First of all, review replies!

TheRoseShadow21: I really feel for you regarding the shocking happenings in your area recently! I'm glad you took the time to review as always, thank you so much! For someone who is as emotionally awkward as Eita, it should come as a shock that he of all people would take care of Yori... maybe he isn't as unable to understand emotion as we thought. I'm really enjoying writing the tough-acting cinnamon roll in Riou as well as the jerk in Kiyoshi, and I'm glad you noticed them! Again, thank you so much for your review!

Katastic Writer: I'm glad you're enjoying Verdant Views! It's the most soothing and calm of all sections in Anghern, so enjoy the peace while it lasts. Both the shooting range and the gallery are great guesses as to where the next murder will inevitably occur. Let us all wait for how this entire Frances/Blackjack/Yori/Eita debacle will be settled, too. Thanks for your reviews!

SongBirds-Lullaby: The sanctuary is a pretty good guess as for the next crime scene - although we'll have to wait until one of these poor students snaps before we confirm that! It'd be the cause of many mixed feelings if your favourite area ended up being where one of your favourite characters died, however... Again, we'll have to wait and see! It makes me happy you're attached to all these characters, but I can't wait to break that hope into pieces with the next murder, hehe. Thanks so much for your review, as always!

ACT 2: No Hope Allowed

CHAPTER 3: Free Time

MORNING

Location: Liternature

A morning jog with Riou helped me wake up from my more-than-long-enough nap. It still struck me as odd that I could stay asleep for an entire afternoon, especially since I am not one to nap on a sunny day like yesterday, but maybe with all the stuff that had been happening until then, my brain just needed some extra rest.

Thing is, it doesn't seem like any amount of rest could get this stupid headache to stop...

"Salud!" Maruko chirped as I had my untimely sneeze right when entering the musty library. "The polvo in here is through the roof... I should tell Kiyoshi to help me clean some of these prateleiras..." she had a bit of an internal rant.

I scratched the skin between my nostrils and thanked the Translator for her kind gesture before noticing a lack of a certain something. Or rather, a someone. "Where's Chigusa? I haven't seen her today, yet..."

Maruko looked down and shrugged. "Elle wasn't feeling well since ieri, so I left her to rest in our room for a while. She said she'll text me when she leaves so we can encontrar-nos."

"S-Sounds like she really doesn't want to be alone, huh?" I comment a bit sadly, understanding most of what the Translator spoke. After all that's happened, some of us distanced themselves from the rest like Shizuka and Kiyoshi, yet some of us yearned for comfort like Chigusa and Frances. The spectrum of emotions one can feel over something like this is really vast, and I don't think I'd taken that in yet. And worse than that... I don't know which end of the line I'm in.

"Oh, definitely the latter." Maruko smiled as she noticed I was thinking aloud. "You still talk to Riou all the time, for example... you speak buenísimo with most of us, actually, if Shizuka and Kiyoshi don't count, non?"

With a tilt of the head, I implicitly agree with her. "Do you mind sitting down and having a chat? Being alone after all of this is only gonna put more stress on us."

"I... I wouldn't mind, no... have a seat" she led me to a corner table with a small pile of books - six or seven, tops - gathering dust on the corner of it.

Hang out with Maruko?

[Yeah, sure] [Oh, heeeeeell no]

Tsukushi: I do think it's a bit stupid to ask... but I'll ask anyway.

Tsukushi: How've you been holding up since the trial...?

Maruko: Haven't really been me, oui? I think you noticed that, though.

Maruko: It was... trés disturbing, to see Herr Uemura and Herr Batora like that...

Maruko: Pero, I can't back down. Chigusa needs me, so I need to be forte for her!

Tsukushi: You shouldn't put yourself down like that. You're important too!

Tsukushi: If Chigusa is stressing you too much, I can always help.

Maruko: Tak, but I don't believe that'll be necessary. I'm used to standing up for myself, percebes?

