Taking A Peek at The Fangs of The Wolf.

After our encounter with that remarkably bizarre letter, Enoshima and I left the library to continue our exploration for a little while. We did so from where we left it, which is to say, the greenlit area of the second floor.

There isn't much to say about the discoveries we made in there if they could even be called that. We only found some classrooms with nothing out of the ordinary in each of them besides those weird drawings on the chalkboards Monokuma, most probably, made. The only thing we could show for it is further proof of the eccentricity of our captor. 'As if someone needed more of that…'

And that was the conclusion of our investigation on the new floor, which brings me to this very moment.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" The loud voice of the Ultimate Moral Compass resounded within the dining hall "It's time to present the results of our endeavor! Did anyone find anything of interest!?"

I can undoubtedly admit that in comparison to the exploration of the first floor, the second floor made up for it with an abundant variety of findings, especially what I found in the boy's bathroom. Until I confirm that Fujisaki can actually do something with that laptop in the library, that location holds my biggest expectations.

Of course, all of this fall into information I can't reveal to anyone here.

In the meantime, I will refrain from doing anything besides listening to what the rest of the class is going to share, beginning with Yamada it seems "It's my pleasure to inform you that now we count with a library!"

"More importantly, a pool! There's a freaking pool! That, and locker rooms filled with equipment to work up with!" And as expected of the Ultimate Swimmer Pro, Hina was the one who announced the next big discovery on the second floor.

The Ultimate Martial Artist nodded at that with a smile "I see, those are good news indeed…" Though just as fast her mood turned sour "…However, I must inform you that I wasn't capable of finding anything resembling an escape route"

The rest of the group's atmosphere followed in the same downcast direction at that statement, understandably so. It's not some groundbreaking discovery, and I have no way of knowing if this is all there's to it, but it appears that one of the objectives from the aperture of the second was to give a temporary sense of hope only to turn into despair when the futility of escaping by any other mean that isn't killing a classmate makes itself know.

Credit where is due though, for Taka that wasn't enough to make him sulk "C'mon my friends, this isn't time to get depressed! Even less so when you all hear of this amazing discovery I made!"

Hmm, last time he said something like this, his 'grand' revelation ended up being the peak of uselessness, so I have a bit 'More like a lot' of skepticism about what he's going to say "The warehouse and bathhouse on the first floor have become available for us!" Ah, never mind, then "From what I could gather, the warehouse is fully stocked with food, clothes, and whatever else you can think about! It's insane! Everyone, please feel free to supply yourselves with whatever you want anytime you want!"

The bathhouse doesn't sound of much importance, though seeing where I found that, I can't discard the potential value I can discover there. As for the warehouse, that for sure sounds more promising in the first instance.

"Hehehehe, while that for sure sounds like fabulous news, I hope I don't need to constantly make a reminder that going out at nighttime is still forbidden. Please do not forget…" I wasn't surprised at all when the Ultimate Gambler turned in my direction "…and while it is appreciated that your actions prevented a tragedy from occurring, keep in mind that you are not exempted from this, Shigaraki"

"Mhm" Whether she knows that I won't hold on to that or not, she opted to not press for further confirmation on my part.

Leaving aside that not for the first time 'And I highly doubt it will be the last one either…', Celeste left Naegi, Maizono, and Leon feeling uncomfortable, a new voice came to put a halt to the Moral Compass parade.

"Oi, your goin' wild about this warehouse you found. So what? Did ya find anythin' in there that could help us get out of this shitty place? Or even better, an actual fuckin' way outta here?"

The only results he got out of those questions was a stammering Taka "E-Eh? Ah…um, w-well…no, nothing of the sort actually…"

*Slam*

If someone wasn't interested in paying attention to Owada's rant, slamming his fist into the table made sure of fixing that "…You guys can't be fuckin' serious…why the fuck are y'all acting so giddy about a pool or a goddamn library!? Don't mess with me! We need to find a way OUT, not freakin' gettin' used to this place!"

Though it seemed that wasn't enough to impress Celeste "Now, now. Taking your anger on us won't resolve anything. For now, adapting to our current environment is of essence. Whether there's a solution or not for such a dilemma, finding a way to enjoy our current facilities is the best way to confront our situation, don't you think so as well?"

Owada just scoffed at that "…Tch, whatever, ya creepy loon…"

The gambler didn't say anything to that, choosing instead to just give him a curt smile with her eyes closed. A totally composed behavior… if it weren't because of that brief moment in which her left eye twitched.

Did Owada managed to touch a button?

"W-Well, for now…" The Ultimate Moral Compass worriedly looked around the group, as if…searching for something? Someone? Whatever it was, he apparently found it the moment he put his sight on me, the look full of renewed vigor sent in my direction confirms that much "Ah! Shigaraki, you haven't spoken yet! Do you have anything for us you'd like to report? Surely you've made lots of interesting discoveries!"

…Damnit.

As if on automatic, fifteen heads turned in my direction, and while some diverged to certain degrees about what expressions they held, varying from expectation, anticipation, or judging contempt 'Anyone wants to take a guess who was the case for that last one?'. All of them, without exception, showed clear signs of curiosity. Curiosity about what I will respond in regards to Taka's query. Hell, even Kirigiri, who wasn't even trying to hide how bored out of her mind she was about this reunion, now looked as if her favorite food was about to be served. 'Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that last statement turned out to be true to some degree in a metaphorical sense…'

And myself? I was internally groaning at being put on the spot like this. Saying that I made discoveries would be an understatement, true…but as if I was going to share any of it with them. While Enoshima is a special case in which I don't want to put a target on her back for knowing too much, for a variety of reasons I can't rely on the rest of the class.

