The next morning, Masashi woke up and saw, from a glance out the window, that the sea seemed to be a bit rougher today, and the heavens were a little cloudier as well. Though it was nothing too concerning, Masashi feared that a storm might soon come, and he could only wonder how much that might change things. After all, would the rescue forces be able to find them in that kind of weather? But in the end, he trusted that Futaba was right in her expectation that they would come sooner or later; the small research center that apparently owned this amusement park could not continue its twisted experiment forever. And with Futaba's efforts to stop any killings from happening, all the group must do now was wait. At least, that was the plan.

Once ready, Masashi left the room and saw, of all people, Red Mask among the sundry blossoms in the garden. From what he had seen of her so far, she seemed to be a woman who liked to go on her own flow, so it was somewhat uncommon to see her up this early. She was leaning down on her knees as if looking for something.

"Hey, is something the matter?" Masashi asked as he approached her.

"Oh!" Red Mask exclaimed before looking at him. "Oh, it's only you! Well, I'm, uh, only looking for something!"

"Well, could I help?"

"Oh, no, no, there's really no need to!" she insisted, showing a rather nervous smile. "I've simply dropped something, and it shouldn't be that hard—Oh!"

The lady thief then reached her hand out toward a patch of daisies and grabbed the thing so quickly that Masashi could not see what it was.

"What was that?" Masashi asked, curious.

Red Mask giggled as she hid the thing in one of her pockets and wagged her index finger with the other hand. "Hee-hee-hee! Sorry, Masashi, but I can't tell you, or else I'd be at a disadvantage, you see!"

What does that even mean? Masashi thought, growing more befuddled as she rushed off to the stairs to the upper decks. From her reaction, however, he guessed that it was either a very personal belonging of hers, or something related to her business as a phantom thief, as such a business was naturally full of secrecy.

As Masashi headed up to the dining hall, when he arrived at the third deck, he saw Arashi standing by the lounge door.

"Ah! Masashi!" Arashi said. "I've, uh, been waiting for you!"

"Hmm? What for?" Masashi said.

"Well… I just want to let you know… I've messed up again! And it was that lousy thief woman's fault!" Arashi clenched his fists. "She did me wrong last night!"

"Another prank, was it?" Masashi said, recalling the morning when he had talked with Haruyuki and Red Mask. The thief had made him give the pyrotechnician a cup of soda that had truly been a cup of apple cider vinegar. Needless to say, Atsushi had been very wroth when scolding him and the thief.

"Sh-She gave me tea that was way too bitter!" Arashi said. "I-I had told her to give me some sweet tea to drink, so you can imagine how pissed off I was after drinking it! If Sorao hadn't stopped me, I would've taught her a lesson she wouldn't have forgotten!"

Oh, man, troublemakers everywhere… Masashi sighed. Even if her pranks were harmless, that did not change how nettlesome and tiresome it was to deal with them.

"Arashi, don't let her get to you," he replied. "If you get angry at her, you're only doing what she wants you to do. Try to brush it off the next time it happens."

"I-I'll try!" Arashi said, standing much more upright. "I'll make sure to remember what you've said!"

"Good," Masashi said. "By the way… are you really sure that you don't want to ask Sister Hikari for help? And if you don't want to ask her, then how about Faye?"

Arashi groaned as he shook his head. "No, no! I don't want to bother Sister Hikari and Miss Nirigiri with this! They're already busy enough as it is! But as for you, it's different! I feel that I can turn to you for help any time!"

Oh… I guess he recognizes that I have nothing special going on. Nonetheless, Masashi would rather that Arashi turn to him for guidance. Perhaps once enough time should pass, he could get the pyrotechnician to become a much steadier and better-adjusted member of society. Then the days of grief that he would bring others with his wrathful outbursts would come to an end at last. Now that would make things around here much more peaceful.

Arashi insisted that he stay behind and calm down a bit, so Masashi kept his way to the dining hall by himself. When Masashi arrived, besides the aforesaid thief, there were also Futaba, Sorao, Tanjiro, and Abraham. And if the noises from the kitchen were any sign, Faye was also there as well.

"Good morning," Masashi said to the others.

"Yeah, good morning," Tanjiro said a bit meekly. He was sitting by himself, but given his recent membership of Team Tomi, Masashi knew that Sayua would be sitting next to him.

"Hey, Masashi!" Sorao said, beckoning him to come. "I've actually been thinking about something for a while now."

"Huh? What is it?" Masashi said.

"According to you, your tablet showed what your Ultimate talent was, right?" Sorao began. "You said you were called the Ultimate Lucky Student."

