Act 2-3: No Lifeguards Present - Swim At Own Risk
This is it, folks.
The moment you've all been waiting for.
This chapter is the longest yet by far, so prepare yourself.
I present to you:
Super Duper High-School Animu Fanservice Pool Party
Holy freaking crap.
-Lime
...It's just a regular pool party.
-SD
Wow, way to ruin my rad-awesome intro. You totally threw off my groove.
-Lime
Sorry not sorry.
-SD
Also, once again, transphobia CW for this chapter. It's kinda in the middle so I don't know how one would safely skip it, but just keep in mind that it exists. Right after the water fight, actually.
This is the last time, I swear.
-Lime
"You know, I guess it makes sense that there'd be stuff like this in here - I think Monokuma said this was a commercial airship, wasn't it?"
I nodded. "I recall that too. Wonder why he left them all here for us, though."
Nico scooped up another armful of water guns. "Probably to get us paranoid. Or to screw with us in thinking people can actually get shot here."
"Nico, they're water guns."
She sniffed. "Hyper-realistic water guns."
Had to give it to her on that one. These guns looked just like the ones I'd seen in war movies, down to a mechanical safety and all.
"In any case, that's all the firepower I can find in here. Maybe there are more in the male changing rooms, but unless we send someone in there, well...I don't think the gatling gun fires water." Nico brought up a leg, and pushed down on the handle with it.
Wow, she's flexible..Wait, no, not in that way! Eek, what am I thinking?
"After you!" she said, kicking the door open.
I thanked her and went through, back to the swimming pool.
Swimming Pool
Changing Rooms
Arcade
Gym
Fast Food Place
Laundry Room
Selected Area: Swimming Pool
Walking over to the edge, I set them down, before removing my shoes and socks, and rolling my pant legs up to my knees. Settling down my legs into the pool, I began the meticulous process of refilling the water guns.
There were six of us here, and the majority were over by the other side of the pool. Faen was obsessively organizing what looked like assorted vegetables. Next to him, Johan appeared to be firing up a charcoal grill, while Hideki, still in that ridiculous coat, was preparing the flat-topped one, both of which we had nabbed from the fast food place and the ballroom respectively.
Flopping down next to me, Nico grabbed one of the guns, and began to refill it as well. She had already removed her stockings and boots inside the changing room, and was now playfully kicking the small waves in the swimming pool.
"Allow moi to join you two?" A voice said from behind us, and I didn't have to turn around to figure out who it was.
Lucille sat down, now in a red jacket and cargo pants rolled up to her knees, and took one of the guns to help refill. "It has been quite some time since ze three of us conversed like zis, no?"
"No kidding." Nico smiled, "To think we were strangers a week ago...I'm happy to call the two of you my triplets from now on! I only wish Todd was here too..."
"Aw, me too…" I was pretty sure I had my own grin on. "I know we'll find him, though. Still, I really miss times of peace like this...It feels so good to be able to just talk."
We all nodded and laughed, before grabbing another gun from the pile to refill.
...Wow, that is morbid.
For a while, we focused on getting water, before the door to the burst open.
"Stop bloody chasing me, you bloody psycho!" screeched Eric as he ran into the vicinity.
"You can't run forever! Your transcendent stamina will eventually deteriorate given enough time!" Tien followed him, somehow managing to look ladylike and composed while sprinting.
Eric rounded a corner of the pool, and slid over to the male changing room, putting his hand onto the knob. "Check. And. Mate." He yelled in triumph, as he turned the handle.
Realizing it wouldn't budge, Eric facepalmed, before taking out his Electro-ID. Swiping it, he 'ha-ha!'d in jubilation, before disappearing inside.
Tien turned to follow him, but stopped the moment the gatling gun swiveled to face her. "On second thought, I shall desist," she said coolly. "I'm not in the mood to get executed by a pair of sociopathic pilots."
Having given up (at least, for now, I added as an afterthought), Tien waved hi to us, before joining Faen in preparing the food. That spectacle over and done with, we went straight back to filling up the firepower.
I wasn't sure how long had passed, but we eventually finished with all the guns we could retrieve. By then, my fingers were starting to become wrinkled, so I decided to go over to the grill to warm them back up.
Leaving Nico and Lucille to chat about something I couldn't decipher (was that Madeon? I dunno), I walked over to my other friends.
"Hey, Ashley," muttered a distracted Hideki, without fully looking at me.
"Ah, Ms. Jung." Faen greeted. "We are ready to begin cooking, although I do remember you have something planned before this, is that not correct?"
"Yeah." I turned my eyes, "To be fair, it was all Maya's idea."
To my amazement, my theory was right - even though I hadn't seen her enter or leave earlier, Maya was right by Johan, seemingly materializing out of nowhere. Evidently, Johan hadn't noticed her either, because he immediately jumped away from her, screeching, "Where the hell did you come from?!"
"Meh. I've been here the whole time. I just fail at being noticed." Maya shrugged, before walking off to- wait, where'd she go?
"...Fascinating." Tien adjusted her glasses with her pinky - the only finger not currently entrenched in meat from molding burgers. "After I determine Eric's skill with the Mono-Mono Machine, I shall be closely observing her."
The next entrance prompted me to giggle. Matthew had just entered from the door leading to the escalator - and Jackie was right behind him, grabbing onto his arm. It looked like my advice for him was either helping, or giving Jackie more reason to be jealous. Either way, win-win, I say.
Hmm. Maybe I should incorporate that as a lyric into our next hit single after I get off this plane.
"Hullo, what's up?" Jackie chirped. She sounded like she had done a complete one-eighty in temperament from her earlier self.
"We're having a barbecue," Hideki deadpanned. "The grills should have been enough indication."
"I hope you people have veggie burgers," came a familiar voice from the door.
I turned to see Sasha, in her black coat from earlier, sleeves rolled up to her elbows. To her left and slightly behind her stood a coat-less, scarf-less Xiang, looking incredibly stoic.
"Where were you two?" asked Hideki suspiciously.
"Just investigating," said Xiang, "Nothing much."
"Well, did you find anything?" asked Hideki, raising his eyebrow.
"Nothing of note," said Sasha with a sigh. She angrily shoved her hands into her pockets and walked over to the grill, before turning to glare at Faen. "Better be veggie burgers, Skylark. I'm vegetarian."
"As you wish, Mx. Oryolov. I do recall having some...we did, didn't we, J-Mr. Otto?"
"Think so," responded Johan absentmindedly.
"We most certainly do," replied Tien.
I looked around. With Xiang and Sasha, that makes thirteen...
Hideki got the message. He raised his voice and shouted, "Okay, we're all here! Can everyone please gather by the grills?"
In no time at all, the others had stopped before the two machines, waiting for him to do something. Well, all of them, except-
"Can somebody go get Eric?" Hideki was facepalming as he said that.
"Allow me." Xiang excused himself, before walking towards and into the changing rooms.
Seconds later, he walked out again, dragging Eric, who was struggling against his fireman's carry. "Let me go, you bloody wank! I'm not going back to that psycho!"
"Relax." Tien adjusted her glasses with her pinky. "My hands are currently thoroughly coated in meat. I am in no condition to attempt any sort of experiments without the necessary sanitary levels."
"Oh, thank god." Eric allowed himself to be let down, and walked over to stand at attention.
"Right. On to it, then." Hideki cleared his throat, before addressing us all. "We are gathered here today for a celebration. It is not a celebration of anything in particular - in fact, there is no real reason for us to have this celebration. So why do we celebrate for no real reason? That's easy - because it's fun. Nico and Lucille organized this party so that we could all have fun together - like a normal high school class. I feel we should attempt to live our lives to the fullest, knowing that the end, for many of us, may draw ever nearer." He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing his speech. "It is with sorrow and regret that I look back on the students who already met their untimely departure from our midst. And so, I would like to dedicate this celebration to the memories of the Super High School Level Lawyer, JJ Jackson, and to the Super High School Level Hockey Player, Ava Tremblay. We can't let their deaths have been in vain, and for that very reason we need to hold onto hope. And hopefully, we will be able to find Todd, alive and well. To them."
