EDIT 06/01/2023: Mayor polishing in grammar, typos, and structure.
A Holy Gathering: The Results of Our Search.
The first thing that greeted us in the main hall was the sound of something crashing against a hard and metallic surface. Although just before I reacted to that, my sight caught on to what happened.
The source of that noise was Owada attacking the vault door with a chair.
…
…
…
…Owada attacking the vault door with a chair.
Attacking the vault door…
The vault door that had mounted weapons along with cameras watching it…
…
Well, he was still breathing, so…maybe he had already tested it at a distance to make sure it was safe?
Glancing around I could see that apart from him, Ogami and Hina were with him. At least those two are less impulsive than Owada, Ogami much less than Hina, and the gang leader combined, so it was possible they did indeed took the necessary precautions.
Still…that guy was living it to the limit, wasn't he? As expected of the Ultimate Gang Leader, I suppose.
"Haah…this…this fucking…haah…piece of shit…doesn't budge, fuck!" Owada exhaustedly cursed before giving the vault one last kick out of frustration.
Enoshima took that as our queue to make ourselves known "Geez, if a freaking chair didn't do crap to it, I don't believe screaming and kicking will do any better, you know that, right?"
"What are ya…Oh, it's you guys…" The gang leader said, seemingly calming down, then he looked at Enoshima before turning to me with the barest hints of approval, even if the crackling of his knuckles made it hard to notice "The chick seems fine, so you kept your word. Good, it seems I won't need to have a chat with ya…"
"Ah! It's you, Junko!" That seemed to be enough to bring the attention of Hina and Ogami to us "And…Shigaraki too…" With less than stellar enthusiasm when the swimmer noticed my presence.
It didn't truly affect me, but it was beginning to get repetitive when they reacted like that so many times in such a short span of time.
Ogami for her part, checked the both of us, although at Enoshima more intently. Probably to make sure she was fine. Once she was satisfied with her assertion, she nodded and spoke up "…Greetings, you two"
"Hey, guys! How's it's it goin'?" Whether ignorant of the mood or not being interested in meddling with it, the Fashionista acted as if the reactions of those three were irrelevant "Did ya make any progress with that thing over there?"
Turning to the vault door with some grimacing, Ogami spoke up "Unfortunately, that is not the case. We have been trying to damage it for hours, but we have nothing to present for it"
"Yeah, this metal door is fuckin' tough. We have tried with all kinds of shit this place has, and it has not even a fuckin' dent on it…fuckin' great" Owada spat.
"I see…It couldn't be that easy, huh?" Enoshima said solemnly.
While they got busy in their own conversation, I approached the vault door.
"H-Huh? Um…Shigaraki" Though it seemed Hina noticed where I was going "What are you doing?"
Can't say I am surprised, considering I am not putting any effort into hiding my presence.
Hearing the Swimming Pro's voice, Owada noticed me too "Hm? You wanna give it a try too? You don't look like you pack a punch like me or Ogami, but hey, maybe you have something like an assassin trick or some shit like that…"
…
"…I am aware that I don't have that much raw power, but I'm not going to try an attack on it, I just want to take a closer look at it" I just indirectly added him in that comment so I didn't hurt his ego in a way that could begin an incident. It seemed that Ogami noticed it though if the look she was giving the gang leader was any indication.
But leaving that aside, once I was at a close distance of the vault door, I inspected it carefully, taking sight of it and touching it. I also began to put my mind to work, trying to think of something that could I relate to this vault door.
There had to be something, They didn't made me travel all around the world just for the sights. It was always with a 'grand purpose' as they called it. With each country meaning also a new type of mission. Sometimes the objective was to make sure some organization got disbanded, either by taking care of those in charge of it, or even in some cases, straight-up neutralizing all of its members. There were a few times that it wasn't killing per se, but capturing someone, either for the extraction of any intel and delivering it to a client, either because of the political, military, or economic value they had. Although regardless of variety, there was always the occasional contract to get rid of someone who knew too much…
…
Political value…
Information…
Knew too much…
Ah.
That was it…
There was this European country whose government system was, up to this day, a monarchy in its purest sense, with a royal family, nobles, and other similar stuff. Heck, I think I remember they even had knights who did a swear of loyalty or something like that.
The point was, one day, a noble of an opposite faction from the royal family had enough influence, resources, and 'friends' to rival said family. Apparently, that made him get too cocky and ambitious, to the point of using said influence and resources to get information on some incriminating files that he was planning on using as blackmail material against the royals.
It wasn't that the current rulers were bad. They did a decent job with their nation from what I could see in my stay 'That place had a LOT of strange customs, though…', rather, the value of such files came from pointing out that the royal family was apparently not as 'royal' as they claimed, and, well, we humans are emotional before being rational most of the time. Even if they did a spectacular job for generations, if the public became aware of such detail…more likely than not, they would've felt betrayed and angry at being tricked in such a way, that it would have led to chaos.
And blood spilling, that always comes included in such situations…
The royal family eventually became aware of this, and seeing that a direct and public confrontation with this person would only make things worse, they acted as if they slowly and surely conceded to the demands of the noble, while in the shadows…
The royals recurred to Them…to me.
Long story short, while my 'objective' never knew it was the royal family who put a bounty on him, he had some self-awareness and decided to bunker himself. To some degree, it worked for some time, as the only access to the place where my 'objective' hid was a vault door.
Similar to the one in front of me…
…
"So, you've been looking and touching that thing for a while, did ya find anything doin' all that?" Owada asked.
Is there a risk in sharing this…?
Well in some way, there was, but it was manageable if I am cautious with my words 'Even with taking Celeste into consideration…', while at the same time, sharing this will create a more positive image of myself and certainly could use some of that.
"I have…" I admitted.
"Well, at least you―Wait! Really!?" Hina exclaimed with enthusiasm.
Ogami, however, had her feet on the ground "Is it good or bad news?"
…
"…"
"Shit, dude, don't make it dramatic, just spill it!"
Letting a far-from-faked sigh, I spoke up "…Terrible news"
Even if it wasn't intentional, that seemed enough to bust Hina's mood "H-Huh?"
"W-What? Is it, like, really that bad?" Enoshima cautiously asked "Wait, actually, what did you discover that makes it so bad?"
Nodding at the Fashionista, Ogami turned to me "Indeed, an explanation would be appreciated"
Seeing no reason not to elaborate…at least to a minimal degree, I conceded to their requests "The reason why I said that, was because I have seen a vault door similar to this one here…that vault door could resist anything that was thrown against it. I'm not exaggerating when I say that an entire army could bomb it, and it would only leave a scratch if they were lucky…"
"…And you said that it was similar to this piece of garbage over here, right? Fuck! Even I can see that it looks like it could resist any shit done at it, dammit…"
I just nodded at that…I didn't feel like it was necessary to add that the vault door in front of us looks way more modern than the one I had seen. For all I know, you could throw a nuclear bomb at this thing and it would be fine, but that didn't make a difference for any of us.
