Hajime had barely stepped out of his cottage the next morning before he intuited that something would go wrong that day. More wrong than usual.

Nagito. He's up to something.

Nagito's motives were inscrutable to most people, but Hajime had known him long enough now that they were really perfectly simple. He believed, from the bottom of his heart, that hope could never exist without overcoming an equally powerful despair. And seeing Chiaki again was the strongest hope they'd had in a long time.

Nagito had big plans, and he couldn't act on them alone.

He's roped someone else into this… Monomi?

It had to be her. No one else would have fallen for his tricks. And she was painfully naïve; she still believed that everyone should get along and work together during a Killing Game, no matter how impossible it was.

He was certain he was correct. He always was. Whether he could do anything about it… that was another story.

He decided to focus on something else. It was just after six, meaning most students were still in their cottages. However, Nekomaru was already up, standing in front of Peko's cottage with his arms folded.

"Morning, Hajime," he said as Hajime walked over to him. "I'd say good morning, but, uh… that's probably not true, is it."

"How is she?" asked Hajime, nodding at the cottage.

"She's fine," Nekomaru sighed, unfolding his arms. "I've been watching her all night. She hasn't, you know… tried anything."

Hajime gave another little nod. Peko had never been without Fuyuhiko before. Her classmates had always assured her that her life had value beyond his, but that wasn't something she could just accept after a lifetime of being told otherwise. After what she'd had to witness yesterday, it wasn't hard to imagine she'd try to take her own life. But for now, at least, she seemed to be honoring his last wishes.

"That was thoughtful of you. Thanks, Nekomaru."

"Well, I can't watch her forever. I've got Akane to worry about too. You haven't seen how she's doing, have you?"

He had. And Nekomaru wouldn't be happy to hear it, and Hajime was too tired to have this talk right now. "I asked Mikan to look at her. You should hear about it from her."

"Well, all right then." Nekomaru still looked concerned, but he seemed to realize he wouldn't be hearing anything else and fell silent, folding his arms again.

"Well, I've got to be going. I'll see you at breakfast," said Hajime, turning away from him and walking away from the cottages.

Nekomaru watched after him in surprise. "Going? Where are you going at this hour?"

Hajime turned back around to look at him. "I'm going to find Nagito."

––

Nagito was, at that very moment, standing on the beach, and he wasn't the only one. Ibuki was there with him, and if the stress of the Killing Game was affecting her sleep, she wasn't showing it. She looked as energetic as ever. Mahiru and Hiyoko had run into them as well, and now they were standing back and witnessing whatever was about to happen.

"Ah, Hajime! You're just in time!" Ibuki waved crazily at him as he came walking over to them. "See, Ibuki was thinking super hard last night about how she can be useful during the Killing Game! She did all the things she usually does when she's trying to get inspiration for a new song! Like eating a bag of marshmallows, standing on her head for an hour – "

"Oh my God, just get to the point," Hiyoko griped.

"And then she was struck with divine inspiration! Like a bolt from Valhalla!" Ibuki cheered. "The Monomono Machine! We forgot all about it!"

Hajime knew where she was going with this, of course, but the others didn't. "What about the Monomono Machine?" asked Mahiru.

Ibuki started pouting. "Oh, come on! Did you forget all the cool and awesome things inside of it? There has to be something in there we can use to defeat Monokuma once and for all!"

"So your plan is to keep putting in Monocoins until you get something that might be useful?" asked Hajime. "But there's hundreds of capsules in that machine."

"That's why Ibuki brought Nagito with her!" She was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, looking thrilled with herself. "Because he's super duper lucky! So he's sure to get the perfect item on the first try!"

"I'm so honored to take part in this brilliant plan," said Nagito, looking like he was wiping away tears. "Truly, Ibuki is a genius! Someone like me is unworthy of being in her presence!"

"Hey, this is a good idea. Why didn't you think of it, Hajime?" Hiyoko asked, a little bit snottily.

"Because Monokuma wouldn't include anything in that machine that we could use against him," said Hajime, trying to stay patient. "Ibuki, I'm glad you're trying to think of something, but…"

Ibuki was suddenly wearing the face of a kicked puppy dog. "Hajime doesn't like my idea?" she whimpered.

Hajime sighed. He tried to mentally calculate how probable it was that their prize would actually be helpful, but… he didn't even know what all of them were. And anyway, he didn't want to break Ibuki's spirit. They would probably need her relentlessly upbeat attitude if they were going to make it through this game.

"Well, go ahead and try. It's not like it'll hurt."

And just like that, Ibuki was back to normal. "YIPPEE! Okay Nagito, put in the Monocoin!"

"Oh, I'm so excited! What kind of treasure will we get to help us fight against despair?" Nagito said as he stood in front of the fake palm tree and pushed a Monocoin into the slot. The palm fronds began to shake, and a plastic capsule dropped out of the tree like a coconut, landing directly in Nagito's hands.

