AN: Please refer back to chapter 2. It was pointed out there was a lack of character description, which I hoped I fixed properly. In the upcoming chapters the characters will be somewhat "reintroduced" with description as well, so I hope that helps. This chapter, as said in the title, is free time events, where we get to know the characters more.

Also, thank you Trina-of-doom (on tumblr) for making the cover art! She will continue drawing for Wired Hope, but please give her some time because she is doing this for free. If you're interested more in her art the link to her tumblr is in my profile. Thank you, and enjoy!

Chapter 1: Beginning of the End

There was chaos in the courtroom. Screams and cries filled the air—demands to be let go, demands for answers, cries for their loved ones, cries for themselves. Laughter, laughter from the bear with a cigar was part of the noise. It was enjoying their suffering, their confusion. Even as Ryu pleaded for answer, even as Tetsuko and Sehema emptily threatened the bear, it just kept laughing.

But Aito heard nothing. He saw his chest rise and fall at a rapid pace, and his heart was thumping against his chest. The gun that was previously aimed at him was on the floor, and from the barrel was a flag reading 'bang!'

Behind the gas mask, Noriko, the docile and quiet girl, was throwing punches in the air, and tried to throw random, nonexistent objects at the bear. She was yelling and screaming, clawing towards it. Yuji, standing at six feet, was the only person holding her back as he pleaded her not to cause any harm.

Emmeline was on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably into her silk sleeves. She cried out for her parents, begging to leave this place. Mariko and Naoki were by her side, trying all they could to calm her down, but Mariko's eyes were tearing. She wiped them away as she held Emmeline in her arms, but Naoki hid under his burgundy scarf, breathing in and out as slow as possible.

Oharu was frantically talking and pacing back and forth. She shook her head, mumbling about how this was all a dream, or some horrible prank. Cyrus placed both his hands on her shoulders and stopped her, telling her to calm down. She pushed him away and tried to rationalize what was just said to them, went back to pacing. The cycle repeated.

Hitome backed herself into a wall. She visibly shook while stroking her hair as a way to calm her nerves. Her eyes were wide open, glued to the bear that was still laughing. Heiwa was not too far from her. He was clutching to his necklace and breathing rapidly, as if he was able to asphyxiate. Alexander was quickly at his side, holding him and telling him everything was going to be okay.

Oyama stood at his labeled podium, just staring at his nameplate. Then, his lips curved upward. His hand quickly covered his mouth as he hunched over trembling violently.

Aito saw everything, but still didn't hear it.

Another part of him panicked. Did he lose his hearing too? How was that possible? One second that bear was spewing nonsense of a killing game, survive and leave, or die in misery. It was a prank, it wasn't real. He wasn't there.

"…to. Aito! A-are you okay?"

His ears were filled with screams again. He turned to Nanako, who was holding his hand tightly. She was crying, but she looked more concerned for him. "Aito you… you're just standing there…"

"Everyone please! We must not panic like this!" The two turned to Alexander, who was waving his arms and struggling to get everyone's attention. "This is only feeding this bear's negative energy. We must not feed his despair!"

Aito stopped breathing.

Despair, hope, despair. It was an endless cycle of both. There was no winner, no one was safe. The war continued—he was still fighting. Fighting, and falling.

"Aito!" Nanako was by his side, and then she stood above him. He blankly stared at the ceiling, unable to move. He wanted to stand up, reach his hands out and scream for help. Everything in his body was hurting—open wounds on his feet, cuts on his legs, bruises on his stomach. And his head—God his head was still pounding and that high pitched whistle only made it worse. He needed help, he needed to be in a safe place. He needed hope.

"Aito, Aito!" Nanako was sobbing over him, trying to get him up. Before he blacked out, Alexander was by her side. He felt himself being lifted.

….

…?

Hey, do you think we're going to survive this?

Aito stirred between the newspapers blankets. He turned over to the voice, but could not make out their features. He shook his head.