…And neither the fact that if I am right in being similar, only one being more modern than the other, then I might know of to open this thing…but that was useless information too, there was just no way our captor didn't had that covered.
"Don't be so sad, guys! I'm sure that if we can't get out through here, there must be another place we can use as a way to escape!" Hina commented with renewed energy.
The Gang Leader blinked at the brunette's declaration for a moment before he himself got pumped up "Damn right! I'm not gonna let that piece of shit of a bear beat me!"
Ogami nodded with a smile "You are correct, Hina. We can't allow ourselves to give up this early"
"Heck yeah, girl! There's no way that Monokuma would block everything, we just have to keep looking!" The Fashionista followed up with a grin.
While they were patting themselves on the back, I just stood there, thinking of one thing. With everything I have seen so far, and finally stopping to putting it together, I came to one conclusion.
This was not Hope's Peak.
I know I should've been aware of that some hours ago, but I had been busy with no time to ponder about it. Now I can see that there was no way for this place to be that school. Not only because before getting knocked out, I hadn't seen the vault door, but there were also the metal plates and mounted guns to take into consideration. All of that can't be installed in a single day, heck, the gate alone would need weeks to put as properly as it is now. We can also add that they couldn't have kept us unconscious that long. One day, sure, two, maybe. A week? If you stretch it, that was still within possibility. But more than that? Impossible, the time just doesn't add up…
Just as I was done with my thoughts, Hina spoke up "Maybe we should stop here, it's almost time for that meeting Taka talked about…"
"I guess" Owada conceded "Not in the mood to hear the barking of that guy for being late…So, you guys comin' or what?" The Gang Leader added as he turned to me and Enoshima.
"Uh, about that…Shigaraki and I wanted to see one last place before going back. I don't think we will be late for the dining hall junk, but, yeah…" Enoshima trailed off.
"…I see, then I will wish for your good luck" Ogami said.
"Yep! See you guys! C'mon Sakura! Let's go!" Hina said while sprinting out of the hall.
"Aye" Was all the Martial Artist as she nodded at us and began to follow the Swimming Pro.
"Geez, that girl has a lot of energy…Oi! Wait for us!" Owada exclaimed while sprinting too.
Once they were gone, Enoshima turned to me "…Y'know, I'm kind of glad that group has Sakura with them, the other two seem too…passionate?"
That was a way to put it "I see what you mean, having someone as level-headed as her probably prevented them from going around doing more reckless things"
"I know! I was like, totally shocked when I saw the biker attack the metal hatch with those freaking things mounted up!" The Fashionista exclaimed while pointing at the Gatling guns "What the heck was he thinking, doing that crap?"
"Mhm, while it's not written in the rules…if those weapons had proximity or pressure sensors…well, nothing good would've come of that. Anyway, we should go see one of the classrooms and then go to the dining hall" The sooner we get that done, the better.
While I wasn't worried about it, I would certainly prefer to avoid an earful from the Moral Compass.
"Yep, and finally! Don't get me wrong, it really, really, really sucks that there isn't more to explore, but all this walking around and doing some kind of detective stuff, is giving me a headache…So yeah, let's get this over with" Enoshima commented with a sigh.
Nodding in agreement, the both of us made our way out of the main hall.
When we got into the classrooms area, we decided to try a random one, as we didn't had much time before the 'meeting' to check all of them. On a personal level, I didn't care that much about going. After all, my hopes for any of them finding anything of worth was as low as the chances of escaping this place today.
Perhaps Kirigiri will find something of interest. She seems like someone who's good at picking up details…
But regardless of my opinion on the matter, I had to go. Not only because, low as they were, the chances of them discovering anything weren't zero, but also because I wasn't in the position to go around the 'school' doing my own thing. They would notice my absence immediately and that would create chaos and paranoia. As things stand, one wrong move from me and I will get a figurative 'And maybe a bit literal…' bounty for my head, more so because Enoshima was with me and I can already imagine the grim possibilities that would run in their heads at that.
In summary, I needed to get this done quickly.
Once inside the room, I looked around while I approached one of the metal plates to try the same thing I did in my room and a few others around the halls during my scouting with Enoshima.
A quick glance told me that this classroom was not different from the one I woke up in, and chances are that it was the same case for the rest of them.
Satisfied as I could be with only looking, I tried removing the metal plates with all the methods that I could think of.
No results, as expected.
With that done, I moved to test something that I haven't checked before.
Moving from the metal plate I was close to, I approached a random side of the wall and I stuck to it, with my arms slightly spread, making me look like I was trying to hug it.
Then I began to knock on the wall with one hand…while also ignoring the weirded-out look Enoshima was giving me.
After repeating the process for a few seconds, I sighed while moving from the spot.
"…You have some really weird hobbies; you are aware of that, right?" The Fashionista commented.
Resisting the urge to sigh, I addressed her "That was not for fun, I tried to knock on the wall to see what kind of sound it could make"
"Right…" Apparently, my answer wasn't enough to appease her skepticism "…And you wanted to know that…why?"
I gave her a nonchalant shrug "It's not something I have much experience with, but depending on the sound it makes, I could have determined if the wall was hollow or if it was reinforced. If it's hollow, maybe a good punch from Ogami could've worked to make our own escape…" I explained.
"T-That's…huh, I'm not sure anyone tried that, most people probably would try to remove the windows and call it a day…so why the classrooms of all places? You could've tried that thing before don't you think?"
Under normal circumstances, and even if I didn't were to show it, I would have become the barest hint of exasperated by the questions, wondering why I was bothering to elaborate this much to her, a complete stranger. Instead of this being the case though "…Again, something I'm not experienced with, but I believe that the walls in a classroom where the windows are probably the most vulnerable spot we could find inside the school, if we don't have positive results here, it's almost guaranteed that we won't have results anywhere else" I explained without batting an eye. Neither feeling irked, stressed, or anything of the sort.
"Hmm, you gave it a lot of thought, didn't ya? Still…" There was a contemplative look on her face as she said that, though it quickly turned into an amused one "It doesn't change the fact that it looked as if you were trying to become friends with the wall, hehe…"
…
I don't know why…
"Hey, who knows?" …But I followed along "Maybe if I do that and gain their respect, they will open up for me as a signal of their trust, right?" I commented with clear signs of amusement in my voice.
"…"
"…"
"…Pfft! Hahahaha! It wasn't, like, funny at all, really, but…" The Enoshima commented with a cheeky smile "Oh? So, you actually have a sense of humor, eh?"
! ! !
Any amusement I had on my face was wiped off my face when I heard say that.
…
…
…
…I…I told a joke?
…
…What am I doing?
"…"
"…Hey, are ya okay?"
"…"
"…Shigaraki?"
"…"
"Shigaraki?" Enoshima asked again, with growing concern.
"…Yes…yes, I'm fine. I just kind of became distracted" It wasn't a lie, but I wasn't being honest either.
