Chapter 2: Part 1

"Ring-a-ding-ding!" Monokuma shouted over the school's intercom. "It is now 7 o'clock! As such, all the water is turned back on and all the food in the cafeteria available. Now, raise and shine to greet a brand new day!"

Sayaka cracked her eyes open to expose the red veins inside them as well as the bags under them. To say she didn't sleep well would be an understatement. Try watching someone get skinned alive and see how well you sleep at night. Needless to say, Sayaka's dreams were filled with constant loops of Tsumugi violently being flayed alive. The reason she probably didn't wake up in the middle of the night screaming was most likely because Tenko was there with her.

'Oh, right,' Sayaka thought to herself. 'Tenko is here. I should probably wake her u-'

Before Sayaka turn towards her friend, Tenko immediately wrapped her hands around her head and squeezed tightly. Sayaka's face was squished up against Tenko's biceps.

"GOOD MORNING, SAYAKA!" Tenko cheered loudly. "Did you sleep ok?"

Sayaka mumbled something unintelligible through her squished lips.

Tenko raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? What did you say?"

Sayaka slowly shifted the angle of her head to give her mouth more room. "You're…crushing…my head."

"OH SORRY!" Tenko shouted as she released her grip on Sayaka. "I didn't mean to! I was just excited! I haven't been to a sleep over in a while."

Sayaka rubbed the sides of her head. "Jeez, I didn't know your arms would be so strong."

"Well, of course they are. Being a martial artist requires you to be in top physical and mental shape. Neo Aikido is no different."

'Not too sure you're in top mental shape, Tenko,' Sayaka thought to herself.

"Well anyway, we should probably get ready for the morning meeting," Sayaka said as she got out of bed. "I really need to shower and change."

"Right," Tenko got out of bed as well. "Now, normally I'd offer to help wash your back-"

"Please don't."

"But I got to get dressed in my room. So, I'll see you at the meeting!"

Tenko waved goodbye to Sayaka before she exited the room. Sayaka let out a huge sigh before she entered her bathroom. As she closed the door behind her, a nostalgic smile grew across her face.

'I guess that wasn't too different from when I'd room with my bandmates,' Sayaka thought to herself. 'Still, none of them ever wanted to wash my back in the shower. Spas and hot springs are one thing, but…'

Sayaka shivered a bit. 'I really need to teach Tenko about boundaries.'

The exact moment the morning announcement ended, Kiyotaka Ishimaru shot out of his bed and readied himself for the day. He pressed a button on his clock to keep track of his time getting ready. It took him one minute and forty-five seconds to comb his head, thirty seconds to wash his face, twelve seconds to apply deodorant, and five minutes to get dressed in his white suit. When Taka finished getting ready, he returned to the clock and clutched it tightly in his head.

"D-darn it," Taka said to himself. "I should've taken only four minutes to get dressed! I'm losing myself in here!"

However, there was no time to waste on scheduling. Taka had business to attend to. He placed the clock back down and exited his room. He immediately made his way down to the second door away from his room and knocked on it firmly.

"Momota!" Taka shouted aloud. "It is time for us to go to the cafeteria."

Taka kept bashing his hand against the door until Kaito finally opened up. The Ultimate Astronaut was still in his pajamas, his eyes were barely open, and his hair was not properly combed.

"Hey, Taka," Kaito said with a slight gavel in his voice. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Taka raised an eyebrow. "It's time for us to make our way to the cafeteria, that is what's up! We must be there to lead the rest of our class through these troubling times."

Kaito's eyes lit up as he became more awake. "Oh right. Yeah. Let me get dressed and I'll get Byakuya."

"Actually, I was thinking…maybe we head on without him."

"What? Why?"

"Did you forget what was revealed yesterday? That is not Byakuya Togami. He is an imposter." Taka growled and smacked himself aside the head. "I feel so foolish for not piecing it together sooner!"

"Dude, why is that a problem?"

Taka snapped his gaze back to Kaito. "Why? Because he lied to us about his identity! Just like Enoshima and Shiroganei did!"

