Hello everyone, it has been quite a while! I'm sorry I take so long to write these chapters, but I am truly grateful to all of you who stick with me patiently regardless of that!

This chapter, actually, was started at least a month or two ago. I've just been arguing with how I wanted certain scenes to play out until I could map out what I wanted to happen as clearly as possible. I hope it is, at the least, enjoyable for all of you!

Also, more fun news! Sakura Idol has made more art on their Deviant Art, this time of Monokuma with a Once Upon a Time book! It's so pretty, you all should really go see it and give them all the support in the world. I am in awe that someone of their talents is making fan art of my little fangan and so, so grateful to have readers like them, who love this story as much as I do.

Okay, that's enough of me being fan girly/sappy haha! I hope you all enjoy this extra long chapter!

Robin's hands trembled as he read the scroll over and over again. It had to be wrong, there was no way something like this could be true!

She wouldn't-

A knock on the door startled Robin and he whirled around, staring at it. His heart was racing and for several moments, he couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't even think. All he was aware of was the scroll still clutched between his fingers.

The person on the other side knocked again. Robin forced himself to take a deep breath, roll the scroll up to hide behind his back and opened the door. Sayuri stood on the other side.

"Hi, Robin," she smiled gently. "Did you receive a scroll in the last few minutes?" Robin nodded, unable to find his voice. "Ah, just like the rest of us…well, we were going to go to the ballroom to ask Monokuma what they were about. Would you care to join?"

"Yes," Robin whispered, though it sounded more like a single gasp of air then an actual whisper. But all the same, he stepped out into the corridor and closed his bedroom door.

Sayuri gently laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him as the two began to make their way to the ballroom.

The scroll in Robin's hand felt much, much heavier than it ought to.

When they entered the ballroom, it looked as if they were the last ones to arrive, with even Nima beating them. Everyone looked anxious in some manner, each of them clutching their scrolls.

Monokuma was nowhere to be seen and Robin felt as if a large block of ice had formed in his stomach. He almost couldn't breathe through the anxiety of it all, if he was being honest.

"Monokuma!" Yoshi shouted, breaking the silence so suddenly that Robin jumped. "We know you're here! We demand an explanation for these scrolls!"

"So impatient, Oedipus Rex!" Monokuma huffed. The ballroom doors suddenly burst open, with one servant opening each door, and the bear masquerading as a king marched inside. He walked across the whole ballroom and plopped down onto the throne. "Don't you have any sense of style? I mean, I know I do, but seriously. Did your creator not bother to instill one in you? Or perhaps you are such a beary good connoisseur of style that you're incensed you didn't come up with such brillllllllliant ideas first? Oh puuhuuhuu…if only Jocasta were here for you to cry into her lap."

"Answer the question," Chiasa ordered. Her glare was sharp as she stepped forward from her place beside Fuwari, shielding both her and Yoshi at the same time. She held up the scroll in her hand. "What are these and why do we have them?"

"Awww…none of you are any fun…the last game wasn't like this…" Monokuma pouted, his head dipped low in depression. A second later, he brightened up and stared at Chiasa with a gleaming red eye. "Why, Little Red Riding Hood, haven't you realized? They're the next motive!"

"But this is fucking unrelated to the first one!" Hibiki protested. "How the fuck is this supposed to make us want to kill each other?"

"Easy, Ugly Duckling!" Monokuma declared cheerfully. He clapped his hands together and cleared his throat before he began to recite what sounded like a poem. "Secrets dark lie within all hearts, thou hide them places so smart! But now tales are spread to strangers within, who can thou trust with such a secret sin? If thou reveals the tale to all, the fate of the class is to fall!"

Silence rang throughout the ballroom. Robin was pretty sure if there were crickets here, they would be the only sound heard.

"And…what does that mean?" Maria asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Eh?" Monokuma asked.

"Uh, yeah, that like…made zero sense," Satou giggled.

"Eh? Eh?"

"Why'd you go with a rhyme, anyway?" Ren questioned, looking genuinely confused.

"Eh? Eh? Eh?"

"It seems it was the least effective means to deliver your point," Nima stated.

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh?! You…you didn't appreciate my poetry? But I worked so hard on it!" Monokuma sobbed. "What's the point…in being creative…if nobody ever appreciates it!"

