The next two days went by uneventfully. Though a few of the students still looked bothered by the latest developments, there were no more arguments about what their plan ought to be. Futaba was right that all they could do now was wait for her family or some other rescue force to save them as well as their loved ones.

Of course, that did not mean that nothing had happened. Atsushi's power had been limited greatly; he might no longer force the students he would punish to stay in their rooms all day. Instead, they would simply be given less food as their punishment. For Arashi in particular, Sorao and Murphy were to sit by him and watch him at all times. The given reason for it was that he was too prone to become violent, and so he needed guards at this point. Though angry about it at first, Arashi was easily soothed by Faye's pastries, so the problem took care of itself, so to speak.

Futaba was talking with Sorao more and more. Atsushi was still the deputy, but it was clear that he held less sway over her decisions and had been reduced to a mere enforcer of the rules. Though the archaeologist claimed not to have any problem with this, the evil eye that he gave Sorao at dinnertime said otherwise. He thus spent less time with Futaba and more time talking with Mari about certain subjects. At one point, Masashi saw them relax in the lounge together.

"Forsooth, my team and I have unearthed many relics in our expeditions throughout Japan," Atsushi said. Neither of them had noticed Masashi peeking through the door, for it seemed that their enthusiasm in the topic made them a bit inattentive. "For instance, in the archaeological sites at a prefecture, we helped to unearth hundreds of ancient stoneware and earthenware."

Excited, Mari asked him to continue, after which Atsushi went on and on about pottery, tool production, and carbon dating. It was all so bookish and long-winded that by the time Atsushi stopped, Masashi might have easily thought that hours had already passed. Meanwhile, Mari looked not at all tired or confused, which befuddled Masashi even more.

How in the world can she stand all of that? Masashi thought.

Moreover, Sorao was giving Futaba more and more advice about how she ought to present herself to the others so that they might have a good image of her. One piece of advice was to talk more to her subjects, as it were. Before the reveal of the motive, she had mainly been by herself or with Atsushi when it had been part of her schedule. Hence, she had come off as rather detached from the rest of the class. Sorao's advice did her wonders, as the students—except Maiha, of course—spoke better of her.

At one point, when Haruka was practicing her clowning, Futaba and Sorao happened to pass by her, and they watched her for a few seconds.

"Such crude entertainment!" Futaba said, slightly irked. "Does it not make you feel disgraceful to have self-inflicted violence as part of your performances?"

"Now, now, you shouldn't put her down for her talent. That's a pretty quick way of showing that you can't bear with those whose tastes differ from yours," Sorao said softly. "Simply apologize for your remark, say that it's not in your taste, and leave her be."

"Hmph. Very well."

Futaba then did what Sorao had advised her to do, though she still looked a bit disgruntled at the clown.

"Ah, right. I ought to say more," she said. "Haruka, was it? You must practice more if you do not wish to come off as a disappointment to your audience."

Sorao glanced at her, greatly shocked, and Haruka looked unsure as to how she should respond. However well meaning Futaba had been in her advice, there was no doubt that it had come off as a bit demeaning and condescending. It took Sorao to save her from the embarrassment she had inflicted upon herself.

Still a long way to go… Masashi thought.

Today was another day. It was good that some kind of order had been achieved at last. Of course, ideally, today was also the day when help would come at last and free them from this place. Until then, however, he had only time to kill.

He looked around on the main deck and saw Sorao leaning against the railing of the aperture on the floor. The aperture itself was lined up with the three apertures on the decks below, the fourth deck's garden at the very bottom, so if one were to accidentally fall from the top, the flowers would not be enough to soften one's landing. Fortunately, it appeared that the aperture's railing was strong enough, so there was no risk that he might fall to his untimely death.

Sorao was drinking a can of lemonade, the temperature a bit warm today. "Oh, hey, man. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Are you free right now?"

"Sure am. Futaba doesn't need me right now, so I've got some time to relax," he answered. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, maybe we can chat a bit," Masashi suggested. "To begin with, you're a musician, right? You play the piano thing."

