Heaven With You (Part 3)
Day 11 aboard the HFH Enterprise...
I blinked open my eyes.
Yet again, I awoke to the sight of the same ceiling from last night…
I sighed my thousandth sigh since I've been here. It's been a whopping total of three long days since Cotton's party, Silver's murder, and Ritsu's trial/execution.
It's been hard on all of us, but I and several others are doing our best to try and stay positive despite our grim circumstances. In the words of the wise Akumu: "Negativity gets you nowhere!".
Yesterday, we started our day with a fun morning in the pool, organized by Evelyn. Among the interesting events that transpired were Norikazu restraining Kuro, Mari stalking Clara, and a splash fight that ended in me almost getting injured by Fran, Clara, and Takumi...
However, the day quickly took a turn for the worst, when Monokuma barged into the pool, and summoned us all to the announcement room (which is never for a good thing).
Once we arrived, we realized something was going on. As always, we were right, and Monokuma revealed the strange and suspicious Traitor/Truce game that he forced us to play, which pins two people against each other. Luckily, we all spared one another, so none of us were eliminated.
Afterwards, Monokuma once again fueled distrust in all of us by reiterating the harsh truth of the killing game: we're all enemies in a fight to be the one person to be able to return home to Earth.
Takahashi, however, had quite a lot to say to the bear, and revealed his plan to be the one to end the killing game. Monokuma, of course, dismissively laughed in his face and disappeared, but Takahashi's bold statement made me respect the guy a bit more...
After that, we all went our separate ways, doing whatever we wanted. I personally spent the rest of the day in my room, trying to catch up on some sleep. I've been feeling exhausted lately...
Oh, by the way, some pretty sad news.
Koko isn't feeling well, mentally, at all. She asked to be excused from her cooking duties until further notice, and Takahashi accepted. Until she comes back, we won't be having any meals together, so no servers. It's every man for himself in regards to making meals now.
And because the whole concept of bodyguards kinda failed, with Silver's death, that too was abolished…
Jeez, the differences between our first days in this place and these recent days are depressing.
We started out with 20, and now only have 18.
We used to eat two meals a day together, but now we all eat at different times, sometimes with someone else and sometimes just by ourselves (which some people, like Isami and Norikazu, didn't seem to mind).
We used to be almost completely trustful of each other, but now…
With Silver and Ritsu's death, plus this whole Traitor/Truce game, it's getting hard to trust people in this place. Tensions are at an all time high and snide comments and arguments are becoming normal, which is pretty damn sad to see.
Trying to clear my head of my negative thoughts, I finally got out of bed, deciding to put a smile on my face to start the day! I know times are tough now, but there's nothing we can't get through together!
I left my room and almost immediately ate my words.
"You stupid bitch!" Mari screamed. She had her hands on her hips, and was currently cornering Clara.
"I'm sorry…" Clara sighed. "I didn't know you could hear my dancing from two rooms away…"
"Well I can!" Mari glared. "And I'm positive that if I ask Evelyn and Isami, they'll also tell me how annoyingly obnoxious it is."
I quickly walked over to the quarreling duo. "What's going on here? Uh, what's this about annoying dancing?"
Mari turned towards me, a frown on her face. "Clara here is being totally, completely, and utterly inconsiderate! She does these morning workouts at like 6 AM, and her loud ass feet hitting the ground wake me up from my beauty sleep!"
"You can really hear her working out from two rooms away?" I questioned, skeptically raising a brow. "That sounds like a total, complete, and utter lie..."
"A lie you say?" Mari gasped. "That's pretty accusatory of you, Seizo. Calm down, hon, this isn't a trial..."
"Ugh, forget about it Seizo." Clara interjected, sighing once again. "I already apologized to Mari and told her I'd be quieter. Now can we just drop this?"
"S-" I was just about to respond, when Mari put on the creepiest smile, and turned towards Clara, putting a manicured hand on her shoulder.
"Of course." Mari smirked. "You know what? You're right, Clara! I was way too harsh for calling you an inconsiderate stupid bitch, and I apologize for that. To make it up to you, why don't you sit next to me at breakfast so we can have a little girl talk?"
"Uh no," Clara protested. "That's not necessary. I do accept your apology, though, so thanks for that..."
"Come on," Mari insisted. I noticed her grip grow tighter as she touched Clara's shoulder. "I insist."
I frowned, moving closer to Mari. "Mari, drop it. She doesn't want to eat breakfast with you, so just leave her alone."
"Let the girl make decisions for herself, Seizo." Mari said, rolling her eyes. "She's really good at it, after all. Making decisions, I mean…"
Clara narrowed her eyes, her face turning red. "Ok, fine...I'll, um, eat breakfast with you for today."
Mari let go of her shoulder and beamed. "Yay!" She cheered. "We're going to have so much fun together! You've probably never gotten a chance to sit with the popular kids before, so this will be quite the change of pace for you!"
Clara said nothing, continuing to avert Mari's gaze.
"Clara," I called, ignoring Mari. "You don't have to eat with her if you don't want to. Don't let her pressure you into doing something."
"I'm fine, Seizo." Clara insisted. "And I'm not letting her do anything to me."
"Yeah, Seizo," Mari sneered. "Back off. Let us girls have our fun. I would invite you to sit with us because you're kinda popular, but I really want some one on one time with Clara and the rest of my crew, so..."
She grabbed Clara's hand, and started pulling her to the dining room. "Come on, Clara. Let's make sure to get the good seats…"
I frowned as the two walked through the doors leading to the dining room. Something was definitely up with the Ultimate Runway Model. What the hell is Mari planning…?
Walking into the dining room, I saw that the tables strangely weren't together anymore, and were now back to how they were on our first day here.
The hell?
I immediately walked over to Takahashi, who wasn't sitting down, instead standing near a table composed of Mari, Clara, Sonoda, and Takumi (the last of which didn't look thrilled to be sitting at a table with Mari).
"What do you want?" Takahashi asked immediately upon seeing me.
"The tables," I started. "Why aren't they together anymore?"
Takahashi shrugged. "Wasn't up to me. Monokuma did it himself."
I frowned. "But why?"
"Beats me," Takahashi answered. "Now can you scram? I'm trying to think here…"
I rolled my eyes, but left Takahashi and his thoughts alone.
Damn, Monokuma has been a dick for the past two days! It's almost like he's trying to-
"Tear us apart…" Isami muttered. The Ultimate Tinkerer was sitting at a table with Norikazu. Shiro was nowhere to be found (hm, maybe he's Kuro right now and is still holed up in his room).
I approached them.
"Exactly what I was thinking," I sighed, sitting next to Isami. She strangely shifted away from me and glared, but quickly regained her composure. I shrugged it off.
Isami had her journal open, and was opened to a page reading:
Week Two
Traitor/Truce. Clearly a way to push us away from each other.
Today, Monokuma pushed the tables away in the dining room. Yet another way to push us away from each other…
"You keep track on what happens in the killing game, Isami?" I asked. "That's a good idea."
"No." She replied, not turning away from her journal.
Norikazu scoffed. "You don't know?"
"Know what?" I inquired.
Norkazu shook his head, turning away from me. "It is not my place to say." Huh? Not his place to say?
Isami finally looked up at me, the expression on her face hard to read as ever. "I have anterograde amnesia."
…
…
…
"H-huh?!" I asked in surprise. Amnesia? Anterograde?
"...I don't know the exact cause," She started. "But ever since I was little, I've been unable to form new memories. I can't even remember what I eat for breakfast...if I don't write it down in my journal and read it back later..."
She then closed her journal, and set it on the table, narrowing her eyes. "...My journal is my brain and mind. It's how I remember all of your names, and the fact that we're in a killing game in the first place. Without, I'd be confused and lost..."
"Wow," I remarked. My eyes were wide, and I could barely form any words. "I-I had no idea, Isami. I'm really sorry..."
"It's not your fault," Isami shrugged, shaking her head "It makes my life a little harder, but I get through it…"
"I'm sure it does," I sighed. "But you've clearly risen above your condition. I mean, you're an Ultimate, after all!" I added with a comforting smile.