He ended the speech solemnly, and from around the room came uproarious applause. Eric, standing near the front, cheered, "Bravo, mate, bravo!" Nico applauded particularly ferociously, as did a teary-eyed Lucille. Faen bowed his head solemnly, as did Xiang. Even Maya graced him with some applause, half-hearted as it was. Only Sasha wasn't applauding - she just leaned against the wall and glared at the floor. For a moment, I considered the fact that she had just been beaten at her own game - public speaking, and I did kind of feel sorry for the activist. But then a wave of Nico, Lucille, Jackie, Tien and even Maya sidelined me, making a beeline towards the girls' changing room. Simultaneously, Eric rushed back into the boys' changing room, and Hideki - the last to enter the room - closed the door behind him with a soft thud.
Only one person remained in the pool area - Sasha remained leaning against the wall, her eyes closed.
"Aren't you going to go change?"
She glared at me. "How can you even ask that?"
I sighed. "Well, you either need to suck it up or miss out on a great pool party."
She growled. "It's not an issue of sucking it up, or anything - you really don't understand anything about me, do you? Regardless, I doubt this party will be enjoyable in the slightest."
"You won't know until you try," I pleaded.
She huffed angrily. "I'll just change in my room. Later, Jung." With that, she stuck her hands into her pockets and angrily stormed off.
I shook my head. Suppose there's just no changing someone like her.
"Ashie, are you okay out there?" Nico's head peered out of the door.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied.
"Mmkay, if you say so...are you going to come in then?"
Swimming Pool
Changing Rooms
Arcade
Gym
Fast Food Place
Laundry Room
Selected Area: Changing Rooms
By the time I had entered, the others were in various states of undress. I blinked - this was the first time I'd seen Maya in anything that wasn't remotely creepy.
No wait. There were eyes on her chest, and a jagged mouth going around the waist of her tankini. I knew I hoped for too much…
"Are you going to keep staring at me, Ashley?" Maya's voice shook me out of my reverie. I could feel the blood rushing to my face, as I hurriedly shifted to the other side of the changing rooms, where I had already left my swimsuit when I was in here earlier.
As I slipped off my shirt and jeans, my eyes wandered around the room. Maya had finished changing, and was staring at me with a mixture of disgust and amusement present on her face, so I moved on. Tien was in a modest one-piece swimsuit, covered in polka-dots of varying colours sprinkled over it.
Moving on to another corner of the room, Jackie was currently in the process of tying the ends of her bikini top around her neck and back. Finished, she turned to reveal a dark-blue bikini with dark purple spots, and slight black ruffling.
"And, done!"
Nico brushed her hair out of the way, revealing a two-piece green-striped swimsuit, with scarlet frills around her chest and hips. In all honestly, she looked like a watermelon, but I suppose that might have been her intention.
I looked down, and grabbed my swimsuit. Slipping it on, I put both straps over my shoulders, before zipping it up over my breasts and to my neck.
"Hey, Nico, how do I look?" I ask, turning around for her to see.
The company was gracious enough to provide the entirety of Heartfuls with swim wear when we went to the beach to film a music video last month. I'd kept the one they gave me, because, honestly, the design was pretty stylish. It was a variant on a school swimsuit, except it left most of my back bare, and the skirt-portion of it was slightly lengthened - so that we could get past the moral guardians on KBS.
"Looks great on you, Ashie!" Nico cheered, before a thought visibly struck her, "Wait, is that the same swimsuit you wore in Songjeong Split?"
I grinned. "Yep, it sure i-"
"Oh, excusez-moi, everyone."
Lucille, who had her back turned to us until then, turned around. "Does zis look like it fits?"
My jaw dropped. So did the jaws of every girl in the room.
Perhaps we should have expected it, but Lucille...Lucille's bust was just huge. Her ample chest seemed ready to spill from the red and yellow bikini she had on.
Subconsciously, I felt my hands protectively cradle my own chest, as I looked away, my face burning with what I thought was either shame or jealousy. A quick glance around the room showed that everyone else was in a similar state of envy - with only Tien being able to look at her directly.
...I guess the myths surrounding breast envy were true.
"You know what? I'm out of here." Maya deadpanned, before slamming the door open and walking out, followed by the other girls.
"I feel inadequate…" Nico frowned, before walking out as well. Couldn't blame her, I guess - anyone would feel inadequate compared to Lucille, but Nico would have felt it most of all. I still hadn't forgotten her outburst on day one.
"Eez something ze matter?" Lucille asked, confusedly staring at where the other four were only moments before. I held up a finger to say something, then decided against it.
"Nothing. C'mon, Lucille. Let's go water-gunning."
Swimming Pool
Changing Rooms
Arcade
Gym
Fast Food Place
Laundry Room
Selected Area: Swimming Pool
As I walked out, I noticed that, while all the girls were already starting to test out which type of gun they wanted for the ensuing royal rumble, only two of the guys had left the changing room.
Matthew was still talking to Jackie, and was wearing a pair of blue swimming trunks. He had traded his glasses for a pair of goggles, and was also wearing a red swimming cap.
Hideki, on the other hand, was testing out his grip, and was wearing a red swim shirt over a pair of black swimming trunks. Interestingly enough, he was still wearing his eyepatch - it must have been waterproof, or he had spares-
Right. He does have spares.
"Hello, Ashley," he greeted. "Care to choose a gun?"
"Sure." I glanced at the pile, "Never used one, though."
"It's pretty simple. Just aim," he demonstrated, by taking one of the water pistols and aiming it at my face, "And fire."
"Hey!" I got splashed.
He had on one of his rare smiles. "Don't worry, you're not out yet. Here, take this, and you can shoot me back if you want to."
Taking the gun, I fired a quick round into the back of his head. So this was how it felt like to hold a gun...It wasn't unpleasant, but I guess it'd be different if we were firing live rounds.
"You are correct."
Xiang stepped up behind me, picking one of the larger guns - a rifle, I noted. "There's a significant difference in knowing whether your shot will kill someone. It makes the gun much heavier to hold, I assure you."
He was in a pair of black swimming trunks, with a fire design near the sides. But what shocked me were his abs - wowee, he was ripped. I wouldn't have believed that he had so much muscle under his outfit…
"Ashley, you're starting to scare me…" Xiang stated, looking at me with a perturbed expression. Whoops, must've been staring again.
I blushed and turned away. "Sorry."
Taking the pistol along with me, I joined Nico in waiting by the poolside. I glanced over and noticed she was holding a shotgun. "Have you ever fired one before?"
"Huh? Oh, no." She smiled and rubbed the gun's barrel. "But Aidan once told me that a shotgun carries the most range, and I've seen him use one while we were out hunting. These things pack quite the punch, so I thought they'd be good."
I nodded. "You might want to test it out first, though. You know, get a feel for it."
"Alright!" Nico pointed the gun at the water, and pulled the trigger.
BLAM!
I wasn't exactly sure what happened, but it appeared as if the recoil from the gun sent it flying out of Nico's grip, where it soared through the air, into-
"Gotcha." Johan held the gun up triumphantly. It made sense that he would catch it - he's a football player too, after all, right? He was wearing a pair of dark green and navy blue swimming trunks, with white lines between the blue and green parts. And he was ripped as well, though perhaps not so much as Xiang.
"Hey, Johan, nice catch!" Nico cheers.
"Thanks!"
"Well, Ashie, guess I'll get myself another gun. See you in a bit." she got up, stretched, before making a beeline for the supply.
As I just kicked the water lightly to see the ripples, someone else sat down beside me.
"Everything okay, Ms. Jung?"
I turned, and as expected, it was Faen. He was wearing a pair of white knee-length swimming trunks. His body was more slender than muscular, but I could still see his well-defined muscles.
"I'm fine, yes. Why?" I inquired.
"You were sitting all alone, and I thought I'd come check to see if you were alright."
"I am alright. Thanks for checking, though." I smiled to reassure him.
He hesitated, before speaking his next line. "I don't suppose I could ask your advice on something?"