First of all, I have no idea what each of them would do with the intel I have at my disposal. I can make assessments of it, sure, but that wouldn't work as a one hundred percent guarantee of going as expected in the already slim 'Way too slim…' chance that they wouldn't act as a hindrance in any estimation I do about them. Then there's the obvious reason: Monokuma. Even if he wasn't watching us right now 'As if', I know that at least half of the class, and that's being generous, will eventually have a slip of the tongue and reveal something they shouldn't in front of him. That also brings me to one of my most important reasons to not trust these people, which is…

…I can't discard the possibility of either a traitor or a mole being among us.

"…Well, there is something else to point out about the library, besides its existence that is" For the time being, I know that not saying anything will bring some suspicion onto me, so might as well talk about something around half of the group already knows but haven't bothered to bring up "While rummaging around the shelves, I found a letter"

Taka glanced around those who made sounds of acknowledgment at what I said before addressing me again "A letter? What did it say?"

"To put it simply, its contents talked of an issue, which isn't elaborated further than that, and that such problem forced Hope's Peak to cease functions since a year ago if Kirigiri's estimation is anything to go by"

While the silver-haired girl seemed the tiniest bit of caught off-guard and also slightly irked, seeing the pointed glance she was sending me, at being put on the spot, those who hadn't been previously aware of such revelation had their own reactions ready.

Besides the expected surprise at hearing this, Taka's reaction to this was making a horrified face while paling as if he has just heard the scariest horror story in his life, Celeste certainly kept her nerves steeled enough that if she was impacted by these developments, she didn't allow anyone to see. Meanwhile, among those who just heard of this, she was also the first one on catching the possible implications of this.

"My, while this for sure is an unexpected thing to hear about if this letter you speak of has been found in here of all places…are you perhaps implying that this is the real Hope's Peak Academy?"

That statement worked like a charm to disturb some people, not surprisingly, Taka more than everyone else "W-What!? Then all this time…all this time we have been truly inside a proper educational environment!?" This guy clearly has his priorities straight, huh? "O-Oh no! Just how many infractions have I been letting slide so far!?"

It's only been a week, but that has been more than enough time for me to understand how absurdly quickly these people are to jump at the first conclusion they hear, no matter from who it comes. While it's true nobody is worried about the same thing as the Ultimate Moral Compass, Celeste's words worked up enough people that if they are left to their own devices, no doubt this will keep going in circles.

For a change, this doesn't involve them suspecting me of something, which while appreciated…I don't want to spend the next hour hearing their cries of panic from the possibilities that this being the actual Hope's Peak could imply.

"…Before you people get ahead of yourselves…" Whether it was a struck of good luck or not, hearing me talk put their attention on me "…You have to remember that I wasn't confirming that this was indeed Hope's Peak, only that the possibility of it now has a real chance of being the case"

While they were digesting my words, Togami gave me an amused look "Mhmhm, you're still trying to keep face now that your initial assumption isn't as perfect as you made it be, don't you?"

While Enoshima scoffed at the Heir, I prevented myself from sighing in exasperation. I can only guess how much this would extend if I react like that in front of him "Whether you believe me or not, both then and now I've been working under the information available to us, and as you already pointed out back on the library, that letter is circumstantial evidence at best"

I couldn't be more honest in that entire statement even if I tried to. Thinking more deeply about it, there are a pair more things that bother me about that letter. The envelope pointed to the headmaster being responsible for its contents, which that in itself isn't strange, what's worth pointing out is that the letter suggests that it comes from an executive-level authority.

I may be 'home-schooled' but even I know that in any normal high-school such title belongs to the headmaster…Hope's Peak isn't your normal high school in any sense of the word, though. I don't know if it's because of how much influence they have gathered during the years or if it's because of their close ties with the government, maybe it's a combination of the two, but the board of trustees is the ultimate authority within the academy.

That is to say, as members of the highest position, a letter of executive rank should've come from them, not the headmaster. The possibility that the higher-ups of the school just opted to put the responsibility on the headmaster is there, it is by far the most plausible scenario and there isn't any reason to believe as otherwise…which with our current situation taken into account, even if some corner of my mind is telling me that I'm overthinking this too much, I can't help feeling skeptical about it.

…

…

…Sigh.

Look at me, going around finding shreds of evidence and making clues out of them in an attempt to solve the mysteries surrounding this place. The Assassin 'playing' at being Detective. It isn't enough to make me laugh, but the irony one can find in that doesn't go undetected.

Either way, while I was pondering about this, it seems those previously affected by the possible implications of the letter recovered. Even Taka regained his composure, or what it counts as such "I-I guess you are correct, Shigaraki, it's too early to jump to conclusions like old ladies on a big sale!" Huh? "Though be that as it may…um, is there anything else you could share with us?"

I just gave a shake of denial with my head.

"Erm, does…does anyone else have something to share? Any ideas or suggestions, perhaps? Anything?"

It seems that my 'contribution' was the last thing anyone was available to share, I could confirm that much with the gloom silence, and awkward glances everyone threw at each other that followed the Ultimate Moral Compass inquiry.

In her own reserved way, I could see that Kirigiri was taking this lack of dialogue as her cue to call it a day with this meeting. The mysterious girl turned to our 'leader' and opened her mouth―

"U-Uh, I…I-I might have an idea, h-hehe…" ―Only to be interrupted by a nervous Hiro of all people as he raised his hand while he said…that.

What?

