Gundam wakes up, once again, trapped under something. A sleepy look to his right reveals Komaeda sitting next to him on the bed, slumped against the wall. The luckster snores quietly. He knows who's on top of him now. Not that there's really any doubt who it is. The morning announcement pings happily throughout the cabin, waking Komaeda. He looks around tiredly and sighs.
"Another day, huh?" He yawns and stretches his arms. Komaeda then lightly nudges Saionji off of Gundam. The animal breeder rolls onto his back and stands up. After cracking his back, Gundam shakes the sleep away.
"Alright. Let's get moving. We must gather at the restaurant." Gundam grabs Saionji under the arms and hauls her to her feet. She sways unsteadily, but Gundam moves his hands to her shoulders and shakes her. One of the faults that really made it hard at night before they met the Future Foundation was the fact that Saionji was a heavy sleeper. Her head lolls back, and she groans quietly.
"...Let's go back to sleep." Gundam sighs. He extends an arm, and his hamsters jump from their perch on top of his bookshelf onto his hand. Most of them retreat to Gundam's scarf, but Star-Destroyer Grey Fox San-D scampers down his other arm and nuzzles the dancer's face. She mutters quietly, but slowly cracks open her eyes to glance at the hamster.
"No. We must meet the others at the restaurant." Gundam says. The dancer groans, but stumbles after Komaeda and Gundam anyway. They exit the cottage, the silence of the morning hitting them. This is surprising, considering Gundam can see at least three people loitering around the pool. The trio trudges toward the restaurant. Gundam sees that the figures at the pool are Koizumi, Kuzuryuu, and Nidai. They all glance at the three as they approach. Kuzuryuu flips the three off and goes back to pushing leaves around the surface of the pool with a stick. Saionji runs over to Koizumi, who wraps the girl in a hug. Nidai nods at them. Gundam and Komaeda proceed to the restaurant, where Sonia, Hanamura, and Souda anxiously sit. Soon after Gundam grabs a plate of food similar to the previous day's and places himself next to Sonia, other kids start coming in.
"...Is everyone here?" Togami glances around, doing a head check. He grunts. "Where are Hinata and Kuzuryuu?"
"I saw Kuzuryuu outside." Pekoyama mentions. "He said he's not coming."
"Hmph... Now's not the time for his stupid 'lone wolf' act..." Koizumi blows a loose lock of hair out of her eye with an aggravated puff of air.
"H-he's probably trying to think of a way ta kill someone!" Souda shouts out, stabbing at the air with the chunk of bread in his hand.
"Souda-san! Do not jump to conclusions!" Sonia chastises him. The mechanic just looks upset.
"B-but you heard him say it! We all did! He said he wouldn't hesitate to kill anybody!"
"Enough. I doubt Kuzuryuu is going to come, no matter what we do. That's who he is. Now what about Hinata?" Togami looks at everyone. "Has anyone seen Hinata? Anyone?" The imposter lets silence settle in before sighing. "Tch. Whatever. Somebody can tell them later. Although, finding Hinata will be top priority when we finish here, understood?" He waits until he gets a few nods before continuing. "Good. I have made an important decision as leader. We will throw a party. Tonight." Everybody turns to Togami in confusion.
"...What?" Gundam looks at Togami curiously. "What has gotten into you, grandiose one?"
"Do I need a reason?" The imposter heir crosses his arms.
"Um, yeah. You kind of do!" Koizumi makes a move to stand up, but sits back down again. "You're doing it again. You should at least consult us before you make nonsensical decisions like this!"
"Nonsensical? Please, I have a reason." Togami brushes off her complaint. "Anyway, this party's attendance is mandatory. No exceptions. And you must stay for the entire party. Make sure you get rest during the day, for it will be all night."
"A-a-all nighter?! Ibuki hasn't pulled an all-nighter since... like three days ago!" Mioda clutches her face in what can only be mock horror. Gundam rolls his eyes.
"Yes, an all nighter. And I'm going to need a crew to help me clean the lodge."
"The... lodge?" Nidai asks.
"Yes the lodge. Did you not see the building off to the side of this hotel?" Togami asks.
"Yeah but, Togami-kun, the lodge is... well... falling apart." Komaeda says.