"Celesta. It's like a piano, but they're not the same thing," Sorao corrected relaxedly. "But I guess it's understandable why you'd call it a piano. It's not something you see every day, is it? There are many students who say they want to learn how to play the piano, but not the celesta, after all."

Masashi nodded. "I wanted to learn how to play the violin, but after I tried it out, I kind of got tired of it."

"I'm not surprised, really," Sorao said light-heartedly. "If you ask me, you're not the kind of guy who has musical ambitions."

That was about right. In fact, Masashi did not think himself to be an ambitious person in general. Yes, he cared about his academics and planned to study for the entrance exams since he needed to attend university, but he seldom thought about changing the world as part of his future. There were no brilliant ideas stirring in his mind.

"Say, how did you discover your musical talent?" Masashi asked. "Did you happen to play the celesta one day and realize that you were good at it?"

Sorao chuckled as he flickered with a fringe of his messy red hair. "Kind of. I have to thank my mom for helping me."

"Oh? What's the story behind that?"

"Well, when I was still a child, my mom always wanted to make sure that I should have an upbringing as good as she could afford," he answered. "I guess it's only natural, since I'm her only child. She gave me everything that she could imagine, even if it cost her dearly. Snacks, toys… you name it."

W-Wow… Masashi thought. From how he described it, his mother must have spoiled him quite a bit. He would have never guessed that Sorao had a rather lavish childhood, for lack of a better word. It was a wonder that Sorao did not feel falsely entitled to everything.

"Anyway, one day, my mom made me take piano lessons. She'd read somewhere that a child who knew how to play an instrument would have better chances at life," Sorao said. "I was around five when I had my first lesson. Back then, I wasn't that interested in it, since I was more of an outdoorsy guy, you see."

"So what changed your mind?"

The celesta player drank more of his can of lemonade. "Trying it out, of course. Let me tell you, I was pretty surprised to see how quickly I became good with the piano. With how skilled I became, it's as if I'd been meant to love it."

When he put it that way, Masashi wished that there were a piano here. He could then hear what wonderful tunes the man could play.

"Two years later, when I was seven, I saw that my music teacher had a celestia as well," Sorao continued. "As you can imagine, my teacher was pretty surprised that I wanted to play his celesta. He was so glad to hear that from me that he didn't even charge me extra."

"And that's how you learned the celesta as well, huh…" Masashi said. The more he heard about his musical career's beginning, the more he felt inclined to call him special. Much about it made him look like a star, and if he dealt with the film industry instead, Masashi could easily imagine him to be a high-profile actor instead.

Sorao finished the rest of his lemonade. "Well, there you have it. That's how I found my musical ambitions. Of course, it's nothing too spectacular, but you certainly don't see that every day, do you?"

"No, certainly not," Masashi answered. "You're a one of a kind guy, that's for sure."

Sorao let out a hearty laugh. "Well, it's been swell to talk with you. Hopefully, this whole crazy situation will come to an end. Maybe I can play you guys a few delightful tunes afterwards."

"I'd like that very much," Masashi said. However bad this situation might be, one upside to it was that he had met many talented individuals. Once everything about this were over, they could look back at this crazy part of their lives as a blessing in disguise.

It was now midday, and Masashi had already grown keen to eat lunch. He headed to the dining room, where Faye sat at a table eating a cookie. She had just finished it when he approached her.

"Hey, Masashi!" Faye said. "Do you want me to make you something?"

"I'd like that very much," Masashi answered. "Cook me whatever's on your mind."

Faye smiled. "I'll be sure not to disappoint you, then! Get ready for a tasty, mouth-watering, and toothsome meal!"

The pastry chef rushed to the kitchen, and for the next few minutes, Masashi could hear sundry sounds coming from the kitchen. After a while, she came back out with a dish of croissants decorated with cream. Seeing them truly made Masashi eat them already, but upon touching one of them, he yelped from the croissant's hotness.

"Serves you right, if you ask me!" Faye said jokingly. "Food is something to take one's time with. There's no need to rush, wouldn't you say?"