"…Okay…um, about the sound thing, did you find anything, then?" Enoshima said, although it didn't go unnoticed that she did so with a far more subdued tone than what I had heard from her so far.
"Hm? Oh, that…no, though I brought with me an item from the toolkit Monokuma gave us" I told her while I took out something from one of my inner pockets
A hammer.
"You opened up the toolkit? I mean…well, if we can make use of it to help us escape, I guess there's nothing wrong with that, yeah?"
I numbly nodded, prioritizing the repeat of the previous process from just a moment ago, tapping at any random spot I could find within the walls of the classroom, only this time using the hammer instead.
And indeed, there was a change, as this time I obtained results.
"I could notice something this time…It seems the walls really are reinforced too…" Not good results, but results nonetheless.
"So, it's another dead end, huh? That's a shame…but, it's as you said before, it was more to confirm something rather than actually finding a way out, right?" That subdue tone hasn't left her yet.
"Right…we should probably go; I don't have anything else in mind right now" About this. When it comes to other matters…
"Mhm, let's go…um, Shigaraki?"
"Yes?"
Before she said anything, the expression on her face changed, if I were to describe how it looked…it was like that of a kicked puppy.
I didn't liked it.
"…I'm…I'm sorry, for what happened a few moments ago, about that comment I made. I-I should've known that this isn't the time to be joking around and I probably made you mad because I―"
"No" I quickly corrected her.
"…No?" Cautiously repeated.
"I'm not angry, or mad at you either…I was just caught off guard, that's all, I am fine" Only the not angry or mad part was completely true.
"…Really? Are you sure you're not angry at me?" Enoshima asked…but the way she said it, the tone of her voice, it was as…well, if I didn't know any better, I would've thought I was talking to another person.
"Really, we should go. As Owada said: We don't wanna get barked at for being late, right?" I said with the corner of my lips slightly stretched upwards.
It felt…wrong…unnatural…
…To keep doing that…the lips thing…
But it feels even worse to see her upset…and the implications of that were worrying on so many levels.
"…Heh, right, we don't want to risk it with Mr. Rules actually reporting us to Monokuma, do we?" It seemed that comment worked though, as she appeared to once again regain her posture with an improved mood.
I nodded at that, and with nothing else to do, we left the classroom to meet up with everyone else. All the while I also steeled my nerves. Any emotional mess I might be in right now can wait until I hit the bed.
It wasn't that hard to do. Suppressing my emotions and putting my priorities straight was something I have experience doing.
We didn't find anyone on our way to the dining hall so that probably meant that we were going to be the last ones in.
It shouldn't be a problem though, last I checked we had a few minutes to spare. Even if he was as rule-obsessive as I believe he was, he wouldn't chew at us for being the last ones as long as we make it on time.
As Enoshima and I got closer to the dining hall, I could hear some muffled voices 'Did they had already begun?', I didn't stop to question it much as the both of us got inside the cafeteria.
"―F-Fine?" I heard someone say.
"S-She's p-probably dead! S-Serves her r-right for volunteering for something th-that stupid" Sitting close to the Heir, at a different table than the rest of the group, Fukawa stated as well as her stuttering allowed to.
"T-Toko! Don't say things like that!" Maizono exclaimed.
"Indeed! We shouldn't make those kinds of claims!" The Moral Compass proclaimed in agreement with the Idol "They are still on time for the meeting!"
"Uh-huh! I mean, she was with him just a few minutes ago, there's no way something happened to her!" Hina exclaimed.
"Perhaps you already forgot about his talent?" Togami said, gathering the now concerned attention of the group "As if someone like him needs more than some minutes to commit the deed…"
"Togami is right! Wh-What if―"
"What if what?" I commented.
Everyone flinched, gasped, or did a combination of the two as they heard my voice, after that, they turned to me in complete silence.
"…Did you guys took me for dead already?" Enoshima deadpanned.
"Junko! / Enoshima!" Several voices exclaimed.
Said Fashionista winced "Geez, you don't hafta be so loud. Yes, yes, I'm alive, I told ya guys that I would be fine!"
"So, she is still breathing, what a surprise…" The amusement in Togami's voice was almost tangible.
Leaving aside that I was feeling a tad more irked than just a moment ago, the Baseball Star rolled his eyes at the Heir's commentary "Dude, don't be so pessimistic…" Leon replied.
"Wh-What a relief, nothing bad happened!" Fujisaki said.
"Enoshima! Shigaraki! I'm glad you reported on time! Please take a seat!" Taka said with open arms and a smile.
And so, we did. Enoshima took her seat…
While I did the same, sitting between her and Owada.
Some people gave me weird looks, maybe expecting that I would pull a Togami and sit at a different table.
Wait.
Where's Kirigiri? She doesn't seem to be at the main…or any other table for that matter.
…
…Well…she seems like someone who was very curious and unlike me, she didn't have any restrictions. She must've made use of that to spend more time investigating if I had to take a guess.
Leaving the silver-haired girl aside, about the reactions of the one beside me…
Owada gave me a look, but that was about it with him.
Enoshima seemed…relieved that I did so?
Maybe she thought that with the incident from earlier, I would try to avoid her. Was that it? Well, I was not a petty person to react that way…At least I think I wasn't, and even if I were, right now there were more important matters than wasting time acting like a brat.
Thankfully, before it could get awkward, Taka exclaimed slash shouted to gain our attention "Okay! I can see that everyone's here!" He clearly wasn't seeing as well as he thought if he made that statement with such a straight face "I believe it's time we begin the meeting! Let's all go around and share what we found out during our respective investigations! The sooner we find out what's going on, the sooner we get out of here!"
"Wait, hold on a sec!" Though before anyone could give their findings, Enoshima interrupted.
Caught off-guard by the sudden intermission, Taka looked at Enoshima with surprise "What's wrong!?"
"What about, uh…What's her name? Y'know, the silver-haired girl" So she noticed it too.
"Kirigiri?" I supplied.
"Yeah! Her!"
Taka quirked an eyebrow at that "What's wrong with her?"
Ah, they forgot about her.
"Besides not being here? I dunno…" The Fashionista commented with a shrug.
"What!?" Taka exclaimed before making his eyes dart everywhere within the room, with most members of the group following the example.
Yep, they truly did.
"I wonder where she went. Has anyone seen her?" Hina asked.
I looked around as everyone, once done with their brief examination, gave a negative response.
"W-Wait, so nobody's seen her…?" Fujisaki nervously questioned.
…
…I doubt she was dead. Rather than believing nobody here was capable of killing, I have enough experience to know that it was just a matter of motivation, but that was it. Not even the weakest-minded in our group would follow along on something like that this early, and I am willing to bet that the smartest ones already have an idea that taking their time knowing their environment would be wiser than rushing it on the first day if they were to commit such an act.