If anyone were to ask how it looks to be both surprised and dubious at the same time, how each one of us without exception, attending this dining hall meeting looked would be a pretty accurate visual representation of such a mix of emotions.

Even Taka, desperate for suggestions as he was, carefully eyed the Ultimate Clairvoyant up and down before giving him the green light with a firm nod "Of course, if you have any insight for us, feel free to speak your mind!"

Hiro replied in kind with a shaky nod before turning to…Ogami "…H-Hey, Ogre?"

While Hina shot him an annoyed look, the Ultimate Martial Artist raised a hand and shook her head while giving the Swimmer Pro a small smile to placate any animosity that could've come out of that before glancing back to Hiro "Yes? What is it?"

Giving an audible gulp, the Clairvoyant now looked at…me "Uh, in…in case Shigaraki-chi doesn't take it cool and attempts to lung at me…" Eyes reasonably widened at what he was saying "…Can you back me up and prevent him from t-trying to k-kill me…yeah?"

…

…

…

…If Hiro was trying to be reassuring for anyone in this room…he only managed to do so with Togami, who now for sure was giving his entire attention to the Clairvoyant.

As for the rest?

Before Hiro began to talk, the mood was relatively sour because of the lack of progress in finding a way out, but nothing else beyond that. Now? It was almost as if the atmosphere grew heavy, one could almost feel the tension in the air as everyone looked back and forth between Hiro, Ogami, and me.

So far it seems that most members of the class have lost their fear of me they have shown for the past days thanks to my 'Heroic' actions…but even the densest of them became once again wary of me, nothing near to what they used to, but it was there nonetheless all thanks to the Ultimate Clairvoyant commentary and the lack of positive outcomes one could get out of it.

Ogami, understandably so, was the more weirded out by Hiro's request, followed by Hina who was giving the strongest woman in the world a worried look. Enoshima was a close third if those narrowed eyes of hers with a not so concealed glint of suspicion at his direction were anything to go by.

Despite that, the Ultimate Martial Artist choose to be the actual reassuring person as she addressed Hiro "…I…in the event that Shigaraki were to turn violent on you, that is, he actually attempts to physically hurt you, then…aye, I will do something about it…" Hiro gave Ogami a shaky smile that died out just as fast when he saw the stern expression on the Martial Artist's face "…However, I don't know what you are about to say, but whatever it is, I expect you to be cordial about it. The same way I will mediate for your integrity, I will do the same for his, have I made myself clear?"

"Eep! Y-Yes, of course!"

Ogami didn't seemed convinced, nevertheless, she decided to leave it at that in favor of speaking to me "Shigaraki, I hope you understand this isn't personal and that I won't act against you unless it feels like the reasonable way to proceed"

Now all eyes were on me and only me, no doubt wondering how I will act to this turn of events and what Ogami is saying. There was also the slight hint of fear lingering in their faces, perhaps expecting that I will not take kindly to her words, or worse, the possibility of this leading to a confrontation between us two.

What a hassle.

Not for the first time 'And I know it won't be the last one either', I internally cursed at getting this much attention from so many people.

Despite that, I swallowed any complaints I had about this to give my response to Ogami "…Don't worry, I know you aren't at fault for this, and I will also keep an open mind about what Hiro has to say. I can guarantee you that much"

Unlike with the Clairvoyant, Ogami seemed relieved at hearing this. Whether it was by my words or that she understands that I'm not interested in wagering with Enoshima's integrity in a fit of violence, she nodded at me before signaling for Hiro to finally speak up about whatever he is planning to.

Choosing that as his cue, the Clairvoyant gave me an apprehensive smile before sharing this 'grand' idea that has been cooking up in his brain "…H-Hey, Shigaraki-chi…m-my man, my dude, my…erm, uh…Ah! Brother from a different mother!"

Among the gasps following…that, it didn't go unnoticed by me how, besides Ogami giving Hiro a warning look, both Yamada and Celeste looked like they wanted to be anywhere but sitting beside the Clairvoyant, with the Gambler discretely moving her seat slightly closer to the Swimmer Pro while the Ultimate Fanfic Creator was beginning to bite his nails out of stress.

Of course, all of this went past Hiro as he continued "So, uh…my bro, you…you've been doin' great so far! All this good stuff you have done for the group, that's, like, so cool, yeah?"

I blinked owlishly at him "…You said something about having an idea, and it seems that involves me in some way, so can you get to the point of it?"

Based on how he has acted so far, I have a fancy feeling of where he is going with this, it's something remarkably radical even by this guy standards, but at the same time, it feels like the kind of thing someone of his intellect would suggest. Until it comes out of his mouth, though, I have no way of going further than that in my suspicion.

Regardless of my inner thoughts or the fact that I didn't snap at him, hearing me addressing him seemed enough for the Ultimate Clairvoyant to receive a hit at his composure "A-Ah! Y-Y-Yes, the point! The point! Y'see, I was thinking…uh, can you do me―I mean us! Us a favor!?"

I blinked again "…What kind of favor?"

"I…I was wondering, h-hehe, seeing that you are so willing to self-sacrifice for us, can…can you take one for the team…o-one last time? Please!?" It seems my hunch hit the bullseye.

Although a not-so-small number of classmates were giving confused looks at Hiro, not understanding what he was saying, a few did catch on to what the Clairvoyant was asking of me. Togami was having the time of his life; I can tell that much with the barely contained mirth on his face. With Kirigiri, she was launching a frowned glance at Hiro while raising a single brow, wondering if there's a limit to how dumb can he be '…Or is it just me doing that?'. Meanwhile, Celeste was already glued next to Hina while sending a strained close-eyed smile at him.

