A fair warning! This chapter contains the tagged underaged drinking, so be warned. You know, if you're cool with kids murdering each other but not being aloud to booze it up in a stressful situation. :B

It also has perhaps my most brutal murder yet, so I once again bring up my earlier warning of 'if you think the rating should be raised let me though'. (Admittedly, I don't think it's too heavily moderated, but still). Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

On the eighth day of the Game of Mutual Killing, Ichijou Mitsuzi woke up to the morning announcement for the first time. Normally, he was up earlier, but after his incident last evening, he was having trouble sleeping. He kept feeling like he might fall asleep and never wake up. Exhaustion overtook him eventually though. Looking around from his bed, he noticed that it was darker than usual at this hour.

A bit confused, he got up, quickly realizing he never did get a bath. Given it usually took a short while for breakfast anyway, he figured it wouldn't hurt to get a quick shower. After taking care of that, he headed outside, but was surprised at what he saw: the summer air on the lower level had cooled, and a thin fog had rolled in. He could still see much of the First Level though: only what was beyond the cliff was out of sight. He had forgotten about Monokuma's weather forecast yesterday. It certainly made things gloomier though.

Heading over to the Resort Restaurant, Ichijou found that, for once, he was the last to arrive. Given the Restaurant's openness, it was no surprise that it seemed a little foggy inside as well. Breakfast still wasn't out yet, but he gave the cheeriest greeting he could muster, "Morning guys!" As he sat, he couldn't help but yawn, which spread a bit, a few of the other Students yawning as well.

Twirling his hair black curl, Saruta asked, "Did you sleep well? I assume there were no complications."

Ichijou scratched his head, figuring it would be best to be honest to the doctor. He replied, "I've slept better. But no more, er, incidents." Looking around, he asked, "What about you guys?"

As if on cue, there was a yell and a clattering from the Kitchen, where Ishihara was no doubt at work. Ichijou got up, as did Saruta and Uzatei, the Surgical Assistant leading the way in. Ichijou followed, but Uzatei seemed hesitant, likely because the Kitchen wasn't exactly large.

As Ichijou entered, looking past Saruta, he saw Ishihara in front of the pantry, holding it shut. "What's the matter, Jouji-kun?" Ichijou asked.

Swallowing, Ishihara began, "There was this massive...hallucination." Slapping his forehead, he let out a laugh of shame, explaining, "I opened the door to get something and there was a huge rat taking up the whole thing. It scared meeeee!" As he ended his sentence, he had let out a shriek, hopping away on one foot, his hand grasping onto the other as he scanned the ground. "I thought I felt...never mind," Ishihara said, shaking his head.

Saruta said, "I saw nothing. I'm sure it's just the Monokuma Gas."

Ishihara nodded, wiping his forehead with his arm as he breathed a bit heavily. He said, "Yeah, I know. But still, it's hard to just pass if off." Looking over at Ichijou, he said, "It could be worse though. Glad you made it to breakfast alright though."

Ichijou nodded, before suggesting, "Hey, Saruta-kun: do you think we should try to get a list of everyone's fears? Just in case?"

Saruta thought for a moment, before shaking his head, "There's not much I can do. In your case, I advised you regarding what you should keep in mind while we're dealing with this incentive. I also informed everyone last night that they could come to me if they had something to share: health concerns, potential threats their fears might cause them." Suddenly snapping, he said quickly, "Ichijou-san! Summarize what I instructed last night."

"Ah, oh, uh," Ichijou stammered, before recalling, "Always stay with someone and leave the door to my Lodge unlocked but don't tell-" Realizing what he was saying, he clapped his hand over his mouth. He was glad only Ishihara was here though.

Saruta smirked, before saying, "I'm afraid I have to mark that as a failure. I am glad you remember though." Glancing over to Ishihara, he nodded and said, "Excuse us for disturbing you."

"No worries," Ishihara said as Saruta went past Ichijou and went back to the Restaurant. Ishihara went back to cooking as he mumbled, "Rats...pathetic, huh?"

Ichijou shrugged, "Well, at least you didn't faint."

Ishihara blinked, asking, "Is that what happened to you?"

Ichijou scratched his cheek, admitting, "Yeah, I think. I felt my heart stop and freaked a little."

Ishihara spouted, "That's not fainting!" Ichijou let out a small laugh at that.

Figuring Ishihara would be fine for now, Ichijou returned to the Restaurant, sitting back down. The gloomy mood seemed to affect the Students though, as there wasn't much conversation until breakfast came out.

As everyone plated up (pancakes, once again), Ishihara asked, "So, what's the plan for today?"

Uzatei mentioned, "There was something about the Hot Spring, right?"

Minami nodded, "Last evening, I finished lashing the rope up there. There was an opening: a small cave, going down, it seemed. Gold Dragon must have come from the other end. We just need to take it backwards and find where he'd come from, so we can prevent any more voyeurism."

Kirigiri asked, "Shall we investigate after we eat? I would like too, but it would be best not to go alone in present conditions."

Ichijou nodded, "I'll go."

Saruta began, "I would like to as well, but I think I'll stay at the Library. In between the First and Third Levels, a phone nearby...I don't want to be too far off should something happen. It's getting troublesome to navigate this place, honestly."

Uzatei suggested, "At least we do have the phones, just in case. But I agree; one can only do so much walking in a day. It makes me not want to go far from the First Level: it feels like a day trip to do anything around here."

Ganaha nodded, "Tell me about it!" She pouted, "Why did they have to force me to wear heels? More like 'hells'..."

"We don't have any spare boots?" Ishihara wondered.

Uzatei scoffed as Ganaha, feeling the same way, clicked her tongue, muttering, "Yeah, and look like a total idiot?"

Nagasaki frowned, looking down at her own brown boots. Noticing, Ichijou reassured her, insisting, "She didn't mean it like that! I mean, boots with a nice white suit like that would look pretty silly. I mean, I'd look silly in boots too, I bet." He cheered mentally as Nagasaki's lips twitched a bit, the girl likely finding the mental image amusing.

"Anyway," Kirigiri interrupted. Looking around, she suggested, "Before we consider cave diving, I think we should grab some form of lighting. Was there anything in the Storage Units?"

Mikage nodded, "Yup, there were some flashlights."

Kirigiri nodded, "Good, then we can check it out after we eat. However, I don't know how long it will take to explore. Some way to ensure we get back alright would be reassuring." Looking to Minami, she asked, "How much more rope do we have?"

Minami nodded curtly, "Enough." Ichijou expected Kirigiri to retort, but she simply nodded back. Ichijou was a bit surprised. Were they...getting along? If that was true, Ichijou was starting to feel more and more optimistic about things.

As breakfast wound down, Ishihara began to grab plates. As Ichijou went to help, Ishihara stopped, thinking, "Hey, I just thought of something...yeah, that could work!" As he got a few glances, he began, "I've got an idea for dinner: how about we roll out that barbeque grill on the Third Level and eat up there?"

Mikage lit up, nodding, "Hey, that sounds like a plan. I've got just the thing too."

Ishihara nodded, "I can take some stuff up there ahead of time, there's that fridge in the Ranger Station..."

Ichijou smiled, "Sounds fun!"

Minami wondered, "Is it foggy up there though?"