"I'm sure we would all appreciate it if you told us what it meant," Fuwari suggested quietly.

"Nah, this stinking bear still makes no fucking sense," Nat scoffed, crossing their arms.

"I agree. I see no logical reasoning to such a means of delivery." Rosamie pushed her glasses higher up the bridge of her nose.

"I didn't understand some of it…" Jordan admitted, almost sheepish. "That was a bit too formal for my knowledge."

"I-I think the rhyme was nice, but…it doesn't suit Master Monokuma," Chia added as she looked down demurely.

"I'd have to agree, though it might have been improved if it were a song?" Sayuri suggested. She was obviously trying to be nice.

"Nah, it still would've sucked," Akihito laughed.

"Should we…really be saying this stuff?" Robin asked, hesitant. He nervously began to play with his fingers. "I-I mean, what if he considers it an insult?"

"There's no reason for him to kill us for our reaction," Yoshi explained. "The rules don't prohibit our jesting after all."

"And we'll know exactly why you add such a rule, bear," Chiasa warned with narrow eyes.

"Really, such a boring game," Arisu sighed quietly.

"Really living up to that reject title there, Build a Bear Reject," Hibiki deadpanned.

"Urgggggggghhhhh! Fine! Then I won't explain and we'll see how quickly all of you die!" Monokuma huffed, crossing his arms and turning his back to them. But that just meant he was facing the back of the throne he sat on, which was honestly more comedic than anything else.

The ballroom was entirely silent for several minutes, the only sound being the students' breathing. Robin could feel the tension in the air, both sides waiting to see who would crack first, the students or the bear. It went on and on and on, until…

"Everyone has someone else's darkest secret! If you tell what it is, everyone gets killed!" Monokuma finally screamed. If he were human, Robin thought he'd have a vein popping in his forehead. But even without that, Monokuma was still terrifying.

"That doesn't seem too bad," Akihito grinned, putting his hands behind his head. "Right?" He glanced at the rest of the ballroom. Robin followed his gaze.

Several members of their class were looking down, either frustrated or scared. Robin's heart began to pick up speed once more and his grip tightened around the scroll.

"But can you really trust each other?" Monokuma goaded, smiling. "After all, you're still practically strangers. Would you really, truly trust a stranger with your deepest, darkest secret to themselves? I certainly wouldn't…puhuhu…"

With those final, ominous words, Monokuma stood from the throne and marched out of the ballroom.

"Happy secret keeping!" he called out behind him a second before the ballroom doors slammed shut.

Silence rang over the ballroom once more.

"Ha! This'll be easy!" Satou grinned, breaking the heavy silence. When Robin glanced at her, she was tossing the scroll up and down carelessly.

"How can you say that, Satou?" Maria questioned.

"Yeah! It only takes one person messing up to kill us all." Nat glared.

"Please, my secret isn't even that bad! And if mine isn't that bad then all of yours must be innocent, considering my life in comparison to yours!" Satou declared. She then walked over to Jordan and wrapped both of her arms around one of his. "Now, Jordan~, didn't you promise to let me watch you work?"

"Uh…" Jordan trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Robin really wanted to say something to help, but his words were caught in his throat.

"I don't believe that will be happening," Yoshi cut in, his voice commanding all attention. Satou pouted, looking ready to protest, before Yoshi continued to speak. "Lest you forget that it is almost nighttime and the new rule we established just this morning. Chiasa and I will escort you all to your rooms and it will officially be lights out for everyone until morning."

"You drive a hard bargain, Yosh, but I think I can deal with that," Akihito grinned. "I don't know about all of you, but I am beat."

"Yes, I think we could all use a good night's rest," Ren agreed.

"T-then we'll meet at breakfast tomorrow?" Chia asked.

"That is the plan, correct," Yoshi confirmed. He clapped his hands together. "Now then, everyone, let us be off!"

"Fucking finally…" Hibiki sighed in relief as he and Arisu followed Yoshi, Chiasa and Fuwari out of the ballroom.

"Goodnight…everyone," Robin whispered as he slowly made his way back to his room. He shut the door behind himself and leaned back against it, cradling the scroll in his hands.

