Chapter 3: Act 6: My Secret Keeper
Location: Hope's Peak Academy, 1F
Day: 20
Time: 8:20 AM
"20 Days have passed since I woke up within Hope's Peak Academy. It has been a grueling time. Not even a month has passed by, and already, so much has happened. We have lost five of our classmates to brutal murders and executions. On top of that, we've all suffered through a horrible game. A game that has left some of us, myself included, horribly scarred for the rest of our lives.
I'm not going to lie to you. It's been so hard to get through the days. I try to look at things positively, but I just don't know why I bother. Everyone around me is in the same state of shock, still recovering from the game we went through. At the very least, our loved ones aren't being held hostage anymore.
Monokuma has been oddly quiet. Perhaps he got a massive dose of despair and felt the need to leave us alone. I'd like to be hopeful, but knowing that bastard, he's planning something far worse than forcing us to live in the cold. We couldn't even have one night where we could enjoy ourselves after all.
I've been rather distant from Celestia as well. I'm still against what she did. How could you collude with that psychotic bear? Propose that game the way she did? I understand things were dire but it was too far of a risk. It wasn't worth it, at the very least. I just don't know anymore.
My injury is healed at least. The medicine that Mikan has been given me has done wonders for me. Though it didn't heal the scarring, it did help me recover. I've lost all feeling in it, along with a partial layer of skin. At least I can use my hand again, so that's a good thing. The last thing I need is to have Sayaka pen my thoughts down. It's alright when it comes to investigations. Not everything else.
Speaking of Sayaka, she's been a ray of sunshine in my life for a while now. She's been so happy and peppy, even when the world keeps throwing shit in our faces. She's taken care of Casper for me, and genuinely gets along with him. She's made me food, kept me company, and likes annoying me when I'm depressed. I've never had someone like her in my life, but I can genuinely say she's my best friend.
When I get out of here… If I get out of here, I want to make sure she gets back to her friends. She deserves the world after keeping my depressed ass trudging along. I just hope her fans don't hate me for being so close with her. She's amazing. The way her smile makes my day and her songs cheer me up… it's wonderful…
Oh God, I sound like a lovestruck teenager now. I gotta make sure she doesn't read this now. She might think I'm weird. God, why am I this way? Why am I brutally honest when I'm alone or writing things down? I hate myself.
And now Casper is looking at me because I'm making weird faces as I write this. Fantastic. Even my dog silently judges me. That's exactly what I needed. I think I'll just continue on as normal. Guess I'll write in you again soon…"
The Ultimate Lucky Student waited for the ink to dry for a moment before snapping his notebook closed. He placed the pen inside it, zipping it closed. He placed it into his blazer pocket, giving Casper a loving pat on the head. The white-furred canine barked happily, tail wagging as he went back to chewing on his rope toy.
"Akira, there you are!"
He looked up, meeting eyes with the Ultimate Nurse, who had a smile on her face. She had been rather busy the last few days. Dealing with so many injuries as well as the trauma that had caused them had kept her distracted. It was something she was thankful for. He gave her a smile, standing up from his seat.
"Hey, Mikan. Is something wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, I just wanted to check on your hand. It's been six days now, and that balm I've been applying should have fully healed it by now," she said, gesturing for him to follow her. He merely nodded, securing Casper's leash around his wrist before following her.
It didn't take them long to reach the Nurse's Office. Mikan had practically started to live there. The scent of alcohol and medicine kept her relaxed. She was a lot more active and happier than she had originally been. It was as if she had turned into a different person. She gestured for him to take a seat at one of the gurneys, pausing to wash her hands.
"Alright then, let's start with the preliminary questions. Have you felt any pain recently?"
"Nope."
"Did you regain full function of your hand?"
"I was writing in my journal shortly before you called me," he said.
"That's great! That means the acid didn't damage any of your nerves. The epidermis has been heavily damaged, but it'll restore itself eventually. Sadly, the burn won't go away, and you likely won't get the full feeling in your hand either."
"I've made peace with that. Honestly, as long as I don't have to cut the damn thing off, anything's alright with me," he said.
"Oh don't say that! We don't have to do anything nearly as drastic, thankfully!" she said, finally putting on a fresh pair of gloves. He held his hand out, allowing her to take his bandages off. As he saw his hand in the light, he couldn't help but cringe.
It looked terrible in his opinion. The formerly flushed, sunkissed color had been replaced with a sickly flesh color as if he had dipped his hand in copper-colored paint. His fingertips were rounded, and his nails were surprisingly still intact. Mikan examined it closely, running her fingertips over every single section, making sure there weren't any open wounds or cuts on his palm.
"Open and close it for me." Mikan softly said. Akira did so, wiggling his fingers every so often. She didn't say anything, her eyes firmly locked with each of his digits. After another minute, she smiled at him. "Well, it seems like you've fully recovered! That balm truly did wonders!"
"It sure did. How are the others doing?"
"Taka and Hiyoko's burns should be healed soon. Sadly due to where they are and how deep the burns went, it's taking a bit for the skin layer to recover. As for Celeste, her stub is healing nicely. She'll be able to have her stitches removed in about a week."
"That's good to hear. I hate seeing them suffering in pain the way they are. At least you are keeping them all well-medicated." he said, glancing at his hand for a moment. He opened and closed it, frowning. "All of us will have to carry the evil scars of this awful situation for the rest of our lives."
"Believe it or not, I know how it feels to carry these types of scars." the nurse said, earning a curious look from the teenager. She reached for her bandages, slowly unwrapping them. When she was finished, she held her arm out, causing him to gasp.
"Oh, Mikan… When did this happen?"
"About a year ago. Some of my bullies got mad that I wasn't at school, since I had responsibilities at the hospital. This was during the time I was taking care of Mika. They saw me walking home and decided to get back at me. So, they got some hydrofluoric acid from the chemistry lab at school and threw it at me."
"Jesus Christ."
