Sound of the Sea: (Ab)normal Days

"Good morning, Hope's Peak Students! Today is another day to enrich yourselves with the wonders of Arashimine Resort, so rise and shine! Nighttime restrictions have been lifted, so I implore you to have a nice day."

At the announcement bugle playing, Kirigiri Kasumi rolled over in her bed, groaning as she awoke. She wanted to roll back over in bed, but a rush of memories from yesterday hit her, throwing her out of a state of relaxation. Getting up, she gathered some clothes, noticing that the dresser still contained copies of Kobayashi's outfit. Half of Kasumi still felt a little sour about her actions, the other half just wanted a change of her own clothes.

Mulling over yesterday's events, she took a quick shower before heading out of the Lodge and over to the Resort Restaurant for breakfast. There, she found that she wasn't the last to arrive, but she wasn't the first either. Ichijou happily greeted her, "Good morning, Kasumi-chan!"

Returning the greeting, Kirigiri took a seat next to the Luckster, seeing Minami, Mikage, Saruta, Nagasaki, and Furugori sitting around. Hearing noise from the Kitchen, Kirigiri guessed it was Ishihara, hard at work on breakfast. Kirigiri had news, of course, but she wanted to wait for everyone. The table was mostly silent until everyone else arrived. After a bit more anticipation, the Aeronaut finally began to bring out breakfast. Yokozuna suddenly said, shooting up from her seat, "Ah! That's right, I was going to help!" Scratching her head, she added, "I'll help with dinner, promise."

Ishihara nodded, "That'll be fine, thanks." With Yokozuna's aid, they brought out the rest, completing the breakfast of rice, fish, egg, and miso soup. As everyone dug in, there was a bit of silence, perhaps from the desire not to speak about the events from yesterday. There was certainly a bit of tension in the air.

After a short while, Kirigiri cleared her throat loudly, saying, "I have something to say, if you would listen. Last night, I left my Lodge-"

Minami interrupted, insisting, "Kobayashi's Lodge."

Kirigiri nodded, "Right... Anyway: I left my Lodge last night sometime after everyone went to bed. I was thirsty, and the water didn't turn on, either in my room or the Medical Building. I went to the Ground Level, but there wasn't any water in the fridge down there either. However, on my way up..."

After the Superhero's exaggerated introduction, Kirigiri replaced her jaw, swallowing, before finally saying, "Well, it's a...pleasure to finally meet you, Gold Dragon-san."

With another booming laugh, the gold clad hero shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest, his cape fluttering in the light breeze, "No, the pleasure is all mine, Kirigiri Kasumi. However, I must thank you for your efforts in the Trial some hours ago. I may not have been present, but I assure you, I was there in spirit."

Reading between the lines, Kirigiri quickly said, "So you were there, but in your civilian identity?"

Gold Dragon was silent for a moment, before saying innocently, "Ha ha ha. Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Nothing in particular," Kirigiri said innocently, suppressing a smile. Suddenly, she asked, "If I were to run to the Lodges and keep watch, would we be missing one of our number in the morning?"

"Ha ha ha! Outrunning the Gold Dragon? No normal person could do such a thing! However, let me reassure you: I will do none of you any harm, unless you mark yourself an evildoer," he raised his hand, palm facing forward as he finished.

Kasumi requested, "Well, are there any whom you would mark an evildoer? I would like to keep my eye out. If you fail to stop another murder, I'm afraid you won't be of much help during the investigation period."

Gold Dragon shook his head admitting bitterly, "If only I could read the hearts of others, then perhaps I could have saved Andou Moriko. But, as tragic as her death was, we cannot dwell on the past: we must look to the Future! Fear not, Kirigiri Kasumi, for I am working behind the scenes, going where you may not be able to in trying to find a way out. I am also investigating some of the other mysteries: rest assured that I will notify someone should I learn something of value."

Kirigiri admitted, "I'm not sure if that's reassuring or not...but I appreciate the efforts."

Gold Dragon nodded, "I will not ask you to trust me, but I will show you that my heart is pure and my intentions just: somehow, someway. For now: stay well, Kirigiri Kasumi." With one more dramatic salute, Gold Dragon turned and sped off, his cape fanning out before vanishing. Kirigiri attempted to run after him, hoping to see where he disappeared too, but by the time she reached the top of the cliff, he was already out of sight. By the time she was back at the Lodges, there was nothing out of place either, even when she checked the ElectroID, which hadn't changed except for the addition of the name 'Kirigiri' on her Report Card. Not even certain that the encounter had truly happened, she went to bed, somehow sleeping easier than before.