Heh… thought so too. How we managed to make it this long is beyond me.

He was so tired. His body was heavy and aching. The wound on his foot was surely infected.

Promise me this. If we make it out alive, will you confess to him already?

He somehow let out a chuckle.

Good. I was going to do the same. I mean she's really cute you know? And what's there to lose?

They were right, what was there to lose? They lost their homes, their identities, their loved ones. Hell, confessing to their classmate and being rejected was barely a loss as is. He just wished he had chocolates or something to give him. Did he even like chocolate?

Get some sleep Shirayuki. Because at dawn, we're breaking for it.

Sleep… sleep was nice. It was his turn to sleep while they were on watch. Under the wet newspaper and cold rocks, he was able to find a comfortable spot. His eyes were heavy, his mind was shutting down. Finally, sleep.

Aito stirred under the cotton comforters. He pulled his knees to his chest and took a deep breath. Why, why were his dreams so dreadful? And what's worse was when he woke up, he could still feel the pain. Was he just going insane? Did his mind want to feel that pain?

He grabbed his stomach when it grumbled. How long was he asleep for? He turned to this other side, wanting to find a comfortable position. When his stomach grumbled again he sighed and pushed the covers to his waist. But as he sat up and rubbed his eyes to clear his vision, a person wearing a white gas mask stared at him.

Aito scrambled back, pushing the pillows and comforters, before hitting his head against the wall. He curled back into a ball and waited for the throbbing to stop. When he looked up again, the person was standing by the wall, their hands clasped together nervously.

It took a second for the snowboarder to recognize who they were. The lilac oversized hoodie with a blue pixel design on the bottom, a cream colored dress, and two different colored stockings with black flat were very familiar to him. He squinted and focused into the eyes of the gasmask where the face was hidden.

He held his hands up and slowly signed. Kageyama-san… right? Noriko "Areth" Kageyama, aka The Ultimate Coder, also the only person who knew how to sign.

Her posture relaxed as she nodded. Areth is fine. Sorry. I scared you.

No, I'm okay. I just had a bad dream. He turned his body to get out of bed, but the second he stood up he grabbed the lamp for support. Noriko stood by his side, one hand on his chest and other on his back. She was his crutch as he sat back down on the bed. What happened?

Fainted. She signed. Alexander and Nanako brought you here.

Where are they now?

Nanako. Resting. Alexander. Healing everyone else.

Healing? Did he really have the ability to do that? He barely got to talk to him about his talent.

Asked me to stay here. Can communicate with you easier. Water?

He nodded, so she went to the mini bar and took out a water bottle. Once he got some liquids into his system, his mind began to clear. He remembered what happened before.

They were in a courtroom where a black bear with an eyepatch pointed a fake gun at him. When it pulled the trigger, a flag with the words 'bang' came out. There were some screams, but when the realized what was actually in the gun the room sombered. The bear laughed and told everyone to lighten up.

Sehema was the first one to ask what was going on. Where were they, why they weren't at Hope's Peak Academy, and when they could leave?

Its voice was raspy like a smoker and its dialect like a street gangster of the 20's. "You're at Kurokuma's Academia City! It's like the academy but in a city. Cool huh? But no, you're not leaving. You were accepted as the world's most taaallented students! And you want to leave?"

Oharu stepped up next. "This isn't even a real city!"

"Aw… you guys saw right through my décor! So disappointing too, Servant told me he did a great job. What a lazy ass! When I find that one-han-"

"Enough." Yuji interrupted. "You have just admitted that this is not Hope's Peak. We have a right to know—" By Yuji's feet, a tiny ball with a red light was blinking and beeping. In a panic he kicked it away from everyone else and a tiny explosion went off. It barely made a dent in the floor, but smoke covered it.

