Chapter 4: An Azure Uproar Part 1 (Daily Life)

Remaining Students: 11

Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet

Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince

Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader

Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank

Minori Ichinose (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm

Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku

Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot

Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate Berserker

Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief

Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist

"She can't hear us… we've tried so many times already…"

"Can't touch her either, we just go right through."

"I'll give it a try this time then. Next time she's asleep I'll be sure to shout as loud as I can! I feel bad that I have to scare her, but if it's the only way…"

"Good luck…. We're counting on you."

"Yeah, if anyone can get to Sayori it's you!"

"Thanks, I'll try…"

Sayori's POV

"Ugh…."

My head was face down into the bowl of cereal I poured for myself. Milk splashed onto my bow, and colorful fruit rings stuck to my cheeks. The room was mainly quiet, other than the slow, depressing crunching of my dorm mates eating.

Tails was off doing smart guy stuff in the library, while the rest of us were sitting here with big frowns on our faces. No doubt that he does feel like us though, but I am glad he's still working on a way to get us out.

"I'll… agh, see you guys later..."

After finishing his breakfast Reyn went out to go train. Despite all the punishment he went through in that maze he isn't going to take a break, I really admire that about him. Although he's probably doing it just to take his mind away from things.

Konata hasn't come out of her room, but we can tell she's in there from the clicking of video game controllers. At least she has some way to cope.

Saki was still here with me, but she was surprisingly silent. Only letting out a single, "Hm.", when Reyn left. I didn't want to ask her if she was alright, since I knew that she would try to fake a smile and act like she is.

And as for me… who am I kidding, I haven't done anything since last night.

Losing Tsuyu and Pietro hurt a lot, but Hachiken too? Just over a few days ago we had some time to ourselves to have fun… and at the end he told me I was like a sister to him. Imagine being so close to someone that they consider you like family… only to lose them so close afterwards.

Painful is one of a lot of words I can use to describe it. I didn't sleep last night because of it, and why should I if my dreams would just be filled with images of him and everyone else that died?

"Uh, I'm gonna go… do whatever. See you, Sayo."

Saki walked out the door and there I was by myself in the kitchen, my head still in that bowl of cold milk. I let out a heavy sigh as I lifted my face up and kept eating, way slower than how I usually eat breakfast too. I placed my bowl and spoon into the dishwasher and let it run as I went back into my room to sulk.

"Mmmph…" I face planted into my pillow right as the crying started again.

What was even the point of going out?

At this point I didn't feel like leaving the dorm. In here I can't bother anyone else by crying over and over, it's just fine. I can't be useful anyways, so why should I try to pretend like I can be?

*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*

… A message from Dimitri. No… no no, they'll be fine. They can go and search the new area without me. No need for me to leave me room, nope. I'll just get in the way, cause problems, make them even more miserable if they're starting to cheer up and….

…

… Dang it.

I put my shoes back on, grabbed my e-Handbook and went up to the nearest transport tube. These things were pretty fun the first time I went in, but over time I kept on bumping my head the more I used it, less fun. I pressed the button to the newest zone, the "I.T." zone, which I thought was meant to be related to computers and stuff but this area was…

… A forest! There's trees all around me, leaves falling, flowers growing on the ground (which I hesitated to pick because they had Monokuma's face on them), and I swear I heard some squirrels… before I turned to see a music player that had an animal noises cd in it. There were some picnic tables set up with grills next to them, an ice cream truck (which sold Monokuma pops with an off center right gumball eye), a playground with swings and slides (not college appropriate, but I don't care. I mean, there's swings!), and there's even a lake that allows swimming!

And I thought the food trucks and stadium from the last area were big, how are we getting so many of these places on one campus?!

"Ah, Sayori… good morning."

"Kyah!" I jumped as I turned around to see Dimitri there.

"Hah… it's you, Dimitri. Ehehehe~... good morning."

"My apologies for startling you, I didn't expect to see you out and about today…"

I took a moment to have a closer look at Dimitri, he didn't look too hot. Bags under his eyes, some of his hair was starting to stick up a bit. He then noticed that I was staring and cleared his throat.

"Ah, you can tell that I did not get much sleep last night. I'm sure that's the case for you as well?"

I lowered my head and nodded, "Yeah…"

Dimitri sighs as he puts his hand on my shoulder, "Well, remember what I've told you before. Don't hide your sorrow, and do your best to preserve the life you have right now. I will be right here if you need any further assistance, I bid you farewell."

I wanted to tell him to stay and hug him tight, but he has a lot more on his plate right now. I wouldn't want him to be distracted with babysitting me, he's our leader after all. We count on him for almost anything… although I hope we're not relying on him too much. As strong as he is, even he might be dealing with stuff we don't know about.