"It hurt a lot. One of my neighbors happened to see what happened and quickly soaked me with his hose. He called emergency services for me, but by the time they got there, they had driven off. I don't think they ever got caught." she said, giving Akira a small smile. "I don't let these scars define me, but I'd rather not show them to others too. I don't want them to ask questions."
"I totally understand," he replied, chuckling softly. "I guess I'm glad there's someone else out there who feels what I'm feeling."
"Mhmm… I might not be a therapist but I'm here to talk if you need me to. Also-" she cut herself off, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a violet medical glove, giving him a smile. "-It isn't ideal, but this will help to hide that scar for the time being. At least until we can get you something more permanent."
"Thanks, Mikan. You're a sweetheart, you know that?" he asked, causing her to blush brightly.
"I'm just doing my job as the Ultimate Nurse, nothing more, nothing less," she said, clearing her throat. "Now, I know from experience that the pain is going to come in waves. The nerves were damaged by the acid, so it'll be hard to deal with the random pain at times. If that happens, just let me know and I'll give you some painkillers."
"Understood. I'm not one to need painkillers, even when I have body aches and pains. But the last thing I need is to feel what I felt when I dipped my hand in that beaker." he said, slipping the glove onto his hand, tugging at it. He felt a pull on his wrist, realizing Casper had shot to his feet, pulling him off the gurney. "Aaahh… Casper, buddy come on! At least let me finish with Mikan first."
"Woof!"
"It's alright, Akira. You're all done for the time being." the Ultimate Nurse said, smiling at Akira. "I'll be here if you need me."
"Alright, thanks again!" he cried, as he was pulled away by his dog. Mikan just giggled to herself, wishing she had as much excitement as Casper did in the mornings.
He didn't make it too far, as the person Casper was excited to see almost bumped into them. Peko looked almost surprised when the samoyed happily barked at her, pawing at her feet while giving her an upward look. The Ultimate Swordswoman found herself smiling, giving the dog a pat on the head.
"Good morning to you too, Casper. You certainly have a lot of energy today,"
"Sometimes I wonder where he gets it from," Akira said, chuckling a bit. "How are you doing today? We haven't had much of a chance to talk since… you know."
"I've been better. It has been difficult to get used to this new normal. My usual routine was to get up before Fuyuhiko and prepare his breakfast. It became a bit of a challenge here, so I usually let him know it was done so he could get it himself. It's funny, I was already doing things significant others do for each other before even confessing,"
Akira deflated a bit at her words. Casper seemed to whimper as well when he caught her frown, barking loudly. He rubbed his face against her leg, making her smile a bit. "At least I've got this fluffy bundle of joy to cheer me up now."
"I never envisioned Casper becoming an emotional support animal. But his presence has been a help to everyone here. He managed to bring Ibuki back from her morose state, caused Hiyoko to run around like a little girl, and gave Mahiru a lot of good pictures. I'm glad he's here with us, but I do regret what we had to go through to get him here."
"Do not blame yourself for what happened, Akira. It was all out of our hands. If I had the chance to take that chance from you, I would have. After all, defending the Young Mistress is all I have left. Aside from driving my blade through the Mastermind's chest that is," Peko said, glancing away from the boy. "Just know that all of us are thankful for your sacrifice. Your scars are scars all of us will shoulder."
"I appreciate that, Peko. I don't know where I would be if I were alone in this hellhole of a school. Being surrounded by friends certainly makes it bearable, but it doesn't make it any easier," he said, sighing. "Well, how about you take Casper for now? I'm sure he'd love to burn some energy in the gym."
"I would love to, Akira. I've already done my morning practices and was planning on heading to the pool, but a bit of fetch beforehand will do wonders for us," she replied, accepting the leash he had been holding out.
"You can take him to the pool if you want. Sayaka was talking about bathing him later on anyway, so it shouldn't be an issue." the Ultimate Lucky Student said, crossing his arms. "You'd think there would be pet facilities here. I mean, what if someone with an animal-related talent was scouted? An Ultimate Dog Groomer or a Breeder?"
"Perhaps on the floors above the third. We don't know how many floors Hope's Peak Academy has." the swordswoman said. "Well, I'll take good care of him, Akira. You have my word."
"Have fun, maybe I'll head to the pool later myself. It's been a while since I went, way before the cold," he replied. He knelt down before the dog, taking a hold of his face in his hands. "You be good for Peko, okay? No funny business!"
"Woof~"
"Come on, Casper, let's have a swim."
Akira watched them go, a genuine smile on his face. He was happy that his dog could bring so much happiness to everyone. It was something every one of them needed. He lowered his sleeve after a moment, taking note of the time before turning back toward the dormitories. The moment he did, he spotted Chihiro, standing near the bathhouse entrance. She had a distant look on her face, as if she had been thinking hard about something.
He shrugged, deciding to speak to her. "Hi, Chihiro. Thinking about some complex programming?"
"Huh? Oh, hey Akira. Sorry, I was just thinking my options over. A lot of things have happened recently, so I've been considering the effects of what I want to share with everyone."
"The effects? Is what you have that life-changing?"
"Oh yes!" she happily replied. She paused for a moment, looking around before giving him a bright smile. "You know, I think I'll tell you first. Afterward, we can decide together if we can come out to everyone about this."
"If you think I can be of help, sure," he said, following after her.
It was a bit hard for him to step back into the bathhouse, especially after what had happened. He hadn't been to the bath itself, but had taken peeks at the locker room and changing area on occasion. It felt like what had happened had taken place so long ago, despite it only happening several days ago. His sense of time was likely going to suffer for the foreseeable future.
Chihiro led him to one of the lockers, reaching into her pocket for a key. She turned to him, a firm look on her face. "What I am about to show you is something I've been working on in secret since the second floor opened up. It's something that can help us out greatly, but we must keep it to ourselves. Understood?"
The serious tone in Chihiro's voice made the teenager harden a bit. "Alright, I understand. Man, it's weird seeing you this serious, Chihiro. This must really be important."
