Review replies time!

SDproductions: I was intentionally going for Shizuka's silence, actually, but I'll admit Riou's was a slip-up on my part. I'll make it up soon enough, wait and see hehe. Also, big thanks for suggesting the poll system for the FTEs! Huge help!

TheRoseShadow21: Thanks for the review and the kind words! If I was in an MKG myself, I'd probably be a victim as well, no questions asked. Wimps unite (?)

Kat the Writer: I knew playing all that Phoenix Wright would pay off somehow. I'll leave the puzzle solving to you, though... I still shudder when I think about some real brainbusters in Layton.

SatokoHojo: I'm really sorry I couldn't really flesh out everyone in this particular chapter, what with everyone talking at once and what-not, but hey, can't win them all, can we? Don't worry though, I already have some interesting plans for Frances! Also, kinda pissed I didn't take the chance to make the Violet Suite joke.

Crimson Spider Lily: Really glad you found the time to read! I loved reading your opinion on all the characters at once, haha. Yuzuru and Kikyo really are the free spirits of the group, aren't they? Also, I interpret Maruko's 'Herr' as mister, just so you know.

Guest: The Mahiru reference might be a little bit of foreshadowing. Then again, it might've been a mistake on my part... take a guess.

Third Cosmic Velocity: Really relieved I got Eita's character portrayed the way you wanted!

SongBirds-Lullaby: Thanks a lot! I look forward to it too!

ACT 1: Adjusting to Anghern

CHAPTER 1: Memory Loss

EARLY MORNING

Location: Eagle Suite (Tsukushi's Room)

"Rise and shine, assholes! It's now 7am, which marks the end of Night Time! Get off your lazy asses and give it your all to have an amazingly murderous day!" after a short announcement, the speaker crackled back into its unusual silence, leaving only a very upset teen lawyer in its wake.

What can I say? Even a morning person has his limits.

Slowly but surely, I got up and paced around the blue carpet until I reached the bathroom on the side. Looking in the mirror, I immediately noticed something was different - or rather, it wasn't - and that'd be my clothes. I still had the same outfit as yesterday, which as I remembered the contents of my wardrobe, wasn't too surprising. Still, I must've been really tired to crash in these jeans.

With a quick click, I unbuttoned my pants and stripped myself off my hoodie and the underlying t-shirt, dunking them out the door, just between the door and the desk. A quick shower ought to do me some good... I can only take this stupid killing-spree-loving bear nonsense for so long without getting a bit stressed.

"Hello there, Tsukushi!" an evilly high-pitched voice jolts me right as I'm setting foot in the white floor of the shower, the colder water flowing down the drain.

I shriek, moving my bottom half to behind the partition. "What the hell are you doing here!?"

Monokuma doesn't respond at first, he simply stared at the fogging partition and giggled. "Nice dong you got there. It'd be a shame if it got all bloody."

Crap. It's made of glass.

I recoiled quickly, grabbing the towel I had set on the bidet and covering my waist with it shortly before I turned the water back off. "Okay, first of all, that's seriously messed up. Second of all, why are you in my bathroom? And third of all, give me a good reason not to throw your sorry ass over to a bonfire and have a dance party on your ashes?"

"Grue. Some." says the killing-spree-loving bear. How ironic. "You already know the reason though! Go over the evidence again, rookie." he voiced mockingly before bursting into a malicious laugh. God, I hate this bear.

I sighed and shook my head. "The rules."

"Thaaaat's right! Violence against me is a no-no! Break and rules and you get punished!"

"You never really told us what 'punishment' meant." Am I seriously doing this? Asking this stupid bear questions while I'm half naked in a shower? What has my life spiraled into? "Mind elaborating?"

Monokuma let out a quiet chuckle. "You'll see. Now, as I much as I like seeing you naked, I didn't come over here for that."

"Stranger danger."

"Upupu, we're not strangers!" Monokuma replied, patting his forehead with his little stubby paw. "In fact, I know more about you than you think! That's not the point though... I have an announcement to make!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Then tell us later. We're meeting at the kitchen downstairs."

"I know that! Security cameras are fantastic!" he boasted. "But I'm not telling the others. I'm telling you!"

Me? What makes me special? Or more importantly... "Can't that wait? Until, you know, after I showered?"

"We have a sassy little defense attorney, don't we? I like that. No, it can't. I'm a busy bear, you know?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure watching sixteen helpless students flail around a walled city keeps you very occupied."

"And he's sarcastic as well! Great, we've got an attitude problem. I can look past it if you shut the hell up, though." his tone grew a little bit more menacing, and three metallic claws erected fro-

Erected. I'm naked. That's a bad choice of words.

