Danganronpa: Obscurity’s Disgrace (SYOC) Chapter 22: Toxic Words, Venomous Actions (Part 5), a dangan ronpa kibou no gakuen to zetsubou no koukousei fanfic

Chapter 2: Toxic Words, Venomous Actions (Part 5)

Warning!

This is a Danganronpa Fic, so expect dark and serious themes! And also expect some choice words that might upset people - thanks to a certain Gas Station Manager! But also expect fun and whimsical themes as well! I hope you enjoy!

[Pheme's Room]

"So Miss Pheme? Shall we move on?" The Figure raised their eyebrows.

Pheme was facing away from The Figure at the moment, and looking at her computer. "Move on? To what?" She questioned, still looking away.

The Figure shook their head. "Miss Pheme. Have you gotten distracted already? We need to decide on the Second Person to be a part of the killing game. Let's get to it shall we?"

Upon realizing what it was time to do, Pheme turned around in her chair excitedly. "Ah, of course!" She quickly grabbed a stack of documents that were sitting near her and started looking through them.

The Figure just sat back and waited until Pheme had a proposition for their second-

"I got it!" Well that was fast. The narration didn't even have time to finish!

"Really? That fast? I'm curious!" The Figure went over to see what Pheme had found.

"It's... her!" Pheme handed The Figure a document.

"Her... ah. Kuroko Kurobara? The Ultimate Hypnotist. She's... an intriguing character." The Figure started to read over the document.

"Right? She'll be a lot of fun won't she?" Pheme turned around and started to pull up a video of Kuroko. "Shall we?"

"Awfully eager aren't you?" The Figure chuckled. "Fine fine. Let's see what Ms. Kurobara has for us..."

...

[Ayn NY - Auditorium]

"Oh gosh... it's almost time." Kuroko took a deep breath.

A 15-year old Kuroko Kurobara was currently standing offstage, with plentiful butterflies in her stomach. It was almost time for her to perform in the talent show at the Ayn NY - Auditorium... but some sudden nerves had her frozen in place. Why was she nervous? She looked out into the crowd. It wasn't like it was a nationwide talent show, but it was still fairly big. Kuroko focused her vision on two certain people sitting in the back of the audience.

Those two people were Kozue and Kozo Kurobara, her mother and father respectively. Ever since Kuroko had expressed her dreams of being a Hypnotist, her parents didn't support her in the slightest. They believed it was "Hollywood fakery" and they commonly told her to "Become something that actually exists."

Kuroko let out a sharp sigh. She wasn't going to let them stand in her way. Tonight she was going to show them what Hypnotism is all about, and that her dream is real. She's still surprised that that even came to the talent show, but she wasn't objecting.

She looked at the clock. Five minutes until she's up to perform. She took some deep breaths. This'll go good. She'll do good. She'll do great! She repeated positive affirmations to herself. But she was saying those out loud, which caught the attention of her best friend and partner for the talent show, Haruhi Hojo.

"Kuroko, you okay?" Haruhi placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

Kuroko jumped up in shock at the sudden touch. "Oh! It's just you Haruhi." Kuroko took a deep breath. "Sorry about that. But yes, I'm okay. Just feeling some... last minute nerves." Kuroko walked towards Haruhi. "But don't worry. I'm ready." Kuroko was determined to do her best and to make her training worth it.

Haruhi was relieved at the sight. "Good! I'm glad. And don't worry, I'm ready too." Haruhi was determined as well, because she is going to be Kuroko's subject for her performance. It'll be the first time showing off their training in front of an audience, but they were prepared and ready for it.

The girls looked at the clock again. Thirty more seconds until they're up. They gave each other a determined nod. "Let's do it! We'll make sure our training pays off!" Kuroko was pumped up.

The girls shared another nod, then headed out on stage.

"And here we are for our next act!" The announcer for the talent show rang out. "We have Kuroko Kurobara here to show off her budding hypnotism skills, with her best friend Haruhi Hojo! What will happen? Let's find out! Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Kuroko and Haruhi!" They were welcomed onto the stage

The applause was rather mild, but it was a local show. "Thank you everyone!" Kuroko took a bow. "My name is Kuroko Kurobara, and I'm here to show off my skills. I've been training for a while, and I have my friend, Haruhi Hojo with me to help show them off!"