"Yes…" Isami nodded, a very slight hint of a smile on her face. "I am."
Suddenly, the door to the dining room from the laundry room hallway flung open.
Kuro (obvious from his angry expression) stormed in, with Nadia in tow.
He stood near the door. "Do you assholes think I'm stupid or something?" He angrily asked, addressing everyone in the room.
"Well, kinda yeah." Takahashi sarcastically answered.
Kuro flipped him off.
"What are you doing to Nadia?" Fran angrily asked, standing up from her chair and walking over to him. The occultist didn't look phased whatsoever at the archaeologist's anger.
"D-don't worry!" Nadia quickly spoke up, stepping in front of Kuro. "I'm fine, I promise!"
"This chick right here thought I was Shiro," Kuro sneered, glaring at Nadia. "She spilled the beans about your little plan, Isami and Norikazu."
I turned to Isami and Norikazu, who looked rather annoyed at the Ultimate Occultist.
"What plan?" I asked. "And why is it making you so tight? Relax man, all your yelling isn't good for your blood pressure." I added.
"You are the stupidest fucker I've ever met," Kuro muttered, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, Jack and Sally over there came up with the 'bright' idea of knocking Shiro over the head to 'knock me out of him'."
…
…
…
"Ugh, he's kidding, right?" I nervously asked Norkazua and Isami. I wanted to get rid of Kuro as much as the next guy, but knocking Shiro over the head seems a bit extreme...
"It wasn't a plan that we made up," Norikazu frowned. "It was just an idea. Hmph, not even that; more like a thought."
"Yes…" Isami nodded. "We never actually intended to go through with it. We just wanted to think of a way to get rid of you forever..."
"Bullshit," Kuro sneered. "I'm sure you two are more than dumb enough to try something stupid like that. And I'm not going anywhere, dumbasses."
He pushed Nadia away from him (with Fran quickly taking her hand and pulling her even further away from him), and opened the door leading to the laundry room hallway.
Before leaving, he addressed us all once again. "Anybody of you assholes thinking of hurting Shiro have to go through me first. And I guarantee you I won't let you lay a finger on him."
The white haired boy then went through the door, slamming it shut, resounding in a loud thud that made some people jump.
Isami and Norikazu said nothing, instead going back to slowly eating their breakfast.
"What a roach," Mari scoffed. "He thinks he's sooo much better than all of us!"
I rolled my eyes. Sounds exactly like someone I know...
After a tense breakfast, I decided to let off some steam in the game room on the second floor. I haven't gotten the chance to play my favorite arcade game, air hockey, in a while and it was driving me crazy.
Inside, I ran into a sad looking Koko.
She was sitting by herself on the couch, flipping the pages of a food magazine. She didn't actually look like she was reading it, most likely only skimming through it to distract herself.
I sadly frowned as I watched her. This wasn't the cheerful young girl I meant when I first opened that door leading to the kitchen…
The girl quickly turned her attention away from the fridge and towards us. She smiled and quickly made her way over to us.
"Hi there! You must be the last three." The girl said. Her voice was pleasant and energetic, befitting of her quirky appearance.
We introduced ourselves to her.
"It's nice to meet you!" She smiled. "My code name is Cherry, a shade of red."
"Cherry?" I chuckled. "So we have Crimson, Azure, Rose, and Cherry. These codenames sure are creative..."
Her smile was contagious, and the happy energy that she radiated made my feel so much better.
So seeing her in pain was excruciating for me…
I cautiously approached her, not wanting to startle her or anything.
"Koko?" I called in a soft voice.
She looked up and offered me a small smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh! Hi, Seizo. What're you doing here?"
"I came here to let off some steam," I explained, taking a seat next to her. "Maybe play a game or something. Wanna join?"
She slowly shook her head, her smile faltering. "Sorry...I'm just not in the mood right now."
"Is...Is it Ritsu?" I asked in a concerned tone.
She nodded. "Yes...It just...really hurts.
One second, someone's next to you. They're alive, breathing, and well! And then the next...they're gone. You can never see them smile, or hear their voice ever again...
I, um, know Ritsu wasn't the greatest person. She did take Silver's life, after all. But still. She was my friend...
We had so many conversations about random things, and she laughed at all my lame puns. She was almost like the sister I never had, haha…"
I kept my mouth shut, letting her pour out her feelings as much as she needed to.
"You wanna know something?" Cherry asked, a hint of smile appearing on her face after turning to look at me. "My family is probably the most important thing in the world to me.
When I was first starting out as a food critic, my parents were super supportive of me. They own a restaurant back in my hometown, and I'd sample every single new item they put on the menu! They listened to me completely. They trusted me that much! They believed in my talent, and allowed me to harness it.
When I started to become more and more well known, there were so many talent agencies and people looking for me to come to their restaurants. But, I didn't want that life. I wanted to spend it with my family, in our small little town, forever…
Of course, your dreams don't always come true, and eventually, this agency made me an offer I couldn't refuse. It would set up my parents for life! They didn't have to ever worry about running out of ingredients again, or worrying about paying business rent. So, I decided to take it.
I got to travel the entire country, sampling all different kinds of cuisine. I wrote magazine articles, ran a blog, and even appeared as a guest judge on several popular cooking shows!
But, deep down, I always wondered...Was this truly the life I wanted? All of the fame and fortune? On one hand, it allowed me to experience amazing opportunities that I would have never gotten to experience if I stayed home. The fame I got is what made Hope's Peak aware of me, after all.
But then on the other, I really missed my family. I traveled home as much as I could, but my busy schedule didn't make it possible all the time. I missed birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays...Most of the time, if I wasn't working, I was holed up in a hotel room all alone with nothing but a TV and snacks to keep me company…
Anyways, my point is: if I had made that decision to not become signed to that talent agency, then my life would be so much different…
And if Ritsu hadn't made the decision to kill Silver, then hers would be too..
I know the decisions we made in the past won't ever change. But still, you have to wonder: what would life be like if I had said no instead of yes?"
Koko finished her story, glancing downwards again and sadly frowning.
"Koko," I said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're right. We'll never not wonder about what would've happened if we made a different choice in our lives. But, you have to remember, every single thing in life happens for a reason, whether we realize it sooner or later.
If you'd have never signed to that talent agency, you might have never become an Ultimate. Which means, you never would have been invited to attend Hope's Peak, which means you never would've met me, Hiiro, or Ritsu!
Of course, that also means you wouldn't be in this Killing Game, so I suppose you can look at it from two perspectives…
But that's just the thing. Every single choice we make, is always going to have a bad and good side to it. The bad side might come first, with the good side coming later, or vice versa. Unfortunately, we can't see the future, we'll never know what exactly we're getting ourselves into until it happens.
So, you have to take a risk. And, I think that's exactly what Ritsu did. She took a risk, and killed the one who she thought was the mastermind. Of course, we know how the story ends...He wasn't and she got executed for it.
But she didn't know that then. She believed that she was doing the right thing. Sure, she was killing somebody, but it was someone who deserved it.
I'm sure Ritsu felt super guilty about what she did. But, I also think she felt a sense of dignity. She didn't doubt herself. She did what she thought was right.
And I think that's comforting to hear, right? In her last moments, she didn't go down thinking 'what if I made a different choice' or 'I should have done something else'. She didn't shed any tears or whine and beg for forgiveness. She knew that the decision she made turned out to not be quite as she dreamt it, but she accepted that.
So, Koko, I'm asking you to make the decision: to instead of cry for Ritsu, smile for her. Live on, and try to finish what she started: trying to unmask the mastermind. Learn from her mistakes, while also utilizing the knowledge and tools she's taught and given you. Remember, she found that note in Silver's pocket!
Anyways, I didn't mean to bore you to death with my lecture, I just wanted to let you know what I thought. I'm sure Ritsu wouldn't want you to cry and be sad. I'm positive that she wants you to be that girl that she first met in the computer lab."