"Ah, thank you for making such an obvious observation." Togami rolls his eyes. "There's a reason I assembled a team to help me."
"Hold on! You can't just... 'assign' people to work with you! They have to consent, you know!" Koizumi stands up this time, waving a hand around.
"Fine." Togami shrugs and pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Mioda, Nidai, Hanamura, Owari, Souda. Would you like to help me clean the lodge?" Mioda nods excitedly and Nidai shrugs. Hanamura nods and runs into the restaurant's kitchen to get his cooking supplies.
"Can I finish breakfast first?" Owari pauses her feast.
"If you arrive at the lodge by 9:30."
"Deal." Owari goes back to stuffing her face. Souda looks forlornly at Togami.
"I don't wanna."
"Ooh, ooh! I'll take his place! It is a rare chance in a blue moon for me to do cleaning!" Sonia raises a hand excitedly, pointing at herself.
"Eh?! If Sonia-san is cleaning... I'll do it!" Souda grins happily.
"There. Satisfied?" Togami turns to Koizumi with an eyebrow raised. She flushes red and sits back down.
"Whatever." Koizumi angrily stuffs her mouth with a bite of egg, and Saionji glares at Togami. The imposter heir gets up.
"Alright. Cleaning crew, come with me." He points an imposing finger at Komaeda. "You stay here. Make sure she comes to the lodge at 9:30 on the dot or I'm holding both of you responsible." Komaeda scratches his cheek with an unhappy smile.
"Ah... sure thing Togami-kun."
"The rest of you. Up. Get moving. Go find Hinata. I want you," He points his sausage finger at Gundam this time. "To come talk to me when he is found, understood?"
"Me?" Gundam glares sullenly at Togami.
"Did I stutter?" And with that, the imposter tromps down the stairs, his cleaning crew sans Owari following closely behind. The rest of the students reluctantly get up and mumble angrily. Gundam, upset with his being picked, heads to the beach. He figures that a little while listening to the waves would give him a bit of peace of mind. When he arrives, however, someone had apparently beat him there. Figuring he might as well spend some time with others for once, Gundam heads over to the figure, only to take a step back in surprise when he gets closer. Hinata sits under a palm tree, one coconut half in each hand, carefully stripping the white flesh off of the inside and eating it. He appears lost in thought.
"Hinata! You fool, you were supposed to meet us for breakfast at the restaurant!" Gundam shakes a finger at the boy, scolding him. Hinata turns around, staring at Gundam with half lidded eyes. Eyes that are red-tinged. "Huo-!" Gundam stumbles back again. "Wh-what is wrong with you?!"
"Who cares?" Hinata raises his brow slightly and turns back around, going back to slowly eating the coconut in his hands. "Go tell 'Togami' you found me. That fool probably appointed himself leader, didn't he? I bet you Koizumi isn't too happy with that, is she? Hah." The kid that looks like Hinata, for he cannot truly be Hinata, snorts.
"Wh-who are you?!"
"Who am I?... That's a good question, I suppose." The kid stands up, brushing the sand off of the seat of his pants. He turns to face Gundam, his face blank. "Hmm... most people call me Kamakura, I suppose." He tosses the coconut halves into the ocean, then wipes his hands on his pants. "Tell me, who are you?"
"Hn-" Gundam forces himself not to take a step back. "I-I see no reason to reveal that information to you, vile imposter. What have you done with Hinata?"
"Hinata?" The boy looks genuinely confounded for a moment before smiling ever so slightly. It is, quite frankly, the scariest thing Gundam has ever seen. It just screams malevolence. "Ah. The no talent boy who usually inhabits this mind..." Gundam has no idea what he's talking about. "Interesting fellow he is. I will return him shortly. Just... one question, Mr. Mystery. Is Togami cleaning up the lodge right now?" Gundam mutely nods. The boy's evil chuckle embeds itself in Gundam's head. He'll never forget it. "Heh. Thank you." 'Kamakura' puts his hand on Gundam's shoulder and suddenly the world goes dark.
