring to something that was very much real. In regards to that something, a couple of different terms came to mind, but…well, only one of them could be considered proper.

"You mean Japanophiles, don't you?" Naoko asked.

"That sounds like that's correct," Takeshi supposed. "I was thinking of some terms that were a little more, uh, derogatory. It's a good thing we don't have to resort to using them."

"Well, yeah," Naoko agreed. "It'd be pretty bad if there wasn't a way to describe it in a way that isn't negative. It's not like appreciating other cultures is weird or anything."

"Uh huh. Or, well, actually, that might depend on…" Takeshi had begun to respond to Naoko, but stopped himself partway through. He clearly had something pop into his head, as he eventually frowned and shook his head. "Y'know what? Nevermind. Maybe we should pick this up later."

"Really?" Naoko asked. He was confused to say the least by Takeshi cutting himself off like that. Still, if he didn't want to go any further, he certainly couldn't force him. "Well, okay. That'd be fine."

"Cool," Takeshi nodded. "Sorry if that was a bit abrupt. I just got some stuff on my mind I gotta work out. Later."

The two parted ways from there. Naoko was still intrigued after their conversation ended, considering how sudden the ending seemed. What about their discussion could have caused Takeshi to stop himself like that? Naoko wasn't sure, and kind of wanted to find out.

After some time had passed, it was getting fairly close to the evening (or at least their equivalent), and Naoko was left with a bit more time to ponder. At the point that they were at, it was sad to say that they could only do so much. Thus far, it felt like the main priority they had to concern themselves with was holding down the fort until the fourth floor opened up. Of course, that hadn't happened yet, and they hadn't even been given word of when they could expect it to be opened up.

But that was something that really seemed like it couldn't quite be helped. Still, some things could have been. For example, he remembered going into the library on a whim and being a part of a rather heartwarming exchange involving Hoshi. Naoko didn't really know where Hoshi was at the moment, but if he'd seen him in there before, there was no reason he couldn't find him in there again. And if he was there, especially by himself, then perhaps he would appreciate some company. Going off of that hunch, Naoko made his way to the library.

Entering the library itself, he would find that his hunch was partly inaccurate.

Granted, someone was there by themselves. They were sitting in front of one of the room's tables, said table having been embellished by a pot of flowers. The flowers themselves looked distinct, being white and spotted, but again, Naoko was no botanist. The room's pre-existing occupant didn't seem to even care much for it, being more interested in silently reading some form of literature.

And if it wasn't already obvious enough just by looking who it was, there were a pair of crutches left leaning against the table.

Naoko and Bankei's eyes soon met. That on its own might seem rather nice, even romantic, but given the actual context, all that either of them seemed to get was that neither of them intended to meet under the current circumstances. And while Naoko didn't want to outwardly appear to be unhappy about meeting Bankei, she, by contrast, didn't exactly stop herself from frowning.

"Naoko. It hasn't been that long since we last spoke, has it?"

"I guess not," Naoko supposed. "Don't worry, I didn't come in here to bother you."

"Oh, really?" Bankei inquired, awkwardly sliding the book she was reading away from her with her non-busted hand. "Because I have the distinct feeling that you may have been looking for me."

"Why do you think that?" Naoko asked.

"Because," Bankei began. "I distinctly remember having a rather unenviable interaction with you, as well as Eryu and Yori, just earlier today. I'd imagine, in your position, you'd have some questions you'd like to ask me. Especially when I'm alone. You've done so before."

"I'm not here to ask you anything," Naoko insisted, doing his best to be as honest and transparent as possible. "I just thought maybe Hoshi would be here. I know he has some mixed feelings about this room, but still…"

Bankei raised an eyebrow towards him. "So, you didn't ask anyone where he was before coming here?"

"Oh. I guess not," Naoko admitted awkwardly. He supposed he really had made a faulty assumption.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about it," Bankei said dismissively. "Last I heard, he's preparing dinner for all of us. An impressively dutiful man, that one."

"Well, alright then," Naoko said. "I guess that means he'll be alright."

"He should be, yes," Bankei agreed. "I hardly think you need to worry about his well-being to any significant degree. He's suffered less than I have at this point, and as you can see, I'm still able to enjoy my own personal pursuits…" Bankei stopped to laugh to herself for a moment. "Eh-heh. I must admit, though, reading one handed like this isn't my strong suit."

