Masashi found it hard to fall asleep tonight. The sight of Faye demeaning Kumi had stood out so greatly that he could not forget it any time soon, and he and Mari had agreed that they must watch out for Faye. He hoped that there would be another way to resolve this, however; perhaps Faye would think back on her words and feel rueful, though something within him made him suspect that things would not be that easy.
The next day, he woke up and trod up to the dining room. Not only was no one here, however, but there was also a note set on one of the tables:
Today's breakfast meal will be held in the Moonlight City. - Faye
Masashi left the dining room at once. When he arrived outside, however, he nearly flinched at the weather, for the heavens were blanketed wholly by dark clouds, and the winds blew so strongly as if trying to stop him from going forth. There was no sign of yesterday's calm and peaceful weather.
I guess it may rain later… he thought. Oh, boy, this doesn't bode well at all.
Nonetheless, once he regained his wits, Masashi managed to make his way to the Moonlight City's ship. He climbed down the stairs from the topmost deck, arrived at the second deck on the ship's bow side, and entered the restaurant that lay right before the stairs. The only person whom he saw was Hikari.
"G-Good morning," she said. "I-In case you're looking for Tanjiro, he's gone to the restroom."
"Oh, uh, good to know," Masashi said. "You sure have grown attached to him these last few days."
"W-Well..."
Hikari glanced away for a moment, looking slightly embarrassed, though Masashi personally found her reaction to be a little cute.
"I-I simply find his knowledge of music to be... amazing," she answered. "I-In fact, I've been thinking... maybe I can help him."
"'Help him'? In what way?"
"Th-The thing is... he's mentioned a few times how much he wants to talk with the musicians of olden days," she explained. "H-He even once off-handedly said it'd be wonderful if I used my powers for that purpose."
"Really?" Masashi said, though in truth, he knew what she was talking about, for he had eavesdropped on the conversation that she had had with Tanjiro a while ago.
Hikari nodded. "H-He said it was a selfish request of him... but now that I think about it, wouldn't it be better if I accepted his request?"
"You mean... you want to use your powers? I thought you didn't like them that much."
"T-True... throughout my life, people have only seen me as a tool," she replied hesitantly. "But Tanjiro... he's different. He's kind-hearted... and caring." Her cheeks flushed red as she fidgeted a little. "And whenever I see him... I can't help but wonder: how can I make him happy? Maybe I could put these powers of mine to good use for once."
"Wow... that's quite a noble thought from you."
He admired how much she had changed. If he had been told at the very beginning of this killing game that Hikari would ever say those words, he would have never believed it.
"Do you plan to tell him that?"
She hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "S-Soon... I-I just need to get ready, first. I don't want to botch this kind of thing."
"Good to take your time. It's nice to see you be more thoughtful."
Just before he could say any more words of encouragement, however, someone came out of the kitchen.
"Ah, good morning." It was Faye, who looked neither pleased nor displeased to see him. "It's quite rough weather today, isn't it?"
"Looks like a storm may come later." Masashi sensed that it was best not to bring up the subject of her having chided Kumi yesterday, so he chose to bring up a more pertinent subject. "So, uh, what's up with having breakfast here? We've always had breakfast at the woodland kingdom."
Faye scratched the back of her head. "I… just wanted a change of environment. I felt a little sick of the usual decor in the dining room, so I thought having breakfast here would make a nice change of pace."
"W-Well, this place indeed looks pretty nice," Hikari remarked.
"Yes… I find this place rather suitable to rid myself of some stress," Faye replied.
Masashi found it somewhat suspicious that she had chosen to have everyone come here today, but he could not tell from her countenance whether she had an ulterior motive in mind, so he chose not to say anything about it.
About a minute later, a few more people arrived at the restaurant. This time, the new visitors were Kasumi, Mari, Kumi, and Sorao. Tanjiro was with them as well, apparently having come back from the restroom.
"Peh… I wish it weren't raining," Kasumi said, looking quite perturbed. "I don't really like being all cold and drenched and whatnot!"
"Hmm, on the contrary, I think it's quite swell," Mari replied. "Doesn't it feel good to hear the rain and thunder outside while sitting in the warmth of your room?"
"Well, yeah, but walking through the rain's another story!" Kasumi answered.
Masashi's attention was then turned toward Kumi, whose teddy bear was hanging out of his dark-brown satchel. To his surprise, the storyteller's countenance was more or less the same, his condition not having worsened during the night. And yet, for some reason, Masashi felt something different about him, insofar as he could not see him as only a normal boy tangled in unfortunate circumstances.
It's still hard to believe that he may be suffering from sleep paralysis... he thought, recalling what he and Mari had figured out about him yesterday. Now I can't think of his ramblings about fairies the same way anymore.
A few seconds later, Faye reappeared from the kitchen, and no sooner had she taken a single step than Kumi approached her hesitantly.
"Umm… Lady Faye?" Kumi said as he clutched his teddy bear as if needing it for support. "I… I have something to say to you."
"What?" Faye said, her tone neither joyful nor wrathful.
"I… I just want to say… about yesterday… I… I'm sorry for all the things I said."
Wait, what?
Masashi and the others, especially Mari and Sorao, both of whom had been present during Faye's chiding, looked astoundedly at him, as if he had just knelt before her.
"You're sorry?" Faye said, skepticism in her eyes.
Kumi nodded slowly. "When I said all those things, I only wanted to help you… I'd noticed that you seemed a little sad, and I thought I could cheer you up with my suggestions. But…"
He trembled, glancing down at the floor as if fearing that her glance might slay him on the spot.
"I… I never thought that I would hurt your feelings, Lady Faye," he continued. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I never meant to make you feel bad! I really love your treats, Lady Faye, really!"
"Well, now…" Faye said, glancing to the side for a moment. "I must say, I didn't expect you to apologize to me. After all the things you said to me, I felt greatly disrespected."
"I-I know..." he replied. "Please... Please forgive me, Lady Faye! I promise, I'll make it up to you however you want!"
"Is that so?" she said. "If you really mean that... then I suppose I can give you an opportunity to make up for it."
"R-Really?" Kumi looked up, sounding more excited. "C-Could I cook with you again today?"
Faye smiled, albeit somewhat pridefully. "But of course. If you've really learned your mistake, I see no reason to forbid you."
"Oh... Oh, Lady Faye, thank you ever so much!" Kumi said, his voice cracking.
Sorao, having watched the scene with a smile, chuckled heartily. "Well, would you look at that! A happy ending. Isn't that swell?"
"Certainly not what I was expecting…" Masashi muttered.
He had thought that Kumi would be far more disconcerted over yesterday evening's events and thus would continue to wallow in his sorrow. Even if he had expected Kumi to apologize to Faye, Masashi would have thought that it would take days for him to feel guilty about it.
I guess he really must've felt bad about it… he thought. Maybe he can't afford to be without Faye.
It was pretty clear that Kumi had been bereft of his mother figure, and so he must have begun to see Faye in that light. In a way, then, it made sense why he would apologize so quickly. He was of the kind that could not displease their mothers without being afflicted with guilt the next day.
"All right, now, I'm halfway done with breakfast, so you'll just watch," Faye said to him. "But afterwards, I'll be cooking a few treats later, and you can help me."
"T-Treats…" he replied, growing a bit quiet for a few seconds. "A-All right…"
Faye let out a short laugh as her smile widened. "Now that's a good boy. If you're like that the whole time, then maybe I'll give you a special treat later."
"Special treat, you say?" Sorao said, showing a cocky grin.
Faye sighed as she shot him an annoyed look. "Don't get any funny ideas."
