Usami: Goooood morning, my sleepyheads! This is an official announcement from lead teacher Usami. It is now 7 AM, so it is time to face a beautiful new day! Love! Love!
…
You know, even though all things considered, the sleeping situation here was pretty good, that didn't mean I wanted Usami to be the one waking me up.
…
Well, time to get on with the new day. The party wouldn't finish setting itself up!
When I got into the restaurant, a few people were already there, and there seemed to be some sort of commotion.
Kazuichi: Come on Miss Sonia! Please just consider it?
Sonia: I'm sorry Kazuichi. I appreciate the offer, but my living situation is completely fine as it is.
What the heck was going on? I approached some of the people watching, hoping to get some answers.
Mikan: Um, hi. Wh-What exactly is happening between Sonia and Kazuichi?
Toko: Pftt. Kazuichi is just simping for Sonia. It's h-honestly pathetic to see…
Mikan: … I'm not sure I understand…
Toko: D-Don't pretend you didn't hear me! I run a s-systems diagnostics every night, my voice module works just fine!
Mikan: W-What? I heard you just fine! I meant that I don't know what simping means…
Himiko: It's just dumb internet slang, don't worry about it…
Mikan: Oh, hello Himiko! You're up early… H-How is your leg feeling?
Himiko: Nyeh, I went to sleep so early yesterday that I woke up on time for once. As for my leg, could be worse… It still hurts, but Junko said I'll be able to walk without crutches in a few days… It's nice to have an excuse to do nothing, but I wish I could get back to practicing my swordplay…
Mikan: S-Speaking of, I wanted to thank you for standing up to Usami the other day. Even if you got hurt for it, it was very brave.
Himiko: It was nothing… My sword has struck down many monsters over the years. It's only natural that I'd eventually encounter one that I wasn't prepared for… Such is the fate of a master of the blade…
Mikan: Oh, that's something I've been meaning to ask, actually. Isn't Kendo done with bamboo swords? How c-come yours was a real one?
Himiko: My master gave it to me. He told me to have it with me as often as possible, in order to protect myself from any surprise attacks. Obviously it's not the one I use during competitions…
Mikan: I see…
Despite her… active imagination, Himiko didn't seem like the type to hurt someone without good reason. Still, the existence of such a lethal weapon during a killing game might be dangerous. I'd have to keep an eye on her.
Mikan: I'm still not sure what's going on with the Kazuichi and Sonia situation though… Wh-What does simping mean?
Korekiyo: Essentially, it means to show excessive attention and affection to another person who does not reciprocate. Kazuichi offered to be Sonia's full-time servant, and as you can see, she's declining.
Mikan: Oh, h-hello Kiyo. Yeah, I can see why they're getting heated.
Sonia had declared in our very first meeting that she didn't want to be treated any differently from the rest of us. I'm sure Kazuichi meant well, but this was pretty excessive, and I'd be uncomfortable in her shoes as well. Speaking of Kazuichi, it was pretty clear he had some sort of crush on Sonia, but he hadn't done anything this drastic yesterday. Then again, he seemed like a pretty stressed and anxious guy in general. Was this maybe some sort of coping mechanism due to the announcement of the motive?
Himiko: I'm surprised, you knew that Kiyo… You don't really seem like the type…
Korekiyo: Kehehe, I've dabbled in digital art, so I have unfortunately spent more time on the internet than I would like. *Shudder*, let me tell you, if there is true evil in this world, it is on the web…
Korekiyo: And what about you, Toko? It was the first term that came to mind for you. Do you perhaps spend a lot of time on the internet?
Toko: …
Toko: Sh-Shut up… You try and live most of your life in a r-research facility and see what it does to your social life…
Ouch…
Kazuichi: But Miss Sonia! I swear I'll be the best servant you've ever ha-
Sonia: Silence! That's enough, Kazuichi. I'm sorry, but I must decline. Good day.
With these harsh words, Sonia left the restaurant at a brisk pace, stomping her feet.
Kazuichi: Aww man, I totally ruined it… I have to go apologize!
Korekiyo: I would suggest you do that at a later time. You've clearly upset her.
Kazuichi: AAAAAAAAAAAAH! You guys were here the whole time?
Toko: Uhh, yeah? D-Did you not notice us? Dumbass…
Kazuichi: How much did you hear?