"Hi!" Haruhi greeted the small audience. "I've practiced with Kuroko a lot, and I can assure you all she's very talented! I hope you enjoy the show!"

The duo of girls took another quick second to compose themselves before starting. Kuroko snuck a quick glance at her mom and dad. Both Kozue and Kozo weren't even looking at the stage, and they had rather bored expressions. No matter... she was going to prove to them that she can do this! She was determined to!

And so... she kicked off her performance...

...

"And... there!" Kuroko shot up with a smile, signaling an end to her performance.

As soon as she ended, clapping filled the auditorium.

"Wow! That was amazing!"

"That was crazy! What a show!"

"Kuroko! Haruhi! Have my babies-!" Oh god, this guy is back. But don't worry, security got him.

"..." Both Kozo and Kozue Kurobara didn't say a word. They didn't clap either.

Kuroko was a little disheartened at the sight... but she wasn't going to let that get her down. She got to show off her talent in front of so many people! And people enjoyed it! That's all that mattered!

"Wasn't that such an intriguing show? I felt like I was the one in a trance!" The announcer came back on. "I hope you all enjoyed that! But don't go anywhere! Because we got another act coming up! A performance from Natiana Tovak-"

It seemed like that was their cue, so Kuroko and Haruhi packed up their supplies and got off the stage.

Once they were backstage... "Wow! I feel like I can breathe now!" Kuroko felt a wave of relief wash over her. Perhaps those nerves really were unfounded.

"Yeah...!" Haruhi patted her friend on her shoulder. "You did great Kuroko! Your techniques were better than ever!"

"Aw... thank you." Kuroko felt a small blush on her face. "But you did good too. Things went great..." She trailed off.

"Kuroko? What's wrong?" Haruhi noticed the worried look on her friend's face.

"Well..." Kuroko sighed. "I wonder what mom and dad thought of it..." She always had a strained relationship with her parents in regards to her passion. And...

"Kuroko." Kozo Kurobara, her father walked up behind her. Kozue, her mother, was there as well, but she didn't say anything.

"Dad!" Kuroko turned around with a slightly hopeful look on her face. "How did... uh... did you enjoy it?"

"I'm sorry?" Kozo frowned.

"Um... did you like the show?" Kuroko nervously asked again.

Kozue stepped forward. "What? How in the world were we supposed to like that?"

"Well... I just thought..." Here we go again... Kuroko's parents never respected her passion and they probably never will.

"Kuroko... that was so obviously fake. I'm appalled at the audience for clapping at that ridiculous charade, and I'm appalled you made Kozue and I waste our time." Kozo crossed his arms.

"Oh. Well..." Kuroko didn't know what to say.

"Hey! That's not very nice to say! And it wasn't fake! It was real!" Haruhi defended her friend. "Kuroko has real talent! You should acknowledge it!"

"Haruhi- you don't have to-" Kuroko was starting to feel worse. Maybe those nerves were a warning for this.

"Tch. We didn't ask you." Kozue scoffed. "Whatever. We lost valuable time here. Let's go Kozo." She walked away.

"Yes..." Kozo sighed. "Kuroko... I highly advise you to spend your time on an activity that'll actually amount to something, and not an utter waste like this." He dismissively turned around before joining his wife in leaving.

...

"Kuroko... don't listen to them." Haruhi comforted her friend.

"I know... I know..." Kuroko slumped her shoulders. "I try not to. But their my parents. It's easier said than done. I just... I want them to be proud of me. And... I have passion for hypnotism and what it can achieve. I wish mom and dad could see that. But they can't..." She heaved a sad sigh.

"Well... you know what? I got something that might make you feel better!" Haurhi smiled. "I think I saw a scout for Hope's Peak in the audience! And they looked interested in your performance!"

"...Wait what?!" Kuroko didn't expect to hear that. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Haruhi nodded. "You know, that would definitely show your mom and dad that you have some real talent. Getting into Hope's Peak Academy!"