"But he actually seemed to care about keeping us safe," Kaito retorted. "He might not be the real Togami, but he's got to be on our side, right? He's helped investigate the school, the murder, he's been trying to piece all of this together with us, keep us safe. You really think that's all just a big lie?"

"What's a big lie?" a scratchy voice called out from behind the two of them.

Both Taka and Kaito turned around to see the familiar large man that had been posing as Byakuya Togami for the past few days. However, he was no longer under the guise of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. He had a plain, yet chubby face. His eyes were no longer sharp, but round and sad looking. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, a pair of black sweatpants, and pair of sneakers.

"Oh, hey, Byakuya," Kaito said a slight wave. "We were just talking about y-"

Taka took a step forward, "We're talking about how we must hurry to our morning meeting and will not allow Momota to appear still dressed in his pajamas."

"Fine, fine, I'll change," Kaito said before turning back into his room.

Taka crossed his arms and glanced over at the imposter.

"I can see you staring at me, Taka," the imposter said.

"I apologize, but I will not avert my gaze until we are in the cafeteria," Taka said sternly.

The imposter was forced to endure Taka's judging gaze as he crossed his arms and waited for Kaito. The imposter knew that no matter how long Kaito would take, it would be too long.

Teruteru had long since arrived the cafeteria before everyone else. Afterall, what kind of chef would he be if he made all of his colleagues wait long for their meals. He fired up the stoves, placed down several pots and pans, and began to cook eggs, grits, bacon as well as boils green beans, peppers, and onions. He then pulled out plates for main meals and sides and laid them across the counter. He returned to one of his empty pans and poured pancake mix onto it. After all that, Teruteru took a step back to admire his work and take in all the wonderful smells of the sizzling bacon and eggs as well as the sweet spices in the peppers boiling. As he sniffed in all wonderful smells, he heard footsteps echo from the cafeteria. Teruteru smiled and stepped out of the kitchen to greet all of his attractive classmates.

Teruteru stepped out into the cafeteria to see that Kaede, Sakura, Ibuki, Peko, and Chihiro all sat at the main table. Kaede had her head rested in her hands, Sakura simply crossed her arms, Chihiro was tapping her foot, and Ibuki was chatting at Peko. Not with. At.

Teruteru smiled and licked lips a bit. 'Five amazing beauties,' he thought to himself. 'And a wide varieties of body types as well.'

Teruteru approached the table with a polite smile. "Good morning, ladies. I've just started putting everything together, but I'd be happy to get you all drinks."

"J-just some water, please," Chihiro said.

"I'll have the same," Sakura said. "But I may need three glasses."

"I'd be happy to get you three, Miss Oogami," Teruteru winked at the giant.

"Ibuki wants a cola!" Ibuki cheered.

"Ibuki, you shouldn't drink so much sugar early in the morning," Peko said.

"Waaaaah?!" Ibuki gasped. "But Ibuki's seen you drink coffee back on the island."

"Th-that…that's different," Peko said. "Coffee is meant to help someone through the morning."

"I take you want black coffee, Pekoyama?" Teruteru asked.

Peko sighed and closed her eyes in annoyance. "Yes. I do."

Teruteru smiled and turned to Kaede. "And you, Miss Akamatsu?"

Kaede kept her head in her hands.

"Miss Akamatsu?" Teruteru repeated himself.

"Hmm?" Kaede lifted her head up to look at Teruteru. "S-sorry. I'm still tired. What did you say, Teruteru?"

"I was asking if you'd like anything to drink. But I imagine you'd like some coffee for this morning. How do you take it?"

"O-oh," Kaede shook her head to wake herself up. "I'd like cream and sugar."

"Understood," Teruteru bowed his head before returning to the kitchen.

Kaede went back to lay her head back in her hands, but Chihiro tapped her lightly on the shoulder. Kaede snapped her head back up and faced the programmer.

"Yes, Chihiro?" Kaede asked.

"Are you ok?" Chihiro asked.

Kaede gave a weak smile. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm just tired."