Himiko: Pretty much everything… It was kinda hard not to…
Kazuichi: …
Mikan: K-Kazuichi, you really shouldn't put Sonia on a pedestal like that. She just wants to be treated as a normal girl.
Kazuichi: Y-You guys just don't get it! Sonia… She's so beautiful, so humble for a princess! It would be an honor to serve her! Plus, it'd look good on my resume, you know…
Korekiyo: So, in other words, you're doing this for entirely selfish reasons.
Kazuichi: Hey, come on, it's not like I would have completely abandoned you guys… I would have continued to cook for the group, I'd just spend most of my time attending to Sonia's needs.
Himiko: I don't think that was really the issue Kiyo was pointing out here…
Toko: Isn't having decent social skills kind of a requirement for your job? I b-bet I could do a better job serving that Barbie…
Kazuichi: Sh-Shut up… And don't talk about Miss Sonia like that!
Mikan: Kazuichi. Just… give Sonia space, all right. I'm sure she'd appreciate you doing nice things for her once in a while, but this is just too much… If she's not interested, pushing it on her will just turn her away even faster…
Kazuichi: … *Sigh*, maybe you're right. I'll just finish breakfast. You guys want anything in particular?
We gave Kazuichi our orders, and he went into the kitchen. I really hoped that would be the end of that. Kazuichi didn't seem like a bad guy, but if his attitude towards Sonia continued, things could quickly become quite toxic.
As I pondered over the current predicament, someone else entered the restaurant, someone that I was quite happy to see.
Mikan: Hajime!
I ran over to him. Not only was his hair back to the spiky mess I'd first met him in, but up close his facial expressions were much more "Hajime" than "Izuru".
Hajime: Oh, hey Mikan. How are you?
Mikan: I'm good, and you?
Hajime: Could be better, but yeah…
Mikan: That's good…
Hajime: …
Mikan: …
Hajime: So… I take it you met Izuru yesterday…
Mikan: Y-Yeah… Why didn't you say anything?
Hajime: Sorry… I guess I was just scared about how you would react? A bunch of people have accused me of lying in the past when I told them… They usually change their tune pretty quickly once they actually meet Izuru and see how different he is from me, but even then they often treat me differently afterwards…
Hajime: I just figured I'd do nothing and find out how it went the day after… Sorry.
Mikan: I understand, you d-don't have to apologize. For what it's worth, I w-was pretty surprised, but it doesn't really m-matter to me. You're still the same person to me…
Hajime: … Thanks Mikan. I mean it.
Mikan: Heheh…
Hajime: So, what did you think of Izuru, then?
Mikan: Well…
Hajime: You can be honest.
Mikan: …
Mikan: I thought he was kind of a jerk. I'm sorry…
Hajime: No, I get it. He has that effect on people. He isn't a bad guy, really, but he can be… blunt. And a bit paranoid.
Mikan: He also said that if he could, he'd p-prevent you from attending the party…
Hajime: *Sigh*. Izuru sees it as his main mission in life to protect me, to the detriment of pretty much everything else. Not to mention that there's only so much he can do when we switch places every day like we do. To be honest, I wish he'd chill out regarding that. Make some friends, socialize more… To quote Hiro, "live a little, you know?"
Hajime: Who knows, maybe spending time here will actually do him some good.
Mikan: M-Maybe it will… Oh, and I was curious about your hair. How do you change it like that?
Hajime: Oh, well there's no big trick, really. Izuru's haircut is just how it naturally looks. For mine, I use a lot of gel to hold it up and make it look shorter than it really is. Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at making it look natural.
Mikan: Heheh, maybe you should become the Ultimate Hair Stylist…
Hajime: Hah, if only…
More and more people started filing into the restaurant, and before long, everyone was here.
Keebo: Good morning everyone! As a reminder, the party will start at 10 PM tonight, right after the night time announcement, and will be held at Rocketpunch Market! Now, how are the preparations going?
We hadn't really discussed it, but Keebo had naturally ended up as a class leader of sorts, hadn't he? It made sense considering his background, and he was a pretty reasonable and level headed guy, ignoring his tendency to threaten legal action as a first resort. I suppose that as far as incomprehensibly rich guys went, we could have been stuck with a way worse one.
On the topic of the party preparations, everything was going well. My glow-in-the-dark powder should be done by lunchtime, after which Kiyo could finish painting his decorations. Hifumi was almost done with his masks, and Gonta and Kazuichi would be cooking a bunch of food. The rest didn't really have anything specific to do, so a few offered to do what they could to help here and there.