"Oh, yeah, that's right…" Admittedly, Masashi had forgotten about that rather puzzling mystery, but since the title was hardly of any prestige, it naturally had bestowed him no benefit at all. No one was impressed by someone with that kind of title, after all. Still, it was an unanswered question, and he would rather that he found the answer to why he was called so.

Sorao leaned back against his seat. "With the whole revelation that we've been trapped here by some research center and whatnot, I think there's a good explanation for that, if it helps. You see, everyone else here is an Ultimate, right? And scientist dudes like it when things are, well, consistent and whatnot, so they might have thought that it would be rather odd to have one of their subjects stand out with no title."

"Uh huh, that sounds about right."

"And that's why they decided to give you that title," Sorao said. "You're called the Ultimate Lucky Student because you're pretty much a normal dude. It's like a courtesy title, if you will, though in this case, it's kind of mean-spirited to call you lucky. So what do you think?"

"Hmm…"

On one hand, there was no evidence backing up Sorao's explanation, but on the other hand, it made a bit of sense, and it sounded like something that the mastermind might do.

"I think you're on to something," Masashi said, thinking it to be the likeliest answer. After all, he could not think of any other possible answers to this question.

"It certainly explains everything neatly," Futaba said, who sat next to Sorao as usual. "Of course, I hardly care about whatever explanation the wicked scientists had in mind when they chose to give you that title. It does not change our circumstances a whit."

"Yeah, I don't like to admit it, but she has a point here," Masashi said. Much as he appreciated Sorao for the explanation, whatever the true answer might be, he doubted that it would change anything. Thus, he kept the explanation as something to resolve that mystery for now.

Not long after, Sayua, Mari, Arashi, Maiha, Kumi, and Sister Hikari walked into the dining hall, but Masashi grew a little curious upon seeing the storyteller; for some reason, Kumi's face showed not even a little bit of happiness, his eyes not only half shut but also showing a hint of fearful carefulness. In contrast, Arashi looked much more normal, though still somewhat quieter than he had usually been before Atsushi's murder. It was downright weird to see such a sight, as it was Kumi that had looked to be in better condition yesterday; could so much have changed in only a day's time?

"Hey, uh, good morning," Masashi said as he approached Kumi's table.

Kumi looked at him a bit fearfully. "U-Um… G-Good morning. I-I… I…" It was then that he yawned and looked downwards.

"What's wrong?" Masashi asked.

"I-I… I… kept seeing them…" Kumi answered, shaking a little as if undergoing some kind of cold spell. "L-Lady Haruka… and S-Sir Atsushi… a-and Monokuma! He got both of them, and there was so much blood, and, and, and, and, and!"

Kumi let out a short shriek, which got the others to look at him for a few seconds before they went back to their business, once it was apparent that Kumi was in no physical danger, whence his tired look.

Sister Hikari sighed as she faced Masashi, weariness all over her face. "From what I could tell… Kumi had a nightmare last night. It was so bad that he had much trouble going back to sleep."

Kumi nodded slowly. "I-I'm sorry… I-I couldn't face the evil beast… But I-I couldn't go back to sleep right away! I wasn't brave enough to see him again... And moreover… they were there as well…"

"What do you mean, 'they?" Masashi asked.

Kumi gulped. "M-Monsters… Evil fairies, goblins, and the like. They lurked in my room, and since I always have my night light on when sleeping, I saw a few of them sneaking off to the darkness... Even though I saw a few good fairies upon waking up, they left in a few minutes, so I had only Sir Teddybane by my side…" He then took out his teddy bear and hugged it as if he had just reunited with a dear friend of his. "I-If you hadn't driven them away, I would've been slain, that's for sure!"

"Oh, how terrible!" Sister Hikari said. "It must've been rather frightening!"

"Y-Yes… Even after they were gone, I-I couldn't go back to sleep," Kumi continued, the dread in his voice growing stronger. "Not only were Monokuma and his underlings there in my dreams, but I also knew the monsters that I'd seen in my room could come back any time soon! Monsters within… Monsters without… They were everywhere! I don't know when I fell asleep, but I thank Sir Teddybane and my lucky stars that I was unharmed!"

Masashi looked askance at the storyteller as he kept thanking his so-called companion. Though there was no doubt that Kumi had undergone such a frightful and dreadful nightmare, Kumi had also included in his tale such fantastic elements as made it hard to tell whether they too had been of his dream, or whether Kumi had hallucinated them somehow. With the truthfulness in his voice, it seemed that it was neither, for Masashi believed that he had made none of it up, and yet Masashi could not believe that there truly had been evil creatures in his room. The likeliest explanation was that the sight of evil creatures in his room was an unlucky aftermath begotten by the shock that he had experienced from having to see the two lost participants' dead bodies.