Furugori shrugged, "Probably, but a change of pace sounds good!"

Dinner plans made, Ichijou decided to lend a hand with the cleanup, but was surprised when he returned upon finishing, seeing that everyone was still assembled, excluding Kirigiri and Minami. In less than a minute though, they returned, objects in hand. Minami had rope coiled around her shoulder while Kirigiri held a book, placing it on the table. Taking something out, she held a flashlight in the air, flicking it on and off once. Holding it out, she asked, "Who's coming along?"

Ichijou grabbed it first, holding it in front of his face, messing with the switch, flashing himself in the face a few times. As he got spots in his eyes, he nodded, "Sure!"

Kirigiri nodded, before passing out the rest. She kept one flashlight before passing another to Minami. Ishihara took one without hesitation, and Mikage snagged another as well, though reluctantly. Uzatei and Ganaha turned them down, clearly not interested. Furugori also took one of his own, but Nagasaki seemed on the fence. She finally reasoned, "Too risky," and turned it down. Minami took a second to grab a knife, and the group was ready to head out.

The six made their way up, heading to the Second Level as they got to the path, Furugori muttered, "Man, the fog makes the Lake look really creepy." Ichijou looked over, noting that he was unable to see the other side. He couldn't help but agree with Furugori there.

Realizing something, Ichijou looked over to Kirigiri and asked with a grin, "Hey, Kasumi-chan, you should be able to do something about the fog, right? Or should I say Kirigiri-chan?"

Fog Cutter pouted, "There's no mystery about this fog...well, no new mystery. Just the same old Monokuma 'power over nature nonsense'." Ichijou admitted that she was right, they hadn't even questioned it much.

After a bit more walking, the group reached the Third Level, finding that the fog permeated the bamboo forest as well, looking even more prevalent due to the bamboo not blocking as much vision as the trees below. Heading down the path, the six Students reached the entrance to the rocky path that led to the Hot Spring. As they turned to head in though, Kirigiri interrupted, "Er, Minami-san: where is the upper opening to the Hot Spring? I'm curious as to what it looks like."

Shrugging, Minami changed direction, leading everyone through the bamboo forest nearby. They changed directions a few times, before eventually coming to a forked stream. The larger part seemed to come from the side of the mountain above where the entrance to the Level led, while one of the two forks headed deeper into the bamboo forest. The second fork was much narrower, and led to a gap in a small, rocky hill, no doubt pouring down into the raised pool above the Hot Spring. Ichijou approached, but couldn't get a view through the steam.

Understanding why Kirigiri was curious, Furugori nodded, "Oh, I see. Well, at least we don't have to worry about any peeping toms from here."

Mikage shrugged, "Not that I mind."

Kirigiri raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really?"

Mikage smirked, "Hey, let's be serious. If you ladies want to admire, be my guest."

Kirigiri gave a sigh, before turning back to the main path. Minami huffed, before following, the guys heading off as well. Mikage shrugged, appearing to not care regarding their reactions.

Returning to the path, the six headed down, passing through two sets of curtains to the Hot Spring proper. Ichijou looked up, seeing a rope hanging at the edge of the area, near the wall.

Minami took the lead, showing that the rope could handle even her muscular frame, climbing to the raise level. The others hung back as Ichijou went up next, avoiding even the risk of accidentally looking up. Mikage was next, practically having been forced up by Kirigiri. Then, Furugori struggled upward until Minami could reach him, the girl easily lifting the chubby boy by the collar of his shirt and placing them on the second level. Ishihara made his way up in no time at all, and Kirigiri was last, having donned her black gloves to make it even easier to get up, also avoiding the risk of an up-skirt.

Pulling out her flashlight, Minami made for the tunnel, crawling in, the girl's shoulders not being much narrower than the cave entrance itself. Switching on his own light, Ichijou followed, hearing the others come in after him. They began to head in, the cave seeming to go down, twisting to the side a bit. As they got farther and farther from the light outside, it began to dim, but the set of flashlights helped immensely, for the most part.

"Oh man, this was a bad idea..." Ichijou heard Mikage mutter from somewhere behind him.

Ishihara asked, "Something wrong?"

Mikage said shakily, "Oh, nothing. I just might be the tiniest bit...claustrophobic."

Minami grunted from ahead, "You couldn't have warned us beforehand?"

Mikage snapped, "You think I would have remembered it before my heart started flipping out!?" Ichijou turned his head as Mikage shuffled, trying to get behind Kirigiri, likely so as to not feel enclosed.

Kirigiri narrowed her eyes as she allowed it, muttering, "If I feel your hands where they shouldn't be, the others will be hearing a body discovery announcement moments later."

Mikage grunted, "Oh cut me a break."

Luckily, despite the complaints, there were no incidents until Minami suddenly stopped. She crouched down, and Ichijou came up behind her, looking over. She explained, "There's a drop off. Hmm, getting down should be possible even without the rope, though the landing's hard, but getting up? How did Gold Dragon manage?"

Furugori suggested, "Maybe we can get a better look from down there?"

Nodding, Minami gestured for the others to step back as she grabbed her rope, lashing it to a suitable rock formation. Testing it, she yanked at the knot, which refused to come free no matter how hard she pulled. Throwing the rest down, she nodded, "Good rope," as she climbed out of sight.

Peeking through the opening, Ichijou got a look around at the wider area. The ceiling wasn't that far up, but on the ground, he noticed a track of some kind. Off to the left side, he noticed a slope up, which bent out of sight. When Minami finished, Ichijou headed down after her, sliding down, finding that it wasn't that far a drop at all, relatively: only a bit more than two meters. Reaching the ground safely, he began to look around with Minami as the others descended. He wanted to take the path up, but he was more concerned with how Gold Dragon had gotten up. Checking the wall, he supposed it wasn't impossible that he could have simply climbed.

When everyone had reached the lower level, Ichijou asked, "So, what's this here?" He shone his light over the track of metal and wood on the ground, pointing it out.

Minami suggested, "I would guess a mine cart track. Who knows what minerals are here though."

Looking over to Mikage, Furugori asked, "Are you okay, Mikage-san?"

The Farmer nodded, a bit short on breath, "A-okay, heh."

Looking around, Ishihara asked, "How did Gold Dragon get up? I guess he could have climbed."

Kirigiri nodded, "That seems most likely." Looking around, she noted, "There are two paths. Shall we split into two groups and give both a look?"

Looking around, Mikage pointed his light down the mine cart track, suggesting, "I think I'll go this way."

Minami nodded, "As will I."

More interested in the mine cart track, Ichijou said, "And me makes three."

Kirigiri nodded, pointing her light up the slope, suggesting, "Then I think we'll go up."

Ishihara smiled, "I don't mind heights." Furugori didn't complain, but seemed a bit hesitant: the slope seemed to stretch quite high.

The group split, Kirigiri, Ishihara, and Furugori going up and out of sight as Ichijou, Minami, and Mikage went along the mine cart track tunnel.

Minami mumbled, "A Mine, a Fort, a Shrine...how much of these are lies for tourists to eat up? I have a hard time believing this place served all three of these roles."

Ichijou nodded, "Oh, I never even thought about that..." Mikage simply shrugged, not caring.