"...Alright," Naoko responded awkwardly. "Well, how people are faring is a concern of mine right now. After what's happened to us in less than two weeks, it makes sense to me that people would be in a bad state in general."

Bankei nodded. "That all makes sense. Considering some of the rather, um…unique people here, someone in your position most likely would be worried. And I doubt you're alone on that."

"Oh, I know for sure that I'm not," Naoko replied. "I know that Eryu is worried that-"

Bankei suddenly interrupted Naoko with a drawn-out sigh. "I'm sorry. I simply had the distinct feeling upon saying what I said that this was where it would lead. And, suffice to say, that feeling was correct."

Naoko frowned. "You don't want to talk about him, huh? So, you really don't like him?"

"'Dislike' may be a strong word," Bankei said. "Granted, after what happened earlier today, and what he said, it's not as though I appreciate him. Personal distaste is no reason to trivialize the misfortune of others. He does not seem to understand this."

Bankei paused for a moment to look back to the book she had been reading.

"All that being said, I'm assuming now you're interested in asking a followup question. Or, at least, you're interested in reporting back to him about what I've told you."

Naoko began to feel pretty nervous. She was definitely making assumptions, as she herself admitted, but all things considered, she wasn't that far off. What she was telling him did seem like something he'd let the others know.

"Judging by your silence, I am at least partially correct," Bankei continued. "Like I said before, something not too dissimilar to earlier today has happened previously. I say something that gets Eryu riled up, and you come to me to get answers."

"Well, you were…pretty candid back then, y'know," Naoko replied.

Bankei sighed once more. "I did say some things that no doubt piqued your interest, even if, perhaps, they were rather odd. Perhaps I oversimplified my feelings too much in order to make you understand. Like I said, I was interested in seeing people act on their own, without being under his thumb. When he announced to everyone that he was putting himself in charge, of course I'd be concerned. Just consider his title, for goodness sake. And besides that, yes, I was interested in seeing people act on their own because I wanted to see what would happen, even if what happened was a bit unsavory. That was, of course, before much of what has occurred since then, including my current predicament. If I knew I myself would come to harm, especially at the hands of someone so brutish, I would not have shared such a sentiment."

After Bankei finished this explanation, there ended up being quite the long pause between the two of them. Naoko was rather surprised upon hearing all of it, and though he had trouble taking it at face value, especially due to some of the things she also said at the time which she hadn't addressed (He distinctly remembered her finding it funny that he was getting angry at her. That was just the tip of the iceberg, really.), he didn't exactly think that he could tell her she was wrong. After all, like Yori had said before, if that's really what she thought, it wasn't like they'd be able to call her a liar for it. And if that was the truth of the matter, then, well, it kinda made sense.

After some time, Bankei looked down at the table in front of her and broke the silence. "It seems as though you're in deep thought. You must not have expected this sort of conversation after all."

She looked over and began to try and reach for her crutches where she left them. She was having obvious trouble, so Naoko stepped forward to help her.

"Thank you," she said with a smile as Naoko handed them to her. "You know, I think this calls for a proposition. What do you say?"

"...Sure," Naoko replied.

"Eh-heh," Bankei laughed. "Alright. I think I've bothered you enough now. How about I repay you by checking in on Hoshi for you, like you intended to previously?"

"Really?" Naoko asked. "Sure, that'd be fine. Do you know where to find him?"

"Like I said, last I heard, he's cooking for us tonight. He should be doing so right as we speak…" Bankei stopped trying to get up as she seemed to realize something. "Oh, right. Those pesky stairs. I'll need someone to escort me up them."

"I can do that for you," Naoko offered.

"No, no, you've endured me enough," Bankei insisted. "I'll just get one of the others to do it. You go off and…do whatever it is you do in-between these sorts of conversations."

"Generally speaking, not that much," Naoko admitted.

"Eh-heheh," Bankei laughed again. "Sounds to me like someone needs to be spending their time more wisely."

"Fair enough," Naoko supposed. Despite saying this, though, as he walked through the door, he wasn't really sure if he'd really be doing anything else that day. Perhaps, he thought, it'd end up being uneventful.

A/N: Welp, that was something, alright. At least now that's everyone covered, including Takeshi. Now nobody is safe...