"Good morning. Class. Today is another wonderful day of learning."
"Another personality change? Jeez… Is this gonna happen every Stage?" Muni complained. Unlike its other two, the first a wildcard and the next a drill sergeant, the latest was completely empty and emotionless. Even its gait was bored and boring. The irony was that Monochio sounded more like a robot than ever, but because it was using an indoor-voice for once, that made it sound more like a disinterested human than deranged machine.
The Headcatster ambled slowly to its seat at the head of its dining hall table, as if it was in no hurry to start anything. Perhaps that was in line with its prior behavior, as it had just given them another few-day break between Stages. Now, though, it was time to finally start Stage III. "Bored?" it droned, turning a languid, lazy eye on Muni. Muni, by contrast, gave a nervous laugh, and was suddenly very interested in her plate. "Perhaps you think it is a tired gag, an overused and unfunny joke. I cannot say I entirely disagree; however, here we are." It shrugged. "Anyways, class, unlock your PheFos." Once again, Monochio did not wait for the students to comply, activating their devices for them. Just like last time, they were immediately brought to the map app. The new area that was open to them now was—
"OUTSIDE! YAY! OUTSIDE!" Rinku jumped up, red eyes starry as she held her PheFo inches from them. Then she threw her arms open, jumped up again, and spun through the air. "HAPPY AROUND!" The others could only chuckle and shake their heads.
"Yes, yes, yes," Monochio monotoned. "That is right. Hooray. You will finally be allowed outside for recess. However, I wish to provide you with fair warning first. The perimeter of the academy is surrounded by military-grade defenses, so unless you wish to be sliced to ribbons, blown to bits, or fried like barbecue, I recommend you stay well within academy property boundaries…"
Once again, the students were a little put off by how lackadaisically and languidly Monochio spoke, even though it was hinting at stockpiles of arms that would make a warmonger blush. But even though its offer was somewhat soured, one student simply could not contain herself.
"Outside! Outside! Outside! I wanna go outside!" Rinku sang and danced and spun and cheered. "I wanna go exploring!" A nature-freak—lover of animals, bugs, plans, safaris, and seashells—she was more affected by their imprisonment than some of the other students.
Maho gave Rinku an awkward chuckle while Muni facepalmed. Only Rei smiled politely. The others had a variety of reactions too. Some seemed put off by how chipper Rinku could be in a Killing Game while others thought it was endearing and uplifting. They could not deny that they, too, were curious about the outside, though no one was naive enough to think Monochio was offering them a chance at freedom. In the end, though, everyone ultimately caved to their curiosity, and unsurprisingly, Rinku led the charge.
"Woah!" the Ultimate Explorer gasped, red eyes going wide again. It was just so beautiful outside! The weather was perfect, the sky was brilliant blue, the sun was bright and warm, the grass was soft and green, the campus was vast and well-kept, and little gardens, stone pathways, picnic tables, benches, and swings dotted the grounds. Just past the academy steps was the courtyard with fountain used to conceal Saki's execution rocket. Despite the grim reminder, all else was picture-perfect. Yuka, in fact, was already reaching for her PheFo.
Shinobu inhaled deeply as Kyoko finally convinced her to join the rest of Peaky outside. "Never thought I'd be so glad for a breath of fresh air!" she whispered, smiling despite herself. She was happy enough to indulge in a piece of gum, pulling the packet from her dorm out of her pocket. Muni had the same reaction only a few minutes prior, literally dragged outside by Rinku. Maho was right beside her, also dragged out by Rinku. Only Rei was lucky enough to escape Rinku's death-grip, but that was because she was just as excited as Rinku to be outside!
Her dark hair billowed behind her as she raced and laughed breathlessly. She looked around excitedly for Esora, then remembered that they weren't speaking. Rei's smile instantly vanished. The Ultimate Pianist's heart twisted guiltily, but what Esora had done to Kurumi's body made Rei uncomfortable on a level she couldn't fully explain. Perhaps it was because such things were of great importance to her traditional and ritualistic family, but Rei was far from the only one giving Esora the cold shoulder, and she was insistent that she would not be the first to break. Instead, she forced her attention back on her unit and tried to find happiness again.
"Jesus, Rinku, you're gonna rip my arm off!" Muni complained as Rinku continued to pull her across the courtyard. By the time Shinobu made it out, though, Muni was smiling just as widely as everyone else.
"Happy… AROUND!" Rinku's cry could be heard in the distance again as more and more students made their way outside.
Kyoko took off her cap and sighed in relief, shaking out her long, dark waves. I almost forgot what the sun felt like on my head… It's nice…
Shinobu noticed out of the corner of her eye and almost choked on her gum as the sunlight glistened in the golden strands of Kyoko's hair.
Esora had come with them, but she was careful to hang back, eyes down and mouth shut. The intense isolation from the others was starting to get to her, but she could not deny that they had fair reason. Shinobu made good on her word to beat Esora's ass after the trial and Esora winced at the memory. It was only one punch to the stomach from a weak little gamer girl, but it still hurt.
The Muscle Trio was already headed to the south side of campus, where between the academy and chained front gates were a couple of basketball, tennis, volleyball, and soccer courts and pitches. To the surprise of all, especially Ibuki and Noa, even Towa was energized and refreshed.
"Ahhhh! I never thought I'd be so happy to be outside!" She spun round and round, arms outstretched, smiling, green eyes closed.
"Hey!" Rinku pointed at her, grinning. "That looks fun!" Then she uttered her trademark cheer again as she joined Towa in her whirls and twirls.
Ibuki and Maho's eyes met, and they shared private, knowing smiles. For once, Noa didn't tease Towa. Instead, like Shinobu with Kyoko, she was secretly captivated by her unit-mate's smile. Everything is just so CUTE! she thought blissfully. From the flowers, to the decorations in the gardens, to the stone pathways, to the little blades of grass, to the animal-shaped clouds, to the all the girls, to the lovely warm sun, to the—
"Aww, c'mon, Saori, cheer up! The sun'll be great for your skin!" Marika encouraged, grinning as she massaged the other girl's shoulders and pushed her forward. She was just so tense! Of course, Marika understood why, but in her opinion, that was all the more reason why they had to do everything they could to rest and relax. Perhaps it sounded insane to suggest such a thing in a Killing Game, but their only other option was to succumb to Despair. Marika will not deny what we've been through, but we MUST have at least a LITTLE Hope! I want to smile genuinely again!
Perhaps a day of fun in the sun was the perfect change to do just that.
"Yeah, Saori, c'mon! Today's gonna be LIT!" Rika interrupted Marika's thoughts as she went racing by like an excited puppy. Dalia chuckled and shook her head. A few feet away, Hiiro did likewise, taking in a deep breath as she basked in the beauty of the campus. She could see it so clearly in her mind's eye, Nagisa racing right alongside Rika like a second canine companion…
"Hey, Tsubaki, let's go exploring!" Hiiro heard Aoi say from a couple feet behind her. She turned around with a knowing smile. Exactly as she expected, Ultimate Vocalist's eyes were bulging as the Ultimate Jam-Maker extended a hand to her.
Miyu lingered on the academy steps, a bittersweet and rueful smile on her face as she rested a hand over her heart and gazed up at the clear, blue sky.
Oh, Haruna, Kurumi, Miiko… You would've loved it… A single tear traced down her cheek as she squared her shoulders, took a deep breath in, and finally forced herself to step out into the light.