Koko had been glancing at the ground for the entirety of my speech. Finally, she looked up at me, tears in her eyes.
Uh oh. Did I say the wrong thing?
"I'm sorry, Koko, I didn't mean to mak-" My apology was cut off by Koko embracing me into a hug.
"Thank you, Seizo," She sniffed. "For not sugarcoating anything or just trying to make me feel better. You've taught me a valuable lesson, and..."
She let go of me, wiped the tears from her eyes, and smiled. "You're right! Ritsu would never want to see me like this. I'm going to live on for her! I'll smile everyday, and make the lamest puns ever! You flan count on that!"
I chuckled. "Oh boy, maybe I made a mistake…"
"Don't be ridiculous, Seizo," Koko giggled. "You really kelped me out!"
After talking some more with Koko, and playing a round of air hockey with her (I, uh, let Koko win…), I decided to head to the gym to see what exactly was inside the equipment room (not to be confused with the equipment room in the announcement room…).
Once inside, I spotted a curious Evelyn. She was standing near the front of the gym, intently observing the room in its entirety.
"What's up, Evelyn?" I greeted, going to stand next to the Ultimate Translator.
She jumped in slight surprise, but once she realized I wasn't there to murder her, she smiled. "Hallo, Seizo! What brings you to the gym?"
"I was just going to check out the equipment room," I explained. "To see what's in there. What about you?"
"Well, I'm thinking of holding a little sports event! Judging by the big size of this gym, there's a variety of games we can play." Evelyn started, rubbing her chin in thought. "But the question is, what game should it be?"
"Well," I started, gesturing to the back of the gym. "Maybe looking in the equipment room will help. It'll give you an idea of what games we can play, at least.
Evelyn nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Her and I started our trek to the back of the gym. On the way, I couldn't help but stare at the stop clock above the bleachers. What's the point of it…
At last, we arrived at the door. Evelyn opened it, and lights inside immediately switched on.
It was a medium size room, with metal shelves lining the walls. There was a variety of sports equipment, including basketballs, volleyballs, baseball bats, dodge balls, tennis rackets, etc. There were also a few pieces of workout equipment, like dumbbells and medicine balls.
"Oh wow," Evelyn remarked. "I didn't expect there to be this much!"
I chuckled. "Having a little trouble now that you see all of your options?"
Evelyn also laughed. "Yeah. When you're brains full of the knowledge of sports from all across the globe, it gets a little hard to choose just one."
"You know about world-wide sports?" I inquired with a surprised expression. "I didn't expect that from the Ultimate Translator."
"Well, it's not like I went out of way to learn about them," She explained. "It's simply a part of my routine of learning a new language!
When I start the process of learning a language, I always try to learn as much of the history behind it first. And a lot of that history involves the culture of where the language originated, hence my knowledge about a variety of strange sports."
"Ah, I see." I nodded. "That's admirable. Most people would probably just jump straight into trying to learn the language itself."
Evelyn giggled. "If I'm being totally honest, I probably would too, if it wasn't for my childhood.
You see, despite my obvious American looks, I was actually born in Kyoto!"
My jaw dropped. "No way!"
"Yes way," Evelyn nodded. "My parents are consultants, and their jobs required them to confer with companies world wide. I've lived in Japan, Spain, France, and the United States. Whenever we moved to a new place, the national language obviously changed. So, to accommodate that, I had to pay extra attention to my language classes in school.
I found that I excelled a lot more than most other students! It was as if learning languages came as a second nature to me. Of course, it wasn't super easy. I may or may not have shed a tear or two trying to learn a new language…
Also, some languages are easier than others for me. For example, I found the short syllables of the Japanese language easier to understand than Spanish's complicated grammar rules.
Anyways, due to my experiences of living in multiple countries, I learned to respect language. I didn't just treat it like a skill you could use when you go on vacation. I treated it as a way to make connections with people, and make friends that you might've never made otherwise if you didn't know the language."
"I get it now," I nodded. "You're definitely not just a human Google Translate. More like...a human Google!"
"Human...G-Google?" Evelyn repeated, the smile on her face dropping.
"Yeah!" I nodded. "Just like Google, you seem to know all sorts of stuff about different types of cultures and customs, and you know a variety of different languages. Sounds like Google to me."
"I…" Evelyn's eyes darkened, and she bowed her head. "I'm disappointed in you, Seizo."
"Huh? Did I say something? Uh...hello?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. Did she not like being compared to Google? I think it's a pretty high compliment to be likened to the smartest search engine in the world…
"You leave me no choice," Evelyn sighed.
"Uh..what are you saying?" I nervously asked, my voice shaky as Evelyn gave me a serious look.
"I will now give you 48 reasons why you shouldn't call me Google Translate or Google!" She announced. "Listen up!"
Uh oh...
I walked out of the gym, the most scared and anxious I've been in awhile.
My hands were clammy, and the sweat on my forehead had grown cold. I also had a stomach ache and a headache. Plus, my throat hurt for some reason…
"Never again…" I muttered. "I'm never again calling Evelyn 'Google Translate'..."
She had lectured me for probably two hours straight, explaining every one of her 48 reasons to not call her Google Translate in great detail…
We didn't even get to take a closer look at the equipment room to decide what sport to play with everyone...
"Ahem," Suddenly, Monokuma's shrill voice rang out from the speakers, snapping me out of my dazed state. "It is now time to gather in the announcement room to play the 2nd round of the Traitor/Truce game! Attendance is required, so make sure to show up!"
I groaned. 2nd round? I already had enough of that anxiety inducing game after round 1…
Regardless of my dislike for it, however, attendance was required, so I made my way to the announcement room.
Almost everyone was already there by the time I arrived.
They were all standing in front of the line of booths, talking amongst themselves.
I spotted Akumu and Satoko and walked over to them.
"Hey guys," I greeted. "Ready for round 2?"
"Not really," Satoko admitted with a sad frown. "But, we don't really have a choice, do we?"
"No," Akumu sighed, shaking his head. "It sucks, but we gotta listen to Monokuma. Otherwise, we'll be punished."
Then, he smiled. "Don't worry, guys. As long as we just keep choosing 'spare', we'll all be fine!"
"Right," I nodded. "There's no reason to choose 'eliminate', after all."
Satoko slowly nodded. "I suppose you're right. Though, I wonder if Monokuma has a trick up his sleeve…"
I glanced at the stage. What's Monokuma trying to achieve with this game…? He certainly just wasn't making us play it, knowing that we'll most likely choose to spare each other.
As if right on cue, the bear in question appeared behind all of us.
"Nice, nice, nice!" He cheered. "Looks like the gang's all here!"
"Of course we are," Leonia sighed. "None of us want to get punished."
"Except Takumi, maybe…" Mari snickered.
"H-hey!" Takumi blushed.
"Now then, let us commence the 2nd round of the Traitor/Truce game!" Monokuma announced. "The rules and everything are still the same, but there is one little change…"
"What little change?" Jack frowned.
"Uh oh, this can't be good…" Fran muttered.
"Oh, relax!" Monokuma cackled. "It's not as bad as you think. Although, if you want it to be something super terribly horrible, I can make it happen!"
"Uh, just spit it out already, asshole." Kuro (who was still in control of Shiro's body) demanded.
"Ok, ok!" Monokuma said. "Basicallyyyy, today, you'll have a different partner than yesterday! This happens with every round of Traitor/Truce! I shuffle the partners around, and you can't do anything about it, upupupupu!"
Different partners? "Who cares," I said in a bored tone. "None of us are going to pick eliminate, anyways."
Monokuma shrugged. "If you say so! Anyways, let the 2nd round of Traitor/Truce begin! Everyone, go find your booths, now!"
We all walked over to the various booths, looking into each one to find.
The mood was definitely lighter than yesterday. Now that we knew the rules and everything of Traitor/Truce, it wasn't as bad.
Of course, there was still the uncertain anxiety over who our partners were or what they were going to choose…
This time, my booth was right in the middle.