"Well, rest assured, those were simply nightmares," Sister Hikari said. "Frightening as nightmares are, they cannot hurt you. I know it'll be tough to remember that whenever you have to deal with them, but all the nightmares will do is frighten you. You'll be safe, and if you should feel otherwise, you can always go to me. I'll keep you safe, I promise!"

"I-I'll try to keep that in mind," Kumi weakly answered. "S-Still… they were so scary! I-I don't wanna see something like that again!"

Sister Hikari chuckled. "Then I'll cook you some warm soup. It should help you relieve some stress and make you feel a bit braver. And later, we can read one of your stories together. I think reading a story with a happy ending will help you feel better! And since you're the Ultimate Storyteller, I have no doubt that your writing is very entertaining!"

Kumi smiled a little. "Th-Thanks, Sister Hikari. As long as you're around, maybe everything will be all right."

Today was yet another day. Of course, it was good that it be uneventful; indeed, there was nothing that he yearned for more than a peaceful day, especially in this killing game, where any interesting time led to an undesirable end.

Masashi walked around the woodland kingdom, wanting to find someone to talk with. Eventually, he found Tanjiro standing around in the merry-go-round room.

"Oh, hey," the blue-haired writer said. "Is there something you need?"

Apparently, he and Sayua were taking a break from looking in the hidden library, so to pass the time, he was reading a book that he had gotten from the library. Apparently, the book was a biography of Mozart.

"I thought it'd be good if we talked a little bit," Masashi said.

"Oh… Well, I guess it'll be good to have some company for a change," Tanjiro said. "What do you want to talk about?"

Masashi had one question in mind already. "To begin with, you wrote The Koto Players trilogy, right?"

"Oh, yes, and if I remember correctly, you said that a friend of yours liked it very much," Tanjiro answered. "You haven't read it, though, have you?"

"Oh, no, I haven't," Masashi answered. "So what exactly is it about?"

"Well… it's about people that play the koto, as you may guess. The books are more like historical novels than an in-depth exploration of the instrument's history," Tanjiro answered as the two walked around the merry-go-round. "I originally finished it as one book only, but once I was done, I found myself wanting to write more and more."

"Really? How so?"

Tanjiro fiddled with a strand of his blue hair. "Well… I'm pretty interested in musical history in general. There's always something to write about when it comes to music, especially how it plays a role in people's lives. Can you imagine what our modern world would be like if there were no music?"

Masashi imagined such a thing. "Sheesh…. It'd be pretty terrible, if you ask me."

"Exactly. Universally, music touches our very souls," Tanjiro replied. "It's always interesting to learn about how music has changed throughout the ages. And since I like to study the academic subject of history, I don't think I'll ever be in any want of material to write about."

"Well, that's good. I bet you really wanted to publish your trilogy after you were done."

Tanjiro sighed. "Actually… I didn't want to publish it at first. It was only something that I wanted to write about, and I always liked to write stories as a hobby, so I didn't have publishing in mind."

Masashi raised his eyes. "Really? So what changed your mind, then?"

Tanjiro scratched his head. "It was the father of two of my siblings. Oh, I suppose I should mention that in my family, I have a few different siblings. I have a twin brother, one half-brother of one father, two half-sisters of another father, and one half-sister of yet another father. Overall, there are four fathers, and the man I'm talking about is the third one."

Wh-Whoa… What's up with the high number of siblings and fathers?! Masashi thought, astounded. What is going on with your family?!

Tanjiro sighed. "I know, it's pretty confusing, but the situation that led to my family being so is a bit, uh, complicated, to say the least. Anyway, the father, who was essentially the typical salaryman, encouraged me to try to publish it. I wasn't sure at first, but after a supportive talk with my mother, I, well, thought to go for it! And, well, the trilogy didn't do too badly, really. The books were no bestsellers, but they did fairly well for books by a then-unknown writer. I felt motivated enough to write more. It was my fifth book that got me into stardom, I suppose."

"That must've been pretty wonderful news for you!" Masashi said. "What's the book about?"

Tanjiro chuckled shyly. "Oh, well, it's the tale of Italian violin makers that takes place in World War II, but it also takes place in the modern day. The tale also covers the violin makers' modern descendants."

"Wow, that's pretty interesting," Masashi replied. Though it was not something that he would normally read, meeting the writer in the flesh and hearing about it from him raised his interest in it a little.

Tanjiro had a look of uncertainty on him, however. "Are you really just saying that, or do you really mean it?"