= = Free Time! = =
Free Time with Faen?
[Yes] [No]
Faen: As we all are much aware of, Mr. Tanner and Ms. Ressa are currently...involved romantically, as much as they wish to deny it, is that correct?
Ashley: Well, I don't want to force them, but…
Ashley: ...they are somewhat obvious.
Faen: Indeed. What distresses me, however, is that...I feel I too am interested in pursuing a relationship.
Faen: Yet…
Ashley: Wait - do you like Jackie or something?
Ashley: Oh dear...I did not mean to say that - although knowing my track record, he would've heard me no matter what.
Faen: What? Oh, no, Ms. Jung, you misunderstand me! I am perfectly happy to see those two together, and would not even think of doing anything to ruin their own happiness!
Faen: It is just...I myself believe I am falling...in love. Not with either of them, I can assure you, however.
Ashley: Oh.
Ashley: Hmm...I wonder who it is?
Faen: A gentleman never kisses and tells, Ms. Jung. I cannot affirm nor deny
Ashley: Somehow, I don't think that's necessary. I already have a good idea of who he's talking about.
==Select!==
1. Ashley Jung
2. Johan Otto
3. Maya Metl
4. Hideki Kenta
5. Sasha Oryolov
6. JJ Jackson [DEAD]
7. Lucille DuCarde
8. Xiang Li
9. Nicolette Birza
10. Faen Skylark
11. Jacqueline Ressa
12. Matthew Tanner
13. Ava Tremblay [DEAD]
14. Eric Andrews
15. Phuong Tien Lam
16. Todd Dunham [MISSING]
Ashley: I feel like it must be this person.
Ashley: Is it Johan?
Faen: (*gasps*) How did you-
Faen: ...I guess I was that easy to read, was I not?
Ashley: You calling him 'Johan' instead of 'Mr. Otto' was the giveaway.
Faen: I knew it had to be my slip of the tongue...I should have been more subtle. I should have known I was unable to keep the cat in the bag, as it were.
Faen: I am a disgrace to my profession.
Ashley: You are no such thing! It was a mistake - everyone makes those!
Ashley: Don't worry about it, really. An occasional slip-up says nothing about your skill as a butler!
Ashley: Besides, I know you must like Johan very much if you're willing to call him by his first name, right?
Faen: ...That is true. Thank you for the words of consolation.
Faen: But I fear he does not reciprocate.
Ashley: It can't hurt to ask him, right?
Faen: Indeed, it cannot...But I am unsure, for the first time in a long time.
Faen: Johan is a rather sensitive man - I am not privy as to how he would feel if I were to drop such a bombshell on him so abruptly.
Faen: We as butlers know that any matter of the heart cannot be approached or dealt with lightly, and this is of no exception.
Ashley: Well, a pool party is a celebratory occasion. This might be a good time to do it.
Ashley: Actually, tell you what; if you want me to, I'll go ask Johan on your behalf first? Does that sound alright to you?
Faen: Ms. Jung...that sounds like a wonderful idea.
Faen: Thank you. You have my utmost of appreciation and respect.
Faen: But it cannot verily calm myself...I may be experiencing some form of anxiety.
Ashley: Faen's just worried...I know I can calm him down easily. But maybe I should switch approaches?
Ashley: I have something in my bag you might be able to use, Faen. Stay right there. (*walks over to bag*)
Ashley: Let's see here...
==Select!==
1. Silver Ring
2. Sunflower Seeds
3. Self-Erasing Cassette Tape
4. Absolute Tuning Fork
5. Crowbar
6. Gloves of Tomorrow
7. Tissues
8. Bandages
Ashley: From me to you.
Faen: Is that...a ring?
Ashley: Yeah. Do you want it?
Faen: A gentleman cannot possibly be bestowed with such an expensive gift from a lady, Ms. Jung…
Faen: …
Faen: It is a very beautiful ring, though, I must admit.
Ashley: So take it! It doesn't mean anything to me - you need it way more than I do.
Ashley: Besides, it's either him, or I force it on Matthew and Jackie, and I think it's best I give to him before we reach that phase.
Faen: I...thank you, Ashley.
Ashley: No probl- wait.
Ashley: Did you just call me by my first name?
Faen: Did I? Well, I suppose that means I have grown to trust you enough, have I not?
Ashley: O-Oh. (*blush*)
Ashley: T-Thank you, Faen. That means a lot to me.
Faen: I do not suppose it would be alright with you if I were to give you a hug?
Ashley: Aw, come here, you! (*hugs*)
Faen: (*releases hug*) Thank you very much, Ashley. It's-
?: HEY ALL!
Shared: Silver Ring!
Hopefully, Faen will use this ring for the right purpose I had in mind. I just wish I had another one of these, though - rings, like people, always come in pairs, of course...
Faen Skylark - Level 2!
Faen is fairly attracted to Johan, but holds back out of respect for Johan and the fear that Johan may not reciprocate his feelings. It's up to me to affirm the truth.
My conversation with Faen was interrupted when a loud voice echoed throughout the swimming hall.
"Say hello to my little friend!"
Eric stepped out of the male changing room, hands brandishing what seemed to be an assault rifle, easily bigger than any of the guns we had. He was wearing a pair of navy blue swimming trunks, and had a pair of goggles around his neck, along with the devilish grin on his face-
"Hey Eric, you compensating for something?" Maya drawled, loud enough for us to hear.
-which immediately faded away into embarrassment. "Oi! Make fun of my wang, will you?! I'll have you know I'm packing heat!"
Hideki facepalmed. "Why do I put up with him again?"
"In any case, is that all of us?" Matthew looked around.
"I don't think so…" Xiang said slowly, looking around. "Where's-"
"You took an awful long time to realize I was gone for someone who's supposedly my friend."
The door to the escalators flew open with a slam, and Sasha walked in, her hair lightly tossing up and down as she walked. She was still wearing her black coat, but underneath it she appeared to be wearing a navy blue t-shirt and a pair of black shorts that sat on her waist. I supposed that was her swimsuit.
"...Happy to see you show up, Sasha," Hideki grimaced, before continuing, "We were about to start without you."
"I was about to get you," said Xiang, much warmer than Hideki had been speaking. He tossed her a pistol. "Here you go."
Sasha weighed it in her hands. "Why the hell are you guys giving someone like me a pistol? Main reason I never considered law enforcement a viable career option is that I'd fail any psych evaluation they'd throw at me."
"...It shoots water. We're going to have a water fight," Hideki quipped.
"Free for all? Do general hits count, or only hits to a certain area? And will getting thrown in the pool disqualify a theoretical contestant?" she listed off in a monotone.
"Yes, general hits, and yes," said Nico.
"Alright, then. Shall we get started?" asked Hideki.
"Yeah!" Nico cheered. "I'll count off, okay? Three!"
Tien clutched a pistol in her hand, practically shaking. Johan readied his shotgun, and Faen moved behind him, the fear apparent on his face.
"Two!"
Matthew and Jackie nodded at each other. Hideki moved back towards the grills, clutching his gun.
"One!"
Sasha and Xiang stood back-to-back as Eric readied his rifle, a look of pure bloodlust in his eyes.
I readied my pistol. Bring it on.
"Go!"
"I'm taking you down first, psycho lady!" yelled Eric, charging Tien with his overkill of a rifle. She gasped, dropping her gun and stepping backwards. But before he reached her, a deluge of water slammed into her, knocking her back into the pool.
Eric glared at the source. "You stole my kill, asshole!" In his shock, I noticed his accent slipping. He quickly corrected it. "D'ya wanna bloody go, mate?"
Xiang sighed and dodged the barrage of water pellets effortlessly. Eric, enraged, turned the gun towards the place where Tien had fallen. Sasha, now holding the fallen scientist's gun in one hand and her own in the other, swiftly dodged and, dual-wielding both pistols, fired at Eric's feet.
He barely managed to avoid the stream, stumbling back as the place his feet had been moments earlier was soaked. He looked up to see the barrel of yet another gun.
"Zhis isolation strategy really eez brilliant, Matthew!" Jackie exclaimed, grinning.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Matthew had a smug grin of his own on.