Just after the three of them went into the kitchen, a few more people entered the restaurant. This time, it was Maiha, Haruyuki, and Sayua.
"Ugh, what ghastly weather this is," Maiha said. "It astounds me that the good cook has chosen to move our dining venue here."
"And from the looks of things, it looks to me a thunderstorm's brewing." Sayua shuddered before she shook her head. "I wanna get the hell back to my room after breakfast is done."
"Hmm… Do I sense a tinge of trepidation in your voice?" Haruyuki said, smirking.
"N-No," Sayua said, looking slightly unnerved.
Haruyuki chortled as he took his seat. "Your words belie your intentions… I wonder how much we ought to trust you."
"Oh, that's rich, coming from you!" she retorted. "You're nothing more than a weird art dude, and I can't believe that you and that rich chick are still alive!"
Maiha rolled her eyes. "It's only natural that I have hitherto survived. I'm wise enough not to do anything so foolish as to put myself at risk."
Really? Didn't you go to the Memory Bank in the middle of the night? Masashi thought, recalling his encounter with her that time. If I'd been out for blood, I could've killed you...
"And I believe I have set off no death flags," Haruyuki remarked, sounding proud as if this were some kind of achievement. "I know not to suddenly reveal most of my backstory, make an important promise, or talk about what I shall do after this killing game."
"Oh, man... Have I done any of those things?!" Kasumi said, looking needlessly frantic as she scratched the back of her head.
"Kasumi, please don't think like that," Tanjiro said somewhat chidingly. "Each of us is of equal worth, so it's silly to judge how likely each of us will survive. That's what I believe."
"Th-That's right… A-All this talk about death flags is nonsense," Hikari said.
The conversation went on like this for quite some time, after which Tanjiro got up from his seat.
"I feel a bit thirsty," he said, looking quite exhausted from the conversation. "Let me go get a drink from the kitchen. Hikari, do you want anything?"
"J-Just water," she answered.
Tanjiro made his way to the door, but just as he opened it and passed through, he suddenly fell, and the sound of something dropping echoed through the room as well. At once, all looked toward him, only to see that the situation was far less severe than they had feared.
"Ow…" Tanjiro said as he rubbed his head.
As it turned out, he had simply bumped into Sorao, who had been about to walk through the door. He too was lying on the floor, groaning.
"Ah, man… You sure don't have good timing, dude," Sorao said, rubbing his own head as well.
"Oh, sorry about this… Ah! My camera!"
Two pink cameras lay next to the fallen men. They must have fallen from their pockets when they had bumped into each other.
"Sorao! What are you doing?" Faye said, her voice coming from the kitchen. "Come here and help me distribute the dishes."
"R-Right!"
Sorao picked up the camera lying by him, quickly shoved it into his pocket, and hurried back to the kitchen. Sighing for a moment, Tanjiro picked up the remaining camera and put it away before he entered the kitchen and came out with a glass of water.
"A-Are you okay?" Hikari asked, looking quite worried.
Tanjiro groaned as he rubbed his head. "Yes… It's nothing to worry about, I assure you."
About a minute later, Sorao, Faye, and Kumi came out of the kitchen, bearing trays with sundry dishes. As usual, the group talked among themselves as they ate.
"Excellent as usual, Faye," Maiha said, smiling as Faye set the dish on the table. "There is no one who can doubt the quality of your work."
Faye smiled back, clearly flattered. "Oh, it's always swell to hear that from you. You truly are an appreciative woman."
If only her kindness were extended to more of us… Masashi thought as he noticed Kasumi leering at her, though he thought it best not to broach the subject of her and Kasumi now.
After Masashi and Mari had all the students take out their Monokuma Contracts and saw that they were all blank, breakfast began as usual, most of the students chatting among themselves about various topics. But as they ate and talked, so too did the weather outside make itself apparent more and more. By the time most of them were done, the rain seemed to have grown so strong that everyone was sure that today would not have pleasant weather, and so most of the group wanted to go back to their rooms. Thankfully, there were a few umbrellas available in the restaurant, and so they could go back to their rooms without being drenched.
Once breakfast was done, the whole group left the restaurant and headed out to the Moonlight City's main deck. No sooner had they arrived than they saw how much the weather had changed. The small drizzle had become a great downpour, and the winds were now as loud as if they were chiding the group for being outside at this time. What was even more striking was the strength of the waves that were beating against the ship as if trying to fell it.
"Oh, man… Even worse than I thought," Sorao said, staring bemusedly at the sight.
"I saw a few signs after yesterday's dinner of a storm, but I didn't think that it would be this bad," Mari added, looking both awed and worried. "Let's just go back to the woodland kingdom as soon as we can."
But as they walked toward the railing, they could not avoid noting that something was missing.
"What the hell?" Sayua said, raising her finger. "Where's the other ship?"
"Y-Yeah, it's gone!" Kasumi said, looking quite unsettled as she glanced hither and thither.
Indeed, not only the pirates' cove, to which this ship was connected, but also the two other ships were gone, as if they had been left behind while the group had been enjoying its breakfast. As the group glanced about in confusion some more, a certain bear suddenly appeared before them. Like them, he shielded himself with an umbrella, and his was decorated black and white.
"Why, hello there!" Monokuma said innocently. "Fancy meeting you here. I'm not sure whether you've noticed, but the weather's not particularly good today."
"Mind telling us what's up with this whole disappearing act?" Sorao said, raising his hands up in confusion.
"'Disappearing act'? It's not rocket science or rocket magic, buddy," Monokuma replied. "All I've done is direct the other ships to sail separate ways."
"You what?" Sayua said, eyes widened. "You mean, they're sailing around elsewhere?"
"That's right. For safety purposes, I've deemed it too hazardous to let you move between ships. Too much effort to bother with anyone falling while walking through the gangways."
"A-And are they gone forever?" Kasumi asked nervously.
"Oh, no, no, no worries about that! Once the storm dies down, they'll come back... eventually."
Most of the students looked worryingly at one another, for this had hitherto never happened before. Even on the night when Murphy and Sister Hikari had been killed, the weather had not been so bad as tonight.
"Does that not mean that in the meantime, we are trapped here?" Maiha asked, frowning.
"Hmm… You know, 'trapped' is such a negative word," Monokuma replied with a smarmy tone. "I'd like to think of this as 'unconventional accommodation'."
"Call it whatever name you pull out of your ass, but in the end, we're stranded here!" Sayua replied, raising a fist at him.
"D-Don't tell me we'll have to stay here for the rest of the day…" Hikari said as she hid her hands in the sleeves of her white kimono.
"In any case, I suppose we shall have to make do with what this vessel offers us," Haruyuki said, looking only slightly disturbed by this new development. "In the meantime, we can only bide our time."
After Monokuma disappeared, the group headed back to the restaurant, wishing not to stay out in the cold in the meantime. Though it had been only a few minutes, the warmth that the city provided was more than dearly welcomed.
"So, uh, what now?" Sorao asked, sitting down and laxly setting his arm on the side. "Not much for us to do, is there?"
"Ooh… if we'd been trapped on the pirates' cove, at least I could've played some games in the meantime…" Kasumi said, sounding somewhat mopey.
Faye stroked her chin as she glanced toward the kitchen door. "Well, now, since I have nothing better to do, I may as well do some more cooking."
"L-Let me help, then!" Kumi said, looking awfully keen as if wanting to gain favor with her again.
"Glad to see you up and about, buddy. I was worried that you had… other things in mind," Sorao said as he smiled and chuckled heartily.