I walked in, and observed the screen…
Norikazu Kanno vs. Seizo Morine
Seizo,
SPARE
ELIMINATE
I gulped. Now this was a little concerning…
I mean, I haven't been a dick or anything to Norikazu, but I still didn't know if he liked me or not…
Still, even if he didn't like me, I don't think he'd kill me…
Or at least that's what I hoped.
I pressed 'spare'.
"You've chosen spare. Please do not leave until instructed to do so."
The following minutes felt more like an hour…
Would Norikazu spare me?
Or would he eliminate me?
What's more, I wonder how everybody else is doing…
If Mari got paired up with Clara, she'd eliminate her in a heartbeat!
Same with Takahashi and Norikazu, so it's probably a good thing they didn't get paired together…
But, Takumi would also probably be eliminated by Takahashi...or vice versa. Can't forget Takumi's impulsivity, after all...
"Please exit the room. Please go in front of the stage, where voting results will be displayed, for all participants of the Traitor/Truce game. Thank you."
I took a deep breath, and exited my booth.
Here goes nothing…
Once outside, I noticed quite a few of my classmates looking rather nonchalant.
"That was easy as pie." Koko smiled.
Sonoda nodded. "Yeah, I didn't really mind my partner so I spared 'em."
"So if you did mind them, you would've eliminated them?" Clara nervously laughed.
"I-I feel ok…" Nadia said. "I think my partner spared me."
"Hm, I'm not sure if my partner spared me or not," Jack said. "But, I guess I probably shouldn't worry about it, anyways. Can't do anything about it, after all."
"I'm positive my partner spared me." Hiiro nodded. "I'd be rather surprised if they didn't…"
"Tch, I'm sick of this game already, but I'm not leaving." Kuro shrugged. "That's why I've been especially active lately. No way am I letting Shiro's sensitive ass play this game..."
"This is not going to be the last round of this game," Leonia frowned. "I have a feeling Monokuma may make us play this until there's a winner, or at least until a number of people have been eliminated…"
"At first I thought this was going to be a fun game," Takumi sighed. "Like charades or something. But, I liken this more to a cruel mind game. Hopefully none of us succumb to whatever trick Monokuma is trying to pull."
"If we all just pick spare, we'll be fine!" Akumu reminded me. "Remember, there's no reason to choose eliminate, so please pick spare."
"Spare, eliminate, I don't really care." Takahashi huffed. "Just know that I'm going to end this stupid ass killing game before you do."
"I hope everyone chose spare," Fran sighed. "I don't want to see what happens when someone is eliminated. Knowing Monokuma, it can't be good."
"Don't worry, Seizo," Evelyn said. "I know everyone chose spare. It's the right thing to do, after all!"
"Ugh, this game's annoying." Mari frowned. "We all know that no one is dumb enough to choose spare and get hated on by everybody, so why do we keep having to play it?"
"I know there's technically a 50-50 chance whether we get spared or eliminated," Satoko started. "But I like to think of it more as 70-30. Most people here like each other, so as long as you get paired with a friend, you will have a greater chance of being spared."
"Hm? Did I spare you?" Norikazu repeated after I asked him. "You'll just have to wait and see..."
"I don't think anyone would choose eliminate this early in the game…" Isami admitted. "It's only round 2…"
After I spoke to all of my classmates, Monokuma finally announced that the game results for round 2 were finally ready.
"Step on up, everyone!" Monokuma exclaimed, beckoning all of us over to the stage.
We reluctantly did so, watching the screen.
"Round 2 of the Traitor/Truce game is now over!" He announced. "Let's see what choices everyone made this time around, hm?"
The screen powered on, and one by one, our voting results were displayed…
Evelyn Bryant vs. Isami Kanagi
Evelyn: SPARE
Isami: SPARE
Mari Tamatsuki vs. Sonoda Eisen
Mari: SPARE
Sonoda: SPARE
Hiiro Sayoama vs. Koko Kagawa
Hiiro: SPARE
Koko: SPARE
Norikazu Kanno vs. Seizo Morine
Norikazu: SPARE
Seizo: SPARE
Jack Masaki vs. Shiro/Kuro
Jack: SPARE
Shiro/Kuro: SPARE
Leonia Taylor vs. Francesca Croft
Leonia: SPARE
Francesca: SPARE
Satoko Kiyomizu vs. Takahashi Jirou
Satoko: SPARE
Takahashi: SPARE
Takumi Kyoshi vs. Akumu Tsubasa
Takumi: SPARE
Akumu: SPARE
Nadia Levitsky vs. Clara Odette
Nadia: SPARE
Clara: SPARE
"Ah thank God," I sighed in relief. My heart had been pounding the entire time, but for no reason at all. Everyone chose spare!
"I'm pumped," Akumu beamed. "We're all safe!"
"This is great!" Fran cheered. "No one's eliminated; we're all still in the game."
"Upupupu," Monokuma interrupted our cheers with his signature cackle, and an accompanying dark expression on his face. "You say that like it's a good thing."
"What're you saying?" Evelyn frowned. "Why wouldn't it be a good thing?"
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough!" Monokuma said in response. "And trust me, when you do, don't be so confident in your classmates choosing to spare anymore…"
The bear then disappeared, leaving an ominous atmosphere behind with him…
"He's just trying to scare us," Akumu claimed, though he sounded a bit unsure of himself. "That's all, I'm sure of it."
No one said anything in response, instead just staring at the ground or the ceiling…
Once again, Monokuma's managed to fuel a sense of distrust in us, making us wonder if this game was really going to go as well as we hoped it would...
The next day.
Day 12 aboard the HFH Enterprise...
I awoke to the morning announcement.
After the game's conclusion yesterday, we all just did our own thing.
I mostly took the time to take care of a few chores, like doing my laundry (using a Monopod made my skin crawl…), taking a shower, and making a few sandwiches for myself to have throughout the week.
Today was a brand new day, and I was determined to make it a better one than yesterday!
Monokuma kept trying to push us apart, but it wasn't going to work. I don't think we'll all be best friends anytime soon, but I think we can all become allies if we just talk to each other instead of ignoring each other out of fear.
It was a lot to ask of 18 people who've known each other for a week and a half, but I can't just sit here and let Monokuma win: I was going to at least try and do something.
I got up out of bed, and walked over to my dresser.
Like usual, I reached for the handle of the drawer containing my clothes, but stopped when I noticed something on top of the dresser, that I know I didn't leave there…
It was an envelope, with a Monokuma seal on the back.
I groaned.
Fuck me…
What's this asshole up to now?
I held the envelope in my hand, staring at it…
Should I open it?
Or should I just leave it alone?
The angel on my shoulder was telling me to just leave it be. If I didn't know what was in the envelope, its contents couldn't bother me!
Meanwhile, the devil on my other shoulder was screaming at me to open it..."Get it over it, because you know you want to open it and see what's inside…"
I turned the envelope in my hand over and over again, wrestling in my mind over what I should do…
…
Shit…
…
Ugh…
…
Fine, devil. You win…
I couldn't resist, so I ripped open the envelope.
Inside, there was a folded card.
I opened it, and my eyes instantly widened, and my shaky hands almost dropped the card in shock.
On the front of the card was a picture of two boys.
The first boy had a light complexion, spiky dark brown hair, and gray eyes with a faint reddish tint to them. His most defining feature was a blob-shaped birthmark on his collar bone.
In the picture, the second boy who was standing next to him...the boy he was smiling with...was me.
This boy isn't a stranger to me...he's my younger 14 year old cousin, Ichiro Morine, the son of my dad's brother, my uncle.
I held the picture tight in my hands. Ichiro is the brother I never had…
Growing up, I was often left alone in a nearly empty house, with my parents working. The people who kept me company were the family butler, maid, and the cooks.
But, talking with people older than you got boring quickly, and I always wished I had someone else.
Then, there was Ichiro. Whenever he'd come over, we'd have an absolute blast. I completely let loose around him, and there was never a dull moment when the two of us were together.
I don't have an older sibling to protect me, or a younger sibling to admire and annoy me. But, I have Ichiro. He's my number one fan, always the first one to congratulate me after I got a role I auditioned for, or the one to cheer me up when I didn't.