"You should be celebrating," Celeste said as she entered the room. Kirumi followed close behind her and pulled a seat out for the gambler. Celeste sat herself down and nodded her thanks to her maid. "After all, we did finally bring the one that framed you to justice, Kaede."

"You call such torture justice?" Sakura asked.

"Of course," Celeste said with a calm smile. "Killing Rantaro, framing Kaede for murder, kidnapping all of them and wiping away their memories, you can't say these masterminds don't deserve their fates."

"M-mastermind or not, to kill someone like that is just wrong," Chihiro said while almost bursting into tears.

"We at least can't celebrate until we expose the mastermind that imprisons us now," Peko said.

"Of course we will have to defeat them," Celeste said. "I'm just saying Kaede has no reason to be so glum after this victory."

Teruteru immediately dashed out of the kitchen and knelt down in front of Celeste. "Why, Miss Ludenberg. Is there anything I can make for you to drink?"

Celeste smiled down at the cook. "Milk tea as always, Teruteru."

"I'll gladly make it now," Teruteru smirked before dashing back into the kitchen.

As Teruteru returned to the kitchen, Taka, Kaito, "Byakuya," Kiyo, Mahiru, Nekomaru, and Chiaki entered the room and sat themselves down.

"What's up, guys?" Kaito asked.

The mixture of groans, sighs, and yawns was released into the cafeteria.

"Jeez, we slept that bad, uh?" Kaito asked.

"I slept quite well," Celeste said with relaxed smile.

"Really?" Sakura asked. "You had no trouble…Taeko?"

Celeste slammed her hand against the table. The sudden burst of noise from the normally reserved gambler made everyone at the table stiffen up in fear. As all eyes turned to Celeste, she forced out a hearty laugh and an obviously fake smile.

"My dear, dear friends," Celeste said. "Please forget that name even exists. My name is Celestia Ludenberg. Please don't make such a mistake again."

Most of the group gulp at Celeste's obviously held back rage, but Sakura was unphased. Actually, she smirked a bit at the sight of Celestia in a less than powerful state. If something like mentioning her real name could cause her to lose her cool, perhaps it could be used to keep her in line. Watching Celeste attempt to relax herself in her seat made Sakura smirk more.

'That stupid cosplaying bitch,' Celestia thought to herself. 'As if having to tell it to Nagito wasn't bad enough, she just had to announce it to everyone! How the hell did she even know that?'

Sayaka had finished with her shower and got dressed for the day. As she pushed her head through the top of her shirt, she looked over at the mirror. Even several days, sleeping, a shower, and putting her shirt on, her ahoge was still sticking up. Sayaka sighed and tugged on it a bit.

'Is there just something I'm missing here?' Sayaka thought. 'Did I just sleep weird one time and it's stuck like this? Maybe Kaede would know.'

Sayaka finished putting deodorant and perfume on and exited her room. Just as she shut the door behind her, Sayaka saw Tenko's door open and her friend step out into the hall. Sayaka saw that Tenko decided to forgo her usual school uniform and wear a more tradition aikido uniform, with a white, tied gi top tucked into a blue hakama just barely covering her kung fu slippers, all complete with hand wraps.

Sayaka raised an eyebrow and chuckled a bit. "Um, were you in the middle of training, Tenko?"

Tenko turned and smiled brightly. "Hey, Sayaka! And no, I wasn't in the middle of training, but I certainly will after the meeting. You see, I got to thinking last night before I fell asleep. I feel like I've gotten too careless."

"Really?" Sayaka asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I died because I wasn't prepared. I should've been relying on my Neo Aikido to protect myself instead of panicking. Then Junko and Tsumugi planned out that murder and I didn't do anything to stop it. So, I've decided that I practice my Neo Aikido principles at all times! For self-defense and to prevent anymore murders! No girl shall fall victim to the tricks of degenerate males while I'm around!"

Tenko shouted out loud as she punched the air in front of her. Sayaka couldn't help but give a baffled smile to her friend.

"But Junko was killed by Tsumugi…a girl."