As the three headed into the kitchen, Mari tapped Masashi's shoulder and took him to one corner of the room, so that no one might hear what they were saying.
"I think that at this point," she said, whispering into his ear, "it's best that we keep an eye on Faye."
"Oh, you mentioned something like that yesterday…" he replied. "You still think that she may be up to something?"
She nodded. "I can't exactly tell, but when I heard her accept Kumi's apology, I couldn't help but feel that she wasn't fully truthful."
"Well… I guess it's better to play it safe," Masashi said, still recalling what had happened yesterday evening. "All right, so we'll just ask to join her, then."
To his surprise, Mari shook her head, her eyes boring into him. "I don't think there's a need for us both to be with her. Just one will be enough."
"Oh... And, uh, which one?"
"I will," she answered plainly as if it were obvious. "I… have a feeling that you're not exactly up for the culinary arts."
Masashi paused for a few seconds, wanting to see whether he could gainsay her, but in the end, he could say nothing, for she was right about that.
"That's something you should work on later," she commented.
"Believe me, once we get out of this place, that's something I'll start learning."
Mari showed a small smile. "I'll be sure to remember that."
The two of them left the corner, and Mari headed to the kitchen, after which Masashi sat down at his seat and whiled the time away by taking a nap. Though he had a good night's sleep, he still felt a little tired, and so a little shut-eye would do some good, he thought.
Some time later, however, he felt someone tapping his shoulders. When he awoke, he saw that a certain brown-haired phantom thief girl stood before him.
"Wakey wakey, Masashi!" Kasumi said, smiling energetically. "Wanna join me for a little fun?"
"Huh? 'Fun'?" he said as he rubbed his eyes, feeling a little groggy.
"Yep, I've had enough of sitting around and doing nothing!" she said. "I've just remembered that there's a clothing shop in the aft side of this ship, and there, we can try out some new outfits. Doesn't that sound fun?"
"Erm, that sounds... fine, I guess."
Masashi looked around the room, seeing whether anyone was interested. Right off the bat, he thought that Haruyuki might be interested in "observing" this, but he seemed to have fallen asleep, his face set down on a table, and so he thought it best not to awake him. Meanwhile, Maiha was sitting at her seat, drinking from a cup, and he did not even need to ask her, knowing that Kasumi's presence would drive her away. Tanjiro and Hikari were talking to each other about something and did not seem as if they would be much interested in trying out clothes. The only other person left was Sayua, who was sitting by herself at another table, looking down at it as if she had found nothing better to look at.
Well, if anyone wants to try out new clothes, it's her, I bet, he thought.
He approached her and asked her whether she wanted to join them.
"Trying out new clothes?" she said, looking up at him. "Eh, sure, fine by me. I've got nothing better to do right now, anyway—"
"Er, Sayua?"
The one who had interrupted her was Tanjiro, who had approached her from behind.
"What's the matter?" she said, sounding more interested.
Tanjiro hesitated for a few seconds. "It's nothing huge, really, but... would you like to join me and Hikari for a conversation later?"
"Huh? With you and her?" she said, looking at the spirit medium, who was busy drinking a cup of tea.
"Yes. I enjoy spending time with her, but I think that it'll be more beneficial if she spends time with others as well. And, well... I admit, I'm aware that you and I haven't been talking as much lately. For that, I'm... sorry."
"No, no, it's nothing..." Sayua said, trying to sound humble.
"Oh, well... I'm glad to see that you're not too bothered by it. If truth be told, I... envy you a little."
Sayua widened her eyes. "Envy... What for?"
Tanjiro hung his head down a little before he answered, his tone sheepish.
"You may think it's silly, but… I've known you for quite a bit now, and I can say for certain that unlike me, you're so full of confidence. You say things so bluntly and jump into things headlong… Those can get you into trouble, but in the end, I can't help but wish that I could be as bold as you. I can't ever imagine that in a fight, you would ever give up."
"That's… that's kind of you to say," she said, her bewilderment growing.
"So, um... Getting back to the point," Tanjiro said, who had grown a little red, "do you want to join me and Hikari later?"
"That... I'll think about it."
"Oh, yes, of course, of course," he said, nodding. "I'll see you later, then. I don't want to keep you away from your plans."
He headed back to his seat and resumed his conversation with Hikari, who seemed to be unaware of what he had just talked about.
"What was that all about?" Kasumi asked as Masashi and Sayua approached her.
"Nothing you need to know," Sayua answered. "Now, come on, let's go already!"
As Sayua left, Kasumi looked at Masashi, silently beckoning him to give her an answer. He could only shrug, however, figuring that it was best to talk about it later.
Masashi, Kasumi, and Sayua began to walk down the long narrow stairway from the second deck. They passed by the theater rooms, which were on the third and fourth decks, respectively. When they arrived at the fifth deck, they saw the nearby door to the Ferris wheel room.
For some reason, it feels kind of unsettling to walk through this place now...
Even though the night sky painted on the ceiling and the lights coming from the nearby buildings had not changed at all, the atmosphere felt much less welcoming and magical. He assumed that the storm outside made the scenery feel more sinister than it truly was, but he could not but approach this with a sense of foreboding.
The three walked straight to the aft side of the ship through the fifth deck. Besides the decorative doors of the nearby buildings, the only other doors that Masashi saw were those for the restrooms. Along the way, the group arrived at an intersection that split into two ways. One was the path that kept going straight, and that led to the music room. The other was a short stairway going up to the ballroom on the fourth deck. This time, the group headed through the straight path.
After they arrived at the door to the music room, they trod up the nearby stairs to the clothing shop, through whose transparent windows they could see the shop's inside. Masashi had to admit that if they were actually shopping for clothes, this shop would look like a pretty good place for it.
"Ooh, so many clothes! So many different outfits!" Kasumi said blithely as they stepped inside.
"You sure are excited about this, aren't you?" Masashi said.
"Well, as a phantom thief, I often go around wearing disguises," she explained, "and let me tell you, it's pretty fun to dress in all kinds of get-up."
"Yeah, I can imagine that. I guess it helps you to have an eye for fashion. After all, clothes make the man."
"Real rich when that's coming from you," Sayua said, rolling her eyes. "You look as drabby as a discarded newspaper."
Masashi shrank a little, looking somewhat irritated. He wore a gray jacket and a black pair of pants, and to him, that was stylish enough, even if his younger sister had mentioned many times that he ought to wear something more colorful.
Kasumi giggled, looking rather merry. At least she seemed to have no concerns about her usual appearance, content with her purple shirt and her short black skirt. "Well, I think Masashi's cute enough already. You, on the other hand, need a change."
"Wh-What did you say?" Sayua said, shooting her an evil glance.
"Don't think I've not noticed what's happened lately between you and Tanjiro," she replied coyly. "I can tell from your face that you really want to impress him. Maybe you want to take him back after Hikari stole him away from you, and rest assured, I can help you with that."
"S-Stole? That's not it at all!" Sayua said, sounding more and more befuddled. "And moreover, what do you mean, you can help?"
Way to admit she's right, Masashi thought, slightly amused.
Kasumi pondered for a few seconds as she rubbed her chin. "Hmm... With how stiff he is, I bet he wants something classy. Oh, I know!"
She went to a nearby rack, ruffled through the clothes, and took out a black dress. As soon as Masashi saw it, he was reminded of Maiha's black dress, which gave her an air of grace and elegance. But as soon as he looked at Sayua, he found it hard to imagine her in the same light. He had already grown used to her in her usual yellow and white jacket.