"Well… I admit, I don't think your stuff is the kind I'd pick up in the bookshop first," Masashi answered. "But, you know, I think that after seeing what you're like, I'd like to know more about you by reading your books."

"Oh, really?" Tanjiro said shyly, his cheeks reddening a little. "Well, I certainly appreciate the praise. It's always swell when my voice reaches another person through writing. I admit, I'm not the best speaker, so I think I'm at my best in my works."

Yeah, I don't think you're of the kind that likes to talk a lot, Masashi thought. In any case, once they were all out of here, he might go to a bookshop and see whether it had any of Tanjiro's works. If not, then he could always order the books online.

Once they were done with their walk, Tanjiro sighed, though it was one of relief rather than of tiredness. "Well, it's been good talking with you. I certainly like that you seem interested in my work. Hopefully, once you get the chance to read one of my books, you'll like it."

Masashi smiled. "Hey, what are your plans for your writing career now? Forget the fact that we're in this awful situation right now."

Tanjiro thought for a bit. "Hmm… I've written two more books since my work about the Italian violin makers came out. I'm not sure what my eighth book will be about, but I have a few ideas in mind. Maybe I can speak to you about them later."

Masashi walked over to the arts and crafts room in the Egyptian palace and saw Murphy painting on a canvas. It seemed that he was trying to draw some kind of grassland, though it looked rather empty and boring.

"Oh, it's you," Murphy said. "Is there something that you want? I'm painting something here, and I'm making a good amount of progress."

"Well, would you like to chat with me a bit?" Masashi asked. "I haven't talked with you a whole lot, so I think it'll be good to hang out a little."

Murphy scoffed. "You want to know more about me, don't you? Well, I can't blame you. I'm an Irishman, and I don't think you often see someone like me in your daily life."

"Oh, yes, you have that right," Masashi answered. Though he had seen traces of Irish culture around, such as the Irish pub that he had seen at Osaka at one point, he essentially had no idea on what Irishmen were like. "To begin with, as a foreign exchange student, why did you choose Japan of all countries to study in?"

Masashi remembered asking the same question on their first meeting, but he had happened to mention potato farming, which had only nettled Murphy and stopped him from answering the question. Therefore, he thought it best that he make no mention of it this time.

Murphy crossed his arms as he thought about it. "Well, to put it simply, it was a good change of pace from my life in Ireland. I had a certain problem, and my parents wanted me to get into higher education in Japan to get me away."

"Huh, what was the problem?" Masashi asked.

Murphy frowned. "I'd prefer not to talk about it. I can't stand talking about potatoes, you know."

So it's about that, huh… Masashi thought. I wonder what his problem with them is, but I'm not sure how to approach him about it.

"Is there anything about Japan that you like in particular?" Masashi asked, figuring that it was best that he talk about something else in the meantime.

Murphy thought as he raised his straw hat a bit. "Well, that's a bit hard to answer. I suppose that the whole environment is pretty good. Japan is very different from Ireland, and in some way, it's incredibly refreshing."

Masashi nodded along. "Well, I'm glad that you like it here in Japan! And I have to say, you speak Japanese surprisingly well."

Murphy chuckled. "It took a lot of practice to master the four basic parts: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Japanese isn't too hard to speak, but my God, the writing system takes a bit of getting used to. The hiragana and katakana are easy to learn, but I don't know how you can remember hundreds of kanji and the different readings."

Now it was Masashi that chuckled. "Ah, well, we learn it early in our childhood at school, and we practice reading it a lot, so generally, it's no problem for us. But for you, you've started learning it a bit later in your life, so I'd assume it'd be more difficult for you."

Murphy scoffed. "It's difficult, all right. I'm no intellectual, really, so I find it to take much more effort than farming. But I'm not complaining about it. Reading sentences written only in hiragana became surprisingly tiresome in the later parts of my studies. And the kanji are not so complex as the grammar, if you ask me. Learning the correct use of particles took a lot of time, I assure you!"

Masashi chuckled. "Hearing a foreigner's perspective on this is kind of amusing, if you ask me. I don't think it's difficult, really."

"It's a matter of perspective. You've been speaking the tongue your whole life, so it's all second nature to you," Murphy replied, sounding somewhat moody.

"You have a point there…" Masashi said. "Anyway, even though you complain about how difficult it was, you were still really motivated to learn Japanese and try to become fluent in it."

"Oh, yes, that's right. I couldn't stand how things were back home," Murphy answered. "Spending many hours on my Japanese studies was the cost of getting away, but I gladly paid it. And I don't regret it at all. Besides the change of environment, I also get to talk with a lot more people and learn new perspectives on life and such."