"It is. It's something I know will help not just all of us, but the world as a whole. Just… brace yourself. It might be a bit weird at first," she said, opening the locker. She gestured for him to take a peek, causing him to tilt his head.
"Huh… It's a laptop," he said, eyes widening. "Wait… is this the laptop? The one from the library?"
"Yup! I managed to fix it. It took a bit of time to splice together some wires for a makeshift charger. I had to sneak parts from the A/V Room, and thankfully, there was a spare laptop hidden away that I could salvage parts from."
"That's great! That means we have access to the internet, to outside help! This is really great, Chihiro!"
Her smile turned into a frown. "Sadly, that isn't the case. There's no wifi within the school, so we'd have to find a T-2 line to tap directly into the network. But that in and of itself would be a massive risk. Regardless of that, there's something special about this laptop that I want to show you."
She pulled it closely to herself, running her finger over the trackpad. It lit up, and within seconds, a mirror image of Chihiro appeared, giving the pair a bright smile. "Welcome back, Master~"
Akira opened and closed his mouth for a moment, almost mimicking a fish as he gathered his thoughts. He cleared his throat, turning to Chihiro. "I have several questions."
"This is Alter Ego, an Artificial Intelligence I created. I had been experimenting with a high-learning AI program before coming here. Though I don't have my PDA or my personal laptop, I did memorize the code. I managed to create it here, and with the added parts from the donor laptop, I had enough space and RAM to get it going. It's a high-learning program that learns the more the user interacts with it. From complex equations to friendly conversation, Alter Ego can do it all!"
"Wow… this is very impressive Chihiro. The fact that you managed to get it running on a school laptop of all things. Something that looks older than what's currently on the market… it's impressive! You truly are the Ultimate Programmer!"
"Hehe… thank you, Akira. But this was only possible thanks to you. If you hadn't told me there was a laptop in the library, I wouldn't have been able to create it. Regardless of that, I've had Alter Ego examining the contents of the hard drive for a while now."
"Has it found anything useful?"
"Why don't you ask?"
"Um… Alter Ego, was it? I'd like to know some things," he said.
"Oh… I should have said this before, but the microphone for that computer is broken. I wasn't able to get one from the doner, so you'll have to manually type things out." the programmer said, making the boy flush.
"I see."
Akira turned back to the computer, seeing the program was still looking at the pair, looking a bit confused. He noticed the light near the camera lens was on, meaning Alter Ego had been watching the pair. His hands hovered over the keyboard, not knowing what to say, so he began with something simple.
"Hello, Alter Ego. My name is Akira Yoshikawa, it's nice to meet you."
"Ah! It's so very nice to meet you, Akira! Master has told me quite a lot about you. I've been wanting to meet you for a long time now. He's been looking forward to the day he finally got the courage to introduce me to everyone else."
"He?" Akira said out loud, glancing at Chihiro, who coughed into her fist.
"I'll tell you later, okay?"
Shrugging his shoulders, he returned his gaze to the laptop. "Chihiro has told me you've been looking at the files on the hard drive, how is that going?"
"I am currently at 67% on the decryption process. There are a lot of irrelevant files that I have been removing. I've shortened the process by several days now. I should be done analyzing everything within the next few days."
"Have you found anything useful in what you've decrypted?" He asked, swiftly hitting the Enter Key.
"I've found a lot of information, but I would rather wait until everything is fully decrypted. I have been saving everything relevant to your situation in a massive file. But I can share with you one picture that was saved on this laptop."
"A picture?"
"This is new to me too, I hadn't even thought to ask about that," Chihiro said, pulling the laptop closer to herself. "Alter Ego, when did you find this picture?"
"A day ago. As it turns out, this laptop's owner was a former student of Hope's Peak Academy. A young woman named Sayaka Maizono, with the title of Ultimate Pop-Sensation. There were a lot of completed school projects and other information tied to the defunct Student Portal. Among them was a photograph she had taken for social media."
"What are the odds that this would be Sayaka's laptop?" Akira asked, becoming even more confused. "Wait… how the hell does Sayaka have a school laptop? She wasn't a student of Hope's Peak Academy until the day we woke up here."
"Alter Ego, do you know when this laptop was issued to Sayaka? She's a close friend of ours and is currently here with us." Chihiro typed out. The program remained silent for a moment, processing her question.
"The issue date of this laptop to Class 78's Ultimate Pop-Sensation was on April 15th, 2014 at exactly 11:00 AM. That was the first time she signed into the Student Portal." Alter Ego replied.
"What's the current date?"
"Unfortunately, due to a missing CMOS Battery, this laptop does not have an accurate clock. I would need to connect to the internet in order to figure out the current date and time."
"Fuck!" Akira muttered under his breath. "Chihiro, is there a way to get the battery fixed?"
"Even if I did, Alter Ego would still need an internet connection to set it," she replied. Akira narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment.
"You know… Now that I think about the date, when I got my PSP and Sayaka's iPod from the claw machine, I noticed the dates were off. Both of them said it was September of 2017." the Ultimate Lucky Student said, crossing his arms. "Kinda weird, huh?"
"Well, I wouldn't put it past the Mastermind to fiddle with our stuff. Kazuichi pulled Hiyoko's personal 3DS XL from the MonoMono Machine not long ago. Not only did the device have her name and lots of games none of us recognized, but the system itself was just weird." Chihiro said, tilting her head slightly. "If anything, I think those things are just there to cause confusion among us."
"Hm… Confusion, huh?" the teenager said softly. "I highly doubt that. I wasn't even aware Hiyoko had a 3DS XL in the first place. Speaking of, I wonder where mine went. I had it with me along with my PSP. Bet the Mastermind is having a blast with it, the prick."
"Um excuse me… about the photograph?" Alter Ego said, bringing their attention back to the screen. Akira moved the laptop closer to himself, hands on the keyboard.
"Go ahead, Alter Ego. Sorry for the lack of input, we were discussing a few things out here. Chihiro will fill you in soon."