Of course, just like any younger cousin, he can be an annoying brat at times, but I still love him nonetheless.
He's probably the person I miss the most...my parents have each other, but Ichiro would always rely on me for everything.
But now I'm stuck in this place…
Ugh, I have to get out of here!
…
…
…
Wait…
This is exactly what Monokuma's trying to do, isn't it?!
I angrily turned the card over, and sure enough, there was a note, written in Monokuma's childish yet legible handwriting:
Ichiro Morine! The dear, dear cousin of up and coming actor, Seizo Morine.
Don't you just miss so bearymuch, Seizo?
I'd hate for anything bad to happen to him while you're up here in space…
Well, actually, I'd love it!
Seizo Morine, win Traitor/Truce, or murder one of your classmates and I'll leave Ichiro alone!
Buttttt, if you or someone else doesn't do so within a week, then Ichiro's Ichitoast!
That's right, kiddo! The prize for winning Traitor/Truce is that I'll keep you and your classmate's family members safe from my villainous wrath!.
You technically don't have to be the one to win Traitor/Truce in order to make sure that Ichiro's ok, but I suggest you do so, because the punishment for losing isn't exactly light…
Of course, like I said before, you could also murder someone and get it over with quickly! But, for a less bloody experience, I'd recommend going the Traitor/Truce route.
I examined the letter with rage. He's seriously threatening our families now?
I threw the card and the envelope back on my dresser, taking a second to collect myself…
I was pissed, but I needed to stay strong.
Ichiro's gotta be fine! He's got my family name, so a lot of people know who he is. If something happened to him, especially after something happened to me, everyone would know it.
Plus, my parents bought my aunt and uncle a house in a nice, private, neighborhood when I first started acting.
I'm sure they'll all be safe in there, with the security company in the neighborhood patrolling the streets 24/7, and all...And then there's the fact that I was kidnapped, so I'm sure they're even more protective of my family now..
It sucked not knowing how he was doing, but I couldn't let that drive me crazy. I don't think Ichiro would be super happy to find out I killed someone just to protect him.
But, there was also the option of being the winner of the Traitor/Truce game…
Ugh, crap, if I'm thinking like this, then I'm sure the others must be too…
I tried to ignore the new motive Monokuma had given us, and got ready for the day.
When I left my room, there was no one in the hallway. It was eerily quiet...
"That's a first…" I muttered.
I made my way out of the hallway, to the dining room.
Standing outside of the dining room door, I heard voices…
Mad voices, talking over each other.
This can't be good…
"I'm not sparing you losers when my agent's live is at stake," Mari scoffed. "If she dies, then I'll have to find a new one and that sounds like way too much work. So, don't be surprised when I vote eliminate in the next round of Traitor/Truce!"
"You're being totally selfish," Fran glared. "Monokuma's threatening someone important to me too, y'know, so maybe have a little compassion for the rest of us."
"Exactly," Evelyn agreed. "And despite the circumstances, we're still going to vote spare. It's not right to eliminate others just to get yourself ahead!"
"I mean technically, there has to be a winner of the Traitor/Truce game, right?" Takumi said. "So why don't we just randomly pick someone? That way, it's fair, and our family members stay safe!"
"There doesn't have to be one," Norikazu corrected. "We only have to play this game for one more week. If there's no winner, then we don't have to play anymore, but Monokuma does something to our loved ones. And of course, there was also the mention of murdering someone as an option."
"But let's hope no one goes that route," Koko nervously remarked. "I don't want to go though another trial again…"
"Agreed." Hiiro nodded. "Plus, you have to remember the consequence of losing Traitor/Truce. It's a punishment, one given via Monokuma. If it's like what happened to Takumi, then I'm sure no one wants to experience it."
Jack nodded. "And even if we pick someone to be the winner, there's no guarantee that everyone would honor it. I can name about five people who'd refuse to honor the decision…"
"Tch, no way are we going to pick straws to determine the winner or some shit," Takahashi protested, rolling his eyes. "If we're going to play this game, the fairest option is to just play it how it's meant to be played. Make your own choice, not the one someone forces you to make."
"I see your point…" Isami admitted. "That way we'd all have a fair shot at being the winner…"
"No way am I going to listen to what someone tells me do, so I like that option way better." Kuro smirked.
"C'mon guys," Akumu sadly frowned. "Are we really going to let Monokuma scare us into choosing to eliminate each other? If we ignore him, then he'll get desperate, and maybe do something nice for us!"
"Or, the more frightening option," Leonia sighed. "He could be so desperate that he does something bad to us…"
"True," Sonoda nodded. "And that is not a risk I'm willing to take."
"I wish we knew exactly what the punishment for Traitor/Truce was…" Clara said. "If we knew how bad it was, it might be easier to choose spare...but because it's so scary, it seems easier to just choose eliminate."
"As b-bad as it sounds," Nadia gulped. "Choosing eliminate is always going to be the best option every time...U-um, think about it. If you choose eliminate and your partner chooses spare, then they're out of the game, while you're still in. B-but, if you choose eliminate and your partner also chooses eliminate, then you're both still in."
"Yes, but if we go that route, then it's just like people picking spare over and over again," Takahashi surmised. "So, like I said: pick what you want. But, understand that you risk elimination if you choose spare…"
Uneasy glances were being exchanged between everybody, and the tension in the dining room was at an all time high.
The paranoid and selfish people want to just pick eliminate, aiming to be the winner of Traitor/Truce
While positive and optimistic people want everyone to pick spare, and ignore Monokuma's threats.
It was definitely a dilemma, one that was plaguing my own mind right now…
I wanted to pick spare every time, but I also didn't want to be eliminated...I think I'd determine my decision based on the partner I get.
The room had grown fairly quiet. Everyone had voiced their opinions, and now we were left to just think about all of them. I could tell some people were being stubborn, and were going to vote how they originally intended to no matter what anyone said.
But, there were some people who looked as if they were considering a change of heart. Satoko, for instance, looked rather flustered as she wrote on a piece of paper, presumably about the pros and cons of each option we were given in Traitor/Truce.
After what seemed like forever, the uncomfortable silence was finally broken by a certain someone.
"Alright everyone, that's enough!" Evelyn frowned, standing up from her chair and facing all of us. "The next round of Traitor/Truce probably isn't for a while. So, I suggest instead of contemplating our thoughts, we do something to take our minds off of everything!"
"Like what?" Fran curiously asked.
"How about a game of kickball?" Evelyn suggested with a smile. "It's a sport that's easy to play, and easy to understa-."
"No thanks," Mari interrupted with a yawn. "I'm going to spend the morning in my room, dying my hair with this totally cool hair dye I bought from Sonoda."
"It only cost her 20 Monocoins!" Sonoda grinned.
20?! I have 0…
"I don't really want to play kickball…" Isami admitted. "...Or any sport that requires excessive physical activity. Basically anything that's not sleeping..."
"It's not that excessive…" Evelyn deadpanned. "And besides, it'll be fun, I promise!"
"I'm too tired," Koko whined. "I've been taking advantage of not having to cook breakfast, and the extra sleep is really making me miss my bed, so I think I'll head over there."
"I'm not a fan of sports games." Leonia admitted. "Besides, I doubt I would be of much help to my team due to my lack of physical ability…"
"I don't want to get sweaty…" Is all Jack said, gesturing to his expensive outfit.
"Aw, c'mon guys…" Evelyn sighed. "Fine...I guess we won't be playing kickball today."
"Nonsense." Takahashi suddenly spoke up, a smirk on his face. "We are all going to play a game of kickball. I've been meaning to let out some pent up energy, and a competitive sports game seems like just the right thing."
Norikazu scoffed. "You can't force us all to play kickball. We have the right to refuse if we want."
"Oh no you don't," Takahashi protested, his smirk growing. "After all, the leader, AKA me, gets to order people to do as he pleases, remember?"
"As long as their request is nothing too extreme." Norikazu reminded him. "Any disputes will be settled by Pilot Monokuma, as per the rules."