Maruko: My genitori were mostly busy when I was a kid... so I had to be pretty responsible growing up.

Maruko: All of my translating skills were self-taught, too! Jeg learned them without help, through reading and stuff like that.

Tsukushi: That's cool... I don't believe you were mostly alone as a child though... you're super sociable and cheerful all the time.

Maruko: Hahaha, grazie, Herr Hananari!

Tsukushi: Speaking of those... hurr's? You don't call Chigusa that, right? Why is that?

Maruko: I guess we've gotten close enough, oui?

Maruko: Chigusa is my greatest amie here in the city... not that I don't like tú! Y-You're cool, too, haha.

Tsukushi: Don't worry, I didn't take any offense to that, haha.

Maruko: How about you, though? Have you been holding up...?

Tsukushi: I was feeling pretty woozy all day yesterday... might be from the stress and all.

Tsukushi: I think I caught a cold as well... been sneezing all over the place.

Maruko: Oh, is that so? Quizás, it's from all the dust in here. The tempo hasn't been harsh around here.

Maruko: No snow, no rain, no storms. Almost like an eternal printemps, don't you agree?

Tsukushi: E-Eternal what now...?

Maruko: Printemps! It means 'spring' in french. My favourite sprog, or one of my favourites, maybe.

Tsukushi: H-How do you know so many languages? And you use them all at once, too.

Tsukushi: Doesn't it get confusing?

Maruko: Not for a SHSL Translator, it doesn't!

Maruko: I mostly use foreign words to make my discorso more interesting.

Maruko: Although, between nós... I kind of like to show off a bit with it.

Maruko: Tout le monde around here has great talents... I don't want to seem boring.

Tsukushi: You're not boring at all. You've got a great personality!

Maruko: Aw, muchas gracia-

Maruko: Oh?

Maruko: I got a text...

Tsukushi: Chigusa?

Maruko: Ja, she wants me to come over. Pardon for cutting this chat short.

Tsukushi: Nah, don't worry. I'll just sit around and read for a while.

Tsukushi: See you later! Give Chigusa a hug for me, will you?

Maruko: Will do. Arriverdecci, Herr Hananari!

Maruko Inubarashi
Despair Shard Obtained!

Maruko seems to be doing somewhat okay after the trial for Yuki's murder and Asuyo's execution - or as well as one can be, really - as she tends to be a cheerful girl, most of the time. She also took Chigusa under her wing since she isn't taking this whole ordeal as well and seems to be dangerously anxious. She learned a lot of foreign languages by herself to compliment her own - she knows english, french, italian, danish, spanish and portuguese, as well as some others I might not remember - and can speak them mostly fluently. It seems like she tends to put others first and isn't too confident on her talent as a Translator, when comparing herself to all the others.

Now that I think about reading... Eita gave me a book back in Valley Views. I left it behind at the resort, though... maybe I can find another copy around here.

Item Obtained!
'iSaac'

The story of a boy named Isaac who was sucked into a digital world, only to be charged with solving the many riddles that it had to offer him. According to the reviews on the back cover it's 'a fantastic mix of mystery and science that's bound to get readers enthralled from the very beggining'. It also happens to be Eita's favourite book!

It's not the original one Eita gave me, but I don't think he'd notice the difference. The story should be the same either way, too.

Item Obtained!
'Tabloid'

One of those celebrity gossip tabloids, filled with juicy information about outside world celebrities, posters, crossword puzzles and other fun games. A fun time-waster, if anything else... although I can't understand why this would be inside a library.

AFTERNOON

Location: Shooting Range

A healthy lunch and two bits of conversation later, I said goodbye to Riou who I had just eaten with and went for another walk through the sector, in search of someone in particular.

"O-Oh, hi there, Tsukushi!" A female voice greeted me. 'Score.' I thought as I turned around, thinking the voice's owner to be the girl I had been looking for for quite a while. My eyes had quite the shock, however, as the one I searched for wasn't the one who'd called me. "Can I borrow you for a sec, please?"