"Huh," Ganaha said with befuddlement at the conclusion of Kirigiri's tale.

Star shining in her eyes, Yokozuna said with excitement, "So he is real!"

Tamura shrugged, "Well, I didn't really doubt it, but it's good to know for sure that it's not some prank."

Looking around, Ichijou asked, "So, who was behind the mask?" Eyes darted around the table, almost accusingly.

"You said it was a guy, right?" Furugori asked.

Kirigiri nodded, "From what I could see, his frame and voice were indeed male, but I couldn't make out anything in particular, like his height." Looking at the boys present, she said, "All that discounts, however, is Yasuo-kun: Gold Dragon's body shape was leaner. If I could get closer, I could maybe judge height, but other than that, we can only guess." Looking over to the Computer Engineer, Kirigiri apologized, "No offense meant."

Furugori laughed, "Ha, n-none taken, K-K-Kasumi-ch-ch-chan."

Mikage snorted, "If you think I'd put on some spandex and go prowling around like a perv, you've got another thing coming."

Messing with his black hair curl, Saruta shrugged, "Though I appreciate his efforts, I'm afraid I took the Hippocratic Oath."

A bit confused, Ganaha spouted, "You're a hypocrite!?"

Saruta chortled, "No no: it means I swore to do no harm to others. I'm a trainee physician; it's standard. Beating up criminals would be the hypocritical part."

Eyes still wide, Yokozuna looked over to Ichijou. The Luckster pointed at himself, before saying in disbelief, "Eh?"

Shaking her head, Kasumi pointed out, "If he's 'Super High School Level Justice', who is the Super High School Level Luckster?"

Yokozuna gave an awkward laugh, "Oh, right. Didn't think about that!"

Nagasaki mumbled, "Ishihara-san?"

Deepening his voice, the Aeronaut said with some strain, "Ha ha. Doing this hur-bleh." He took a breath, saying normally, "Making my voice like that hurts my throat."

Voice deepened, Sanada Shinji said, "Try harder."

Kirigiri raised an eyebrow, saying, "That was...eerily reminiscent of Gold Dragon's voice."

Sanada insisted, "I'm sure half of us here could mimic Gold Dragon's voice. Besides, if there happens to be a voice changer in the mask?"

Kirigiri had to admit, "True..." Turning her gaze back on Ishihara, she noted, "Well, with that in mind: Ishihara-san?"

The Aeronaut thought for a moment, before admitting, "Guess I don't really have anything. Though to be honest, if I spent my time jumping around on rooftops so often, I'd probably start jumping off them instead."

The last one not to say anything, Uzatei, spoke up, "And I concur with Mikage. Spandex? Really? It's no material I wish to touch. But I could probably replicate the costume if I had the time or desire, and a reference."

After a moment, Minami grumbled, "So, none of us are Gold Dragon?"

Ganaha growled, "Who's lying!?"

Minami gave Kirigiri a look. The amnesiac grumbled, "Why would I lie?"

The Contractor thought for a moment, before saying, "Perhaps, Gold Dragon is a woman." Getting a few looks, she insisted, "It's suspicious: of any one of us to come to first, 'he' comes to you. Perhaps you simply made the encounter up, to have Gold Dragon say whatever you please."

Kirigiri shook her head, "And if he shows up again? If Gold Dragon's frame were indeed feminine, it would be obvious I was lying, even to you." At her jabbing remark, Minami crossed her arms over her chest and looked away, leaving Kirigiri to bite the inside of her inner lip. She'd briefly forgotten how imposing Minami was. She didn't make any verbal threats, but Kirigiri felt that she was angry regardless.

Interrupting, Tamura pointed out, "Now now, we still can't discount that it's the Sixteenth Student after all, let's just eat..."

As the rest of the meal wound down in awkward silence, it was interrupted when Nagasaki, sitting the closest to the door, noticed something. Pointing out the window, she said, "The boulder...where'd it go?" Kirigiri and the others looked up, craning their heads to see, and indeed, the boulder that had blocked the slope upwards was gone, as if it wasn't there in the first place.

Tamura wondered aloud, "Are we allowed to go up?" He was clearly a bit hesitant, likely due to the events in the forest yesterday.

Hoping onto the table from seemingly nowhere, Monokuma answered, "Of course you are!" The Students backed away from him, sliding chairs and shuffling plates. The bear growled, "What'd I ever do to you?"

