After what was probably the most intriguing thing offered to them on the fourth floor up to that point had been so suddenly snatched away from them, there wasn't much else left to do. Their search of the rooms they had found were mostly complete, and they weren't getting access to that one room for the time being. Until that was opened up, and they were able to find out what punishment was dealt out to Bankei, they had ample time to convene and go over all that they had found.

It looked like the room Naoko first went into on the fourth floor was pretty much what it seemed to be on the surface. It was just a room for people to get coffee. Well, that and tea, or perhaps hot chocolate if one were so inclined. Some were intrigued by those options, while others seemed fairly uninterested. The common room also seemed fairly open and obvious, being a nice place for people to sit down and hang out. Whether anyone would venture all the way down to the fourth floor to hang out remained to be seen, but at least the furniture was nice.

The two rooms Naoko and the others had busied themselves with were the most interesting. For starters, not only were their contents interesting, but not all of it seemed to be immediately available to them. The distillery was indeed a distillery, from what anyone could tell, and its contents caused some intrigue, but the fact that there was a cabinet with a locked compartment they couldn't open only made things more odd. What was under there that was so important it needed to be locked away? Kimi thought it might've been some fancy distilled alcohol, while Yori surmised that it was probably just some particularly dangerous chemicals that were too dangerous to have out in the open. They might have been explosive, or extremely poisonous, or something. They weren't actually sure.

The laboratory also had something of note. It didn't come up at first, but aside from the more expected stuff in the lab, there was one thing that seemed entirely inexplicable: a safe. It was sturdy, metallic, and protected by a four-digit lock. It seemed like there wasn't a combination lying around, much like how there wasn't a key for that cabinet compartment lying around, so they could only guess what it contained. Perhaps something secretive, or valuable, or even dangerous. They had no idea, and after five attempts at opening it, it locked up and didn't accept any more guesses to the combination for ten minutes.

So that was a bit of a bust. Of course, there was an obvious question that had yet to be answered, and that was just what the hell a safe was doing there in the first place. For that matter, what was up with the locked compartment in the distillery? Those two things were both accessible to them, kind of, but they didn't know how to get at what, if anything, was inside them. For the time being, they'd have to figure out what to do about this mystery. It seemed like they theoretically could just ignore the safe and the compartment and get on with their lives, but on the other hand, if IMONO had neglected to remove something important from the fourth floor, maybe those two were also left untouched.

The big mystery, though, was why IMONO didn't seem to know something about the facility they were in. Sure, it was hidden to an extent, but that didn't change the fact that someone must've put it there. If they did that, and IMONO didn't know about it…then what the hell happened in this damn facility before they woke up in it?

Perhaps Eryu knew, Naoko figured. He was the one that took a look inside the notebook they found. He read a bit of it before it was taken away. Perhaps there was something in that short bit of text that he read that could tell them something. He'd just have to be discreet when asking him about it. IMONO said that they were better off not worrying about it, but they now had a way that they could speak without IMONO worrying about it.

Naoko met up with Eryu a short while after the search of the fourth floor was done. He didn't go to him right away, since that could be seen as suspicious. Once he did, though, they were in the common room. Eryu had made quick use of the new coffeemaker, and was having a nice seat with a steaming mug of hot cocoa. It actually seemed like a good place for Naoko to speak with him casually, or at least make it seem like it was casual. He gave him a discrete signal, alerting him that he wanted to speak privately, and he reciprocated.

"What did you find out?" Naoko conveyed. This would be, more or less, the test run for Hoshi's secret cant. If it worked the way it was supposed to, they'd be able to convey all the necessary information, while making it seem as though they were just talking about something mundane or silly, or telling a harmless anecdote.

"Not much," Eryu conveyed. "It seemed like it was hidden because it'd been found before. Whoever wrote it got in trouble when that happened."

"With who?" Naoko asked.

"It didn't say," Eryu replied. "Apparently, the person was upset for having to work in such a weird place. Maybe also something about hating their boss."

"Work? People used to work here?" Naoko asked.

"Seems like it," Eryu replied. "I figure this facility was emptied of everyone who was here before. Maybe IMONO was the one who did it? That's my guess. I'll talk to Yori about it later."

"Okay, thanks," Naoko said, concluding their private discussion.

After that, Naoko looked around, and felt like they'd done it. He'd heard what they'd said, as well as what they were actually conveying to each other, and it seemed to him like they pulled it off. Speaking in such a manner was going to be a bit tricky to get used to, but they were able to have a short conversation without much issue. They could probably make some good use out of this new method of communication.