"C'mon, man," Takahashi groaned. "Are you really going to drag the bear out just to dispute something like this? Just play the fucking game of kickball. You don't even have to do anything, just stand there and act like you're trying."
Norikazu frowned, closing his eyes and turning away from Takahashi. "...Fine. But as long as I am not on the same team as you."
Takahashi shrugged. "Fine with me, I don't care."
"So we're seriously all playing kickball?" Mari whined.
"I hope I win…" Nadia blushed.
"This is such a drag…" Kuro mumbled.
"I've never been that great at sports," Akumu admitted with a chuckle. "But, I'll try my best!"
"Please don't let the blind kid be on my team," Sonoda muttered.
And so, it was decided. To distract ourselves from the stressful Traitor/Truce game, we were all going to play a game of kickball together.
It was definitely going to be a stark contrast from our attitudes this morning, but it was one that I welcomed. I didn't enjoy arguing with everyone, so it'd be nice to get along as a team for once.
After everyone grabbed a little something to eat, we all headed up to the second floor's gym.
"Alright, how're we doing this?" Takahashi asked Evelyn, who he put in charge of everything.
She was currently making makeshift bases on the gym's floor from chalk she found in the equipment room (there was all sorts of weird shit in the equipment room once you really took a good look. For some reason, there's a random bag of rose petals…). "Um, I dunno. Why don't we do something simple...like boys versus girls?"
Takahashi thought for a minute, before shrugging. "Eh, sure. Fine with me."
After the two got everything set up, Evelyn explained how we were going to split off into teams, and the basic rules that'd we incorporate in our game of kickball:
-Each team would decide their own lineup for their players.
-Three outs = an offense/defense change.
-We'd play until we reached 10 points.
-You earn points by safely reaching home.
-Having the ball land on the bleachers is a home run.
-Having the ball hit the ceiling, or behind the home plate, results in a foul.
-3 fouls results in an out.
-Getting hit with the ball while not on a base also counts as an out.
-If the defense team catches the ball while it's in mid-air, that also counts as an out.
-And Takahashi's own suggestion: the team that wins the game got to have their laundry done by the losing team for a week.
It was so on! Even though not all of us were super excited, we were still fired up, especially because of the consequence of losing.
We all split off into our even teams of boys and girls. The only thing was, since Norikazu really didn't want to be on a team with Takahashi, he switched places with Fran.
"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't hold my own with the boys," Fran claimed. "I may be small, but my legs still pack a strong kick!"
"I'll believe it when I see it." Takahashi huffed. "Anyways, I'll decide the turn order."
"Who made you boss?" Kuro frowned.
"Me." Takahashi answered bluntly, glaring at Kuro. "Anyways, here's the turn order I think works best for us:
Probably our strongest kicker: me. I'll start the game off strong, so you guys don't have to do as much.
Then we'll have Akumu go. Akumu, even if you manage to kick the ball just a little bit, I think those little legs of yours will get you to 2nd base, and allow you to dodge the other team's defense.
Next is Sonoda...I don't know how useful you'll be, Sonoda, but hopefully you can at least manage to not get a foul and get to 1st base.
Kuro will go fourth. I know you're an asshole who hates everybody, but at least try to win…
I'll have Seizo go next. 5th is almost half of us, so if we have one or two outs, you should be able to pick the game up and have us on the winning side again. I'm counting on you, so if you screw up, I'll kick your ass…
Hiiro next. Hope you drank some extra coffee, buddy, because you're going 6th, which can make or break our game.
Then we'll have Takumi...I'm not very optimistic about you, but try your best, I guess…
Jack will go 8th. I know you have that whole 'I don't want to sweaty' shit going on, but I know you're strong. I'm really counting on you to score us a point, not an out, so give us some effort, ok?
Now...Fran, you may wonder why I'm putting you as our anchor. It's not because I have a whole bunch of faith in you or no faith at all. It's because I think you have what it takes to score us that last point we need if it comes to it. Otherwise, maybe it doesn't come to that, and we don't need you. Only time will tell…"
Takahashi finished his announcement; leaving some of us pleased, while others were stressed or annoyed.
"Don't know what to expect?" Sonoda repeated with a nervous chuckle. "C'mon, man, I thought you knew me better than that…"
"My little legs?" Akumu laughed. "We'll see!"
"I'll try my best." Jack nodded, randomly shuffling a deck of cards. "But I won't make a deal I can't guarantee will come to fruition…"
"I'm going last?" Fran shrugged. "Fine with me."
"6th?" Hiiro gulped, looking just a little flustered. "I'll um, try my best."
"I can't make any promises," I remarked. "But I'll try to get us a point."
"You better, D-Lister." Takahashi harshly quipped. "Anyways, looks like Evelyn over there is ready to do the coin toss."
We all walked over to the home base, with Evelyn and Takahashi standing in front of us.
Takahashi announced his team's turn order, and then Evelyn announced her's.
"I have Satoko going first, followed by Clara, me, Leonia, Mari, Norikazu, Nadia, Koko, and Isami." She revealed. Hm, I wonder why Satoko's going first…
"Alright, time for the coin toss!" Evelyn continued. She pulled a Monocoin out of her pocket.
A Monocoin is gold and decorated with Monokuma's face on both sides. However, once side has his red eye colored in while the other doesn't.
"Your call, Takahashi." Evelyn declared.
"...Not filled in." He answered.
Evelyn nodded. "Well, then, I'll be filled in." She then flipped the Monocoin, a bit clumsily, but she luckily managed to catch it before it hit the floor.
…
…
…
"Not filled in." She sighed, showing the coin to Takahashi.
"Just what I thought." Takahashi smirked.
The girls took their positions on the field, with some of them standing right by the bases while others spread out in different locations. Isami stayed near the back, looking completely uninterested.
"Alright boys," Takahashi said, turning towards us. "Line up."
We quickly did so, and as soon as everyone on both teams was settled, the game was started!
Clara was the girls team's pitcher, probably because she was the only one with an athletic talent.
Takahashi stood, ready to kick the ball as soon as she rolled it.
I could tell she was a little flustered, probably because she tried to kill Takahashi a few days ago. She rolled the ball at a medium speed, and Takahashi successfully kicked it!
He ran towards first base, with Evelyn chasing after the ball.
She did so, and Takahashi chose to stay on first base.
"Hell yeah!" He cheered.
"Ugh, whatever." Evelyn frowned, returning the ball to Clara.
Next up was Akumu.
"I'll give it my best shot." He declared with a smile.
Clara frowned, pitching the ball at an increased rate of speed.
Amazingly, Akumu still managed to successfully kick it!
Takahashi ran to second base, and Akumu ran to first.
By now, it was Nadia who had the ball. Unfortunately for her, Takahashi and Akumu both remained on their respective bases.
"Aw…" She sighed, returning the ball to Clara.
Sonoda was up next. "This should be easy." He smirked. "Go easy on me, ok, my accountant?" He said to Clara.
"Sure." She said, with an unconvincing smirk.
She pitched the ball at the same speed as before. The frantic Sonoda hit it, but a little too hard…
It flew into the air, and Koko dived for it.
She caught it!
"Yay!" She smiled.
"No…" Sonoda sniffed, shamefully returning to the line.
"First out," I called, patting Sonoda on the back as he walked past me. "You'll get 'em next time, buddy."
I could see Takahashi glaring at him from his spot on the second base. "Tch, I should've put you last! We were doing good until you went…"
Kuro stepped up, and Clara immediately pitched the ball. Kuro tapped it with his foot, which technically counted as a kick.
Takahashi sprinted to home base, and made it! Akumu managed to make it to second.
Kuro wasn't even running to first, instead walking at an increased rate of speed.
Evelyn caught the ball this time.
"Here!" She called to Leonia, throwing it towards her.
"Oh my," Leonia remarked. A little flustered and shaky, but she managed to catch the ball.
Since she was guarding first base, that meant Kuro was out.