"That dress?" Sayua said, eyeing it with uncertainty. "Fine, fine, let's see how much it looks good on me."
The three then entered the adjacent dressing room, which was filled with a few different stalls to change in, and by the door was set a tall mirror to behold oneself with. The three walked into the dressing room, and Masashi and Kasumi waited about a minute for Sayua to finish changing.
"Well, how's it?"
Sayua, wearing the black dress, merely stood as Masashi beheld the sight with slight amazement.
"Wow… You actually look pretty decent in that thing!" Kasumi remarked, gaping.
"With your tone, you thought it'd look bad on me, didn't you?!" Sayua said, looking slightly upset at her. "Of course this thing would look good on me… even if it's a little too ritzy."
"You know, now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether he's into that sophisticated look," Masashi added. "Unless it's for a very special occasion, I think he'll just find it pretentious."
"Aw, really?" Kasumi said, sounding disappointed. "Then maybe... the outfit should be based on his interests. Since he is the Ultimate Historical Novelist. I bet he'd like a little traditionalism!"
"You mean, like a kimono? Sorry, but that's already taken by that Hikari girl," Sayua said, shaking her head. "I'd just look unoriginal if I stood next to her."
I don't think Tanjiro's the kind of guy to worry about originality, though, Masashi thought.
"Eh, I think we're on the right track here. You just need to find the right dress, that's all," Kasumi said. "Anyway... my turn now!"
"Your turn for what?" Masashi said.
"My turn to try out an outfit!" Kasumi responded. "In fact, I already have something in mind!"
She then rushed out to the main room, and a while later, she came back, holding a brown shopping bag that presumably contained the outfit. When they asked her what was inside, she simply told them to wait before she headed into a changing stall.
Hmm... I wonder what it could be...
Judging by her rather blithe countenance, he figured that it was something that she particularly liked to try on, though that was hardly any help at all, given how energetic she was about a lot of things. About half a minute later, however, she came out of the stall.
"Ah... That's..." Masashi muttered.
Kasumi wore nothing scandalous; rather, what gripped him was that she was now dressed as a maid. The white headpiece, the black dress, the white apron, and the black stockings were all there, and it was hard not to take his eyes off them.
"O-Oh my..." he uttered thoughtlessly.
"Aw, you're awed, aren't you?" Kasumi said, clearly flattered. "No surprise there. I think it's pretty cute, too! That's why it's one of my favorite disguises."
"Y-Yeah, I can see why!" he said, stupefied. "You look charming in that thing!"
"Meh. You look just like a waitress at one of those maid cafes," Sayua said, sounding bored. "I don't have a thing for maids, unlike Masashi."
"Thing for maids? I wish you hadn't put it that way... I simply like how the uniform looks on her," he replied, annoyed. "Besides... it reminds me a little of my younger sister."
"Your younger sister? Oh, I remember now! It's the Ultimate Maid in your motive video, right?" Kasumi asked. "Keiko, yes?"
Masashi nodded, happy that she remembered that much. "After being officially recognized as an Ultimate Maid, she actually bought a set of clothes like that for personal use. Guess the title made her get into it."
"Ooh, so does that mean her employers make her wear different clothes?"
"It seems so. Maid uniforms aren't all the same," he said. "From what I remember, the place she's supposed to be working at has her wear a white headdress adorned with small pink bows."
"Wow, sounds pretty. So who's her employer now?"
"It's... Sorry, I don't remember. All I recall is that it's some rich guy."
"Eh, really? Man, that sucks!" Kasumi said, disappointed. "I was hoping that it might be a target I could steal from after all this killing game stuff were done with!"
Now I'm not so sure I'll tell you even if I remember, Masashi thought, not wanting to imagine that to be the moment when Kasumi and Keiko would meet for the first time.
"All right, then, your turn to try an outfit out, Masashi," Kasumi said, her voice growing more quiet and yet keeping its excitement.
"Oh, sure, let me go out and find one."
"There's no need for that," she said, her voice growing oddly mischievous. "While looking for the maid outfit, I also picked out your outfit! It's in the bag, so let me get it out!"
Before she could do that, however, Masashi heard footsteps come from outside, and not long after, a certain person entered the room. Of all people, it was Sorao, who raised his hands up in surprise and gaped at the three. Undoubtedly, he did not expect to see the girls clad in such unconventional outfits.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's all this now?" he said, staring back and forth at them. "Sayua, girl, I would've never thought to see you in a dress! Have I been transported to another world, and are you just someone who looks like her?"
"Oh, shut up!" Sayua said as she flaunted her dress as if to avoid looking insecure. "At least I look good in this thing, unlike you!"
"I'm not in the business of trying out dresses any time soon, so you're free to be number one in that competition," Sorao remarked, not at all fazed.
"How about me?" Kasumi asked, leaning toward the musician. "Like my outfit?"
"Aah... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Sorao beheld her from top to bottom, his expression full of awe.
"Yes, it's good, it's good, it's good! No objections from me! Certainly a very special treat!" he blurted out, clenching his fists. "The only thing out of place is your red mask, but I can look past that!"
What in the...? He's all over her maid outfit! Masashi thought, he and the others taken aback by his reaction, for until now, he had never seen Sorao that excited. Even Kasumi, who looked quite flattered by his reaction, nonetheless stared at him in astonishment.
"What are you doing here, Sorao?" he asked.
Sorao smiled as he raised his index finger. "We're already done with cooking some treats, so I've got nothing better to do than walk around aimlessly."
"Well, now that you're here, you can join us and watch as Masashi tries out his outfit!" Kasumi replied.
"Erm, what is it?" Masashi asked, feeling somewhat fearful at what she had in mind. Though she probably did not mean anything malicious, something about her excitement felt eerie.
"Oh, it's nothing much, really. Check it out!"
She then took it out of her bag, and it was then that Masashi realized why she had called it "nothing much". What she now held up in the air was a yellow pair of trunks and nothing else.
"Wait... that's what you want me to wear?!" Masashi said, wide-eyed. "That's, uh, a bit unexpected from you. I thought you'd make me wear a butler outfit or something!"
"You thought wrong, then! And it's only right for you to wear it!" Kasumi said as she approached him, her eyes full of mischief and excitement. "Male fanservice for female fanservice! That's the Law of Equivalent Exchange!"
"Nothing about this is an 'equivalent exchange'!" he retorted, feeling worked up about it, for he suspected that if he let Kasumi wear it, she would get him to wear an even sillier outfit later.
"So we're gonna see what Masashi looks like underneath?" Sayua blurted out, baffled. "Not sure I'll be impressed... but it won't hurt to see the inside of the living drabby newspaper."
Well, there goes your help! he thought as Sayua leaned back on the wall, watching the scene casually.
"Actually... I have an idea," Sorao said, stepping forth, full of purpose. "Masashi, dude, if you don't want to try it out, how about I try it in your stead?"
"What, really?!" Kasumi said, sounding much more thrilled. "You want to try it out?!"
Sorao chuckled pridefully as he flipped a fringe of his red hair. "Back at my school, the ladies get excited whenever we go swimming, and I'm more than glad to show you why. And besides... Kasumi, your maid outfit has moved me so much that I wish to do you this kindness!"
Kasumi clapped her hands in excitement. "By all means, go ahead, go ahead!"
"Well, you're definitely better looking than Masashi, so this oughta be a treat," Sayua said, sounding slightly more interested in Sorao's proposal, though still looking quite baffled at what was going on.
"Did you really have to add that part in?" Masashi asked before he let out a disgruntled sigh.