"Darn it, Kirigiri!" It wasn't like any of that mattered to a zealot follower of the rules as Taka, though "You're going to be late like this on the first of school!? Not only is she late, but she also didn't tell anyone she would be late! A most unbecoming personality trait…"
…
By now I couldn't say I was surprised at all by his antics, but still…
Is he serious?
"You're being a real jackass right now, you know that?" Enoshima incredulously asked.
"Well, what do you want me to do!? Punctuality is everything!"
"Putting that aside…" Maizono suddenly said, most likely to keep the conversation flowing "I wonder where she is…?"
The group as a whole took a few moments to attempt to figure out the mystery that was Kirigiri's lack of a presence, with everyone looking at each other every now and then, trying and failing to get an answer out of their neighbor.
"W-What…" In the end, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy of all people was the first one to propose something, though I can't say I was a fan of it "…W-What about t-the Assassin…?" Fukawa asked.
If the room was quiet before, now it was silent as a tomb.
Sigh, here we go again...
Everyone was completely justified in having those kinds of thoughts, they weren't unfolded after all…but it was getting tiring…
Or maybe it's just that today has been emotionally draining? Which is novel to me.
Anyways… "What about me?"
"D-D-Don't play d-dumb! Y-You probably saw her as easy prey, c-considering that she was al-alone!" The Writer exclaimed.
"Hmm, it is a possibility…" Togami mused aloud.
"N-No…" With the Ultimate Programmer taking it far from well.
Although before they fell into a spiral of paranoia, again, someone interrupted them.
"Aww come on, guys! Freaking seriously? I was with him the entire time! I'm pretty sure that girl got lost or something" Enoshima exclaimed.
That at least kept their accusations at bay.
"It is true that you were with him…" Ogami commented.
"Yeah, he's been all day with the Fashionista, lucky bastard…" Leon said, muttering the last part.
…
…No commentaries on that.
"B-But―" Fukawa tried to argue more but was interrupted by one of Yamada's fantasies.
"I have the answer to this mystery!" That probably meant he doesn't "Could it be that Master Shigaraki used his assassin powers to create a shadow copy of himself, then used it to attack Miss Kirigiri, while his original-self stayed with Miss Enoshima the entire time as an alibi!?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
…I was worried for a second that someone would believe that. Although observing that even Fukawa seemed like she didn't want to keep pushing it if those were the kinds of answers people are going to come up with, I could see it was an unnecessary endeavor. Like seriously, where did the idea of me having some kind of powers came from?
…
I mean…I have that stealth thing, but it wasn't a power, it was just a skill that everyone can develop with enough training. Oh, it was not because it was easy. Hell no, it took me years of development before being capable of using it even as an Ultimate with great affinity for those kinds of things. It just so happens that everyone can follow the steps required for it.
Finishing them, though? Now that was a whole different deal.
"…Anyway, it is true. Not the assassin powers…" Yamada slumped down at that for some reason "…but that I was with Enoshima all day. I never had a chance to try something even if I wanted to, which I didn't"
Well, there were those 30 minutes, but they don't need to know that.
"…Maybe she's an accomplice―" I'm not gonna let that thought get any further.
"That's impossible" I assertively said "The rules say that the person who kills is the one that will become blackened and the only one allowed to leave. There's not a single word that indicates that an accomplice could benefit from helping the killer in some way" There was a silence as they contemplated that, which I used in my favor to end this "There is a high possibility that Kirigiri found something that the rest of us couldn't, so I suggest that we continue with this meeting, instead of wasting time pointing fingers. If the worst-case scenario occurs, in which she doesn't come here at all, we can form groups of three people to act as search parties, alright?"
That seemed to finally make them avoid getting any more distracting ideas.
With that matter dealt with, once again Taka took the lead in the conversation "R-Right…Yes, you are correct! No more side-tracking! I declare that the first session of the Hope's Peak Academy briefing meeting has begun!"
"Um…I believe we should do an introductory briefing for Naegi, is that okay?" Maizono asked.
"Yeah…I'm kind of lost, you know, because of what happened at the gym…" Naegi trailed off.
"…Right, sorry about that, dude" The Biker replied, surprisingly enough, with an apologetic tone of voice.
"N-No it's okay! Everyone was on edge during that moment, haha…Anyway, about what happened…?"
"Of course! Maizono, you have permission to proceed!" Taka declared.
Maizono nodded at that "Okay, since you're in the dark about all this, let me lay out what's been going on. Everyone split up to investigate different parts of the building, but…Togami and Taka each went off on their own, and so did Kirigiri, while Enoshima and Shigaraki formed their own team"
"Shigaraki and Enoshima? Now that you mention it, they stepped inside the dining hall together, didn't they?" Negi mused aloud "That's a weird combination…"
"Tell me about it man. We needed someone to keep an eye on him, nobody but the chick volunteered, and well…it happened" Owada replied.
"And you people allowed that…" Togami sighed in mock disappointment "It seems I was right in thinking you all were a bunch of ignorants if you left someone like the Fashionista with the Assassin instead of using the Martial Artist to keep him from trying anything"
Not even ten minutes and Togami was alienating himself, the rabid look Owada was giving him told me that much. Even if what he said has some truth to it…It seems I will have to do him a favor for both of us.
"I already gave most of the people here an explanation of why attacking the person who was with me during the entire exploration would be a terrible idea, and seeing that Enoshima is here, I believe it's pointless to push this discussion further instead of focusing in what this reunion is originally about, right?" I explained.
The heir gave me a glare that said 'Don't you dare to ever try to make a reply against me ever again, commoner' but beyond that, he didn't say anything else.
"Soo…can we get back on track or…?" Enoshima asked.
"Of course, I will begin then!" Taka exclaimed "I spent some time looking around the dormitory, and there I made the discovery of the century!" That caught my attention.
Did I miss something that important there? "Really?"
"Yes! I found that there was exactly one room for each person!"
"…" So much for taking any initiative, huh?
"…I mean, I'm pretty sure Maizono and Leon discovered that first…" The Fashionista deadpanned "Anyway, Shigaraki and I took a look around that area too. Each door has a nameplate on it, and it seemed that all the rooms have been assigned already"
"I also noticed that each room key was attached to a keychain with the owner's name added to it" I added.
Enoshima nodded at me before turning once again to the group "We also found out that all the rooms are totally soundproof"
"Mhm, no matter what kind of sound you make in your room, none of us will even hear a whisper of it" I stated.
"On the topic of the dorms area, I have my own contribution" Celeste chimed in "Before coming here, I also went to take a look at my own room, it seems each of them also has a private bathroom, which could also lock" Celeste commented.
"Yeah, although it looked like there were only locks for the bathrooms in the girl's dorms" Enoshima added.
"…Okay, so they got a bunch of rooms ready for us. They're assuming we're gonna be here a while…" Owada commented with some annoyance.
"Well, better to have than have not! At least we don't have to worry about surviving like wild animals" Taka exclaimed.