"That was for interrupting your teacher! Now will you listen or do I have to throw a harsher punishment?" Yuji hands clenched, but he stepped back. "Now then as I was saying! Yes, my Servant made some horrible decors but I told him to make it as city-like as possible! After all this is going to be your new home, for a little while. Upupupupupu."

New home?

"Hm… does it count if the mute one talks when I'm talking? Well he was thinking it… hnnng I didn't think the rules through enough."

It-it can read my thoughts?!

"Hey! I am not an 'it' I am a 'he'! But the best way to refer to me as Kurokuma-sensei! After all, I will be in charge of you from here until your deaths!" He twirled in his chair. "And yes, I can read your mind. I can read aallll your minds! Isn't that dope?"

"O-our thoughts?" Mariko managed to say. "H-how is that…"

"Because I'm magic! Bwuahahaha!"

"Wait a second!" Tetsuko interjected. "Until our deaths? What the hell does that mean?" Everyone took a step back when Kurokuma held another bomb in his hand. His eye was targeted to Tetsuko, but instead he dropped it and let it explode.

"Right I was getting to that. Sorry I go off track sometimes! But yes, starting from riiiight now you 16 students are part of my wonderful little game! I call it… wait for it!"

He jumped up in the air to pull down a tassel. A banner fell from the ceiling and mini fireworks sparked. Kurokuma's Academia City Killing Game!

Killing… game?

"That doesn't answer our question." Sehema spat.

"I'm getting there Prissy-chan! Now, unless someone wants their mouths sewn will you finally let me explain? Good! The rules are simple really—you will kill one of your classmates. Once a murder occurs there will be a period of investigation, that's where you all pretend to be detectives and try to find all evidence necessary for the third part: a trial!" Stage lights illuminated the 16 spaces of the courtroom. "A class trial will be held for your fallen comrade where all evidence will be presented. Now this is the fun part!

"If you find the correct murderer, then they will receive an extra special punishment! But if you get them wrong… then I will punish everyone but the murderer! Upupu isn't that fun? Aren't you excited?"

Aito's knees shook as all this information hit him at once. Murdering… one of their own? They didn't know each other and they had to kill each other?

"There are more specific rules in your ebooks so make sure to look at those later. Those also include the city rules! If you break any of these rules you will be punished… maybe as harshly as an actual murderer, or not! Who knows! Now's the time open for Q and A. Come on now, I'll answer them."

For a second, there was no sound. No one spoke, no one ran, no one cried. Even Kurokuma looked confused.

Then chaos all hell broke loose.

He snapped out from his memory when his shoulder was shook. Under the gas mask Aito could see her worried eyes. You were frozen.

Aito lightly slapped his cheeks to wake himself up. Sorry. Noriko sat back in the chair pulled up to his bed. She looked down to her lap. Now what? Where is everyone else?

She lightly drummed her fingers on her lap before answering. Dunno. Alexander said to stay here.

Just as she finished signing knock on the door caught their attention. She sat up to answer it, and on the other side was none other than Alexander. He turned over to Aito with a weary smile as he closed the door. "I'm glad to see you have awoken. Does your head still hurt?"

Aito shook his head. "Good." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a notebook and a pen. "This is from Nanako. She asked that this be given to you in case Areth-san is not around." He took the notebook and nodded a thank you. He began to sign a question, but he didn't want to force Noriko to speak, so he wrote it instead.

"Nanako? Ah yes, she was with you when you fainted. She seemed to be hyperventilating when she called for help, so Tetsuko-san took care of her. Last I heard she's still with her." He scribbled again. "Everyone else?" Alexander asked after reading the question. He gave a heavy sigh and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. His brown eyes stared at the ground. "It was very… stressful. Everyone took our situation to heart and," He paused and chuckled. "Well, your fainting was one of many symptoms of this 'Killing Game' as Kurokuma says." Noriko gripped her dress tightly and looked away.