Ganaha stood, raging, "Knocked us out, kidnapped us from school, dropped us in some crappy resort, told us to kill each other, and laughed as you watched it happen you...you...scum!"

The Producer lunged for Monokuma, who speedily twirled out of the way. As she slammed into the table, Monokuma roared, "This is the last warning! If any of you so much as look at me with even an ounce of killing intent, it's Punishment time!" Minami's hand gently grabbed Ganaha by her suit collar, pulling the intimidated girl away from the table and to her feet. The gargantuan Minami didn't even need to stand to do so. The bear admitted, "Well, I might be exaggerating, but still, you'd better watch out! I thought I made it clear last night. Unless any of you actually want to be Punished for some masochistic reason. But don't you worry, I'll exubearantly oblige!"

Waving his paws, he continued, "Now, back to the topic at hand. Or paw, rather. I've opened up the Second Level for you! There's much more of the mountain to discover too, and it'll be opened up as more murders happen. Gotta keep it fresh: more possibilities mean more fun in the Trials, right?" There was an uncomfortable silence, and Monokuma shrugged, "Say what you will, you're having more fun than you care to admit. See you next time!" With that, Monokuma scampered away, leaving them to their own.

Tamura admitted, "Well, at least we have something to stave off the boredom. Shall we spend the day giving it a look?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Yokozuna smiled.

Ishihara began to pick up, saying, "You guys go ahead, I'll check it out later." With breakfast finished, the Students once again shuffled off, splitting into small groups to explore, or returning to their Lodges or other hideaways, like the Medical Building. Kirigiri herself wanted to explore the Second Level as soon as possible, but didn't want to rush into it. She'd rather not bump into Minami if she could avoid it, either. That was mostly it: she wasn't quite sure if she could so easily mend ties with her either...maybe she'd consult Ichijou?

After a few minutes of loitering on the First Level, she began to make her way to the slope upwards. It was much shorter than the slope down to the Ground Level, ending in another patch of forest, a path stretching out of sight. Standing nearby, however, was Ganaha Eriko. When she noticed Kirigiri, the pink haired girl pouted, "Getting around is such a pain with these stupid heels." She looked down at her white shoes before shouting, "Why couldn't they give me proper walking shoes!? Or a proper walking Resort!?"

Kirigiri wondered, "Why not go barefoot?"

Ganaha shuddered, "L-like Andou-san!? Look how she ended up!"

Kirigiri frowned, "I don't think she was targeted because of her lack of shoes..." Trying to be reassuring, Kirigiri suggested, "Would you like to examine the Second Level with me? Watch each other's backs?"

Ganaha recoiled, asking, "You...aren't going to try anything funny?"

Kasumi was starting to regret talking to her, but replied anyway, shaking her head, "Of course not." She managed to bite back one of her macabre jokes as well, for Ganaha's sake.

Ganaha sighed, "Fine, fine. Let's check it out, I guess." Kirigiri noted her paranoia seemed to be like an on/off switch. Much like most of her emotions, actually.

The pair made their way through the forest, learning partway through that just because the slope was past them, it didn't mean they were done ascending. Much of the path was a gradual, steady incline. By the time they broke free of the forest, Kirigiri was feeling a little tired, while Ganaha was already moaning about her feet. Looking around Kirigiri mostly saw more forest, but there was a break in the trees nearby, revealing a Lake. Next to the opening in the trees, a small, gold colored signpost stood, with what appeared to be a map on it. Standing next to the sign was Sanada Shinji, his hands in his pockets as he looked over the Lake, while Furugori Yasuo sat next to a tree, taking a break. Figuring Ganaha could use one, Kirigiri decided to take a rest as well.

Ganaha stooped down near the sign, keeping off her feet as Kirigiri said, "Hello there, gentlemen."

Smirking, Sanada turned and nodded, "Hello there." Taking a step to the side, he said, "Don't let me hog the view." Kirigiri nodded, but took a glance at the map first. It clearly read 'Arashimine Tourist Resort: Second Level' across the top. There was a large, colored diagram of the Level, most of it covered by a blue Lake. Much of what wasn't covered by Lake was shrouded by woods, however, including a large chunk on one side of the Lake, the other half containing the path. There were a few colored dots near small squares or slopes, like the gold one near the slope marked 'To First Level', each colored dot marking path. Given that the sign was gold like its dot, she could guess that the other signs would be colored as well.