Gundam wakes up in his bed with a pounding headache. A hand flies up to massage his temple. The animal breeder slowly looks around, his brain beating against his skull with ever movement made by his eyes. He closes his eyes to let the darkness soothe his aching head for a moment before shakily standing up. It had to have been a dream. His suspicions are confirmed when he stumbles to his door to find it not only shut, but locked. Why he had locked it is beyond him, but at least it was him. Right? As Gundam leaves his cabin, he notices the sky tinted orange and red. It's getting dark? How long had he been out? In his haze, the animal breeder doesn't notice the curtains over his bed billowing gently from a breeze coming from the window he had never opened.
"Imbecile! Where have you been?!" Gundam winces as Togami's shout rattles his skull.
"I felt unwell after departing breakfast. I left for my cottage and slept the sickness away." The animal breeder stands unwavering against the intimidating girth of the imposter.
"..." Togami stares him down silently. Gundam stares back. They stare at each other for a while. Mioda comes up, hauling a small table along with a sobbing Tsumiki.
"Yo! Boss! Where do you want Ibuki and Mikan-chan to put this tay-tay-table you asked for?!" The musician wedges herself in between the two boys. Togami averts his gaze from a smirking Gundam, looking at Mioda in irritation.
"Put it in the hall. With the other tables." Mioda salutes, nearly dropping the table on her foot in the process.
"Sure thing! Let's go Mikan-chan! Try not to fall down again, no matter how funny it is!" Mioda drags the table and a crying Tsumiki along with it. ("D-d-d-don't talk about it please!" she wails). Togami turns back to Gundam.
"You're positive that all you did was go to your cottage and take a nap? Nothing else?" Togami's voice is laced with accusation. Gundam snorts.
"Please. What would I have to gain from lying to you?" The animal breeder rolls his eyes, which seems to really tick off Togami. More than he already is anyway.
"Whatever. Get out of my sight." Togami points at the front door of the lodge. Gundam sneers at Togami from behind his scarf and stalks off. As he exits the lodge through the front door, Souda screeches like a dying animal. Gundam stumbles into the door frame in surprise.
"What is your mental hindrance?!" Gundam shouts at the mechanic, jabbing him in the chest with his index finger. When Souda sees who it is, he just glares at the animal breeder.
"Why don't you shut up?! I'm trying to work here, and you're disrupting me!" Gundam glances at the ladder behind the boy and the tools littered around.
"Working? You look like you're playing with toys. Maybe when Togami actually needs something done, skittish one, he'll get someone who can actually do something." Gundam smirks as he sees Souda's eye twitch.
"Yer bein' a real twit, ya know that?!" Souda shoves Gundam back by pushing his shoulders. The animal breeder quickly regains his balance. "Just fuck off!" The mechanic looks more skittish than normal.
"Hmph. Maybe if you sounded more like a man when you squeal, then I wouldn't have to poke fun of your lack of testosterone." Gundam snorts at Souda before walking off, ignoring the profanity slung at him.
Gundam sits on a pool chair, listening to the endless chatter of the three girls next to him. How he managed to get dragged into these things is beyond him. If he had been allowed to take sides, he would have taken Koizumi's, because the photographer hadn't wanted him to be here. Hell, he didn't want to be here. But Sonia, who had been kicked out of the cleaning crew, and Saionji had somehow managed to convince the redhead to let him sit with them. So now he's stuck here; slouching so much he's practically horizontal, arms crossed, and scarf hiked up all the way past his nose.
"...What's your take on it, Tanaka-san?" Sonia turns to him, and suddenly the conversation has stopped as the three girls wait for his response. He just grunts. Mostly because he doesn't care, but also because he has no idea what they're even talking about.
"Hey! Answer her!" Koizumi puts her hands on her hips, glaring at the animal breeder.
"...Pythagoras was a very gifted individual." He says the first thing that comes to his mind. The girls glance at each other in confusion.
"Hehe. I bet big bro Tanaka wasn't even listening! What a huge dummy!" Saionji balls up her fist and bonks herself on the side of the head with it. Koizumi rolls her eyes.
"I told you we should have let him be. Men like him really don't care about civilized conversation." Koizumi scoffs and puts their chat back on track. Gundam lets the jab go. They stop a moment later when the night time announcement comes on over the monitors.