And besides all of that…

…From the corner of my line of sight, I could also see that Enoshima's face morphed into…something. Her mouth turned into a thin line and she was looking intently at Hiro, but most noticeable of all, it was how empty her eyes came across. Almost as if no different than if she was staring at someone who was among the lowest of the low.

"…One last time…? What are you suggesting?" Ogami inquired, her voice suggesting that even if she wasn't fully aware of where this was going, she didn't like it one bit.

I decided to cut the chase of this and be blunt about it. There was no reason to drag this more than what it has been already done "He's talking about the 'Slayer of Assassins' perk…" Ignoring the baffled looks, I elaborated "…You are asking to allow someone to kill me and claim this benefit, aren't you?"

Having more common sense than him, Hina squawked at what I was saying "W-What!? Shigaraki, y-you…you can't go and assume something like that! There's no way he would―"

"I-I wouldn't say it that crude, but…" Though for all the faith Hina could have in him, it appeared it was of no use for Hiro thanks to what he said next "…I-I mean, you said it yourself before, d-didn't ya? There's no one waiting for ya out there, meanwhile, if, if you allow…y'know, that to happen, you would be saving half of us, dude! Half! That's lotsa people you would be gettin' outta here! Think of how much of a Hero you would be for us and our families, my dude! So…w-what…what do ya think?"

…

"…" …Surprisingly, the only segment that truly irked me about what he said was the part about becoming a Hero. Even when he talked about no one waiting for me, I could take it in stride, after all, I'm aware that it was me who sold that lie.

But putting aside what I thought of it, if there was one word to describe the general vibe of the group, then astonishment would be the most fitting one. Wide open eyes, hung open mouths and fearfully shaken bodies were different traits to describe the people who just caught up until now what the Ultimate Clairvoyant was suggesting.

Ogami recovered out of her daze with a quick shake of her head and seemed ready to have a few not-so-kind words with the Clairvoyant…or she would've done so if someone else hadn't beaten her to the punch.

"That was suuuch a lame joke, Hidiot. It was sooo bad that you should apologize to Shigaraki, like, right now"

"Hey! That wasn't a joke! And don't call me 'Hidiot', that's not my―E-E-Eeeep!?" Just as he was about to snap at the female voice, Hiro recoiled in fear at what he, or more specifically, all of us saw.

While the voice that made such commentary didn't sound angry, in its stead, it was so cold and apathetic that it was enough to make it feel like the temperature in the hall dropped exponentially. Not only that, but besides sending shivers down everyone's spines, one could almost feel the threat of death leaking out of such a voice.

Even so, none of that compared to the surprise everyone felt at seeing who this came from. After all, nobody would expect that such an emotionless way of speaking could come from Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista, of all people.

"I wasn't kidding either. Apologize…now" Her voice became even more passionless if that was even possible.

While everyone was getting surprised at seeing this side of Enoshima for the first time 'Though I admit not even I have seen it this clear before', a particularity about this stood up more than anything else to me.

Her eyes.

That's where her true emotions lingered. Sharp and ruthless light-violet orbs that held a cold and murderous fury ready to be unleashed if the Ultimate Clairvoyant replied the wrong way. That also worked as an intimidating contrast to how she sounded, and as our classmates shrank under her gaze, I couldn't help but feel…

…Jealous.

Although I held no envy towards the murderous feelings she was assaulting Hiro with. I wasn't able to suppress the desire that such gaze was pointed in my direction instead. That this fierce sight was to fall on me and only me.

…

While I was suppressing the heat surrounding my entire self and controlling my breathing from turning ragged because of…of whatever was invading my body and threatening to make my heart explode with how fast was beating, Hiro was brought out of his frozen daze and with a panicked look and a girly yelp, he snapped his head in my direction "I-I'M SORRY, A-ALRIGHT!? I…I was just an l-little bit scared and thought of the first thing that came to me, o-okay!? A-And…and as an apology, I will do ya a twenty percent discount in your next fortune read, how's that!?" Enoshima scowled further at that "Uwaaah! F-Free! A free read! O-O-Okay!?"

At least that woke me out of my own stupor.

I appreciate that Enoshima stood up for me, I honestly do. It couldn't make me happier to have someone like her at my side 'As a friend, of course', but if I am honest, this Hiro full of tears and mucus was more of a hassle than the one suggesting that someone should kill me. So, fortunately for him "…Mhm, I accept your apology" I wasn't interested in prolonging this more.

Once I did that, Enoshima, who still had an annoyed expression, nodded at the Clairvoyant "…*sigh* It wasn't that hard, was it? Now you better avoid pulling a stunt like that again, or else…" Enoshima trailed off when she finally noticed the silence, then a troubled look formed on her face when she began to gaze around and observed the stares she was receiving from everyone "E-Eh? What is it? It's…it's something wrong with my make-up!?"

Owada was the first one to voice out his piece "What the…? That shit ain't got anythin' to do with this…"

Seeing the weirded-out look on Enoshima, Yamada choose to elaborate "U-Um, what Master Owada is talking about is that you have surprised us with this, uh, new perspective you have graced us with, Miss Enoshima"

The Baseball Star also pipped in "Yeah, no kiddin'. Don't get me wrong, that dumbhead deserved a scare like that, but…uh, how do I put this? Hangin' out with Shigaraki has rubbed off on ya, huh?" Eh?