The three continued, eventually reaching the end, where there was yet another slope, this one stretching down instead. Having no choice, the three descended. After a couple minutes, they reached the bottom, finding that it opened up as they reached another landing. This one was far messier though: rocks of varying sizes were scattered about, covering parts of the track laid out on the ground. There was also the occasional piece of equipment around, like a pickaxe or sledgehammer. Nearby, there was also a metal ladder, which went up into the rock and out of sight. Curious, Ichijou peeked in, shining his light upward, seeing that it stretched up quite far.

Minami mumbled, "This Mine was probably abandoned due to a cave in, if it's even genuine. Otherwise, whoever was behind this was unprofessional: to leave such a mess behind...how embarrassing."

Unable to disagree, Ichijou looked around the mess, before stumbling upon something. Getting closer, he saw yet another metal shaft embedded in the rock, circular, a rounded metal elevator lodged within. Ichijou spotted a button on the inside, and another attached to the wall outside. Before he could investigate further, there was a low buzz that rang out. Ichijou watched cautiously for a few moments before a metal grate extended from the edge of the opening, closing the elevator. With a noisy rumble, it began to ascend, accelerating as it went up into the darkness and out of sight.

Approaching, Minami wondered aloud, "Is it automated?" They could hear as it rumbled upward, eventually quieting as it no doubt came to a stop. Wanting to take the elevator, Ichijou leaned over and tried pressing the button, but there was nothing, even as he tried again.

Minami shook her head, going past Ichijou and giving it a look. She couldn't find any sort of opening, and ended up resigning to pressing the button again. This time, there was another buzz for a few moments, before the rumbling began. Minami and Ichijou took a cautious step back, waiting another couple of minutes until it returned, slamming down a bit harder than expected. The grate slid open with another screech, and a cringing Kirigiri Kasumi could be seen within, flashlight in hand.

Hastily stepping out, picking at her ear she nodded, "Hello. If you have hearing problems, I'd recommend avoiding the elevator: it's quite noisy. Actually, I think I'd just recommend avoiding it in the first place."

Realizing what was going on, Ichijou nodded, "Oh, so this goes to the top where you guys ended up?"

Kirigiri nodded, "Yes, both of them. We were investigating. We were about to try something, but there was a premature buzzing sound, so I quickly got on."

Looking around, Mikage asked, "Where's the other one?"

Kirigiri pointed down the messy path, explaining, "It should be this way." Taking the lead, she cautiously treaded through the rocks, heading over. The other three followed, taking several minutes to reach the other elevator shaft, which was close to another tunnel stretching downward. The elevator here was gone, however, but a rumbling could be heard from above. Sure enough, it arrived with yet another loud thump, and empty.

Kirigiri frowned, "Those two must be messing with it...wait here for a moment." Kirigiri stepped in, waiting for a few seconds. After about a minute, she pressed the elevator button once more, and it began to ascend.

As they waited for someone to come back, Ichijou went over to the other tunnel, shining his light down, but he couldn't tell if it led anywhere in particular, as it bent out of sight.

The elevator finally began to rumble again, slamming down with an increasingly discombobulated looking Kirigiri. She said with a bit of displeasure, "I'm starting to get a headache from these rough landings."

Stepping outside, she began to explain, "It seems we've got it figured out. The two elevators are connected: when one goes up, the other goes down. There's also about a minute after using it where it can't be used, like a cooldown period. Then there's the few seconds after hitting the button to get on, but why the inane setup?"

Minami suggested, "It's possible that they are connected in a way that the descending one helps to raise the ascending one, but it's much easier, much more efficient, and only slightly more expensive to simply make two independent elevators."

Kirigiri thought for a moment, before sighing, "When am I going to stop questioning the logic of this place?" Gesturing, she said, "After you. It will be a little cramped, however."

Looking in, Minami said, "It might be better if I go up alone first." Kirigiri shrugged, and Minami nodded, heading in and pressing the button. The elevator ascended, coming to a stop a couple minutes later. After another minute of cool down, Kirigiri hit the button, and it descended with another jarring thump.

After yet another minute, the three entered, and Ichijou pressed the button. The grate closed noisily and Ichijou felt like he was getting heavier as the elevator ascended noisily. He would have enjoyed it more had it not been as noisy: aside from that, it was much better than the tense, slow crawl to a Class Trial.

Finally reaching the top, the elevator stopping roughly, making the three occupants hop upwards a small bit before he grate screeched open. The three stepped out, seeing Minami, Ishihara, and Furugori waiting nearby.

Mikage took a few more steps away, taking a couple breaths. Ishihara noted, "You okay man? You had no problem with the elevators before."

Mikage hissed, "The Courtroom one is bigger..."

Looking around, Ichijou saw yet another track, but it was much cleaner up here. There was a cliff nearby, which worried Ichijou a bit, but catching his interest was mine cart, filled to the brim with rocks. Curious, Ichijou wondered if it could be moved, but set it aside for now.

Kirigiri looked around, saying, "The only other things of note here were on the other side of this level. Would you like to look or simply hear what I noticed?"

Ichijou shrugged, not minding either way. Minami said, "I'm more of a 'hands on' kind of person."

Kirigiri nodded, turning as she replied, "Very well." Leading the way, the six headed down the path for a couple minutes until they reached the other side. There was a slope downwards, likely to the middle section where they started, and further beyond that, the track ended, going next to the cliff being and into a short tunnel which was blocked by a cave in partway in, another mine cart being half buried underneath the rubble. Next to the tunnel was a rusted lever, and on the other side was a metal door.

Minami stopped down, wondering, "What's this for? The door?"

"Bzzzt, wrong," came the annoying voice of a certain malignant presence. Ichijou looked around, not knowing where the voice was coming from until Monokuma popped out of the rubble, sending some of it scattering. He chortled, half covered in dirt, "Isn't it obvious? It's for the mine cart, of course! Just pull that lever and it'll tumble over, spilling its contents. Well, not like it's easy to pull it with all that rust, but it might be worth the effort: that mine cart is filled with pure gold!"

Mikage scoffed, "No it isn't!"

Monokuma insisted, "I mean underneath the regular rocks, dummy. If you can bear the load and climb up that ladder and out of here, you can keep it though. Good luck with that! Maybe that's how Gold Dragon found this place, hmm? Don't dragons have an affinity for riches?"

Furugori mumbled, "Not like it's any good here..."

Monokuma snarled, "You just don't have any imagination! A huge chunk of gold can concuss as well as any old rock, but I would call a death by gold, 'going out with style'! Oh, no, wait, 'comedy gold'! Gyahahaha!"

Ishihara grumbled, "You can go now."

Monokuma snarled, "Don't you try to write me out just yet! Besides, I have one more thing to say." Leaning in, he teased, "This is impossibly important! Everything could hinge on this secret piece of knowledge!"

Kirigiri snorted, and Ichijou knew not to get his Hopes up as far as Monokuma was concerned. Ignoring the dejection, Monokuma finally said, "You've...all...discovered another secret area!"

Recalling, Ishihara asked, "The other one was the Stream, right?"

Furugori sighed, asking, "How is that important?"

Monokuma elaborated, "Don't you feel fulfilled? You're progress bar is slowly ticking up: you might not be complete screw ups after all. You need to get all those Free Times though, but since we can't restart...oh well!"

