Here is the next chapter, as promised. I will also keep mentioning Lowrietial in these bold words, as they are the one who helped this story out by betaing. Please thank them for their hard work.

Kousuke eyed Zero, who tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep. The police officer decided to make the drama club leader rest first, as he gathered their ingredients for dinner. He was worried about the rest of his classmates. They were desperately wishing they were alright. He had tried to ease their nerves as best as he could on the duration of their walk back to the core of the village.

I hope Kagami's comforting Miho well…Kousuke's first thought connected to his girlfriend. Miho was the type of person to blame herself for everything, and so he had no doubt that she was misplacing her guilt. She was the one who found the body, and with that thought alone - Miho would blame herself.

Kousuke sighed and then walked to the irori, having just gathered the ingredients from the market. He was trembling when he had walked through the dark, to fetch the supplies. His mind always attached onto what had happened previously with Monokuma and Mr Miyamoto. The darkness overwhelmed his nerves, but he fought back, and had gotten the ingredients.

He'd thought for a moment, wondering what Zero would want to eat. He recalled that the gray-blue-haired boy would always stuff his bag with candies and small snacks. The boy did seem to eat unhealthily, and it disgruntled Kousuke. He began to place the ingredients into the irori, deciding to cook some stirred-fried vegetables.

He stirred the vegetables as he pondered to himself. How do we get out of this place? Mr Miyamoto has Monokuma and some other people backing him up… And what's this about the "overseers"? Why exactly are these people trying to kill some strangers? What is their objective?

Kousuke pursed his lips, nose wrinkling. A few minutes passed before he added to the pan, putting in ginger, garlic powder, and soy sauce into the mix. He tossed the vegetables, letting them sizzle and cook. A few minutes passed, the air churning with the smell of oils and garlic, before he finished the dish.

He walked over to the bedroom, cautiously making his way over to Zero's side. "Hey," he began, speaking quietly as he lightly grabbed the boy's arm. "Dinner's ready."

"Mm…" Zero grumbled, groggy as he slowly opened his pair of gray eyes. "Leader…"

Kousuke couldn't help but throw a small smile. "Do you want to eat now?"

The drama club leader nodded slowly and shoved aside the blanket. "Mhm."

Kousuke followed Zero into the room where the food was, watching as he took a seat on one of the pillows. The officer took the time to grab ahold of two pairs of chopsticks and gray bowls, passing one of each to the Ultimate before the duo prayed silently. A moment passed before they began to eat.

Zero took hold of a few veggies and threw them to his bowl, biting into a piece of carrot. "Leader," he began, voice sounding tired. "What're we going to do about the bombs?"

"Physically, we cannot just remove the bombs from our bodies." Kousuke frowned to himself, biting into his food. "We have to find out first how we can permanently disarm the bombs and find the device used to set the bombs on a timer. If my theory is true, then the bombs inside of us are no ordinary ones. They won't be digested."

"Really?" The gray-eyed boy's mouth hung slightly agape. "I'm not sure… Where did the villagers obtain these bombs? If they aren't ordinary bombs, it should've been known to either the public eye or government…"

Kousuke shook his head. "There must be someone important backing the villagers and Monokuma up. These 'overseers' must be of high status."

"High status?" The boy frowned. "Like the government?"

"It's a possibility we must keep track of. If we're going against someone of such status, then we must tread carefully." Kousuke pursed his lips, staring down at his bowl. He eyed it for a moment, thinking hard to himself. He wondered what to do before a sudden light bulb lighted atop of his head. "Maybe we can use our talents."

Zero tilted his head. "Huh?"

"Chizu can map out the village for us." Kousuke began to explain, a sudden determined look on his face. "She was mapping out the area earlier, right?"

The drama club leader nodded. "She was…"

Kousuke grinned. "Okay, if we have a layout of this place, then it'll be easier for us to roam around. Hisashi can use the map to tell us the time. I think if the right tools are around, he'd be able to create a clock of some sort."

"I see." Zero threw Kousuke a small smile. "If we're able to know our surroundings, then we'd be equal to Mr Miyamoto and the others. They'd most likely try to take advantage of what they know about the village in comparison to us."

Kousuke nodded. "Yeah, I think Chizu and Hisashi can definitely push us forward. Takumi as well, considering his talent."