Finally stepping out to look at the Lake, Kirigiri saw it stretched for a good distance. She could see the other side, but it was crowned by trees, shadowing the edges, while the sun clearly shined on the middle, almost making it look like a bright blue bowl. It was impressively undisturbed. On opposite shores, she could see what appeared to be other small, colored signs: light blue, purple, light green, and red. Looking down, Kasumi saw that there was a muddy incline down to the water. If anyone fell, it seemed like it would be pretty difficult to get back up from here, at least without assistance.

Sanada nodded, "Quite breathtaking, no? It's cool around here as well. I wouldn't be opposed to a refreshing dip, but alas, there are no swimsuits."

Overhearing, Ganaha shrugged, "Just go in your underwear."

Chortling, Sanada said, "Only if you join me."

Ganaha processed that for a moment, before ripping up a bit of grass and throwing it at him, hissing, "Perv!"

Sanada didn't notice as the turf hit his leg and fell to the ground. Looking back at the Computer Engineer, he asked, "Ready to continue?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, we can go. Sorry, it's just so relaxing here," Furugori admitted as he stood.

Sanada stated, "I'm sure there will be other, better views. Let's go." With a wave, he headed off, Furugori being sure to bid farewell too.

With them gone, Kirigiri examined the map for a little longer while Ganaha caught her breath. Feeling the need to ask, Kirigiri looked down at Ganaha and said, "Are you alright?"

Ganaha whined, "I wanna go hoooooooome..."

Frowning, Kirigiri stooped down next to her, looking over at the girl with the side ponytail. Ganaha looked back at Kirigiri as she said, "I'm sure we all do, but if we keep looking, we might be able to find another way out."

"But what if we don't!?" Ganaha cried.

Kirigiri sighed, "I'm not sure. There's something weird going on here, but we aren't going to get to the bottom of it sitting here, are we?"

Ganaha muttered a bit, seeming conflicted. After a moment, she hopped too her feet, saying, "Let's go then!" Glad at the sudden enthusiasm, Kirifiri followed as Ganaha led the way. She also held a bit of pity for the girl's parents, who had to deal with her full time...

The two trudged down the path through the forest, around the edge of the Lake, clockwise. In a few minutes, they reached the next path clearing, seeing the Lake from another viewpoint, the sign light blue. There was also another path heading into a darker patch of forest. It wasn't long: in fact, standing at the beginning, Kirigiri could see the destination: a shed, partly concealed in the woods. Kirigiri made to move and Ganaha followed, though she hesitated a little bit.

As they trudged down the path, the air began to get a little heavy. Suddenly, Ganaha shrieked, making Kirigiri jump. The girl looked over at the Producer, who'd clapped her hands over her mouth, asking, "What? What is it?"

Ganaha shook her head, "It was nothing."

Kirigiri gave her a hard look, grumbling, "Who screams for no reason!?" Ganaha looked aside awkwardly, leaving Kirigiri to huff, turning back to the shed.

Reaching the door, she twisted the doorknob, pulling it open. However, inside, it was dark: there was no light, the one window on the side barely visible with what little light came through the trees, the rest coming from behind Kirigiri. Hoping to find some kind of a light switch, Kirigiri groped around on the walls, but felt nothing except the wooden boards. Thinking that there was perhaps a ceiling lamp, she dared take a few cautious steps in while Ganaha watched from outside. As soon as she started to leave the light, she bumped into something.

"Excuse me," said the thing.

"No worries," said Kirigiri. After a few moments of silence, Kirigiri asked, "Would you happen to know where the light is?"

After a moment, there was a click, and the shed was bathed in light from a ceiling lamp, and one better than the ones in the Storage Unit. Kirigiri blinked as her eyes adjusted, and she saw Mikage Naoki standing in front of her. The Farmer frowned, "...So, I really didn't spook you?"

Ganaha gasped, "Ah! I thought I saw some shadow move in the window!"

Kirigiri glowered at her, "You said you didn't see anything."

Ganaha scoffed, "You'd have laughed if I said the first thing came to mind." Pointing from the doorway, she claimed, "Ghosts!"

Turning to look around, Mikage said, "Nope, nothing in here like that." Taking a step away from Mikage, Kasumi took a look around as well. The walls of the shed were lined with shelves, while the center of the room was clear. The shelves were stocked with swimming supplies, from bathing suits to floatation devices, towels, snorkeling gear, and etcetera. Ganaha stepped in and looked around as well.

"Not a lot to see here," Kirigiri said. She also pointed out, "This swimming gear seems useless though: from what I've seen so far, there's no easy way to get down to the Lake. The incline makes it difficult to safely get back up too."