Meanwhile, Hina gave an affirmation of her own "Uh-huh, it seems that way, doesn't it? That's…erm, cute!... Kind of"

No doubt that my own embarrassment at what the class was saying in combination with Enoshima's 'Cute' squeak and her stammering would've prolonged this unproductive discussion. As our luck would have it, though, we got saved by the bell, or its closest approximate, Kirigiri clearing her throat to gather everyone's attention.

"With that incident resolved, I assume that we are done with today's meeting, right?"

As if suddenly remembering that he was the one in charge, Taka spoke up "Eh? Ah, I…I suppose that would be the case if nobody else has any other contribution to share…"

"Just to make things clear, tho. If someone plans to bring some more shitty ideas like that dumbass over there did…" The biker growled while cracking his knuckles and glaring at the Clairvoyant "…You would do better keepin' yer fuckin' mouth shut, ya hear!?"

Besides Hiro's whimpering, no one else said anything.

After the Ultimate Moral Compass confirmed as such, he addressed all of us with a slightly downcast aura on him "…I see, if this is truly everything we all have to report, then this meeting has reached its conclusion. Be that as it may, though, let's not lose sight of our goal and continue with our investigation! If anyone finds anything, please let everyone know!"

With a mix of people who did acknowledge his plea and others who didn't, the group got out of their seats and one by one scattered towards the exit of the dining hall to do their own thing.

"…Sheesh, these people can be such a pain sometimes, huh?" Except for Enoshima and me.

"…*sigh* You have no idea how constantly that thought runs through my head"

That gained me a small giggle from her "Oh? Throwing jabs at our classmates?"

I gave her a shrug "It's not like I hate any of them, but sometimes they are a bit, well…a bit too outside to what I'm used to dealing with"

"You don't? Then…" Enoshima paused for a moment before her mouth turned into a teasing smirk "…What about Togami? Not even him?"

I did a so-so gesture with my head "Eh, sometimes it's kinda tedious to deal with him, but besides that…"

Enoshima snorted at that…though not so long after, her features turned sour. Before I had any chance to ask her what was wrong, she spoke "And…and what about Hiro?"

My lips tightened into a thin line at that.

I…I understand where she's coming from, at least I think so. If someone were to genuinely claim they wanted you dead, or in the case of the Clairvoyant, 'request' it to give up on my life for their own benefit. A heated-up snap at that person would be the least someone would react under a scenario like that one…

…Though when it comes to me "…It may come as a surprise, but no, not even him. It's annoying how ignorant he is of…well, everything, that much I can admit. However, that's as far as it goes"

With way less explanation than I thought I would require for this, a glimmer of understanding flashed on Enoshima's eyes "…This has to do with you being an Assassin, doesn't it?"

I nodded at that "Mhm, I've spent years living under an ideology of kill or be killed, where threats against my life, whether they truly were backed up or not, came on a daily basis. I…um, it's not like I'm suicidal or anything!" With how little, or practically nothing, I fear my own death, one would have a hard time believing that… "But because I'm used to this, it's hard to hold a grudge when it comes to topics like these" …Wait, what the heck I'm talking with Enoshima about!? "L-Look…I'm…I'm sorry I brought up something like this. Yesterday I was the same, probably weirding you out and―"

"It's fine!"

…

…

…

"…Eh?" I couldn't hide the puzzled look on my face.

As if the realization of what she just said dawned on her, that confident declaration turned into nervousness "Ah! I…as I said, it's fine for you to talk stuff like this! I-I mean you have already told me of things related to what your talent is about, remember?"

I couldn't help blinking a few times before speaking once again "I…I certainly told you a few things, but they were kinda on a more superficial level. What I was talking about a few moments ago was…"

"More gruesome?" Enoshima supplied.

"Yeah…that" I awkwardly acknowledged.

"Well, you might think that, but I…" She trailed off, with her features turning into a mix of concentration and…worry? Either way, she did that for a few seconds, and then her eyes widened as if she found the answer she was looking for and snapped her fingers in my direction "The streets! Don't tell me ya forgot about it, Shigaraki? You might not find any of it in the magazines, but I've seen my fair share of things, y'know?"

I didn't forget about that, and it's not like I'm underestimating the things she could've seen during her time living like that, but… "…Are you sure? I still feel like this and that are different things…"

"Mhm! I mean, you've always listened to whatever I talk about, no matter what or how outta nowhere it came from. It's only fair that as your friend I do the same in turn, don't ya think so?"

…That word, huh?

"If you put it like that…I guess I can't refuse" As if I would've refuted anything coming from her "Even so, if there's anything I were to say that does make you uncomfortable, let me know about it, alright?"

"Hehe, you will be surprised how though my skin is for this kind of stuff!" Enoshima launched me a grin along with that peace sign gesture of hers. 'Huh, it's been a while since I have last seen her do that…'

"I will hold you on to that, then" That's what I said, but the smile I had on my face told me I wasn't expecting an actual serious response from her "For now, what do you think of―"

"Ah wait, one more thing"

And so I did. I paused what previously was coming out of my mouth to gesture for her to continue "What is it?"

"Y'see, it's good and all that we reached an agreement on what you can talk with me, but that happened cuz we got side-tracked from our talk about that buzzard and that bad taste junk he talked about"

Buzzard? "Are you talking about Hiro?"

"Yep, I know ya have the patience to deal with whatever he or any other jackass throws at you, but ya don't have to. It's okay to let loose a little bit, you know that, right?"

I couldn't prevent deadpanning a bit at that "I don't think our classmates would take it well if I were to 'let loose'…"

It's not like I particularly care about their opinion of me, even less so now that I have discarded any plans of becoming the blackened, but I'm not blind as to not see how the benefits of keeping like it is right now, far outweighing the benefits 'If there's any at all' of being feared by the group.