"Th-That can't be all you have to r-report, can it Mr. Honor S-Student?" Fukawa asked.
"…" The moral compass was silent for a few moments "That's all for my report! Let's move on to whoever's next!"
Togami took it as his opportunity to speak "I wanted to try and find some clue as to who's responsible for imprisoning us here…But unfortunately, I made no such discoveries. That's all from me…"
…Disappointing, but not unexpected.
"That's it?" Taka asked, clearly baffled by the lack of results.
"If I'd discovered anything else, naturally I would have more to say. But I didn't. So, yes, that's it" Was all the heir said.
"R-Right, understood…"
"In any case…" Sparing the Moral Compass 'And the group as a whole' from things turning awkward, Maizono continued "It looks like Leon, Hiro, and Chihiro all grouped up together"
"Ah yeah, we did that! Leon-chi, Fujisaki-Chi, and I looked around in the gym and the classrooms" Hiro commented.
"Right, we checked all classes around the school area to see if there was something out of place while giving a look at those weird windows, to try to take them out y'know? But…nothing. Not a damn thing. We couldn't get a single one to budge even a little bit" Leon commented.
"Adding to what Leon said, I also tried to see if some walls within the classrooms were hollow or reinforced. Unfortunately, they were the latter…" I added.
"Huh? What's the point of that?" Owada asked.
"In the case that they were hollow, I thought that Ogami could've helped us 'create' our own exit, but chances are that the entire school is reinforced like that too…" I explained.
"I see what you mean. Indeed, it is something that had some merit to work, but if our captor took that into consideration…" The Martial Artist trailed off.
"It seems there isn't any hope of escape anywhere…The school has been totally cut off" Fujisaki said with wet eyes.
"…This sucks…It REALLY sucks! It sucks sucks sucks sucks SUCKS! What the hell are we gonna do!?" Enoshima shouted blue on the face, making my eyes widen at the slightest margin.
She seemed to get frustrated when we found dead ends in our search but not to this level. She never reacted this strongly…
Did she bottle it up? It is possible…
…It actually kind of bothers me that I didn't notice that.
"Goddamn, calm down! You're starting to make me feel nervous! How come you were so calm and okay with spending all day with a guy that is literally the Ultimate Assassin!?" Leon asked.
And at that everyone turned to the Fashionista, because it was a good point. So good in fact, that it was something I was curious about too.
Eventually, the Fashionista noticed the stares everyone was giving her…which in turn made her snap "Oh, come on people! Are we, like, going to waste time talking about this junk by the hundred occasion!? He has done nothing wrong so far and it has literally helped in saving the life of one of us! It just happened that I noticed that and I thought he wasn't a danger to us because of it. Seeing that I'm here with not a single scratch, I believe that proves my point, doesn't it?" She finished with narrowed eyes.
While people like Togami and Celeste didn't look completely satisfied with that answer, the rest of my classmates seemed subdued, some even looked ashamed of bringing back the topic about me. I almost felt some kind of pity for those last ones 'Well…no, not really, but is the thought that counts, right?'. Nevertheless, at least it let the matter rest before it could escalate.
As for me…I believe that those doubting me were more correct than those who believe the image of me she had made…It felt weird to have someone stand with you in these kinds of moments. It was a very foreign feeling for me.
Although I can't say it was a bad one.
"Um…Moving on, Hina, Sakura, and Mondo formed their own group. The same goes for Celeste, Toko, and Hifumi, though with them it was more like they were left over, so they joined up" Maizono stated.
"We thought maybe we could find some way to communicate with the outside, so we went looking all over! But…we didn't find a thing. Sorry…" Hina said.
"After that, we went back to the main hall, thinking maybe we could do something about that giant hunk of metal. But even with Sakura and me both, it wouldn't budge. We hit it with desks and chairs, and nothin'…It was hard as, like…metal" Owada said, though it seemed he noticed until the last second how…weird that last part sounded.
"Well, yes, it IS metal…" Celeste commented.
"Tch, anyway…" In what I presume was an attempt of saving face, the Gang Leader tilted his head in my direction "This guy next to me also told me that he has seen one of those things before, at least a similar one, and apparently, he can confirm that no matter what kind of shit we throw at it, it ain't gonna do crap. If we're gonna get outta here, it ain't gonna be through there…"
It seemed that Hina was going to say something when…
"I am actually interested in what you just mentioned" Togami interrupted and then he turned to look at me "Is it true, plebeian? Do you have experience with a vault door similar to the one in this place? It would do well for you to talk about it, for your own good…" The heir stated.
"Togami is right! Erm, except for the threat part, of course. If you have something you could tell us about that door, maybe it might help us to find a way to escape!" Naegi added.
"Th-That's true!" Fujisaki said in a hopeful tone.
"Any insight you could give us would be invaluable! Shigaraki, please proceed, you have our entire attention!" Taka exclaimed.
Once again, for who knows how many times on this day, everyone turned to me, only this time, almost all of them did it with bright expectancy and hope on their faces, believing that I could have an answer to our despairful situation.
…
…
…Sigh, Maybe should've kept my mouth shut back at the main hall…
"…I will tell you what I know, but only the facts that matter, it's of no use to get too detailed about this…"
"H-Huh? Why? Getting all the details you could tell us will help a lot more, right?" Naegi asked.
"A-Are you trying to h-hide something or why so s-secretive!?" Fukawa accused.
At that, the excited mood of the group soured and some of them began to give me suspicious stares.
…
…It seems I will have to be more specific.
"The information I have comes from a job I did a few years ago…I don't believe you guys are eager to hear a detailed description about how I took care of the 'targets' or the 'obstacles' of said job, am I right?"
"E-Erm, by targets and obstacles…of what kind are we talking about?" Yamada warily asked.
"The kind that someone with the title of Ultimate Assassin would encounter, I don't think I have to be more specific than that…"
The blanching faces and widened eyes of my classmates gave me the answer to that.
"N-No, you don't have to be! Please be as discrete as possible!" The Fanfic Creator exclaimed.
"R-Right, no details…" Leon added with some nervousness.
"…Sure. Basically, this job involved a very rich and influential person which was becoming a threat to some even more important people because of…a disagreement they had. Said person was aware that someone was coming for him, so he bunkered himself underground"
"Um…I-If he was being a problem…" Before continuing with the explanation, Fujisaki of all people interrupted me "…Why they didn't talk about it first to resolve the matter peacefully? I-Instead of…doing that? It sounds as if he felt hunted…and that's pretty cruel…" Fujisaki said on the verge of crying.
At that statement, the atmosphere of the room began to grow depressing, as most of them agreed with the sentiment of the programmer.
…
"…There were attempts of peaceful negotiations, but…the 'target' wasn't willing to accept the terms, he wanted more than what was offered…I probably should clarify that he wasn't a good person…so you shouldn't feel bad about him" It was not like that would've made a difference for me, though.
And I can see that neither for Fujisaki's nor the rest of the group's mood, only for completely opposite reasons.
