The students shuffled out of the gym, shellshocked. The school's layout was now different. The first time they woke up, even though most of the doors and windows were boarded shut, every floor was accessible, the six units waking up all over the academy. In orientation, Monochio declared that only the first floor would be open to them now, more locations being unlocked as they progressed through different "Stages" of its Killing Game. And one of Monochio's rules, right behind harming the Headcatster, forbade entering locked areas. Anything else was fair game.
The west half of the first floor contained living spaces, things like dorms, bathrooms, laundromats, lounges, storage, a trash room, recreational rooms, and a store—the primary currency being Monodiscs, coin-sized objects scattered around the academy daily. The east contained a small nurse's office, a hallway to the gym, and a kitchen/dining hall.
Bisecting the two wings was a hallway that, on its south face, contained the academy's main entry hall and doorway. Then, on the north, there was a wide staircase to the upper floors. Every door was locked, and it was slowly dawning on the students that Monochio never gave them a name for the school—if it was even a school at all.
"At the very least, let us explore," Hiiro implored gently. "It seems as though Monochio expects us to hurt one another rather than it hurting us, so with that in mind, I would like to see where it expects us to live while we're trapped here. Maybe something of use is in any of the rooms?"
"But, the motives!" someone whispered. "Remember what Monochio said in orientation? We can't just stall the Game! It'll force us to kill!"
"That may be true," Hiiro sighed regretfully. "But I don't think it will happen soon. After all, even though what you said is correct, Monochio also said it wanted to see how long it took us to start killing on our own." Granted, that was assuming Monochio could be trusted, but… "What other choice do we have? Just give into the madness now and start killing each other at once?" Hiiro's words were grim, but true.
A somber silence settled over the crowd. Then Aoi stepped forward. "I can tell that we're all stressed out right now, and rightfully so, but as long as we have that energy between us, it's going to create blockage. I have a feeling that if we want any chance of getting out of here, we're going to have to work together, and the only way we can do that is if everyone can trust each other! So please, take care of yourselves, everyone, because no matter the situation… I still remember you as friends!" She rested a hand on her heart, closing her eyes with a smile.
Rinku was the first to pipe up in agreement. "That's right! We are still all friends! We should be working together to cheer each other up and protect one another during a time like this! Not the opposite!"
"That's very true," Rika nodded wisely. "Monochio is the enemy here, not us!" One by one, hope was restored to the group, and they agreed to at least explore their new surroundings, if nothing else. The part of the west wing containing the dorms was comprised of six suites. Each door had one of the unit's logos on it, and each suite contained a living room and four bedrooms. Each door had a pixelated version of one of the unit-mates on it, and on that first day, a tablet waited on every bed, minus Shinobu's.
"Guess this was yours then, huh?" Esora chuckled, holding the original tablet out to the Ultimate Tech Geek. She was reluctant to take it, but she could not deny her technological curiosity. Monochio called them Pheline Fones—or PheFos for short. They were how it would interact with them even when it couldn't be there physically, and how the students could store evidence as the Killing Game progressed.
"This is such nonsense!" Tsubaki sighed in disgust and tossed her PheFo aside. Although she was just as glad as anyone that they hadn't seen head or tail of Monochio in the past few days, she was beginning to wonder and worry. How much longer until the motives…?
Nagisa flinched as Tsubaki's PheFo bounced on the couch cushion beside her. "Probably should be more careful with those things," she said. It's definitely a shitty situation, but after what happened to Dalia, I'm not eager to get on Monochio's bad side again.
"You don't think anyone will actually commit a murder though, do you?" Aoi sounded genuinely disbelieving. She simply could not fathom any of them turning against one another when it was so obvious that Monochio was the enemy.
For a time, the three of them discussed and theorized, but after a while, Nagisa realized that Hiiro had gone into her bedroom and still not come out. Nagisa looked over her shoulder. Ah, there she was! Leaning against the wall and gazing sadly out a window on the far wall of the RONDO suite living room… Before Nagisa even knew what she was doing, she rose from her seat on the couch. Aoi and Tsubaki watched her go, but said nothing, instead quieting their voices respectfully.
"Are you all right, Hiiro?" Nagisa asked as she came up behind the other girl.
"I'm not really sure that anything is all right, Nagisa," Hiiro replied, giving Nagisa a tired and bittersweet smile.
"Sorry, I know, right, poor choice of words." Nagisa winced, but Hiiro only shook her head, smile softening slightly.
"No, it is all right. I appreciate you coming to check on me."
"Do you think… your Talent might be useful right about now?" The Ultimate Guitarist asked weakly. Hiiro only chuckled dryly.
As the Ultimate Diviner, she was the first to consult her tarot cards and crystal balls, but the future was as foggy as the frosted-glass window she was looking out of. She could tell that it was still daylight out, but it was impossible to see anything else. A future that unclear was worthless to Hiiro. She sighed, and beside her, Nagisa cursed to herself.
Damnit! If only I had Calendula! What good was the Ultimate Guitarist without her ultimate guitar? With that baby, she could've easily cheered Hiiro up! She could've hyped anyone up! Sadly, their "fifth RONDO rocker" hadn't been kidnapped with the rest of the unit.
"Well, Hiiro, no matter what happens, I promise I'll do mybest to always have your back!" Nagisa tried to give Hiiro her widest grin.
"Thank you, Nagisa," Hiiro turned away from the window, smiling for the first time since they woke up in the academy several days prior. "I will do my best to do what's best for you, too…" She reached out and took Nagisa's hands in her own, squeezing them affectionately.
They were interrupted by four PheFos buzzing softly, screens lighting up with a message from Rinku. Times are scary, but maybe a party would help! So I propose that we all come together tomorrow night and have a feast! It'll be happy all around! We can make lots and lots of yummy foods like donuts and onigiri and other round, happy things! We'll make something that everybody likes! Yay! Be there, or be square! (Not round)
The passionate text worked in spite of, or perhaps because of, its childishness and enthusiasm.
"Oh, HELL YEAH! This is gonna be great!" Nagisa fist-pumped the air. She knew through Shinobu that Maho—Ultimate Cook and rival DJ of Hapiara—would likely lead the event, even though it was Rinku's idea. Hiiro and Aoi were just excited by the idea.
"Oh, honestly, Nagisa!" Tsubaki rolled her eyes. "You better help chip in too! You're not taking advantage of their kindness!"
"Of course not!" Nagisa cried, but then her defensive expression turned teasing. "If there's anyone who ought to avoid the kitchen, it's you!"
"Sh-shut up!" Tsubaki snapped, but she brought a hand to her mouth and looked down, blushing slightly. It was a bit of a cruel joke that Tsubaki was the Ultimate Vocalist not just because she was really, really good at singing, but because she was really, really bad at everything else.
She could find a way to burn ice! Nagisa snorted. Aoi and Hiiro on the other hand… As the Ultimate Jam-Maker, and as a cooking fanatic, respectively, they're gonna rock! And just like that, Nagisa was drooling all over again. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all!