Sorao, having been handed the trunks, went into a changing stall, and all beheld the stall, silently waiting in anticipation at what was to come. A few seconds, the man stepped out, and at once, Masashi understood why Sorao had had good reason to boast. His body was clean and slender, and yet it was not so slender as to make him look pathetic. Moreover, he had a bit of muscle in his chest and his arms, and even though there were a few bruises on his body, in a way, it added to his impressiveness, for anyone might think that he was not a man to mess with.
"Oh, my!" Kasumi cried out, squealing, her eyes glinting. "Sorao... how could you be hiding that from the world?!"
"That's... quite a body," Sayua said with much reluctance, as if not wanting to admit that Sorao had a point.
Sorao let out a soft but hearty chuckle as he flexed his arms. "Go ahead, get a piece of it while you can."
"Boy, you know how to deliver fanservice, don't you!" Kasumi replied so excitedly that Masashi thought for a moment that she would drool soon.
Oh, boy... Masashi thought as he rolled his eyes.
Sorao then turned toward Masashi. "Hey, man, why aren't you up about this? You may not be into it, but don't you think it's at least admirable?"
"Uh, yeah... I guess you can say that," he answered unenthusiastically.
"Oh, I get it! Looking at my body, you feel a little inadequate, right?" Sorao said light-heartedly as he stretched out his arms. "Don't worry, dude. I get that sometimes from my peers."
"No, that's wrong!" Masashi answered at once, but judging by the others' faces, they thought likewise.
"Come on, man, you're pretty average, all things considered," Sayua pointed out. "I'm pretty sure Sorao here can snap you in half like a twig."
Sorao chuckled. "Nah, you exaggerate. But I'm pretty sure Masashi would say uncle within the first ten seconds."
Gee, so much for making me feel better, Masashi thought, mildly annoyed. What a show-off.
"How did you get those muscles, anyway?" Kasumi asked. "Do you work out often?"
"In a way. I know some martial arts and play sports, too," Sorao answered coolly. "I guess you could say that I'm the most muscular guy here."
"Well, when the only other guys here are Masashi, Tanjiro, that weird art dude, and that storyteller twerp, I can't dispute that," Sayua said, sounding disappointing and yet continuing to eye Sorao with great interest.
I wish I could say something, but... she's right, Masashi thought with dismay. I wonder how Tanjiro manages to put up with him...
The whole display lasted for a minute or so, for most of which, the two girls were busy admiring Sorao's looks. Meanwhile, Masashi looked elsewhere and tried to think about other things. Afterwards, Sorao decided to call it quits and got dressed in his usual clothes.
"Anyhow, much as I want to continue this, I can't stay here any longer," Sorao said as he gave the shop entrance a sidelong glance for a few seconds. "Faye wouldn't like it if I dilly-dallied here, you know?"
"Ah, that's a shame!" Kasumi said, groaning. "I was hoping that I could see you wearing another swimsuit!"
"Another time, perhaps. Another time," Sorao said, his voice choking as if this were a sweet parting. "Well, now, farewell, dude and dudettes!"
Sorao then left the shop quite hurriedly, as if his life depended on it.
There he goes… Masashi thought, quite bewildered by his overly dramatic tone. He really enjoyed seeing Kasumi in her maid outfit, huh.
"What a waste of time that was!" Sayua said with contempt, acting as if she had not been ogling at Sorao's body.
"Aw, come on, the way you were looking at him, I could tell you liked it," Kasumi replied, the only one here openly delighted.
"Shut up!" Sayua retorted quickly. "And even so, I still don't like the guy. He may be good-looking, but that's one of his only good qualities. There's something very shady about him, I just know it."
Funnily enough, you're not completely wrong there, Masashi thought, recalling his misgivings with Sorao. Even now, he could not forget how Sorao had tried to overthrow him once his motive video had been revealed, but as of late, Sorao had seemingly not done anything worthy of suspicion.
"He sure was excited to see me in this outfit, and apparently, I moved him enough to make him try the swimsuit out!" Kasumi said blithely. "You think he has a maid fetish?"
"That wasn't the 'shady' I had in mind, but I'm not ruling it out," Sayua said as she stroked her chin in contemplation.
"Anyway," Masashi said, wanting not to talk about Sorao any longer, "I don't feel like trying anything out. Could we do this again later?"
"What, you want now to stop already?" Kasumi said, sounding clearly disappointed. "I was hoping to have you wear the swimsuit."
"Pretty clear the swimsuit was enough to kill all his enthusiasm," Sayua remarked. "And I'm tired as well. It's two against one, so deal with it."
Kasumi groaned as she hung her head down. "Fine..."
Masashi waited for the two girls to change back to their usual clothes, and then they all decided to go back to the restaurant, thinking of trying out the treats that Faye had cooked. But no sooner had they stepped out of the clothing shop did they stumble upon someone walking up the stairs.
"Oh! Mari!" Masashi said, somewhat relieved to see her again. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah! You must've thought about how fun it was to try out different outfits, so you wanted to come join us!" Kasumi said, her eyes glinting.
"Er, no. Nothing like that," Mari said plainly. "Rather, it's something… potentially concerning."
She then took out from her jacket a small white bottle around which was wrapped a label, and she handed it to Masashi so that he might take a closer look at it. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary drink, and the label even had a green cross on the top. But only when he read the label and the incredibly small text thereon did he see whence her concern was.
"This is… an antidote!" he said, summarizing the contents. "And this one in particular is meant to counteract poisons that cause numbing."
"What the? Really?" Sayua said as she peered at the bottle. "Where the hell did that come from?"
"Do you remember what I discovered yesterday in the music room?" she asked. "Specifically, what was in the cupboard?"
"Oh!" Kasumi yelped. "Weren't there poisons in that thing?"
"Yes, but there were also other drinks such as antidotes inside," Mari answered. "In this case, however… I found this antidote bottle in the kitchen."
"The kitchen?!" Masashi cried out. "What in the world was that bottle doing there?!"
Mari heaved a small sigh as she glanced downwards a little. "Unfortunately, I don't know. I found this set aside in the corner, and since it was unsealed, someone had already used it. I didn't tell the others about this, for I had the feeling that if I showed them, it might cause some panic."
"Yeah, it's not poison, but an antidote appearing out of nowhere sure is suspicious!" Kasumi said. "And you know what they say: where there's an antidote, there's poison!"
"Er, I don't think that's how the saying goes," Masashi remarked. "But it is still rather concerning… Why would an antidote be in the kitchen, if poison weren't involved—"
Just then, however, he heard a faint sound coming from above. Though he had barely made it out, he was certain that he had not imagined it.
"Wh-What was that?" he said, the noise having quieted everyone.
"You heard it, too?" Sayua said. "Sounds like some metallic object's fallen and struck the floor."
"Or perhaps… something has struck the ship," Mari suggested, looking slightly perturbed.
"S-Struck?" Kasumi said, her voice shaking a little. "Y-You mean, like, something's struck the ship and torn a hole into it, and we'll all sink and plunge to our deaths?"
"Er… Probably something much less dramatic than that," Masashi said, wondering why exactly she would quiver over that, given how daring her phantom thief persona usually was. "In any case, I'm starting to get the feeling something bad may be going on."
"Ya think so?" Sayua said sarcastically. "What are the chances that some random noise ended up being truly random, anyway?"
"The only room upstairs is the staff lounge," Mari said. "We ought to see whether anything's amiss there first."
Seeing no reason to disagree with her, Masashi and the others followed her up the narrow staircase. The staff lounge, if he remembered correctly, was on the second deck, and these stairs were the only way to go there.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, they headed to the door at once, and Masashi reached for the doorknob, only to find something odd.