"That's... a good point." Kuroko hadn't really thought about that yet. Ever since Hope's Peak Academy reopened it's doors after a certain thing happened... of course she's thought about eventually getting in there. But Haruhi had a point. Reaching Ultimate status... that would show without a doubt that Kuroko had true talent!

"Alright! I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna get into Hope's Peak Academy!" Kuroko resolved herself.

"There you go! I believe in you Kuroko!" Haruhi had the utmost faith in her friend.

"Yeah... I'm gonna do it!" Kuroko was determined.

And so, following that determination, over the next three years, Kuroko managed to tour around Tokyo, doing multiple shows under the name "Madam Blackrose."

And after a particularly popular show at the Tokyo Dome...

"Whew... I've never been this exhausted after a performance before!" Kuroko sat down on a chair backstage, still catching her breath. "The crowd really liked it though..." She always had a sort of warm feeling in her chest after a successful show. It was nice... seeing people that acknowledge your talent.

"Ah, excuse me! Pardon me!" A voice Kuroko didn't recognize started to become louder. After a few more seconds, she saw an unfamiliar man brush past some stage technicians, and go up to her. "Hello! Forgive the sudden introduction, but you're Kuroko Kurobara correct?"

"Um... yes. I am!" Kuroko didn't know who this guy was, so she was a little thrown off.

"Very good! I see I don't have much time, so I'll get to the point. I'm a talent scout with Hope's Peak Academy. We've had our eyes on you for a few years, Ms. Kurobara. What say you? How would the title of Ultimate Hypnotist sound?"

Was this... was this really happening? Kuroko blinked in disbelief. This... was this acknowledgment she's wanted. She honestly didn't even know what her mom and dad were doing right now... but you know what...? Who cares! She had passion and she had dreams! And being an Ultimate... being famous is going to help achieve those! So... she didn't have to think for long.

"That sounds amazing!"

[Pheme's Room]

...

"Oh! It ended!" Pheme admittedly wanted to see more. "But that was fun! It was missing the "-nya," but that's alright!"

"Yes... that's a fair thing to point out Miss Pheme." As The Figure read over Kuroko's form once more, there was "-nya" all over it... yet none in the video. Interesting... he was intrigued by this girl.

"So? What do you think?" Pheme wanted to hear The Figure's opinion. "She's a girl with ridiculous dreams and ridiculous passions... but we both know neither of those never go anywhere. Supplanting Anton Mesmer? Ha! What an idiotic girl! With her head so high up in the clouds... she simply doesn't deserve to be alive!" She said the thing.

"Hm..." As The Figure read more of the document... and he read over a certain part... he came to a decision. "Yes... I believe she'll do nicely. Very well. Kuroko Kurobara shall he the second person in your Killing Game!"

"Oh yes! Great!" Pheme shot her hands up in the air in excitement. "Yes... I can only imagine what shenanigans a girl of caliber will get up to-nya..." She giggled as she mocked their soon-to-be glamorous star.

...

[Kuroko's Room]

"Nya..." Kuroko let out a short and relaxed sigh. Kuroko was a woman who enjoyed a lot of things, but she was never one to pass up just a good plain old rest!

"Nya... ha... ha..." But it was fairly hard for Kuroko to get any good rest right now, due to the other cat girl currently handcuffed to her. Cathy, dressed in her underwear for sleep wear, slept in a very strange position, befitting of a cat. She slept almost curled up at the middle of the bed, her head and upper torso lying on Kuroko's right arm.

Kuroko didn't think her arm could feel this asleep, but here we are. And looking at the cat burglar... she couldn't help but be surprised. Kuroko thought she had some peculiar sleeping habits... but apparently not! Cathy was still fairly cute... she couldn't deny that. But she's also insanely annoying. But... there was a slight silver lining here.

"Hello my glamorous stars! It is now 8am, and that means it's morning time! It's time to wake up and get moving! Get ready for a day full of stardom!"

Yes... morning was here for the new day. And that meant that today was the drinking party! Kuroko couldn't deny that she'd been eagerly awaiting it. Getting indulge in some drinks while chatting up some of the pretty ladies here... who wouldn't be excited for that?