Though it seems Enoshima didn't saw it that way, if that scoff was any indication "Hmph, a scare or two is the least some of them deserve with how jerks they have been to you" It's not like their reactions were unfolded, even if they didn't know about it "C'mon, Shigaraki, I can't get mad at those insensitive comments they make at you for the both of us all the time, y'know?"

Even if it wasn't much in comparison to other incidents, the guilt of putting her in a position like that one certainly is motivation enough "…*sigh* Next time someone steps out of line, I will make it know, sounds fair?"

The Ultimate Fashionista looked at me up and now for a few moments before nodding "Sounds fair, now it's me who will hold you on to that, you got me?"

"Yeah, I got you" I couldn't help a smirk, the closest I've had to an actual laugh in a long while, at the exchange that just transpired. A stern Enoshima surely is a side I wasn't expecting to see today, even less so to lecture me of all people.

Can't say I dislike it, though.

"Anyhow, before we got into…uh, whatever that was, you were about to say something, right?"

"…Ah, right. There's still some time left before the nighttime announcement hits, and what Taka said about the warehouse and bathhouse opening caught my attention. I was wondering―"

"Sure! I'm cool with accompanying you for a little while more~"

…That obvious, huh?

Seeing that it was the closest 'Really, we could literally see it from the entrance of the dining hall', we selected the bathhouse as the first location to check.

It seems that this place truly left an impression on us, as the moment we were just a pair of steps from getting inside, both Enoshima and I stopped dead in our tracks and glanced at it with wariness.

Though before we had any opportunity to recover by ourselves out of our stupor…

! ! !

…It was forced out of us by an unwelcomed newcomer.

"You could not live with your own horniness. Where did that bring you? back to the place which saw it born!" That is to say, Monokuma.

While Enoshima tensed up at seeing the monochrome bear, I was already in front of her with a scowl on my face in case he tried anything. Both of us were way too distracted to pay attention to that innuendo he made "What do you want?"

Instead of answering he just went on "Ah~ Being here sure brings back memories, doesn't it? It's the first location you guys wanted to investigate on your first day here…or at least that was the excuse you gave me. I stand firm in my belief you were just making things up to find a hidden spot and hump your killer rod into―"

"Tch, if you aren't here to say something useful you can go way" Goddammit! Here we go again with this asshole antics.

The monochrome bear had the gall of looking hurt at that "W-What!? But I just came here! Besides, back in the pool room, I missed the opportunity to mess with you two in front of your classmates!" A silver lining, I guess "As much of a wasted opportunity that was, it couldn't be helped, though, I was busy with―Ah! Nothing! I wasn't busy doing anything suspicious, you hear me!?"

I squinted my eyes at that last part "Busy with what?"

"By the way, do you wanna hear some interesting piece of trivia?"

…

…Putting aside the irking feeling at being ignored "No"

Out of everyone in this place, this thing is the last individual I want to hear anything from.

"Well, I will tell you anyways!" Not like that detained him anyways "Ravens and Wolves are such curious animals, don'tcha think so?"

"…What?" I wasn't interested in his ramblings, but that came so out of nowhere that I couldn't help the involuntary question.

Which unfortunately the monochrome bear took as a green light to continue "I mean, not many people know of this, but it is a scientifically confirmed fact that ravens and wolves tend to form symbiotic relationships. Those annoying birds do the both stealthy and agile jobs of scouting prey. Meanwhile, the unevolved dogs act as the though frontliners while hunting their game which is practically brought in a silver plate by their ugly companions. Fascinating, isn't it?"

…What?

I understand it would be wishful thinking to ask for coherence from him, but this is taking it to different levels of nonsense. I also get that when the monochrome bear talks about ravens, he's referring to me...but what the heck was with the rest of it? Was there a meaning in that in the first place?

Did he say something about ravens, wolves, and…their relationship? If I'm a raven, does…does that mean that he's correlating Enoshima as the wolf? But what does that have to do with her?

And why does it feels so fitting on her?

"On a side note, you've been acting so meek and quiet every time you see me since the gym announcement, what's up with that?"

I know that he wasn't talking to me when he said that. Because of that, I turned to the only other individual he could be addressing. Looking back behind me, I saw Enoshima and―

…

…

…Huh?

Enoshima reacting negatively to Monokuma's presence was not a surprise for me, after all, she had a close encounter with death thanks to him just yesterday. That's also why, even though the monochrome bear has shown that he's willing to abide by his own rules 'For now…', I've been taking protective positions when anything that Monokuma could use to harm her comes into sight. Monokuma himself included in that.

But even with that into consideration, I was surprised to see how much this affected her. Besides her skin tone turning into a seemingly pale blue, she was nervously sticking the left arm to the side of her body while her hand was furiously clenching and unclenching and the other hand scratching the back of it. And if that wasn't enough to show her stress, how she was gazing down as if…in shame? Guilt? Maybe it was both, but whichever it was, it worked as proof enough of the anxiety she was feeling.

It was a sight that was making my stomach churn, though before I could ask Enoshima what was wrong, Monokuma spoke up once again "Huh? Huh? And what's with you also acting like a damsel in distress, hiding behind gloomy eye's back? That looks so laaaaaame on someone like you!"

Whatever was happening here, seeing Enoshima flinch when she was called out by him was enough for me to mix irking feeling I had towards Monokuma and my worry for her into anger "Leave her alone! Scumbag!"