Shaking his head, Ichijou grumbled, "I don't understand!"

Monokuma laughed, "Well, no one expected you too! You're too busy getting heart attacks."

Ichijou snapped, "That was your fault! You almost killed me!"

Monokuma shrugged, "You know I don't mean it! I would never! That was just for fun. A fake out! Would a hug make it all better? I'd be risking vomiting all over your feet due to the stench of a Hope-filled Luckster, but I still might if it could make you feel better."

Ichijou grimaced, "No way it would."

Monokuma took a few steps closer, insisting, "Are you sure? I'm super cuddly!"

Kirigiri scoffed, "As much as a porcupine, I imagine. Or a stonefish."

Monokuma gasped, "Oh no! The secret's out! My reputation is ruined! ...Or would be, but that's one of my secret charm points! Anyway, you enjoy the secret area now, you hear?" Scampering off, he fled into the darkness and out of sight. By the time any flashlights shone on the area he'd left too, he was gone.

"Good riddance," Kirigiri sighed, heading over to the steel door. There was a handle embedded in the door, but it resisted Kirigiri's pull. She stepped back, shaking her head.

Thinking, Ichijou said, "Okay, we still need to check the ladder and the other path downward."

Ishihara asked, "Wanna split up again?"

Mikage debated to himself, "The ladder is most likely to be an exit, but it looked so cramped."

Furugori shrugged, "I think I'd prefer the path farther down. I mean, who knows where it could go? Plus, I'm no good at climbing."

Ishihara said half seriously, "Well, whoever takes the ladder, Mitsuzi-kun and Kirigiri-chan can't go together."

Ichijou patted down the hem of his yukata, suggesting, "I really don't mind."

Kirigiri cringed, "I do. No offense."

Minami finally suggested, "How about I go up with Mikage? If he has trouble, in the worst case, I should be able to handle things if I stay below him."

Mikage seemed uneasy, but shrugged. Ishihara suggested, "I'll go with you then, just in case."

Kirigiri nodded, "That leaves us to head down the other path."

Looking around, Ichijou wondered, "Where was that again?"

Recalling, Kirigiri explained, "I went down this elevator to see you, then we walked across to the other, where we went back up, then we came this way to see the level and door."

Ichijou nodded, "Okay! The ladder was near where you came down over there, so the path's on this side."

Mikage looked down the elevator shaft warily as Minami called it up. Ishihara pointed out, "It'll be a little less crowded this time: just you and me."

Waving her hand, Kirigiri said, "Let's try and get to the other one, we'll take it down just the once...hopefully for the last time."

The trio left the other group as they headed back down the minecart. By the time they arrived, the elevator had already descended, meaning Mikage and Ishihara or Minami alone were about to take a trip down. After a couple minutes, it came back up, and the three got on, trying to adjust themselves until they were the most comfortable. I was a short wait until the other elevator was sent back up to take the next part of that group down. Sure enough, without any input, the three descended, bracing themselves as it came to the bottom, slamming down again.

Stepping out once the grate opened, they looked around with their flashlights before heading down the tunnel. It wound a bit, but mostly sloped down rapidly. It finally began to level out after several minutes of walking, and after a short while, the group arrived at a steel door, just like the one above. Ichijou cautiously reached for the handle in the door, pulling it. Unlike the one above, it gave, and there was a click from the door. As it cracked open, light shone through.

After a few moments, the three let their eyes adjust, stepping through. They were in a rocky, but well lit hallway, the stone being smoother than what was behind the door. There were two rooms off to the side as well.

Looking around, Kirigiri asked, "Where are we?"

Furugori replied, "Isn't this the area behind the Auditorium?"

Checking, Ichijou made for the end of the hallway, turning to see the path lead to the backstage. "It is!" he noted.

Kirigiri sighed, "Stupid Sanada... I never gave this place a look when we were exploring, he said it was uninteresting."

Furugori shrugged, "It kinda is though. At least, I didn't find anything in the rooms."

Kirigiri shrugged, "I'll probably give it a look. For now, I say we head back to the First Level. The other three will find their way back somehow, whether they find an exit, follow us, or come back through the Hot Spring."

Only slightly worried for them, Ichijou nodded. Furugori let out a sigh, saying, "Well I think I'm gonna go then. That was kinda...spooky? Tense?"

Kirigiri suggested, "Harrowing?"

Furugori smiled, "A little. I could use some fresh air. Shame there's nothing out there but fog. See you guys later."

Bidding him farewell, Ichijou turned to Kirigiri as he left, asking, "Wanna give this place a look, Kasumi-chan?"

Kirigiri nodded, "That sounds fine."

Heading into one of the rooms, the two combed it, but were quick to find there really wasn't much of note, even in the other. There were some lockers (empty) and a mirror (spotless) in each room, along with some stools and chairs, but they were indeed uninteresting.

Heading outside, through the Auditorium and the tunnel, the two reached the road, fog still present, but the sun was visible high above, if barely. The lack of cicada noise made it clear it was past noon, however, no doubt to the large amount of walking and climbing that was just done. Still a ways off from dinner though, the pair went up to the First Level.

"Well, I'll see you later, Mitsuzi-kun," Kirigiri said before heading off.

Ichijou nodded and waved farewell for now, before stretching. Now what to do...

Figuring he might spend a little time to scan for that missing Volume, he headed up to the First Level, intending to go to the Second. As he walked across the region, a loiterer caught his eye. Changing his path, he made his way to the Lodges, where Nagasaki was mulling about. The girl noticed him, eyeing the Luckster closely as he approached. When he got within earshot, she muttered, "H-hello. You're back, I see..."

Ichijou smiled, "Yup, there's this whole underground Mine beneath the Resort. It's really dark though." Getting an idea, he asked, "Wanna help me for a second?"

Nagasaki blinked, before looking aside, and replying, "Maybe. Depends."

Ichijou suggested, "I was just thinking, if we leave some of the flashlights outside the entrances, it'll easy to come and go. Well, not like we should need to, but there was another door down there. Maybe it'll open up later?"

After a moment, Nagasaki replied, "Sure, I'll help, I suppose." Ichijou smiled, before leading the way, the pair snatching the remaining flashlights and heading back down to the ground level, placing them in the changing rooms behind the Auditorium.

As they finished, Nagasaki wondered, "Where's the other entrance? Aside from the Hot Spring."

Ichijou blinked for a moment, before shrugging, "I dunno yet." As Nagasaki gave him a hard look, he could only shrug.

Before they headed out, Nagasaki took one of the flashlights, examining it for a second. She muttered, "I had one of these once."

Ichijou wondered, "When you were a kid?"

Nagasaki shook her head, explaining, "No, on..." At her hesitance, Ichijou began to realize he was on unstable ground. However, without any badgering, she managed to say, "The island."

Ichijou tried to recall what shed said about her whole predicament, remembering, "Yeah, you survived the wreck and ended up in an archipelago right? Then built a raft and found a larger island?"

Nagasaki nodded, "I almost regret it sometimes. After staying on the archipelago for years, I got better at swimming, got really tan too, but...it was lonely. There were some crabs and fish underwater, but...underwater isn't for people. And above water there was just palm trees, rocks, and sand. It took we a while to even get the wood for the raft, and I hadn't sailed, so..."

