"Wait, hold on a sec!" Junko spoke up, gaining everyone's attention.
"What's wrong!?" Taka asked with annoyance.
"What about, uh… what's her name? You know, the silver-haired girl," Junko said, trying to remember their name. "Uhh… oh yeah, Kyoko!"
"...What about her?" Taka asked.
"She's not here," Junko said, shocking everyone in the room.
"What!?" Taka exclaimed. Everyone quickly looked around the room, and just like Junko said, Kyoko wasn't there.
"She's doing a great job at making herself not suspicious," Yolie said sarcastically.
"Yeah, I don't suspect her at all," Davis added in his own sarcastic tone. Everyone else groaned and rolled their eyes.
"Come on guys, can you not joke around right now," Sora asked them.
"Sorry," they both said
"I wonder where she went. Has anyone seen her?" Hina asked worriedly. Nobody said anything as they shook their heads.
"Wait, so nobody's seen her…?" Chihiro said what everyone was thinking out loud.
'Why hasn't Kyoko shown up yet? It couldn't be because…' TK thought back to what Monokuma told them, and the conditions he placed for them to leave. "Is it possible? Has she really been…'
TK shook his head to get rid of those negative thoughts. 'No, I can't think about that! She's just late, that's all.'
"I'm sure she's fine. She's probably lost," Izzy said.
"It is a big building, so it makes sense she got lost," Cody added.
"But how much of the school are they allowed to explore?" Joe questioned.
"I think we're going to find out soon," Mimi said.
"Darn it, Kyoko! You're really going to be late like this on the first day of school!?" Taka whined like it was the worst thing to happen. "Not only is she late, she didn't tell anyone she would be late! A most unbecoming personality trait…"
"You're being a real jackass right now, you know that?" Junko said.
"Well what do you want me to do!? Punctuality is everything!" Taka exclaimed, trying to defend himself but everyone just gave him a weird look.
"He should start worrying about other things right now. He's not attending a regular school anymore," Tai said.
"He might be in denial about the whole thing or acting like he normally would is what's keeping him calm," Kari suggested.
"You might be right. I mean, I would try anything to not panic if I were in their situation," Ken said.
"Yeah, but you wouldn't be as extreme as him," Yolie told him.
"Now then, I declare that the first session of the Hope's Peak Academy briefing meetings has begun!" Taka stated, brushing off what previously transpired.
"TK… Actually, first of all…" Sayaka whispered to the blond boy as she gathered her thoughts. "I've talked enough. Maybe we should listen to what everyone else has to say."
"Sure," TK replied.
"Hmhm. You know…" Sayaka hummed.
"What?" TK asked.
"I feel like I really have become your personal assistant, don't you agree? I may not be the best assistant in the world, but I'll give it everything I've got," Sayaka said and TK couldn't help but smile from her determination.
'You've done so much already,' TK thought.
"It seems like you're warming up to Sayaka, TK. When do you think your future self will ask her out?" Mimi teased.
"Can you stop that, Mimi? I don't think my future self even likes her that way," TK told her and she chuckled.
"Whatever you say, Takeru."
"Okay, so since you're in the dark about all this, let me lay out what's going on," Sayaka started to explain. "Everyone split up to investigate different parts of the building, but Byakuya and Taka each went on their own, and so did Kyoko. Leon, Hiro, Junko, and Chihiro grouped together. The same goes for Hina, Sakura, and Mondo. Celeste, Toko, and Hifumi were left over, so they joined up."
"I wanted to try and find some clue as to who's responsible for imprisoning us here…" Byakuya spoke up. Both he and Toko were sitting at a separate table from the group. He chose to sit there even before all the seats at the big table were taken, while Toko sat with him when there wasn't any space left.
Byakuya then sighed. "But unfortunately, I made no such discoveries. That's all from me."
"Really? That's it?" Taka asked.
"If I'd uncovered anything, naturally I would have more to say. But I didn't. So I don't," Byakuya responded rudely.
"He may be a jerk, but I like that he's straight to the point," Yolie commented.
"I agree. Even though he should be nicer, he doesn't beat around the bush," Sora added and the two leaders of the Digidestined grumbled.
"If it was something we used to do, we're sorry," Tai spoke while Davis nodded in agreement.
"R-Right. Understood," Taka quickly said before clearing his throat. "As for me, I spent time looking around the dormitory, and there I made the discovery of the century! I found that there was exactly one room for each person!"
"I think they already knew that," Mimi mumbled.