Monokuma had just confirmed that everything the scroll said was true. But…how could that even be possible? Surely, Robin would know if-

He shook his head, biting his lip. No, he wouldn't know for certain. Not at all.

But all he was required to do was not speak of what the scroll contained.

He could do that much…right?

True to their word, Yoshi and Chiasa escorted everyone back to their respective rooms that night. Maria was pretty sure that once everyone was inside, they both would remain in the hallway for just a bit longer, to make sure nobody snuck out, before retiring to their own rooms.

But as she sat on her bed that night as the nighttime announcement rang out, the night watch was the last thing from her mind.

She stared at the scroll resting almost innocuously in her hands, rolled up with the secret printed on it hidden away.

And somewhere in this palace, someone had her secret as well.

Maria almost felt sick at the thought. She had hoped when she came to Japan that she would leave that secret behind, that she wouldn't have to face it every time she spoke with someone who knew what had happened.

But now someone did know and Maria had no idea who they were.

Her breathing was shaky and uneven, on the verge of panicking. The silence was too loud, too much. It rung in her ears, pressing down on her from all sides and the only thing that made it worse was this scroll.

She had to get rid of it, otherwise she'd go insane.

Moving almost robotically, Maria pushed herself to her feet and made her way over to the dresser. She opened the bottom most drawer on the left side, hiding the scroll under the pajamas resting inside. With a sense of finality, she closed the drawer and returned to the bed.

As soon as she sat down, Maria let out a gasp of relief. It was hidden now. The combined weight of the secret she held and the one she now shared with someone else lightened just a bit.

She wouldn't say a word more about it. She wouldn't give anyone a chance to expose her own secret either.

Enough people knew back home in St. Petersburg.

Nat was going to fucking kill someone.

Not literally, but god, if this headache pulsing at the back of their mind didn't stop, they'd seriously reconsider their position on murder.

"Hey, Nat."

It also didn't help that someone wouldn't stop calling their name!

"Are you listening?"

Nat laid their head on the dining room table, not even caring what the main conversation topic was. They could be talking about escaping or the latest motive or Monokuma dressing up like a samba dancer and doing the polka and they still wouldn't care.

"Hey! Hey, hey!"

Nat dug their fingers into their hair, ready to pull it out. They weren't sure which girl was talking, but they'd make her miserable for continuously poking when they were quite. Obviously. SUFFERING.

"Hey! Listen!"

It would stop, it had to stop.

Because if it didn't, Nat was going to absolutely find the largest book in the fucking library and chuck it at the head of whoever decided this would be a funny joke, because they were not fucking laughing!

"Hey, can you hear me? Tsu-"

"Shut up!" Nat shouted at last. They sprung up to their feet, their hands planted firmly on the table as they glared at everyone in the dining room. The only people missing, it seemed, was Irusu, Jordan and Satou. "Whoever keeps calling me, fucking shut up!"

Silence fell over the entire dining room and Nat breathed out a sigh of relief. The headache that had been throbbing at the back of their mind had lessened, no longer a jackhammer digging into their skull.

"What do you mean?" Rosamie questioned, her solid tone breaking through the silence. "Nobody was calling you."

Nat turned and met the midwife's gaze, biting their lip to avoid flinching. There was something about Rosamie that just…got under their skin, almost as if she could see beneath the person Nat presented to the world to the person they were underneath.

And that terrified them.

Nat tore their gaze away, looking at everyone else instead. Most were staring at them in shock, but Robin looked terrified.

"What?" they growled, glaring at the glaciologist. "You got a fucking problem?"

"N-n-no! I-I don't, I!" Robin stuttered, clicking his teeth together to stop any other words from escaping his lips. He was even paler than normal and Nat could see the scroll that just barely poked out of the pocket of his jacket. His hand was unconsciously resting on it as he avoided Nat's gaze.

"What? Were you the one who got my fucking scroll? Is that it?" Nat snarled, curling their nails into their palms. Somehow, Robin managed to turn even paler at those words. "You say a fucking word and you'll regret it!" To emphasize their point, Nat pointed directly at Robin.

Before another word could be said, Nat marched out of the dining hall.

"I'm going to the library, nobody fucking bug me!" they called over their shoulder.

There was so much going on and this motive only made things even trickier to deal with.

Because if there was one thing Nat could absolutely not allow, it was their secret getting out.