Ichijou smiled, "Man, you're really, er, resourceful? Yeah, that's a good word."

Ignoring him, Nagasaki managed to continue, "But the bigger island...it had more trees, so I was able to sleep in a shelter for once, but I wasn't alone."

Ichijou swallowed, "The animals?"

Nagasaki shuddered, "I hadn't really had any competition for resources, and not all of them were afraid of me, or fire. Plus, I had my knife..."

Ichijou blinked, wondering, "Not that one?"

Nagasaki shook her head, "No, it was a folding survival knife. I lost it before I got here, I think, or Monokuma took it." Nagaski frowned, "I really liked it..."

"Where'd you find it, anyway?" Ichijou wondered.

Nagasaki explained, "I had a couple things from...the wreck." Swallowing anxiously, she quickly listed, "A knife, an inflatable lifeboat I used as shelter until it broke, some pieces here and there..."

Ichijou added, "The flashlight?"

Nagasaki shuddered, before explaining, "No, that was...the island. There was another shelter there. I think it was from another shipwreck victim, maybe even from the same ship. I never found them...alive." Ichijou frowned at the though, and she continued, "Maybe I could have found them sooner if I had made the raft earlier..."

Ichijou crossed his arms over his chest, asking, "Wait a minute, are you blaming yourself?" Giving her a hard look, he insisted, "It's amazing enough that you lived like that for so long! You were only a kid! You still are. Everyone has their limits. Sure, it's sad that they died, but you probably couldn't have done much about it, so don't blame yourself!"

Nagasaki stood silently, clearly in though, before saying, "I think you're right, but still..."

Ichijou look away, adding, "I think everyone has their regrets, but we can't undo the past and go back in time. We just have to live."

Nagasaki was silent for another moment or two, before letting out a relieved sigh, saying, "Thank you Ichijou-san."

The Luckster scratched his head awkwardly, mumbling, "Don't mention it." He was pretty sure one of the men in his town had said something like that, so Ichijou was just parroting it. But even so, Nagasaki had been away from society so long she hadn't heard much from anyone, let alone common advice like that. Still though, Ichijou couldn't help but admire her, despite the problems she'd been involved in recently...

As Nagasaki looked back at the flashlight, Ichijou said, "You know what, I can take it from here. I still don't know where the other entrance is, but I'll take care of it, okay?" Nodding, Nagasaki left him the flashlight, before taking her leave.

Grabbing the flashlights he wasn't leaving here, Ichijou followed, heading up after Nagasaki to the First Level. Trying to imagine where the ladder in the Mines might have led, he decided to head to the Kitchen, instead searching at the source. Spotting Ishihara at work, Ichijou asked, "Hey, getting started with dinner?"

The Aeronaut nodded, "Yup! I'll cook the meat up there, but I'm just making preparations down here for now. What's up?" Looking over at a bowl of potato salad, he asked, "Wanna take that up there and put it in the Ranger Station fridge for me?"

Ichijou replied, "In a minute: first, I was wondering, where did the ladder end up?"

Ishihara nodded, explaining, "The Ranger Station! In the back room, with the fridge and phone. Why?"

Ichijou explained, "I was gonna take these flashlights over. It's pretty dark in there, you know, and I figure we might wanna check out that door again."

Ishihara smiled, "Good thinking!"

With a nod, Ichijou headed out, traversing the long stretch of foggy paths to the Third Level Ranger Station, heading into that second room. As he put the flashlights on the flat surface on top of the fridge, he couldn't help but notice the misaligned wooden planks on the ground: a square of them were facing vertically instead of horizontally. Messing with it a bit, he found that he could lift it, revealing the dark ladder below to the Mines. Replacing it, he hoped it wouldn't be an issue. Gold Dragon had discovered it and found his way to the Hot Spring, but now that they knew, they didn't really have to worry.

As Ichijou headed back down to help Ishihara again, it began to get a little late due to all of the walking. Heading over to the Kitchen once more, he saw Minami and Uzatei heading out, the former grumbling, "What am I? A mule?" He then noticed they both had food in their arms.

Heading into the Kitchen himself, he spotted Ishihara pulling a few more things out. Grabbing the promised potato salad, he nodded at Ishihara before heading it out, taking the lengthily walk up to the Third Level. It was getting harder to see between the fog and the evening light, and the sound of the cicadas was getting quieter the higher and higher he got.

Finally, he reached the bamboo forest, going down the diamond path to the clearing, heading over to the upper Ranger Station once more. There were a few people already here, so Ichijou quickly headed into the Station, going to the back room to fit the food into the fridge before heading out, starting to get hungry.

Loitering outside, he decided to take a seat at one of the two tables, noticing that plates, cups, and silverware were already out, though not set up. The grill had been rolled out too, and Minami seemed to be messing with it. Nearby, Ichijou saw Ganaha slumping in her seat, not in a good mood for some reason. Scooting over, Ichijou asked, "What's up, Ganaha-chan?"

Ganaha gave him a look, causing Ichijou to wonder if he should have been more formal with her, but she turned back, letting out a sigh before grumbling, "This is no atmosphere for a party! This fog sucks! It's creepy!"

Ichijou didn't disagree; the mood certainly wasn't exactly 'cheerful'. It really hadn't been done with everyone's consent either, though no one had objected. Now that Ichijou thought about it, how could this impromptu meeting possibly have the atmosphere of a proper party?

Before he could make a suggestion, however, he heard something rolling, and the sloshing of liquid. Looking up, he saw Mikage heading over, rolling a large jug filled with a dark yellow liquid. Ichijou immediately recognized the container from their first day here.

The sight caught more than a few curious eyes. Ichijou asked, "What you got there, Mikage-kun?"

Stopping to wipe the sweat from his forehead, he stood and grinned, "Heh, the fruit of my efforts."

Kirigiri approached, noting, "Oh, I recall that jug. So, you were making...juice?"

Mikage adjusted his sunglasses, smirking, "Just some refreshments. It's not like a see anything else drinkable. Ice isn't necessary, of course; it's chilly enough up here as it is."

Taking it, Minami lifted it and placed it on the table, uncorking it, she muttered, "Apple juice?" Nagasaki approached as well, looking through the jug expectantly.

Mikage chortled, "Freshly squeezed..."

Before they could question him more, Ishihara arrived with a bag of veggies. Wiping his forehead, he said, "Alright, now for the fun part." Looking over at the jug, he asked, "What have you got there?"

Mikage answered plainly, "Drinks."

Ishihara slapped his forehead with his free hand, exclaiming, "Ah I forgot!" Looking around, he sighed, "I even made sure we had cups too." Putting the veggies down, he said, "Anyway, someone should go get the food from the fridge while I start this baby up!" As a few went into the Ranger Station, Ichijou included, Minami went over to the grill, helping Ishihara to start it up.

Within minutes, the area was permeated by the smell of meat cooking on the grill, which succeeded in making everyone more hungry and restless. Ichijou noted with a laugh, "It's a little harder to wait when you can smell it cooking."

Uzatei added, "Well, they do say hunger is the greatest spice."