"Understood, Akira. This is the Photograph that I found, it was taken on June 21st, 2014." the artificial intelligence said.
Akira didn't know what he had been expecting, so he had been taken completely by surprise. The image showed Sayaka, dressed in a familiar white bikini. She was at the beach, the shimmering ocean visible behind them. In the background, he could see Makoto and Junko, who were shooting each other with water guns. He spotted Kiyotaka and Mondo by the edge of the water, the pair throwing a struggling Ibuki into the water.
What had stunned him the most was the fact that aside from Sayaka, there was one other person in this photo, himself. He was holding the Ultimate Pop-Sensation rather closely to himself, dressed in only a pair of black swim trunks. The blue-haired girl looked extremely happy, probably due to the fact Akira was kissing her on the cheek. He also noticed something else.
A very noticeable tattoo, beneath her right breast. From what he could tell, it was a swallowtail butterfly, surrounded by decorative hearts. It was something he didn't expect her to have, considering she wasn't even an adult. He had no words, all he had was more questions.
"Um, Akira?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you and Sayaka-"
"No, Chihiro. We're not… and this just makes me even more confused. I didn't know her before this, I can tell you that upfront. This picture makes no sense to me." he admitted.
"Could it be faked?"
Rather than answering, Akira typed out his question. "Alter Ego, is this image fake?"
"This image is 100% real. It was taken on a Nikon D3300 DSLR Camera and shared to a Twitter account by the name of Sayaka Maizono Kawaii_Idol [Butterfly Heart]. Unfortunately, I cannot recover the original post without an internet connection. The information I found was from a message she received from a girl named Satomi Aoba. They seem to be very close friends."
Akira stayed silent, letting the words settle into his mind. He reached into his pocket for his journal, unzipping it. Finding a clean page, he started jotting down several things, including everything that Alter Ego had just told him. Chihiro watched him closely, a look of worry on her face.
"Are you okay, Akira?"
"Oh, I'm fine. I just need to document this. This is the third picture I've seen since everything started. The first was of Leon, Junko, and Makoto, the second had Fuyuhiko, Hiro, Peko, and Natsumi, and now this one… Something is going on here. None of these images are fake and yet… I can't remember this."
"I can't remember this taking place either… it's all so very confusing." the Ultimate Programmer said, sighing audibly. "Should we discuss this with everyone else?"
The Ultimate Lucky Student paused mid-sentence, holding his pen taut as he looked away from the notebook. "I believe we should but… Do you mind if I talk to Sayaka first? Given this picture is a personal one, I'd like to get her thoughts on the matter."
"Certainly. I don't mind at all," she said, handing the boy the locker key. "Just as long as you return this to me by this afternoon. We can't risk losing this opportunity."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to let this one slip away from me," he said, pocketing the key. He turned back to the laptop, a small smile on his face. "Thank you for your help, Alter Ego. I look forward to getting to know you more in the future."
"You're welcome, Akira! I look forward to getting to know you as well. I do hope what I provided has managed to clear some doubts for you." the AI cheerfully replied.
Chihiro typed a few extra things into the laptop before closing it, locking the locker as she did so. She turned to her friend, giving him a firm look. "So, what do you think?"
"I think it's wonderful, Chihiro. You put a lot of time into this program, and clearly, it's performing as designed. It was able to find that picture and tons of other information. I have full confidence that it'll help clear a lot of the questions we have."
"Oh good… That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I was so nervous about sharing this, because I thought it would have been too dangerous." she said, chewing on her lip. "You must understand, if the Mastermind finds out we have this, it could be the end of us."
"I understand. This is something we need to keep on the down-low. Still… I wasn't expecting this to be Sayaka's Laptop, much less that it had a picture of us saved on it. It's really given me a lot to think about."
The programmer stayed quiet for a moment, wringing her hands together. "Are you sure you didn't meet her before? Or had anything to do with her?"
"I'm sure. I think I of all people would remember being in a relationship with the Ultimate Pop-Sensation. It just makes no sense. How would we even have met before all of this?"
"Well… you did say you were a Reserve Course Student. Maybe that's how you met?" she asked curiously.
"Impossible. The Reserve Course wasn't allowed to visit the Main Course, and unless one of Sayaka's close friends was in the Reserve Course, she'd have no reason to visit. Besides, why would a girl that incredibly amazing find a schmuck talentless loser like me attractive?"
"Are you kidding? There's a lot about you that's attractive." Chihiro said, giving him a firm look in the eye. "You are brave, and strong. You don't hesitate when you do things and are very kind and caring towards everyone. Even when things are rough, you still remain positive and try to make sure everyone is doing okay. Not only that, but you've been there since Makoto's passing. Why wouldn't she find you attractive?"
"Well, I mean… When you put it that way," he said, rubbing his neck, a flush on his cheeks.
"I can see how you look at her, Akira. The two of you have something that so many others wish they had. Maybe it's because of what's going on, or maybe it's something else. Perhaps that picture is your answer. But I think, whatever it is you have, you should pursue it. Life is fleeting, and at any moment… any of us could… y'know."
"You have a point," he answered, glancing at the floor. "I have a lot to think about. Still, I think this is a great thing. Let's gather everyone up tonight and share your AI with them. Knowing that we have that in our back pocket will ensure hope stays alive."
"I'm so happy to hear that. I was so worried about telling anyone about Alter Ego, but I know this is the correct choice," she said, looking very relieved. "I just hope nothing bad happens any time soon. It's been a rough week already."
"Don't worry, I'm sure this will go a long way to cheer everyone up!" Akira said, rising to his feet. He looked at his watch, a pensive look on his face. "I'm gonna go see where Sayaka is. I'll come find you after I show her what Alter Ego found."
"Okay, I'm gonna take a walk. Do you think I could play with Casper?"
"If you don't mind getting wet, he's with Peko at the pool," he replied.
"Oh… Well, I suppose that's fine. I told Hina I would practice my swimming when I had some free time. I suppose this gives me a good excuse to be up there." the programmer said, smiling happily. "I hope things go well with you and Sayaka."