"Nya... heh." Cathy woke up with a chuckle, unbothered by her current sleeping position. "Hey faker. You... have a bad nights sleep?" She somehow managed to yawn smugly.

"Tch." Kuroko quietly scoffed. With this motive... she was really afraid Cathy was going to ruin the party for her. It seemed like ruining things was something Cathy enjoyed. Kuroko was willing to give people second chances... but not this girl. This "faker" stuff was driving her up the figurative wall! What did Kuroko even do to her? Like what the hell?

But Kuroko was still tired... and didn't have the energy for a cat fight with Cathy right now. She just wanted to step into a new day... and to hope that this motive could somehow be solved. "Good... morning-nya." She rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Nya... ha!" Cathy gave a tired laugh as she sat in bed. Kuroko's bed, by the way. Cathy refused to let the "faker" into her room, so they slept in the hypnotist's room instead. "You seem to have slept better, faker." She pointed out the less prominent bags under Kuroko's eyes.

"Yeah... I slept alright-nya." Kuroko sat up in her bed. "So... no "Nyahaha!"-nya? No japes-nya?" She was almost surprised Cathy hadn't gotten up to her usual antics yet.

"Oh... you're right!" Cathy perked up, then jumped up out of bed. "Nyahaha!"

Due to Cathy's antics, Kuroko fell face-first onto her bed, her arm dangling up in the air. "Cathy-" She stopped herself. Again, she was really annoying. But wow she basically wore nothing to bed. Just a skimpy neko-lingerie set. It showed off... a lot. Maybe-

No! Kuroko couldn't let herself get distracted. "So you're already up to your tricks Cathy-nya?" She was too tired to be mad yet.

"Ny-ep! You got it!" Cathy stood smugly as she watch Kuroko compose herself.

"Yeah... okay-nya." Kuroko let out a big yawn. "Let's just get ready-nya..."

...

[Cafeteria]

You know, getting to see Cathy naked as she changed into her usual clothes was a dubious bonus in this motive.

Anyway, after another day of Kuroko being denied her morning yoga, the duo of cat girls spotted no one in the VIP Quarters, so they made their way to the cafeteria. And like they expected... everyone was already there.

"You fucking retard! You spilled lemonade all over me you dumbass!"

"You're fine bitch! Get over it!"

And along with everyone, came the glorious non-harmony of everyone's favorite pairing, Genjiro and Alpha.

"I'll break your fucking balls! Fuck off of me!"

"Uh, bitch? Like you could break my balls! Ha ha!"

"Oh boy-nya." Kuroko tried to prepare herself for this... how could you prepare yourself for this? Most of the pairs for this motive have been surprisingly cooperative. Emphasis on most though. There was Genjiro and Alpha, and...

"Nyahaha! The big brutish humans are fighting again? A lover's quarrel perhaps?" In case you somehow forgot, Kuroko was a part of the other uncooperative pair, with Cathy. And Cathy, as usual, loved to tease people.

"Cathy! Don't egg them on please-nya!" Kuroko was currently suffering a fair bit due to being handcuffed to Cathy. She is an agent of chaos, and Kuroko had to deal with that whether she liked it or not.

"Why ny-ot?" Cathy asked like she didn't know what potential harm it could bring.

"Fuck off Cathy! Don't even suggest I'd be "lovers" with this limpdicked André the Giant wannabe!" Alpha punched Genjiro's chest. It's her form of stress relief now, in case you didn't know.

"André the Giant? The fuck? How in the fuck would I want to be that fucker? I'm the Genjiro Mashimoto! Why would I wannabe anyone else?!" To Genjiro, that was the stupidest thing Alpha could've said.

"Oh my god!' Alpha threw her free hand up in the air. "I'm surprised you could even hear me with your head so astronomically far up your gross ass! Jesus fuck!"

Genjiro struggled to hold back a smug laugh. "Ha ha ha!" He failed to. "Of course I can hear you! Just like I heard you screaming my name last night-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Alpha shouted with a slight blush on her face. "Don't even imply that we- gah! Fuck this!" She tried to stand up, but couldn't, due to the 274 pound weight attached to her.

"Are our rooms *cough* soundproof?" Rosalind muttered to no one in particular.