"Are you kidding me?!" Takahashi angrily said as Kuro nonchalantly walked to the back of the line. "We have one point but already have two outs?"
Kuro shrugged. "Told you I didn't care…"
I stepped up to the home plate, and winked at Clara.
She rolled her eyes but smiled. She pitched the ball towards me with a little less effort than before, but still more than she had used to pitch it to Takahashi.
I kept my eye on it, and when it came closer to me, I successfully managed to kick it!
I ran to first base, and turned my head to see Akumu made it to third.
"Keep going!" Takahashi yelled.
I looked for the ball, and saw that the girls were still struggling to catch it.
"Here goes nothing…" I muttered. I ran towards second, and Akumu made it home, scoring us another point.
I could see that Evelyn now had the ball in her hands, and was chasing after me.
She was right on my tail, so as a last resort, I threw myself onto the second base.
"Safe…" Satoko sighed.
"Yes!" I beamed. "Take that, Evelyn!"
Evelyn did not look very pleased, and silently stomped back over to her spot on the field.
Hiiro was up next for our team. He looked a little nervous but kept his composure.
"Try your best Hiiro!" Koko smiled.
"Hey, no cheering for the other team!" Mari glared.
Clara pitched the ball, and Hiiro intently observed it. When it came close, he hit it with all of his might!
Seriously, all of his might...The ball flew high up into the air, hitting the ceiling…
"Out!" Evelyn cheered.
"Aw…" I sighed. "I didn't get to make it to third base…"
"Damn it!" Takahashi groaned, facepalming "Only two fucking points…"
"We'll get them next time." Akumu optimistically declared.
We switched sides, with the girls happily walking over to the home plate, while the boys begrudgingly walked onto the field.
Takahashi made Jack our pitcher, and gave us all positions on the field.
I was to guard second base because, according to Takahashi: "I knew it so well."
Satoko stepped up to the plate, with Jack smirking.
"I'm not going to go easy on you." He said teasingly.
"I wouldn't expect you to." Satoko huffed.
Jack pitched the ball at a fast rate of speed. Satoko kept her eye on it the entire time…
Huh, she looked really focused.
Just as it was about to pass the home plate, she stepped backwards a little bit, and then kicked!
It wasn't a strong or a weak kick, but she kicked it in such a perfect way, that it flew over the ground, causing us to scramble in order to catch it.
"Go Satoko!" Evelyn cheered.
"Y-yeah!" She smiled. She was running towards first base, but it was so slow that you could call it jogging. At last, she made it, but by the time she did, Sonoda had already thrown me the ball, so Satoko was forced to stay on first base.
"Great job, Satoko!" Evelyn smiled as she stepped up to home plate. "That's the power of the Ultimate Prodigy, for ya!"
Satoko blushed. "It wasn't anything difficult," She protested. "I just kicked it with the perfect amount of power so that'd it travel at just the right amount of speed, not too fast or too slow, so the boys wouldn't have an easy time trying to catch it, but also so I wouldn't be fouled for hitting the ceiling."
"Well nonetheless, a great job." Evelyn said.
"Can you guys shut up already and play?" Takahashi frowned, crossing his arms as he stood by third base.
Jack pitched the ball, and Evelyn kicked it. Satoko did her weird jog thing to second base, while Evelyn ran to first.
Takumi was determined to catch the ball, and he finally did.
"Yay!" He beamed.
Clara stepped up. Jack pitched it towards her as hard as he could, but the dancer easily kicked it high into the air.
It flew close to the ceiling, but didn't hit it. It continued to soar, with all of us watching in awe.
At last, it started to descend, and eventually landed on the bleachers!
"Home run!" Clara exclaimed in shock.
"Go, go, go!" Fran encouraged.
Almost all of the girls cheered for Clara as she ran past each base.
Satoko made it to home, tiredly panting, but smiling nonetheless. Evelyn also did, high-fiving every girl on the team (even Mari!), and of course, Clara made it.
"That was amazing, Clara." Nadia complimented. "I hope I can do that well…"
"You killed it out there!" Koko beamed.
"Quite a stellar performance," Leonia nodded. "I'm impressed."
Norikazu, Isami, and Mari said nothing, but I could tell that the former two were pleased. Mari, however, looked annoyed as everyone praised Clara, which was pretty suspicious given her previous treatment of her yesterday…
Takahashi watched all of this go down with a stunned expression. "...We...have two points. They have three...and they have zero outs…"
"It's ok!" Akumu insisted. "We can still beat them!"
Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly true…
After Clara's home run, the girls were more fired up than ever, and kept scoring point after point! Even freaking Isami decided to put in some effort, and somehow managed to score the team a home run!
With every point they scored, their enthusiasm and motivation grew.
However, our team just became more and more depressed.
"This blows…" Sonoda whined. "How can Leonia make a point when I couldn't?"
"Did Nadia seriously just make it past me even though I had the ball in my hands?!" Hiiro asked, stunned.
"Ouch," Takumi mumbled after tripping over the ball in his attempt to try and catch it.
"Great job, Isami!" Fran cheered after Isami jogged past her.
"You bitch!" Kuro growled after Mari sneakily tripped him on his way to go catch the ball.
"Hey, c'mon, that's not fair…" Akumu sniffed, as Norikazu hit the ball away from him just as he was about to catch it.
"Well, that hurt…" Jack remarked after Clara kicked the ball in his face.
"No!" I gasped. Takumi had thrown the ball to me as Evelyn made her way to second base, but I didn't catch it in time.
Meanwhile, Takahashi was watching all of this happening with a face of horror. "I...I can't believe this…"
In the end, the girls won after scoring ten points…
And a total of zero outs.
"Well boys, looks like you'll be doing our laundry for us." Evelyn giggled.
"Hm, I've been meaning to get my sheets washed, so I guess I'll have you guys do it." Mari smirked.
"I'm going to make sure to wear a different one of my outfits everyday so they'll have plenty of laundry to do." Koko cruelly laughed.
Us boys (plus Fran) sat on the bleaches, utterly defeated, as the girls (plus Norkazu) sauntered out of the room.
"We did out best, I guess." Fran nervously laughed. "Though I guess it wasn't enough." She quickly stood up from the bleachers and ran after the girls.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Takahashi." Sonoda sighed, patting him on the back. "You did make yourself the leader, after all."
He also left the gym.
One by one, everyone left the gym, until it was just Takumi, Takahashi, and I.
"..." Takahashi said nothing to us, and simply walked out, the shell of a man he used to be...
"Well…" Takumi started, breaking the silence. "That was pretty bad, huh?"
"Yeah…" I sighed. "I didn't think we'd lose at all...let alone lose that badly."
"10-2." Takumi said. "The girls are going to make fun of us for awhile because of that lousy score, huh?"
"Probably," I nodded. "Especially since we won the coin toss and went first…"
"Hehe, I've always hated going first," Takumi admitted with a laugh. "It never seems to turn out well for me!"
"What do you mean?" I asked. "Don't they always say 'the early bird gets the worm', or something like that…?"
"Yeah, but not when it comes to me," Takumi sighed. "More like the early bird gets glass in his eye." The Escapist pointed towards the faint scar that went over his right eye, and sadly smiled.
"Luckily for me, it doesn't impede my vision in any way," He clarified with a relieved laugh. "But, my life was pretty scary for a while. Some days my vision would be A-ok, while other days, it'd be super blurry and dark…"
"If you don't mind me asking, how'd it happen?" I asked.
Takumi laughed once again. "Ah, it was another act of foolishness on my part.
You see, ever since I was little, I loved to go exploring. I had these three friends: Haruhi, Asuka, and Aichi.
The four of us went everywhere together! Exploring caves, forests, and even abandoned buildings!
On one such occasion, we found this old apartment building in the town next to ours! We knew it was probably illegal, but we entered anyways, because that's just what we did." He sheepishly smiled.
"So you've always been impulsive?" I chuckled. "At least people can't say you're interesting, huh?"
"Nope!" He grinned. "Anyways, once inside, we climbed the stairs to the second floor, and entered a room. We looked around, taking pictures like we usually did, and just having a good time!