…
…Can't say didn't try.
"As I was saying…The only way to get to him was through a vault door. From what I remember, it was not the same as the one we have in this place, but it was similar enough and got the same job done: No matter what I tried, nothing could make that door budge…In any case, at some point, the 'target' himself made the mistake of opening the door and I used that as my chance to get myself past the door―"
"You are saying that he knew he was being targeted…" And once again I was interrupted, although I can't say I was surprised that Togami did so "…And he opened said vault door just because? I believe this piece of information is the most important you have to offer, but you seem to be intent on hiding it, keeping it a secret from me. Know that there are consequences to such disrespect against a Togami. I order you to correct that mistake immediately, you insolent fool"
Everyone was looking at him as if he was either crazy or suicidal for talking that way to me…Well, everyone sans Enoshima. She looked like she was more than happy to help him on the suicidal part if that glare was anything to go by…
Fortunately for him, I had more than enough reasons to avoid committing acts of violence anytime soon…That and it's been LONG since I developed the mental fortitude to ignore the arrogance of the likes of him.
The problem is that if I don't word this carefully…I don't know how they will react, and with Celeste here, I can´t lie either.
"…When I say a mistake…I didn't mean the way you are imagining Togami…it was more like a miscalculation in his planification, most probably because of how hurried up the 'target' was to hide from danger. Said error forced him to eventually come out of his hiding"
"Erm…you mean, like, he didn't bring enough food with him and he was forced to come out to get more…something like that?" Naegi attempted to guess.
"…Something like that" I nodded at the Luckster "In any case, it would help to get to the point of this if I don't get interrupted anymore"
It really helped the way Naegi said that sentence…something like that could be interpreted as many things, so it wasn't a lie.
That seemed to be enough to satisfy everyone's curiosity at the question of the heir …Except Celeste's, that smile of hers tells me she knows what I did there, but she also seems to understand that it wouldn't benefit her in any way to push the matter.
"After I…took care of him" Even with that wording, they still understood enough to wince at what I implied "I inspected the inside of the vault…and that's where I discovered a diverse amount of intel, including some in regards to the vault door. Among said information, some of it explained how that person was capable of opening it. Long story short, I have reason to believe that the method is similar here"
I grimaced when everyone's faces began to brighten, all full of hope, believing that a way to escape was at their hands. I wasn't feeling particularly bad for them, but…
They were getting way ahead of themselves…
"Really!? Then it is possible for―!"
"Before anyone gets carried away about this, I will clarify" I interrupted Hina's pumped-up exclamation without a hint of hesitation "The method used to open the vault door…was by activating their own personalized switch that came included in the fabrication of said entrance. It is safe to believe that if a switch like that exists here, it is secured by our captor"
All of my classmates seemed to finally get an idea of what I was getting at. While it was true that a way to open the door now had the chance to exist, the circumstances made it basically impossible to even try such a method.
I was aware that everything I said just now was nothing more than useless information, which was why I wasn't interested in sharing it, but I also know that if I stayed silent, and avoided sharing this type of intel when someone asked for it, I would be seen as suspicious and things had a big chance of going south on such scenario.
Enoshima's intervention in my favor allowed me the possibility to be seen as someone who even with my talent, was not a threat that needs to be taken down or restrained in the eyes of the group, and that's an invaluable resource that will be of use no matter which course of actions I take in the future. If all I have to do for the time being was to act in a cooperative manner to keep up that cover, then I can adapt to that.
Thankfully, I managed to alter, well, more like omitting some details of the mission. Said details weren't useful to our circumstances either, but revealing them could be…inconvenient.
Although that didn't prevent the group from making their disappointment known.
"So, we are back to square one, huh? Crap…" Leon commented.
"It was a waste of my precious time to ask, it seems…" Togami said with disdain.
"I feel like I could just cry…But no, I have to hold it in! I have to manage my hydration…!" Hina exclaimed.
The Martial Artist gave Hina a concerned look before shaking her head and turning to the group with a more focused expression "Getting the discussion on track…I shall tell you another detail of our investigation…It has nothing to do with communicating with the outside world, but it's still worth worrying about. In both the school and dorm areas, there was a set of stairs leading up to another floor"
"Ah, that's true, but…there were gates there, and we couldn't find a way to open them, so it wasn't possible to check it out" The Swimmer added in a worried tone.
"…In other words, at this point we are only able to search the 1st floor. We can further assume that there is potentially something beyond the 2nd floor too. If that's the case, it could lead to a way out" Finished the martial artist.
And with that, Celeste took it as her queue to chime in "It seems it is my turn to talk of what my group did. If I am honest, I can't quite say we acted as one, rather, we did NOTHING as one. We spent the entire time in the gym. Honestly, we are not exactly the types to go running around a school like a gaggle of novice detectives"
"Huh!?" While most people gave the Gambler incredulous looks, it was Enoshima who decided to voice what was on her mind "What the hell were you thinking, just sitting around the gym the whole time and doing nothing?"
And she was right, just walking around the school would've enough to contribute in some way.
"W-Well it's not like any of you i-invited me along!" Not like Fukawa was thinking along those lines "Nobody said: Hey, c-come with us! I blame y-you all for leaving me out! I-It's your fault!"
"If you wanted to go with someone, you should've said something!" Enoshima said with furrowed brows.
"Hmph, F-Forget it…" The Writer Prodigy clearly wasn't interested in Enoshima's proposal, if that scoff she did was anything to go by "Like I'd w-want to go anywhere with a dirty s-slut like you…"
Twitch.
…
"Slut…?" The Fashionista echoed.
"Your brain is as th-thin as your body. You m-make me sick to my s-stomach…"
What, all you have is hair instead of brains?
…Again with the brain thing…
"I-I bet someone like you might e-even―"
"You are being quite rude, don't you think?" I said in the most neutral tone of voice I could manage. As much as I didn't liked what Fukawa said, I was aware that snapping at someone wouldn't do me any favors.
Though I couldn't avoid narrowing my eyes.
Of course, in moments like these, even that was too much. The writer yelped while losing the bravado to keep saying anything else, but it seemed my words also affected the rest of my classmates if the total silence on their part along with the concerned looks was any proof.
Besides Enoshima who was sending me a grateful smile, the majority were looking at me with some level of trepidation, probably fearing that my next move will be to attack Fukawa. Although there were some special cases, like Celeste, who instead was looking at me with calculating eyes and one of those deceptive smiles.
"Alright guys, everybody just calm down, okay? All this stress is bad for your skin, y'know?" But once again, Hiro seemed to be in his own world, and in some kind of weird way, it actually helped this time.
"Yeah! It sounds like you two are so close now you are fighting like sisters!" …I'm just gonna take that as Maizono just trying to defuse the situation "Um, anyways, it looks like I'm the only one left. I went and had a look around the dining hall, I found a pair of fridges in the back of the kitchen, and it was overflowing with all kinds of stuff. I guess we don't have to worry about food, at least!" The idol exclaimed.