Breakfast was a rather tense affair following Nat storming out. For a while, it seemed that nobody knew what to say, exactly. The only person who continued on as if everything was normal was Rosamie, which made the hair on Maria's arms stand up.

Her nonchalance was almost…eerie to behold.

"Um…Rosamie…?" Chia quietly spoke up. "Are you going to go talk to Nat?" Her voice was quivering and she was obviously shaken from Nat's sudden outburst and subsequent threat to Robin, and Maria didn't blame her at all.

In this place, this torture chamber disguised as a fairy tale, Nat's threat felt all too real.

"They requested to be left alone, why would I ignore such a thing?" Rosamie questioned, glancing up from behind her glasses as she quirked a single eyebrow. "If I continuously push my presence where I am unwanted, more harm would come in the end."

"Wow," Ren gasped, blinking repeatedly. "Looks like you know Nat pretty well." A calculating look entered his eyes.

"Of course, we have spent much of our time together. They have quite the interesting thought process when I propose philosophical inquiries," Rosamie explained. Her voice remained entirely flat, though Maria thought if she looked closer, she could see a hint of fondness in Rosamie's eyes.

"I'm glad you have someone you can consider a friend," Sayuri smiled. Her eyes darted over briefly to meet Maria's before she once more focused on Rosamie, her smile becoming a concerned frown. "Do you want some company since Nat wishes to be left alone?"

"I am quite alright by myself," Rosamie denied, shaking her head just the slightest bit. She pushed her now empty plate back before she stood up to return it to the kitchen. Before she stepped away, however, she paused and glanced back at the entire table, her eyes lingering on Sayuri. "I am grateful for your offer."

With those final, lingering words, Rosamie left the dining hall behind.

"She's really…somber," Fuwari commented, her eyes darting around nervously as she broke the silence.

"I'm pretty sure she's always like that," Maria smiled slightly. "She's more talkative then when we first got here, though."

"Yeah, that first time we met was…something," Ren agreed, wincing slightly. "But we shouldn't talk about Rosamie when she isn't here. Perhaps we can change the subject?"

"That is a very prudent suggestion, Ren. Thank you," Yoshi smiled. He seemed almost proud of Ren, who looked sheepish.

"I agree," Sayuri added, smiling at Ren as well. "I suppose we could talk about our plans for the day? If anyone would like to, of course."

"Not much to do in a place like this," Chiasa stated, shrugging before a considering look crossed her face. "Though admittedly, I'm curious about the thief's Talent Room."

"Why would you ever call me such a thing, Chiasa? I'm heartbroken!" Akihito cried dramatically, laying a hand against his forehead, which only showed off the various pieces of jewelry he wore, none of which were his originally.

"I just want to practice my long distance shooting." Chiasa rolled her eyes.

"How far can you shoot?" Maria asked, curious.

"I haven't figured that out yet," Chiasa admitted. "Mostly, I focus on what I'm hunting instead of the distance."

"I hadn't considered such a thing. I am admittedly curious to see it for myself now," Yoshi added. "If that's alright, of course."

"I'd like to come too," Fuwari agreed. She turned to Chiasa with puppy dog eyes, clearly an effective weapon of choice.

"Whatever." Chiasa shrugged, avoiding both of their gazes.

"I suppose exploring the library is out," Ren sighed. In response, Akihito pat him consolingly on the shoulder, though in Maria's eyes it was difficult to tell whether he was being sincere or not. Ren perked up slightly, however, as an idea lit up his eyes. "Say, Chia, do you mind showing me some of your fire dancing? I've never actually seen it before."

Chia's cheeks turned a dark shade of pink, but she smiled all the same.

"If you'd like, then…sure," she agreed, nodding her head.

"I would also like to join you," Sayuri added. "I imagine you're quite beautiful when you're dancing."

"I-I'm really, not, honest," Chia denied, the pink of her cheeks becoming even darker. "Um…would you like t-to come too…Robin?"

"M-me?" Robin stuttered, his eyes wide in surprise. Shyly, Chia nodded and, going by the look on Ren's face, this was exactly what he had wanted. Maria shook her head in exasperation but froze when Robin continued to speak. "I'm sorry…I didn't sleep well last night. I was just going to take a nap in my room."