"I think Ko and Kimi could help too," Zero added, mentioning the paramedic and bacteriologist. "They could look around the village and check for anything that could be deadly or useful. Herbs, fungi, etc."

"Ah, you have a point. Kenta could help in that case as well. He would know which leaves and which plants would be edible and which wouldn't."

"That's true." Zero chuckled. "This would definitely help us then."

The officer smiled before thinking to himself. Hm… Now what can be done to give us an advantage…

Kousuke eyed Zero for a moment, then snapping his fingers. "Oh, Zero, you think you can replicate the others and I?"

"Perfectly." The drama club leader threw a confident smile, clearing his throat before his voice suddenly fell to the tone of Hyoushi's. "Let me sing a song for you~"

"Nice." The boy inwardly nodded. "I think if Chiyoko and Kagami were to work together to make you completely replicate one of us, then we'd certainly be able to trick the villagers and Monokuma here."

"Oh, I see." Zero chuckled. "I think I could work with that."

"Thank you." The police officer smiled, then frowning. "I think we should have Seishin commit a seance for us."

"What?" The boy's eyes widened. "I've never actually seen him perform one, but from what people say, it's a bit…"

"Intense? Yeah, I know, but I think we have no choice." Kousuke crossed his arms. "If Seishin is able to call one of the victims inside of this village, then we would have answers that can help us uncover what is happening here and escape."

"I understand, but wouldn't Mr Miyamoto and the others catch us?"

"Then we would need a distraction." Kousuke smirked. "We have plenty of people who can do just that. Hyoushi can sing a song to the villagers, Anna can entertain them with her stories, Miho can show off a few of her moves, and Machiko can annoy them with her loud voice with Sana's talent keeping her safe." The officer confidently stood up. "I think they'll be able to handle the villagers and Monokuma around the village when Seishin prepares the seance."

Zero was shocked, eyes widened.

"What do you think?" The officer then asked, a serious tone in his voice. "Will it work? We will have to investigate this place thoroughly first, but afterwards, Seishin will start the seance. I think it's worth a shot."

The boy was silent, but after a moment he nodded his head.

"Alright. I agree with you. Keep us safe, leader."

The next day arrived, and Kousuke had called forth everyone to the centre of the village. The officer previously looked around for any sign of the villagers or Monokuma, but surprisingly no one was to be seen.

Hisashi tilted his head, his moon-colored eyes staring straight at the officer. He was right besides Koro who was fidgeting, in order to comfort the paramedic. "So, what's the plan, our dear Kousuke~?" His tone was teasing and childish as always, however Kousuke could see a furious glint in Hisashi's eyes.

Kousuke crossed his arms, eyebrows burrowing. "I believe we should investigate the village thoroughly first before we start to execute the plan." He turned to Chizu. "Can you map out the entire village, Chizu?"

The girl blinked for a couple of seconds before speaking in a hushed voice. "Yeah, I was working on it since yesterday… I-I should be able to finish today."

The class president nodded. Alright, that's good. Now… He turned back to eye the horologist. "Hisashi, once Chizu finishes mapping out the village, do you think you can use it to estimate the time here?"

"Clocks are my speciality~" Hisashi winked at the taller boy, but then crossed his arms. "I'll be able to build up a beautiful clock in no time, Kousuke."

"Alright. Koro, Kimiko, and Kenta - I want you three to investigate the area. I want to know what items around here are safe and what aren't. If the leaves around this area are edible, then it could possibly be used as a medicinal herb. I also want to know if the fungi around here are dangerous." Kousuke looked at Takumi. "Takumi, can you help me investigate the village? I want your help in finding any hidden clues around here."

"Certainly," the investigator said, not at all hesitant with his answer. "I want to get out of this place as much as you do."

"Thank you, Takumi." Kousuke smiled. He then looked at the rest of his classmates, most particularly, at the Ultimate Spirit Medium. "Seishin, can I please request of you to perform a seance?"

Seishin crossed his arms, coy. "Hmph. So you require my services?"

Kousuke nodded. "Yes, it is important that you perform one. I believe that if you perform a seance and summon one of the victims from this village, then we'd know much there is to know about the villagers and Monokuma."

The spirit medium eyed him for a moment, silent. He then scoffed. "Why should I do it, mortal? This will risk my life if the villagers or Monokuma were to find me."