With that, she left, leaving Akira pondering what exactly the programmer had meant.
Location: Library, Hope's Peak Academy 2F
Day: 20
Time: 9:15 AM
The library was quiet, as it always seemed to be. It was a comfortable silence, something that would take time to get used to. Hiyoko still didn't know why she started coming here. Perhaps it was to seclude herself, or perhaps it was because she just needed time away from others, but she understood why the Ultimate Affluent Progeny liked being here all the time.
Byakuya was, as always, reading a novel. He had likely read through several of them since the library had opened up. He always brought his breakfast up there, and ate it in silence. Hiyoko found it strange that he hadn't made any effort to speak to anyone, especially after what had happened. He was still the same as usual. The same man whose fiery insults cut deep into the receiver's soul. But she had noticed his words didn't carry the same weight they once had.
She had tried to get him to talk, but he never deigned a response to any of her questions. Sometimes she wondered why she was even up there. Mahiru had asked her if she had lost her mind, but she just told her friend she wanted a change of pace. That change of pace was eating gummies and playing Pokemon in the library.
She had discovered a lot of interesting things on her 3DS. For one, there was a new file on her digital copy of Pokemon Y, which apparently had been started in 2015. According to the date on the system, it was October of 2017, something she found entirely odd. She found several rom hacks and other things on her home screen, and after checking a few inputs, realized the system had been homebrewed. She had started wondering who it had been that had done that for her, or even when she had bought the expensive-looking console.
Hiyoko recalled having asked her father for a new one, and he told her he would look into buying one for Christmas. Her Grandmother had vehemently refused, stating it was nothing more than a distraction. But the man still promised he'd get her one. Could this be it? And why was it a "New" 3DS? She had a vast amount of questions and no answers. After a while, she just gave up, content with the games she now had in her possession.
Rapidly mashing A, she managed to get through some heavy dialogue in her game, wanting to get through the cut scene. It wasn't her first time playing through Alpha Sapphire, but she just didn't feel like reading through the dialogue again. So she just focused on that, all while tearing one of her packs open with her teeth, pausing when one of her gummy worms fell between her breasts.
"Well, looks like the girls are hungry, hehe." she thought to herself, as she fished the candy out, popping it into her mouth.
"Must you make so much noise?"
"Oh, so he speaks. What a surprise." Hiyoko sarcastically replied, looking up from her game. She caught the annoyed look on Byakuya's face. He had set his novel down, arms crossed as he glared at her. She flushed a bit, looking away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."
The blond boy sighed, shaking his head. "It's fine. I suppose a little noise from opening a pack of candy is alright. Though I would keep your consumption in check. The last thing we need is you getting a cavity."
She gave him a surprised look, slowly chewing her candy before swallowing it. "Are you… showing concern for me?"
"Hardly. I just don't want to hear you moaning in pain because you have a hole in your tooth. I assure you, cavities are not fun." he said, looking away from her. Her lips curved up slightly.
"I appreciate the gesture, Byakuya, thanks," she replied, shifting her gaze back at her game, lips pursed slightly. "I'm a little bored of my game though. I've played through Alpha Sapphire so many times I memorized it."
"There is a vast wealth of knowledge all around us, Hiyoko. Perhaps it would do you well to set the video games down and take the time to read."
"Yeah, but books are boring. I was forced to read Moby Dick when I was growing up, and while the story was great, it was just so long. Ugh. If I read anything longer than 13 chapters, I wanna die." she retorted, pulling up the Menu. She saved the game before returning to the Home Screen, looking around for a moment.
"How shameful. To be surrounded by the voices of hundreds of authors and to be denied because their words are far too long. There's nothing traditional about you, is there, Hiyoko?" Byakuya asked, causing her to giggle.
"Nope, not really. Don't get me wrong, I love tradition. I love the way Japanese culture has spread, not just throughout our nation, but across the world. I love traditional clothes and buildings, candy, and dancing. But that's where I draw the line." she said with a shrug, looking up from her 3DS. "I was never a fan of traditional works of art or writing."
"Here I thought we could discuss the fine intricacies of the Heian Period's most important texts."
"Ew gross… if you want to discuss that with someone, I hear Sonia is available. She's a massive weeb, I bet you she's read the Pillow Book front to back 15 gazillion times," she replied, finally choosing a game. "Hm… Pokemon Unbound, dammit, it's in English. Great, I gotta make an effort to read now."
"English is not that hard of a language to understand."
"I know it isn't, but mine is very rusty. Why would I need to know English when I'm mostly going to perform in Japan?"
"Isn't your father from America? Here I thought you'd have picked up his mother-tongue." Byakuya said.
"Well, I did… sort of. I can't speak it fluently, but I can read and understand it. My grandmother said learning English would be a waste of time. So I just didn't bother." Hiyoko said, leaning back in her seat. "Honestly, I should have done the opposite, my grandmother was far too controlling, now that I think about it."
"Hindering your learning progress and shutting out opportunities is certainly an interesting way to do things." he retorted, grabbing a hold of his novel. "English is one of the most spoken languages in the world, third only to Spanish and Mandarin Chinese."
"What about you? Do you know how to speak any other language?" she asked, in a sarcastic tone. "Seeing as they matter so much to you."
"Bien sûr, je connais une autre langue. J'ai appris le français dès mon plus jeune âge." The Ultimate Affluent Progeny replied, causing her to look up in surprise.
"Huh… interesting, I didn't think you'd know French of all languages."
"It goes to show, anyone can develop a skill when they put their mind to it. It's as simple as breathing, or as easy as traditional dancing is to you," he replied, returning to his novel, a small confident look on his face. "Perhaps Sonia would be interested in teaching you a new language? After all, she does know 30 of them."
"Sure, I'll ask her after you talk about art and other boring stuff with her."
Byakuya said nothing, merely giving her a smirk as he returned to his reading. Hiyoko didn't really say much, her focus fully on her game. She leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head, only to cry in pain, hissing as she looked at her bandage.