Though it wasn't related to the party, Ibuki also announced that she'd started work on building a miniaturized version of the boat engine as a proof of concept. Already? It hadn't even been a day since I'd helped her with the blueprints… Ah, she was so talented…
After finishing breakfast, I went to check on my powder and put the finishing touches. Once it was done, I used an UV lamp found in Rocketpunch Market to confirm that it worked fine, and handed it over to Kiyo, who thanked me with his trademark unsettling chuckle.
Well, that was all from my side on party preparations. Lunch passed without any incidents, and now, I had some free time to kill before the party.
[FREE TIME EVENTS: START]
Leaving the restaurant through the lobby, I noticed Tsumugi playing alone at one of the fighting game arcade machines. Usually, she'd play with Hifumi, but I guess he was still working on his masks right now. Should I ask her for a match? I didn't play video games very often and I'd probably be terrible at it… No, on second thought, I should just leave her be, she'd be having less fun playing with me than alo-
Tsumugi: You know, if you want to play with me, you just have to ask.
Mikan: Eek! Y-You noticed?
Tsumugi: You were standing there for a while… It's hard not to.
Mikan: I'm so sorry for being a creep! I-I'll leave if you want…
Tsumugi: Geez, I just told you it's fine if you play with me. I just finished this match anyway, so you can join me. I won't judge.
Mikan: O-Oh, thank you…
I joined Tsumugi at the machine, and played against her for a while. As expected, she wiped the floor with me, though I did get slightly better over. Still, I was having fun, even when she used combos that destroyed half my health bar in one go.
Mikan: H-How are you even doing that? One second we were even and then it's like all my health vanished!
Tsumugi: To be honest, it's not a very difficult combo once you get the hang of it. If you know how to interrupt it it's also not a death sentence, there are ways to escape it.
Mikan: So I just suck then…
Tsumugi: Don't say that! Playing video games is pretty much my only hobby, along with watching anime, so it's only natural that I'd be better than you, especially for such a technical genre as fighting games. Still, I'm nowhere near Hifumi's level…
Mikan: Gaming and anime are your only hobbies?
Tsumugi: Yes. It's basic, I know. Boring, predictable hobbies, for a plain, boring side character like myself…
Mikan: I-I didn't say that! It's fine if gaming and anime are your only hobbies! I'm j-just… a bit surprised… I thought a lot of programmers also programmed as a hobby…
Tsumugi: Well, that's true, but a lot don't as well. When you program all day for work, programming for fun isn't necessarily something you want to do in the evening. I'm technically not a professional programmer yet, so my work could be considered a hobby, but I don't really see it that way.
Mikan: Oh, I guess that makes sense…
Tsumugi: It's a little embarrassing, but gaming is actually how I discovered programming in the first place. After playing so many computer games, I decided to try my hand at making mods for them. It started out with simple asset swaps, but I got into more and more complicated stuff where I had to write actual code. Before I knew it, I was making my own programs, and people started taking notice of me.
Mikan: That's a great story… Did you ever end up making your own video game?
Tsumugi: Sadly no, though I did try for a while. Nowadays, though, I don't really mind. My current work is less glamorous, but it's much more fitting for someone like me.
Mikan: S-Someone like you?
Tsumugi: Don't worry about it. And what about you, Mikan, what hobbies do you have?
MIkan: … I don't… really have hobbies?
Tsumugi: You don't? But surely you must have some ways to pass the time?
Mikan: W-Well yes, but I mostly just watch TV. I do other things too, but I don't really have one or two "main things"...
Tsumugi: Well, you know, there's plenty of entertainment on this island. Usami even left us a bunch of DVDs in the supermarket. Why not try something new?
Mikan: S-Something new… like what?
Tsumugi: Watch some good anime instead of the crap that's on TV, for one. Me and Hifumi can give you recommendations!
Mikan: Oh. What else?
Tsumugi: …
Mikan: …
Tsumugi: I'm drawing a blank. It's not like I have a lot of hobbies myself.
Tsumugi: MIkan, it's decided! We have to find you a new hobby together! Just because I've accepted my lot in life doesn't mean you have to!
Mikan: I'm n-not sure what you mean by that last part… but o-okay! Let's do it!