"So, do you wanna talk about something else?" Eryu asked.

"I guess so," Naoko supposed. "Right now, what I have on my mind is Bankei. She's been in that room for a while now. What do you think is happening to her?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I just hope it'll actually do something about her," Eryu replied. "We can't risk having her going around plotting behind our backs or manipulating us anymore."

"I dunno," Naoko said. "Supposedly, that's sort of the point of the 'punishment', but we still have no idea what would be able to stop her from doing anything sneaky or underhanded."

"It might help make it harder somehow," Eryu suggested. "We'll just have to wait and see. With any luck, IMONO might actually do something right for us. Hell, even if that's not the case, Bankei shouldn't be able to manipulate any of us too easily."

"Why do you think that?" Naoko asked.

"It's simple," Eryu answered. "Even if she tries, we know for damn sure what she's all about now. Everyone does. She's shown how deceptive she is, and she even pointed it out herself. At this point, trying to get away with lying should be really, really hard."

Speculation aside, Eryu was right. They wouldn't be able to figure out what was being done to Bankei until it was finished, and she'd be allowed to return to them. Granted, they wouldn't want her around, but that was neither here nor there. And thus, some more time passed, and they simply waited. There wasn't much to do, so a few of them took to looking through the fourth floor again, to see if they missed anything down there. Just based on their quick search, it looked like if there was anything they hadn't found still, they wouldn't find it for some time.

Besides, they couldn't spend much more time investigating, because eventually, everyone seemed to receive the same notification on their phone. It was a simple message, urging everyone to gather by the off-limits room. Thus, everyone made their way to the fourth floor, if they weren't there already, and found themselves crowding into the hallway outside of the mysterious guarded room. Those two IMONO Droids were still there once everyone arrived, standing motionless in front of the double doors, but they wouldn't stay that way for long. After a few moments, one of them began to move and address them all. Perhaps it was the one that barged into the laboratory earlier? It was hard to tell, since the two were seemingly identical to one another.

"THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I KNOW THERE HAS BEEN MUCH SPECULATION AS TO WHAT PUNISHMENT HAS BEEN RENDERED TO BANKEI, AND IT IS TIME THAT THE TRUTH BE PRESENTED TO YOU ALL. THIS DROID WILL RETRIEVE HER. ONE MOMENT."

The Droid then turned around and went inside the room, while the other one simply stood where it was, completely unmoving. A few silent seconds passed before the door opened again, and the same Droid (maybe) returned, Bankei in tow. She looked…pretty much the same as when they'd last seen her.

"I trust you've all managed without me," Bankei said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"What happened in that room?" Naoko asked, cutting right to the chase.

"Hm?" Bankei responded. "Oh, well, nothing too horrid, I wouldn't say."

"You better stop being vague, or I swear I'll kick you right in your goddamn ovaries," Kimi said, apparently already fed up.

Bankei gave her a hateful glare. "Good lord, Kimi, are you serious? I'm awoken after who knows how long, and right after I return to you I'm met with vitriol?"

"Wait…you were awoken? As in, you were asleep?" Mariko asked.

"Well, yes," Bankei replied simply. "Though, I suppose 'put to sleep' is more accurate."

"Put to sleep?" Mareo responded. "You mean you were anesthetized?"

"Most likely," Bankei said. "That would certainly explain the device that I found attached to my back after I awoke."

"Device?" Naoko asked.

"Eh-heh," Bankei chuckled, "yes, indeed. Apologies that you can't see it. It's underneath my clothing." Suddenly, her lighthearted expression changed to one of disgust. "Apparently our ever-so-benevolent caretaker had no qualms about removing them."

"DO NOT MISCONSTRUE MY INTENTIONS, BANKEI. I TOOK NO JOY FROM DISROBING YOU."

"Regardless of your feelings on the matter, that doesn't change my apprehension of the concept," Bankei replied pointedly. "I hope the rest of you forgive me when I say that you will not have the privilege of seeing this device."

"We don't care what the hell it looks like," Eryu interjected. "What's important is what it does."

"WELL, IF YOU WISH TO KNOW, THE DEVICE SHE IS REFERRING TO IS NOT ONLY ATTACHED TO HER BACK, BUT IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO HER BLOODSTREAM. IF BANKEI ACTS IN A DECEPTIVE MANNER, THE DEVICE WILL DELIVER A SMALL DOSE OF A SPECIAL CHEMICAL COMPOUND DIRECTLY INTO HER BLOODSTREAM."