"Sure, for now. But even with all that, there are sixteen of us. How long can the food last…?" Yamada pointed out.
He wasn't wrong either; it would be a matter of time before the food ended. Could it be that was going to be one way to motivate us to kill each other? By starvation?
"Y-You can just eat sesame s-seeds of something…" Fukawa replied.
"Huh!? What am I, a parakeet?" Yamada sweatdropped.
"I don't think we have to worry about it. All the food gets restocked automatically each day. At least, that's what Monokuma said…" Maizono commented.
"You saw him too!?" Enoshima exclaimed.
"Yeah…" The Idol nodded, with her features growing a tad concerned "He came out of nowhere while I was checking the fridge, told me that, then disappeared again. He was so fast; I can't believe someone could have been moving him around with a remote control…"
"Geez, with Shigaraki and I it was something like that too, one moment we were investigating somethin' and then he appeared outta nowhere to mess with us and was gone just as fast, that bastard…" The Fashionista grumbled.
"A weaponized toy that can just appear from nowhere. I can't tell if we're supposed to be afraid or not" Fujisaki said nervously.
…You just have to repeat that in your mind to know the answer to that.
"But was everything okay? He didn't try to like, eat you guys of anything" Eat?
"E-Eat them…?" Ugh, I can already see where he was going by the face he was making… "Um, what do you mean by that? I mean, when you say 'eat', what kind of eating are we talking about?" The face he was making didn't help on making his statement any less perverse.
Unsurprisingly, everyone reacted to that.
"C-Come on, man!" Hina exclaimed wide-eyed.
"What the hell, fatty!? You're acting like some kind of sleazy drunk dude" Leon added.
"Not like there's a good kind of drunk…" Hiro trailed off
He is not wrong, but…
"Hey! Stop screwing around, all of you! Are you still asleep or something? We're prisoners here! We could all just die any second!" Enoshima snapped.
"She's right. We can't be making stupid jokes right now. We gotta do something, or―!"
"You're all spending an awful lot of time yelling and carrying on" Before Owada could finish that, someone else interrupted him. A voice that hadn't been heard at all during this discussion.
It was Kirigiri.
"Do you really think you can afford to do so? Have none of you accepted the reality of the situation?" The mysterious girl chided.
"Kirigiri! Where the heck have you been!? We already started the meeting without you!" Taka exclaimed.
Rather than addressing the Moral Compass, Kirigiri just ignored him and went to the table to drop a piece of paper on it.
I and everyone else looked at the paper and then at the silver-haired girl.
"This is…?" Naegi asked.
"It appears to be a map of Hope's Peak Academy" Kirigiri answered.
While everyone debated on whether to confront her for answers or taking a look at the map she brought, I opted for the latter option, giving the piece of paper a scrutinous glance.
It was admittedly an interesting discovery, which led me to understand another thing.
So, I was right…she actually found something. I knew she had a knack for these things. Her mysterious talent must be related to this sort of thing…
"A map…?" Still, in process of understanding what was happening, Naegi echoed.
"Wh-What the…? Where did you find this?" Taka questioned.
"It doesn't matter where I found it" Was all Kirigiri intended to say.
"It DOES matter!" That didn't satisfy Taka though "You're really freaking us out right now!"
And he was right 'Not the freaking us part, of course', but it was obvious she won't tell anything more. Out of everyone here, she was the wariest of us.
Even more than me, considering how weird I've been acting recently…
"Never mind that" Enoshima seemed to understand the futility of coercing the silver-haired girl without requiring…less than stellar methods, as she didn't push the matter further "What does it mean?"
"The building we're in right now is laid out in precisely the same way as Hope's Peak Academy" Kirigiri stated.
Among the gasp of surprise, Naegi turned to Kirigiri with a concerned expression "So what you're saying is…this really is Hope's Peak Academy?"
"Well, in terms of its construction, yes…" While Kirigiri's expression was unreadable, the tone of her voice told me the skepticism at Naegi's implication "But it looks like it's had a number of strange…renovations were done to it"
"Renovations…?" Naegi echoed.
"But then…this really is Hope's Peak. We didn't get kidnapped and taken to some other place…" Fujisaki said nervously.
The implications of what the Ultimate Programmer said clearly were dawning quickly on everyone, with the mood among the group shifting between uneasiness, concern, and panic, among other varieties of negative emotions.
…
I…suppose there is no harm in talking about this too…
"I don't think that's the case Fujisaki…"
"Eh? Why do you think that?" Hina asked.
"H-Huh? D-Did you found find something else?" Followed by the Programmer, although it appears that my negation made him nervous…more than usual.
At the mention of that, everyone, including Kirigiri, turned to me…again.
What is this, my popular phase?
Leaving aside how uncomfortable the attention was making me, I replied "It's less that I found something else and more that everything points to be just impossible for this to be Hope's Peak"
"Do you have any evidence on that?" Kirigiri asked, it didn't had any confrontational emotion to her tone and it didn't feel like an accusation either. If I had to take a guess, she was just looking for the facts on what I was claiming.
"…In a way" I assented at her "You talked about the renovations done to it. If that map you brought is any indication, I'm assuming this includes the steel plates, the vault door, and the mounted weapons at the main hall, correct?"
She simply gave me a nod.
"Alright, then here's what I think…" I also took a breath in and out, knowing what I was about to say next was far from short "…There's a chance that the surveillance cameras and those TV's all around the building are also additions to it even if the map doesn't talk about it, but I don't have a clue on that, so I won't make assumptions on them. Regardless of that though, with the first three things I listed beforehand, the installation of all that would take weeks, and that's being generous. I don't need to be the Ultimate Architect or Engineer to know that, just looking at how complex each one of those details is should tell you that it wasn't a quick addition. It's also a fact that not a single one of us saw any of those things before getting knocked out, which reduces further the chances of this occurring in the same place. Finally, even if we ignore the previous point, we couldn't have been unconscious for that long. Either we would've starved or developed a terrible physical condition if they did feed us like some kind of comatose patient, which again, solidifies the fact that whoever is responsible for our capture didn't have the chance to install all of that within the time frame of our slumber. It is reasonable to believe that instead, they used that time to move all of us to a different location which had all the preparations needed for the situation we find ourselves right now with clear anticipation"
If I were any other person, I would've probably finished with a huff in an attempt to recover some air. After all, I think today I have talked more than in entire weeks, maybe months combined…I was sure normally that would have been a concerning thought. Can't say it was for me though.
Once I was done with my explanation, I couldn't help raising an eyebrow when I noticed that all of them were looking at me like I'd grown a second head. With people like Yamada and Hiro having their eyes swirling in apparent dizziness, and even Kirigiri having a reaction, which was glaring at me with some kind of intensity that I don't think was normal on her. I wouldn't say it was necessarily hateful, but neither couldn't I deny there was some hostility to it.