"T-that's okay!" Chia cried, her eyes wide and fretful. "Um, maybe next time then?"

Slowly, Robin looked up and met Chia's eyes head on. For a moment that stretched into years, he stared at her, as if weighing his words very carefully. Maria held her breath, unsure of what would happen next.

But Robin smiled slightly and it was like watching winter melt into spring.

"Yes. Next time," he whispered.

"It's a promise." Chia nodded, her hands curled close to her chest as if to keep Robin's words pressed against her heart.

"Well, I guess you all know what I am stuck doing," Akihito sighed, cutting into the tender moment. He perked up, however, as a thought crossed his mind. "Hey! Maybe I can test how fast I am compared to Chiasa's arrows!"

"I don't think it's physically possible to run faster than an arrow," Maria pointed out, her tone completely deadpan.

Akihito, however, was not so easily disheartened as he clenched a fist and held it up in determination.

"You never know until you try!" he declared with a beaming smile.

"Oh brother," Hibiki groaned, rubbing at his eyes. His coffee cup in front of him was slowly steaming and, most likely, the only thing keeping him awake currently.

"What will you two be doing then, Hibiki, Arisu?" Maria asked. Akihito would have run away with the conversation into nonsense otherwise.

"I dunno. You got any ideas, Cards?" Hibiki asked, glancing over at Arisu.

"Well…I was thinking of maybe playing a game," she admitted, her voice still that uncharacteristic quiet she'd spoken in since Tori died. "You could join us, if you want, Maria."

Maria glanced from Arisu to Hibiki and back. Neither of them seemed to look like they didn't want her presence at their game, which was a good sign. And she did want to get to know them both better.

"Then I'd like that," Maria smiled. "Besides, games are better with three players instead of two."

Arisu smiled the slightest bit in response and Hibiki looked less tense, almost. Maybe she'd done something right, then.

The game Arisu devised was called 'Freeze Angels', apparently based on a concept from a tv show. The way she explained it, Arisu would be 'it' while Maria and Hibiki would act as the angels. The two of them were allowed to run as long as Arisu wasn't staring at them. The moment she was, they had to freeze. The goal for Arisu was to stare at them long enough to get within reach and tag them. But for Maria and Hibiki, the goal was to avoid Arisu tagging them and instead tag her, as well as preventing her from tagging their teammate in a tag team effort.

It turned out to be the game all three of them needed.

While she ran through the ballroom, trying to stay out of Arisu's gaze and assist Hibiki when he was caught in it, Maria didn't even think about the scrolls or Nat's weird behavior during breakfast.

All she thought about was the strategy of the game, laughing and smiling as she went.

Even Hibiki, grumpy as he always was, ended up smiling when he finally collapsed to the floor with a sheen of sweat on his brow.

"That's it, I'm done…" he huffed, his chest rising and falling rapidly for air.

"Aww, but it was just getting fun," Arisu pouted, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks.

"I'm sure we'll get more chances to play, Ari," Maria reassured as she sat down next to Hibiki. Arisu, on the other hand, remained standing, still pouting down at the two of them. "Still, that was a very creative game. Do you host games you create all the time?"

"Sometimes," Arisu confirmed, smiling now at the change of topic. "I've hosted games that are more well known before too, but sometimes you need to go a bit wild in order to really grab the players' attention!"

"I think…you're a bit too wild," Hibiki grumbled. Despite his words, there was no accusation in his voice.

"Aww, don't be such a bad sport, Player Hibiki! There's always next time!" Arisu beamed. Her smile slowly fell away, however, and she gently reached up to touch the corner of her right eye. "Well…maybe I won't get to see next time…"

"You can't know for certain that what Monokuma said about that motive is true," Maria whispered. She scooted a bit closer on the floor and reached out towards Arisu's left hand, laying her own against it. "We don't even know how he can do everything that he does. For all we know, he could've been lying."

"And if he wasn't?" Arisu asked. Her voice was softer than any feather Maria had ever felt in her life, just barely a wisp in the air between the two of them.

"Then we figure it out," Hibiki stated bluntly, drawing both girls' eyes to him. "Look, I'm a dispatcher, but there's ways for you to get by without your sight. Hell, I bet you already know it, but whoever's behind this stole those memories away from you, just to make you think this way. To make you scared to leave."