"Shall we shoot?"
"Yeah. On three."
"Three!" They chorused as they pulled the triggers.
Immediately, they both spluttered as water hit them in the face, pushing Matthew onto the ground and Jackie several steps back. Eric got up from his ducking position and ran.
"Three people out already! This is great!" I heard Nico yell.
"And somehow it was all Andrews..." Sasha muttered, shooting at - and failing to hit - Eric as he fled to another side of the pool.
"Johan, watch out!" Everyone turned to see Faen run in front of the babysitter.
"Wha-" Johan was interrupted by a stream of water slamming into Faen's forehead.
Everyone looked to the source of the blast. Xiang was lying on his stomach behind a large pool shark, aiming his rifle at the place where Faen had been hit.
Of course, only Xiang could have aim that good. The fact that he was a soldier had never been clearer.
Johan swore, and prepared to shoot back, when-
"Argh!"
"Haha! I am victorious!"
In the time that he had spent locating Faen's assailant, Johan had been taken out from behind by a gloating Lucille. I turned around and, not expecting it to do anything, fired.
Lucille gasped as a stream of water hit her chest. In my head I could feel a certain Imogen Heap song starting to play.
"Sorry, Lucille. Nothing personal," I apologized only half-sincerely.
"Nothing personal either, Ashie!" I heard a familiar voice say as my back exploded with cold. I looked behind me to see Nico whooping in delight, before turning seventy-five degrees to the left and shooting once more. I followed the barrel of her gun to see a soaked and infuriated Maya.
"Oh, you done fucked up now!"
Nico's face dropped. "...Oh crap." Maya had dropped her shotgun entirely, and was barreling towards her. She attempted to run, but a forceful shove from behind sent her flying into the pool.
"Not cool, Maya!" Nico admonished her when their heads came up. "That could have killed somebody if you hadn't been careful!"
Maya shrugged. "Then it's a good thing I fail at being lethal, huh?"
And that meant it was down to three people.
Xiang lay in his position, imitating a sniper.
Hideki, who seemed to be mostly waiting the fight out, crouched near the grills.
And Sasha was...
Actually, where was Sasha?
Hideki shifted slightly. From what I could tell, he had placed himself in such a position that there was no way Xiang could hit him without a grill getting in the way, and he wasn't about to lose that advantage.
It was a stalemate.
Then, the silence was broken by the cry of Sasha jumping down from her vantage point atop the ladder leading to the waterslide. Poor Hideki never saw it coming - she shot the eyepatch right off of his face, and landed in a kneeling position with a celebratory cry of "Boom! Headshot!"
Hideki's face immediately contorted into the angriest I had ever seen him. "That was my favourite eyepatch!"
And this meant there were only two.
Xiang stood up and lowered his gun. "We can declare a tie, you know."
Sasha scoffed. "As if."
And then she charged forward.
Cries of "Go Xiang!" and "Kick her ass, Xiang!" rang out - I admit I was one of the few ones who stayed silent, because I honestly couldn't choose who to support. Xiang fired several shots, all of which Sasha dodged as she came ever closer to the soldier, coat flapping behind her, and Xiang took half a step back as she trained both her guns on his temple.
And then the two of them shot apart, Sasha knocked back by the force of the water slamming into her chest and Xiang by a mixture of recoil and the water that had just been shot right into his head.
I guess it really had ended in a tie.
"Wait, what just happened?"
Everyone's heads turned towards the source of the sound, as Eric's head emerged from the top of the waterslide. "Did I...did I win?"
We gaped. My jaw might have just hit the poolside.
"I-I won, didn't I? Hah! Suck on that, Sasha! Suck on this, Maya!"
The Failure in question glared at him.
"I won! I bloody won! I'm the-aah!" In the time that he had been ranting, Sasha had moved up to the entrance to the water slide and shot him in the face with both pistols, knocking him into the slide. He screamed as he shot down head-first, before bursting out of the top of the slide, fear written all over his face. He seemed to be suspended in the top of his arc for a moment, and then fell with a loud splash right into the pool.
"What you are is wet." Sasha fired off a one-liner like she had been preparing it for this very moment, before discarding her coat and jumping down the slide herself with a shout of "GERONIMO!" She landed and popped up, and motioned to the rest of us. "C'mon, get in here, will ya?"
The rest, as they say, was history.
"Wow, organizing this may have been the best idea I've ever had." Nico kicked back in a lounge chair, sighing loudly.
"You said it!" I agreed, resting against another lounge chair.
"Definitely…" muttered Hideki, who was half-asleep, slouched against a pool shark.
Eric stared blankly at a wall. "I still can't believe I won."
"I can't either," said Maya, just loud enough for him to hear it.
"I'm honestly just surprised that everyone thought to bring a bathing suit beforehand," Nico leaned forward. "I guess I just assumed that most people would assume there are school swimsuits."
"Well, I could certainly never wear something zhat unfashionable," remarked Jackie.
"I would die if I had to wear a school swimsuit," Sasha waved a hand absently.
"Well, it can't be any plainer zhan what you're wearing right now," she riffed in return.
"The reason that I care has nothing to do with aesthetics."
"Well, I think you need to open up more with your clothing," Nico pointed out.
"I think what I wear is none of your business."
"I have a bikini you could try on, if you want. I would think we are close to ze same size, although you do hide your bust rather well...what size are you?"
"Certainly not as big as the wound I will inflict to your stomach if you keep talking to me."
Jackie looked almost offended. "For real, Ale-"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Sasha had stood up and was now angrily glaring at Jackie.
I got up. The situation was getting serious, and I had to cool her down. But before I could do that-
"Eag-" Xiang put his hand on her shoulder, but she waved him off.
"Stay out of this-"
"Sasha, don't do something you'll regret-"
"What, like coming to this party? Like stepping on this plane? Like being born? I regret a lot, Li-"
He stared at her, shocked. "Since when am I 'Li'?'
"Since when am I 'Sasha'?"
He sighed. "Look, just-"
"Lighten up, Sash," said Nico, grabbing Sasha by the arm. "This can't be your natural breast size, can it?" She took on a grumpier tone. "You know, you shouldn't get rid of something that you're lucky to have to begin with. Do you not realize how much other people would kill to be in your place?"
Sasha glared back. "Do you realize that I would do more than kill to be in yours?"
"...Sasha, believe me, you would never want to be in my place."
"You have no idea what you're talking about-"
It was one of the few instances I'd ever seen Nico dead serious, and it looked like she meant it. "It's not worth-"
"Stop it, both of you!" Lucille stepped in and grabbed Sasha by the other arm. "We need to stop bickering and get zhis poor girl into something more comely."
She began to pull a mortified and enraged Sasha towards the female changing rooms. With every step she took, Lucille's breasts lightly bounced, and I could see Sasha's horrified gaze fixated on her chest, with a mixture of what looked like pain and revulsion. Nico stood still, rooted to her spot, and I walked over to make sure she was fine.
"Honestly, what eez your cup size?"
"You should stop-" warned Xiang.
"You are making a huge mistake," advised Tien, "What you are doing is incredibly harm-"
She was cut off by Lucille's scream as Sasha tore her hand out of her grasp and brought it down hard on her head. She then twisted and kicked Lucille's legs out from under her, throwing her over her shoulder into the pool shark against which Hideki leaned, shocking him out of his sleepy state. "Hey, what the-"
His expression hardened upon seeing the source. "Oh good lord, please don't tell me that is happening right now."
"Hey, you shouldn't be so bloody rude! They're just trying to help you be nor-"
Eric's head snapped to the side as Sasha's right hook connected with it, throwing him to the ground.
Xiang stepped forward. "Sasha!"
She glared at him. "Fuck off, Li."
"Sa-" Xiang was interrupted by Sasha's coat slamming into his face. He angrily pulled it out of his mouth. "Sasha!"
Sasha sighed, spread her arms out to the side, and let herself fall into the pool, looking perfectly composed.
Xiang sighed. "Sasha. Get up."
No response came.