"I have been making my rounds to ensure everyone is faring emotionally. But so far there is a lot of negative energy. I'm afraid I cannot help as thoroughly as I would like, however, for I too am feeling it." His body tightened. "That bear's words were quite disturbing. A killing game? Why must we kill each other?"

Just as Aito was about to write, he lowered his hand. It was a rhetorical question of course, but everyone wanted answers. It kept calling this a 'game'. A game for whom?

Alexander shook his head and gave that weary smile again. "Anyway, I am glad to see you are doing well. I suggest to check your ebook for the 'rules' Kurokuma was mentioning. There is more information about this 'city' and 'punishments'. If you need anything else please don't hesitate to knock. Goodbye for now." With that he left the room.

Aito ran his hands through his hair, frustrated at just about everything that has happened in the past few hours. Before he could lash out on his pillow, he looked up at Noriko, who was still standing by the door. There was no way he should let her witness his small meltdown. I'm sorry… I need to be alone right now.

Hesitating for just a second, the white gas mask nodded and left him alone. Once the door shut he grabbed his pillow and silently screamed into it, seeing as that was the only thing he could do.

-Free Time-

Everything was so confusing. 16 students of Hope's Peak forced into a killing game by some robotic teddy bear. It was so absurd, like out of a video game or a movie. Why, why were they chosen for this madness?!

He fell back into his bed and stared at the white ceiling. When it strained his eyes he turned to his side and felt his ebook poking out. If he was just going to lie in bed he might as well get acquainted with the 'rules'. The mini bombs thrown at them were scary enough, so he should know what to do so he wouldn't be punished.

Opening up the Rules, he scrolled through each one and tried to memorize them. There weren't too many, but some definitely obscure to receive a harsh punishment for.

1. Students may only reside within the city. Leaving the city is unacceptable.

2. "Nighttime" is from 10pm to 7 am. Some areas may be off limits so please exercise caution.

3. Students may not stay or sleep in the room of the opposite gender during Nighttime hours.

4. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Kurokuma's City at your discretion.

5. Violence against the headmaster Kurokuma is strictly prohibited, as destruction of cameras.

6. Anyone who kills a fellow student may graduate, unless discovered.

7. Additional rules may be added if necessary.

There were some other information, such as meal times, littering on 'Kurokuma's grounds', and the use of other facilities (once opened to them). Those didn't come with particularly bad punishments, but he kept them in mind.

Two particular rules stuck out to him, first being only 2 murders allowed per killer. Why did the bear want to limit the amount of murders? The other rule that caught his eye were the destruction of cameras—which was met, specifically, with punishments harsher than the trials. From his memory he did not see any cameras around. He searched around his room, every nook and cranny possible, and didn't see anything. Either their rooms weren't equipped for privacy, or they were smaller than he thought.

He searched through the rest of ebook and found a map with each of his classmate's locations. That itself was very creepy, but he decided to use the map as a guide to find the cameras rather than spy on them. He did take note, though, that most of his classmates were in their rooms (Noriko definitely retreated back to hers), with a few of them doubling up (Tetsuko was still in Nanako's room, while Yuji was in Ryu's). It looked like there were other locations to the city, but for now only 'Town Hall' was accessible.

Strapping on his boots and googles, Aito left his room and began hunting. He started in the hallways, looking at each corner, light fixture, or door frame that may hold a camera. Seeing as there was none, he made his way down to the lobby where a beautiful music box was being played. As he entered the lobby, he found Naoki hunched over a table. His pale hands slowly turned a crank that played the soft tune.

Aito must have been quiet when he walked, because when he tapped Naoki's shoulder, the wheat blond boy jumped and gave a little yelp, with his checkered hat falling off. "Oh Aito! Haha sorry, I didn't hear you there. Uh, what's up?"

He wanted to ask about the cameras, but his eyes turned to the old music box in the student's hands. "Oh you must have heard this huh. Did it disturb you?" When Aito shook his head 'no', Naoki sighed in relief and smiled. "That's good. I was trying to play it earlier for Emmeline and Sehema, but they seemed disinterested." He let out a nervous laugh. "Hearing it calms me down, but I guess it doesn't work for everyone."