"E-Eh!? You kiss your mother with that mouth!? Oh, wait…was that too much? Well, it's not like I care. Either way…" Once again, he turned his jagged red eye to Enoshima "Is it because your tummy hurts? A terminal disease, perhaps? Maybe…could it be that the wolf ate your tongue? Or is it possible that you are a wolf yourself!?"

"Y…Y-You…Y-You don't…I-I-I d-don't know what…what y-you are―"

"Ehhhh? I thought I was talking with a Fashionista and not with that stuttering mess of a Novel Writer. What was it that you were going to say? Or maybe I should talk a bit more myself? Though who knows what might come out of this mischievous mouth if you allow that~"

That only made Enoshima stammer, even more, all the while she doubled down on being both terrified and trembling. Whatever it is Monokuma was doing, it's obvious it was working well enough to torment her.

Of course, this also made my lividness grow exponentially.

With clenched fists, I snarled at the toy reject "You piece of shit! Don't make me repeat myself! Leave her in peace or―!"

"Or what? Are ya gonna punch this teddy adorable face? Would you really volunteer to be the first corpse inside these halls for me? If such is the case, be careful then. So much consideration towards my person and I might get a crush on you~"

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have batted an eye at his or anyone else's taunts. Any insults or harassment towards myself, no matter in which kind or form they come, are something I can deal with just fine. The thing is, though, that this had nothing to do with me. No, instead, every second I was letting this thing get away with his weird commentaries, it was causing more and more distress to Enoshima.

This, combined with the frustration at not being able to shut him up by force, made recur to the only option available at my hands in the heat of the moment. Without thinking…I grabbed Enoshima's hand and scurried us both into the bathhouse.

"Eep! S-Shigaraki!?"

The displeased shouts that Monokuma was sending behind me could only feel like a pyrrhic victory at most.

Rustic fits way too well the feeling this dressing room gives, or at least I get that vibe when looking at the wooden walls and furniture surrounding the room. On my left I could see a metal double door, most probably leading to the actual baths. Meanwhile, the opposite side of this room had a bunch of lockers pilled up, each one of them with a key hanging on them. Some corner of my mind could see the possible utility of that or the fact that there weren't any cameras guarding this place, but right at this moment, I didn't care about it in the slightest.

Not like any of what was inside here was of any importance to me neither…well, save for one exception. There were a pair of massage chairs in the corner of the bathhouse, just beside a weighing machine.

That should do.

"Hmm, he didn't followed us. That's good…"

"…Y-Yeah, it…it would've sucked i-if he got in the way of our investiga―"

"No, we aren't doing that"

"W-What? But isn't t-that the reason we're here?"

Instead of giving her a verbal answer and without letting go of her hand, I led Enoshima towards the massage chairs. For a few moments, Enoshima's face was full of confusion, but once we got closer, I could see her eyes widening with understanding.

"E-Eh? Shigaraki, w-wait, what are ya―!?"

Before she could finish that sentence, I temporally let go of her hand to grab her by the shoulders…and then I sat her down in one of the chairs. Then I took my respective seat in the adjacent one.

Enoshima blinked a few times while looking back and forth between our seats. After doing so for a few moments, she turned to me "...U-Um, y-you haven't told m-me yet, what about checking this place?"

"It doesn't matter"

"Eh? A-And the warehouse?"

"It doesn't matter either"

"What!? But…but then what about this?" Enoshima gestured to the massage chairs "What does this have to do with, well, anything?"

"Hmm" I tilted my head upwards, looking at the ceiling as if I actually had to think about an answer "Nothing, really. We are just gonna sit, use these things and relax"

"…Relax?"

"Mhm, relax"

"…"

"…"

"…You…Y-You don't have to do this, you know? Wasting your time to make me feel better, I mean…"

"…That is true, I don't have to…" Before she could misinterpret that, I quickly elaborated "…But I want to"

"You…want to?"

"Mhm, is it that hard to believe? Yesterday I did as such the entire day, it isn't that different, is it?"

"…I...I guess so"

I nodded at that, then I frowned for a few moments before addressing a certain issue "Hey, one more thing"

"Yes?"

"Don't call it like that"

"H-Huh? What do you mean?"

"Just a few moments ago you said that me doing this" I gestured to the entire room with one hand "As if I saw it as no different than an uncomfortable chore. It's not, if you must know, I…" I took a deep breath, ignoring the heat forming on my cheeks, before continuing "…I enjoy spending time with…with you, I do it…a lot…"

"…O-Oh…" That strange feeling I felt back in the dining hall returned with a vengeance when I saw the smile she was trying and failing to suppress as her cheeks were tinted with a soft red. However, such mysterious emotion receded along with that smile of hers when a face of remembrance graced her and then it shifted into the worried features she had just a few moments ago during our encounter with Monokuma.

She's thinking about what the monochrome bear said, isn't she? It's obvious by the way Enoshima reacted to everything he said that something within all that rambling, there was compromising information about her. In which way it was compromising? I…I don't know, but the way he said it implied that, at least to a certain degree, there was a relation with me in some way.

Even so "…Do you want to talk about it?"

Enoshima gave me a surprised look, most probably caught off-guard that I pulled a Sayaka, though just as fast it turned into the same guilt and shame from before as she began to look down on the ground and mutter a quiet "…N-No…"

Despite that, I gave her a nod "Alright, then let's not talk about it. Even better, let's forget everything Monokuma said back in the hall"

That made her snap her head in my direction with wide eyes "W-What!? B-But…but e-everything he said! You can't just say nothing of that occurred! I-It…It isn't that simple!"