Tsumugi and I talked for a while about new things I could try. In the end, nothing truly clicked with me, but it still gave me some new ideas to try out. Tsumugi was nice, and I had fun talking with her, and yet… sometimes, she would just say stuff to put herself down that seemed to come out of nowhere. I wasn't any stranger to low self esteem, of course, but the way she did it… whenever she did, I got the same strange feeling that I had when I met, that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I didn't have any rational reasons for feeling that way, but I trusted my instincts, so I resolved to keep an eye on her once more. Still, despite that, Tsumugi and I grew a bit closer. Eventually, I parted ways with her, and decided to spend the rest of the evening in my room before the party.
[FREE TIME EVENTS: END]
Usami: Goooood evening, my night owls! This is an official announcement from lead teacher Usami. It is now 10 PM, and as such, it is officially night time! I recommend you head back to your cottages and get ready for a lovely night full of sweet dreams. Love! Love!
As soon as the night time announcement sounded, I made my way to Rocketpunch market. When I arrived, a bunch of people were already there. Already, I could see the large banners made by Kiyo. The lighting was dim, and a few strategically placed UV lamps showcased my glow in the dark powder, which I was happy to see looked great. There were also several tables with food and drinks set up. Before I could mingle with the crowd, Hifumi hailed me.
Hifumi: Ms. Tsumiki, so glad you could make it! Here, help yourself to a mask.
Mikan: W-Wow, they're beautiful, Hifumi…
They truly were. Though the masks were clearly made of cardboard, Hifumi had still managed to give them an impressive amount of details and relief. The coloring was great too. I didn't know who most of the characters depicted were, so in the end I just took one of the few I did know, namely Charmander. I'd never played a pokemon game before, but I did watch the anime when I was a kid.
Hifumi: Charmander, eh? Gwehehe, a fitting choice with your name, Ms Tsumiki!
Mikan: Huh?
Hifumi: Ah, it's because your name means "mandarin", which is a kind of orange, and Charmander's color is orange, and huh, you get it…
Mikan: Oh.
Hifumi: A-Anyway! I must also thank you for your help in creating these.
Mikan: Eh? B-But I didn't do anything…
Hifumi: Not directly, but after Mr. Shinguji was done with his decorations, I asked to borrow some of your powder to apply them to the masks, and give them a little more flair. I suppose I should have asked you first, though, I hope you do not mind.
Mikan: Oh, it's fine, I'm happy I was useful! Heh heh…
Hifumi: Well, that was all I had to say. Enjoy the party!
Mikan: Th-Thanks! You too.
Mask in hand, I made my way towards the crowd. The mask really did look great, and I was happy that HIfumi had found a way to use his talent for the party… but at the same time, I wasn't sure that wearing a mask really fit the vibe of the party. I decided to stuff it in my bag for now. Clearly though, not everyone agreed. I could see Sonia in the distance already wearing her mask, depicting some blonde anime girl with a tiara.
Suddenly, I was hugged from behind. Every muscle in my body tensed, and just as quickly relaxed as I realized what was going on.
Mikan: I-Ibuki! Don't surprise me like that!
Ibuki: Denied! This is Ibuki's party, so she had to welcome you the way you deserve.
Mikan: Um, um, I appreciate it, b-but can you let go of me now?
Ibuki: Heheh, can do…
Now that I could turn around, I saw that Ibuki was also wearing her mask, depicting some kinda creepy purple robot. My powder had also been applied to it in a few strategic spots, and the effect was pretty cool. I was pretty sure I'd seen the character before, but I couldn't remember from where.
Mikan: W-Wow. What's your mask from?
Ibuki: Evangelion! It's a giant robot suit called Unit-01! I don't watch a lot of anime, but the mecha genre is awesome!
Mikan: Heh heh, pretty fitting with your talent. O-Oh, didn't you say it was your dream to build a giant robot the other day?
Ibuki: Eh, just a robot, not necessarily a giant one. But still, the bigger I can make it, the better.
Keebo: Ahem, may I have your attention please?
I turned towards the voice, which came from Keebo, standing on a chair. He was also wearing a mask, this one depicting a less creepy gray and blue robot that I was pretty sure was from a western cartoon. What was it called again? Septimus Lime? Yeah, that was probably it.
Keebo: Now that everyone is here, I wanted to thank you all for coming. I know the past few days have been stressful for all of us. Still, we cannot let despair consume us! If we do, then Usami wins, and I believe that this party will prove instrumental in fighting back against her in our own way.