Aito quickly wrote in the journal and showed it to him. "Oh! You want to hear more?" The snowboarder sat in the other chair and gestured for Naoki to continue. Naoki adjusted his scarf before he cranked the box again.

It was a soft melody of a classical piano piece. Once in a while a few out of tune or squeaks played out, but seeing as the box was ancient, it made sense it would have a few kinks in it. Aito relaxed into the chair and closed his eyes. The music reminded him of the snow. Undisturbed and peaceful—just the way he liked it. Snowboarding down the mountain without the crowds or people to hinder his way was the best part of his adventures.

He opened his eyes when the music stopped. "So… did you like it?" Naoki asked under his scarf. He looked a little withdrawn, as if afraid of hearing Aito's answer. Aito nodded and wrote 'it was beautiful' on the notebook. That comment allowed Naoki to relax. "Oh awesome! Not everyone is a fan of these—oh I kind of mentioned that already. Um…" His eyes averted Aito. "So… what are you up to? Alexander told me everyone was resting."

He quickly explained his current plans. "Cameras? Huh, I don't think I noticed those."

I haven't found them either. If you're not too busy, would you like to help me?

Naoki was taken aback. "You… want me to help you?" Aito nodded again. Only if you're not busy.

Placing the music box in his brown vest, Naoki nervously played with his hands. "I-uh… n-not that I'm not flattered for you asking! But uh… you trust me? After… after what that bear wants us to do?"

Oh. He didn't really think about that. Given their situation it would be easy for one of them to kill each other. Everyone else were in their rooms and—

No! There was no way he would ever hurt someone. And Naoki looked so gentle, he couldn't hurt anyone either.

You'd never hurt anyone. He wrote. Naoki's eyes widened at his statement, but then softened. "Wow… really? Y-you think so?" Aito smiled at him, making Naoki blush and look away from him. "Uh sure, if that's what you want."

After confirming he couldn't find cameras in his bedroom and hallways, the two searched all around the lobby. Naoki theorized there could be hidden cameras in the weird statues or future, but after close searching, even with Naoki's magnifying glass, they still didn't find anything.

Aito looked up at the ceiling, cringing at the strange decorative bears. Something about them still felt familiar, but he still couldn't place it. "Do you think they could be up there?" Naoki asked. Aito wasn't thinking of that, but it would make sense for cameras to be hidden within the bears. The lobby was the center point of the lobby and the main area of the hotel, so everyone hung around there. "It's a little high though, how do you think we can reach it?"

The snowboarder looked towards the basement, thinking that there could be supplies down there. Naoki understood, and after searching around they found a tall ladder. Now the question was who should actually climb it? The only way to climb it was for the ladder to be leaned against a wall, and while they were carrying it a few steps felt loose.

They leaned the ladder against a wall and between two bear statues. The two stared at it, then each other to see who would actually climb up. Naoki giggled one of the steps and pressed his weight onto it. "I'm skinner, so I think it'll hold me better." He reached into his pocket and placed his music box on a nearby table. "Uh, you'll catch me if I fall, right?" Aito gave him a thumbs up. "Alright…"

He slowly ascended to the top of the ladder, and despite his short height he was still able to reach the ceiling. Naoki took out his magnifying glass and scanned each bear, specifically into their eyes to see if there are any tiny cameras. "Nothing… it's not up here either—" He leaned too far forward and lost his footing. First his checkered hat fell, and following was his body.

Aito held his hands out and ran under Naoki, breaking his fall. Although Naoki was smaller than him, the fall still hurt them both. Aito groaned and tried to sit up, but Naoki's head was still resting on his chest. He patted the brown vest as a sign asking if he was okay. "Ugh… damn I should have saw that coming…" Naoki lifted his head and their eyes locked. Red immediately colored Naoki's fair skin, and Aito felt his own face heat up. "S-sorry!"