"Speaking of that, since you're a foreign exchange student," Masashi said, "you're staying with a host family, right?"

Murphy nodded. "The family's made up of a married couple and their son. I don't know them too well, but they're kind folk, that's for sure. I even go out with them and do fun things together every now and then.

"And yet it's funny…" the Irishman continued, a hint of dreariness on his face. "Now that I've been away from Ireland for a long while, I actually miss it a bit."

Masashi raised his eyes a bit. "You miss it? Well, I guess it's natural to be homesick."

"Yes, but it's more than that. It wasn't only my family that I missed," Murphy replied. "It was my whole way of life back in Ireland. I was then living in a completely different culture, and much as I love it in Japan, I also miss Irish culture." Murphy then showed a slight smile. "That's why I'm also studying as much of my native culture as I can. Be it history, music, or literature, I try to learn as much as possible."

"Oh… Well, that's pretty interesting."

The more Murphy talked about his culture, the less grumpy he appeared. He truly seemed driven to reconnect with his roots, and with how knowledgeable he claimed to be, Masashi wanted to hear more about it. After all, it might help him know more about the man.

"Well, it's been good talking with you," Murphy said. Though the look on his face suggested that he was back to his grumpy disposition, his voice suggested otherwise; he seemed rather glad to have talked with him. "I really appreciate that you decided to talk with me."

"Oh, it was nothing. I simply thought that you would like some company," Masashi answered.

Murphy kept his frown, but his eyes suggested that he was delighted to hear that. "Yeah, I won't mind if you come talk with me again. You seem like a rather understanding fellow, so maybe I can tell you a bit more about myself. You'd like that, right?"

Masashi nodded. Maybe next time, he could get him to talk about potatoes without being dismissed.

"Now what have you come here for? You're not gonna just waste my time, are you?"

Sayua looked at Masashi as she sat on one of the chairs by the pool on the woodland kingdom's main deck. She was taking a break from her usual activities by relaxing under the sun, as the weather, though a bit cloudy, was still good.

Masashi sighed as he tried to come up with a good answer. With his experience with her, he had to make sure not to put pressure on her sense of self, as she was the kind of woman that demanded sheer obedience from those whom she deemed to be her fans.

"Oh, no, I thought that you'd appreciate talking with a fan for a while," Masashi said. "It must be so boring to while away the time without someone by your side."

"Hah, pretty thoughtful of you! I'm glad you've been thinking about your president," Sayua replied. "Why, sure, I'll let you talk with me. Now what do you want to talk about?"

When you put it that way, I keep wondering why I've chosen to talk with you, Masashi thought. There were many others with whom he would rather talk, and yet he was here right now, having to act meekly toward this woman.

"For one, you're a cheerleader," Masashi said, thinking her Ultimate talent to be a good topic for conversation. "What's it like being a cheerleader? I'm not really knowledgeable on this kind of thing."

"You're not? Hah, I should've figured, with how bedazzled you were when we first met," Sayua answered.

Why can't you see I'm trying to be humble about it? Masashi thought, trying his best to put up with her attitude. He recalled how much Keiko had complained about all the nettlesome duties that she had to do with one of her employers, and with her description, he had no doubt that if she were to ever have to hang out with Sayua, she would find this to be far easier. Such a thought naturally made him feel a little envious of his little sister.

"Well, then again, I don't expect my fans to know everything about me," Sayua replied, seemingly unwitting of his annoyance. "Anyway, to answer your question, being a cheerleader isn't too bad or anything. On our own, we motivate our sports teams by shouting certain chants and doing certain dances, jumps, and whatnot. It's meant to be good eye candy, you know, and the pom-poms certainly help with that."

"Yeah, I get that," Masashi said. "It must take a lot of work, though."

"Oh, you betcha it's tiring!" Sayua replied as she flipped her strawberry blond hair. "Practicing certain formations again and again was tiring as fuck! I had to give up a lot of my free time for it! And I should mention that it hurts a lot. Things don't always go smoothly, and when we make a mistake, we can feel it in our wrists, necks, ankles, and whatnot. The stunts may look pretty as fuck, but they take a lot of effort, I assure you."

"It's like practicing for something like volleyball," Masashi commented. "It must've taken a lot of commitment from you if you chose not to give up."

He truly meant what he had said; with how she described her activity, it seemed so difficult that there was no need to fake praise. He did not like to admit it, but he understood to some extent why the cheerleader had a rather high opinion of herself.