"Dammit, I wish this thing would stop hurting already,"
"It's a 3rd-degree burn, do you think it would stop overnight?"
"Well obviously not, but Mikan has been putting this cream on it that kind of numbs it. It's been hard just taking a shower with this damn thing on. I wanna take the bandage off but she said I'm not ready for that yet."
He looked up from his book, frowning when he saw her picking at it. "Well, if you want it to heal faster, picking at it would help it along."
"I know that but I can't help it."
The Ultimate Affluent Progeny stood up from his seat, closing the distance with a pair of steps. He bent down slightly, eyes narrowed as he looked at the bandage, noticing a few specks of pink staining through it. "You should probably get that changed."
"Yes, I probably should." she quietly replied. Gathering her trash, she stood up from her seat, sliding her feet into her flip-flops. She shoved her 3DS into the back pocket of her shorts, turning toward the door. "Well, are you escorting me?"
"You're a big girl, you can make it there by yourself."
"What if a big scary monster comes out and stabs me? Wouldn't you feel bad if I died and you could have prevented it?" she jokingly asked, causing him to roll his eyes.
"It'd be no skin off my nose. I think the world can do without an uncouth ruffian such as yourself."
Her face became serious, lips in a slight pout. "You don't mean that, do you?"
"I'll let you figure that out. Come on, let's not waste any more time, you know how much I hate doing that."
Hiyoko found herself smiling as she fell into pace with the taller boy. She was honestly surprised he had been so open with her today. He normally remained quiet, doing nothing but reading. Today was like a breath of fresh air. Despite him still being rather mean, she could see a bit of change on his face.
The first floor was quiet, though they could hear sounds coming from the gymnasium. They made it to the Nurse's Office, finding it to be empty. Byakuya frowned, crossing his arms as he looked around. "So much for the Ultimate Nurse. Here I thought she took her station seriously?"
"She's one person, Byakuya. She's probably checking on Celeste, Taka, or Akira."
"Regardless, the bandage needs changing, so, sit yourself down, I'll take care of it." the man said, taking her by surprise.
"Seriously?"
"What? I happen to know basic first aid, it was part of my training to become the chosen among the chosen. Now sit." he said, in a firmer tone. She didn't say anything, moving toward one of the empty gurneys. He washed his hands, making sure they were clean and dried before putting on a pair of gloves.
He gathered some medical tape, a roll of gauze, and the balm that Mikan had left out. He slowly started peeling the bandage off, causing her to hiss in pain. The normally stone-faced man found himself cringing at the sight. The skin around the brand was oozing slightly, completely inflamed. Parts of it had scabbed over, while other parts were open and bleeding. The sickly image of Monokuma was rather haunting.
Grabbing the alcohol bottle, he soaked one of the cotton balls in it, pressing it against the wound. She hissed in pain, but tried to move. She had expected his touch to be rough, but it was a lot gentler than she imagined. She was just entranced, watching as he cleaned the wound, applying the balm as carefully as he could, before bandaging it up.
"There you go… Don't make a habit of this," he replied, taking the gloves off. Hiyoko stared at the bandage for a moment, finding herself smiling. She stood up from her seat, just as the taller boy turned back to her.
"Thank you, Byakuya. This was incredibly sweet of you."
"Tch… it was nothing, I just don't like seeing women suffering in pain. Contrary to popular belief, I do care about the well-being of others. I just find opening up to them to be difficult. After all, you can never know who genuinely wishes to be your friend and who just wants to befriend you for your wealth."
"I suppose there's a lot of truth in that. Still, I appreciate it," she said. Standing up on her tip-toes, she kissed the boy on the cheek, much to his surprise.
"Um… Hiyoko, Byakuya?"
The pair turned to see Mikan, both of them taken by complete surprise. Hiyoko cleared her throat, adopting an angry look. "And where were you, huh? I needed a bandage change and you weren't here!"
"Wah… I'm sorry! I was assisting Taka with his burn. I was going to come find you right after but you weren't in your dorm room. I can change it right now."
"Worry not, I've taken care of it this time, but do make sure to check on everyone before they start their day? That will make things a lot easier on yourself and on everyone else." the rich boy said, taking his leave. He paused for a moment, giving Hiyoko a small smile. "I enjoyed your company today, Hiyoko. Feel free to join me in the library again soon."
The Ultimate Traditional Dancer found herself blushing, smiling brightly. As her gaze shifted toward the Ultimate Nurse, her smile dropped, becoming serious. "If you tell anyone what you saw here, anyone, even your stuffed animals, I will bury you alive, got it?"
"G-got it."
Ding dong dong ding
The two girls felt their blood run cold at the sound of that chime. Shakily, they turned toward the nearby monitor, seeing the familiar face of Monokuma on it. It had been days since anyone had seen the animatronic bear.
"I've grown tired of seeing you all keep on keeping on. Especially after the fun we had a few days ago. So get your asses to the gym this instant! It's time we get the ball rolling! Hehehehehehehe~"
The monitor fell silent, and in that moment, the aura of despair returned in full force. Mikan took a hold of Hiyoko's hand, squeezing it, her eyes still locked on the screen. "I-It's happening again."
"Hey, come on now, you are supposed to be the tough one here. I thought Nurses had to deal with shit worse than this on a daily basis. Get your shit together, okay? Sheesh." Hiyoko said, smiling at the nurse. "It'll be alright, got it?"
"O-okay, you're right, Hiyoko. Things will be alright."
The pair could only hope that would be the case. Sadly, reality was often fleeting.
xxx
18 Students gathered in the Gymnasium once more. The atmosphere was the same as it always was, tense and filled with worry. Everyone was rooted in place as they waited for Monokuma's arrival. It didn't take long as the mechanical bear jumped out from behind the podium, a grin on his face.
"Good morning everyone! My, it's been a while, did you miss me?"
"Absolutely not," Hikari said, glaring at the bear. "What the hell do you want now? To make us suffer? Did burning us and mutilating Celeste's hand not suffice?"