A bead of sweat travelled down the side of Tenko's face, but she kept up a confident expression. "That's just an exception! I just know there's a degenerate out there planning on ruining things! So, don't worry! I'll protect you even more now, Sayaka!"

Sayaka sighed. "Well, if it makes you feel more comfortable, then I guess that's good. Why don't we head to the cafeteria now? I'm sure we're keeping them waiting."

"Of course!" Tenko said.

As soon as Sayaka took her first steps, Tenko immediately began circling around her, constantly keeping her hands up as if she was ready to strike anyone that could potentially pop out from a corner. Sure, it wasn't the first time she had seen Tenko do this, but it was just as obnoxiously paranoid as it was before. Sayaka rolled her eyes.

'Okay, after breakfast I really got to talk to her about her issues with guys,' Sayaka thought to herself. 'Besides, two of the masterminds that tormented us are dead. We shouldn't have to worry so much, right?'

Sayaka's admittedly stupid thought was interrupted when she saw Hifumi standing just outside the cafeteria door. The otaku's head was hung down and he was using his jacket sleeves to wipe away some tears and snot.

'Oh God,' Sayaka thought to herself. 'Do I have to comfort him?'

Sayaka sighed and made her way over to Hifumi. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "H-hey, Hifumi. Are you ok-"

Hifumi immediately smacked Sayaka's hand away and spun around to grimace at her. His face may have originally been red from his tears, but now it was clearly red with rage. He wiped some more snot away as he growled.

"G-get away from me!" Hifumi said.

"Hey!" Tenko jumped in between Sayaka and Hifumi before she yanked on his tie. "How dare you hurt Sayaka when she's just trying to check on you! Degener-"

Hifumi shoved Tenko away, but her grip on his tie was so strong that she actually tore it away from his neck.

"Hey!" Tenko shouted as she regained her balance. "What was that for?!"

"What was that for?!" Hifumi repeated. "You…J-just leave me alone!"

Hifumi turned around and stormed into the cafeteria.

Tenko threw Hifumi's tie to the ground and crossed her arms in a huff. "What was his problem?"

Sayaka didn't respond to Tenko's question. Granted, it was mostly a rhetorical question, but what was important was Sayaka's reaction to the situation. She didn't share Tenko's frustration, but instead she frowned as she watched Hifumi storm away. She decided to wait around thirty seconds, just to create some space between the two parties before she led Tenko in the cafeteria as well.

Everyone else seemed to be there. Taka, "Byakuya," and Kaito were sat at the end of the table, Chiaki was sat to their right and playing a small portable game system, Chihiro was glancing over the gamer's shoulder to watch her play, Nekomaru was wiping away some sweat from his brow with a napkin, Kaede sat as patiently as she could while tapping her fingers, Mikan hung her head down and just blankly stared at her hands while Rantaro placed his hand on her shoulder, Leon had placed several napkins together as a makeshift pillow to lay his head on, Angie and Hiyoko were chatting amongst themselves, Sakura sat with her arms crossed, and Ryoma sat at the end by himself. To their left sat Mondo, who kicked his feet up onto the table, Ibuki was still pestering Peko by poking the stoic swordswoman's cheek, Gundham sat looking down at his pets and feeding them with small food bowls, Miu screwing in a bolt into a small device, Celete politely folded her hands onto the table while Kirumi stood behind her, Mahiru glared daggers at Angie, Kiyo just sat still as he studied each of his colleagues, Gonta kept readjusting the order of his silverware, and Mukuro sat at the end by her lonesome.

Sayaka and Tenko looked at each other for a moment before sitting themselves down at the other end of the table. Almost on que, Teruteru burst through the kitchen door pushing two floats filled with breakfast foods.

"Kirumi, go assist Teruteru with setting plates," Celeste commanded to the Ultimate Maid and the maid did so.

"Gonta help too!" the gentle giant shot up from his seat and quickly picked up several plates of food at once.

"Thank you, Gonta," Kirumi smiled as she began to pass plates down to each of the other students.

Gonta joined in passing plates to everyone, making sure to be as careful as possible when handling the plates. He definitely didn't want to crush the plates with his massive hands.