"Oh no," muttered Nico. "Did we?"
"You did nothing wrong, Nico. She overreacted," said Hideki briskly.
"You weren't even paying attention!" said Xiang, raising his voice for the first time since we'd stepped onto the airship.
"I doubt there's anything-"
"Unintentional, repeated triggering of bodily dysphoria. Plus, Nico's comment about how Sasha was selfish for doing what she can to alleviate said dysphoria, Eric's comment about how she wasn't normal...I know none of you intended it, but what you did was tantamount to psychological torture." Tien adjusted her glasses. "I'm no psychiatrist, but I believe that for now, she is best left alone."
"I'm sorry-" started Nico, but she was cut off.
"I can't just leave her alone like this-"
"Xiang." Tien stared coldly ahead. "At this point she will see you as just another target to take her aggression out on."
"How can you be sure? You just said you're not a-"
"She read the psych profile."
I stared at Hideki. "Wait, what?"
"JJ had a collection of papers on all of us. I never read them - only skimmed the ones on the top - but the one that stood out to me was one on the very top. A detailed psychological profile of Sasha Oryolov."
"Precisely." Tien nodded. "While I won't divulge the contents due to not wishing to violate Mx. Oryolov's privacy, our compatriot isn't exactly the most mentally stable person on the planet."
"You had no right to touch that."
Tien smiled coyly. "I knew that would get you out of the pool."
Sasha pushed herself up and back over the side of the pool. "I don't understand how Jackson got that, but you have no right to touch it. That is confidential-"
"So you don't want us knowing about you?" Tien sighed. "I guess I won't tell them about your feelings towards the pronouns you claim to choose to use."
Sasha turned pale white. "I-I, I don't, I…"
And then, Sasha did the most shocking thing she'd done all the while I had known her. Where her emotions were usually expressed with haughty silence or rage, there were tears building in her eyes.
"I-I never used to be like this. It used to just be physical, and I thought I could get away with just being a tomboy - I didn't know what dysphoria was, I thought I was just weird, but then it got worse, and when I got into activism I learned about it, and I identified so strongly with the term, but then-" she gasped to take a breath, "-no one would take me seriously, and my pronouns were inconvenient for them, and I just couldn't take it, so I used he pronouns for a while, and then went back, and forth, and back and forth-" she began tearing at her hair "-andbackandforthandbackand-"
"And your dysphoria got worse whenever someone so much as associated you with females, or femininity," Tien continued, stern, but sympathetic. "Your pronouns didn't help with that either."
"I offered to use they pronouns for you the first time we met," said Nico quietly. "You didn't-"
"I panicked! I panicked, and I didn't know if anyone here was going to make fun of me or if Hope's Peak would expel me and I panicked and I just-"
"It's okay." Surprisingly enough, it was Hideki who spoke. "Sasha, you'll be fine." He turned to the rest of us. "They just need space, I think. Leave them alone for now, and we'll sort them out later."
"Zhem?" questioned Lucille. "Last I checked, Sasha was one person."
"Singular 'they' is grammatically correct," Matthew pointed out.
"Regardless," said Hideki, "Now that that's sorted out, we should return to our party."
"First, um…" Nico looked awkward, like she was trying to figure out exactly what to say, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said about you being selfish. I can never understand what you go through everyday, and I was just angry. I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine. I'm sorry for being a massive dick to you at the trial. We can live and let live, okay?"
"Okay. Seriously, though," Nico's eyes turned one shade darker, "You don't want to have this body. Trust me, you won't, okay?"
"...I would trade you in a heartbeat."
Nico held out her hand, the brightness returning to her smile. "Shake on it?"
Sasha took her hand, and Nico pulled her-er, them-up.
Xiang held out Sasha's coat. "You threw this at me, Eagle One. I figure you might want it back."
They glared at him and reached for the coat, before putting it on and moving to leave the pool.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
They kept going.
"You should stay for the rest of the party. I don't think brooding is going to help you much."
They finally turned back around and sat down wordlessly, arm wrapped around the pool shark. Xiang sighed, seemed to compose himself, and sat down next to them.
While they talked, I approached Nico. "Nico, if you don't mind, what do you mean by, 'You don't want to have this body?...?" My voice trailed off as she began laughing.
"Aha! Aha! Oh, sorry about that, Ashie," she wiped a tear from her eye, "It was a complete and utter bluff. Apparently, I look very serious when I'm angry enough, so I just pushed my own A-Cup angst to the forefront of my mind to look the part! It's nothing you should worry about, really."
I laughed alongside her, but a nagging voice in the back of my head told me something was off...Nah, she was probably telling the truth. It's Nico, after all, what would she even stand to gain from lying?
By the time we finished our conversation, Xiang had apparently successfully coaxed Sasha back to the main circle where they were now talking to Hideki.
"I swear I didn't actually look through it - I just briefly saw the top page."
"Yeah, well, we still need a system of archiving those things."
"How do you propose we do that, then?"
"I dunno. You're the leader and stuff. Public speaker extraordinaire. You figure it out," replied Sasha.
Hideki grumbled. "That describes you more than it does me. I'm more trustworthy than you but I wouldn't say I outstrip you at the thing that got you into Hope's Peak."
"...Thanks. So you want me to help you regulate stuff?"
"That depends. How good are you at cataloging?"
"I have experience with it from the time I interned at a law office. I'm sure I could help."
"Okay then. I'll also need Tien..."
I walked away, as their conversation made next to no sense out of context.
Nico and Lucille sat in the corner, leaning against the pool shark and a matching...was that a pool Cthulhu? I was about to talk to them when-
"It's odd, no?"
Tien walked in from behind me. "The only way we could get he- apologies, them, to open up, was to make them face the source of conflict."
I frowned. "Still, that wasn't very nice. You could have phrased it better."
"Ashie, sometimes, there are certain things that must be done in order to get what's necessary for the greater good," she adjusted her glasses, which, now that I realized, had miraculously stayed on throughout the entirety of the pool party this far. "At least you can't deny my methods are effective."
"While that is true, is it really best to out them like that? Sasha didn't like that very much."
"Relax. Sasha will appreciate my good intentions- whoah!"
She was interrupted by Sasha pushing her over the edge, and into the pool.
The first thing Tien had to say when she resurfaced was, "Eventually."
I wasn't sure whose idea it was, but someone suggested down the line that it was a good idea to play a party game.
And so here we were, sitting in a circle, playing a totally friendly game of Truth-or-Dare.
It turned out as well as you would expect.
"So." Johan started us off, before pointing at his target. "Xiang. Truth? Or Dare?"
Xiang pondered the question, before selecting, "Dare."
"Hmm...Add the words 'with my hot body' at the end of every sentence you say for the duration of the game. Fail, and we get to push you into the pool."
Everyone stared intently at Xiang, with reactions ranging from intense interest to turning pale white in fear.
"Well." I found myself saying, "At least that's mostly right."
As for Xiang himself, he blinked, before settling back into a slight grin. "Easy enough...with my hot body."
This sent Nico into a laughing fit, and the rest of us around the circle to smile.
"Alright, Xiang, go ahead, pick someone else to ask ze questions." Lucille said.
"In that case, Lucille, truth or dare?" His eyes turned wide, as he added almost too quickly, "With my hot body!"
"Damnit." Maya, who had already gotten up, sat back down. "And I was getting first dibs on pushing him in too."
Lucille giggled. "Pardonnez-moi, Xiang, but I am not interested."
He nodded. "Of course...w-with my hot body."
"I'll take a truth."
Xiang thought about it for a moment. "Do you have any interests other than Formula-1 racing? With my hot body?"
"Classic American rock music," she said with a shrug. "Modern pop music is...far less appealing."
"Hey!" said Nico playfully from the corner. Her cheeks were puffed up like she was angry, but she was definitely joking.
"Either way," Lucille continued, "Hideki? Truth or dare?"
He sighed. "Considering picking 'Dare' will probably end badly for me, truth."
"How did you get ze eyepatch?"
Hideki's eye widened for a second, before he composed himself. "Stared into a laser when I was a kid. It happens."