Kousuke threw the boy a comforting smile. "Don't worry about that. That's why all of us are here." He looked to the rest of the students who hadn't been called on: Anna, Machiko, Miho, Hyoushi, and Kiyomiko. He could see Machiko saluting him with a wide grin. "They'll be here to distract the villagers and Monokuma. You should place your trust in them, correct?"

Seishin was silent - doubtful.

Kousuke threw a look to Zero who stepped forward. "I can give you time. I'll disguise myself as either us or one of the villagers and cause a distraction as an extra precautionary measure."

"Oh, I see. That means you'll need my help!" Kagami smiled widely. "I'll be helping Zero with the outfit, and…" She looked to Chiyoko, having known what the drama club leader wanted. "Chiyoko here will help make him look like a new person. He'll definitely be able to trick everyone with us two at his side."

Chiyoko tilted her head, yawning in the process. "Hm? Uh, yeah… Sure."

"Mortals…" The raven bit into his lips, then twisting the beads around him. "I suppose the spirits do require, I, the Grim Reaper's, services. I accept your request, my fellow mortal."

The boy smiled widely. "Thank you, Seishin."

Machiko threw her fists to the air, screaming as loudly as she could. "WOOHOO! Let's do this guys!"

Anna covered her ears, taken aback by how loud the girl was. "Y-yes."

Hyoushi nodded as he strummed his fingers through his instrument. "Yes. Let us find the path to happiness, my friends~"

"Alright, let's start as soon as possible." Kousuke clapped his hands together, trying to unite his classmates together as one. The sense of trust and determination is needed in this sort of situation. "Take as much time as you need. Let's not panic over the villagers and Monokuma. Just act like yourselves if they ever do catch us."

Kousuke then looked to the spirit medium. "Seishin, you will need to perform the seance somewhere far away from this place. I don't want you and the others to be caught."

Seishin nodded. "Of course. There are plenty of restless spirits surrounding this entire forest altogether. Anywhere would do with I, the Grim Reaper."

Kousuke inwardly shook his head, but turned to Koro, Kenta, and Kimiko. "You three should also be careful."

Kimiko nodded as Koro rapidly bobbed his head. "Y-yes! We won't let you down."

"I think we'll be fine. Thank you for worrying about it, though." Kenta smiled.

The class president then turned to Chizu and Hisashi. "You two will be alright, yeah? You two will mainly be alone with each other and are the closest to Mr Miyamoto and the others."

Chizu's face paled, but the horologist quickly stepped into the spot. "Don't worry about us, leader! I doubt they would try anything to us, especially if we're inside of a supposedly private room~"

Kousuke groaned, but he figured it was a sign that the two would be alright. He looked at the group for a second time, then nodded his head. "I suppose we can start now."

With those words, everyone began to disperse.

Kousuke was left with Takumi.

"So, what's the first step, Kousuke?" Takumi threw the boy a striking pose - like that of a superhero's. A playful grin was on his lips.

Kousuke smiled in response. "Are you hungry? I think we should at least get something to eat before heading out. We should investigate as soon as possible, but doing it on empty stomachs isn't the most logical thing, now is it?"

"I see." The investigator flicked his cap. "You have a point."

Kousuke chuckled, and they headed over to where the marketplace was. Once walking inside, they were met with a thin wave of dust. It was quite unkempt inside, yet the food supplied was either unopened or new. If anything, the dust wasn't a burden at all. They moved inside and fetched a couple of snacks, making sure the food wasn't rotten or expired before moving back outside.

"Huh, so chips are our breakfast." Takumi grinned playfully as he opened a bag. He plopped a chip into his mouth. "Well, can't complain. Food is food."

Kousuke snorted, the duo having stopped at a nearby bench. "I think Kenta would like to have a word with you."

"Hey, he can't complain. I'm not a food critic, am I?" The investigator snickered.

"You think?" The officer sighed. "Takumi, where should we start? Should we base off our investigation on the rumors we've heard?"

"If we're basing it off on the rumors, then the most likely place I would go to would be where you and Miho found the body." Takumi smiled awkwardly, putting a finger up. "As disturbing as it sounds - truth over happiness, any day, any time. Right?"

"Ah, right. Your catchphrase." Kousuke nodded his head. He stood up from his seat, biting into a chip as he began to walk. "Then we will go to that place."

The investigator chuckled as he followed Kousuke down the road. The officer was leading them to where he and Miho had found the body - towards that disgusting, horrible, dark place.