"Pfft, that was nothing. I will admit, seeing the looks of despair on your faces was absolutely wonderful. You should have seen yourselves, the blubbering mess on your faces was orgasmic!" Monokuma replied, clearing his throat. "Unfortunately, I can only run on that for so long. We all need recovery periods, after all."
"So is that what that was? You brutally tortured us for your own amusement and then left us alone? To what? Watch us mope around?" Hajime asked, crossing his arms. "You are a terrible person."
"Oh dear Hajime, I thought you all knew that already. But anyway, it's time to get to brass tacks!" the bear said, jumping down from his podium, staring at all of them. "You all are some mighty interesting people, coming here to this prestigious academy from all walks of life. But all of you have some serious, serious skeletons in your closets! That being said, I managed to gather some super juicy information from each and every one of you!"
"Information? What kind of information?" Sayaka asked, a worried look on her face. The bear turned to her with a smirk.
"The kind of information that would send your career into a total suicide! As I said before, we have an endless budget here in Hope's Peak Academy, and an extensive information network. So I was able to dig up the most life-changing secrets! Each and every single one of you has dirt and it's all inside these envelopes!"
As if by magic, the bear reached behind his back, pulling out 18 matching envelopes. He started passing them out, each one looking exactly identical. Akira accepted his, looking it over. It had the crest of Hope's Peak Academy on the front, and a seal on the back. It almost reminded him of the First Blood Ticket they had received on day one, but this one was subtly different. Everyone had similar looks of apprehension on their faces, remembering the last envelopes they had found.
"Well, aren't you curious? Ah… you likely wanna open them in private." the bear said, shaking his head. "No matter, those secrets I handed out are special, for the sole fact that they aren't yours!"
"I'm sorry, didn't you just say these were our secrets? Now you're saying they aren't? Which is it?" Mahiru asked, clearly confused.
"It's both! You see, these are your secrets but they aren't your secrets. I like to call this motive My Secret Keeper! All of you have received the secret belonging to a fellow student. Now that you have it, you have two options. 1: You confess the secret in your possession, or 2: Keep the secret to yourself, and accept punishment!"
Hearing that word, everyone felt a shiver going down their spines. Akira felt Sayaka grabbing his arm, clearly frightened by the bear. "Looks like that caught your attention."
"What… kind of punishment are you talking about?" Sonia asked, memories of the roulette game filling her mind.
"Glad you asked, Princess! Don't worry, I ain't gonna kill ya. Like I said, I care about the safety and well-being of my precious students. But punishment is magnanimous and universal. Everyone has a choice, you share the secret, betraying your fellow classmate, or you keep it and get punished for it."
Walking back to the front of the gym, he turned back to the students, standing proudly before them. "This is going to be a trust exercise. After all, you all seem to be buddy-buddy with each other. Can you truly trust your fellow classmate? When they are hiding such devious skeletons? Or will you be able to put that past you and move on? The choice will be yours in the end."
Turning around, he gave them a grin. "At the end of the day, it'll be your choice to decide. Do you take that skeleton to the grave? Or do you sing like a canary? Puhu~ This is beary exciting!"
"Are you serious? You want us to not only make a choice between keeping secrets that don't belong to us or getting punished for keeping them? What the fuck's wrong with you?" Mondo shouted, clearly angry.
"What do you want from us, man? Why do you keep doing this?" Kazuichi added, clutching his head tightly. "I can't take this anymore!"
"Aw… I already told you what I want from all of you. I want despair! Nothing but sweet sweet despair! Well, I've given you your motive, it's up to you what you do with it! I look forward to seeing how you all handle it. Oh and choose wisely, you already know how I am when I deal my punishments. Puhuhahahahaha!"
Just as fast as he had arrived, the monochrome bear left, leaving the 18 students in a state of panic and worry. Each of them had been left holding an envelope that no one had opened, and an outrageous motive. They didn't know what to say, what to do, but what they all knew was that this time, it was going to be a lot harder to keep the secret.
"Friends! I believe we should be open with our secrets." Taka said, stepping forward, standing in front of everyone. "After all, these are but pieces of paper. We have been through a lot already, we cannot let something like this tear us apart."
"Tch… easy for you to say, man. I got some serious shit I wanna keep hidden." the biker said, shaking his head. "Sorry bro, but I'm gonna have to veto that idea."
"I agree… as much as I would love to come clean, I think I'd rather keep my secret hidden," Sonia said, rubbing her arm. "Although, that isn't really my choice at the moment,"
"All of you are fools," Byakuya said, shaking his head. He gave the group a firm look, meeting eyes with several of them. "Why would you willingly choose punishment for another person? Did you not learn your lesson from that roulette game?"
"That was different," Hina said.
"No, it isn't. This is exactly the same. I for one am not going to serve someone else's punishment to keep a secret. If the time comes, I am going to share the contents of my envelope, without hesitation." the blond boy said.
"Normally I wouldn't agree with Byakuya, but I believe he's correct," Celeste said, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. She glanced at her bandaged hand, seeing the little specks of blood where her ring finger once was. "The last thing I need is the loss of more fingers. So regretfully, I will be doing the same."
"But secrets are important!" Ibuki said, eyes flitting across the room, looking at everyone around her. "Shouldn't we do our best to keep them? Even if they aren't ours? We have to work together."
"And get punished for it? Hell no!" Kazuichi barked, shaking his head. "I'm with Celestia and Byakuya. Fuck the secret, I'd rather tell it than get mutilated by that bastard!"
"It is a trivial matter, this motive," Kyoko said, a pensive look on her face as she looked at the envelope she had been given. "We have a difficult choice to make. Hold onto a secret that we have been given, thus protecting that person, or tell it, saving yourself but breaking your trust with them. This motive is designed specifically to pit us against each other."
"So what do we do? Do we tell the secrets or do we keep them?" Chihiro asked softly. "I don't want to hurt someone's feelings… but I also don't want to get hurt."