"Oh boy! I don't think I've ever been to a casual party before! It's going to be hella exciting, I bet!" Sonia happily springs to her feet. Saionji cheers and hauls Koizumi to her feet. Gundam reluctantly stands up. They walk the short distance to the lodge together, Gundam sulking at the rear while Sonia gladly leads. When they get to the front door, Togami stops them.
"Arms out, legs apart. All of you. Go." Sonia immediately complies, looking rather forlorn. The other three are somewhat hesitant to follow. "Now." They reluctantly take up their positions. Togami starts with Sonia, patting down her arms, legs, shoulders, chest.
"Eew, Mr. Porkfeet!" "T-Togami! That's inappropriate!" "What is the meaning of this?!" Togami glances at the three protesting kids.
"What? It's a full body search. It's mandatory to get into the party." He snorts. Sonia just sighs.
"If I had known this was going to be similar to the parties we have back in Novoselic, I would have brought something more appropriate to wear... I'm sure they have bomber jackets at the supermarket, yes?" Sonia gazes up, lips pursed, lost in thought. The other four kids stare at her in confusion. Togami resumes he search before nodding.
"You're clean. Who's next?" None of the others respond. Togami sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You all have to go. I'm not letting you leave or go into the party until you get searched." They stand silently for a few moments before Koizumi steps up, cheeks dusted red.
"Just hurry up." Togami nods, following the same routine he did with Sonia. The photographer fidgets, trying to hide the embarrassment on her face. The imposter finishes with her, then turns to Saionji. He stares at her for a few seconds before sighing.
"Saionji, you're next." Togami quickly pats down the giggling dancer. He then turns to Gundam with an unamused look plastered on his face. Gundam crosses his arms, staring at the imposter with his brow raised. Togami sighs. "Hurry up Tanaka."
"I refuse to participate." Gundam glances away, watching the three girls enter the lodge. Togami groans.
"Don't be such a child. You can let me do it or I'll have Hanamura do it and I'll make sure he's thorough." Gundam tenses up, then sighs and spreads his arms out. After a few moments and a quick argument over whether or not the animal breeder could bring in his hamsters, Togami lets Gundam go. "You're clean. I better not see hamster feces everywhere.
"Please. The Four Dark Gods of Destruction know better than to defecate on the floor. Fool." They glare at each other until they hear someone approaching.
"...What are you guys doing?" Nanami cocks her head curiously, while Komaeda chuckles. Hinata rubs his head. Togami turns to Hinata.
"You! Where have you been?!" Hinata winces, pushing a hand against his temple.
"Augh... I've been sick. My head's been hurting since I got up an hour ago. I just learned about this party." After the boy's explanation, Gundam and Togami turn to look at each other. Hinata had a similar story to Gundam. This couldn't be a coincidence. Gundam watches carefully as Togami checks the gamer, the luckster, and Hinata. Hinata is the only one that really puts up any sort of resistance, and it's just him complaining. Once finished with him, Togami nods.
"Alright. Head straight to the main hall. Don't go anywhere else." Togami dismisses them, turning Pekoyama and Owari as they approach. "Arms out, legs apart." The four head into the lodge, heading straight for the designated location. Nidai, Mioda, and Tsumiki are already there, along with Sonia, Saionji, and Koizumi.
"Yooooooo! The gang's coming up! Let's get this party started! Wooooo!" Mioda cheers, then elbows Nidai in the side. The coach grins, tilting his head back and yelling.
"OH YEAAAAAAAAAH!" They stomp their feet excitedly. Tsumiki giggles nervously. Hanamura comes in, plates of various foods balanced on his arms. Souda follows him, holding a few similar plates.
"Oh ho ho, looks like the party is starting soon! It's a good thing I'm almost done with the food, eh?" Hanamura chuckles, arranging the plates on one of the tables, taking Souda's plates and setting those up as well. A few other students trickle in, greeting the ones already there. When they see Hinata, Mioda and Koizumi approach, questioning him about his whereabouts all day.