Sayua smiled. "I'm glad you can see that! Cheerleading is not so easy as you may think it is, and if you can see that, then it's all good. And besides, it's all worth it, trust me. We get the crowd energized, and the sports teams feel more motivated from seeing their supporters all worked up and whatnot."

"With how you describe it, your roles seem really important," Masashi remarked. "I can understand how the athletes rely on your support."

"Oh, yeah, we and the cheering squads are there to excite the fans. Without us, it wouldn't really be the same," Sayua said. "And besides sports competitions, we also perform at concerts and graduation ceremonies. Not bad, don't you agree? It's a very fulfilling task."

"Is that why you chose to become a cheerleader?" Masashi asked, trying to steer the conversation toward a more personal topic. Lovely as it was to learn about cheerleading, he wanted to learn more about her as well.

Sayua stopped to think for a few seconds. "Hmm… Well, if I had to answer, I'd say that you're right on the mark. Whenever I saw my school's cheerleading squad practice after school, I would notice how happy the girls were. I then thought that becoming a cheerleader would make me and my old man happy, so I joined the team."

"Huh, is that so…" Masashi said. "What's this about your father, by the way?"

It was then that Sayua looked startled for once and gave him a blank stare. "Wait, did I really say that?"

"Yes, you mentioned your 'old man'," Masashi said, "so I assume you were talking about your father."

"Well… none of your business!" Sayua said, looking a bit flustered now. "It's something you don't need to know about, all right? Even if you're a fan, there are things I have to keep hidden from you."

The reaction was more telling than she had intended; if it were nothing special, then given how much she loved to talk about herself, she would have no problem with talking about it. But it was clear that there was something going on with her father that she preferred to keep under wraps.

"Uh, all right, then," Masashi said, thinking it best that he press her no further on this. "Let's not talk about that anymore."

Sayua smirked. "Good to see you respecting boundaries, buddy. Who knows, you may make one of my best fans yet. There's a lot of competition, though, so you'd better keep it up!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Masashi said, wondering what she wanted to keep hidden from him.

It was sometime later that Masashi thought to head over to the dining hall to get something to eat. On the way there, however, as he passed by the lounge door, he heard two voices coming thence. Curious, Masashi opened the door slightly and peeked in.

"It's all good, isn't it, Lady Inoshishi?" Sorao said. He and Futaba were sitting together on a seat, looking attentively at each other. "Abraham and Faye have managed to move all the dangerous things from the storeroom to the second exhibit room, so the chances of another killing should be much lower now."

Futaba nodded, and yet she still showed a bit of uncertainty on her face. "I would normally agree, Sorao, but you must not forget about Monokuma."

"What about him?"

She sighed. "Have you forgotten that as well? He gave us a motive last time to push us into killing. Thankfully, Atsushi wisely advised me to destroy all the motive videos, and so they are no longer a problem. But I suspect that Monokuma has another motive ready for us."

"What, really?" Sorao clicked his tongue. "Well, we'll cross that bridge if that happens. In the meantime, maybe we should talk about something less grim. All this talk about killing is a real downer, I tell you."

"Hmm… I suppose so," Futaba said. "Now, then, is there anything that you would like to talk about in particular?"

Sorao cracked a small smile. "Well… Ever since you brought up your foreign friend, I've been wanting to know how you two met. I believe her name is… Magdalena Engracia Pinto."

Futaba chuckled as she scratched her right cheek a bit. "I'm surprised that you remember the name. It's rather long and foreign, is it not?"

"Hey, I promised myself that I'd try to better my memory," Sorao said light-heartedly. "I have to do a better job at remembering the important things."

"Well, I am glad to see that you are trying to fix one of your weaknesses. In any case, you wish to know about my encounter with Maggie, it seems." Futaba stopped for a few seconds before answering. "Very well, then. First things first, you must know that she is no figure skater, unlike me. Instead, she is a flamenco dancer."

"Flamenco dancer? Ah, yes, she does that Spanish dance. I've heard of it," Sorao replied, nodding along. "So did you two meet one day out on the street, then, or was there some special event you two happened to see each other?"

Futaba sighed, her expression growing a little more serious. "Well, our meeting was made in rather rare circumstances. It happened that there was an international tournament of figure skating, and I was naturally one of the participants. At one point, when it was not my turn to dance for the judges and the crowd, I stumbled upon Maggie, and though we bickered at first, we eventually found that we had a bit more in common than we had first thought. It soon came to pass that we became fast friends."

"Oh, that's good!" Sorao said with much glee. "It's good that you two managed to find a connection to each other."