"Didn't Monokuma also say something about them having their own rooms?" Yolie asked and Cody nodded.
"He said they would be living a 'communal life'."
Everyone felt underwhelmed by Taka's big reveal as everyone knew of the dorm rooms.
"Well yeah, I figured that out before anything else," Hina shrugged.
"Each door already has a nameplate on it, so I guess all the rooms have been assigned already," Junko explained.
"And each room key was attached to a keychain with the owner's name precision-etched onto it," Sakura added to what Junko said.
'I guess that means the room I woke up in was my room,' TK pieced together.
"And Chihiro and I found out that all the rooms are totally soundproof," Junko revealed.
"Your next-door neighbor could scream their lungs out, and you wouldn't hear a thing," Chihiro said, freaking some of them out.
"OK, now that's something new," Davis said.
"They made the rooms soundproof but made the locks unpickable. What exactly are Monokuma's plans for this whole thing?" Izzy questioned.
"He probably wants to watch them squirm," Matt answered grimly.
"Well, each room also had a private bathroom, which could also lock," Celeste said happily.
"But it looked like there were only locks on the bathrooms in the girls' dorms," Junko added, but Celeste didn't seem to care.
"Okay, so they got a bunch of rooms ready for us. They're assuming we're gonna be here a while," Mondo concluded, bringing everyone's mood down.
"Well, better have than have not! At least we don't have to worry about surviving like wild animals," Taka said to make everyone feel better. It didn't work, though some appreciated the attempt.
"When we were trapped in the Digital World one of the things that I missed the most was having a bed to sleep on," TK said. "I know it's not much with everything that has happened so far, but I think having a bed to go to at the end of the day will go a long way."
"TK's right. It's the things we take for granted that help our mental health," Ken said.
"Giving them that stuff might backfire on Monokuma because they won't be as desperate to escape if they have the same stuff they have at home," Izzy commented
"Th-That can't be all you have to r-report, can it Mr. Honor S-Student?" Toko managed to stammer out.
Taka paused for a few seconds to think. "That's all for my report! Let's move on to whoever's next!"
Junko raised her hand, gaining everyone's attention. "For what me, Chihiro, Leon, and Hiro did, we went all up and down the school, double-checking the windows in all the hallways and classes. We wanted to see if we could get any of those metal plates to come off. And what happened was…"
"Nothing. Not a damn thing," Leon interrupted the fashionista. He laid his head down on the table and groaned. "We couldn't get a single one to budge even a little bit."
"That's to be expected. They wouldn't be trapped if it was easy to remove those bolts by hand," Tai said. "If they had some tools then it would be possible."
"I doubt they find any that could help them. Monokuma is confusing with what he's allowing them to have, but I doubt he's stupid enough to give them anything to take down those panels," Matt said.
"There wasn't any hope of escape anywhere. The school really has been totally cut off," Chihiro said while tearing up.
"This sucks," Junko said bluntly. "It really sucks! It sucks sucks sucks sucks SUCKS! What the hell are we gonna do!?"
"Goddamn, calm down! You're starting to make me nervous!" Leon said with a light chuckle.
No one said anything for a few seconds after Junko's outburst. TK knew that things may look bleak now, but that doesn't mean they should start freaking out. Someone will come and rescue them and they can all forget about this nightmare afterward.
"They probably don't have to wait long if they are at Hope's Peak. All of their friends and family would know where they are," Joe said.
"But that's 'if' they're in Hope's Peak," Matt stated.
"Then it will take longer."
"It's a good thing they have a place to sleep then," Davis said.
"We thought maybe we could find some way to communicate with the outside, so we went looking all over!" Hina spoke up, breaking the silence. Her shoulders sagged as she wore a gloomy look on her face. "But… we didn't find a thing. Sorry."
"I went back to the main hall, thinking maybe we could do something about that giant hunk of metal," Mondo said while rubbing the back of his head. "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."
"Well yes, it is metal…" Celeste said curtly as she twirled her hair.
"Anyway, if we're gonna get outta here, it's not gonna be through there," Mondo finished what he was saying earlier.
"It's a good thing they're learning places they can't escape from. Eliminate all options until they find the right one," Cody said.
"My guess is that they break the windows in the dining hall. It's the only place that doesn't have the windows bolted shut," Davis commented.
"That probably leads to a courtyard. It's probably why Monokuma didn't bother to cover them," Ken told him.