It would take a while to reach the pond, and so in the meantime Kousuke rolled over the various questions in his mind. He thought about what to investigate. He wondered what he should do if the villagers catch them in action. He worried over the entire situation and his classmates altogether, but his mind drifted and his thoughts eventually landed to Takumi.

One could consider Takumi to be Kousuke's partner in crime. Since they both held positions in the agencies of law enforcement and criminal justice, the two were relatively close to one another. Their classmates would pry them to solve mysteries everyday, and eventually it concluded with them to relying and depending on each other.

It started with Hyoushi fussing over the precious mandolin he had lost - he begged for Kousuke to handle the situation. This led to the police officer joining forces with Takumi.

The duo did find the mandolin in the end, however Kousuke knew it was thanks to Takumi that the instrument was even found.

Needless to say, the two grew closer than ever after that, and it led to everyone begging the duo to help them with their problems.

Kousuke sighed at the thought as they shuffled closer to their destination.

A few more minutes passed until they were at the pond. The officer took a deep breath, laughing at Takumi's exaggerated groan.

"Alright, let's search around."

The duo separated for the moment, looking around the pond and fields. Kousuke took a look at the pond. It was still as pristine and clean as ever. No one could tell that people have died near such a scene.

Kousuke sighed, deciding to take a look around the area where Miho found the dead body. He headed over to the opposite side where Takumi stood. The investigator was looking through the bushes.

Strangely enough, there seemed to be nothing off. It was as if nothing had actually occurred. No murders, nothing.

"Hm…" Kousuke looked back to Takumi. "You found anything?"

The investigator shook his head. "Hm, well, nothing of importance." He was currently looking through the bushes, investigating each nook and cranny. There was nothing to be seen. There were no traces of blood, corpses, or anything of the like. It was completely and utterly normal.

Kousuke frowned. Everything was gone. It was almost impossible to be true.

"You think the villagers cleaned this place?" Takumi asked, walking back to the officer a few minutes later. "I would've thought there would've been at least a few dried blood stains around here."

"Yeah, I'm curious about that too." The boy cupped his chin. "I suppose the villagers wouldn't care much about dead bodies being spotted if they appear frequently on the news, and since Miho found one yesterday… They can't suddenly turn out to be meticulous, could they? If the dead body was found here, then where did they put it and why is this place suddenly clean?"

"Let's assume it was the spirits of the dead or aliens," Takumi joked.

"I would think not." Kousuke rolled his eyes at the thought. "Hm, we should ask Koro about this. He is a paramedic, so I assume he'd know a thing or two about bodies."

Not to say that I know he wouldn't want me to think of him like that.

"You think he would know something about the bombs in our bodies then?"

The class president's eyes widened, but he quickly shook his head. "I doubt it. I do trust him, but considering how confident Mr Miyamoto and Monokuma were about the bombs inside of us, I have a feeling we do not know anything about what exactly is inside of us. These bombs aren't ordinary bombs, I'm sure."

Takumi eyed Kousuke for a moment. He nodded. "I see. Then, if there's nothing found around here, they must've already buried the bodies."

"A likely possibility. We still do not know of their motive other than for the amusement of their 'overseers'. We also do not know what Monokuma is."

"Ah, that's right. Just what exactly is Monokuma? A hybrid? A monster? Hm…" The investigator sighed, shaking his head. "I'm drawing a lot of blanks here."

"At the moment, me too. Let's not worry about that though. Let's continue to look around the area for clues."

Takumi nodded, and the duo began to make their way from the pond. They made sure there was no-one in sight, and noticing that the villagers nor Monokuma were around. Kousuke relaxed and strided through the fields.

It was then about halfway through the fields did the duo find Koro and his group.

"O-oh!" Koro's honey eyes widened. "Leader!"

"Hello." Kousuke waved to the trio, walking over to meet them. "Did you three find anything?"

Kimiko nodded. "The plants here are all edible. There are a few fungi which are poisonous, but they aren't life-threatening. At most, the poisonous plants would cause severe vomiting."

"Really? That's reassuring." The boy smiled. He then looked at the fields, vegetables growing happily in the sunlight. "Why are you checking the plantations here though?"

Kenta crossed his arms. "We are just checking if the vegetables here are ripe. From what I've seen, they're all ready to be eaten… and perfectly at that. Just look at that corn over there! It looks delicious."