Things quickly took a turn for the worst, though…We failed to see that there was a homeless guy living on the first floor. He lit a cigarette, and accidentally dropped it onto the highly flammable carpet!
By the time we realized, it would've been unsafe to leave the room…
Haruhi and Asuka were completely freaking out, but me and Aichi sprang to action! We found a window hidden behind a bookshelf. It was a little too tall for us to reach, however, so we made a makeshift ladder out of things we found in the room.
I volunteered to be the first one to climb, and without thinking, I shattered the window…"
"Which scratched your eye," I realized.
"Yeah…" Takumi sighed. "I didn't move my face away in time, and a piece of glass split open my right eye. We all quickly rushed out of the building, and my friends took me to the hospital.
Once there, the doctors told me that they didn't know what damage the glass would leave behind…
Their greatest fear was that it'd leave me blind.
Of course, that turned out not to be the case, thankfully. Now, I just have this scar, which makes for an interesting topic of conversation!"
"Well, you're definitely brave, I'll tell you that," I chuckled. "I'd just maybe think a little more about my actions before you do something like that, ok?"
"Yeah, you're probably right." Takumi nodded. "You'd think I'd learn, huh? Not to be impulsive? I just can't help it, though...I want to be the hero that saves the day, or the guy everyone looked up to because he proved somebody wrong. Plus, I just get super frustrated when I'm told what to do..."
"Yeah, I remember." I nodded. "From our talk in the rec center. I understand, but just please be careful, buddy. I wouldn't want to see you get yourself hurt again."
"Don't worry!" Takumi smiled. "I'm going to be more careful, I promise. It's my goal to better myself while I'm here!"
"Well, I'm sure if you put your mind to it you-" An announcement interrupted the inspiring speech I was about to give Takumi.
"Ahem," Suddenly, Monokuma's shrill voice rang out from the speakers. "It is now time to gather in the announcement room to play the 2nd round of the Traitor/Truce game! Attendance is required, so make sure to show up!"
"Aw, man…" Takumi sighed. "It's that time again…"
"Yup." I frowned. "But don't worry. We'll be ok."
"I hope so…" Takumi gulped."
Takumi and I arrived in the gym. The mood was tense, and everyone was silent.
Amazingly, Monokuma was already there for once.
"Oh, good!" Monokuma said. "You're finally all here!"
"Let's get this thing over with." Kuro said.
"I love the enthusiasm," Monokuma giggled. "I hope we'll have some eliminations this time around!"
I glanced at the ground. Eliminations...I really hope none of us are eliminated. Even though I don't get along with everybody here, no one deserves the cruel fate Monokuma is most likely going to bestow upon them if they're eliminated.
"Let's get this show on the road!" Monokuma continued. "Let the 3rd round of Traitor/Truce begin! Everyone, go find your booths, now!"
We all did as we were told.
My booth was the very last one. I entered and nervously glanced up at the screen.
My heart started to beat faster...
…
…
…
Seizo Morine vs. Shiro/Kuro
Seizo,
SPARE
ELIMINATE
I'm...going against Kuro?
The one who's harassed more people than I can count?
I wiped the sweat forming on my brow. I had absolutely no idea how he was going to vote. He's been voting spare, but that could change now because of the motive…
My finger hovered over eliminate...
Nadia's words echoed in my head...
"Choosing eliminate is always going to be the best option every time...U-um, think about it. If you choose eliminate and your partner chooses spare, then they're out of the game, while you're still in. B-but, if you choose eliminate and your partner also chooses eliminate, then you're both still in."
If I choose eliminate, I'll be safe no matter what…
But was that really the right thing to do? Just worry about myself? My own words echoed in my head…
"Who cares," I said in a bored tone. "None of us are going to pick eliminate, anyways."
…
…
…
I shakily made my decision.
After the voice announced that the game was over, we all exited our booths. None of us spoke, or even looked at each other. We simply walked over to the stage where Monokuma stood next to the screen.
"Upupupu," He cackled. "I can practically smell the distrust between you all!"
I rolled my eyes, but sighed. He was right...none of us trusted each other right now.
Even the ones who were trying to stay positive were glancing at the ground, unable to look anyone in the eye.
"Well, I won't keep you waiting," The bear shrugged. "Without further ado,
Round 3 of the Traitor/Truce game is now over!" He announced. "Let's see what choices everyone made this time around, hm?"
…
…
...
Takumi Kyoshi vs. Takahashi Jirou
Takumi: SPARE
Takahashi: SPARE
Isami Kanagi vs. Nadia Levitsky
Isami: SPARE
Nadia: SPARE
Clara Odette vs. Koko Kagawa
Clara: SPARE
Koko: SPARE
Norikazu Kanno vs. Leonia Taylor
Norikazu: ELIMINATE
Leonia: ELIMINATE
Mari Tamatsuki vs. Evelyn Bryant
Mari: ELIMINATE
Evelyn: ELIMINATE
Satoko Kiyomizu vs. Francesca Croft
Satoko: SPARE
Francesca: SPARE
Akumu Tsubasa vs. Jack Masaki
Akumu: SPARE
Jack: SPARE
Hiiro Sayoama vs. Sonoda Eisen
Hiiro: ELIMINATE
Sonoda: ELIMINATE
Seizo Morine vs. Shiro/Kuro
Seizo: SPARE
Shiro/Kuro: ELIMINATE
ELIMINATED
1. Seizo Morine (Round 3)
…
…
…
No one said a word.
My heart sunk as I read the results...what's more…
I lost…
Kuro had voted to eliminate me...while I voted to spare him.
I thought back to my decision…
I shook my head.
I…
I had to do the right thing! Picking eliminate is the safest route, but it's also the cowardly one. I had to trust Kuro to choose spare, and even though he didn't have best track record, I was going to.
Besides...if Kuro chose spare while I chose eliminate, not only would he be punished...but Shiro would too. And there was no way I was going to risk that.
I pressed spare.
"You've chosen spare. Please do not leave until instructed to do so."
It was the right thing to do…
"S-Seizo…?" Akumu's eyes were wide. "You…"
"Seizo…" Koko sniffed, tears forming in her eyes. "No way…"
"This can't be true!" Satoko exclaimed. "Kuro, you meant to press spare, r-right?"
Kuro kept his head down. "...No. I meant to choose eliminate, just like a number of people did. Don't you dare go all 'holier than thou' and get mad at me when plenty of people chose eliminate this time around. My partner just happened to make the mistake of choosing spare, so has to suffer the consequences…"
Everyone who voted eliminate also had their partner choose eliminate…
Except me.
Heh, it was kinda funny. I was the one saying nothing bad was going to happen to us, and none of us would be eliminated from the game, but I'm the first one out.
"Wow, I didn't expect Seizo to be the first one to go!" Monokuma admitted.
I finally got the courage to speak up. "...But the facts are clear. Kuro voted eliminate, and I chose spare, so I lose...So, Monokuma, what's my punishment?"
Monokuma's red eye flashed and he looked at me with an evil smile. "I think you've known all along, Seizo, what the punishment was going to be like…"
…
….
…
"Time to say goodbye to your classmates! Don't worry, though, I'm sure you'll see them again one day..."
…
…
…
It started off as a tingling sensation, near my ankle. Like a fire ant bite.
Then, it spread throughout my body, and I started to feel a little warm…
The pain came next. It shot throughout my body as if someone was stabbing me over and over again…
"SEIZO!" I couldn't even tell who it was, but someone came next to me. By this point, I had fallen to the floor in agony.
My vision was blurry, and all I could see was the faces of my classmates, standing over me.
One by one, I could feel myself losing sensation and control of my body...it was as if my soul was being ripped away, but I was still conscious enough to feel the pain…
The excruciating pain. I never knew the human body could hurt this much.
Thankfully, pretty soon after that, my vision started to fade more and more, and I became disoriented…
Then…
I completely shut down.
A/N: So, what did you guys think? :) A lot happened in this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it!
As always, thank you guys for reading, and I'll see you in the next one!