"Maybe?" Darren answered, despite not actually knowing the answer.

Lake really hated hearing all out this shouting... but in a strange way, they were starting to get used to an to an extent. But ignoring the shouting, somethint else caught their attention. "Joji? Why would Alpha be screaming Genjiro's name? I don't get that."

"I-It's nothing Lake!" Joji tried to protect his partner's innocence. "Bro? Seriously?" He looked an Genjiro in disbelief.

Genjiro shrugged, then smirked. "Shit man. Who knows?" He left it up the reader's imagination.

"Fuck you mean "who knows?!" Don't give me that shit!" Alpha started to sit with her back turned to everyone. "He's obviously lying! This virgin is that fucking desperate!"

"Virgin?! Yeah okay! Where the fuck did you get that from?" Genjiro rolled his eyes.

"From your everything?!" Alpha looked at her partner from over her should. "A man like you has never seen a pussy before! Besides for Cathy!"

"Nyahaha!" Cathy was enjoying this so much, she wasn't even interjecting!

"Never seen one? You got an awful lot of lies in there bitch!" Genjiro punched Alpha's back. That was his stress relief.

"Lies? How is it a lie? Like those rape and pedo allegations you probably have? Those are lies too?!" Alpha shot back. Genjiro made her simultaneously angry and tired, but she could still do this back and forth crap all day.

"Even more lies! The public knows I'm amazing, and I know I'm amazing!" Genjiro flexed his free arm. "And that virgin shit is a lie! I've seen plenty of pussies before!"

"Oh yeah?" Alpha shouted in disbelief. "Whose? And don't say Cathy! She's showing that shit off to everyone with her short ass skirt anyway!"

"Ew! Fuck the Pussy's pussy!" Genjiro spoke one of the strangest sentences in the story so far. "Not hers! I've seen plenty! Like yours-"

"FUCK YOU!" Alpha turned around and punched him again, and also again, with a slight blush on her face.

"Ha ha ha!" No one could tell if Genjiro was joking or not. But it was clear he was having a bit more fun with this than he had been having.

"You haven't seen mine! You haven't seen any! Unless you peeked while I slept, which I wouldn't be surprised!" Alpha defended herself.

"Do you think they...?" For as annoyed as Raiha was, she couldn't help but be curious. Enemies to lovers is a popular trend. Maybe they actually did...

"Do you think they did what?" Lake finished Raiha's sentence, still as confused as ever.

"Don't worry about that Lake!" Aurora shielded Lake's innocence this time. "Raiha. I highly doubt that they..." She cut herself off. "You know... I guess I can't deny the possibility that they... yeah." She had a quick change of heart.

"Ugh..." Kuroko groaned with no "-nya." before sitting down with Cathy. Honestly, she couldn't deny the possibility either. She wasn't a love guru with a flower for a last name, but she could see it. But honestly? She didn't really care about that right now. "How long have they been going-nya?"

"Ever s-since they g-got here..." Adam sighed with nervous smile on their face. For as optimistic as he tended to be, even he had to admit that he was getting a little sick of it.

As was everyone else of course. Even the vocal ones like Ji-hoon and Yoshino were silent. "They really go on and on and on..." The horror novelist shook her head. "Hate to fucking say it, but I'll give Pheme credit. Those two being paired really is... fuck." She didn't have a better word to describe it.

"That's... rather accurate." Ji-hoon adjusted his glasses. You know... as he witnessed Genjiro and Alpha bicker... it kind of made him think of something. But... that could probably wait. "Yoshino is right. I'd like to imagine that nobody is going to do anything about it, but this definitely makes it harder to live with these." He held up his handcuffed hand.

"Indeed Ji-hoon... indeed." Damien held up his own handcuffed hand warranting no reaction from Darren. It wasn't like being handcuffed to Darren was the worst fate Damien could've suffered. But admittedly, their drastically different routine was starting to get to him. Damien always had a very precise morning routine... always making sure he looked his best. But Darren? Nothing! He throws on a new shirt and pants, and that's it! Damien acknowledged that people can have different ways of preparing themselves for the day, but doing essentially nothing was rather ridiculous in his opinion.