Naoki scrambled off of him and pushed himself away. Aito sat up and frantically waved his hands, trying to signify that he was okay. He couldn't stop blushing, however, since he's never been that close to a person.

"Aha, well—I sorry we couldn't find anything! See you later!" Even if Aito could call out to him it wouldn't matter, Naoki dashed out of the lobby and up the staircase. He leaned back on the floor, propping himself with his elbows and sighed. He looked over at the ladder, and in his peripherals he noticed the tiny music box that was still on that table. Naoki must have been really embarrassed if he just ran and forgotten his box.

Aito finally stood up and took the music box. He was going to return to Naoki, but at a later time. There was no way Naoki would open the door for him now anyway.

He looked at the ladder, realizing he had to return it to its original location. He wasn't sure if leaving an unattended ladder in the lobby counted as 'littering', and not wanting to risk anything he began to move it back. It was much heavier without a second person, so he dragged it along.

"So… what are you up to?"

Trying to turn around to see the voice, Aito almost fell over with the ladder squishing him. That person grabbed the other end and lifted it in order to bring him back his balance. He glanced over his shoulder and saw white hair with pink highlights under a red fedora. Her bracelet jingled as she lifted the ladder. He recognized her as Mariko, the Ultimate Actress.

He opened his mouth, then closed it, pondering how to answer with his hands full. "Ah! Sorry, I forgot! Explain it to me later then. Just lead me to where we need to put… this thing."

After trudging back down the basement (Mariko protested slightly, but got over it knowing Aito was with her) the two returned to the lobby. He showed his previous notes to Mariko, who gasped, completely mortified at their situation. "Seriously? Cameras watching us?! Ugh, that thing said it was watching us… but I didn't expect cameras. Wait, you guys couldn't find anything?" She crossed her arms and tapped her feet. "So, what are you up to now?"

Aito just shrugged. He really didn't have a plan since everyone was holed up in their rooms. Actually… why was Mariko out here? He wrote his question in his notebook.

"Oh… yeah everyone was freaking out for a while. Hell, maybe stepping outside my room was a bad idea." She nervously laughed. "But, ugh, staying in my room was getting really boring. I came out to see if anyone was out too. Lunch is supposed to be served soon-ish right?"

He checked his ebook clock, which read 11:30. Lunch was supposed to be served in half an hour or so. "Uh… well I don't particularly want to go outside since it's just creepy. If you don't mind can we just hang out?"

Aito felt the music box shift around his pocket. He decided he would give Naoki a little more time to himself before approaching him again, so he nodded. Mariko clasped her hands. "Thank you Aito! Hm, I wonder what we can do here though…"

They moved into the dining room, even though the meals haven't arrived, Aito wanted a change of scenery. He did agree he did not want to step out into the fabricated 'city' as the bear kept calling it. It wasn't like they could leave, really, and the blood stained building still sent shivers.

Mariko tapped her chin. "Hm… do you like crime shows?"

Aito bit his lip as he thought about his answer. He'd seen a couple of episodes from various shows but never really followed them. He shrugged as an answer.

She rested her chin on her hand and slumped forward in her seat. "Hm… I'd show you some of my favorite ones but I don't have my DVDs on me, or a television." Her rosy eyes gleamed when an idea sparked. "Oh! This may sound strange… but I can act out one of my favorite scenes! That'll give us something to do, right?"

Aito gave her a thumbs up. She jumped out of her seat. "Alright! I think I have the perfect one!"

After smoothing out her lavender shirt and shaking out all the tension, she closed her eyes and got into character. She held up her right hand and formed it into a gun. Her face fell stiff, with a stern glare towards the air. "You have nowhere to run, Killjoy."

She switched positions and her expression changed again. She was smirking now, with her hands in the air. "Really Detective, and what makes you think that?"