They exited the tip of the paw, glistening in the light coming from the lamp above them. Eyes widening in a mixture of shock and fear, I gulped and let the psycho bear do the talking. "Now then... tell me, what do you remember? Before you came to this beautiful city, I mean... do you remember what you were doing? Who you were with? Where were you in the first place? Tell me anything you can recall."

"I don't remember anything. That probably doesn't come as any surprise to you, though."

Monokuma chuckled. "At least you're a tiny bit smart. I heard lawyers needed that, and I was beggining to question myself of your talent! In any case, that's true! You all have a minor case of memory loss, courtesy of yours truly!"

"Wh-What!?" I stumbled back, my back hitting the cold wall almost immediately, making me flinch forward. "Why would you do that!? What good could our memories be to you!?"

Monokuma shook his head and turned around. "There, there. That's all I need you to tell the others."

"Answer me, Monokuma!"

He cocked his head to the side, and I spied the red eye on his black half sparkle. "No." And with that, he trailed off the bathroom, me chasing him a bit behind and when I looked out the bathroom door... he was gone.

So much for a relaxing shower, am I right?

MORNING

Location: Sierra Resort - 1st Floor

After putting on a fresh set of the same outfit I was in before, I made my way downstairs and opened the door to the cafeteria slowly, being greeted by someone with their back turned, facing the counter, and a group of four already sitting around the island, speaking leisurely before one of them turns to me.

"Hey, pipsqueak's here!" Riou's deep, loud voice rang in my ears for way longer than it should. Yuzuru, Frances, Shizuka and Asuyo all turned to me in response to his sudden calling. "Siddown here, shorty, Yuki's making us breakfast!"

"Good morning, Master Hananari." Yuki greeted me with a slight bow before turning around with a smile, cutting cheese and ham bits off of larger slices and dropping them carefully onto the cooking scrambled eggs.

"Morning Yuki!" I give him a pat before sitting down next to Riou.

Yuzuru, who was right on the other side of the island, rested her elbows on the table and propped her head onto her hands, eyeing me with her blue orbs. "I see you're a morning person like us, huh Tsukushi?"

"I guess I am" I chuckled. "Although getting woken up by Monokuma is not the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Shizuka turned his attention away from Frances sitting opposite him, who was carefully examining the array of cards on the counter, their orange backs turned upward. "I have to agree, Hananari-san. That Monokuma fellow was certainly a bit loopy, am I right?"

"Loopy?" Asuyo asked. "That bastard was down-right insane. I'm getting out of here as soon as I possibly can."

"Being blunt, are we not?" a familiar tone rang in our ears as a new person entered the kitchen. "It appears as though you did not understand Monokuma's speech yesterday."

"Good morning, E-" I raise my hand to greet Eita before being rudely cut off by the Landlord.

"I, in fact, did." Asuyo stated. "What is your point?"

Unexpectedly enough, it was Riou who chimed in the conversation. "I think what pipsqueak over there's tryna say is about the killing!"

Asuyo scoffed and chuckled maturely, yet keeping her silence. "Do you really believe that nonsense, Kurogane-san?" Shizuka found the correct time to intervene.

"My calculations are always correct." he stated before taking a seat beside me, turning the vibe of the kitchen a lot more sour.

No more than a few instants had passed before Frances smashed her hands onto the table and let out an angry sigh. "Is something the matter, Baishou-san?"

"Don't even, Shizuka!" she fumed. "How did you do that!?"

"That?" I asked curiously. "What's 'that' exactly?"

Shizuka grouped the cards together and shuffled them into the remaining deck that sat on the corner beside him. "I was just showing our friend, Baishou-san, a few of my signature tricks."

"Would you kindly show it to me?" Eita's monotone voice made our heads cock in his direction.

Shizuka complied immediately and took a seat opposite him, right beside Yuzuru, Frances observing carefully from the other side of the island. Without so much as a second thought, Shizuka started to shuffle the cards - at an incredible pace, too - and set them on the table in an identical fashion to how they were put when I first arrived. The Tapdancer stood up and urged me off my seat, to which I simply nodded. She was definitely much more interested in this than I was, that's for sure.

Sitting down where Frances was before, I watched as her, Asuyo, and Eita eyed the Street Magician's trick intently, trying to figure it out.

"Breakfast is ready to be served." Yuki announced, breaking the tension of the magic trick for most, although Eita and Frances's concentration was unscathed.