"R-Right…"

Masashi waited a few minutes until they cooled off, after which he slowly took one and began eating it. Indeed, it was a delight to the mouth, the butter inside bettering it.

"Amazing!" Masashi said while eating. "You're not called the Ultimate Patissier for nothing, that's for sure!"

Faye giggled. "That is music to my ears! Go on and have more if you so wish!"

"Gladly!"

He was not much of a glutton, but he would not find this kind of food easily after this whole situation were resolved, and so he ought to enjoy this opportunity as much as he could. He grabbed two more croissants and ate them like a greedy child. Meanwhile, Faye grabbed one and ate it slowly, seeming more interested in watching him. Once the whole dish of croissants was gone, Masashi leaned back against his seat, drinking a cup of tea that Faye had brewed as well. Though it was a simple meal, something about the work made it look greater than it truly was. There was an excellence that, if bereft, would make the meal special only in the food's foreign roots.

"I'm glad to see you enjoy it a lot," Faye said as she sipped her tea. "Shall I cook you some more?"

"No, no, this is already enough," Masashi insisted. "It's pretty amazing that you can cook as well as you do. The one who taught you must've been one heck of a craftsman."

Faye chuckled. "Indeed! My mother sent me to the same Frenchman who taught her all that she needed to know."

"Frenchman?" Masashi said. "Then you spent your time in France?"

"Yes, and believe me, even with my French acquaintances, I sometimes felt a bit lonely without my family. Especially without my mother…" Faye sighed wistfully and looked elsewhere for a short while. Eventually, she remembered that he was here and looked back at him. "But I'm sure you're not here to hear me talk about that. Anyway, the tutorship took a long while, but eventually, I managed to acquire enough mastery of the craft. Thanks to my kind old tutor, I at last had the skills to show everyone that I was a skilled, deft, and able cook!"

It was no surprise that she had sounded more and more energetic at the sentence's last part. From what he could tell, she was a woman who felt all the prouder if other folk acknowledged her abilities. And having tasted her food, he had no doubt that she could indeed walk the walk.

"By the way," Masashi said, "I've noticed something… particular about you."

Faye raised her brow. "Oh? Whatever could that be?"

"Well, in your speech, you seem to like using a lot of adjectives," Masashi pointed out. "You generally use three when one would be enough."

"Ah, so you've noticed…" Faye said. "Well… not that it bothers me. I simply like to sprinkle my speech with a lot of words. The more words, the better, don't you think?"

"Well… It certainly makes you sound a bit fancy," Masashi said. "But maybe you can cut it back a little."

"Oh, but I simply can't!" Faye insisted. "The Japanese tongue is full of beautiful words, and we'd be all the worse, poorer, and unhappier if we chose not to use them!"

It seemed that she sought to show off not only in her works but also in her speech. Though not complicated by any means, it nevertheless came off as a bit needless. Of course, Masashi doubted that he could change her mind about how she spoke any time soon, and it was not as if it were that bothersome; at worst, it came off as a bit flowery and gave off the impression that she wished to look impressive before others. Still, there was no mistaking the needlessness in her speech as a token that her skills in cooking were wanting; indeed, there was enough substance in her works to make him overlook this characteristic of hers.

"Well, then," Faye said as she put down her cup of tea, "are you sure you don't want to make you another scrumptious, flavorsome, and delightful treat?"

"Yes, I'd like to save that for later," Masashi said, smiling.

"Hey, Masashi! Play with me right now!"

Masashi let out a somewhat exasperated sigh, for it was time to soothe Arashi. All the students had quickly learned that if they did nothing about him, he would soon topple any nearby tables and beset them with his endless whining. It was a downright miracle that he had broken none of Monokuma's rules ever since the first day's incident.

"Uh, all right," Masashi said. Someone must tend to him, and he might as well be the one to take on this burdensome task.

Arashi beamed. "All right! Let's do something fun!"

Normally, he would call for Faye, since she could easily soothe him with her pastries. And Haruka was rather helpful as well, since Arashi found her clowning to be greatly amusing. But since they were off doing something else right now, he had to think of another way to gladden him.