"I feel like I could just cry… But no, I have to hold it in! I have to manage my hydration…!" Hina said, worrying TK a little bit. From his friends' past experiences, he knows that it's not a good idea to hold in your emotions. Though they're not in the Digital World, nor do any of the other Ultimates have a connection to the Digital World, that he knows of, he didn't have to worry about the Dark Ocean taking them away. But it's still not healthy to bottle up your emotions.
"I'm sure she's safe from being called to the Dark Ocean, but would she be safer there?" Davis questioned.
"No," Ken and Kari said.
"I know, but–!"
"NO!" Ken and Kari shouted and Davis sunk into his seat.
"I shall tell you what happened next," Sakura said, continuing to tell the others what their group found. "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."
"But there were gates there, and we couldn't find any way to open them, so we couldn't check it out," Hina finished for the martial artist.
"In other words, at this point we are only able to search the 1st floor," Sakura summed up. "We can further assume that there is potentially something above the 2nd floor, as well. And if that's the case, there is at least a chance it may lead to a way out."
"So, they only have the first floor to explore that giant building. I guess it's safe to assume that Kyoko might not be exactly lost," Yolie said in a suspicious tone.
"Do you think something might've actually happened to her?" Kari asked.
"I hope not, Kari. It would be horrible if someone caved into Monokuma's desires," TK answered.
"Or maybe she could be the one controlling him," Matt suggested.
"You don't think she's the mastermind?" Sora asked.
"She's not doing herself any favors after what we've seen."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Maybe she is just lost, but we're not doing any good accusing anyone," Tai spoke up.
'So we're only limited to the first floor, it's not the best thing nor the worst thing to hear,' TK thought. 'But why only the first floor? Is there something we're not supposed to see on any of the other floors? And could there really be an exit on one of the upper floors? Hope's Peak is a giant building so it would be quite a fall.'
"That would be something the mastermind would come up with. The only way out is to jump from the top floor of a gigantic building," Ken said.
"I highly doubt they would do that, but I can't say that wouldn't be a possibility," Izzy said.
"Maybe we shouldn't be thinking that suicide is the only way to escape," TK spoke up.
"If I am being honest, I can't quite say we acted as one. Rather, we did nothing as one. We spent the entire time in the gym," Celeste revealed what her group was doing. "Honestly, we are not exactly the types to go running around a school like a gaggle of junior detectives."
"So? You're trapped and you didn't even bother to look around!?" Yolie said in disbelief.
"I expected Hifumi to not want to look around, but Celeste and Toko is a shock," Sora added.
"I bet Celeste thinks looking around is beneath her and Toko didn't want to be alone," Davis assumed.
"You're probably right. Celeste almost reminds me of how Mimi acted during our first adventure," Tai said and he felt a dark aura behind him.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
"What the hell were you thinking, just sitting around the gym the whole time?" Junko asked, annoyed that the gambler and her group did nothing.
"W-Well it's not like any of i-invited me along! Nobody said hey, c-come with us!" Toko stammered out a defense. "I blame y-you for leaving me out! I-It's your fault!"
"If you wanted to go with someone, you should've just said something!" Junko shouted at the author.
"Hmph. F-Forget it. Like I'd w-want to go anywhere with a dirty s-slut like you," Toko said quietly to herself. Too bad she wasn't quiet enough because everyone heard her, especially Junko.
"WOAH! That came out of nowhere!" Mimi yelled
"What's her deal? That was so mean!" Kari also shouted
"Slut…?" A stunned Junko repeated. Seeing that everyone heard her, Toko decided to not let up on the fashionista.
"Your mind is as th-thin as your body. You m-make me sick to my st-stomach…" Toko said, which baffled Junko.
"I… I don't even know how to react. How can you say something so awful to someone you just met?" An angry Junko asked. Junko appeared as though she was about to attack the stuttering author, but Hiro and Sayaka got in between them, preventing any confrontation from happening.
"Alright guys, everybody just calm down, okay? All this stress is bad for your skin, y'know?" Hiro said cautiously.
"Yeah! It sounds like you two are so close now you're fighting like sisters!" Everyone gave Sayaka odd looks after what she said.
"No, sisters wouldn't fight like that unless they hated each other!" Mimi continued to yell.
"Me and Kari wouldn't even curse at each other. We would always storm off in opposite directions and wouldn't talk to each other until we calmed down," Tai said.
"Yeah, and I would never say anything like that to Jun no matter how much she gets on my nerves," Davis added.
"Why would she think sisters fight like that?" Cody asked.
"She must've heard some stories or seen stuff like that on TV or in movies," Yolie answered. "I get into fights with my sisters all the time and we would call each other names, but we would never call each other something that extreme. That's going too far."