"I don't know. I'm sorry, my head just hurts. I don't remember. I was sick... or something. I didn't wake up until way late." Hinata brushes them off, receiving a rebuke from Koizumi as a result. Pekoyama and Owari come in, the latter making a beeline for the food. Hanamura makes a feeble attempt to hold her back, telling her to at least wait until the party starts. Soon after, Togami comes into the hall, shoving Kuzuryuu into the room with him.
"Yeah? Fuck you too, asshole!" Kuzuryuu flips the imposter off, getting in his face. Togami casually stares back at the gangster.
"Did I not tell you the party was mandatory?"
"Yeah, you did. But that don't mean I have to attend!"
"Actually, that is exactly what it means." A few snickers cause Kuzuryuu to turn to the room, red-faced.
"Shut up, you shitheads!" He storms off to the corner of the room, kicking a lamp that is on one of the tables. It falls off and hits the floor with a dull thud. Kuzuryuu then hops up onto the table and sneers, staring at the ground. Togami's eyes follow the gangster, but get caught up on something on the food table. He stomps over and, much to everyone's surprise, begins eating some sort of skewered meat. Hanamura stops holding Owari back, and they both scamper over to the heir.
"T-Togami-kun! I understand that my cooking is irresistible, but please, at least wait for the party! I-I haven't even brought everything out yet!" Hanamura wrings his hands nervously, unsure of what to do with them.
"Wah! Stop! I haven't even gotten to taste yet! Don't eat it all!" Owari looks clearly upset, grabbing Togami's arm. The imposter stops eating, slowly turning his head to look at Hanamura. The cook shrieks in surprise and stumbles back, covering his face with his arms.
"Hanamura. Explain this now."
"W-w-well it's a skewered meat dish from South America. I thought that us being, y'know, on a tropical island the theme would fit and-" Togami cuts him off.
"No! Not the food! The skewers! Where did these come from?!" The imposter bellows, causing Hanamura to cower again.
"Th-the kitchen. Uh... sir." Togami sighs.
"Come with me. Hinata, you too." Togami marches toward the door, skewers of meat in hand. He stops by a table with two cases on them and grabs them both in one hand. When he reaches the door, he glances behind him, finding the two boys frozen in place. "Now." Hanamura and Hinata reluctantly trudge after the imposter, leaving the rest of the kids in the main hall. Conversation quickly starts up between them, and soon the room is abuzz with pleasant talk.
"...But, like, it was crazy, there were people flying everywhere! That's when Ibuki roundhouse kicked the guy in his face, shablam!" Gundam listens in amusement to Mioda's story, along with Nidai, Koizumi, and Tsumiki, of a time she was involved in a mosh pit at one of her concerts.
"D-did he get medical treatment?" Tsumiki timidly asks.
"Oh yeah, oh yeah! Like, there were tons of ambulances. Ooh, and cops. They were arresting a bunch of people! That's when Ibuki roundhouse kicked a cop's face in, shablam!" Gundam and Nidai recoil in surprise.
"You... attacked a defender of the law?!" Gundam questions, surprised at the supposed bombastic action of the light music club member.
"Yup! Why do you think Ibuki is here to tell you the story today?"
"Ibuki-chan, perhaps assaulting a police officer wasn't the best thing to do..." Koizumi nervously chuckles, as though the police are going to find the girl just by talking about it.
"Mahiru-chaaaaaaan, how did you expect Ibuki to get away?! If she didn't kick the cop man, than she would be in jail still!"
"S-still?!" Nidai stares in mortification. Mioda just rolls her eyes.
"Yeah. They were totally overreacting though. It was like, Ibuki said 'cop-chan, no need to be so severe' and cop-chan yelled 'you fractured the guy's jaw' or maybe it was something like 'you made his brain hemorrhage!'" The four listeners stare at Mioda in horror. "What?" Their attention is drawn away from Mioda as the door swings open, revealing the three boys that had left. Togami looks relatively the same, if straining a bit more to carry the cases in his hand. Hinata just scratches his head while Hanamura looks upset, probably because Togami confiscated all of his stuff.
"They're back!" Saionji exclaims in excitement. "I wonder if Mr. Porkfeet was sneaking a taste at some of the food that hasn't come out yet. How greedy!" She giggles, and Togami just snorts, setting one of the cases down on the floor.