Mikage shrugged, adjusting his sunglasses, "There's probably some way down. I haven't given the whole place a look yet."

Kirigiri said, "Well, we'll have to keep looking then."

Unable to suppress a grin, Mikage noted, "Interested in going for a swim, Kasumi-chan? I'll be glad to join you. They've got a ton of swimsuits here. Well, enough for each of us, at least."

Ganaha grunted, "I'm not surprised. The copies of our clothes already maxed out by creepiness detector."

"Tell me about it," Mikage said, taking off his sunglasses. "This pair of sunglasses right here? Rare, imported. Yeah, and there are two more pairs exactly like it in my Lodge."

Brow furrowed, Kirigiri asked, "Why such expensive sunglasses?"

Whipping them back on, Mikage shrugged, "Because I can afford them."

Kirigiri frowned, "Why not...donate to charity?"

Mikage snorted, "In a few decades with the support of Hope's Peak Academy, I'll probably have solved world hunger. Why shouldn't I blow some cash to enjoy myself a little?"

Kirigiri sighed, "Whatever..." Realizing something, she asked, "...Were you wearing those sunglasses while standing here in the dark?"

Mikage gave a cocksure smile, "You know it. Wear them at night too." Kasumi decided not to touch that subject again. At her disapproving look, Mikage pointed out, "Hey, you would too if you knew how much they cost."

With that, the two girls turned to leave, wanting to check out the rest of the area. Ganaha made to follow as they returned to the main path, continuing down to the next dot on the map. In due time, they came across the purple signpost. Kirigiri took a brief moment to look over the Lake, seeing no openings or colored signs on the opposite shore. She took that to assume they were nearly halfway done. Nearby, there was a path, this one longer and brighter. Neither of the girls hesitated as they went down. It began to widen as it reached the end, finally opening up at a clearing, a fenced off cliff side some distance away. There was also a fairly large size building; half nestled in the woods, half out in the open, facing part of the cliff.

Kirigiri made for the building, her curiosity unbending. What awaited her excited her more than she cared to admit. The large building was two stories, each one containing rows and rows of bookshelves, packed tight. It was also well lit: there were a number of light fixtures, but they were turned off, the illumination coming from the glass roof. "A Library!?" Kasumi said excitedly, using all the willpower she could muster to not begin tearing apart the shelves. She was not the only one enjoying it either: Furugori and Sanada had stopped here, and were browsing shelves on the second floor, while Ichijou and Uzatei lounged on the lower level, where there was a table and some comfy chairs. Off to one side, there was a pedestal with a phone, identical to the others below. On the opposite end, there was another, empty, matching one.

Ganaha mumbled, "You a fan of libraries?"

Realizing what she was implying, Kirigiri answered, "It seems so." If the girl known partly as '-ri Kasu-' was a naturally studious, well-read person, what did that mean?

Seeing the two girls, Ichijou approached, smiling, "Hello there!"

"Giving the Library a look, Mitsuzi-kun?" Kirigiri asked.

Ichijou shrugged, "I can't read." Ganaha and Kirigiri gave him looks, and he cracked a smile, "I'm joking!" A little worried, he asked, "...You didn't believe that, did you?"

Kirigiri smiled, "We know...but you said it with such bluntness, I had to think."

As Ichijou smiled again, Ganaha chided him, "Your jokes won't work if you second guess them."

"Haha, maybe," the Luckster said. Looking around, he asked, "So, you like books, Kasumi-chan?"

Kirigiri smiled, "I suppose so. I'll probably be back after I finish looking."

Ichijou smiled, "I don't usually read a lot, but I suppose now is as good a time as ever. I got Uzatei to help pick out some suitable reading material."

A bit wary, Ganaha said, "Hmm, he seems like the kind of douche who'll give you kids' books because he'll think it's funny."

Ichijou corrected her, "Actually, he kept talking about books from westerners whose names I couldn't pronounce if I tried."

Kasumi blinked, "The opposite end of the scale? He might be playing a different sort of joke on you."

Ganaha shrugged, "Or maybe he just has no sense of recommendations." Suddenly she shouted, "You wouldn't recommend idol music to your dad now would you!?"

From a few meters away, a confused Uzatei answered, "Uh, probably not?" Sanada and Furugori also looked down, wondering what the fuss was. Ganaha Eriko had no shame though, acting as if nothing had happened.

Gently pushing Ganaha towards the door, Kirigiri said, "Maybe we should be leaving..."