"S-Sure, Kikyo" I answer. "Need something?"

She took a deep breath and looked to the side before glancing me in the eyes and quickly looking away. "Well... I don't want this to sound cheesy or anything. But do you want to hang out with me tonight? I thought about yesterday, at the central plaza... and I really do need to chill with someone. And get my head sorted."

"I don't know... I don't think I have anything else to do, so sure." I accept her invitation with a cordious smile. "Who else is coming?"

"I'll try to get some other people. Although maybe we shouldn't get a big crowd..." she started hypothesizing in her head, but quickly shook it and smiled. "A-Anyway, I'll get that sorted out! I'll ask Riou and Yatarou to come, and maybe Maruko too... and I guess Chigusa can come..." she started ranting as she walked away with a pensive finger on her chin.

That was unexpected, to say the least... Kikyo wasn't at all the person I'm looking for.

Maybe inside? "Anyone her- WHAT THE-" I quickly interrupt myself as an arrow from a crossbow rapidly flies in front of me, skewering the wall beside the door. "Y-Yuzuru!?"

The Assassin, who was clearly startled by my entrance, turned around and collapsed. "Wh-What!?" she screamed in fear, almost as if I held the weapon between us two. "G-God, Tsukushi, you scared me!"

"S-Scared you!? You almost shot me!" I caught my breath for a few seconds before my complaint. "Watch where you point that thing!" I gesture to the crossbow she held, pointed at me.

Yuzuru quickly dropped the bow and held her hands behind her head. "Sorry!" she cried with a strange expression on her face. "Wh-What did you need?"

"I... I wanted to talk to you..." I recomposed myself. No good in being angry at an Assassin, I'm guessing - or anyone else right now, for that matter.

The strawberry blond girl nodded in affirmation and looked around for empty seats - just to realize there were none. "There're some stools in the breaker room we can sit in, but the air in there is very musty... should we take a walk?"

My cold has me second-guessing the suggestion, but what the hell. "Sure."

Hang out with Yuzuru?

[Yeah, sure] [Oh, heeeeeell no]

Yuzuru: Where should we go...?

Yuzuru: The gallery is pretty neat. And so is the park...

Tsukushi: Just walking around town is nice enough.

Tsukushi: But... I guess we can go to the park.

Tsukushi: I want to ask you something.

Yuzuru: Is something the matter? I hope I didn't do anything wrong...

Tsukushi: I want you to explain something to me. You're an assassin, right?

Yuzuru: That's my talent... so yeah, I am. I have been in my fair share of murders in the past few years.

Yuzuru: I think this is about Asuyo... isn't it?

Tsukushi: Quick thinking, thankfully. I want to ask you...

Tsukushi: If you're a murderer yourself, why did you condemn Asuyo for her actions?

Tsukushi: She had a motive, and a good one at that. Assassins kill for money, right? So why the hell were you so harsh?

Tsukushi: Asuyo did something really wrong, but I want to know why you of all people talked crap about it.

Yuzuru: I... I can't tell you. But rest assured, I have my reasons.

Yuzuru: It's just... As an Assassin, I kill people. And yeah, I do it for money.

Yuzuru: But I know for a fact I do the wrong thing. And Asuyo thought she was being fair when she killed Yuki...

Yuzuru: I... I just can't explain it.

Tsukushi: ... Sure.

Tsukushi: How've you been doing after the trial...?

Yuzuru: Can we just not talk about the trial?

Yuzuru: I don't even want to talk about this stupid game! It's driving me insane, dude...

Yuzuru: Why the hell am I in this mess? I... I shouldn't be in here.

Tsukushi: N-No crap... no one should.

Yuzuru: You just don't get it, do you? I shouldn't be here!

Tsukushi: What do you mean...?

Yuzuru: J-Just forget it... you wouldn't understand.