Everyone except Hajime gathered around in excitement, eyes glued on the capsule as Nagito popped it open to reveal…

A curled-up blue slap bracelet.

"THE SLAP BRACELET WILL SAVE US!" Ibuki cried, falling to her knees and bowing in reverence.

"What? That's it? How stupid," said Hiyoko. "I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Come on Mahiru, let's ditch these guys."

"It is almost seven. We should all eat something before the Adventure Phase starts again," Mahiru agreed, letting Hiyoko lead her away by the hand.

"Just ignore them, Ibuki. They're not true believers," said Nagito. Then his eyes fell on Hajime, and he walked over and reverently placed the slap bracelet in the other boy's hands.

"You should hang onto this, Hajime. If anyone can find a use for it, I'm sure you can!"

Hajime looked him squarely in the eye. "Right," he said, keeping his voice neutral. He searched Nagito's face for any crack in the façade. Anything that would give away what he was planning. But Nagito was the picture of innocence, smiling at him in a way that suggested he wouldn't hurt a fly.

"…Oooookay. Ibuki doesn't want to ruin the moment, but we should definitely go and have breakfast now."

"Wonderful idea, Ibuki. Will you be joining us, Hajime?" asked Nagito, walking after Ibuki as she skipped off toward the hotel. Hajime didn't even dignify him with a response, just followed after them in silence, his hand closed tightly around the slap bracelet.

––

Once again, the mood in the restaurant was mostly dour. It was obvious that several of the students had recently finished crying. They sat around in silence, chewing on the pancakes and porridge without any enthusiasm. Hajime was lost in thought as he ate.

Yesterday had been hard on him. Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko were both difficult to get along with at times, but after they'd all survived the first Killing Game together, he'd formed a powerful bond with them. Even amidst all the other uncertainty, wondering whether they could even survive alone on the island, waiting for the others to wake up, those two had always been at his side.

And now they were gone.

"Peko isn't here," Ryota spoke up after a while. "Is she going to come?"

It took a moment for anyone to answer. "Probably not," said Nekomaru. "I invited her, but… she's angry at all of us right now."

"Hey! She's not gonna start sabotaging us, is she?" asked Hiyoko. "Then we should lock her in her cottage where she can't get to us!"

"Or perhaps the Old Building? I happen to know that place is very secure," Nagito said cheerfully.

"Guys. Quit joking about this. We're not going to lock her up," said Mahiru. "She's our friend. Remember everything we've been through together. That hasn't changed."

"Mikan and Akane aren't here either. It's getting quite late," the Imposter observed.

Nekomaru looked alarmed. "What? Is something wrong with Akane?"

He quickly got his answer. There suddenly came the sound of awkward footsteps heading up the stairs, and Mikan's voice along with them. Nekomaru immediately stood up and raced over to the top of the stairs, and everyone else craned their necks over and watched.

Mikan had just helped Akane walk all the way up. Akane was looking even worse than last night. Now she was limping along on a set of crutches, panting from the effort. The fresh bandage wrapped around her leg had already been stained an ugly yellow.

"Y-you really should just stay in your cottage, Akane. You shouldn't be moving around at all," Mikan said quietly, though she was still guiding Akane over to a table.

"Screw that," Akane panted, though her voice was much softer than normal, like she couldn't muster up the strength to speak any louder. "Monokuma's comin'… I gotta be here…"

"Akane!" Nekomaru looked positively aghast as he ran up and helped lower her onto a seat. "What's the matter with you! Your leg, it looks… it looks…"

Badly infected. Additional symptoms including sweating and shortness of breath suggest severe sepsis, likely to progress to septic shock if not treated immediately, Hajime's brain supplied for him.

Nekomaru turned to look at Mikan. "How did this happen?! It's just a bullet wound, right? This shouldn't be happening!"

"I-I'm sorry…" Mikan flinched and withdrew into herself. "I gave her some antibiotics and other medications from the pharmacy, but it's not going to be enough… I need to give her intravenous fluids. But the equipment for that is all at the hospital."

Nekomaru seemed to grow even bigger as he loomed over Mikan. "Well the Third Island is open, isn't it? So why isn't she there right now?"

"Leave her alone, Coach," said Akane, struggling to keep her voice at an audible volume. "She didn't do anything… 's not her fault."

Nekomaru was clenching and unclenching his fists, trying to keep his emotions under control. He was obviously torn between comforting Akane and yelling at someone – anyone. Someone he could blame for what was happening.

"Nekomaru. Calm down. Panicking isn't going to help her," said the Imposter, placing a hand on his back. "You're right. Monokuma will probably want us at Third Island today. We can bring her to the hospital."

*Ding-dong, bing-bong*

And just like that, the sound of the bell went off and the TV switched on to reveal Monokuma sitting in his chair.

"Good morning, my dear students! The time is now 7 am, and you know the drill! Go to the Ancient Ruins to deposit your hard-earned Monocrystal, and then book it over to the hospital on Third Island for your next Adventure Phase!"