"Y-Yeah... I'm not..." Ayaka finished her thought there as she kept her eyes glued to the ground.

"..." And Rival stayed silent, as he stared at nothing.

"Hm? My dear Ayaka? What is the matter?" Damien stuck his free hand in his pocket as he sensed something amiss with his dear Ayaka

"Huh? It's n-nothing!" Ayaka got quick to brushing off the issue.

"Hm..." Damien slightly narrowed his eyes. "Well, if you say so." He decided to trust his dear Ayaka, and he showed that trust by putting a comforting hand on his dear Ayaka's back.

"..." Rival still had nothing to say, but he was silently grateful that Damien dropped the issue. He didn't know how everyone else was fairing with having to do everything while being trapped to someone. And overall... it was still fine. But Ayaka and Rival had an incident this morning where Rival almost saw... yeah. So both of them were a little on edge today.

Kuroko sighed as she looked around the room. The mood seemed to slowly be dampening... and that wasn't good. At least Cathy wasn't-

"Oh! Is this your hot cocoa?" Cathy held up a steaming mug of hot chocolate that Kuroko had painstakingly made for herself while she listened to everyone fighting.

"Hey! Put that down-nya! Please-nya!" Hot chocolate was a bit of a comfort drink for Kuroko. She knew she could just make another cup, but she kinda didn't want to. The constant "Nyahaha!" in your ear really starts to wear on a person.

"Hm... should I?" Cathy held the mug out of Kuroko's reach. "Hm... I don't know..." Despite their height difference, Cathy kept on managing to move it out of Kuroko's reach.

"Just give it to me Cathy-nya! Please-nya!" Kuroko didn't even know why she was saying please at this point.

"Nyahaha! It's so fun watching a human struggle for something so minuscule! Nyahaha!" Cathy gave a rare double "Nyahaha!"

"Cathy! I swear to god-nya..."

"Genjiro! Shut up!"

"What even is your fucking problem bitch? You're always so-"

Ah... chaos. It hit nearly every pair like a train. Just not being alone... it's more annoying then one may think. Eating, bathing, changing, and so many different usual activities, ones that most people take for granted, were being heavily affected.

But... there were a few pairs that were holding strong.

"Well well well... the motive is slowly wearing on us." Kei stretched his free arm. "What do you think Ji-hoon? People are tired. People are fighting. What to do?" He hoisted the responsibility onto their glorious leader.

Ji-hoon closed his eyes. "...I'm not sure. Yoshino already tried yelling at them... but it had a minor effect." He was surprised at how useful a simple loud voice could be sometimes. "And we can't exactly move Genjiro and Alpha out of here by force... ugh." He shook his head.

Yoshino groaned. "Fuck..." She hated seeing this. All of this. There was something more disconcerting about seeing only some people effected compared to everyone being effected. Pairs like Yoshino/Adam, Kei/Ji-hoon, Raiha/Aurora, and Joji/Lake seemed... alright enough. But with Ayaka/Rival becoming more awkward around another... with Damien just straight up not liking Darren at all... and with the other two, who don't really need explaining... it's becoming a lot.

It's those four pairs experiencing that... disconnect. It's like a forboding warning of something to come. The slowly increasing effect this will have.

Adam had been staying mostly quiet in this. He knew he couldn't match Lake's peacekeeping attempts, and he knew be couldn't do anything about the dysfunctional pairs. But... he still had his brain. And he knew it might be a strange solution, but he sure thought of one. "Ji-hoon? I b-believe I know a g-good way to get everyone on the same page h-here."

"Oh? Do you now?" Ji-hoon raised an eyebrow. He knew Adam was one of the smarter people here... so he was willing to hear him out. "What is it?"

"Pheme." Adam answered boldy.

"Wha-? Me?" Pheme suddenly phased into existence behind Adam. "Mr. Brooks, did you just say my name?"

"Ah!" Adam slightly jumped up in his seat.

"Pheme...? Ah. I get it. That's smart." Ji-hoon nodded in approval. It was a little concerning seeing her after her meltdown yesterday... but like most things in this place, he'd address it later.