Ichijou shrugged, "Well, see you guys later then!"

With a wave, Kirigiri maneuvered Ganaha out the door, taking one look of longing back at the bookshelves. And now that Kobayashi didn't have a monopoly on the Lodge, she'd have a private place to read without intruding on Saruta Bimaru, Kirigiri realized.

As the two girls made it outside, Ganaha mumbled, "Well, my dad listens to idol music, but that's because he owns 113 Pro, so..."

Kasumi laughed lightly, "I see..." Taking a look around, she saw the cliff. Heading over with the desire to check out the view, her breath was snatched away, but not from awe. It was shock.

From the cliff, Kirigiri could see a stretch of forest, waves from a body of water lapping at the rocky shores. It was some distance away, but it was the thing Kirigiri least expected to see. The water stretched out as far as she could see, and there was no sandy beach either. Looking down at one of the rocks jutting down from the cliff of the mountain, there was a wood sign with a plane on it, crossed out, perhaps insinuation it was a no-fly zone, perhaps to quash any notions that Ishihara would be able to get to the beach unharmed.

Looking down at the bay, Ganaha mumbled, "Huh. I didn't know Arashimine was by the ocean."

Kirigiri shook her head, "I was certain we were in the middle of the wilderness...I don't feel like this is right, geographically."

Ganaha gaped, "Huh? Wadda ya mean?"

Kirigiri sighed, "I'll bring it up later; maybe someone has a better knowledge about the geography of these parts. I could just be wrong. In the meantime, shall we get back to looking around?" Ganaha didn't argue.

The pair returned to the main path going past the purple signpost and continuing through the forest. It was several minutes when they arrived at a lime green signpost. Hoping they were almost done, they went down the next side path, which returned through the woods to the cliff once again. Looking around, they were in another cliff side clearing, surrounded by woods. Another good sized building stood here, though this time it was a glass Greenhouse.

As they began to head over, Ganaha let out a small squeal of fright. Kirigiri turned and looked at her, demanding, "What is it now?"

Ganaha pointed, "I thought I saw someone in there."

Kirigiri looked closer, seeing Nagasaki and Yokozuna looking around inside. Turning back to Ganaha, Kasumi asked, "Yes, and?"

Getting a bit embarrassed, Ganaha didn't respond, pushing past and making for the door. Kirigiri followed, entering right behind her. Looking around the long Greenhouse, there was a long table in the center and shelves lining the side, all containing various potted plants. Kirigiri felt the humidity once she'd entered, wiping her forehead, hoping the search wouldn't take too long.

Hearing the two enter, Yokozuna, her white coat bundled in her arms, hopped over, cheerily greeting, "Hey guys!" Nagasaki hung around behind her, simply nodding in greeting. "This place is kinda cool! There's a little shed over there with more pots, seeds, fertilizer, and stuff," the Snowboarder said, pointing her finger towards the woods, were the small Gardening Shed was hidden away.

Kirigiri noted, "You have an interest in gardening?"

Yokozuna shook her head, "Nope, but Ayumi-chan does!"

Nagasaki flinched as the other two girls looked at her, before admitting, "Y-yeah. Food is important..."

Yokozuna explained, "She grew some plants before when she was stranded! She said she was gonna teach me how. You think it will come in handy?"

Thinking it over, Kirigiri said, "I don't think it can hurt. Worst case scenario, Monokuma cuts off the food from the Kitchen. We'd be in trouble then, no?"

Getting pumped, Yokozuna smiled, her fist shooting into the air as she exclaimed, "Alright! Let's get to work, Ayumi-chan! That whole shelf in the back is empty!" Smiling slightly, Nagasaki nodded, and the two moved past Kirigiri and Ganaha, making their way out.

Now alone, the pair split up and gave the Greenhouse a better look. The wall on the right from the entrance was reserved for flowers, while the one on the left was for miscellaneous plants. The center table had some of the larger growths. The shelf in the far back, hanging off the glass, was empty, just as Yokozuna had said. There were a few tools scattered about, like watering cans and trowels. There was also a sink in the back corner with an elongated faucet. Finished looking, the pair made to return to the main path, hearing Yokozuna excitedly talking about seeds from the Gardening Shed as they went back into the forest.

Returning to the main path once again, Kirigiri and Ganaha went down the next stretch, finding it to be the last. Reaching the end, they found a red signpost, another view of the Lake, and a slope stretching out of sigh above the tree line. However, a pile of logs blocked it, not surprising Kirigiri in the least.