Well, we are in an amusement park… Masashi thought. This is practically made for someone like him.

"Let's go on the merry-go-round," Masashi said, putting on a winning smile. "I hear it's pretty fun."

They headed over to the merry-go-round room, where its main feature stood not too far from the billboard at the wall opposite to the door. The merry-go-round had many wooden horses and carriages to ride on, but Arashi insisted that he ride on a horse only. Masashi thought about sitting with him together in one of the carraiges, but given that Masashi had to stay by the panel to operate it, he could only watch Arashi having fun. Nonetheless, that was no problem for him; his job here was to keep Arashi entertained.

Once Arashi was seated, Masashi pushed the start button, after which the merry-go-round sprang into life, the horses and carriages moving. From the speakers came a chirpy tune whose intensity seemed to align with the merry-go-round's speed.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Once the merry-go-round's speed rose such that it took very few seconds to make a full revolution, Arashi screamed. Masashi could not tell whether he was happy or angry, but what was certain was that he was grabbing onto the horse as if there were no tomorrow.

The music soon finished its crescendo. After a while, the merry-go-round slowed down, as did the music, and soon, both stopped. And yet, when Masashi approached Arashi, to his surprise, he looked no less energetic than before.

"That was fun!" Arashi beamed like a small child. From how he behaved, Masashi must remind himself that he was not a child but a boy around his age.

"It sure seemed so," Masashi said. "Had you ridden one of these before today?"

"Sure have!" Arashi answered. "Grandpa and Grandma took me to amusement parks many times! We would spend nearly the whole day going on the rides!"

It was telling that he had mentioned his grandparents but not his parents. Already, Masashi suspected that something had happened to them, but he stayed silent, sensing that it would only derail the conversation.

"That sounds wonderful," Masashi said. "I bet your grandparents worked hard to take care of you."

"Well, Grandpa sure did!" Arashi said, his fists pumped. "He was the one that made the folk in my hometown his wonderful fireworks!"

"Is that so?" Masashi smiled a wry smile. "Is he the one that taught you, then?"

Arashi nodded keenly. "He took his swell time to make sure that the fireworks should be perfect for festivals! Whenever I could, I would go watch him and ask him questions about how he worked! It's all simple to me now, but back then, there were many things that Grandpa warned me about!"

"Really?"

"Yep! Fireworks aren't mere toys to play around with, and thanks to what Grandpa taught me, I've not had any accidents at all!"

Given his every action so far, Masashi was amazed that he had somehow become a certified pyrotechnician. He would have sworn that he would mess up so greatly that the humiliation would bereave him of any mirth that he had in the craft. But if what he said was true, Arashi was much carefuller than one might think.

"I'm sure your grandfather taught you well," Masashi said. "I'd like to see one of your grandfather's works someday."

Surprisingly, however, Arashi dropped his bright smile and now looked a bit woebegone.

"S-Sorry, but…" he said quietly, which was a tad unsettling. "I-I can't take you to him any time soon. He's…"

He did not even need to ask him why. It was all too clear that something unfortunate had befallen his grandfather.

"Look, I'm sorry for mentioning it." However keen he was to hear more about him, Masashi saw that now was not the right time to talk more about it. "Let's just act as if I had never said that, shall we?"

Arashi said nothing for a short while, but eventually, he nodded. "A-All right…"

If he had ever wished for him to be quiet, this would certainly not be what he had foreseen. Masashi could not believe it, but he now wanted him to act as he usually did.

"Hey, do you want to go on the merry-go-round again?" he asked, smiling. "I bet it's a lot of fun the second time around!"

Arashi brightened up, looking nearer to his usual demeanor. Relieved to see that he was not so gloomy that he would stay like that for the rest of the day, Masashi made himself a mental note to bring up the subject of his grandfather a bit more carefully next time. He had a hunch that his grandfather might have had something to do with Arashi's current tendencies, so to speak.