Nico stared at him. "I don't buy it. You're too smart."
"Hey! I was five years young, what was I supposed to do about it?" he retorted.
"Oi. Cyclops. Move on, will ya?"
Hideki glared at Maya. "In that case, you're next. Truth or dare?"
"Meh." She shrugged. "Truth."
Hideki thought about it for a moment. "Well...how did you get to be the SHSL Failure, if you don't mind me asking?"
"...I kidnapped a hairy red guy, a green bird and a yellow puppet, and forced them to go through four episodes of creativity, time, love, and the internet. Apparently, it was too scary for a children's show, so the television company fired me, which was the fail that got me the title in the first place." Maya deadpanned. "If and when I get out of here, I'm going over there and force them to finish my last two failed episodes, and then I'll finally stop being a Failure. Happy now?"
Beat.
What.
When no one responded, she turned to Tien. "Scientist. Truth...or dare?"
"R-Right. Logically, picking Truth would result in a significantly lesser chance of injury or embarrassment, so I shall choose it." Tien smiled, confident at her calculations.
"So, how many people did you discredit to get your job?" asked Maya apathetically.
Tien immediately became flustered and shouted, "E-Excuse me?! I am a tried-and-tested scientist of renown! I would never discredit anyone just to get where I am!"
"Yeah yeah, whatever, it's your turn."
Tien composed herself, before turning to Nico. "Truth or Dare?"
Nico thought about it, before snapping her fingers. "Since everyone's picking Truth, I'll pick Dare!"
"Famous last words." Sasha muttered.
Tien looked around. "I'll give you an easy one. Go down the slide. Face-first."
"Done!"
With the fleetest of feet, Nico bounded over to the slide, and didn't miss a beat before throwing herself into the mouth of the slide face-first. Seconds later, she flew out, and performed a graceful swan dive into the pool…
Is what I would have liked to say, but in fact, she actually belly-flopped into it.
"Owwwww!"
I cringed, alongside everyone else. That has got to hurt.
A dripping wet, blank-faced Nico walked back to her spot at the circle. "...Eric, Truth or Dare?"
"D-Dare! I accept any challenge!" Eric was watching her with an expression of awe.
"Kiss the girl in the circle you like most." Nico muttered, before blushing bright red. "Wait, I mean-"
"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" he yelled, before diving towards-
"Mmf?!"
At first, Maya didn't react.
Nico sighed in relief, "Oh thank god, I thought he was going to kiss Ashley."
Then, her face turned from its usual pale to beet red, as Eric got up.
"Well, the answer was obvious." Tien adjusted her glasses. "Nico's engaged, Lucille is batting for the other team, Jackie's taken, I'm the source of his worst nightmares, and no offence to Ashley, but she's not his type."
"None taken," I replied.
"Wait, what was zhat about me bei-"
"Mooooooving on," Eric pointed at Sasha, "Truth?" He raised an eyebrow dramatically, "OR DARE?"
He was then promptly beaten into the ground as Maya finally snapped.
"ERIC. FUCKING. ANDREWS. WHAT. THE. FUCK. WAS. THAT. FUCKING. FOR." she punctuated each word with a blow.
"Maya!" yelled Hideki, "Please stop punching him! That hurts people, Maya!"
"OH. DON'T. WORRY. I. FAIL. AT. KILLING. PEOPLE. BUT. I. CAN. TRY!"
"Stop! With my hot body!"
Xiang grabbed Maya by the arm and pulled her back. Following his example, Sasha grabbed her other arm and Hideki pulled Eric away from the rampaging Failure.
By then, his face had turned into an unrecognizable mush.
"I...have...something...to...say…"
Hideki leaned in, to hear the Stage Fighter's possible last words.
"I...should...have...copped...a feel...bluh."
His tongue lolled to the side, and Eric breathed his last.
He lay on the floor, eyes staring straight ahead with no expression. His face was swollen and covered with bruises, his body was black and blue all over, and his arms were splayed out. Hideki stared at the body in his hands, clearly wondering what he could have done to save him from his fate.
Eric Andrews - the Super High School Level Stage Fighter - is dea-
"FUCK!"
One second and a painful kick to the groin, courtesy of Maya who had escaped the duo's restraints, later, he was up and screaming bloody murder.
"Don't even think about pulling that stunt again, Andrews," she seethed, "Or I won't fail at killing you next time."
Eric was still hopping around on one leg, cupping his groin. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! But that was bloody overkill, don't you think?!"
"...Meh."
And with that Maya sat back down. Instinctively, I inched further away from her.
Hideki sighed. "Eric, maybe I should take you to the medical room."
"Yes. That would be brilliant. First, though-" he made a finger gun at Sasha, "Truth or dare?"
"Bring it on. Dare."
"I dare you to get tickled for a minute." he stepped forward, "Ah! Goodbye!" And he limped out of the room. Hideki shook his head and followed him.
"Heh. Bring it on, you guys." Sasha declared. "I'm not ticklish - at all."
"You sure about that?" asked Nico, sticking her hand into their neck and tickling.
Sasha stared blankly ahead. "Is that supposed to accomplish something or…?"
"Ooh! Let me try!" Matthew reached for their outstretched foot. Remarkably, Sasha kept their neutral expression entirely intact.
"Wow." Lucille murmured, "Maybe what they say eez true…"
"Perhaps here with my hot body?" asked Xiang, reaching for the small of Sasha's back.
The reaction was instantaneous. Sasha giggled as they choked out "Wait, what? Stop!" before breaking out into a fit of laughter.
He stepped back, bewildered. "Wait...I was right?"
...Xiang, you've just-
"Throw him in the pool!" yelled Johan.
"Oh crap…" Xiang stared at the approaching babysitter.
He turned and ran. He approached the ladder to the water slide and began to climb it, before looking down at a slowly advancing Johan. There was only one way out.
"Oh, qi si ren liao." Xiang sighed, before jumping down the water slide.
The both of them were back by the circle soon enough, sopping wet.
"Totally worth it." Johan laughed, before giving Faen, who sat beside him, a high-five. Faen returned it, before looking away, and at me.
I'll do it after this. I tried to make my eyes convey. I think he got the message, because he returned to paying attention to Sasha, who was targeting-
"Matthew," Sasha grinned, "Truth or Dare?"
Matthew looked taken aback - almost as though he realized that Sasha most likely chose him because he was an easy target. "Uh...my calculations say...truth?"
"Yeah, yeah, so are you and Ressa an item yet?" said Sasha in a bored monotone.
Matthew gulped. "Uh...may I retract and choose dare?"
"Sure. I dare you to tell me if you and Ressa are dating."
"I...uh…"
He looked at Jackie, who nodded solemnly.
"...Yes."
Nico and Lucille whooped, Sasha muttered "Called it.", Xiang smiled, Tien gave a knowing grin, and Johan grinned and said "Knew it."
"Well," I said, "Your turn, then."
Matthew gulped. "Jackie...Truth or Dare?"
"...Dare." Jackie averted her eyes.
"Um…" Matthew hesitated, not knowing how to phrase what he was about to say "...would you do me the honour of...kissing me?"
Jackie brushed bright red, before reaching across the circle and quickly kissing Matthew. "Done."
Everyone's reaction was immediate. A wave of applause broke out among everyone watching. Matthew and Jackie both turned bright red, before Jackie moved on. "Faen, do you want ze Truth or ze Dare?"
"Truth, please, Ms. Ressa," Faen smiled, "Or should that be Mrs. Tanner?"
This sent the group into another round of laughter, as Faen composed himself, waiting for a scarlet-faced Jackie to ask him his question. Said Lolita Model looked miffed, as she asked, "Faen, what's your end goal in life?"
"I would like to serve the leader of every country in the world for a week, at least once in my lifetime." He bowed slightly. "Of course, Her Highness, the Queen, takes precedence."
"All hundred-ninety-six of them?" Sasha remarked dryly.
He sniffed. It was the angriest I'd ever seen him, and even then, he still looked adorable. "Yes."
"Shows how much I know about butler-ing." was the reply.