As Kirumi and Gonta were at work, Teruteru carried a small teacup on a plate over to Celeste. He knelt down to one knee and presented the tea to the gambler.

"And to you, my dear," Teruteru said as smoothly as he possibly could.

Celeste smiled down at the chef and took the teacup and plate away from him. "Thank you, Teruteru. I see you're as polite as always."

"Only for someone as lovely as you," Teruteru smiled and rose back up to his feet.

"Jesus Christ," Leon muttered to himself as he witnessed Teruteru completely submit himself to Celeste.

The next hour and a half were spent on eating the massive selection of food Teruteru had prepared for them all. There were light conversations the whole time, but everyone understood that pleasantries would not last forever. After the previous day, everyone from those that had experienced the trials and their aftermaths, to those that had been executed, to those few that had never been to a trial knew that they would have a lot to discuss. Everyone slowed down their consumption, but they could only delay the inevitable for so long. As soon as the last person finished their meal, Taka launched up to his feet and spoke to his fellow classmates.

"Are you all ready to begin?" Taka asked. "We have a long list of subjects to discuss, so we best not wait any longer."

"Well, where do we start?" Kaede asked.

"I say," Taka turned his head to look at Byakuya, "that we start with you."

Kaito rose up to his feet to face off against Taka. "Taka, I told you that he isn't our enemy."

"But we don't even know who he is!" Taka protested. "He has been a great help, I agree with that, but this…"Togami" is a fraud. If he wishes for us to have faith in him, he must explain himself now."

Before Kaito could even respond, Byakuya rose from his chair and held his hand up to stop another argument. "Very well," he said. "I can't argue with your points, Taka. I have deceived you all for long enough. I'll tell you the truth, if you will all give me a chance to."

Everyone at the table nodded to Byakuya.

Byakuya sighed. "Very well. My real name is Shinji Henso. My talent is the Ultimate Imposter."

Shinji Henso: The Ultimate Imposter

"Very well, Henso," Taka said as he crossed his arms. "Do you care to explain why you were pretending to be Byakuya Togami?"

Shinji sighed once again. "It was…poor timing. You can say that I'm an identity thief. I was born to a low-class family. We had no money, we lost our home…we had nothing. So, I took to stealing to survive and overtime, disguising myself to hid from police became a habit I developed. It eventually became my talent…Hope's Peak somehow discovered of my skills and invited me to join. I didn't want to arrive at such a prestigious school in rags so I took the guise of the most high-class person I could think of…So, I was kidnapped as soon as I disguised myself as Byakuya Togami."

Everyone processed Shinji's story. They looked towards each other and some whispered, judging how believable his story was. But suddenly, Kaito got an idea. He turned to Chiaki.

"Hey, Chiaki!" Kaito asked. "You said you knew everyone's past in your class, right? Byak- I mean, Shinji's telling the truth, right?"

Chiaki nodded. "He is."

Kaito turned back to Taka with a slight smirk on his face. "I guess he's in the clear now."

"No," Shinji interrupted. "Taka has made it clear that I'm no longer trustworthy to the rest of you….As such, I will resign from my role as my class's representative."

"Wh-what?" Kaito gasped. "Why? You aren't hiding anything anymore. You've helped us so much."

"But that doesn't change what the rest of them feel," Shinji responded. "However, I do know who will be a much better fit for the role."

Shinji turned his attention to Chiaki. "Nanami, not only have you helped us despite our pasts, but you continued to be an exceptional help in the class trial. If anyone should be a leader, it should be you."

"You're picking the narcoleptic gamer?" Miu asked with a laugh. "Jesus, you must be desperate."

"No, he has a point," Taka said. "Nanami knows more than the rest of us about the outside world and she's very intelligent. What do you think, Nanami?"

Chiaki shrugged her shoulders. "If everyone thinks I should, I can."

"Ibuki thinks you should go for it, girlfriend!" Ibuki cheered.

"Yeah! You're great, Chiaki!" Kaede cheered as well.

"I would gladly watch you lead us with great interest," Kiyo said softly as he held his arms out. "To see someone with a passion for video games become a leader is truly inspiring."