'I don't think sisters fight like that, Sayaka,' TK thought.
After everyone got over what Sayaka said, the pop star decided to speak again. "So that's what they have to say, huh? Then I guess I'm the only one left."
Sayaka then started to tell everyone what she found.
"I went and had a look around the dining hall. I found a fridge 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."
"They have food, water, and beds. I must say they're better off than we were on our first adventure," Tai said.
"But for how long? How long until they get desperate to escape when they run out of food?" Matt questioned.
"Sure, for now. But even with all that, there are fifteen of us. How long can the food last…?" Hifumi complained, drawing the ire of Toko.
"Y-You can just eat sesame s-seeds or something."
"Huh? What am I, a parakeet?" Hifumi responded.
"I don't think we have to worry about it. All the food gets restocked automatically each day," Sayaka said, extinguishing their concerns. "At least, that's what Monokuma said."
"What!?" They all exclaimed.
"So not only do they each have their own room they also have an unlimited food supply! What exactly are Monokuma's goals!?" Matt exclaimed.
"Why are you complaining? Do you want them to starve and kill each other?" Sora questioned him and Matt shook his head.
"No, but it's just odd. He wants them to kill each other, but he won't force them to do it. He's also not doing anything that'll drive them to murder. If it wasn't for the fact that they're being held against their will I would've assumed they were on some type of vacation."
"Matt!" Sora yelled.
"I have to agree with what Matt is saying. If it wasn't for the fact that they had friends and family waiting for them I wouldn't see any reason to escape," Izzy said.
"I understand, but he should've found a better way to say it," Sora told the brainiac.
"You saw him!?" A concern Junko asked. She wasn't the only one concerned for the pop star, everyone was worried about what the bear did to her.
"Yeah, 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," Sayaka said, which calmed everyone down knowing wasn't hurt.
"A weaponized toy that can just appear from nowhere," Chihiro summarized. "I can't tell if we're supposed to be afraid or not."
"I'd say both," Davis commented. "There are multiple Digimon that are like that.
"That's including our own," TK added.
"But was everything okay? He didn't try to like, eat you or anything?" Hina asked worriedly, looking over the pop star for any bite marks.
"E-Eat her…?" Hifumi repeated. He started sweating and drooling profusely. "Um, what do you mean by that? I mean, when you say 'eat,' what kind of eating are we talking about?"
"You know what, TK I don't want you to talk to him at all," Mimi said with the other girls nodding in agreement.
"Noted," TK said. "But I don't know how much control I have over my future self's decisions. We could be watching a timeline where we were never even summoned here."
"Well you better figure out a way. I don't want to hear about any of his hobbies or fantasies," Mimi said in a disgusted tone.
"C-Come on, man!" A grossed-out Hina exclaimed.
"What the hell, fatty!? You're acting like some kind of sleazy drunk dude," Leon yelled at the fanfic creator.
"Not like there's a good kind of drunk dude," Hiro said to himself.
"Hey! Stop screwing around, all of you!" Junko yelled at the three boys. "Are you still asleep or something? We're prisoners here! We could all just die any second!"
It started to sink in that they were trapped in the school after hearing Junko say it out loud. Sure, Monokuma told them that they were trapped, but why should they believe what a talking teddy bear tells them. TK thought she was overreacting when she said they could all die any second, but after thinking about it, maybe she's right. Maybe Monokuma would get bored and just kill them all, or, and TK hoped it would never come to this, someone will get desperate and kill one of them to escape.
TK shuddered just thinking of that last part. He didn't want to believe that someone amongst them would kill to escape from here. But he didn't know these people, could he truly say that none of them would kill each other to save themselves?
"She's right. We can't be makin' stupid jokes right now. We gotta do something, or-!" Before Mondo finished speaking, he was interrupted by a sharp feminine voice.
"You're all spending an awful lot of time yelling and carrying on."
"How much do you want to bet that this is Kyoko?" Davis asked.
"Everything I have because it's obvious that it's her," Yolie shot back.
"Outside of the mastermind she was the only person missing," Ken added.
"Well it could be one of the other girls," Davis suggested.
"Davis, if it was any of the other girls I would allow you to slap me in the face 10 times in a row," Yolie told him and Davis had a suggestive look.
"Is that a bet?"
"Sure, loser gets slapped in the face 10 times in a row," Yolie said and the two shook on it. Ken groaned and rolled his eyes at their antics.
"Why would you take that bet?"