"Regardless...Ms. Jung, I believe you are the last one?"
"I...yeah."
"Well, then," he smiled, "Truth or dare, Ms. Jung?"
Would Faen really be able to come up with a good dare? I thought to myself. No, I don't think so. He's too nice.
Safe with my choice, I confidently stated, "Dare."
A glint in his eyes. Uh oh.
"As it appears, I do not quite have the capacity to think up a suitable dare," he looked at everyone else, "So, Ashley, I dare you to perform the dare of the next person who speaks."
Beat.
"DIBS!"
Just about everyone present moved forward to speak, but Nico's voice was loudest, and drowned out any of them...including my own.
Oh no...Nico, please, be merciful.
"Hmm..."
I can see the gears just turning in her head right now.
"Dance."
What kind of scary, embarrassing dare can Nico think up- huh?
Dance?
"Yeah, dance."
"But there's no music…"
"On it," said Sasha as they rushed out the door.
"Hmm…" muttered Nico, "Let me get my computer." She followed Sasha out the door.
I stared at Faen. Faen stared at Johan. Johan was still staring at Xiang's abs. Xiang stared blankly at the door.
I had no idea how long it had been when Sasha finally rushed through the door, with a triangular glossy burgundy case on their back and an amp in their hand. They put the case on the ground, opened it and removed what looked like a navy blue violin with everything except the fingerboard, fine tuners, chin-rest and frame removed. They reached over and plugged it into the amp, before looking up at the rest of us.
"What? Never seen an electric violin before?"
"No, I have...I just didn't expect you to have one with you," I replied.
They shrugged. "Figured I may as well. Had to loosen the strings a shit-ton to prevent the neck from snapping, so I'll have to tune it, but it should be functional." And with that they stood up and began what I recognized as the tedious process of tuning. It was made especially tedious by the fact that their strings were at least three octaves lower than they should have been.
"Oy, that sounds bloody awful! Ever heard of playing in tune?"
Xiang glared at Eric. "They are tuning, you know."
"Oh what the fuck ev-"
"Eric."
Eric glared up at the person who had spoken. "Yes, Hideki?"
"Please be quiet before you get beaten up again."
Eric sighed. "Alright."
The two of them appeared to have snuck in behind Sasha. Eric looked noticeably better, while Hideki looked noticeably more annoyed.
As Sasha was finishing their tune-up, Nico stolled in whistling something that sounded like one of her singles, a familiar pair of headphones around her neck, and a computer in her hands.
Sasha looked at Nico. "That works without an internet connection, then?"
"Yeah, since I have the files saved to my desktop. Can I borrow your amp?"
"Uh...sure thing."
"Thanks!"
"Is this song going to be one I've heard before?" asked Sasha as they watched Nico plug her computer in.
"Nope! Work in progress."
"Joy," muttered Sasha. "Gonna have to improvise, then."
"Yeah, I guess." Nico pressed a button on her computer. Through out the room, an array of synth growls accompanied by a pulsing kick drum sounded. It was followed by a medley of synth beats.
Sasha sighed and shouldered their violin, and began playing along to the song. They were actually doing rather well, for someone who'd never heard the song before - I could tell they were rather experienced. The violin blended well with the rest of the song.
Then the bass dropped and the chorus kicked into high gear with a rapid-fire rendition of harpsichord notes and electric guitar riffs. I could see Sasha struggling to keep up, bowing so fast I thought their strings were about to catch on fire. It worked, though. The music was catchy, and almost made me want to…
...get up and dance. Oh, well done, Nico, you win.
Speaking of Nico, she nodded at me, and gave me a thumbs-up. "Do it." she mouthed.
Well, I'm not getting out of this. Might as well dance.
I calmed myself internally, and tried to recall the dance routines that were drilled into my head.
I Am The Best...no, too taxing. Abracadabra? Too simple. Maybe...Mister.
Perfect.
Turning around, I strutted forward, before turning my body to the side, and thrusting out my lower body, all the while facing forward.
I proceeded to do what is more relatively well-known, as the 'Butt Dance'.
Shaking my hips and butt, I timed each move to a bassline. I stepped and shook, stomped and shook, and performed the choreography to one of Kara's most recognizable dance crazes.
You could call it Korean twerking, I guess, but other people wouldn't take to it kindly.
Finishing my routine, I bowed, before looking at Nico to confirm I was done. She smiled happily, then pointed a thumb behind me.
I turned around and stared in shock. It appeared people had followed me and begun to dance as well!
Off to my left, Eric appeared to be breakdancing. He was surprisingly amazing at it, although then again dancing and choreographed stage fighting probably go hand in hand.
To the side, Jackie and Matthew appeared to be waltzing. How one could waltz to EDM, I had no idea.
Then again, it appeared that Sasha had given up attempting to compromise and was simply playing a Verdi piece that happened to go well with Nico's song. I supposed that would be helpful.
Lucille was also dancing, as was Xiang, and, well...everyone else. Only Hideki stood off to the side, as though he was figuring out what to do. He probably hadn't gone to too many parties in his youth, I assumed. So was Maya, but then again, she'd probably give the excuse that she's a failure at dancing to get out of it.
My thoughts were interrupted by a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey. You still haven't taken your turn," said Johan.
"O-oh, right," I replied. "Should I now, then?"
He shrugged. "Only fair if you do."
= = Free Time! = =
Free Time with Johan?
[Yes] [No]
Ashley: So, Johan. Truth or dare?
Johan: Truth, I guess. It seems like you want me to pick it, anyhow.
Ashley: Let's not mess this up.
Ashley: Do you happen to like anyone on this airship?
Ashley: Like, 'like-like' someone.
Johan: ...Not particularly, I guess… (*turns to the side, crossing his arms*)
Ashley: Are you sure?
Johan: (*mumbles something under his breath, looking a bit ticked off*)
Ashley: Hmm...He's definitely not going to tell me anything if continue to badger him like this.
Ashley: Perhaps I should try giving a gift first.
==Select!==
1. Sunflower Seeds
2. Self-Erasing Cassette Tape
3. Absolute Tuning Fork
4. Crowbar
5. Gloves of Tomorrow
6. Tissues
7. Bandages
Ashley: From me to you.
Johan: What's this?
Ashley: They're...a pair of boxing gloves.
Ashley: I thought you'd like them.
Johan: Well, yeah. They seem fine. I guess I'll try them out in the gym later, or wherever I can find a punching bag.
Johan: Thanks for the gift, but I don't have anything to give you right now… Talk to me later and I'll have something for you. I owe you.
Ashley: Well...You don't have to. I mean, you could just answer me now…
Johan: I'm going to pay you back anyway, but fine. I'll answer your question too.
Johan: (*he sighs, almost as if he's exasperated*) So, well… I like Faen. There. Does that stop your curiosity for now?
Ashley: …
Ashley: Perfect.
Johan: ...Why are you staring at me like that?
Ashley: So, why haven't you told Faen you like him, then?
Johan: Well, I haven't exactly told anyone that I like them before. Plus I haven't had enough time away from kids to ever actually get to know someone well enough to like them before.
Ashley: So you do like him, but you don't want to tell him?
Johan: I do want to tell him, it's just...I don't know how he would even react, so it's kind of odd for me to. I guess if I knew what he felt, then I'd know what to do, but it's especially hard since we're in this situation and I've never done anything like this.
Ashley: Well, isn't that perfect.
Ashley: (*whistles*) Faen, mind coming over a bit?
Johan: (*eyes widen and glares at Ashley*)
Faen: Hello, Ms. Jung, and- oh. Mr. Otto.
Faen: ...Ms. Jung, what have you-
Ashley: Guys. Talk. The both of you have feelings for each other, and are too afraid that the other doesn't reciprocate to spit it out.
Ashley: But since you both know that each other cares for you, talk, and settle it. Please.
Ashley: Hashtag nailed it.
Faen: Wait...Mr. Otto, you mean…?
Johan: Well, yeah… (*rubs the side of his neck, clearly embarrassed, a blush creeping onto his face*) If you don't think it's weird that is…
Faen: N-No! It is not weird at all! I...I do like you.