"Hm? Everything who said? Nothing of what? Sorry, I don't know what you are talking about"

That granted me the sight of an Enoshima with puffed-out cheeks "S-Shigaraki! I'm serious here!"

I suppressed the urge to smile "So am I. The last thing I remember was us leaving the dining hall, then nothing of importance happened, and finally, we got inside here to relax while I told you how much of a great time I'm having with you at my side"

"Eeeep!" A red-faced Enoshima gave me a shocked look, with her mouth opening and closing no different than a fish while, no matter how hard she tried, doing a futile attempt to retort what I just said. After a minute of trying and failing, she quickly turned her face in the opposite direction of mine while beginning to fiddle with a strand of her 'hair' "…S-Sheesh, t-that's not fair, Shigaraki…"

The fact that she finally shifted from depressed to flustered was nothing but a victory in my eyes. Sure, the inner corners of my mind were screaming things like 'W-WHAT THE HELL!? S-SINCE WHEN CAN I SAY STUFF LIKE T-THAT!?', and my face was burning with embarrassment, but that was something for only me to bother with.

Either way, while it seemed that I managed to drift those dark thoughts away from her, they were naïve if they had any expectation of me taking things for settled at this point, more so when another strange and funny idea came to me.

"…Hey, want me to show you how much of a genius I am with this other idea I have?"

Even if she still looked somewhat embarrassed, that didn't detained her from snorting "Geez, since when you are such a show-off?" Then she turned to me, the hints of strawberry pink still lingering on her face "…W-What is it?"

I did a silent gulp to discard any hesitation about this before turning completely to Enoshima and locking eyes with her "…Let's forget about everything"

The combination of flusteredness and amusement on her face was replaced with confusion "…What do you mean by that? By…by forgetting about everything?"

I shrugged breezily at her question "Exactly what I said. Whether this truly is Hope's Peak or not, the Killing Game, Monokuma, our classmates, everything" My expression then turned a bit more serious "I know you might not be a fan of the word, but…but what do you say if, until the nighttime announcement hits, this space becomes our narrow little world and everything outside of it ceases to exist until then"

"Yes!" Faster than what I would've expected, I received an affirmation from Enoshima. She must've noticed because not soon after her eyes widened and her face became red for the umpteenth time "Ah! E-Erm…um…w-what I meant to say…" Taking a breath in and out, Enoshima managed to compose herself, the transition from panic to a small smile gracing her lips proof of it "Yes, I…I would like to do that…please…"

That and a nod from each other was all the confirmation we needed to finally do a proper accommodation of our bodies in the respective chairs. Once the mechanism of them began to do their work on our backs, we put our arms on the armrests beside the chair and closed our eyes, drifting away from this despairful world.

And if somewhere in between, her hand interlocked with mine, gripping it with so much force that it would've crushed my bones if I were any other person? Well…

…How lucky that I wasn't any other person.

Disappointing as it was, our momentary escapism was that, momentary. Not much long after, at least to us felt that way, the nighttime announcement went on. If it weren't because there was a clock on the bathhouse dress room to deny it, I would've insisted on my belief that the bastard responsible for our imprisonment did the announcement earlier than usual.

Be that as it may, though, we did as promised and 'begrudgingly' returned to reality while also calling it a day. This brings me to this moment, with me laying on the bed, long since disposing of any unnecessary garnets during sleeping hours.

With nothing else to do, I closed my eyes one last time on this day and allowed sleep to take over me.

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…Well, no, not really.

Once my internal clock informed me that it was 02:46 A.M. I got out of bed and changed back into my usual attire. Following that, I left my room and dashed off towards my destination, keeping my presence suppressed as an extra security measure, of course.

While doing so, I couldn't help but think of the encounter with Monokuma outside of the bathhouse and the two things I got out of it.

The first one worked as a clear reminder of what I knew since the first day of being trapped here: Enoshima is way much more than what one could see at first glance. Now more than ever I know that there's something she keeps from hidden me and everyone else. It appears to be something big and Monokuma knows about it.

Admittedly, besides a single inquiry, I never attempted to truly question her about it, but something tells me that even if I had tried to, she would've refused to reveal something. It's…worrying, I have to admit that much.

With that being said, the second outcome of that incident…

…Was to reinforce my desire to protect her.

The way in which Monokuma harassed Enoshima, how through the use of mental warfare, was getting through her head to torment her…it pissed me off, way more than that bear-reject usually does. It is that same fury towards him that works as motivation enough to squish any semblance of distrust I could have towards her and instead, double down on my goal to find any resource that could help me and Enoshima.

Some people―No, scratch that, not even I truly understand what truly makes me capable of going so far for her. I know for sure that my hate towards Monokuma and its owner is far from being all there's to it. Logic? That has long since stopped being a possible candidate. Is it insanity, perhaps? It might as well be, though at the end of the day, no matter what it truly ends up being, and as long as it's here within me, I will hold on to it no matter what or where it takes me.

Leaving that aside, I finally reached my destination.

A pair of meters in front of me I could see the boy's bathroom on the second floor.

As I was getting closer, I looked up to the surveillance camera adjacent to one of the pillars while it was right at this moment focusing on the hall that led to the next floor gate.

When I got in front of the bathroom, I gave it one last glance at the surveillance device that wasn't paying attention to me before stepping inside. Not letting my guard down, I carefully strolled towards the cleaning supplies closet, checking out each cubicle on the way there out of precaution.

I opened the green door once I came up with it and slipped into the closet, then I put my hand on the right side of the wall in front of me…

…And pushed said Fake Wall to get inside the Secret Room I found this morning.

Let's hope I find something useful here.