"So you're done? Alright, let's eat!" Owari practically jumps for the table of food, only for Togami to grab her by the shirt collar. She slumps in defeat. "Oh come on... what's left to do?..."
"Relax. I just need somewhere... safe, to store this." The imposter holds up the other case.
"Have someone guard it." Pekoyama looks up from the plate of food she's gathering. Togami looks a little ticked off due to her partially disobeying his 'don't touch anything' rule.
"Well then you should be fine with guarding it, right? I'm assuming that's what you were going to suggest?" Togami raises an eyebrow, and Pekoyama nods. "Very well. Take this," He hands her the case. "as well as your food down to the office down the hall. That will be a fine place to guard it."
"Yo, you forgot about that other case." Souda jabs at the second case with his thumb. Togami rolls his eyes.
"No, I did not. I am keeping that one with me."
"Wow, that's unfair Mr. Porkfeet! How come you get to keep your stuff?"
"Because I have special privileges. I am special." This draws a few scoffs and snickers from the group. Owari jumps to her feet, collar still in Togami's iron grip.
"Alright, we finished the box thing. Let's ea-"
"We're not done."
"Noooooooo! Lemme at it, I'll take it down!" Owari cracks her knuckles. Gundam can see tears forming in her eyes. He rolls his. She's being melodramatic.
"Now wait, Owari... we can't just solve all of our problems with violence." Hinata tries to calm the gymnast down, with little effect.
"Hold on, Hinata. She might have a point with this one. A certain someone needs keeping away, after all." Hinata sighs. Everybody knows who Togami is talking about.
"...I think I have an idea to keep Monobear away." The group turns to Nanami in surprise.
"Do you now?" Togami crosses his arms and waits.
"Heh, I see your crafty plan, thoughtful one." Gundam chuckles, glancing in the gamer's direction. "You intend to employ the use of the rabbit, do you not?"
Nanami nods. A murmur goes throughout the room. "Wow, that's a good idea..." " Hee hee, Monomi-chan isn't very smart y'know." "Yeah and somebody always wins in their little fights, and it certainly isn't her..." "If it'll help, I don't see how bad it is." Togami silences them all with a wave of the hand.
"Very well. Nanami your plan is approved. Go guard the front door. Pekoyama, head down to the office." Mioda waves to the two girls as they exit the hall. Owari turns to Togami, with some difficulty, her eyes sparkling in hope.
"C-can we eat now?..." Togami smirks, letting go of her collar. "Yahooooooo!" The gymnast leaps forward, stuffing her face and a plate with food at the same time the moment she gets to the table. Gundam, along with a few others, laughs. The party has finally started.
Gundam glances around. Despite there only being thirteen teens in the room (Hanamura, running in and out of the hall, delivering food), they had managed to cause quite a ruckus already.
"You're fucking cheating, you little shit! Where are you hiding your cards?!" Kuzuryuu, despite his insistence that he neither wanted to be here nor make friends, loses another hand of poker and slaps his hand onto the table, pounding his fists against the wood. He, Komaeda, Tsumiki, and Sonia had found a deck of cards and started up some card games. The luckster laughs, along with Sonia, and takes off his jacket.
"Look, Kuzuryuu-kun. No tricks. I'm just really lucky."
"Yeah?! Then play me again, you liar!" He turns to the nurse, who cowers when he shouts at her. "Deal me in or I'll sell you overseas!" The girl sobs and deals everyone a new hand.
"Whoop whoop! Hall time! Ibuki's got a mad party vibe!" Mioda kicks the door to the main hall open, nearly catching Hanamura with it. The cook stumbles back, almost dropping his trays of food in the process. The light music club member charges out into the hall with Saionji hot on her heels.
"FORWAAAAARD!" Nidai stomps after her, cheering.
"Oh yeah!" Souda scampers after the three.
"Akane-chan, maybe you should slow down..." Koizumi stops taking pictures for a moment, glancing at the gymnast with a worried look. Owari turns to Koizumi, attempting to say something. Food flies out of her mouth, and the photographer squeaks, pulling an arm up to cover her face. "Akane-chan! Don't talk with your mouth full!"