A bit impatient, Ganaha grabbed a cup and headed over to the jug of apple juice. Reaching a figurative wall, she asked, "How the hell am I supposed to get any? It's too big."

Heading over, Mikage chortled, "There's an innuendo in there but I'm just too lazy to find it." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a metal tap, probably taken from something else from the Kitchen or Storage Units. Holding it towards the bottom where the plastic was thinner, he roughly rotated it, letting the metal shave away some of the plastic, before slamming his palm into it. However, rather than achieve the desired effect of inserting it into the jug, he simply smacked his hand against the tap, causing it to bounce away and jar his hand. He shook his hand in pain, hissing expletives.

Letting out a sigh, Minami approached, wiping off the tap, before aligning it just as Mikage had. With the bottom of her fist, she drove it in, the contents of the jug swirling about as a result. Shaking her hand, she said, "It's done."

Letting out a thirsty sigh, Ganaha leaned in, filling her cup. However, before she could take a drink, Minami snatched it from her, handing it to Mikage, insisted harshly, "You first."

The Farmer gave a brief smile, before saying, "Don't mind if I do." Snatching the cup, he took a large gulp, before letting out a loud gasp of relief.

Minami nodded and Ganaha went to get another cup. As she did, Kirigiri approached, grabbing the cup from Mikage before sniffing at it. Furrowing her brow, she noted, "This isn't apple juice. The base is apples, but it's...off." Ichijou leaned in, giving it a look, but he couldn't tell any differently.

Getting a few suspicious glances, Mikage adjusted his sunglasses again before admitting, "You're right: its cider. Hard apple cider."

Uzatei's gold eyes widened from behind his glasses, "Alcohol!?"

A bit surprised, Ichijou asked, "But...how?"

As Ganaha eagerly filled her cup, Mikage explained, "I made it, what else?"

Overhearing, Ishihara said, "But where'd you get the apples? There haven't been any since we got here."

Mikage pointed out, "Where do you think I got them? Took every last one."

Nagasaki frowned, looking at the jug a bit sadly, "The best apple is a fresh one..."

Kirigiri blinked in confusion, stating, "But to ferment would take a lot of time, and we've only been here...a little more than a week?"

Mikage grinned, "What part of 'Super High School Level Farmer' don't you get? Now lighten up and have a drink!"

Kirigiri grumbled, "But, Naoki-kun, you're not a Super High School Level Brew-" Interrupting herself, she put a hand to her head and sighed, "Maybe I should just have a drink. Not that I've tried it before, but I've felt like I could use one."

Mikage wondered, "For how long?"

Kirigiri quickly asked, "How long have we been here again?" Bringing a hand to her chin, she wondered, "Maybe it's not the best idea after all. I mean, it might be some ploy of Naoki-kun's to end up in the bed of some other girl. Again."

As he earned a few dirty looks, Mikage, in a bit of distress, snapped, "Hey, don't say things out of context!"

Minami grunted, "Well, I don't want to oppose, given the situation, but there should be a few of us who don't partake, if only to keep everyone in line should they...lose it." She couldn't help but hold her glare on Mikage as she added, "Among other things."

Uninterested in her words, Ganaha let out a loud gasp of relief as she took a sip, cheering, "Now it's a party!" After a moment, she gagged, "Bleh, that aftertaste..."

Looking over the jug, Kirigiri said, "Well, I'd be willing to abstain, but I'd still like to try a little."

Minami replied, "I won't bother: given my size, it would take quite a bit for me to feel anything. But I'd like a few more of us to be right in the head."

Turning to leave, Saruta said, "I'm going to get some extra drinks if someone wants a non-alcoholic option, and hopefully I have something in the event of over usage. Given that I highly doubt any of us know our limits, I would suggest we do our best so as to not overdo it." Glancing over at the jug, he added, " I would like to try some, however..."

As he headed away, Ishihara said to the others, "Hey, I'm only getting started over here; don't fill up on drinks yet!"

Heeding him, Minami snatched the cups from Ganaha and Mikage, setting them aside as they pouted. She stated, "I'd like two more to help me keep an eye on everything if possible."

Ichijou said, "I'll help!" He was perfectly fine with avoiding the drink: he recalled his father using the stuff a bit too often for his liking, and he was never enjoyable when he was drunk. Ichijou definitely never wanted to become like that himself.

Furugori added, "Yeah, I don't think I'd mind lending a hand." Minami nodded, no doubt appreciative.

"Good, good, don't want anyone breaking any rules!"

Minami nodded, "Indeed..." The Contracter then realized who had been talking, glancing over to see Monokuma standing nearby, a cup of his own in hand.

Monokuma spoke, "Well, not a bad party you've got going on. Pulling out all the stops, huh? Even breaking some of society's rules. But don't get me wrong, I'm all for it! Wouldn't it be hypocritical not to be? I mean, I'm cool with murder, and you guys bearly find me sufferable as it is!"

Uzatei nodded, "You have a point..."

Monokuma said quickly, "Right! And since I don't want to get in the way of your fun if I can help it, I'm erasing one of the rules just for tonight!" After a moment, he revealed, "Rule 10 is annulled! You no longer need to limit yourself to two, go ahead and get some of that bloodbath on!"

Ichijou gasped, "What!?"

Monokuma smiled, "That was a joke." Ichijou pouted as Monokuma continued, "But to be truthful, like usual, you no longer have to worry about Rule 3. It'd be a shame to Punish someone because they passed out drunk, feel free to sleep wherever! If you know what I mean. Mosey on into someone else's Lodge and have a good time!"

Nagasaki mumbled, "What do you mean?"

Monokuma sighed, "Ah, so innocent. Not like 'that' was against the rules in the first place. Anyway, you enjoy yourselves! Who knows, maybe the apple cider was secretly the cure to Monokuma Gas? Or maybe it wasn't, upupupupu." Before anyone could respond, he scampered off into the fog.

The mood ruined a bit, the Aeronaut tried not to let that bother him as he continued cooking. Finally, at around the time Saruta returned, he had something ready, and everyone began to plate up. To Ichijou's surprise, when Sarutatook some food, he also took some of the cider: Ichijou hadn't expected that from the Surgical Assistant. Figuring he, if anyone, knew what they were doing, Ichijou simply ate happily, trying to keep an eye on things.

Recalling the earlier conversation, he sidled to Ganaha, quickly swallowing a bite of food before asking, "So, enjoying it now, Ganaha-chan?"

The Producer grinned as she picked at her pile of food, sipping from her cup happily. "It's so good!" she replied. Ichijou was relieved, being glad to see Ganaha happier than she'd probably ever been since being tossed into the Resort. The girl continued, "Why haven't we done this before? Mikage was holding out."

Ichijou shrugged, "Well, it still took time, you know?"

Ganaha shrugged, "I guess." Looking around, she couldn't help but notice, "Hmm, I didn't expect Saruta to get some too...maybe he's more wild than I thought?"

Ichijou chortled, "Ha, maybe!" Looking over at the Surgical Assistant, Ichijou couldn't help but add, "I haven't really talked to him much though..."

Ganaha shrugged, "Eh, he's quiet anyway. Not that I mind! He's a good listener, I bug him sometimes."

"Huh..." Ichijou mumbled, not having guessed that one. Looking around a little more, he saw one of the others sitting alone. Bidding Ganaha farewell, he headed over to Nagasaki, who was indeed partaking in the cider.