Sighing, the amnesiac said, "It looks we won't be able to ascend until after the next Trial..."

Ganaha moaned, "Ugh, I almost forgot about all that crap." The two looked over to the Lake, seeing the gold signpost marking the way they came in on the far side. "Uuuuugh and now I gotta walk all the way back," Ganaha whined. Raising her arm, she waved farewell, saying, "Thanks, Kirigiri-san."

"Later, Ganaha-san," Kasumi replied. After watching the Producer return, Kirigiri looked over the Lake, once again seeing that there was no safe way down. She didn't see much of a point to bathing suits if they couldn't swim without having a time of it getting back up.

Going up the slope, she was disappointed to see that there was no reasonable way to climb or maneuver over them, though she figured trying would just incur a certain bear's wrath. Turning to head back, she froze as she heard a rustling from the forest below the slope, away from the path. Heart beginning to beat, she moved back a little, hoping she wouldn't be noticed.

"Yeah...that'll do nicely," Kirigiri heard from below. She recognized the voice as Tamura Ryunosuke, and moments later, he stepped out from the woods, looking around, not spotting Kasumi before heading back down the path. Kirigiri didn't move until his blue jumpsuit was out of sight. Though she'd thought Tamura seemed trustworthy, now she wasn't so sure. Sneaking around in the woods like that...

Knowing to be a bit wary of him, Kirigiri went down the path after him, trying not to go too fast. By the time she got to slope down to the First Level, she hadn't spotted him. She also guessed it was lunch time by her hunger. Stopping by the Kitchen, she made a quick meal, eating half of it and taking the rest over to the Library. By the time she got there, it was empty. Alone, she grabbed a few books that caught her eye, and decided to check them out she finished her meal, immersing herself in them, not realizing as every other thought had fled from her mind.

Sometime later, her meal long finished, she was interrupted by Ichijou, who entered the Library, saying, "Oh, there you are, Kasumi-chan. I thought you'd be here."

Looking up from her book, Kirigiri said, "Oh, hello. Were you looking for me?"

Ichijou nodded, "Yeah, its dinner time."

Kirigiri blinked, before looking up, seeing that the sky was becoming orange. "R-really? Where has the time gone?" she mumbled, her mind falling out of order. It hadn't felt like that long at all. She was just reading...and halfway done with a more than sizable novel. And as she moved, she noticed that her legs had gotten stiff.

Leaning in to see the book she'd been reading, Ichijou asked, "A mystery novel?"

Kirigiri nodded, "Yes. I just grabbed what caught my eye."

Looking at her small pile, Ichijou noted, "They're all mystery novels."

Starting to get a bit embarrassed, Kirigiri felt herself flush a bit, replying, "Well, I guess they are!"

Ichijou shrugged, "I guess you just like them. That fine. Maybe you could let me read one you like?"

Thinking about it, Kirigiri agreed, "I guess I do enjoy them...maybe that's why I was so into the investigation?"

Realization hitting him, Ichijou spouted, "Maybe you're like a...Super High School Level Sleuth!?"

Kirigiri was about to laugh, but stopped herself, seeing his point. Being a Sleuth would be an ideal Talent for a murder game...had Monokuma stripped her of her memories to obscure that? But then, what about Sanada and Nagasaki, or even Ichijou? It wasn't as though their Talents didn't give them a bit of an advantage either, especially when compared to a Contractor or a Computer Engineer. She decided to find the time to think about it later.

Marking her place by folding the corner and picking up some of her books, Kirigiri said, "Well, let's not keep everyone waiting." Ichijou grabbed a couple as well, lightening her load, and the two headed back to the First Level, depositing the books at Kirigiri's Lodge, before heading over to the Restaurant, seeing the others already eating.

"There they are. About time," Mikage said in between bites of beef.

Ishihara asked, "What took you, Kirigiri-san?"

"Kasumi is fine," the girl answered, before explaining, "I was just at the Library, I lost track of time."

Sanada laughed, "Understandable, the Library will hopefully distract me for a while, at least."

Yokozuna grinned, "The Greenhouse is also pretty neat! Let me or Ayumi-chan know if you want to plant something though, we'll find space somehow." With a black aura seemingly surrounding her, she warned, "And don't touch the back shelf."

Mikage asked, "Greenhouse? Really? Man, I gotta check that out."

Yokozuna nodded, "Okay, we can go after dinner!" She seemed to darken for a moment as she added, perhaps a bit threateningly, "I mean, we wouldn't want you to touch the back shelf, or else..." Mikage simply shrugged.