"Yes… a connection," Futaba muttered with a hint of sorrow. "Anyway, though our friendship had been made, it was a later event in the same occasion that truly made it steadfast. After I performed, someone told the judges that I had tried to cheat by sabotaging one of my rivals, which accusation I assure you was nothing but a foul falsehood. Nonetheless, my good name, for a short while, was sullied."

Sorao widened his eyes. "Oh… Oh, that's not good. I hope the liar was later caught."

"Indeed, the culprit got her just deserts. It turned out to be my coach, who had been rather envious of me for a long while. My coach was the same one that trained my mother, who had become far more successful in life, whence her envy," Futaba continued, her expression showing a mix of glee and bitterness. "In any case, it was thanks to Maggie that her plot was exposed. Maggie's witness account proved that I could not have sabotaged my rival during the supposed time, and so my coach was punished with a suspension in her teaching credentials."

"Well, it's good that the tale had a happy ending," Sorao replied. "I can't imagine what would have happened to you if she had gotten away with it. It truly shows how helpful friends can be at a time of need."

It was then that Futaba sighed and looked at her deputy with a rather unusual look of seriousness.

"Sorao… I… I must confess to you something of great importance," Futaba said, looking a bit squeamish as if she were talking before a whole crowd. Sorao himself became a little shocked, his mouth hung open a little. "Over the last few days, I… I've felt closer and closer to you. The amount of help and relief that you have given me is immeasurable, truly, and for that, I cannot thank you enough for it.

"But… I fear that I must not feel any closer to you," Futaba said, frowning. "That is to say, I cannot cut off the connection that I have with Maggie. After the incident that I had with my former coach, I have spent much of my leisure time with Maggie."

"And what's the problem?" Sorao asked, all his glee quickly disappearing from his face, as if he were embracing himself to hear something that would damper on his fortune.

"I… I think it to be a very special connection. But it is one that I must keep hidden from my parents," Futaba answered a bit more quietly than usual, though Masashi could still hear it. "After all, they expect me to spend my time with my betrothed partner instead."

"W-Wait, hold on," Sorao said, eyes widened. "Wh-What's this about a betrothed partner?"

Futaba sighed. "I am a daughter of the CEO of a great international business conglomerate. To consolidate more power, my father wishes to have me wed to the son of one of his business partners. The son is not a bad man, but…" She shook her head. "I just feel a much closer connection to Maggie."

"Ah... Aaaaaaaaaaaah…" Sorao said, shock rushing through his face, as he understood the sentiment behind all her purposely vague speech. Masashi himself was surprised to hear that Futaba felt this way about her friend, but there was no doubt that no one was so shocked by this as Sorao, who could hardly say anything. All this time, he had acted as her deputy, and it even appeared that the two could become an item, but as it turned out, he had misjudged her, to put it lightly.

"Sorao… Please do not misunderstand," Futaba said, appearing a little uncertain now. "Even if Maggie were a man, I would still feel the same way about her. That you are a man is not the reason why I must not become any closer to you."

Judging by her tone, Masashi saw that this was not something that she had said simply to soothe Sorao; she had truly meant it, however awkward she might sound.

"R-Really…" Sorao said dejectedly. "Well… I guess she's waiting for you back home, huh?"

Futaba sighed. "I wish that it were true! But Maggie was the one that I saw in my motive video. I was utterly distraught upon seeing her in such a wretched condition, and the verbal attacks inflicted upon me later certainly did not help me keep my composure. And I confess, every now and then, I feel tempted to get out of here and find out what has happened to her. Even though I know my father's forces will eventually come save us, well... temptation is far more immediate, as we know."

Sorao nodded along, looking a bit calmer. "Well… If that's the case, then you have to fight the temptation somehow. You're our leader. It won't do if you betray us all, right?"

Futaba nodded slightly. "The motive video has already been destroyed, so I have only my memories of her now. I suppose that I can make do with simple memories. But… I fear that in the future, I shall think memories aren't enough. What I want is companionship in this trying time, and…" She looked back at Sorao. "Even though you know how I feel about all this, I must make this one request to you, however selfish it may be.

"Please… stay by my side!" Futaba besought. "I… I don't think that I can make it through this dreadful killing game without you. You not only give me good advice but also help me resist the temptation of killing! Even though I won't ever become your betrothed… I still think you to be a darling friend of mine! So then… I beg of you, stand by me!"

By the time Futaba was done, much of the grace that she usually had on her face was gone, and her eyes were a bit watery, as if she had just begged for her life. Meanwhile, Sorao stared at her, and his eyes were full of shock, he having never expected that things should turn out this way. Eventually, however, his expression lightened up, and he smiled.