Gundam smirks at Togami's flustered appearance, as though he thought he could actually control fifteen other teens. "Hey! Stop yelling!" The imposter points at the poker group, earning a 'shut up!' from Kuzuryuu. "Come back here!" He tries to stop Mioda's group from heading into the hall, with little effect. He grabs Hinata's shoulder and shoves him towards the door. "Follow them!" Hinata reluctantly does so. "Don't eat all the food!" He jabs an intimidating finger at Owari, causing her and Koizumi to glare at and ignore him. The imposter groans in exasperation. Gundam laughs, taking a sip of the bubbly drink in his hands. Togami turns to glare at him. Gundam just shrugs at the imposter.
"Avert your gaze, grandiose one. I have no need for your judgmental stare." He shoots Togami a cocky smile. The imposter seems like he's about to respond when there's a loud click and cold air floods the room. Gundam raises an eyebrow and looks around, head whipping around, trying to find the source of the sound. It sounds... off. A few others glance around curiously as well. "What in the name?..." Suddenly, the gentle hum that filled the air, unnoticed, goes silent and the main hall is plunged into darkness. A scream and a few bangs ring out in the darkness. Gundam takes a few steps and ends up slamming into someone.
"Ah! Ow!" Feminine. Probably Koizumi. He takes a few steps in a different direction and trips over someone. "What the fuck, where am I?" Definitely Kuzuryuu. Gundam topples to the floor, slamming his head onto a table on the way down. Something falling on his chest knocks the wind out of him. "Oof! Sorry!" It's a girl. Gundam guesses Sonia or Tsumiki, which means he's near the poker table. Possibly. Gundam hears people panicking about the darkness.
"Th-th-the power's out!" "No shit!" "Help, I can't see anything!" "L-lets stay calm, guys!" "Oy, everyone, shut up and stop moving!" "Wow, I can barely see my food. When did this happen?" Gundam struggles to get the person on his chest off, with little effect. There's a loud rumble, and then the ground itself shakes under him. A few more people scream, and the person on his chest starts crying. It's Tsumiki.
"I-I-I'm so sorry, person! I'm... I'm stuck and this is scary!" Gundam just grunts, trying again to get the nurse off of him. He feels a tugging on his ear whenever he moves his head, but ignores it. The Four Dark Gods of Destruction furiously chitter in his other ear. Gundam is just glad they got out of his clothes before he hit the ground. His head pounds angrily, and he's ninety-nine percent sure that it's bleeding. Just as suddenly went out, the lights come back on, searing Gundam's eyes. When his vision clears up, he finds himself in a rather... embarrassing position. It seems the nurse had tripped over the lamp cord in the darkness and landed on his chest, spread eagle. Her legs were held that way by the lamp cord and Gundam's scarf. Tsumiki sits there, scrubbing at her face with her fists. Gundam, meanwhile is a mess, with a small amount of blood pooling under his head and soaking into the carpet, as well as trapping Kuzuryuu under his legs. The gangster flails around and swears. The three are splattered with food and are overall ridiculous looking. A few nervous laughs float through the room, and Togami and Koizumi come over to help untangle the nurse. Mioda, Nidai, Saionji, and Hinata run into the room to find the scene there. The girls laugh as well.
"Hey, hey, Mahiru-chan. This would make a great picture, you know!" Mioda chimes in, and Saionji nods in agreement.
"Yeah, Big sis Koizumi, get one, quick!" Koizumi scratches the back of her head in embarrassment.
"I-I don't really take those kind of pictures..." Hinata and Nidai jog over, quickly helping get the three untangled. Gundam picks up his hamsters as he stands up, both his head and his pride wounded. Everyone glances around the room. Two of the three tables are flipped over. Food and playing cards are everywhere. Part of the floor is actually caved in from where someone must have fallen.
"...Woah." Hinata says. That's all there really is to say. Souda and Hanamura run into the room.
"I-i-is everyone alright? The power outage wasn't in just the kitchen, I take it?" Hanamura looks around at the scene. "Oh look at this mess! All of this good food, gone to waste..." The cook laments his fallen dishes as Togami shouts out.