Mariko switched back and forth between the characters, and despite being out of costume, Aito was completely entranced in her performance. She made a clear distinction between each character, and soon he wasn't seeing Mariko, he saw the Detective and 'Killjoy'.

He gasped when the Killjoy pulled out a knife and stabbed the Detective. The detective clutched his wound and fell to the ground, while Killjoy stood above him and smiled. "You can never catch me, Detective." The Detective tried to reach out to him, but Killjoy was just out of reach. "Detective… are you sure you're actually chasing me? Am I really here?"

Aitos' eyes widened at the reveal. Now, the detective was alone in an alleyway, bleeding out. He could reach into his phone and call for backup, but he was so distraught with his own mind, he wasn't sure what to do. Aito leaned forward, anticipating the Detective's next move.

"What are you doing?"

The two broke out of their bubble to find Sehema, the Ultimate Archer, standing in the doorway, face completely unamused. Mariko stood up and coughed. "I was just reenacting a scene."

"Tch, whatever. Is lunch here yet?"

Now that Mariko's performance was interrupted, the aroma of fresh food filled the air. Over by the wall was another buffet of food. He was so encaptivated with Mariko he didn't even see the food would come out! Which was a little sketchy too, because who was making the food?

Sehema walked past them, her black heels clacking against the floor, as she picked up a plate. "Keep playing all you want. I'm eating in my room anyway."

Mariko frowned. "Don't you think it'd be better to eat out here? I mean, so we can hang out and talk."

The blonde scoffed. She flipped her long braid over her shoulder. "What makes you think I would want to eat with the rest of you?"

"Because we're classmates, and stuck here together. We might as well get to know each other."

Sehema turned around, plate on the table, as she crossed her arms. She had a smirk plaster on her face. "We are stuck here to kill each other. That is more than enough not to know each other." When Mariko's hands fell to her side, Sehema walked up to her. The two were face to face, but with Sehema looking down on her with her judgmental green eyes. "And even if this wasn't our situation, I still would not have a reason to talk with the likes of you."

Mariko's hands clenched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sehema tilted her head. "You're an actress—a liar. You use your talent to lie and manipulate to the crowds. People pay you to not be yourself. Is this bubbly attitude of yours an act now?" The actress's eyes widened at her harsh words, giving more power to Sehema. "In fact, what else did they pay a pretty girl like you to do, huh? I bet in order to become an actress, you had to do other, disgusting things. So tell me, liar, who did you sleep with in order to—"

Aito slammed his hands on the table, startling both girls. His golden eyes burned with anger at the Ultimate Archer. His fist clenched, frustrated he couldn't say anything to defend Mariko.

Sehema, who looked surprised for just a second, just smiled. "Ah, was I too harsh?" Aito pointed to the door. "Oh, I should leave? Fine." She turned back to Mariko, who was almost on the verge of tears. "This is why we shouldn't know each other." She turned on her heels, picked up the rest of her food and left the dining room.

Once she was out of sight, Mariko slammed her fist on the table. She was trembling, but not yet crying. "That bitch… what gives her the right to say that?! Does she not know how difficult my career is? How can just say I'm a liar when she doesn't know me! She—she!" Aito walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath as she calmed herself down. "Thank you… for standing up for me."

He shrugged, meaning it as an 'of course.' She seemed to understand. "And thanks for hanging out with me. But… she isn't wrong I guess, about our situation. I just—I don't understand how we would have to…" Mariko shook her head. "No, let's not think about that. We were having a good time, right?" When Aito nodded, she beamed, as if gaining more confidence. "Good! Let's eat and we can hang out more! Oh, maybe I can tell you about this drama I was watching."

In all honesty, Aito didn't care much for television shows. But seeing her smile in the middle of this gloomy, confusing situation, he let her go on. It calmed his nerves, knowing someone could genuinely smile in times like this.

AN: Thank you for reading! I hope you guys are still enjoying this.