"What the…? I can't open it!" he said, trying it a few more times. "It's locked!"
"It is?" Mari said as she too tried it herself. "Then that means… someone's inside this room. The door can only be locked from inside."
"What now?" Sayua said, raising her shoulders. "You gonna break that down or something, Masashi?"
"Um… I'd rather find a less violent way to resolve this," he answered.
Kasumi knelt by the doorknob and looked closely at the knob. A few seconds later, she let out a small giggle.
"This is no problem for me!" she said, smiling. "I've seen locks like this so many times that I can pick them in my sleep!"
She then took out from the pockets of her clothes a lockpick, after which she set to work, staying completely quiet. Masashi and the others said nothing as well, letting her work in peace. A few seconds later, she stood back up and tried the doorknob.
"Ta-da!" she said as she opened the door. "Was that under six seconds?"
"I'd say that was about nine," Mari replied.
"Aw, man… My personal record remains unbeaten, then."
"Who cares about that!" Sayua said, staring at them annoyedly. "Let's go in already and see what's all the fuss about."
When the four stepped into the room, it looked the same as Masashi could recall when he had come here the first time when they had explored the Moonlight City. There were many boxes stowed at one corner of the room, and a few of them were open as well, showing their various goods. A table and a couch lay on the left side of the room, and Masashi could hardly believe it when he saw that someone was lying on the couch.
"N-No way… Hikari?"
Indeed, it was Hikari Fey, the Ultimate Spirit Channeler, her eyes shut, her expression tranquil as if she were merely asleep, and yet, nothing about it assuaged his dread. He would rather not delve into the matter further, for he feared that he would behold another example of the killing game's cruelty.
"I-Is she…?" Kasumi said, her voice shaking.
Still, now was not the time to dilly-dally, and so Masashi, willing himself to be bold, touched her neck.
"Oh… Oh, I can't believe it…" he said as he let out a sigh. "She's alive."
"R-Really?!" Kasumi said. "Thank goodness for that!"
"Hah, so all this suspense was for nothing!" Sayua said, sounding somewhat annoyed, even with the graveness of the situation. "She was simply taking a catnap here for some godforsaken reason!"
"Not so fast. I don't think we can dismiss it so quickly."
Mari heaved Hikari's head a little, and in an eyeblink, all Masashi's relief disappeared, for he could see a little blood coming from a head wound. Though it was small, the sight of blood was enough to show that something nefarious was afoot.
"Oh, what the hell is this?!" Sayua replied, looking far less cool. "Did she hit her head on something?"
Before any of them could even respond to her, however, they heard a groan coming from below. Much to Masashi's amazement, it was Hikari, who slowly opened her eyes.
"Oh… Wh-Where am I…?" she mumbled, turning her head around. "M-My head…"
"Hikari!" Masashi cried out, overjoyed to see another sign of life from her.
"H-Huh? Oh… M-Masashi…" she said as she looked up at him. "A-And you three as well…"
"Are you all right?" Mari asked. "You seem to have been struck on the head."
Hikari groaned once more as she set her right hand on the bloody spot. "I… I'm all right, but… I feel a little… dizzy…"
"Oh, man, not a good sign at all!" Kasumi said.
"Hmm… Looking at it, though, it certainly doesn't seem as bad as the wound on Murphy," Mari said matter-of-factly. "In any case, though, I have many questions to ask you, Hikari."
"Wh-What?" Hikari asked dispiritedly.
"Where's Tanjiro, for one?!" Sayua asked, interrupting Mari just as she had opened her mouth. "Lately, you've been around him a lot, so where's he gone?!"
Masashi let out a small gasp. "Ah, that's right! Has something happened to him?"
She stayed silent for a few seconds as she furrowed her brow. "I don't remember what happened after you guys left… I-I can't recall it… It's all hazy…"
"What?!" Masashi said. "Were you struck on the head?"
"I think something like that happened to me… Someone definitely struck me, yes..." Hikari groaned again as she rubbed her head wound with her left hand. "I-I can recall only a few bits… M-Maybe the one who struck me was… that man."
"'That man'?" Sayua repeated.
"I… I saw a figure for sure, but I can't remember his sight now... And I don't remember clearly whose voice it was…" Hikari replied. "But I remember that it sounded like a man's."
Oh, no… Masashi thought as he felt the dread within him suddenly rise. There goes any explanation that this was all an unfortunate accident.
It was then that Hikari widened her eyes.
"Th-There's also one other thing…" she said, quivering. "After I was struck… I… I was lying on the floor, and my sight was nearly white… and I heard that man's voice once more."
"So what do you remember?" Mari asked.
Hikari stopped for a few seconds before answering.
"That man… I don't remember all his words, but he definitely said something about numbness," she answered as she looked down at her bloody hands. "Then I saw it... a hand reached down to my mouth and forced me to drink from a white bottle."
"A… white bottle?"
"Y-Yes, no mistake," Hikari shuddered. "I-I could still see the skulls on the label, too… What a horrible sight that was…!"
"Hold on a minute! Skulls, you say?" Kasumi said. "I don't know why, but that sounds familiar!"
"Of course it does," Mari answered, sounding only slightly surprised as her expression grew grave. "The cupboard in the music room had poisons… and they were all contained in bottles marked with such a label."
All the others gasped at the revelation.
"S-So… Hikari… she's been poisoned?!" Kasumi yelped.
"I-Is that right...?!" Hikari said, her white growing paler than it already was.
"Well, if we don't do anything about it now, she's going to clock out, willy-nilly!" Sayua pointed out, raising her index finger.
"D-Do you feel anything weird, Hikari?!" Masashi said. "Like, say, something boiling within you, or your blood turning cold or whatever?!"
"I-I don't feel anything weird other than the headache I have, but…" Hikari said, sounding no less reassured. "M-Maybe the poison hasn't taken effect yet. Y-You need to get me an antidote quickly...!"
"Antidote? Ah!"
Masashi could not believe it, but there was no need to go look for it or anything. Whether or not destiny had intended it, the remedy had been brought here.
"Mari! Where's the antidote you found in the kitchen?"
"Right here, but…" Mari said as she took it out. "Are you sure that it'll work?"
"Well, it certainly can't hurt!" he said. "Let her have some, Mari."
"C-Could you pour it into my mouth?" she asked. "M-My hands are a little shaky right now, a-and they're bloody as well, so I don't want to make the bottles filthy..."
Mari popped the bottle open and poured a small dose into Hikari's mouth. As soon as she swallowed it, her expression lightened up and lost much tension.
"I-It's rather sweet…" she commented. "I wouldn't mind having more of it..."
"According to the bottle, the antidote helps alleviate effects of most numbing poisons, and I've given what I think is a reasonable amount," Mari said as she looked at the label. "Though you are far from perfect health, you should be recovering from the effects of the poison."
"Oh, thank God…"
Masashi heaved a great sigh as he relaxed his shoulders. This had been all too reminiscent of the situation with Murphy, in which they had found him lying on the staff lounge in the pirates' cove. That time, Murphy also had survived the attack, but by the time of their discovery, it had been too late to treat him.
But this was different. This was the first time that Masashi had directly stopped someone's death in this killing game. Though it was no accomplishment that he was particularly proud of, he was nonetheless happy that luck had been on his side this time. Perhaps there truly was some meaning in his given title of Ultimate Lucky Student.
"I-Is there any water?" Hikari said. "I-I want to rinse my mouth a little."