"That's really insightful, Hibiki," Maria complimented, unable to keep the tinge of surprise out of her voice.

"Shut up," he grumbled, closing his eyes. Arisu giggled.

"Aw, you always know just what to say," she teased as she moved to Hibiki's other side, sat down and laid her head against his stomach, causing him to let out a dramatic woosh of air. "But…thanks. We'll get through this together. For them and for ourselves."

"You've got that right, Cards," Hibiki whispered, the slightest smile on his face.

It was only a few minutes before Arisu fell into a gentle sleep, her chest falling and rising easily with her breaths.

"You're pretty good at that," Maria whispered, causing Hibiki's gaze to snap towards her.

"It's not that big of a deal…just my job." He shrugged, trying to look aloof. It was a nice effort, but that's all it really was.

"I think you're just sweet on people," Maria teased. Hibiki glared at her but didn't try to deny her point this time. Maria grinned in triumph.

"I…have two brothers," Hibiki admitted, his voice soft and hesitant. "One older and one younger. I've been on the receiving end of this shit and on the giving end too."

"That's sweet," Maria smiled softly. She couldn't hold his gaze, however, and turned away to look down at her hands. They were folded together, as if she were praying, and she tried so very hard to make the words slip past her lips.

It was easy to talk about the happy memories with Sasha.

Not so much the difficult ones.

"Just spit it out, Snow," Hibiki huffed at last, blowing a strand of his hair as he spoke. Maria jumped, feeling her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"Well…I, um, also have a younger sibling. A sister, Sasha. Short for Alexandra, cute isn't it?" Maria smiled. Her voice was trembling and she wanted nothing more than to run far, far away. But…Hibiki had shared this part of himself with her. It was only fair that she did the same. "But I haven't been the best sister lately…she probably hates me."

"You know shit happens, right?" Hibiki questioned.

"Not shit like this." Maria shook her head.

"Snow. We live in a world where the Tragedy happened. Of course shit like what you're alluding to happens," Hibiki sighed. "I won't ask you to share if you don't wanna, I know I've got some shit I don't wanna get into, but I doubt she fucking hates you. I've pulled some shit too and my brothers don't hate me." A faraway look entered Hibiki's eyes, but he didn't say much else.

Slowly, giving him a chance to pull away, Maria reached out and gently squeezed the hand closest to her.

Hibiki turned his hand over and squeezed hers back.

"Get through one day at a time…right?" Maria whispered.

"Right," Hibiki confirmed, his voice just as soft.

It was just the three of them in the ballroom with that gentle air of reassurance for a long time.

Just one day at a time.

Irusu marched through the snow, grumbling under his breath. He wanted to be anywhere else but this freezing cold floor that he could only compare to hell, but he had no choice at the moment.

If he was going to survive this death game, he needed as much information as possible. And it's not like he could rely on Nima to share anything he learned. Hell, the bastard had never been cooperative ever since he appeared in Irusu's head out of nowhere.

So Irusu was left waiting for all the other annoying pests to finish their explorations before beginning his own. Which meant exploring at night before he was dragged back down for nighttime by that incessant so-called 'jeweler'.

And discovering this floor was covered in a blizzard was absolutely the last thing he ever wanted to see.

So now, here he was, cold and miserable as he marched through the snow. The sole benefit to the whole miserable experience was he was able to lose the annoying gnat following after him for a little while.

A door opened, drawing Irusu's sharp gaze instantly. He watched silently as Jordan stepped out into the snow, rubbing his hands to keep warm.

When he looked up and met Irusu's eyes, he looked surprised for a moment, blinking repeatedly.

"Irusu?" Jordan called out.

"How do you know I'm the one in charge?" Irusu asked, raising an eyebrow. It was pretty difficult for others to figure out which of the two was in charge at a moment. Irusu could count how many times he'd been called by Nima's name on both hands, plus some.

"I…can't really explain," Jordan admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I can just tell it's you."

Irusu looked down at the snow covered floor. He couldn't explain what he was feeling, all he knew was that his chest felt warm. But at the same time, the feeling was familiar, as if he'd felt it before.

"Whatever," Irusu grumbled under his breath, refusing to meet Jordan's eyes.