It was dinnertime, and Masashi thought that it would be like any other dinnertime. But just as dinner was to be cooked, a certain cackle rang through the room and bereft the chattering students of their voices. Not long after, who should pop up in the students' midst but Monokuma, their one and only captain?

"Whoa!" Sorao exclaimed; Monokuma had appeared right by his table, and if he had been even a bit more careless, he would have fallen off his seat.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" Hikari asked, eyeing him warily.

"Relax, relax, I'm not here to cause you any trouble!" Monokuma replied. "Not that I ever have, anyway! This whole trip, I've been nothing but kind to you!"

Abraham let out a mocking laugh. "Yeah, you sure fucking have! Nothing says kindness like trapping us here like rats!"

"That set aside," Atsushi said, "wherefore are you come?"

"Well, I have an announcement to make, and it's so exciting that I must tell you in person what it is!" Monokuma said, doffing his peaked cap. "Starting tomorrow night, a new feature will be available at the merry-go-round!"

"A new… feature?" Sister Hikari asked.

"Whatever could be added to that?" Futaba asked, bemused.

Monokuma covered his mouth, giggling. "What if I say that it's a different version of the ride that you're all used to?"

Tanjiro too looked puzzled. "How different?"

"Well, for starters, this new ride… features something new and exciting!" Monokuma said, opening his arms. "It's called… augmented reality!"

Masashi nearly started upon hearing the word. He could still remember having seen the word in the title of one of the books in the hidden library, and it seemed a bit uncanny that a few days later, he should hear about augmented reality from his kidnapper. Meanwhile, most of the others looked befuddled by Monokuma's news. Had he truly meant to excite them, he would have failed greatly.

"How is augmented reality involved, exactly?" Haruyuki asked.

"Well, the Haunted Woods, the alternative version of the ride, is more on the scary side, you see," Monokuma answered, "so if you ride on it, with the help of specially designed AR headsets, you'll get to witness all kinds of horrors coming at you!"

"H-Horrors?" Kumi said, visibly frightened by the thought. Any interest that he might have had in the ride must be gone.

"Wait, hang on," Maiha said. "You say that the ride will be available tomorrow night. Why not tonight?"

Monokuma donned his hat. "Here's the thing: we can't very well let you ride it without making sure that it's safe. Otherwise, we'll have lawyers swarming us about not having followed the damn safety regulations!"

"Well, yeah. If someone should happen to die from your negligence, the responsibility falls upon you and not on us," Sorao pointed out.

Monokuma let out a tired groan as if the issue were a true thorn on his side. "Anyway… until tomorrow at eleven o'clock at night, the merry-go-round room will be closed off! Anyone who somehow goes there will be punished, so you'd better do something else in the meantime!"

Afterwards, Monokuma left as abruptly as he usually did, most of the class still looking befuddled by what he had just told him. Masashi had no idea as to how he ought to take this news; on one hand, the ride seemed harmless enough, but on the other hand, Monokuma was likely up to something here, since he was clearly not the kind of bear to do something out of sheer kindness.

"Hey, so when do you guys want to try it out?"

The one who asked them was Sorao, who looked awfully keen and excited.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sayua asked.

"You know, the ride Monokuma mentioned!" he answered. "Don't you want to give it a try?"

"Well… a little, I confess," Sister Hikari said.

Tanjiro nodded. "With how Monokuma described it, I'm kind of interested in what's in store for us."

"Hah! Not a chance in hell I'll go along with it," Abraham answered. "I'd as soon drop dead as ride the damn thing."

"Crudely though he has put it, he has a point here," Atsushi said sternly. "There is no good ground as to why we ought to ride it. Forsooth, I have a suspicion that there is something all too odd about it."

Sorao sighed, looking at the archaeologist a bit condescendingly. "You may think that, but can't you see that Monokuma won't try to hurt us with it? I even pointed it out earlier that he had no reason to do so."

"I agree," Haruyuki said. "It's in his interest to ensure the ride's safety. If we ride it, no harm will befall us."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Sayua said.

A few more students became receptive to the suggestion that they try out the new version of the merry-go-round. Masashi was one such student, since Sorao's reasoning made sense. One of the students who looked unpersuaded, however, was Atsushi, the ever so haughty deputy.