Masashi looked around the room quickly and saw a water bottle lying by a box. It was sealed, so it took him some effort to open it, and afterwards, he poured some water into Hikari's mouth.
"Th-Thank you," Hikari mumbled. Though her expression remained dour, it was clear from her tone that she truly appreciated her help.
"It sure is lucky that there happened to be a water bottle here!" Kasumi remarked.
"The things stowed here can prove to be very useful," Mari replied. "Anyway, what shall we do now?"
"Hey, before we get to that, I wanna bring up something!" Sayua said, sounding more demanding. "Seems like you numbskulls have forgotten why we even came up here in the first place!"
"Why we came up here…? Ah!" Masashi cried out. "That's right! The sound we heard earlier!"
"Oh, yes, the metallic sound," Mari said. "Hikari, do you by any chance know something about that?"
Hikari shook her head, however. "I… I don't know anything about that. I must've been unconscious when you heard it."
Of course it wouldn't be that simple… oh, well, Masashi thought as he looked around the room. Though there were a few metallic objects in the room, none of them looked as if they had fallen or had toppled.
"Wh-What shall I do now?" Hikari said, quivering. "D-Don't I need time to recover?"
"You do, and if we had access to our bedrooms, I should think it best to escort you to yours," Mari answered. "Unfortunately, the Moonlight City is stranded from the other ones for now, so for the time being, you ought to rest here."
"Yeah, seems quite secure to me," Masashi said as he looked around. "There's only one door here, so once it's locked, no one can come in from inside."
"So we don't need anyone staying here," Sayua said.
"F-Fine by me… I can't rest easily unless I'm alone, anyway. And the stormy weather won't be a problem," Hikari said as she adjusted her position before she should rest. "And… And one more thing."
"Yes?" Masashi asked.
"Tanjiro isn't here right now… so I fear that something bad may have happened to him. Please find Tanjiro and bring him here safe and sound… I still have so many things to talk about with him."
He nodded solemnly. "We will, Hikari. You'll see him again, I'm sure of that."
Before leaving the room, he laid the antidote bottle and the water bottle by the couch on which Hikari rested, just in case she needed them later. Once the four of them left the room, Kasumi used her lockpick so as to lock the door from outside. Masashi even tried to open the door afterwards to ensure that it was locked.
"Hmm, so what now?" Masashi said. "Someone's attacked Hikari, and Tanjiro's unaccounted for."
Sayua raised a hand, looking quite nettled. "Isn't it obvious? We need to look around for Tanjiro first! Hikari doesn't know where he is, so for all we know, he may have..."
Her expression turned grim, and she did not finish her sentence. It was somewhat surprising to see her suddenly drop her snide and uncouth comments, but Masashi did not need to ask her why. He simply agreed that hers was a good idea.
"True, but I'd also like to look into who attacked Hikari," Mari said.
"Well, thankfully, since this ship's stranded from the others, it means Tanjiro has to be here somewhere!" Kasumi answered. "Unless, you know… he tripped and sank. Now that would be awful."
"And besides, the ship's large, but not that large. We can focus on both tasks at the same time," Masashi added. "So, um… where shall we begin?"
"Sheesh, for all that reassuring talk, you can't come up with a plan!" Sayua said, sounding much more annoyed than usual.
"I'd suggest the music room," Mari answered. "I believe we'll likely find a clue there."
"And what makes you think that?" Sayua asked, looking at her warily.
"You'll see."
They headed down the long stairs to the fifth deck, encountering no other surprises. But no sooner had they arrived at the door of the music room than they heard footsteps coming from someone walking through the fifth deck. Masashi turned around and nearly leapt in surprise at who it was.
"Ah, there you are."
Of all people, it was Haruyuki, who looked mildly surprised to see them, and to whom Masashi showed like surprise.
"Huh? What are you doing here, Haruyuki?" Kasumi asked. "Weren't you asleep earlier?"
"Indeed, after a while, I awoke, only to see that you were missing, and so I wanted to see what you were up to," he answered. "Pray tell, why do you look so troubled?"
Masashi then told him everything that had happened once they had heard that weird metallic noise. By the end, Haruyuki had looked quite astounded.
"Oh, my… Quite a situation we are in now," he said. "I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen Tanjiro at all since he left the restaurant with Hikari. They had already left for the music room, I heard."
"So the two really came here…" Sayua muttered. "You sure you haven't seen him since?"
Haruyuki nodded. "I came straight here after choosing to see what you were up to. I saw no one along the way, I'm afraid."
"Are Faye and the others at the restaurant?" Mari asked.
"Indeed. Well, to be precise, Faye left to go on a break, but Sorao and Maiha were there when I left," Haruyuki answered.
"Wait a minute… What about that little twerp?" Sayua asked.
"Do you mean Takumi Takamitsu?" Haruyuki then shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry to say that I don't know. After the whole cooking session with Faye was done, the little storyteller left, saying that he was going out to play by himself."
Oh no… Masashi thought as he felt the color on his face going away. That can't be a good sign.
"All right, then, go back to the restaurant and tell the others what's happened," Masashi said. "Tell them to look out for Tanjiro and Kumi as soon as they can."
"But of course."
Haruyuki bade them farewell before turning around and leaving. Because of how dim the city was and how bright the surrounding lights were, in just a few seconds, he had disappeared from Masashi's sight.
The four then headed into the music room, and at first, nothing seemed to be out of place. However, they were greeted, oddly enough, with a sweet scent at one particular part of the room, as if a few blossoms had been growing here. Moreover, part of the floor looked quite clean as well; though the whole floor was relatively spotless, this part in particular looked to have been cleaned lately.
"Already a few oddities!" Kasumi said. "This room's definitely suspicious!"
"Sayua, look outside, please," Mari said. "We'll search this room for a few minutes, but we don't want Tanjiro to walk past us."
"Pfft, fine by me," Sayua said as she stepped toward the door and began staring down at the hallway outside.
"All right, so what made you think there's a clue here, Mari?" Kasumi asked. "Sure, there's the smell, and there's the clean floor, but you didn't know that when you suggested it."
"Two things," she answered. "One, the poison. It must've come from the cupboard in this room. We ought to examine it as soon as we can to see what else has been taken."
Mari opened up the cupboard, which revealed all the rows of bottles that Masashi had seen yesterday. He looked up at the top row, all the bottles in which were poisons, given that their labels were adorned with skulls.
"As expected, a bottle's missing from the row of poisons," Mari said. "And look at the row below. A bottle's missing there as well."
"That must've been the antidote bottle that you found in the kitchen," Masashi replied.
They then searched the cupboard for some time and found a few important things. For one, from what he could tell, all the bottles that one could drink from were still sealed, whence their contents had not been tampered with. Furthermore, there was one row of bottles whose contents were not meant to be drunk from, for they were perfume bottles. When Masashi tried some, he found it to be the same scent as was present in the room right now. Though he was almost certain that someone had used one of the perfume bottles, what concerned him more was that one of the perfume bottles was missing.
"Did the attempted killer use the bottle and take it out of the room?" Masashi asked.
"Sounds pretty likely!" Kasumi answered. "Maybe the culprit needed the bottle and tested it out here?"
Hmm... Makes sense, Masashi thought, though the question of what the bottle would be used for still remained.
"Oh, that's right! What's the other clue that you're referring to, Mari?" Kasumi asked.
"Ah, yes, it's that, of course."
Mari pointed at the ornamental weapons that hung on the wall. She approached them and picked the weapons up one by one, looking at them carefully.
"What do these weapons have to do with all this?" Masashi asked.