"Why're you up here?" Jordan asked, stepping closer if the crunching snow was any clue.

"Just looking around, what's it to you?" Irusu snapped, lifting his head to glare at Jordan now.

"Nothing." Jordan shrugged. "You're allowed to look around, just like everyone else."

Irusu felt as if he swallowed his tongue. He had no retort and found himself just…staring at Jordan, speechless. Thankfully, Jordan didn't say anything, he only met Irusu's gaze head on. The silence hung between them and it felt…heavy, but not uncomfortable.

As Irusu examined Jordan, he couldn't help noticing the dark circles that Jordan's complexion failed to hide.

"Have you been getting enough sleep?" Irusu asked, his mouth running before his mind could process the words he wanted to say.

Jordan blinked several times, raising his hand to touch the bruises under his eyes.

"Well…admittedly not," Jordan chuckled slightly. "But I've been working on some stuff, so sleep hasn't been…a priority." He reached up to play with his hat, still looking unsure.

Irusu frowned, wanting to protest, but he was interrupted before he could say a word.

"Oh, Iru! There you are!"

Irusu resisted the urge to scream, snarl or run as the annoying pest caught up to him.

"I thought I'd lost you!" Satou smiled, looking far too pleased with herself. Irusu quickly added punching her to the list of things he was resisting the urge to do. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out today!"

"Actually, Irusu was just heading to bed, since it's so late," Jordan cut in before Irusu could say a word. Irusu could only stare at him with wide eyes. Jordan smiled at him and Irusu couldn't say just what he was feeling at all. "I was actually gonna head to the dining hall to eat. If you want to come with me, you can give me your opinion on my latest designs."

"Really?!" Satou cried, her eyes sparkling in a way that made Irusu cringe. "Then let's go, right now! I was just starting to get hungry myself, after all!"

In a flash, Satou had grabbed onto Jordan's wrist and dragged him away.

Irusu was left staring after the two, frozen where he stood.

Maria woke up the next morning, still feeling the soreness from her time spent playing Freeze Angels with Arisu and Hibiki. It was a soreness that reminded her of her vigorous training and she found herself missing the days when her life had simply been ballet and her family.

But no. Maria shook her head. There was nothing she could do about that now. She was trapped here and here she would remain for now.

But that didn't mean she couldn't get back into her dance routine. And both Jordan and Chia had been wanting to show off their own talents for a while now.

Maria was smiling as she got ready for the day then, making her way to the dining room with a plan in mind.

"Why are you smiling?" Chiasa asked, her arms crossed. The tone of her voice made her sound almost bored as she leaned against the dining room wall, as if she were guarding the door. Perhaps she was.

Maria turned to her, still smiling.

"I just had a good idea for the day, that's all," she stated. Maria tilted her head a bit quizzically. "Actually, Chiasa, what have you been doing most days? I don't think I've seen you much."

"Not that it's your business, but I've been helping Yoshi. He insists on planning several contingency plans should another murder happen," Chiasa answered. Her eyes slid away from Maria, focusing on Yoshi and Fuwari who sat at the nearest table, looking like they were having a pleasant conversation. Maria could see a fierce look in the huntress' eyes and it warmed her heart.

"I understand. I'm gonna go eat now before I find Jordan and Chia. Make sure to take care of yourself," Maria smiled, waving goodbye as she headed further into the dining room.

Breakfast was mostly uneventful with half of the class not there. Yoshi begroaned this fact, claiming it was dangerous to not ascertain everyone's status first thing in the morning until Fuwari pointed out that some people slept later naturally. After all, Ren, who was often an early riser, seemed to be absent alongside Nat, Robin, Irusu, Satou and Akihito. Hibiki also looked ready to rejoin them in going to bed, but he stayed, remaining at Arisu's side as loyally as she stayed at his.

Thankfully, both Chia and Jordan were in the dining hall and agreed immediately when Maria suggested they get some exercise in as a form of dance.

"We…we could use my room. I mean, my Talent Room," Chia offered, shyly. "I-I have the dance floor for it, after all."

"That sounds like the best plan." Jordan nodded in agreement. "Should we meet up in ten minutes?"