"Everyone, line up. I'm doing a head count." The ruffled and messied kids reluctantly line up, and Togami counts each one. He frowns in concern. "...Where are Nanami and Pekoyama?" Another rumble shakes the lodge, and Tsumiki loses her footing, ending up in Togami's arms. The imposter rights the sobbing nurse and looks around in concern. "What was that?" He looks to the others for clarification. Nobody says anything.
"I-It sounded like an earthquake." Souda clutches his head and tears up. Gundam look at him.
"Quit your crying, skittish one. Even if it was an earthquake, it's not something you need to cry over. Goodness." Gundam rolls his eyes and scoffs.
"Shut up! What if the entire damn house came down on us?! Then we'd all be dead!" Souda whimpers. "I don't wanna die man... I don't wanna..."
"Enough! Nobody's dead." Togami snorts. "They probably didn't know the lights went out."
"One thing wrong there, Mr. Porkfeet." Saionji waves her hand around condescendingly. "The lights were out in the hallway too. It was probably out for the whole lodge. I can see that dopey gamer not noticing, but Big sis Pekoyama's too sharp for that. She would be here, y'know." Nods of consent. Togami cringes, he knows she's right.
"You three!" He points to Gundam, Hanamura, and Koizumi. "Go check on them. The rest of you, help me clean up this mess."
"I'm going too." Kuzuryuu takes a few steps towards the door, staring back at Togami, daring the imposter to stop him. He just raises his eyebrows in response to Kuzuryuu's look.
"Fine. Just hurry up." The group of four reluctantly head out of the main hall, stopping at the office. The door is open, and they enter. It takes them about half a second to determine that Pekoyama isn't there.
"What the fuck. She's supposed to be here." Kuzuryuu says. Gundam can hear the worry in his voice.
"Maybe she went to check on Nanami..." Koizumi stares nervously at the case on the desk. The three boys turn to look at it. Hanamura gulps audibly.
"Wh-wh-why didn't she bring the case with her?... She's supposed to be guarding it..." The cook stutters out. Gundam sighs.
"There is only one way to find out." The others nod, Kuzuryuu clenching his fists nervously. They leave the office, turning the corner. Immediately, they see something off. Dust floats around the door, which is suspiciously open, obscuring the view. Bits of wood and metal lay around the frame and around the entrance. But one thing is unmistakeably clear. That is the pair of white shoes laying on the ground, connected to the black, tights covered legs of Peko Pekoyama. Who's upper half is buried under a pile of wooden rubble. Hanamura screams. Koizumi gasps, going blue in the face. Kuzuryuu grunts and clutches at his chest. Gundam takes a step back, bumping into Hanamura. The animal breeder and the gangster run forward, the other two at their heels. They see the splattered blood and crumpled body. They smell the dust and the musty scent of death. And the worst thing is what they hear. Nothing. The sound of death. Then the monitors crackle to life, dinging happily.
"A body has been discovered! After a short period of investigation, we will start a 'School Trial!'" Monobear's taunting voice rings out through the lodge, quickly followed by an uproar of fear and outrage coming from the main hall. But that is far from the end. Hanamura tugs on Gundam's sleeve, shakily pointing forward. Gundam's gaze shifts up, and a scream catches in his throat. Because he sees another, larger pile of rubble. And the only thing that is visible from under this pile is an arm. But this one cannot belong to Pekoyama, because it's too far away. And the animal breeder chokes as he realizes who it is. For that arm is covered by the sleeve of a jacket that cannot belong to anyone else. The hand belonging to the arm is just another clue, clutching the strap of a pink backpack that spills video games across the deck of the lodge. The backpack, the hand, the arm. They belong to none other than Chiaki Nanami. And that damned announcement, cawing of the discovery of yet another body, resounds through the lodge. If the people in the main hall were upset before, they were furious now, for the sounds coming from that part of the lodge could make a deaf man hear again. But the worst part of the evening is when Kuzuryuu drops to his knees and screams in anguish, clutching the leg of the deceased Pekoyama. Hanamura faints, hitting the floor with a gentle thud. Koizumi grabs Gundam's arm and wails in horror. The animal breeder himself stands numb. Not one death, but two. As he, too, drops to his knees, Gundam can only think of the fact that this wasn't supposed to happen.