Keebo paused. All of us tensed, probably expecting Usami to suddenly appear and whine about her "beloved students" excluding her or some other crap. And yet, after a few seconds, none of that happened, the accursed rabbit nowhere to be seen.
Keebo: I-In any case, I wanted to give special thanks to all the students that contributed to the party, and helped make it so special. I'd also like to thank Ibuki, who had the idea in the first place.
Ibuki: You're welcome! Ibuki would also like to say a few words, if that's okay.
Keebo: Sure, go ahead.
Ibuki: Hey everyone. I'm so glad you could all make it! Ibuki's never been good at speeches, so she's not sure what she should say. But but but, I guess I don't really need to say much. We're all here to have fun, drink booze, take whatever we want from the supermarket back to our rooms, and make friends, and that's exactly what we're gonna do. So without further ado…
Ibuki: LET'S!
Ibuki: FUCKING!
Ibuki: PARTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
All of us whooped and cheered, and with that, the party was officially underway. I wasn't really sure what I even wanted to do first, so to be safe, I just went to the food table.
Kazuichi: Hey Mikan! Help yourself, I can always make more if it runs out.
Mikan: Th-Thanks Kazuichi. It looks delicious as always.
Kazuichi: Heh, no problem.
Kazuichi: Hey, uh, I also wanted to thank you for knocking some sense into me this morning. I apologized to Miss Sonia before the party, and things are a-ok between us now.
Mikan: O-Oh, I'm glad. But, you know, you can just call her Sonia, y-you don't have to say "Miss" before everytime.
Kazuichi: H-Hey, I do it because it's a sign of respect!
Well. Kazuichi had made progress, but he still had a ways to go.
After taking some food, I went to a nearby table that had a variety of alcohol. I didn't recognize most of the brands on display, so I just helped myself to a glass of some fruity liquor that smelled good.
Looking around, I saw that Hajime was off in a corner, talking to… Ryoma? I was pretty surprised, considering how the first meeting between the two had gone. I took a sip, and made my way to the duo.
Mikan: H-Hello, you guys. I hope I'm not interrupting…
Hajime: Oh, hey Mikan. No, it's fine, Ryoma and I were just chatting.
Ryoma: Hey.
Mikan: …
Mikan: Um…
Ryoma: You're probably wondering why we're talking, huh?
Mikan: Eep! I'm sorry, I sh-shouldn't intrude on your privacy like that! I'll lea-
Ryoma: *Sigh*, it's cool. I was just apologizing for how our first meeting went. I was still on guard at the time, and it was pretty uncool of me to scare you away with my big bad murderer act. I still think you guys have better things to do than try to get close to someone like me, but yeah…
Hajime: Well, I was pretty nervous when I first heard about you… and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still a little bit… But despite that, you actually seem like a pretty cool guy. Plus, your talent is interesting.
Ryoma: That so? Thanks kid.
Hajime: Hey, don't go acting like an old man and calling me kid now. I know your voice is deep, but we're basically the same age!
Ryoma: Heh, I just like to say it to mess with people. It makes for a funny image, with how short I am.
Hajime: Err…
Ryoma: You don't have to act shy about it. I know it, and it hasn't bothered me for a while now. Dwarfism actually runs in my family. Both my parents are also super short, though not as much as me.
Hajime: Oh, really?
Ryoma: Yeah. I'll actually have to watch myself if I decide to take some booze. Since I'm so light, I get drunk pretty easily.
Mikan: Oh, I w-wanted to ask Ryoma, but how is Naga doing?
As if she'd heard her name, the little snake chose this moment to poke her head out of Ryoma's collar. The animal breeder wasted no time in giving her affectionate scritches.
Ryoma: Naga? She's doing great. She's enjoying the warm weather, and Usami actually left some food adapted for her species in my cottage. It even gets replenished during the day.
Hajime: Huh. You know, despite the… everything, Usami hasn't cheaped out on comfort and special accommodations for our needs. My bathroom even has the specific brand of gel I use to do my hair when I'm the one in control.
I nodded, as if that also applied to me despite my barebones cottage.
Ryoma: It's odd, yeah. If it wasn't for the whole killing game thing, I'd almost believe her when she said she wanted to reform us.