"Oh! If you're going to perform, can I gather some of the others and we can act as your audience?" Sayuri questioned, smiling excitedly, her eyes almost sparkling. "I'm sure Ren, Robin, Akihito and Satou would wish to see this! Rosamie, would Nat enjoy something like this?"

"Perhaps. They seem fond of extravagance," Rosamie commented, barely looking up from her breakfast.

"Then why don't you help me round everyone up while these three get things ready?" Sayuri offered as she stood up, an elegant manner to her movements.

"That is agreeable." Rosamie nodded.

"I'm in too. What about you guys?" Maria asked, looking at her fellow dancers. Both of them nodded excitedly in agreement and Maria couldn't help her own smile.

The itch under her skin to move, to dance, was growing stronger and she longed to scratch at it in the only way she could.

Spirits remained high as the three of them stepped inside Chia's Talent Room, ready to start setting up for their showcase.

Those spirits crashed to the ground the instant they stepped inside. Maria felt frozen, unable to look away from the sight in front of her.

Chia screamed.

"Robin!"

The fire dancer's voice kicked Maria's brain back into action and she ran towards where Robin lay in the middle of the dance floor with a pool of blood slowly growing under him. Chia, however, was faster and she grasped onto Robin's shoulder, lifting him just enough that his blood began to stain her clothes and skin.

At the movement, Robin let out a weak groan and his eyelids fluttered.

"He's still alive!" Jordan shouted, his eyes wide.

"Go find the others, maybe we can do something! Hurry!" Maria cried. Jordan ran out without another word and Maria reached out towards Chia. "Chia, I need you to-"

"I'll pull it out," she stated, her voice shaking as tears fell from her eyes unendingly. It was only then that Maria saw the silver blade sticking out of Robin's left shoulder, the one pressed against Chia's stomach. Blood soaked into her lap now as her fingers moved to grasp the weapon. "I-I'll get it out…so we c-c-can save Robin…"

Her voice was shaking as terribly as her hand. Maria wasn't sure Chia could even grasp the weapon, let alone pull it out.

"N-no…"

Robin's weak voice drew both of the girls' attention. His eyes were just barely open, hazy and unfocused, but staring directly at Chia.

"D-d-don't…t-touch it…" he whispered, his voice so thready that it could barely be heard.

"But you'll…y-you'll…" Chia couldn't finish the sentence, her voice was shaking so much.

"Robin, there's still a chance we can save you! If we keep pressure and stop the bleeding, we might be able to suture it closed!" Maria insisted. Chia's grasp on Robin tightened, pulling him closer to her and farther from Maria. "Please, we can help!"

"I-it's…t-t-too la…late…" Robin whispered. His gaze, hazy as it was, never left Chia. Slowly, he reached up with his free hand, his fingers covered in the blood that had pooled under him and laid it against Chia's cheek. "I…f-f-f-for…give you, R-R-Rin…ka…I…remem…lo…ou…"

Robin's voice was slowly dying and Maria could feel her heart breaking. Not like this, Robin didn't deserve to die like this…!

But it was Chia, it seemed, that was suffering the most. Her tears were still coming, landing on Robin's own cheeks and washing the streaks of blood that stained his smile away. She clutched him tightly to her chest, uncaring if she had his blood on her, the weapon that killed him still through his shoulder and pressing into her stomach. Her knuckles were as white as Robin's skin.

The door burst open as Robin spoke his last words.

Or rather, word.

"Rin…Rinka…"

Robin's pale skin tone took on an unnaturally white appearance and his eyes lost any sense of light they had, faint as it had been. His eyes were still open, staring up at Chia, but his hand that had framed her cheek fell to his chest.

Chia's cheek was stained with blood, as red as the rest that now stained her entire front as Robin laid in her lap.

Maria couldn't look at the door, couldn't see the expressions on their classmates' faces as they took in the scene before them.

Chia was still sobbing, unable to get a word past her lips. Maria wasn't much better as bile rose in her throat, yet she was unable to look away from the gruesome scene before her.

There was no denying what she was witnessing, however, especially not when the sound she had come to hate so much rang out.

It was a bell.

"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the court trial will begin!" Monokuma announced.

It sounded so very far away, almost as if she were in a bubble.

But the sight before her could not be explained in any other way.

Robin Yukimura, the Ultimate Glaciologist, was dead.