The officer chuckled. "I see, but do you think Mr Miyamoto will allow us to take the vegetables here?"

"Hopefully." Koro wrinkled his nose, worried. "It wouldn't be nice if they didn't, since there could only be so much until we run out of food in the market…" His eyes widened, and he threw his hands up. "I-I don't mean that we'd be stuck here though! I'm sorry."

Takumi threw Koro a playful grin. "I bet if Hisashi was here he'd be cuddling you to death."

Koro's face blushed a dark red as the bacteriologist continued to speak.

"Did you two find anything yet?" She asked, blunt.

Kousuke shook his head. "Unfortunately not. I think the villagers must've cleaned up last night, considering the body Miho found was gone."

Kimiko shuddered at the thought. "Then where could they have put the body?" She frowned. "Did they bury it?"

"I'm assuming so."

The group took the time to think. It was then did Kousuke raise another question. "Do you three know how the others are doing?"

"I think Seishin and the others left to find a place to perform the seance," Kenta said. "They were just waiting for Chiyoko and Kagami to finish their work on Zero. Zero is the one who will provide the distraction for the group, so yeah."

"Oh, so they should be starting soon." Takumi nodded his head. "How about Chizu and Hisashi?"

Kenta thought for a moment, trying to recall. He then spoke. "I think Chizu finished mapping out the area. I saw her and Hisashi walking back from the shrine. I think Hisashi's working on creating a clock right now."

The officer nodded. "Alright, that's good. Well then, I'll continue on. Good luck to you three."

The trio waved, Takumi following after Kousuke down the road.

The duo spent their time investigating the village, however there was yet to be any clue. There was nothing suspicious to be seen, and they was left at a stalemate.

They found themselves sitting at the same bench they sat this morning, close to the market.

"My feet are killing me," Takumi said, exaggerating with a pained face. "I can't believe we found nothing, and it looks like sunset is about to strike… I wonder how the others are doing."

Kousuke shrugged. "Probably doing better than we are."

"And you're exactly right, my cute officer~"

Instantly, Kousuke knew who that voice belonged to. He didn't even need to look, eyes squinting as he looked up at the skies. "Hisashi, are you done with your work?"

"Mhm!" The horologist smiled brightly, forcing Kousuke to look at him. The shorter boy was holding a wooden clock, the clock hands moving to symbolize sunset. "It's about six o'clock from where we are."

"Oh, really?" Takumi smiled. "I guess it should've been obvious from how the Sun is setting."

"Huh? And not from my amazing work?" Hisashi pouted, but then shoved his work to the class president's lap. "Well, anyways, I'm just here to drop this off to you. I'll be working on making a few more clocks for the others, so you can keep that one."

"Oh." Kousuke eyed the device. The wood that was carved into a shape of a clock was smooth. "Are you sure?"

Hisashi winked, tilting his head to the side. It seemed to add further into his so-called 'cuteness' factor. "I think it's better to leave things to you, officer~" He giggled for a moment. "Ah, and also, do you know if Koro's done with his work? I need to-"

"Cuddle him? We're not sure. I think he and the others should be done though." Takumi shrugged. "He's probably looking things over with Kimiko and Kenta somewhere."

"Hm, really? Guess I'll trust you on that, Mr. Investigator." Hisashi clapped his hands together. "Then! Guess I'll go looking for him! I can't have anyone stalking my boyfriend, now can I?"

Kousuke watched as the horologist smirked darkly (almost too darkly), then leaving the scene.

"Well, he's pretty possessive," Takumi commented, a few seconds having passed by since Hisashi's leave.

Kousuke shrugged. "I wouldn't call it that, just a bit overprotective."

"Anyways, you think Seishin's done with the seance?" Takumi eyed the officer. "It's been a few hours already. I know some seances take really long, but…"

The officer stood up from his seat. "Yeah, we should check up on them. We don't know where they are though."

"Oh, that's true." Takumi cupped his chin. "Well then… That's not good now, is it?"

Kousuke was about to open his mouth, but he was suddenly stopped by the voice of his girlfriend, Miho.

"Kousuke! Takumi!"

The duo looked back to find Miho and Hyoushi running towards them.

"What's wrong?" Takumi asked, eyes widened in confusion.