Leon cringed at Kiyo. "Jesus, dude. Can you not talk like that? It's freaking me out."

"Then it's decided!" Taka said loudly. "Nanami will now be the representative of the second killing game group!"

"Welcome aboard, Chiaki," Kaito said with a smile.

"Thanks, I think," Chiaki said plainly. "But while we're at it, can I go ahead and start the next topic?"

"Um, sure?" Kaito said with a raised eyebrow. "But we haven't told you what we were going to talk about."

"I can take a guess," Chiaki said before turning to the rest of group. "I'm sure you've all been thinking about what Tsumugi told us. About whether or not we're real."

The first time, probably even since her first killing game, Angie paused and her smile faded away. She turned her head towards Chiaki and gave her undivided attention.

Gonta on the other hand, slammed his fists against the table. "Gonta not fake! Gonta real!"

"Gonta, calm down," Kaede moved over to the giant and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"But Gonta no like lies!" Gonta shouted again. "Tsumugi lie!"

"She did lie," Chiaki said calmly.

Gonta was about to slam his fists against the table once again, but he stopped himself when he heard Chiaki.

"You agree with Gonta?"

"Can you be sure though?" Mondo asked. "The chick did know a lot about us."

"Plus that would explain how a teenager could cause the destruction of the world," Kiyo added on.

"Hmph!" Gundham smirked as his animals returned to his shoulders. "That is only because you have yet to witness the power I possess."

Chiaki ignored Gundham's irrelevant comment and focused on Mondo and Kiyo. "I know that Tsumugi was lying. Rantaro proved so yesterday."

"Oh yeah," Nekomaru chimed in. "She couldn't describe his sisters, right?"

"Yeah," Rantaro rubbed his eyes a bit. "If my sister was considered a "minor character" then I shouldn't have a clear image of her, correct?"

"That's right," Chiaki said. "You can't fake memories. At least not in the way Tsumugi thinks. You all have so many ways to trigger memories. Smells, sounds, tastes, feelings. Those senses can't be faked."

"So, we got nothing to worry about then," Hiyoko said with a smile. "So, why don't we stop mopping around and celebrate!"

"C-celebrate?" Chihiro repeated. "We can't just celebrate. We saw two people die."

"So?" Hiyoko hissed. "They killed us and messed up our heads. Don't tell me you feel bad for them, you spineless bitch."

"Hiyoko!" Mahiru snapped at the blonde girl.

"Now, now," Angie placed her hands on Hiyoko's shoulders, "there is no need for this language."

"But she's siding with killers!" Hiyoko said to Angie.

"That's only because she is blind to the will of Auta," Angie explained.

"Hmph," Hiyoko crossed her arms. "Or maybe Auta just made she's just as stupid as pigbarf."

Tears trialed down the sides of Chihiro's face as she hung her head down. "I-I'm sorry."

"Hey!" Mondo rose up to his feet. "Leave the kid alone!"

Before another argument could occur, a tile in the ceiling slid open, and out dropped the infamous monochrome bear they've all come to loathe. Monokuma plopped onto the center of the table with a light squeaking sound before he bounced up onto his feet.

"EEK!" Mikan shrieked at the sight of the bear and stumbled out of her seat.

"Mikan!" Rantaro shouted as he rushed to help her back up to her feet.

"Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-" Monokuma stopped to take a deep breath, "-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeez! You are all soooooo boring! I feel like I'm just stuck listening to a CD that's on a loop."

Mukuro rolled her eyes. "What do you want, bear? We're in the middle of a discussion."

"Yeah, a lame one," Monokuma said with a snicker. "I'm here to spice things up! I thought that since you guys did oh so well in the trial, I should reward you all with a gift."

"A gift…from you?" Gundham raised an eyebrow.

Peko moved her hand over to her sword's hilt. "It's a trap, isn't it?"

"I don't know," Monokuma said as he reached his hand behind his back before pulling out a huge stack of envelopes, each marked with the names of every individual student in the room. "Why not check and see?"