Johan: Well then, do… Do you want to um, well… I don't know do you want to do something?
Johan: You can choose what…
Faen: Perhaps…(*smiles*) We should talk.
Johan: Indeed, we should. (*smiles*)
Ashley: Mission Complete. Time for me to leave.
Shared: Gloves of Tomorrow!
Johan Otto - Level 1!
After the refreshing and successful talk with Johan and Faen, I felt it best to retreat into my own thoughts, just for a while. I dove into the pool, and began to swim a few laps.
It's so quiet down here...In the water. I reflect, I'd know for sure if I were speaking my thoughts out loud, because then I'd be choking on water.
I touched the wall, and changed directions, swimming freestyle towards the other end. We've been here for...three days, now. All of us...We really are a class of students.
Changing directions again, I swam backstroke. I just wish we could remain like this...No more murders. No more turning out like JJ or Ava-
"You and your big mouth."
Huh?
My head knocked against something soft, and it pushed back, stopping me from swimming any further. I stopped and begun to tread water, before looking up, "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to swim into yo-"
I froze as I saw who it was.
Lying on top of a pool float, the Super High School Level Co-Pilot, Ataru Inoue sipped what appeared to be a margarita. He tilted his sunglasses down towards me - even though it was nighttime. "If we were going to let you off that easily, you'd already be in Hope's Peak, like me."
"Fuah!" I backed away from him as fast as I could.
It was then I noticed that he wasn't alone. A bob of blonde hair went up, as Yukari lifted her head and peered over her own pair of sunglasses to look at me. "Oh look, it's the redheaded stepchild."
I blanched. Yukari was dressed in what must have been the skimpiest bikini, ever. It was like just a few pieces of cloth threaded with strings. Not like it was covering much - she didn't have much of a bust either.
"You might want to go tell the others, Ashie." Ataru leaned back into his float. "Since you interrupted our rest, it only seems fair you be the bearer of bad news."
"Now, move it or lose it." Yukari sneered, "And before you ask, your ass, or your life."
"Eep!" I didn't need to be told twice.
Getting back to the side of the pool came quicker than I thought - or perhaps I was swimming faster in panic. "Guys! A little attention there!"
They all turned to my direction, before looking out into the pool.
"Oh shit, is that-"
"Nishimiya…"
"Oh, dear lord, her clothing eez-"
"Maybe we should be worrying less about her clothing and more what she has to say…"
Yukari got up, and stood on her pool float, before she shouted, "Okay, bitches, listen up! We're crashing this pool party, and we're gonna release the first ever motive now!"
"First motive?" asked Sasha.
"They're right...didn't you say there was a motive last time?" Hideki agreed.
"We didn't release it, remember?" Ataru shouted from where he was still reclining. "Your buddy Todd disappeared before we could - this was the motive we were going to release then."
"In any case, say hello to my little friend!" Yukari shouted, as she brought up something from behind her...Was that a-
"GRENADE LAUNCHER! EVERYONE HIT THE FLOOR-"
Eric's loud yell was cut off as Yukari fired the first grenade right at Sasha, who nimbly swiped it out of the air with a mumbled, "Take that, Nishimiya". Xiang caught the second, and the third flew directly at Eric, who caught his - just before Tien dodged hers, allowing it to slam right into Eric's crotch.
"I'm alright…" he muttered as he fell to the ground.
"The statistical probability of that happening was less than 0.1%..." Tien muttered. "Yet, why does that keep happening? Fascinating."
The next one was aimed at Hideki. Unlike last time he wasn't able to catch his, and instead it bonked him lightly on the top of the head. Grabbing it, he turned it around on itself. "This...isn't a grenade, is it?"
"No shit," remarked Maya as she snatched hers from the air.
"Hey, none of you open those until we tell you so, okay?" Ataru drawled, as Yukari adjusted her aim.
Matthew screamed like a young child as his hit him in the stomach. Next to him, Jackie screamed equally loud and curled up into herself, letting hers bounce off her shoulder and land on the ground with a plop. Lucille gasped as hers slammed right into her chest. Nico, who looked almost jealous, was busy staring when hers hit her in the back of the head. Johan caught his in one hand, before catching Faen's in the other and handing it to him. And finally, I reached out and caught mine in both hands.
"Alrighty, bastards! Let me explain to you a thing!"
Yukari was getting closer - looked like Ataru was paddling them towards the edge of the swimming pool. "Inside those capsules are a little gift. You can choose to share the gift with others, or keep it to yourselves, but in thirty-six hours, if no one commits murder, we're gonna release the contents of those gifts to the whole fuckin' world!"
"And trust me. You don't want that happening." Ataru finished his margarita, before crushing the glass.
"What's the worst it could be?" asked Eric, cracking his open. The moment he looked inside his face morphed into confusion. Taking out a slip of paper, he unfolded it, before he blanched. "I...can't read this."
"Can I see?" asked Maya.
"Yeah, s-wait."
In a single fluid motion, Eric crushed his piece of paper. "No bloody way. You can't be serious!"
Stepping off the pool float, Yukari crossed her arms and grinned, grenade launcher still in one hand. "Figured it out yet?"
"Mon dieu!"
My eyes turned - Lucille had also taken out a slip of paper, and was now clutching her mouth as she was reading it. "How did you know? HOW DID YOU KNOW?!"
Yukari giggled. "We know even more than the dearly deceased lawyer."
Sasha stared at their paper, eyes bugging out of their head. "Ya...ya ne ponimayu."
Hideki wordlessly cast his into the fire of the grill.
I saw Matthew stare blankly at his, while Jackie began to lightly cry. Tien gasped quickly, then composed herself.
Maya just crumpled hers up and stuffed into her pocket with a loud "Fuck this, I'm out!", directed at no one in particular, as she didn't even bother changing, and stormed out of the pool hall.
Johan merely stared at his, while Faen looked rather uncomfortable. Xiang stared his down like one might stare down a letter informing them of their father's death at war.
"No...This..This is-!"
A loud wail drowned everyone else out. But this was no ordinary one - it was haunting.
Nico was tearing her slip of paper into a million little pieces. She was openly bawling, and in her eyes...Her eyes…Empty.
What is in this thing?!
I quickly cracked the small casing open and removed its contents.
My blood turned to ice.
It can't be...It just can't!
How did they find out about that?
To: Ashley Jubilee Jung
This...is your secret.
We know about the Busan incident.
Unless a murder is committed in 36 hours, we shall reveal the truth to all your adoring fans, your groupmates, and your family. In fact, we'll reveal it to the world at large.
We'll see how many of them still remain after we do. Cheers.
Signed,
Ataru Inoue, SHSL Supporter
Act 2-3 FIN
13 Students Remaining
A/N: So. A lot of stuff is going on. Between the new motive, the social interactions, and Ataru's real title revealed, I suppose we've given you a lot of things to talk about in your reviews.
Speaking of reviews, you guys should leave some! And talk to us via forum! And answer the survey! And enter the contest. That's still open, and will remain so until the Body Discovery Announcement.
And this chapter was the hardest one so far to write, by far. Between Sasha's breakdown and the specifics of the water fight it took FOREVER. Regardless, this is the longest chapter so far, and the one that took us over 100,000 words! So, yay for that!
So, question of the chapter: what do you think about the motive? Who do you think is going to be inclined to kill, now that it's been given out? Who do you think will be their target? And what should Matthew and Jackie's shipping name be?
And now, for review replies:
ezmonee6: Thanks. That was the intention.
A Dingus With Sweet Shades: You should totally get down to that analysis! Secure Matthew and the French girls some free-times.
HeroinOfDarkness: Todd is definitely dead. He is also the mastermind. Yukari and Atari are puppets he controls. From beyond the dead. Because he's a ghost. (Rinnote: Ghost?!) -Lime
Okay, my turn. QOTC. Let's see here...Ah. If Ashley *wasn't* the protagonist, who would you have liked to see in the driver's seat? I mean, other than your character, I guess, who would you see as the protagonist now? Leave an answer. Cheers.