"W-we were almost done with the seance, but then Monokuma appeared and-"

Kousuke frowned. "Huh? But wasn't Zero supposed to-"

"He's busy distracting the villagers!" Miho bit into her lips, worried. "Machiko and the others are trying to hold Monokuma off, and they need help so we-"

The officer looked to Takumi who nodded, having already stood up.

"Hyoushi, you go tell the others," Kousuke began, looking to Hyoushi who nodded and dashed away. The officer grabbed ahold of his girlfriend's shoulders, stern. "Where are they?"

"Follow me!"

The duo followed Miho down the path, running further and further away from the village. Kousuke couldn't help but wonder where they were going, having ran further down the right path. It was then did Miho pointed to a few bushes did they began to hear chattering.

Miho went through the bushes, eyes widening upon the sight of Monokuma and the others.

"Puhuhuhu!" The bear was laughing. He had exorcised the spirit out from Seishin, the spirit medium breathless and on the ground. It looked back to the acrobat and others. "What? You here to stop me?"

Anna was shaking. "I-I'm sorry… We couldn't stop him."

"The bear broke our contact with the spirit at the best part!" Machiko was clenching her fists, enraged. "Don't stop me! I'm gonna fight him!"

"Not a good idea," Kiyomiko said, scoffing. "It looks like it could kill us at any second."

Machiko frowned. "What?"

Monokuma laughed. "Puhuhu! Of course I could, but it's only when it's absolutely necessary. Don't you guys remember? Violence is prohibited- Well, that is, you guys are the exception! You can all hurt yourselves! Upupupu!"

Miho gritted her teeth. "You sick fuck…"

The lucky student crossed her arms, looking at the bear. "Hey, who exactly are you guys' overseers anyways? Why do they want to see people die?"

"And I'm supposed to tell you that, Kiyoyo?" Monokuma grinned, Kiyomiko's face scrunching in disgust. "Why don't you kill someone and get out of here alive first before asking?"

Kiyomiko bit into her lips. "You…"

"Mortal, do not be phased by that bear…" Seishin was breathless, coughing. "There's no way we'd do something as incomprehensible as murder, after all…"

"You think? I tooootttaaalllly haven't ever heard those words hold merit." The bear snorted. "You should ask Taku-Taku and Kousuke-Bousuke. They know those words mean nothing."

"Just because of our talents?" Takumi frowned. "Well, it doesn't matter. The truth will be revealed, and when that time comes you and the villagers will be punished accordingly. If not me, then Kousuke here will assure it."

Kousuke crossed his arms, eyeing the bear. "Who exactly are you? You're not apart of the villagers."

"Do I look human to you?" Monokuma giggled. "Keep asking questions, but I won't answer them! You need to kill someone first for me to open up to you!"

The bear began to walk, moving with ease past the students. It was then did the monochrome bear stop, talking after a short moment.

"Anyways, you guys are free to investigate this place as much as you like, but you won't find much. And as much as it pains me to say this, a spirit who will say anything and everything will be immediately exorcised by me. I can't let you all solve this entire "spooky village's" secrets so easily."

Monokuma then laughed, the other students having ran to the scene. The bear didn't care at all about the glares thrown his way.

"You all should be glad that I gave you all a warning. I mean, you guys would act much more brash than what you're doing now later, and that wouldn't fall well to neither I or the villagers."

Kousuke clenched into his fists, the last thing Monokuma said ringing into his ears-

"-If you end up overstepping your boundaries, then the overseers will punish you."

It sent shivers down his spine, and as a breeze blew into the air, the bear was gone.

"What's that bear's problem?" Kagami asked, worry escaping her face. "We're allowed to investigate, but only to a certain point? Then this isn't an investigation at all!"

"It pisses me off so much that I wanna kill it!" Machiko cried, screaming as she kicked the dirt. She didn't even notice that Kimiko had walked over towards her, trying to calm her down.

"So…" Zero's voice escaped the air. "Was our plan at least halfway successful?"

"Oh, right." Kousuke walked over to the spirit medium, kneeling down to place a hand on his shoulder. "Seishin, are you alright?"

Seishin nodded. "I'm fine, mortal. I'm a bit flabbergasted that the bear was able to forcibly remove the poor spirit from my body."

"I'm sleepy…" Chiyoko was yawning, rubbing her eyes. "This day was so stressful…"

Takumi crossed his arms. "What did the spirit say before it was exorcised then?"