Curious, Ichijou asked, "You ever drink before, Nagasaki-chan?"

She looked up at him, a bit surprised at his sudden appearance, before shaking her head. She admitted, "I just...like apples."

Wondering how much she really knew about the stuff, considering her age when she was separated from civilization, Ichijou said, "Well, try not to drink too much, okay? It can be dangerous."

Raising an eyebrow, Nagasaki seemed skeptical at this, saying, "But...apples."

Ichijou wanted to laugh: she said it with such certainty, like she couldn't comprehend how something with apples in could be bad, (though, then again, it wasn't like it was very alcoholic compared to other drinks). But, he was a designated supervisor, and she was fairly small, so he insisted, "Just be careful, okay? It can make people stop thinking right some times. 'Dull the senses', I've heard. Depends on the person, I think." It was starting to get hard: Ichijou had only heard of alcohol and seen its effects on people, but he'd never experienced it himself.

However, something he said seemed to work, and she nodded, "I'll try..."

Satisfied, Ichijou finished his meal, before going back for more. Ishihara brought more than enough food. The night continued, the fog failing to damper the mood. As it began to darken, Kirigiri handed out a few flashlights from the Station, to Ichijou, Minami, Furugori, and Ishihara in particular, also taking a moment to light up some candles, spreading them out. Some light also emanated from the Ranger Station, and the stars and Moon above allowed for some light to reach the Resort even in the fog. Perhaps even because of it, as the fog seemed to make it spread it evenly. Ichijou couldn't help but get enthralled in the atmosphere as he chatted and ate.

However, as the night went on, the effects of the alcohol became more apparent. Ichijou first became aware of it when Kirigiri, usually so calm and in control, toppled on him. She had simply been walking towards him perhaps to talk, when she literally tripped over her own feet. He tried to catch her, but failed, losing his footing and falling over, with her on top of him.

Face a bit red from the drink, Kirigiri apologized, "Ah! I'm sorry, Mitsuzi-kun!"

Trying to help her to a sitting position, Ichijou insisted, "No, no, it's fine. Maybe you should sit down?"

Groaning, Kirigiri held her head as she stood, saying, "Ugh, maybe I should go inside."

Standing up himself, Ichijou asked, "You need a hand?"

Kirigiri shook her head, saying, "I'll be fine. Besides, I think it would be better for you to stay out here where everyone else is. Don't you have a job to be doing?"

Ichijou gave a weak laugh, shrugging, "Yeah, makes sense." With a nod, she headed off. Ichijou watched her go for a moment before checking out the jug, seeing that more than expected was gone. Everyone drinking was certainly getting their fill. A sound of retching made Ichijou wonder if someone was quickly becoming empty though. Looking around, he felt the drastic need for a head count. Ishihara, Kirigiri, Minami, and Mikage were out of sight. Furugori was trying to calm down Saruta, who seemed to be ranting about something, his hands grasping Furugori's arms. Nagasaki had fallen asleep on one of the tables, resting her head on her arms, the hood of her raincoat over her head. Uzatei was still drinking, seeming to be handling his drink well, while Ganaha was by the side of the building on her hands and knees, gagging.

Figuring the unattended Producer was higher priority, Ichijou headed over, cringing as he caught the scent of the pile of vomit in front of her. He began to rub Ganaha's back, trying to ease her, and she began to mutter, on the verge of crying, "I drank too much. And I think I ate too much too..."

Trying to be comforting, Ichijou helped her to her feet, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. Let's sit you down for now." He was starting to feel like this party should end.

Taking Ganaha to one table, he quickly headed over to the other, where Furugori and Saruta were. The black haired Surgical Assistant moaned, slurring, "Oh, please, spare yourself the shame. I'm worse than any murderer! I'm scum! Just push me off the cliff and call it a night." His face was flushed red, and his expression sour.

Helpless, Furugori turned to Ichijou, begging, "He's been talking nonsense for a while now and I can't get him to stop!

A bit frightened by Saruta's words, Ichijou tried to get the lab coat clad Student's attention, exclaiming, "Saruta-kun! Saruta-kun!"

Almost bitterly, the Surgical Assistant grumbled, "That name...unwanted as I was. I should have never been conceived..."

That comment set Ichijou off, and despite himself, he raised his hand, slapping Saruta across the face. Saruta's eyes widened and he looked around in shock, as if looking to see what had hit him. He seemed to be a bit more sober that before as well. Taking the opportunity, Ichijou yelled, "Don't you dare say anything like that again! If it weren't for you, I might not be here right now!" His raised voice got the attention of everyone outside, as things clearly quieted down. He'd also waken Nagasaki up, and she looked around, confused.

Saruta, eyes wide, mind a bit more lucid, he shook his head running his hand through his hair as he muttered, "Oh my. I'm...sorry you had to hear that. I didn't say anything, er, private, now, did I?"

Furugori answered, "Er, you just grabbed me and started talking about, well..." He stopped, looking around, no doubt a bit conscious about his words and Saruta's privacy.

Ichijou insisted, "Let's worry about it tomorrow. I think we should call it a night."

Almost as if on cue, the nighttime announcement rang out: "Attention Students, it is now nighttime. The Resort Restaurant and Storage Units are now closed until morning. The water in the showers has been turned off, and the lights outside the Lodge's will be turned off in ten minutes, so take care. Good night, and sleep well~"

Looking around, Ichijou noticed that a few faces were still missing. Remembering that Kirigiri went into the Ranger Station, he suggested to Furugori, "Stay here for a second, I'll try to find the others."

As Ichijou headed to the door however, a sudden rumble was heard and felt. Not just by him either: the others noticed as the ground shook slightly, if only for a few seconds. A bit fearful, Furugori asked, "What was that?"

Fearful about the others, Ichijou entered the Ranger Station, heading to the second room. He swallowed fearfully: it was devoid of people. The only indication that anyone had been here was a scattered mess and the false flooring being moved aside, the plate lying on the ground, the ladder to the lower caverns being uncovered. Ichijou checked the window, but it was shut tightly: there was no way they'd left through there.

Retuning outside, he explained, "They're gone, and the way to the caverns is open. We need to get down there and find them." Without hesitating, he returned, grabbed a flashlight from atop the fridge and turning to go down. Uzatei had followed grabbed one himself, seeming fine despite his slightly flushed face. Nagasaki, understanding what was going on, also grabbed one.

Furugori said, "I'll stay here and watch Saruta-san and Ganaha-san."

Satisfied with that, Ichijou nodded, before returning to the Ranger Station, the mildly inebriated Uzatei and Nagasaki heading after without complaint. Clutching his flashlight in his mouth, he began to descend.

As the trio went down, Uzatei grumbled, his voice muffled by his flashlight, "What would drive them to come down this way? And without letting us know?"

Nagasaki, her flashlight in her pocket, suggested, "Hallucinations?"

Uzatei sighed, "It still doesn't make any sense..."

Reaching the bottom, Ichijou grabbed his flashlight properly, moving to head out, when he found his path blocked: a large pile of rocks blocked the way. He tried to push and squeeze his way past them, getting dust on himself, but it was no use. He called out, "Kasumi-chan! Jouji-kun! Mikage-kun! Minami-san! Can anyone hear me?"