"What?" Which of course, led me to ask the only reasonable question in such a scenario.
"Dude…you're some kind of detective now or what?" Leon questioned.
"My, my it seems that way, doesn't it? To put together all of that with the little information we have…" Celeste added.
Some gave their own nod of affirmation at that.
…Huh.
…
…
…
…Anyhow.
"It is an important part of my talent to be observant of those kinds of details" Rather than basking in the sudden praise, I opted to just dismiss it with a quick explanation. I wasn't interested in getting side-tracked for some kind of boost to my ego "Sometimes it's a matter of living or dying to see if there's anything out of place in your surroundings. I'm sure someone with the actual talent of Ultimate Detective or similar, would do a much better job at noticing what I told you and some more"
It seemed to work as intended, as they dropped the matter…Well, Kirigiri still gave me a look a few extra moments before returning to her default thinking pose.
"Then…if this isn't really Hope's Peak, where are we…?" Hina asked.
"Hey, come on, guys. Let's just stop talking about this…you know, negative stuff…" Hiro commented nonchalantly, because of course he did…
"But aren't you worried?" Still not losing faith in the Clairvoyant, Naegi attempted to make him see the truth "Things aren't looking good…"
"Worried? What's there to be worried about?" Which went as badly as one would expect "I mean, this was all planned out, right? The people in charge of Hope's Peak put this all together, right?"
"…Is he serious right now?" Enoshima deadpanned.
"Man! If I got stressed every time something like this happened, I'd have ectoplasm shooting out of my mouth" More like out of your brain… "Good things come to those who wait, right? So, we gotta chill and everything will work itself out!"
"Hahahaha!" Apparently, Hiro's logic finally took his first victim in the form of Celeste's sanity.
"W-Why are you laughing? What's so funny!?" Fukawa snarled.
"I am just happy, that is all…" The gambler said with a smile "Besides, it seems splitting up to investigate was a good idea, after all"
"Haven't you b-been listening!? Looking around was a t-total waste of t-time! We d-didn't find a way out, didn't f-find who's behind all of this. We still have no idea what's g-going on!" Fukawa said with rising panic.
At that, Celeste made a face of faux shock "Huh? Is it not crystal clear to you what is going on? It is perfectly obvious that we have been imprisoned in some secret location, with no way out"
"You didn't h-have to go and s-say that!" Fukawa snapped with a shaky tone. "I w-was trying not to th-think about it…" Denying the reality of the situation won't help you or anyone inside this place "N-No way out…We're t-trapped here. What are we supposed to d-do…?"
Togami made a mocking face at that "It's very simple. If you want to leave, you just have to kill―"
"Don't even think of joking about that!" Unsurprisingly, the Swimmer Pro, and nobody else for that matter, was taking the Heir's commentary with amusement.
"Everyone, just calm down, please! We need to stop and think about what to do from now here" Maizono exclaimed.
"Yeah! There's gotta be SOMETHING we can do…right?" Leon said.
"All we can do is adapt. Adapt to living our lives here from now on" Celeste stated.
"Live here…?" Fujisaki asked in a distraught tone "Are you saying we should just accept it?"
"A lack of adaptability…is a lack of survivability. Survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt" The gambler replied.
While it was true that the two of us probably have different ways of seeing the word, she was right, if I used the same method for each job I had, I would've become predictable, and being predictable in the environment I have spent more than half of my life, would have cost me a quick death. Adaptation has been key for my survival so far, even now, being here at the same table as these people was proof of that.
"As someone who has come out on top more than once…" Seeing that nobody was saying anything else, Celeste once again gathered everyone's attention "I have a suggestion"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Owada growled.
"We all understand that we are trapped here. Which means we will be spending the night. However, you all remember the rules regarding nighttime, right?" The Gambler commented in a completely serious tone.
Nighttime is from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.
Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.
I remember…Those were the rules I used to suspect that there was a 'sleeping' area of sorts.
"So, regarding this 'Nighttime', I think we need to add a rule of our own," Celeste said.
Among the quirked eyebrows at what she was saying, Naegi took one for the group "What do you mean?"
"It is rather simple; I propose that going out at nighttime should be prohibited altogether. The school regulations do not actually tell us not to go out at night, so I would like to make it official" The Gambler declared.
"B-But why…?" Fukawa questioned.
"Isn't it obvious? The way things are now, every time night comes, we will all start to get worried and anxious. We will be afraid someone might try and come to kill us" Ignoring the distressed faces her far-from false statement caused, Celeste went on "If we have to worry about that, night after night for who knows how long, it will wear us down in no time"
"So, you're suggesting we limit our activity at night as a kind of preventative measure" Ogami surmised.
The red-eyed girl nodded at the Martial Artist "However, unlike other rules, nobody can be forced to comply. We all have to agree to follow it"
"I see what you mean. But…I think I can agree to follow that. It's like the little goth lolita said. Without something like that, we're just gonna self-destruct" Enoshima commented.
In a way, she was right. What Celeste suggested could work as an extra layer of security for all of us…It was a false one, nothing more than an illusion, but I was sure most of our classmates won't think too hard about it.
"On behalf of all the men here, I agree to comply!" Taka exclaimed.
"Hey, you can't just decide to speak for us!" Leaving aside the redhead's protest…Well, I wasn't going to make a rebuttal against the declaration of the Moral Compass.
After all, I will just break the curfew when I see the need to do it.
"So, everyone is in agreement? Good" Apparently, Celeste also intended on ignoring the Baseball Star "Then if you will excuse me…".
"Huh? Wait, where are you going?" Fujisaki asked.
"It is almost nighttime. I want to take a shower before it arrives. So…goodbye" And that was all the Gambler said before leaving the dining hall.
"S-So I guess it's pretty obvious where we go from here. We'll be spending the night in this place, it looks like" Yamada sweatdropped.
"Adaptability…" It seems like Ogami was taking the Gambler's word deeply into consideration.
"So, Mr. Chairman…" Just how many monikers Enoshima had for him? "What next? One person already left"
"U-Um…Well then, what do you guys say we call an end to today's meeting!? Like she said, it's almost nighttime anyway. We can reconvene first thing in the morning!" I just hope he doesn't take the role of a clock alarm…
"Do we really have to stay the night here…?" Fujisaki asked.
"We don't have a choice. We can't go for long without getting some sleep, can we?" Enoshima replied.
"So, we have to just give up…" Owada muttered.
"That's all f-fine and good for t-today, but what do we do tomorrow?" Fukawa asked.
"Our only option is to split up and look around again, and let everyone know if we find anything" Ogami stated.
The Swimmer Pro nodded at the Martial Artist with a determined look "Yeah, okay. Let's do that!"
"Then we're done for today? Good, I'm exhausted…" The Fashionista quickly commented before following Celeste's Example.
One by one everyone else left the dining hall too, myself included.
And with nothing else to do for today, I headed to my own room.