"Yeah… I promise you that I won't leave you," Sorao said purposefully, a tranquil and steady look on his face. "I'll do my best to act as good a friend as you want me to be."

"Oh, Sorao… Thank you!" she whimpered. "Until now, I had meant to tell you all this since your becoming the deputy, but I could not find the will to do so. I am glad to see that you are still here for me!"

Sorao chuckled as he widened his winsome smile. "What kind of man would I be if I were to forsake you like that?"

As Futaba fawned over him, Masashi thought that he had seen enough of this. He had already witnessed more than he had thought he would, and besides, he should be off to the dining hall now.

"My, what an interesting development, is it not?"

Masashi quickly turned around and saw the voice's source, which turned out to be Haruyuki, the ever so eerie art critic.

"H-How long have you been standing there?" Masashi asked, slightly startled at the man's sight. If it were anyone else, he would still be surprised, but there was something about him that was strangely intriguing.

"Long enough to get the gist of the conversation," Haruyuki answered. "Let's walk together to the dining hall. The dinner meal is near, after all, and it'll be good to chat along the way."

After he agreed, as they walked, Haruyuki resumed the conversation.

"Now, then," the art critic began, "what did you think of all that?"

"Well… Um…" Masashi had no idea where to begin. "I'm pretty surprised to learn that Futaba already likes someone other than Sorao. But I'm also surprised to see that Sorao still agrees to be her loyal deputy."

"And do you think that to be a good thing?"

"Hmm… I don't think it's a bad thing at all," Masashi answered. "Things haven't changed at all, which is good."

"Oh? Why is that good?" Haruyuki asked.

"For one, things are peaceful now, and Futaba and Sorao still are friends, aren't they?" Masashi asked. "Their relationship won't change any time soon. Futaba herself already has feelings for someone else outside this killing game, and Sorao is all right with that. And he's also there to stop her from killing anyone, just in case she feels tempted to do so."

"And are you sure that you can trust Sorao on that?" Haruyuki replied. "After all, did the whole incident of his forgetting about the rope teach you nothing?"

"Well… I admit, I was a bit wary of him after the trial," Masashi said, "but the more I talked with him, the more I felt that he had truly forgotten about it. I mean, his explanation certainly sounds plausible. I can see how Atsushi's death stressed him enough to make him forget that he had moved the rope into his room. And from what I can tell, he seems a bit forgetful in general, but he means well, even if he's a bit too, well, sycophantic."

Haruyuki let out his usual eerie chuckle. "How interesting to hear that from you."

"So what do you think about it?" Masashi asked. Even if he was creepy, he should at least have something interesting to say.

"Personally, I think that things between the two will soon change."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Setting aside Sorao, I think it best that you not neglect to think about the others here," Haruyuki answered. "What they do may affect how their relationship grows. We are all players that are connected to one another in some way, even if some connections are much stronger and more meaningful than others. With how many of us are here, it's far likelier that something will change their relationship sooner or later."

"Yeah… I can't deny that," Masashi replied. "By the way, you're not going to tell them that I've eavesdropped on them, are you?"

"Oh, fear not. I have no plans to interfere with the goings-on here," Haruyuki replied. "As I have said before, I wish to look at this whole situation as a beholder rather than a doer, so to speak. I have far more freedom if I keep a far distance away from anything that happens."

"Huh… Is that so…"

However many times Masashi had talked with him so far, he still could not tell what the deal with him was. There was no doubt that he seemed rather intelligent and observant, but his insistence that he have little to no role in matters concerning the group was rather unusual. It was one thing if he simply did not like to talk with others, but from what he could tell, he seemed social enough and did not mind talking with others.

Much as I'd like to know more about him, Masashi thought, I guess if he's not going to do anything, then there's no need to worry about him. He won't be one of those that will disrupt the peace here.

More Free Time events! This time, it's with Tanjiro, Murphy, and Sayua. You may be surprised that I'm doing the second set of Free Time Events now, since for Chapter 1, I did the second set after the chapter in which the motive had been revealed, but this is part of how I've decided to structure Chapter 2.

Anyway, the main part of this FF chapter is that Futaba turns out to love both men and women, and she already has someone she has feelings for, which somewhat changes how her relationship with Sorao will develop. Of course, only time will tell how things will turn out in the end. Also, the motive will be revealed next time! Feel free to make any guesses on what you think it will be or what you think would be interesting to see. I always love to hear what your guys' thoughts and guesses are.

Here's my question for you this time: based on everything that you've seen so far, what's your opinion on Masashi, the main character? For example, does he strike you as a nice guy who's completely truthful and trustworthy?