Riou slammed his hands on the island and stood up, turning around to be met by a gloriously prepared tray of scrambled eggs. "Hell yes! Protein! Thank you very much, Yuki!" he roared, as he slipped a piece of it onto a plate and settled back down. When I turned around, Yuki had already separated equal servings onto fifteen other plates, from which we both took one and took a seat. "So then, pipsqueak." Riou voiced just after swallowing another piece of egg, wrapping his bulging biceps around my shoulders and squeezing them tight. "How've you been? Not eating chocolate I hope." he tightened his grip at the... c-word.

"N-"

"Chocolate?" Asuyo's eyes widened as she wolfed down another fork's worth of scrambled eggs, still chewing as she said it. "Did you say chocolate?"

"Yes! Do you share my hatred for the hellspawn of sugar, Landlady!?" Riou's eyes widened, mirroring the Landlord's.

Asuyo wasted no time in denying Riou's assertion. "Hatred!? Hellspawn!? Chocolate is just about the best thing ever!"

I'm not staying around for this discussion.

On my way to the exit, I snuck a peek at Frances's progression on understanding Shizuka's magic trick. Meanwhile, Eita was lost in thought, only to be awakened by a jolt of realization - or at least, that's what I'd think. He's not too keen on showing emotion, as everyone's probably gathered.

"So that's the trick behind all of this." he muttered to himself before standing up and walking over to the trickster, whispering something into his ear.

Shizuka's eyes widened. "Impressive, Kurogane-san."

"He got it!?" Frances whined. "Eita, tell me, please!"

Eita simply sat down and stated, rather bluntly. "A magician simply cannot have their tricks and secrets exposed. Therefore, I am in no position to reveal the cogwork behind this simple card trick. Should you want to discover it, identify it yourself."

"I could not have said it better myself, Kurogane-san." Shizuka shot a warm smile at Frances, almost inviting her to try and understand the illusion. Pumped up and not ready to back down from this challenge, she crackled her knuckles and did just that.

A towering figure scattered a large shadow on the floor. Flinching, it didn't take long before I realize who it could possibly be.

Riou grabbed both of my shoulders tightly and shook them a bit. "So, pipsqueak, what were you planning to do?"

"Weren't you... debating over chocolate with Asuyo over there?" I tilt my head backwards, noticing him looking down at me.

The Boxer simply shook his head and shrugged, not letting go of my shoulders. "I couldn't talk to a chocolate lover for that long even if I tried."

It wasn't long before the rest of the cast arrived, Akahana being an ironic last. Not that she didn't make it on time - she arrived at 8am sharp, just as she'd said she would - but it does strike me as a little funny that the one who called the meeting in the first place, was the one who'd arrive last.

Now that everyone is here...

"I have a quick announcement to make..." I voiced, after hitting a metal fork on a plate, both of which I took from the sink. Startled by the loud, obnoxious noise, it didn't take long before I had everyone's divided attention. "Monokuma approached me this morni-"

Blackjack interrupted me. "Monokuma approached you!? Are you fine? Did anything occur? Please give us all the details, and do not leave anything out."

"I'm pretty sure he was just getting to that." Kikyo chuckled and rolled her eyes jokingly. "Go on, tell us, Tsukushi!"

I sighed, restarting my little announcement. "Monokuma approached me this morning and... he had some news. Some news regarding all of us."

"And what might that be?" Akahana questioned, thumb and index squeezing her chin, as she usually is.

"Do any of you remember anything about what got you into this mess? Where you were, who you were with, what happened...? Anything at all?" the silence that filled the room made the answer crystal clear. Everyone was on the same boat. "That's because... we're all suffering from memory loss. And Monokuma's the cause."

"Memory loss!?" Maruko exclaimed. "Imposible! I still remember most of my pasado! My famiglia and my friends... my chat as well!"

Kiyo turned to her and tilted his head. "Your chat?"

"It's cat in french." Yori put the Custodian's doubt to rest and made the discussion proceed.

Gasps, gossips and chatterings filled the kitchen more and more, getting progressively louder with each passing second. The ruckus was becoming downright impossible to be in, but just as some of us were about to hit our limits, a voice rose above us all. "What of it?"

Fifteen heads quickly looked in Yatarou's direction. Chigusa was the one to question his logic. "What... What do you mean...? Doesn't memory loss... scare you?"

"Well, yes, of course it does." he responded simply. "There's nothing we can do to change it, isn't that right? Memory loss is a complicated condition, but our past memories can easily be regained by everyday experiences. The best way to do it, is to look at photographs, or go out and experience all kinds of things."