"Such hogwash!" he said, scowling. "Lady Inoshishi, surely you must see that we had better stay far away from the wretched contraption. Monokuma plans to lure us into some kind of trap with it, I trow! Therefore, you must forbid us to ride it so that our safety and wellbeing may be ensured."

"Hmm… I wonder…" Futaba said, looking conflicted.

"Come on, don't listen to that stick in the mud," Sorao besought. "He doesn't have to join us if he doesn't want to. The ride's for us who want to have fun."

The two contenders looked at the lady, each hoping that her decision would agree with his. Eventually, after what felt like a long while, she reached a decision.

"Very well," Futaba said. "I can see that the general attitude toward this is that we ought to try it out. And try it out we shall, when it opens tomorrow. Those who do not wish to participate do not need to join us."

"All right!" Sorao said gleefully. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

A few of the others looked happy as well, whereas Atsushi leered at them and mumbled something under his breath, none too pleased that things had turned out this way. In a way, it had been already obvious which side Futaba would listen to. For the last few days, she had grown closer to Sorao and farther from Atsushi, and so she had become much more receptive to whatever Sorao suggested, whatever the merits of his ideas and suggestions might be. This was simply another reminder that Atsushi had lost much clout as the deputy. Anyway, Masashi had no reason to gainsay her decision, as he too was keen to see what the ride was like.

"W-Well, count me out," Hikari said as gloomily as always. "I-I want nothing to do with it."

"Aw, are you sure?" Sorao asked. "Don't you want to have fun with the rest of us?"

"I-I said I don't want to, and that's final!" she insisted. "I'll just stay in my room."

Abraham nodded approvingly. "Glad to see you still have some fucking sense. I'll be in my room as well."

Sorao shrugged. "If you don't want to join in, then fine by me. It's your loss, after all."

After the evening meal was over, all the students left the dining room, going their own ways. Masashi walked around a bit, going to no place in particular. After a while, he thought to head back to his room, ready to retire for the night. Along the way, however, he saw that the door to the throne room in the third deck was slightly open. When he peeked inside, he saw a certain threesome standing by the two thrones.

"And so, the prince's long journey came to a happy end, and he and the princess wed at last. And thus, the two lived happily ever after!" It was Kumi, who was reading from his book, and surprisingly, the ones whom he had been reading his story were Atsushi and Mari. "Well, how was it? Do you like my story?"

"I must admit, I was surprised to find myself greatly amused," Atsushi said. "I much enjoyed the part in which the prince overcame the obstacles set by the wicked warlock. The words in the section kindled in me great excitement and interest."

"I also enjoyed it," Mari said. "I think the ending is pretty swell. It's only right that the two reunited at last, especially after all the trials he had to go through."

Kumi chuckled heartily. "Well, I'm glad you two liked it! I came up with it the other day, and I've already started my next story!"

"Is that so?" Atsushi said. "Pray tell, what is it about?"

"Well, I've not decided yet, but I have a few characters in mind!" Kumi answered. "In fact, you too can be a character in my next story!"

"What? I, a character?" Atsushi said, astounded. "I understand not what you mean."

"I don't mean it literally, of course! I mean… uh… I can make a character based on you, Sir Atsushi!" Kumi replied, getting out a pen. "I think you'd make an interesting character, though the readers will likely not find you that likeable."

Atsushi gasped. "Not that likeable… How I resent such a deeming of my character!"

"If it helps, I think you'd make a stern but good-hearted character," Mari remarked. "You'd likely be one of those realists that make sure that the hero doesn't do anything reckless lest he mess up greatly."

"I-Is that so…" Atsushi said, looking truly at a loss of words. It was a bit funny to see him act like this, especially because he usually acted seriously. If only he were like this more, then maybe he would come off as more approachable and relatable.

"By the way," Mari said, "Kumi, you earlier said something that interested me."

"Huh? What is it?" he asked.

"You said, 'you too can be a character in my next story'," Mari pointed out. "Doesn't that mean that he's not the only one that you want to incorporate into your story?"