"That's something you'll have to choose for yourself. But ask yourself this, would the person who holds your secret do the same? Can you truly trust them with your secret? Can they trust you?" the Ultimate Affluent Progeny said, shoving his envelope in his pocket. "I for one am not taking that risk. To whoever holds my secret, feel free to share it, I am not holding it against you nor do I care. The last thing I need in my conscience is someone being hurt because of me."
"My, how uncharacteristically generous of you," Sayaka deadpanned, ignoring the glare the man was giving her.
"This is but a trivial matter. I believe it will strengthen our resolve should we come out and share everything. Of course, the choice is yours. I will consider my choice depending on the gravity of the secret in my care." Peko said, a small smile on her face. "I believe Fuyuhiko would have kept his secret. There's nothing he liked more than having trust with everyone. If it comes down to it, I'll do the same."
"A foolish endeavor, but a kind one all the same. I commend you for your bravery, Peko." Celeste said. She glanced at Akira, who hadn't said a word, staring at the envelope in his grasp. "And what about you, Akira? What will you be doing?"
"I…" he stopped, holding the envelope closely against his chest. "The last thing I need is to have my skeletons out in the open. But I am not in control of what that person is going to do. Ultimately, if they choose to reveal it, I won't hold it against them. But for me… I understand the importance of keeping things hidden. I wouldn't want anyone to reveal my secret, just as I'm sure they don't want me to do the same. So I won't."
"So you're going to just take the punishment? Are you stupid, Akira?" Mahiru asked, causing him to laugh.
"Perhaps. But I've already dipped my hand in acid, what more can they do to me? I want people to trust me. Trust is hard to give and easily broken. I'd rather keep the trust I have, especially because…" He paused, shaking his head. "It's nothing… my personal secret would change how everyone views me, and I'd rather have everyone keep their current image of me, not the one you'll develop should my secret be revealed."
"That serious, huh?" Hajime asked, earning a nod from him.
"Unfortunately."
"We're gonna have to think things through, how we will proceed and how this motive will carry out. Monokuma didn't tell us when he intends to begin this, but let's assume it starts tomorrow. Whoever gets chosen, be prepared to make the choice. Just don't hold it against anyone if you end up ruining your relationships." Kyoko said. With those final words, the violet-haired girl took her leave.
"S-should we open them here or…?" Mikan asked, a worried look on her face.
"Maybe save that for your dorm room. Let's just… proceed as normal, okay? We'll have a meeting before dinner, see where we all stand." Taka said.
"Speaking of, I have something I'd like to share with everyone. I would have liked Kyoko to be here as well but I suppose she'll know when dinner starts. I'd like everyone to accompany me somewhere, just try not to draw too much attention when the time comes." the Ultimate Lucky Student said, causing murmurs around the crowd.
"Heh… planning something, are you, Yoshikawa?" Byakuya asked.
"I'm not planning anything, it's just a piece of information that I believe everyone should be aware of. Make of that what you will. You are free to join us or not. Though I would appreciate it if you did, Byakuya. We're all the same now."
A look of anger flashed across his face, fist clenched tightly. "You and I will never be the same. No amount of suffering, despair, or time spent in this derelict academy will make me think otherwise. Know your place, plebeian."
The Ultimate Affluent Progeny took his leave, leaving everyone in silence. Akira merely laughed, shaking his head. "I'll take that as a no then."
Some laughs filled the gym. Taka cleared his throat, clapping his hands. "Alright! Let's proceed as normal, do not let this motive change you. If anything, let it motivate you into improving your relationships with everyone!"
Everyone slowly started leaving the gym, leaving only a couple people behind. Peko handed Casper's leash back to Akira, giving him a small smile. "Thank you for letting me play with Casper. He's a very energetic dog."
"Any time, Peko. I hope he was well-behaved for you."
"Oh, he definitely was! Though there might be a few less pool noodles in the storage room now. He kinda… chewed through a few of them." Peko said, a sheepish look on her face. Akira looked at his dog, who merely licked his nose, giving him a cute look.
"You better not have eaten any of that crap, Mister. I'm not gonna be picking through your crap just to see if it made it out."
"Woof~"
As the swordswoman left, Akira turned to Sayaka, who had remained in place, looking at the envelope in her grasp. She looked up from it, giving Akira a bright smile. "Hey, Akira. Need anything?"
"Yes ma'am I do. I have something I want to show you, something kind of serious. We're also gonna take this chance to give the old boy a bath. So uh…" he paused, clearing his throat. "Dress appropriately?"
"Dress appropriately? I thought we were going to use the shower in our dorm?"
"Originally, but the place I need to talk to you is a little bit warmer," he said. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, slightly confused. She seemed to get it after a moment.
"The bathhouse? You want to give him a bath there?"
"Why not? The place is equipped, and it's a lot more spacious. Not only that, there are shelves to place our stuff on it. It just makes more sense." Akira said, scratching his head. "We could do it in our dorm if you want. At the end of the day, you're the one who really wants to give Caspy a bath."
"No no! I like that idea! The bathhouse is really big. Just as long as we don't get any soap in the main bath itself. I don't think we'll be able to clean it." the blue-haired girl said, turning toward the door. "I gotta wonder though, who's the one who cleans it?"
"Maybe the Mastermind journeys down from wherever they are and takes it upon himself to clean it," Akira said, following her toward the Gym's exit. "Though knowing them, they'd probably piss in the water, just to see our despair."
"Ew gross!"
"It's just a joke, Saya. Relax," he said, bumping her hip with his own. She giggled, holding her hand out to him. He handed her Casper's leash, only for her to sprint toward the door. "Wah… Hey!"
"Last one there's a rotten egg! Come on Casper, let's go!"
"That's not fair! We gotta grab all of his bath stuff first! Sayaka, wait up!"
The Ultimate Pop-Sensation's laughter and Casper's barks filled the quiet corridor, and for a moment, it seemed as though Hope's Peak Academy wasn't an academy of despair.