"What's the matter?" Uzatei asked as he reached the bottom, dropping down to the cramped spot next to Ichijou.

Before Ichijou could answer, he looked over the rubble and sighed. However, Ichijou's heart leapt when he heard a voice from the other side say, "Mitsuzi-kun?"

"Ishihara-san?" Uzatei asked.

The voice responded, "Yeah, it's me! Who else is there? Is everyone okay?"

Ichijou looked up at Nagasaki, who didn't have the room to drop down, and was hanging on the ladder rungs like it was nothing. Ichijou answered, "Me, Uzatei-san, and Nagasaki-chan. Where's Kasumi-chan? And Minami-san and Mikage-kun? Everyone else is safe on the third level."

Ishihara replied with a bit of relief, "That's good, at least. Uh, let me try to explain. We were all in the Station, when Minami thought she heard something from below. She went down, and Kirigiri-san and I went down with her. Mikage-san was too drunk to understand what was going on, but he came with us anyway, even when we told him to stay." He paused, letting out a loud groan as he mumbled, "Augh, why didn't we make sure he was with you? Minami-san insisted we'd be fine with the four of us, but..."

After a moment, he continued, "Anyway, when we got down here, we were about to start looking around, and then...I think we all got hit with the Monokuma Gas at the same time. I started seeing rats, Mikage-san freaked out and ran off, hyperventilating. Minami-san and Kirigiri-chan were definitely out of it, too, but who knows with them. Anyway, we tried to find Mikage-san, so we split up and checked all three levels. I had the middle one, and I could hear the elevator being used through the walls, but more importantly, I got to the end, and the rope we used to climb down was cut."

Though Uzatei and Nagasaki didn't quite understand what was going on, Ichijou gasped, "What!?"

Ishihara gave a weak, pained laugh, admitting, "I have no idea what's going on...we're stuck...I don't know what to do!"

Thinking rapidly, Ichijou muttered, "The Ground Level..." Getting an idea, the Luckster said, "Hold on! We'll be right there: we can still come up through the door behind the Auditorium! Just keep it together until we can get there!"

Ishihara didn't respond for a moment, before finally replying, "Okay, Mitsuzi-kun: I'll try and get everyone to head down that way too, but it's on the other side and they could be anywhere...okay, see you soon!"

With time of the essence, Ichijou waved for Nagasaki and Uzatei to ascend, following once he could. His arms started to get a little tired from all the climbing. Uzatei grumbled, "Really, we should have known something like this was going to happen. Monokuma was far too supportive." Ichijou couldn't help but to agree.

Finally returning to the Ranger Station, the trio made their way up and outside, seeing a slightly worried Furugori and a still recovering Ganaha and Saruta. The Computer Engineer asked, "Where are they?"

Ichijou explained, "Stuck in the underground Mines. You guys should head down to the First Level...no wait! Furugori-kun! You remember where the drop off to the middle section of the Mines is? Where Minami put the other rope? It got cut, maybe you and Uzatei-san can fix that while Nagasaki-chan and I try and make sure they can get through the door behind the Auditorium all right."

Uzatei mumbled, "Are you really expecting problems?"

Ichijou insisted, "Well, things haven't exactly gone well yet, why would they start now?"

Uzatei couldn't help but agree, "Point taken. Let's get a move on then. I'll grab the rope: Furugori-kun, you take Saruta-san and Ganaha-chan back to...the Restaurant's closed."

Worried that they weren't moving fast enough, Ichijou said, taking charge, "Let's figure it out on the way! Let's just move!"

Gathering Saruta and Ganaha, the group headed out, the troublesome two lagging behind a bit. Ichijou took a brief moment too appreciate Uzatei: the alcohol didn't seem to be having a significant effect on him compared to some of the others. The six headed down, running past the Lake to the First Level. There, Ichijou and Nagasaki broke off from the others, heading through the sparse woods to the slope to the Ground Level. Going down the road and past the lower Ranger Station, they went through the tunnel, rushing to the Auditorium. Heading in, they quickly made their way to the back rooms, seeing the metal door ahead.

Ichijou approached quickly reaching out. However, sensing that something was off, Nagasaki shouted, "Watch out!"

Not heeding the warning, Ichijou grabbed the door handle, crying out in pain as it burned him. Hissing, he waved his hand in the air, shocked: just hours ago, it had been fine, but now it was heated somehow. Standing back, he could tell once he got a closer look: it had a light glow to it, hard to see in the brighter lights of the hallway.

Trying to find the source, Nagasaki pointed out a wire, running along the ground in the corner of the hallway. It was wrapped around one of the bolts on the upper part of the door, and went to the ground, before winding through the hallway corner, heading back to the Auditorium. Following it, they were led to the lighting panel, where the wire was attached to something below the panel. Displeased with the sabotage, Ichijou grabbed the wire and yanked it roughly with his unburned hand.

Unfortunately, that led to all the lights in the Auditorium switching off. "Oops," Ichijou said as he was temporarily blinded. He felt his arm get taken from him as Nagasaki let out a slight cry of fright, wrapping her arms around it, as if afraid to lose him. Trying to be reassuring, he said, "We're fine, we're fine." Taking out his flashlight, he flipped it on, insisting, "See?"

Calming down a bit, Nagasaki took a deep breath, before grabbing her own flashlight, turning it on and letting go of Ichijou. The Luckster led the way back to the door cautiously, but when they got there, it was still too hot, at least until Nagasaki bunched her hand in her raincoat sleeve, using it to insulate it for just a second as she cracked opened the door, using her boot to kick it the rest of the way open.

The way clear, the pair headed down the tunnel, the Luckster knowing it could only lead them to the Mine. However, it was longer than they thought, and despite being deep underground, on their way there, they heard an echo behind them, only just loud enough to be audible:

"Attention please, a body has been discovered. In a few short hours, the Class Trial will begin. Investigate thoroughly, Students!"

"No!" Ichijou cried out reflexively. The dread began to fill him as he ran as fast as he dared, his bare feet starting to get scraped up as he moved quicker.

A few minutes later, the path opened up, and he reached the rubble filled lower level of the Mines. There was nothing nearby, however, but Ichijou did see a couple dots of light in the distance. Crossing the rubble covered track with Nagasaki, the pair reached the other side. Panning his light over, he heard a voice ask, "Mitsuzi-kun?"

Looking around, he saw Minami, Ichihara, and Kirigiri near the elevator shaft, the elevator lowered, his friend already having donned her gloves and hair tie. Looking beyond them, he saw the pile of rubble that blocked the ladder. Noting someone missing, Ichijou asked, "Where's Mikage-kun?"

Kirigiri flinched, before moving aside, giving Ichijou a path to the elevator shaft. Swallowing, Ichijou panned his light over, taking a sharp intake breath at what he saw.

The first thing he noticed was his leg, one of them gashed and bleeding. His arms were spread out at his sides, and a rusty metal pickaxe was embedded in his chest, having pierced his shirt. The thing that sickened Ichijou the most however, was his skull: gone, crushed to an unrecognizable pulp in the bottom of the metal elevator shaft, bits of bloody black plastic visible in the disgusting mess.