"What I believe you're saying..." Akahana tried to understand the Tour Guide's logic. "...is that if we jog our memories, recollections of our situation might come to light more easily."

"In other words... that's about it." Yatarou concluded. "Staying here and moaning over it sure isn't going to make us do any worthwhile progress, am I right?"

Riou's voice rose high and mighty above all others, muffling Chigusa into a quick silence. "The pipsqueak with the camera is right! We should all go out!"

"And do what, exactly?" Kiyo groaned. "It's not like there's anything new... buildings don't build themselves overnight, and we've checked everything yesterday..." he concluded with a yawn as he rested his body on the island.

"If I may," the Butler chimed in, ready to give his self-titled 'masters' his own two cents. "I think we would be greatly rewarded if we gave the city another look."

"Batora is right." Eita stated. "We might find some clues about this place, a way out... or something about ourselves, of course."

"What about... Monokuma?" Chigusa stuttered, being careful as to not being metaphorically stepped on by any other voices. "He told us, um... that we can't leave... he said we're... um, stuck. Right...?"

"Like hell I'm going to trust that stupid bear!" Asuyo protested. Leave it to her to tell stuff how it is.

Shizuka agreed with Asuyo's point, followed by Akahana and Eita - the so-called 'logical' thinkers of the group. The others, especially Yuzuru, however, seemed a bit on the fence about whether or not to trust the black and white bear... me included.

AFTERNOON

Location: Floral Fantasies Flower Shop

The morning time, unexpectedly enough, went off without a hitch. After our morning meeting at the resort kitchen, everyone just dismissed themselves into various parts of the city, either killing time, investigating, bonding, or, as Akahana would put it, jogging their memories. A few hours later, we divided ourselves between the diner and the resort, with no particular rules. Frances, Yuzuru, Eita, Yatarou, Maruko, Asuyo and myself went to the diner, while the rest sided with Yuki's lunch option.

Good thing my squadron doesn't care about healthy meals, am I right?

A few minutes after lunch, I found myself taking a walk around the city and eventually arriving at the florist, where I stopped to admire the beautiful bouquets and all the flower arrangements that surrounded the store. From what little floral knowledge I have, I could see some violets, petunias, lilies and roses, although there were a lot of exotic flowers laying around here and there.

The glass door to the inside opened with a chime, and I was attacked by the strong scent of various incenses, that mixed themselves with all the flowers making a... unique smell. The inside of the flower shop was much like I'd imagined. Its beige walls contrasted the light pink of the outside, almost making them feel like two distinct buildings, and the flooring was made of wooden floorboards, much like the resort's. White wooden tables of varying heights were scattered around the perimeter of the room, with a vast assortment of colourful flower pots on them. All was peaceful until a sudden flash of light dizzied me, making me blink repeatedly.

"What a candid shot!" the blurry figure, who was slowly turning into Yatarou exclaimed. "You look phenomenal, Tsukushi!"

Startled by the Tour Guide, I take a step back, still getting my surroundings into focus. "Wh-What was that for, Yatarou?"

"Photographs are the best of the best!" he exclaimed, eyeing the 'candid' picture he just took of me. "With them, you can relive moments and memories, record beautiful sceneries... they're multifunctional! I've taken quite a lot of them in my travels."

"Oh, have you?" I don't really understand why I'm surprised to hear he traveled. He's our year's very SHSL International Tour Guide, so it shouldn't come as a shock.

"Yeah, would you like to see them?" he asked, pointing to his camera, and then towards a few ornamental stools that boasted themselves against the far wall.

Hang out with Yatarou?

[Yeah, sure] [Oh, heeeeeell no]

Tsukushi: I'd love to, I guess... I like travelling a lot.

Yatarou: Do you really!? I bet you're going to love hearing about my travels then!

Tsukushi: I'm not so sure. With my work, I barely have any travels to talk about so this is going to be a completely one-sided conversation.

Yatarou: When we leave this place, I'll be sure to take you and the others travelling with me! My treat!

Tsukushi: Y-Your treat? That's something you say with a McDonald's meal or something... travelling is way too expensive.

Yatarou: Oh, that's true. I guess I haven't told anyone here...

Tsukushi: Told us what?

Yatarou: My family i- well, not my family but... well, they're pretty important.

Tsukushi: How explicit.

Tsukushi: Which basically means... you're rich?

Yatarou: So to speak. I wouldn't call myself multimillionaire rich but... I guess I have a lot of money.

Tsukushi: That's really cool! I wish I could be rich...

Yatarou: It's not as fun as it seems. But that's a story for another day, am I right? You wanted to see my photos.