"Oh, I know!" Kasumi answered. "You think that the attempted killer used one of them on Hikari, don't you!"
"Correct. The attempted killer used a weapon to strike Hikari, and I suspected that one of the ornamental weapons was used," Mari said.
"Hmm… That makes sense," Masashi said. "But now that I think about it… isn't that a bit weird?"
"What is?"
"For one, why didn't the culprit kill Hikari at that point?" he asked. "And even though Hikari was attacked here, why did the culprit move her to the staff lounge? And why did the culprit even bother to use poison after attacking her with a weapon?"
Kasumi gasped. "Oh, wow, I didn't think of that! That really sounds pretty weird!"
"Yeah, sounds like the killer's a real idiot!" Sayua said, who had been listening.
"Indeed, I'm as puzzled as you are," Mari said as she put up the ornamental weapons. "If the culprit and Hikari were here, then all the former needed to do was strike the latter with one of these weapons and make sure that she was dead. Feeding her the poison and moving her to another room seems… excessive."
"Well, maybe there's a clue that'll shed some light on that!" Kasumi said. "Come on, let's keep looking!"
And so the three combed through the music room for clues, and they even did another search to make sure that they had not missed anything. In the end, however, their search yielded them nothing.
"What a waste of precious minutes!" Sayua bemoaned, having watched them while keeping an eye out at the hallway. "We could've gone to search the other rooms already!"
Mari sighed. "It seems that that's all this room has. Let's go to the ballroom, then—"
Right afterwards, a certain jingle rang from the monitor, silencing everyone. It was Monokuma, who, as usual, sat in his chair while wearing his spiffy white outfit. At once, Masashi froze up, dreading what he had to say, and a second later, Monokuma made his announcement.
"A body has been discovered!" he said. "After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"
Once the monitor turned off, Masashi could not utter a word at first, wanting to make sure that he had not misheard it. But when nothing else followed the announcement, he lost all will to deny it.
"N-No… One of us... is dead…?" he muttered.
"I… I can't believe it!" Kasumi whimpered. "I can't believe it's happened again!"
"No fucking way…" Sayua said, her words quivering. "It can't be… Don't tell me it was… We have to find who it is now!"
"Hang on," Mari said, looking quite perturbed, and yet not so much as to lose her cool. "Haven't you noticed Monokuma failed to mention something in his announcement?"
"Wh-What?" Kasumi said.
"The location. In fact, Monokuma did the same thing in the previous case."
It was then that Masashi realized the implications of her observation, and at that point, his heart sank even further.
"Don't tell me… another double murder…" he whimpered.
"I'm afraid that may be the case," Mari answered, frowning. "And… something else has occurred to me. Right now, Tanjiro's and Kumi's whereabouts are unknown, so..."
"Don't you even fucking dare finish that sentence!" Sayua yelped, giving Mari the evil eye, though she did not flinch at all. "Tanjiro… he can't be…!"
"Whoa, Sayua! Calm down!" Kasumi said, eyes widened. "She's just saying that it's possible! It's only the worst case situation… not that there's a best case situation in a double murder! What's more important is that we leave this place and find the others, pronto!"
"Hang on. First, we need to get Hikari," Mari said, looking unbothered, despite having been yelled at a few seconds earlier. "I thought that she would be safe in her room, but at this point, we ought to stick together."
"D-Don't tell me you think the killer's done Hikari in!"
"I don't think that's likely, since she was resting in a locked room," Mari said. "Still, even with that security measure, I don't think it's safe to let her be. Don't you agree, Masashi?"
"I… I guess so," he said, feeling greatly dispirited.
The four then left the music room and rushed up the stairs to the topmost deck.
When they arrived at the door to the staff lounge, Masashi knocked on the door, calling out Hikari's name. No response came, but that was not too surprising, given that she had likely fallen asleep at this point. He then had Kasumi unlock the door with her lockpick, and once she opened the door, they all rushed into the room as if there were no tomorrow, only to stop upon seeing what lay before them.
"No… No way…" Masashi uttered.
Hikari was there, certainly, but she now lay on the floor, her expression utterly still, the contents of the antidote bottle and the water bottle having spilled onto the floor. Before he could even kneel by her body to check her pulse, a certain jingle played once more from the monitor.
"A body has been discovered!" Monokuma said, appearing on the screen again. "After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"
Once the monitor turned off, no one said a thing. Judging by their expressions, only one thing was on their mind:
Hikari Fey was, without a doubt, dead.
"What the fuck…" Sayua uttered, looking completely shocked. "That Hikari girl… She's gone…"
"No way… This is all so awful!" Kasumi said, her voice choking as her eyes began to water.
As if to be sure, Mari knelt down by her body and checked her pulse, only to sigh as she looked back at the others. She needed no words to tell them that the announcement had been no mistake.
Why...? Why did this have to happen?
Feeling a little dizzy as he gazed down at her body, Masashi remembered the relief that he had felt when she had been fed the antidote. At that moment, he had thought that he had stopped the killing game from claiming another victim, and he had rejoiced in this small but praiseworthy deed. But in truth, all he had done was delay the inevitability of her death. He had even promised her that he would bring Tanjiro to her so that she might talk with him once more, but now, that promise would be forever left unfulfilled.
Everything truly had been all for naught.
"I can't believe it… We talked with her only a short while ago," Masashi uttered plainly. "How could she have died?"
"I… I don't know," Mari said, looking down at the corpse with a most weary expression. "I certainly thought she'd be safe, and yet, here I am, proven wrong."
Not long after, however, Masashi heard someone coming up the stairs. He turned around and saw that it was none other than Haruyuki.
"Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you were," the art critic said as he entered the room, but once he beheld what was inside, he stopped and paused for a few seconds. "Oh, my... Hikari…"
He looked down at her corpse with a weary expression.
"My goodness… Poor girl," he said, lowering his head in respect. "I feared that something bad had befallen one of you, but to see that it was she… my, certainly not what I had foreseen."
"Haruyuki... why have you come here?" Masashi asked, now that he realized that his presence had yet to be explained.
"You are aware that a body discovery announcement played earlier, yes?" Haruyuki responded. "I'm sorry to say that the others and I have found the second victim in the lower theater room."
"The lower theater room? That's on the other half of the ship!" Kasumi replied.
"Yes, the others asked me to come fetch you," he answered. "Now, let's hurry. I'd rather not waste any more time."
"Wh-What?! Hold it!" Sayua yelped. "Who's the victim?!"
"Though I can tell you, I believe that it's much better to see the answer," Haruyuki said coolly. "The sight will make it easier to accept the truth."
Haruyuki turned around and began running back to the other side. Seeing that he would not give them an answer, Masashi and the others followed him, not one of them saying a word along the way. They reached the fifth deck, ran to the fore side of the deck, and then ran up the long narrow stairs to the theater rooms. The lower theater room was on their left side, and they rushed into the door, keen yet uneasy to solve the mystery of the second victim.
Once they entered the room, Masashi saw a crowd gathering around by the wall near the door. He silently joined the crowd and looked down at what they were all gazing at.
Oh... Oh my God...
The second victim lay dead in a pool of blood, a bleeding wound on the head, a bloody bowling ball lying nearby. It was a sight the likes of which Masashi had had the dubious honor of seeing, but even so, his heart sank as he beheld Tanjiro's corpse.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen! We have more bloodshed, and like the third case, there are two victims! Are you surprised that it's Hikari and Tanjiro this time? Normally, I'd talk about how I feel about the victims, but this time, I think I'll reserve it for later.
Anyway, next time, the investigation begins! What are your thoughts on what's happened?