Stuff that may as well be causing him more pain than we realize…

Okay, okay… what else is around here? Maybe I should get a closer look at the lake.

I walked over to see there were a few motor boats docked, life preservers piled up in one section, and a tiny little shack by the water. I walk in to find some buckets of fishing bait, fishing rods, and… hunting equipment? There's no wild animals around here, so they're probably supposed to be used as weapons for the killing game. I don't wanna imagine the crazy things you can do by using all of these things, or even just one!

A life preserver could become a death preserver! Er… or something like that!

Stepping away from all those scary thoughts, I went over to the dock and gazed out at the water. It looks so clean… a bit too clean though. Doesn't look like there's any fish too, so that would make the fishing equipment pointless. I try to look out further, try to see if there's anything else beyond the lake only to find…

"Nothing! Is that what you were thinking, Sayori?"

"EYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed at the voice that came out of nowhere.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The voice screamed back just as loudly.

I take a few deep breaths before turning around to find Konata, tilting her head at me. She must have left her room too, but why can't anybody approach me from the side or the front? That's twice now that I got spooked, pretty sure the next one will end with my spirit leaving my body…

"Hehehe… sorry. I wanted to come check this place out too. Ended up completing a strategy game where you explore nature with some little plant aliens and got the urge to do it myself! No plant aliens around, makes this less awesome, but it's kinda pretty."

This game sounds pretty cute! Don't think I'd be good at the strategy part though, I wouldn't want all those little plant guys to get hurt. Konata and I stared out at the lake again, watching the "sunlight" reflect off the surface of the water.

"I agree! It feels nice out here… just feels off though, since there's no actual things here that make it more nature-y. Y'know?"

"Yup, yup. I swear though, my eyes might be messing with me here… I think there was something beyond the lake, but when I blink it just pops in and out. Like it's something that hasn't loaded correctly since we're so far away…"

Konata squints and makes that searching hand gesture, the one that looks similar to saluting. I try to do the same thing and even go on my tip-toes, but there's nothing I can see over there. I turned to Konata and shook my head, frowning as we turned around and walked through the forest. We both then spot a super gigantic tree that's as big as a skyscraper! Imagine having a treehouse up there, it would be so cool, but so scary at the same time!

Konata speaks up as she steps carefully on the roots, "Maybe we'll get to see what's beyond the lake next time? Ah, I mean… ugh, I don't wanna sound too depressing, but we do get new areas after every class trial so…"

I placed my hand on the bark of the big tree and sighed, "I know what you mean… I really don't want to go through it again either. Even if we get new places to go to, it doesn't seem like we're any closer to getting out. It just seems like we're gonna be trapped in here until…"

Konata snapped her fingers to get my attention.

"Ey! You're getting ahead of yourself, Sayori! Thinking about it this much will make things worse, okay? I'm scared too, but we won't get anywhere like this either! We just gotta stay careful and don't kill or be killed, capiche?"

"R-Right… sorry…"

Konata patted me on the back as she then perked up.

"Come on, let's get some ice cream sandwiches! There's gotta be the ones that have the oatmeal cookies dipped in chocolate, I've always wanted to try them!"

My eyes went wide after hearing that, "You had me at ice cream… and cookies… dipped in chocolate. Let's go!"

The two of us giggle as we head right over to that wonderful truck, which is playing a pretty nice tune.

Insert Song: Dangan Ronpa (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, imagine it's a ice cream truck jingle version)

Oh wow, right when we got there, the others were already there waiting outside the closed window. It looks like Minori was also giving her summary of what they found in the area too.

"... And the lake looks quite deep, so take caution if you choose to go swimming in there. And that's all for today… Your Highness?"

Dimitri helped Minori step down from the stump she was standing on top of before taking her place.

"Right. Before we conclude, I had received a message from someone earlier today. He insisted on speaking to us all, so I will allow him to stand before us. You may have the floor now…"

Dimitri moved out of the way and up came… Bede.

I softly gasped, he doesn't have that scowl on his face anymore. He still looked like he was all business though, but I'm glad he isn't looking as bad as I thought he would after last night. I thought he would have stayed away, so why is he…?

"Thank you, Your Highness. I stand before you all in order to…"

He paused, looking at Dimitri who nodded at him and also locking eyes with me. That's when he continues.

"... To deeply apologize for my behavior towards you all for the majority of the time we have spent here."

I heard a few people chatting beside me, none of us were expecting that.

"About time he admits he was being a dick…" Kazuma states.

"You haven't been too kind to us either, Kazuma." Minori calmly points out.

He groaned before shooting back at her, "Shut up, Papaya Pure!".