Yori looked like she was a bit surprised to hear this, but was nonetheless able to quickly piece things together in her head. "A chemical compound? Would that be one of the ones listed in that binder in the laboratory?"

"INDEED."

"Which one would that be?" Mareo asked.

"THAT MUST REMAIN A MYSTERY, I'M AFRAID. JUST KNOW THAT ATTEMPTING TO DISPOSE OF OR DESTROY ANY OF THE LABORATORY'S CONTENTS WILL BE CONSIDERED A MAJOR INFRACTION, TO BE MET WITH IMMEDIATE REPRIMAND. THERE ARE SPECIFIC CHEMICAL COMPONENTS STORED WITHIN THAT ARE TO BE USED SPECIFICALLY FOR CREATING THE COMPOUND IN QUESTION HERE, AND ATTEMPTING TO DISPOSE OF ANY OF IT SO IT CANNOT BE USED IS UNACCEPTABLE."

"Wait," Mariko interjected. "You said something about her acting in a 'deceptive' manner. What does that mean?"

"YES. THE DEVICE'S EFFECTS SPECIFICALLY ACTIVATE WHENEVER SHE ATTEMPTS TO LIE. NOW, FOR DEMONSTRATIVE PURPOSES, I MUST ASK THAT BANKEI PROVIDE A FALSE STATEMENT IN ORDER TO ACTIVATE THE DEVICE'S EFFECTS. ANY FALSE STATEMENT SHOULD DO."

"How about 'I have a heart'?" Kimi jokingly suggested.

Bankei only sighed annoyedly as she poorly attempted to hide her disdain. The IMONO Droid, meanwhile, only paused for a few moments before speaking again.

"WELL, THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BE A TRUE STATEMENT, LITERALLY SPEAKING. A MORE DEFINITIVELY FALSE STATEMENT WOULD BE PREFERABLE, IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE DEVICE WORKS AS INTENDED."

"Whatever," Bankei said. "How about something simple? 'The sky is green'."

It wasn't the most imaginative statement, but it wasn't like Bankei had the patience to try and figure out something more interesting to say instead. And, well, it seemed like it had the intended effect, since just a few seconds later, Bankei seemed to react to whatever was being injected into her. Her stance changed slightly, and her general disposition seemed to change with it.

"Oh…Oh, I see," Bankei said aloud. "This is…not what I was expecting."

"What's happening?" Takeshi asked.

"Well, I'd say I'm starting to feel very…" Bankei trailed off as she seemed to have trouble finding the exact words. "Oh my. I suppose the term would be…open?"

"PERHAPS 'HONEST' WOULD BE MORE ACCURATE."

"Honest?" Mariko asked. "Wait. Is this 'compound' supposed to be some sort of…truth serum?"

"PRECISELY. I HAD A FEELING THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO CONNECT THE DOTS FAIRLY EASILY. GIVEN HER DECEPTIVE NATURE, I CAN SAY WITH CERTAINTY THAT THE BEST WAY TO COMBAT THIS DECEPTIVENESS IS TO ENFORCE TRUTHFULNESS. WOULDN'T YOU ALL AGREE?"

Yori thought for a moment. "It's not a terrible idea, I wouldn't say. Though, even if she's punished for lying, she could still attempt to plot something, wouldn't you say?"

"PERHAPS, BUT IT WILL BE DIFFICULT WITHOUT DIRECTLY LYING. SIMPLY ASK HER IF SHE'S PLOTTING BEHIND YOUR BACKS, AND SHE WILL BE COMPELLED TO ADMIT ANY PLANS SHE MIGHT HAVE."

"I do more than plan, you know," Bankei chimed in. "I haven't planned anything ever since that trial finished up. What could I possibly do now? I'm not in much of a position to know, let alone plan."

"Is that true? Do you really mean that?" Ishi asked pointedly.

"Don't be a moron, Ishi," Bankei replied, rolling her eyes amusedly. "Everyone else seems to be well aware that I'm in no position to lie. What's your excuse?"

"Hey! Don't call me a moron!" Ishi exclaimed. "I was just confirming, in case you're…I dunno, bending the truth."

"What, so even now, you think I'm being dishonest?" Bankei questioned almost tauntingly. "You think I'm lying?"