Anna took a deep breath, steadying herself. She began to speak. "The spirit was an elementary school teacher by the name of Ms Suzuki. She was killed along with her students, but she told us that she had been individually killed near the shrine. Um… From what she said, her students were all alive. She was the first one who died."

She then bit into her lips, averting her gaze. "Ms Suzuki mentioned about the overseers here and Monokuma, but that was when…"

"I see." Kousuke crossed his arms. He pondered at those words, thinking to himself. So can I assume that Ms Suzuki was the first one who died out of her class… If she was the first one who died, doesn't that mean the children were killed separately? For what reason?

Kousuke's eyes then widened. Did they force these kids in a killing game too?

"I-I'm sorry, but that was all she said…" Anna was saddened, teary as Miho comforted her.

"Unfortunately, she's right." Kiyomiko frowned. "And it's that damn bear's fault."

"I think we can deduce a lot from that." Hisashi smiled widely, throwing his hands behind his head. "It means that the children were forced together, having been separated from their teacher. I would assume these kids were forced to murder each other in either a battle royale, or what we're in right now- a killing game. But then, why children? Why teenagers?"

The horologist then tilted his head, a cutesy look escaping his face. "Maybe we could suggest that these "overseers" are targeting young people for some reason?"

Young people? But why…?

Kimiko crossed her arms. "It does make sense, but we still would not know why the villagers are partaking in such heinous crimes nor the existence of Monokuma."

"This is so confusing," Machiko whined, groaning loudly. "Uuuugh…"

"But then how are these overseers watching over us? From reports?" The bacteriologist frowned. "Little makes sense here, and we have so little time."

Kousuke shook his head, putting a hand up. "We still have a chance at stopping the bombs inside of us. Like what we did today, Zero was able to stall for time by acting like someone else. Chiyoko and Kagami were able to disguise Zero perfectly."

Kagami grinned. "Thank you!"

"However, I think this time all of us will be the distractions." Kousuke looked to the drama club leader. "Zero, I'm sorry, but I think we will need to depend on you some more."

The boy averted his gaze, blushing. "I don't mind."

The officer smiled, then looking back at the group. "We will have Zero go inside of the building where Mr Miyamoto and the others are. That should be the most likely place where the remote devices from the bombs are."

Koro was thrown into shock. "I-isn't that dangerous for Zero?"

"It is, but we need to trust him. He's the only one who could this." Kousuke put his hands to his hips. "As long as we can distract the villagers and Monokuma for long enough, then I think Zero will be able to find the remote control for the bombs in us."

Kenta frowned. "How are we going to distract them though?"

"By irritating them." The class president grinned. "If we ask them questions over and over again and pester them, then I think it will provide enough time for Zero. It's either that, or we cause a bit of trouble and have them try to mediate us."

"I see…" Chizu pursed her lips. "I-I mean, if that's what you think, then I agree."

"It's better than nothing." The paramedic nodded to himself. "Alright."

Kousuke could see everyone nodding their heads, and he smiled. This would be better than doing nothing- he knew that. He looked to Zero who nodded back at him, confident. He then eyed Miho who coiled her hands over his.

I hope this will work.

With knowing, the officer had tightened his grip on the acrobat.

And here is (finally) the next chapter. I am hoping that the next chapter will be longer than this, but we will have to see. I am thinking that the Free Time Events will either start next chapter, or the next chapter after the next chapter.

Shyjoker: Nice to see your thoughts on the characters. I am glad that you enjoyed the previous chapter, especially considering how suspenseful it was supposed to be. I also cannot wait for the murder to occur.

Wolffang1795: I am sorry about Kagami's lack of lines. I am still trying to balance screentime with each character, but I can assure you I will be trying to engage everyone into every single character as much as I could throughout this story.

Lowrietial: That quote will be something that sticks, or so I hope. Thank you again for betaing!

ToonGuy: Yes, the academy's way of teaching Kousuke's class will be explained upon slowly, and yes it is strange. Your thoughts on what happened in the previous chapter are interesting, and thank you for enjoying that chapter.

Crimson Spider Lily: Yes, it is weird, and will hopefully be expanded on as the story continues. Your thoughts are really interesting, and it does bring alot of questions of what's to come in the future. Thank you for the kind words.

RioA: Thank you, and yes I am glad the suspense was built well in the previous chapter. Thank you.

ThePersonOfNothing: I am happy that you are enjoying it.