"It's Cure Papaya…" Minori corrected him.

Reyn blinked twice after hearing it, "Huh, didn't think that would come out of that pompous mouth of his…"

"Hmph…" Ray grunts and shakes his head.

As we all dealt with his last statement, Bede spoke up once more.

"As much as I'd hate to admit it, you have all proven yourselves to not be as… untrustworthy as I initially assumed. Of course I will still be wary, yet I am… more willing to put a little faith in you people. I do not expect you to do the same for me just yet, only know that after what had happened the previous night… I am only looking for redemption. Farewell for now, and thank you for your time."

Bede put his hands in his pockets as he walked over to the side and sat by himself with everyone else just talking about what he said quietly.

"Tch, I just… gah! I have no idea what that guy's deal is now, and I'm pissed because of it…" Saki grumbled and crossed her arms.

"He's trying his best, okay? He probably needs some more time to grow out of being a total meanie, I believe in him!" I defended Bede, and hoped I was right since he did look like he was telling the truth.

Dimitri then addressed us once more, "From my perspective he is attempting to repent, and that is something that it is up to you to decide is honorable or not. It is likely that Bede will attend our meetings more often from now on, so I trust you all not to make him regret that choice. You are all dismissed for now."

As soon as he stopped speaking though, out popped a Monokuma wearing a paper hat and apron in the ice cream truck.

"Okay, everyone! You better line up if you want your icey and creamy treats-y! No repeat customers, get all the stuff you want at once, ya hear?!"

Insert Song: Okay, Everyone! - Sayori Variant (Doki Doki Literature Club!)

Hm, that first thing he said sounds familiar… oh whatever, ice cream time! I'm still feeling sad, but why would I ever deny some free ice cream?

"Oh, and by the way, it's about forty Monocoins each for everything. If you buy five you can get one more item for thirty Monocoins!"

Those of us in line let out a big "WHAT?!" at the pricing Monokuma told us.

Kazuma bangs his hand against the truck in annoyance, "That's highway robbery, you greedy jerk!"

"Just for that, you get charged ten for denting my truck!" Monokuma tells him as he groans.

"Come on!" Kazuma kicks the truck in anger.

"Twenty!" Monokuma increases the price for him as I just go ahead and pay for three of those ice cream cookie sandwiches.

We got a lot of prize money from making it through the maze, pretty sure Bede got the most since he won though. Maybe I'll start asking him to pay for me, he does want to start being a bit nicer… Back to the ice cream though, it was as delicious as I imagined it would be.

I'm not too big on oatmeal cookies, but that's because a lot of them just have raisins instead of chocolate chips. These cookies though had been dipped in chocolate and had vanilla ice cream sandwiched between them, which makes it a billion times better! The dark chocolate was beginning to melt in my hands, but I didn't care… I just wanted to eat more of these, which I thankfully bought!

Could be cheaper though.

"Hey, Sayori!"

"Hm?" I look over and see Tails, eating a mint-flavored ice cream sandwich, waving me over, along with Ray and Dimitri.

I walked over with a smile after taking another few bites.

"Whashup?"

Tails laughed, "Uh, swallow first before speaking please…"

I swallowed the remaining cookie pieces in my mouth before tossing my wrapper in the trash.

"Sorry! Ehehehe~, what's up?"

"Aha… well the thing is…" That's when Tails leaned in to whisper into my ear, "I actually got some new information from Yu and ki, and I wanted to see if you wanted to drop by to visit them with us. Are you free?"

My eyes went wide, it's been a while since we've heard from them. We were so busy with the training for the maze that I nearly forgot about them. Hm… now that I'm starting to recall what they were like… for some reason they're starting to seem… familiar…

Yu…

ki…

Yu…

ki…

…

That's when I heard a lightbulb in my head go "ding!".

It can't be… I mean there are other people who can bicker like they do… but the pink and purple text… ki denying that she's cute… Yu using all kinds of fancy words… no… but maybe…

… I have to know.

"Tails, take me there right now."

He raised his eyebrows at me, "Huh?.

"I… This might sound crazy, but… I think I know who they are."

Shorter chapter than usual, huh? After thinking about it more… yeah you all need a breather after the emotional rollercoaster of last chapter. That and my ideas and motivation are not coming to me now for some reason, I have plans for what's gonna happen… it's getting there that's the problem! Gah, oh well. I'm gonna be busy these next few months because I'm taking a few online classes, so I may or may not be able to post a chapter here or there. Maybe when my motivation returns, wish me luck the meantime I'll maybe write more chapters on RenAi if I can, hope you like that story and that you look forward to what comes next in this one. Farewell peeps! - Renegade Braveheart.