Yuzuru: But going back to what I said... I don't feel comfortable anymore. I don't want to be an Assassin.

Yuzuru: Killers are the most wicked people you'll ever come across. I know that for a fact.

Tsukushi: Y-You're talking all high and mighty... but you're also a killer.

Yuzuru: S-Stop reminding me that! Th-There are certain roles I have to play in life, and I'm not proud of many of them.

Yuzuru: This one... This is the worst part I've ever played.

Tsukushi: I-I'm sorry...? I didn't mean to be this rude... please, calm down.

Yuzuru: No... Don't be sorry. I just... I just need to be alone for a little while, if you don't mind.

Yuzuru: I'm going back to the shooting range. Maybe target practice will help me unwind.

Yuzuru: See you.

Tsukushi: She looked like she was on the verge of tears... maybe I was too harsh on her.

Tsukushi: Why is Yuzuru acting so weird now, though? Talk about an existential crisis...

Yuzuru Kanzaki
Despair Shard Obtained!

I originally went to talk to Yuzuru to get my bearings straight regarding her opinion on Asuyo's situation, but ended up being a target for her to dump all her emotional stress on. I have to say I'm pretty confused on why she said killers are wicked, and that she didn't like the life she led, or the fact that she thinks Asuyo is to blame for Yuki's death when she, herself, by her talent's definition, does the exact same - and mostly with not nearly as good as a reason for it. She doesn't like being an Assassin.

NIGHT TIME

Location: Anghern Park

"No one else wanted to come?" Yatarou asked as he sat down on one of the park's many benches.

Kikyo crossed her arms in front of her and puffed her cheeks. "Well, Kiyoshi's over there... not that that's a good thing."

"Hey, don't bitch about me! Leave me be!" complaints echoed from a distant bench near some bushes, on the other side of the rushing fountain.

"We've got a pretty solid number of people here." Kikyo boasted, lifting herself up after her lack of success in gathering a reasonable amount of people for this evening meet-up. "Although it's kind of weird being the only girl around."

I took the liberty of looking around and noticing what she had just commented on. Indeed, among all three of us - that's Yatarou, Kikyo and myself - she was indeed the only female, not that there's anything weird about it. "It's just me and Yatarou here." I state. "Yesterday you were with Riou and I, and you were the only girl too!"

"Well, you're not wrong" she rolls her eyes and smiles. "This place is really nice... it'd be way better if it weren't for the bugs, though."

"Oh, I just remembered something..." Yatarou recalled as he looked around. "Try and remember all the buildings in this sector... did you guys see any locked door devices like in Valley Views?" he made a pertinent question. I hadn't given it much attention when I first entered, so I didn't miss them terribly much, but fair enough, the Door Usage Recorders that ended up playing a vital part in the last trial were distinctly missing.

Kikyo looked up at the night sky and thought to herself. "Now that I think about it... I didn't see anything" she concluded. "But... what does this mean?"

"Wait a minute... wasn't that a rule, though?" Yatarou reminded us of another pertinent topic. Sliding my handbook out of my pocket, I clicked the rules and regulations app on the main menu and scrolled through the rule list... Yatarou seemed to do the same, as he read aloud what I was reading silently. "Night Time is a designated time between 10pm and 7am where all students should sleep. All doors will be locked during Night Time and... can't be unlocked?" he paused, as the statement on screen differed from what he remembered.

"It also says the motel room keys are an exception to this rule, as well as all others...?" Kikyo trailed off at the end in confusion. "What does Monokuma mean 'all others'? What other rules entail the motel rooms?" she asked herself.

"Beats me..." I mumble, putting the device back into my pocket and looking back at my friends.

"The night sky sure is beautiful, huh, guys?" Yatarou slumped down on the bench and relaxed his neck so it was bent backwards, his eyes looking directly up. "I've never seen something like this before... big cities don't usually have the greatest stargazing spots because of the whole environment."