The TV switched off, and the Imposter nodded. "There, you see? We'll go there right now."

"Ugh… seriously, just leave me alone… I'm not worth it," Akane muttered.

"That's enough, Akane. Save it for when you're feeling better," Nekomaru said firmly. "Now come on. You're not walking over there. I'll carry you."

Akane looked too tired to complain anymore, so she obediently wrapped her arms around Nekomaru's neck, and he stood up and lifted her off the ground, slipping his hands under her knees. Mikan and the Imposter both hurried after him as he jogged down the stairs, leaving the others to stare after him.

"Akane… is she going to be all right?" said Teruteru, frightened tears flooding his eyes. "She's my number one valued customer! What will I do if she's not around to eat all my food?"

"Should we… should we go with them?" Ryota asked timidly.

"They've got it under control. There's nothing more we can do," said Hajime. "The rest of us should just do like Monokuma says."

––

A while later, the remaining students were all gathered in front of the Ancient Ruins once again. Normally it was a beautiful sight, but no one was enjoying it now. Akane was still fresh on their minds, and it was clear they all wanted to hurry over to the hospital to check on her.

Hajime was holding onto the Monocrystal they had gotten yesterday, standing in front of the large boulder with the indentations. He had to force himself to keep his eyes forward, to not steal another look up at the building where Chiaki was waiting for them at that moment.

Two Monocrystals… and four dead classmates. At this rate, how would they ever make it to the end?

"Go ahead, Hajime. You should put it in there," Mahiru said from behind him.

"Right," he sighed. Holding the Monocrystal in his fingers, he leaned forward and –

"Oh, there you all are! I'm so happy I found you!"

There was a very high-pitched scream from Teruteru as Monomi suddenly appeared directly behind him. He fell to the ground in shock, then flipped over and glared up at the pink rabbit.

"Watch where you're going, you walking bowl of rabbit stew! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"All that fat clogging your arteries will do that," Hiyoko sang.

"Is this important, Monomi? We're in the middle of something," said Ryota. Now even he sounded like he was out of patience with her.

"Yes, it is! It's important! It's very important!" Monomi was flailing her broken Magic Stick around. "I wanted you to all to know that… I've prepared a wonderful surprise for you all! You're going to love it!"

Everyone looked at her suspiciously. "A 'surprise'? What kind of surprise?" said Mahiru.

"I can't tell you that! Then it wouldn't be a surprise!" Monomi had a very stern look on her face. "But you'll find out today! It's a gift from me, your loving teacher!" She started bobbing her head back and forth. "I can't wait to see your smiling faces…"

Hajime had had enough. "Monomi. Nagito put you up to this, didn't he."

Monomi immediately started sweating. Nagito had the same infuriating smile. Everyone else looked stunned.

"Ha-wa-wa… why would you say that, Hajime?" Monomi stammered. "Of course he didn't… this is a surprise from me to you…"

"Don't even try to lie to me, Monomi."

Monomi was stressing out from the sudden interrogation, but then Nagito stepped forward. "It's all right, Monomi. You don't need to cover for me. Hajime was bound to figure it out."

Hajime swiveled his glare onto the lucky student. "Nagito. What did you do this time?"

"Me? I didn't do anything. It was all Monomi. Didn't you hear her?" Nagito tilted his head. "Of course, I may have given her an idea… but she and I both agree that this will make the Killing Game much more hopeful for everyone!"

"That's it. I want off this island. Now," said Hiyoko.

"Err… Ibuki isn't sure she likes this idea. Nagito's idea of hope is waaaaaaaay different from everyone else's," Ibuki said as she played with her fingers.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Monomi frowned at them.

"You don't want my surprise?" she said. "I've been trying so hard to be good to my students… but you all hate me and say mean things to me. Except Nagito." She sniffled. "He's the only one who's kind to me… he doesn't hit me or kick me or call me names…"

She straightened up. "So I will give you all your surprise! Because Nagito is my student, and I'm going to help him!" she declared. "Then you'll all stop being mad at me. You'll see."

And then she vanished, as she and Monokuma were wont to do.

Everyone slowly turned to glare at Nagito.

"Well, well… I don't know about all of you, but I'm looking forward to today's Adventure Phase!" he laughed. "Now come on! We should all hurry over to the hospital! I don't want to miss a thing."

And he strolled off, leaving everyone else standing around and nursing a sudden onslaught of headaches.

"Well, there's not a lot we can do… we might as well get this over with," said Mahiru.

"Right. Hang on one minute." Remembering what he had been about to do, Hajime turned back to the boulder and held out the Monocrystal. It magically leapt from his fingers and embedded itself in the indentation next to the first one, and both of them gave off a bright flash, signifying that the students had officially completed another island.

Two down… four to go.

––

A/N: I am verrrrrrry excited for the next few chapters... get ready for some despair *evil laugh*