Come to think of it, Kumi had said that, but Masashi had been much more focused on what kind of character Atsushi would be.

"Oh, yeah, that is true…" Kumi said. "Well, Sir Atsushi's not the only one I want to turn into a character! I've done the same to Sir Sorao and Lady Futaba!"

Atsushi raised his brow. "Oh? What are they in your tale?"

"Well, to begin with, I'm thinking of having the story's setting be a woodland kingdom," Kumi answered. "Being here for a few days has inspired me. That's why Lady Futaba will be the kingdom's queen. Maybe I'll make her an elf or a fairy, but whatever she may be, she's definitely the Woodland Queen! And Sir Sorao will be the court bard that serves her faithfully as her closest confidant!"

Those were quite fitting roles for the two, especially with how the two had grown closer lately, but Masashi wondered what Kumi had in mind for Atsushi and Mari.

"And what about me?" Atsushi asked.

Kumi looked at him silently for a few seconds. "Hmm… since you're the deputy, you'd make a good court chancellor. You're like an old man that's very persnickety about how things run around here!"

Atsushi flinched at his description, whereas Mari giggled a little. Masashi too found it funny and now wondered what kind of role Kumi had for him. He would likely be an everyday subject, but of course, that did not sound cool and awesome, and so he would like to be a warrior that was mighty enough to protect his loved ones.

"Well, it's not all bad, I think," Mari said. "Maybe you're the one to whom the kingdom's affairs are left if something bad should befall the queen."

"Yep, that's right! Even kings and queens have to rest every now and then, but someone still needs to be in charge!" Kumi finished. "And as for you, Lady Mari, maybe your character will be the court healer who knows much more than she lets on about the magical world outside. Yes, she'll be the one that reveals to the hero that under the castle lies a magical crystal that supplies energy to the earth, but there is a great evil that threatens the crystal, and the queen is revealed to be controlled by the evil warlock—"

"That is enough out of you," Atsushi said. "Well, there is one thing I should like to know: whatever has happened to the Woodland King?"

"Um… in my current version, the king was killed a few years ago," Kumi answered. "When the warlock tried to steal the crystal, the king stopped him at the dear cost of his death."

"I see…" Atsushi said. "Well, that certainly interests me. You have quite an imaginative mind, and so it is a bit of a shame that it is not dedicated to a field such as biology or astronomy. I assure you that oftener than not, truth is stranger than fiction."

"Ah, well, I think I'm all right where I am," Kumi said as he put away his book. "And since I'd have to memorize a lot of stuff if I were a scientist, I don't think I have the smarts to be one."

"And yet you can remember the smallest details in your tales!" Atsushi said, shocked. "'Tis confounding that you will not see the betterness in the biologist's path!"

"Well, I think he's still stuck in that phase of his childhood," Mari said. "Certainly, there are people his age that haven't grown up yet, as it were."

Atsushi shook his head, tired. "Then I trow that we need only to wait. Eventually, he will see reason and be keener to listen to me—"

"Ooh, a fairy!"

It was then that Kumi darted to one part of the room, looking hard at the ground and paying no heed to the ones whom he had been speaking with. It was like the first time when Masashi had first met Kumi. Atsushi and Mari stared at him, astounded that his attention had been diverted that easily.

"Well, the passage of time will affect him," Mari remarked, "but it'll be a long while before it does."

"Forsooth, Mari, however long it may take, as time and tide will make the storyteller come to his senses," Atsushi replied, "so too will it play a key role in other matters at hand. An opportunity will appear for the taking sooner or later."

Yeah, the killing isn't in this chapter. But it will happen on the next one, so if you have a prediction to make or want to change your current one, now is the time to do it.

Anyway, this time, the Free Time Events feature Sorao, Faye, and Arashi. Oh, and Atsushi and Mari get involved with Kumi's story. Once again, thank you for the reviews! It's very encouraging to see what you guys think (especially when it's about who the first victim and the first killer will be), and rest assured, I'm excited to continue this story!