"But you've been to so many beautiful places..." Kikyo swooned as she laid down on the grass. "I wish I was as well-traveled as you..."

Kikyo listened intently as Yatarou spoke of some of his adventures through Europe and Southern America, right before she herself started messing with our haircuts and the hours kept passing by. For a few hours, I was able to say I was at peace. Being with them was exactly that - peaceful - and I don't think we've had any fun ever since we got here.

A sigh made both me and Kikyo look at the International Tour Guide. "You know what? Maybe, just maybe, this is what we all need." he suggested, piquing our curiosity.

"Like what?" Kikyo asked. "Invite everyone for a chat in the park? I don't think that'd roll over too well."

"Nah, nah, but... maybe... something?" his speech was broken and inconclusive, making both me and Kikyo all the more confused about his intentions. "Like get together and do something fun to get us closer again. Want it or not, we're really down in the dumps and there's distrust everywhere, right? So... maybe, we can build our trust back up with a meetup where we can all have fun!"

I looked at the Hairstylist, waiting for any reaction so I could tell what her opinion was. "That's a great idea, Yatarou!" she smiled. "Maybe that'll work! But what do we do to gather everyone? There's not really anything around Verdant Views that we're able to make a party out of..."

"I'll have to agree with her, dude..." I sigh, defeated. How difficult would it be to throw a party in some place like a library, a shooting range or a shrine?

Pretty freakin' difficult, that's what.

Yatarou slumped forward, elbows on his knees and thought aloud. "Let's see... look, maybe we can do it here in the park. We'll have something like small competitions and games to get everyone in the mood... maybe we could have some food too! Frances makes some mean cupcakes, and I can whip up sandwiches too!"

"Well, how would you make those? There's no supermarket around." Kikyo stated the obvious, but it rang a bell in my mind.

"Now that I think about it... I think our fridges restock?" I guessed. "I mean, I'm not noticing any food shortages on Riou and I's fridge, and we've eaten all meals for the past day and a half."

Yatarou's eyes widened and his palm collided with his forehead with a quick and sudden movement. "Goddamnit! Me and Kikyo have been saving that food for nothing?"

"W-Wait, you and who now? Weren't you paired with Chigusa back at the motel?" I notice an inconsistency in the facts - call it lawyer's intuition, maybe.

Kikyo was the one to explain the switcheroo, however. "Maruko said she'd rather be with Chigusa for the time being... so we just switched places."

Hm... now that I think more about it, Maruko did enter the room with Chigusa yesterday after the noon meet-up. And today at the library, I didn't notice she mentioned going to 'their' room.

So much for lawyer's intuition, huh?

"Now... if you guys excuse me, I'll be right back." Yatarou stood up and scanned the surrounding area, looking for something.

"O-Oh, sure." Kikyo stuttered, taken aback by the Tour Guide's sudden exit as he approached a nearby bush.

Good time as any to strike a conversation.

Hang out with Kikyo?

[Yeah, sure] [Oh, heeeeeell no]

Kikyo: Hey, Tsukushi? Can I ask you something?

Tsukushi: Huh? Sure, go right ahead.

Tsukushi: So much for me starting the conversation.

Kikyo: I want to thank you... for what you did yesterday back at the cemetery.

Kikyo: I... I wasn't feeling well, as you probably noticed, so I just started crying my eyes out... I-It's been hard for me, I guess. As I bet it's been for you.

Tsukushi: Well, of course it has. But it's like Yatarou told us just now. We should just relax and focus on getting everyone to trust each other again.

Tsukushi: That way it'll be easier to work together and leave this place. Together.

Kikyo: You're right... you're a really good motivational speaker, you know?

Kikyo: Then again, maybe I'm just easily motivated. My life taught me to smile at the good in things, even when there's nothing to smile about.

Kikyo: I should put my money where my mouth is and cheer everyone up around here.