Tsukushi: Yeah, sure. Show me what you got.

Yatarou: This is when I went to Madrid, Spain. It's the third biggest city in all of Europe, which makes it a great tourist attraction. It's got loads of museums and stuff.

Tsukushi: Who's this lady?

Yatarou: That's my m- well, not my mother. My adoptive mother.

Tsukushi: Oh, you're adopted?

Yatarou: Yeah... pretty lame, huh? Tossed in the trash, hoping for someone to pick me up.

Tsukushi: No, no! I bet it wasn't like that... Maybe y-

Yatarou: I'd rather not talk about my family... if you don't mind...

Tsukushi: Sorry for bringing it up...

Yatarou: Don't mention it. You had no idea, so... yeah.

Tsukushi: Well, this just got a whole lot more awkward, now hasn't it.

Yatarou: Want to see the rest? Of the pictures, I mean.

Tsukushi: We can always check them on the move, right? This smell is driving me nuts.

Yatarou Nekomirin
Despair Shard obtained!

Yatarou, as expected from his SHSL Talent, has traveled around the world a whole lot, being Madrid, Rome, Paris, New York, Ontario and Hong Kong just a few locations. He was able to afford all these trips because of being adopted by a rich family, although he seems pretty humble about it and doesn't think too highly of himself just because he's got money. In fact, it doesn't seem like he thinks of it as special. Apparently, he isn't too keen on talking about his family background either.

EVENING

Location: Sierra Resort - 1st Floor

A few hours later of walking around town with Yatarou by my side, I felt myself growing all the more attached to him. With every trip he described to me, I could just feel the happiness radiating off of him, in his gestures, in his face and in his voice, and it was all really cool to see.

"Hey, guys!" Kikyo was the one to greet us, a pair of scissors swinging off of each of her index fingers, and her normally bunned cobalt blue hair flowing freely down her back, stopping right above the waist. "Have any of you seen Yuzuru? We had an appointement for her to get a haircut, and she still hasn't showed up."

I tilt my head. "Somehow, I have a hard time believing that..."

"You're doubting me, Tsukushi? Oh, I'm truly wounded." she chuckled jokingly, swinging her hair from side to side like a pendulum. "You're right... I just want to check her hair out and style it! The ponytail look is so outdated, and it's not even fitting for an Assassin! I'm doing her a favor."

"Have you tried searching in her room?" Yatarou suggested, being denied by a single nod from the Hair Stylist. "The staff room?" Denied. "Downstairs, by the pool?" And with that, her face lit up, amber eyes glimmering with renewed hope.

From below, a scream of agony made itself hear, startling both me and Yatarou senseless. "Damn it, you guys! Did you really have to suggest that!?" The voice that was slightly muffled by the wooden floorboards was clearly the Assassin's. "I mean... I'm not here!"

With a malicious cackle, Kikyo made the ultimate play and stayed right where she was, inbetween the two staircases that led down to the pool. "You can't stay down there forever, Yuzuru Kanzaki! And when you falter, I'll be here to catch you!"

"In your dreams, whacko!" she taunted from downstairs, although I could tell she was smiling by the way she sounded.

Sighing, the girl simply stayed put, and waited for the right opportunity to pounce. "So how are you guys? What've you been doing? Are you on a date?"

"N-No!" We were both quick to deny her guess, making her chuckle in response. Yatarou muttered something under his breath. I hope that wasn't anything homophobic, Nekomirin, or you're gonna have a hard time pulling your camera out of-

"Thanks, Tsukushi!" Yuzuru shouted as a gust of wind blew against my back, and Kikyo's eyes turned dark, sour and angry.

"Get back here!" Kikyo pushed me and Yatarou to the sides, one towards each set of spiral stairs and rushed out of the resort, cutting the air around her with her scissors, making that ever-so frightening snipping sound. The jet-black haired boy looked at me, our eyes crossing paths before we shared a laugh.

A/N: I changed my mind regarding the FTEs, and we're going to have 5 or 6 in each chapter (or Act, I guess?) instead of the 4 I told you last chapter. That'd be 4/5 chosen by you guys, and one chosen by me. Also, thanks to SDproductions for suggesting the use of polls for the voting instead of sending me through reviews or PM, big help! I have all Free Times scheduled for this chapter, and I can't wait for everything!

QOTC: How'd you react if Monokuma randomly dropped in on you while you were taking a shower?

Also, this is about the normal length of chapters I think I'm gonna be uploading! Do you think it's good enough? Should it be longer/shorter? Review/PM me! With that, Yamazaki out.