Mikan: I think… Maybe she's trying to prove some kind of point? I don't know why she wants us to kill each other, but if it does happen, she wants it to be of our own free will, not because we were driven desperate by poor living conditions.
Hajime: …
Ryoma: …
Mikan: AAH, I'm so sorry, I said something weird! I completely ruined the mood!
Hajime: No, it's fine, your theory does make sense… But maybe we should save that kind of talk for another day.
Ryoma: Yeah.
Mikan: I'm sorry…
We quickly changed the subject, and started talking about something else. Before long, thanks to the party's atmosphere, the previous discussion was completely behind us.
Before I knew it, it was already thirty minutes past midnight, and I was surprised at how much fun I was having. It was exhausting, and definitely not something I'd be doing every week, but the lights, the dancing, the music, the food, the drinks, the people, it was all so intoxicating.
Speaking of drinks, there was currently a drinking contest going on, with several people competing to see who could finish as much of a big mug of beer in one go as possible. Normally, I'd never consider doing this, but I was feeling unusually bold, so I decided to show off a little.
Mikan: Um, I'd like to join in, if that's okay…
Yasuhiro: Oh, hey Mikan. Sure, the more the merrier. So far, Gonta is our champ. He managed to finish the whole mug!
Gonta: It's only because Gonta is so big. If Gonta was smaller, Gonta would probably do way worse…
Mikan: S-Still impressive. Buuuuuuuuut… I bet I can do better.
Junko: Pft. You? Yeah, right. No offence, hot stuff, but you don't exactly look like a hard drinking party animal.
Mikan: I'm serious! M-My alcohol tolerance is super high! I could probably outdrink all of you combined.
Sonia: That sounds like poop from a cow… but I would still be interested to see you try, Mikan!
Yasuhiro: Well, if she wants to try, I say let her. The floor's yours, Mikan.
Hiro handed me a filled mug.
Yasuhiro: Chug! Chug! Chug!
Amidst Hiro's encouragement, I started drinking… and didn't stop.
Sonia: I-Incredible! I didn't think she was actually serious.
Junko: W-Wow, this actually seems kinda unsafe…
I finished the mug easily enough, and slammed it down, sighing with content.
Gonta: That was much faster than Gonta's time!
Yasuhiro: Looks like we have a new champ!
Mikan: Ooooooooh? I wasn't done…
Yasuhiro: H-Huh?
Giggling, I searched the table for something else, a bottle of wine. When I found it, I opened it, and to the shock of everyone else, started chugging that as well. I drank and drank, and a minute later, the wine too was gone. By the end of it, I was feeling a tiny bit buzzed, and I decided that this was enough alcohol for now. I was nowhere near drunk, but I was still limited by the size of my stomach. Once everyone was done picking their jaws from the floor, they cheered and whooped for me, and I basked in the attention, happy.
Mikan: Heh heh, thank you everyone…
After that, the contest ended. Junko insisted on watching me for a few minutes, convinced I was about to fall into a coma any second now. Of course, that didn't happen, much to her confusion, and reluctantly, she let me go.
The party had been very fun so far, but despite that, I was still starting to get tired, and it probably wouldn't be long until I called it a night. Scanning the room for anything I missed before I headed back, I was surprised to see Toko standing alone in a corner. The robot girl didn't look very happy. Well, it wouldn't hurt to check up on her, right?
Mikan: H-Hey Toko… How is the party going?
Toko: W-What do you want?
Mikan: E-Eh? I just wanted to talk to you…
Toko: Well, I don't. So g-get lost.
Mikan: …
Mikan: Toko, are you… not having fun?
Toko: …
Mikan: …
Toko: Does it look like I'm having fun? I can't even eat and drink any of the shit here like you guys can. I d-don't even know why I'm still here…
Mikan: W-Well, drinking and eating isn't all there is at a party. You can still dance and talk to people…
Toko: Oh, sure, just t-talk to people, like that's so easy to do!
Mikan: I-I didn't say it was, but, um… Everyone here is nice. I'm sure many people here would love to talk to you, if you gave them a chance.
Toko: …
Toko: Idabashi talked with me a bit earlier… I don't see why he bothers…
Mikan: S-See! And, now, I'm talking to you!
Toko: S-So? You saw me being a loner and decided to take pity on me? B-Big fucking deal! You want an award for that?