Tsukushi: What do you mean, your life?

Kikyo: O-Oh nothing! I'll tell you about it some other time.

Kikyo: It's not like I've had any hardships until recently... I come from a pretty rich family.

Tsukushi: O-Oh, I had no idea you had a wealthy background as well!

Kikyo: As well...? Do you have money too?

Tsukushi: No, no, nothing like that. There's one other person here I know, and they have a lot of money, that's all.

Tsukushi: I'd rather not tell who though. They might not want people to know. In fact... I don't think they want people to know.

Kikyo: Awww, that sucks.

Tsukushi: But... don't you find it weird? You're rich, so I'd think you'd be a snobby, spoiled little brat, but you're so cheerful and sociable.

Tsukushi: Not to mention your talent! I don't think rich Hairstylists are too common.

Kikyo: You got me there, haha. Thing is, my mom did raise me to be a stereotypical preppy rich kid, but it just didn't sit well with me.

Kikyo: I still try to be polite and everything, but fancy clothing and such were never my cup of tea, you see?

Kikyo: As for hairstyling... blame my aunt. I started working at her hair salon when I was twelve!

Tsukushi: T-Twelve? Isn't that illegal...?

Tsukushi: A-And did you enjoy it?

Kikyo: A lot, actually! I loved cutting and dying and doing all sorts of stuff to people's hair.

Kikyo: It took me almost no time to hone my skills and become a full-fledged Hairstylist.

Tsukushi: And that's how you were found out by Hope's Peak, then?

Kikyo: Should be. But with that amnesia bullcrap Monokuma pulled on us, I might be remembering stuff wrong, or forgetting some other things altogether.

Tsukushi: That's right... I almost forgot about the amnesia thing.

Tsukushi: Haha, ironic, right?

Kikyo: I was about to say that!

Yatarou: Hey, guuuuys, I'm back!

Kikyo Namikaze
Despair Shard Obtained!

Kikyo, much like her new roommate, Yatarou, comes from a very wealthy family, and as such, she was raised to become a rightful heir to her name, being taught everything about etiquette and all that. Unfortunately for her parents, that never felt like the right thing to her, so she now lives a more carefree life, although always keeping the good posture and manners she was taught. She started hairstyling in her aunt's salon and eventually became a real worker there at age 12, a few years before being discovered by Hope's Peak. It also seems like she has some hardships to endure on her own life as well, but she didn't tell me anything about those.

"Yatarou, where did you go?" Kikyo asked at the Tour Guide paced back over from the bushes he went to, on the other side of the park.

Yatarou grew a cheeky smile and poked his tongue out jokingly. "I had to take a piss, so I went to the bushes over there, why? Y-Y-You didn't peek, right!?" Noticing the baffled expressions on our faces though, the Tour Guide let out a small chuckle before shaking his head and taking back what he said. "Chill, it was just a little joke! Don't get your panties in a twist, now. I went to ask Kiyoshi if he could help us put together that party in the park we talked about."

A party, huh? It really sounds like a great idea. Maybe this is what we all need.

A/N: That marks half of our free times for Act 2. I hope you enjoyed them all!

As a bit of a sad note, though, I have to say I'm putting the Adventures of the 72nd Class on indefinite hiatus (which, knowing how this usually goes, most probably means I won't go back to it ever). I want to say thank you to those who read both stories, and I'm sorry some of the characters I received won't be written by me since I really enjoyed them as individual OCs. I'd rather stay with this one story I'm really invested into, rather than having two good-but-not-that-great stories going on at once. This means, more Walls to come in the future!

QOTC: Tsukushi hung out with a bunch of girls this chapter, so that made me wonder... who is your favourite female character in the canon DR universe? (Mine would be Ibuki, although DRV3 may change that)

Don't forget to leave a review telling me what I'm doing right and wrong, things you like and dislike, and all that good stuff! I'll see you next chapter, but until then... Yamazaki out!