After blinking at Yokozuna for a second, Ichijou turned back to the others and said, "Okay, so, there was also the Lake, and the shed with some swimming gear."

Uzatei pointed out, "Shame we can't get to the Lake easily, there's no point to get down."

Minami suggested, "Hmm, I could try and at least make some rope ladders, so that if someone falls, they can get up. Slick mud isn't the easiest thing to traverse."

Tamura nodded, "That'd be reassuring."

"There was one other thing," Kirigiri mentioned. "Did anyone see the sea view?" she asked.

Ishihara nodded, "Yeah. I got all excited, but then I saw the no flying sign." Shaking his fist in the air, he grumbled, "Monokuma! Giving me Hope then snatching it away..."

Kirigiri shook her head, "No, that wasn't what I was thinking: isn't it strange? I thought this mountain was in the middle of the wilderness, not even close to the sea."

Yokozuna blinked, before gasping, "Y-you're right! That wasn't there the last time I was here!"

Saruta mumbled, "That can't be right, are you sure?"

Minami shook her head, "How do you move a mountain?"

Sanada admitted, "Well, it's not as though it's the only thing that's changed, right? Although, this is a bit more extreme."

Furugori said with a bit of worry, "I heard Hope's Peak was powerful, but that's a bit much, isn't it?"

Ganaha pointed out, "It might not be real, like an illusion, special effects, or something."

Tamura nodded, "Oh, I didn't think about that. Something to trip us up, maybe?"

Kirigiri suggested, "Or, we're not really at Arashimine Resort at all." The others turned to look as she continued, "It's possible this is another mountain made to resemble Arashimine, but that couldn't be easy." Turning to Yokozuna, she asked, "You said that it wasn't that big last time you were here, right?" Yokozuna thought to herself silently.

Nagasaki muttered, "Why pretend?"

Uzatei shrugged, "To throw someone else off? Maybe anyone who would want to find us if this Murder Game really is being broadcast. They'd be trying to get to Arashimine Resort, only to find that no one was there."

Sanada nodded, "Hmm, that's reasonable."

Kirigiri sighed, "I suppose we'll need more clues then?"

Saruta pointed out, "The Library might have something, we should look tomorrow."

Tamura stood suddenly, saying, "Excellent idea. Ladies! I leave that to you."

After a moment, Ganaha said, "Eh?"

Tamura continued, "Meanwhile, the guys will be busy with a secret project. I'll explain it too you men after breakfast tomorrow."

Sanada grumbled, "Er, this is rather sudden. Is attendance mandatory?"

"Naturally," Tamura insisted.

Mikage snorted, "You can't tell me what to do."

The ASCAN retorted, "You'll regret not coming along, trust me."

Ichijou shrugged, "I'll be there."

Tamura shot the Luckster a thumbs up. Turning to the others, he asked, almost demandingly, "Who else?"

The curly haired Ishihara smiled, "I'll go, Ryunosuke-kun!"

Furugori shrugged, "Eh, why not?"

Tamura grunted, "Trick question! All the guys are going."

Sanada sighed, "The spiteful part of my soul wants to deny you, but I suppose I'll go along with it. What's the worst that could happen?"

Kirigiri mumbled, "...Did you seriously just ask that?" However, she had to admit, "I can't really see much bad happening if you all go, though."

Calming down a bit, Tamura scratched his stubbly chin as he admitted, "Er, perhaps I'm being a bit too aggressive?"

Ishihara laughed, "Maybe a little?"

Uzatei sighed, scratching his head, "Do we need to bring anything?"

Tamura shook his head, "You'll be fine." After a moment, he said, "If that's everything..."

With the meal finished, Tamura helped Ishihara clean up. Kirigiri stood from her seat and stretched, before plopping back down, the stiffness from sitting for several hours still not quite gone. Looking around as most of the others meandered about or left, she wondered what was going to happen next. Would Monokuma keep rolling out incentives to keep the blood flowing? Kirigiri swallowed, hoping that wasn't the case. But another part of her, deeper down, was anticipating it, almost excitedly. Perhaps she did have at least an interest in mysteries, but her thoughts were starting to make her feel a bit guilty.

Another exploration complete, so we'll have our second incentive next time, among other things.

Also, for our Free Times, we have a tie! Tamura, Ishihara, and Nagasaki were all chosen, so we'll be seeing two of my picks. Thanks to everyone you votes! Be sure to vote next time if you didn't.