Monokuma tossed the envelopes across the table. "I figured you all have waited for so long to learn anything about your loved ones, I'd give you all a sneak peek."

"Wait, what?!" Tenko asked. She immediately leapt for the envelope and when she tore it open three photos.

Tenko snatched up the photos and examined them intently. The first photo she saw was of her parents. Both of them shared her raven-colored hair, but her mother had her green eyes while her father had brown. The photo seemed to have been taken from outside their window as a window from could be seen from the corner of the photo. Tenko's parents also didn't seem to notice they were being photographed as they weren't looking at the camera, but instead at the television in their living room. What was on the television couldn't been seen.

The next photo was of her Aikido master. He looked like the typical depiction of a shaolin monk. Bald, wearing an orange robe, prayer beads around his neck. This photo appeared to have been taken from behind a tree without the master's notice. He was bowing his head down at an alter while praying.

The final photo was of…HIMIKO! Tenko almost let out a massive squee of joy, but she somehow kept her composure. Unlike the other photos, this one wasn't taken from a hiding spot and Himiko was actually looking solemnly at the camera operator. She was not in her usual mage uniform, but instead she was in the school uniform she wore before their killing official begun. The exact location in the photo was unclear. The only noticeable trait about the environment Himiko was the wall behind her being made entirely of wood paneling.

"Oh my God," Tenko said softly. She then launched up to her feet and raised her hands into the air. "SHE'S ALIVE! I mean, sure she doesn't look too happy, but she's alive!"

"Wait, so you're saying this stuff is legit?" Mondo asked.

Monokuma rubbed her paw against his chest as he smirked. "Of course. Your headmaster isn't one to halfass anything. I got the most authentic shots possible. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the gifts, but don't let it distract you. You all got a whole new floor you need to explore!"

"Wait, a new floor?" Sayaka asked.

"Oh, you don't know, do you Sayaka?" Nagito said to the idol. "Every time we succeed in a class trial, a new area is opened up to us."

"It was certainly a nice reward for all our troubles," Celestia said with a smile.

"I wonder if it's got a gym," Nekomaru pondered out loud.

"Well, you'll never know you don't go up there and check it out yourself," Monokuma said. "Kokichi's already made his way up there an hour ago."

"Kokichi?!" Tenko scanned the room and, sure enough, the purple-haired boy was never in the meeting with them. "Well, that explains why I haven't been annoyed in a while."

"So, why don't you all just hurry up and get going!" Monokuma said. "You can't accomplish anything if you don't try!"

And with that, Monokuma leapt off of the table, hopped off of Teruteru's head, and rolled across the floor towards a vent on the floor. The vent popped open and Monokuma rolled inside, vanishing from sight.

"Well then," Taka straightened his posture, "let us not waste any more time! We have a new floor to explore! Perhaps we may find more clues to our situation there!"

"Yeah, let's get going guys!" Kaito said with an energetic smile. "We got to explore this new floor! Follow us!"

Chiaki tilted her head to the side. "Didn't Taka just say that?"

Kaito ignored Chiaki's comment as he picked up his envelope and made his way out of the cafeteria. Everyone followed suit in taking their envelopes and following Kaito, Taka, and Chiaki out. At first, Sayaka was right behind Chiaki and Taka when walking down the hallway, but she began to slow down and eventually fell to the back of the group.

'Sure, the next floor probably has a lot of interesting stuff,' Sayaka thought to herself. She glanced down at the envelope in her hand, 'but…I need to know what's in this.'

As she slowly followed the rest of the group, Sayaka opened up her envelope and pulled out three photos.

"You seriously gonna to look at those now?"

Sayaka looked up to see that Mondo was walking right beside her.

"Well, yes," Sayaka said. "These could have all the answers I've needed since we were at Hope's Peak."

"Or it could be more bullshit," Mondo said as he scratched the back of his head. "You can't tell with that damn bear."

"I-I know, but if Tenko can get excited from the photos she saw, maybe these photos are what I've needed."