Mikan: I…
Toko: Y-You may think that we're k-kindred spirits or whatever, because we both have a stutter and we both hate ourselves, b-but that's bullshit! I'm a r-repulsive freak of nature, and you're a big boobed bimbo that all the guys here want to get in the s-skirt of. So don't try and compare our social lives as if you have any idea wh-what you're talking about!
…
I was so shocked at the words that I couldn't even bluster or reflexively deny it. How the hell did I even respond to that? I already knew that Toko resented her robot-hood, but her issues clearly ran deeper than I thought.
Mikan: …
Mikan: Y-You're right that I can't imagine what being you is like. B-But, I do know that if you gave people a chance and d-didn't push away everyone, you'd see that things can get better, and that there people can care about you.
Toko: …
Toko: Whatever…
Scoffing, Toko looked to the side. It seemed like the conversation was over for now. I kinda wanted her to apologize for her remarks, but asking for that now would probably be lighting a fuse. Sighing, I turned away, only to see Mukuro stumbling and being supported by Junko.
Mikan: M-Mukuro! Are you alright?
Mukuro: I'm alright…
Mukuro: …
Mukuro: Actually, I think I'm gonna barf…
Junko: W-Wait! Cease at once!
Junko thankfully managed to spare her shoes as Mukuro emptied her stomach all over the floor.
Mikan: M-Mukuro!
Mukuro: Uuuuuuugh…
Junko: Eww! Fucking gross! You're lucky you missed.
Mukuro: Sorry…
Junko: I told you you shouldn't have drank so much, dumbass! God, I still can't fucking believe you're that much of a lightweight. Shouldn't someone as hideously buff as you be able to drink more than that?
Mukuro: Not, ugh, necessarily. Uuuuuuugh… I don't drink much usually anyway. It's not healthy…
Junko: No shit! And look where that got you!
Mikan: Um, we should probably get her to bed. I'm actually feeling pretty tired myself. Maybe we should call it a night? What time is it anyway?
Toko: I-It's 12:46 AM.
How had she… Oh, right, internal clock.
Junko: Hell no, the party's just getting started! If you losers want to head back, you can do it without me.
Mikan: Oh, th-that's a good idea actually. We can round up the people that want to leave, and the rest can stay…
I went around to ask if anyone wanted to go back. In the end, our group consisted of myself, Tsumugi, Hifumi, Ryoma, Toko, Kiyo, and of course, Mukuro. Himiko had already left a while earlier, which I hadn't noticed, but wasn't very surprising.
The walk back to the cottages was mostly spent in silence, with Kiyo and I supporting Mukuro as she half stumbled, half walked. I assumed that everyone would just be going straight to bed, but Tsumugi and Hifumi actually wanted to organise an anime watch party. We all declined, except surprisingly Ryoma.
Ryoma: Heh, I'm actually a pretty big anime fan. The selection in jail was pretty bad though, so I won't say no to some catch up.
When we arrived back to the hotel, Mukuro clumsily searched through her gi for her Usapad. When she found it, she shakily tapped it to her reader, taking a few tries to unlock her door. She stumbled into her cottage, and practically collapsed onto her bed, not even bothering to close behind her.
Mikan: Um, are you gonna be alright? I c-can stay with you if you need…
Mukuro: It's fine… I'll, ugh, be alright…
Mikan: If… if you're sure…
Mukuro: Can you lock the door? Thanks…
Mikan: O-Of course! Good night!
Mukuro: Night…
I closed Mukuro's door, and made sure it was locked tight.
Korekiyo: Well, I shall bid you farewell, for now. Kehehe…
Hifumi: Ms. Shirogane, Mr. Hoshi, to my dwellings! Great art awaits!
Tsumugi: You guys are free to join us if you change your mind. Otherwise, good night!
Ryoma: 'Night.
Mikan: Heh heh, good night…
Toko: …
With that, we dispersed. Before I could enter my cottage, however…
Toko: H-Hey, Tsumiki…
Mikan: O-Oh? Toko?
Toko: …
Toko: What I said earlier… I didn't mean all of it…
Mikan: …
Mikan: Oh. Thank you.
It wasn't exactly an apology, but I'd still take it.
Toko: Wh-Whatever… Good night, I guess.
Mikan: Good night Toko.
I entered my cottage. After quickly changing into my pajamas, I collapsed onto my bed. Despite the excitement of the party, my exhaustion won out, and I quickly drifted to sleep.