"All you do is lie!" Ishi snapped back. "You lied to Yasuo, you lied to Mine…Y'know, I think you've been lying to all of us about different things."

"Yes, I've lied quite a bit, to all of you," Bankei admitted freely. "Including those two. However, they chose to commit murder of their own free will. I did not force them to do anything. So perhaps you should stop treating your dear friend Mine as a victim, and get rid of that ridiculous ponytail."

"My…ponytail?" Ishi replied confusedly. "Wait, what does that have to do with anything?!"

"Mine gave you the idea, didn't she?" Bankei asked. "That's what she told me. If you think you're going to keep it as some sort of tragic reminder of your friendship…perhaps you shouldn't. It looks stupid, and does terrible things to your skin and roots."

"Just shut up already!" Ishi snapped. "I don't wanna hear anymore of your shit! IMONO, I'm sorry, but we can't deal with this kind of honesty from her all day every day."

"DO NOT WORRY, ISHI. THE EFFECTS OF THE TRUTH SERUM SHOULD WEAR OFF WITHIN JUST AN HOUR OR SO. AND, OF COURSE, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO HER, YOU CAN SIMPLY TELL HER TO LEAVE. SHE JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE IN A VERY SUGGESTIBLE STATE RIGHT NOW."

"Be careful what you say, IMONO," Bankei warned. "I don't want you giving them any…ideas."

"Ew, gross!" Kimi recoiled in disgust. "What the fuck are you getting at now, you creep?!"

"Okay, I'm not sure what you think I meant by that, but you're wrong," Bankei stated, also looking rather disgusted. "We both know I don't think that way…most of the time."

"Get the fuck outta here already, goddamit!" Kimi shouted.

"Well, alright then," Bankei sighed resignedly. "Clear a path so I can get through and I'll do just that."

The others did that, moving out of the way of her path so that she could get through easily. She didn't say or do anything else by that point. She just staggered away on her crutches towards the common room until she was out of sight. Some people watched her as she left, but once she was officially gone, everyone looked back at the Droids.

"AS YOU CAN SEE, SHE SHOULD PROVE TO BE NO ISSUE FOR ANY OF YOU."

"Are you sure?" Mareo asked skeptically. "Certainly, this doesn't mean that she now poses no threat to us. If you wanted to ensure our safety, couldn't you have her locked up in one of the holding cells for the foreseeable future?"

There were a good few moments before a response came. Apparently IMONO didn't have a response ready for that. Even the Droid that was being used to speak looked as if it was taking a pause.

"I SUPPOSE I COULD HAVE. STILL, NOT EVERY ISSUE BETWEEN YOU ALL SHOULD BE SOLVED VIA SEPARATION AND SEGREGATION. AFTER ALL, BANKEI HERSELF IS NOT PHYSICALLY DANGEROUS, LIKE HARU WAS. AND NOW, WITH THE DEVICE ATTACHED TO HER BACK, SHE SHOULD HARDLY BE A PSYCHOLOGICAL THREAT, EITHER."

"But what about what she just said?" Mariko asked. "All those hurtful things? Aside from the whole 'planning' thing, all that this is forcing her to do is say what she really feels, and that could be even worse than her fake niceness."

"PERHAPS. HOWEVER, GIVEN HER TRACK RECORD, ABRASIVENESS SHOULD BE A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR YOUR SAFETY. I DON'T RECALL BANKEI INSTIGATING MURDER THROUGH HONESTY."

"...Oh," Mariko replied regretfully. "That's…true, but…"

"DO NOT WORRY, MARIKO. THERE IS NO REASON TO CONCERN YOURSELVES. NOW THAT SHE IS FORCED TO SHOW HER TRUE FEELINGS, SHE SHOULD POSE NO SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO YOU. AND, OF COURSE, IF YOU STILL HAVE SOME RESERVATIONS, PERHAPS YOU CAN FIGURE SOMETHING OUT BETWEEN YOURSELVES. SO LONG AS IT'S NOT TOO EXTREME, OF COURSE. WELL, IT SEEMS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS TO BE THE TIME THAT I BRING THIS GROUP MEETING TO A CLOSE. FEEL FREE TO EXPLORE THIS ROOM TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT."

The two IMONO Droids began to leave the same way as Bankei did, and were even followed by two others that had apparently been left in the off-limits room the entire time. Or, rather, it was the off-limits room. Now it was unguarded, and they could all go in and see just what that room was all about. Naoko, for his part, felt like he already had an idea of what the room was.