Sayaka looked back at the photos to see that at least one of her biggest concerns was relieved. The first photo was of her bandmate, Ayaka Haneyama. She looked exactly as she remembered. Or at least, she looked like her real self. She wasn't in her usual idol make-up or outfit. She was soon in more casual clothes with a complete lack of make-up, her tired eyes and plump nose was more noticeable. Yet, that didn't seem to be a problem. From what the photo showed, she was performing on-stage, playing the guitar, in front of a large crowd of people. The shot seemed to have come from a phone camera from the crowd.

"Is that one of your friends?" Mondo asked.

"Y-yes!" Sayaka smiled as she wiped away some tears. "Yes, it is!"

Tenko, who was still towards the front of the group, perked her ears up as she heard Sayaka raise her voice. She turned her head to see Sayaka…with Mondo. She gritted her teeth and stormed towards the back of the line. "Hey, what's going on over here? Is he assaulting you, Sayaka?"

"What?!" Mondo gasped. "Hell no, I'm not assaulting her!"

"Why should I trust you, degenerate?" Tenko asked as she held her fists up.

"Tenko, calm down," Sayaka said. "We're just looking at the photos that were in my envelope. See?"

Sayaka held the photo of her bandmate up to Tenko. Tenko raised an eyebrow as she inspected the photo. "Is that one of your bandmates? She's pretty cute."

"Yes, she is!" Sayaka said with a smile. "That means she survived Junko's plan! I wonder if the rest of my friends did!"

Sayaka placed Ayaka's photo at the bottom of the pile to look at the next on. This one wasn't of one of her bandmates, but it was of someone she was desperate to know was safe. It was a photo of her father. His hair originally blue hair had grown greyer and receded more since she had last saw him, but he was the same gentle yet tired looking man she had always looked up to. Speaking of tired, the photo was of him at an office desk, passed out, with his head resting on his arms and drooling dripping onto his sleeves. Sayaka smiled down at the photo, once again wiping away some tears from her eyes.

"And is that your dad?" Tenko asked.

Sayaka nodded her head.

"Is he always that tired?" Mondo asked.

Sayaka nodded again. "Yes. He is."

"Well, it's great to know he's still safe," Tenko said.

Sayaka smiled to herself and placed the photo of her father at the bottom of the pile. The final photo was of the boy she had wronged. Makoto Naegi…but he wasn't alone. In the photo with him was the mysterious Kyoko Kirigiri. They looked exactly the same as when Sayaka last saw them, except Makoto's hair looked a bit shorter. The photo showed them dining outside of a restaurant. Both smiling at one another. Both holding each other's hands.

Sayaka froze as she stared at the photo. Her smile faded away. 'What…what is he doing with Kyoko? I didn't know they were close. She wouldn't let anyone talk to her. She never even smiled!'

Tenko leaned over Sayaka's shoulder to get a better look at the photo. "Oh, is she one of your bandmates too?"

Mondo leaned over Sayaka's shoulder as well. "Oh, hey. That's Naegi and the Kirigiri chick. It looks like they're on a date."

"What?" Sayaka asked.

I am so sorry this took so long. So many things have come up this month that it's a pain in the ass. I'd promise the next part won't take as long but considering I work 6 days in a row next week, I can't keep that promise.

Anyways, it's honestly nice to get back to the more "Daily Life" stuff and just give these damn brats some cool down. It's still a bit difficult to balance everyone even after killing two characters off, but I am proud I'm giving some time to guys like Hifumi, Chiaki, the imposter, and the like.

Speaking of the imposter, I hope none of you mind I made up a name for him. I couldn't find any official name for him, so I gave him a basic bitch google translate name. Sorry.

Got a lot of characters stuff. Finally got around to answering who won between Celestia and Nagito. I honestly wanted that outcome to have more wait, but I got a bit too excited with Tsumugi's monologue that it left Celestia's real name not be as big of a deal anymore. I also wanted to bring back that small Sayaka and Mondo duo the first few chapters had. It's an interesting dynamic and some of you seemed to like it, so here's some more. I just hope all of it felt natural.

Anyways, thank you all for your patience and I hope to hear from you all soon.