"R-Right." Adam nodded too. "Pheme? Would you be able to... d-do something about some of the more... d-dysfunctional pairs here?" It kind of hurt, but Pheme was the only person they could rely on here.

"Hm? Do something about them?" Pheme stood behind Adam's chair, looking down at him from above. "Like kill them?" She tilted her head. "They haven't broken a rule though! I can't do that!"

"No, dumbass!" Yoshino had no problem hurling insults at Pheme. "Just... something to snap them to attention. Jiji has stuff to say, but some of us refuse to listen." Yoshino's shouting could only get them so far.

"Hm... sure! I can do that!" Pheme nodded. "Lemme just..." She stepped onto the central table. "Hello my glamourous stars! It is I! Pheme!"

"Wait what-nya? Pheme is here-nya?" Kuroko was getting distracted by Cathy, so she only just now noticed.

"Gah... great." Joji bit his lip. Especially after her freak out yesterday, he went immediately on guard.

"P-Pheme?" Ayaka stuttered, eyes wide.

"Oh hey. It's Pheme." Time for Darren's cameo!

"Oh, the schizo slut is here. Great!" Alpha groaned. "Can you do something about this walking hunk of meat?!" It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess that she was referring to Genjiro there.

"Ey, what? Fuck that!" Genjiro shoved Alpha with his free hand. "Nah! Phlegm!" He went back to using his old name for Pheme. "Do something about this bitch! Nagging me for no fucking reason!"

Pheme frowned. "I'm not going to do anything if you call me that Mr. Mashimoto!" She put her hands on her hips.

"Well if not them-nya...!" Kuroko got Pheme's attention. "Could you do something about Cathy-nya? Tell her to give me back my hot cocoa-nya!"

"Nyahaha!" Cathy just laughed. She didn't need any words to be best girl.

"Hm... I could do that..." Pheme tapped her finger against her chin and her heel on the table. "Mr. Brooks, just to confirm, you called me here so everyone could be on the same page, yes? So everyone would snap to attention?"

"Well, t-theoretically speaking, yes." Adam wished he didn't have to, but it was the logical choice. And with the ways things were going, he and everyone else wished that they weren't going to have to call on Pheme everytime they have a group meeting.

"Okay! Sure!" Pheme cleared her voice, then fiercely stomped her heel on the table. "Attention!" There was actually little point in that, considering mostly everyone was already paying attention to Pheme, considering she was... you know. Pheme.

But there was one pair that still wasn't paying attention. Pheme cleared her voice again. "Attention!" She slammed her heel down again.

"We... are paying attention." Aurora leaned back a little. She underestimated how loud a highheel could be.

Pheme shook her head. "You are Ms. Beaufort. And so is everyone else! Even Mr. Mashimoto and Ms. Alpha!" She cocked her head in the direction of the brutes. And yes, there were paying attention. Though it was more like their bickering had quieted down due to Pheme's presence. As much as Genjiro hated it, he knew not to try Pheme's temper.

"But..." Pheme continued her thought as she looked over to Cathy and Kuroko. Cathy was still doing whatever she could to keep the hot cocoa away from Kuroko, and without even spilling a single drop!

"Nyahaha! The way you move is just..." Cathy had trouble holding back her laugh. They were still sitting down, so this has turned rather amusing to the cat girl.

"Seriously Cathy, this is getting old-nya!" Kuroko voiced both Kadachi's inner thoughts and the opposite of Nathan's inner thoughts.

"Hey Pheme? I think the cat girls aren't paying attention." Kei cheekily pointed out the obvious.

"Yes Mr. Aikawa, I'm aware." Pheme started to twirl her dagger around with her hand. "Hm... Alright." She got an idea. "Let's do... this!" She flung her dagger at Cathy.

"Nyaha- wah!" Cathy actually got thrown back as she witnessed Pheme's dagger pierce Kuroko's mug, splattering now warm cocoa over the floor and slightly on Cathy's clothes. It's not like Cathy wore much anyway, so she wasn't too affected. "Goddess! That was smooth! You're sneakier than I thought!" She more impressed than angry.

"My cocoa-nya..." Kuroko looked at the ground sadly. "At least she's done-nya..." She tried to look on the bright side here. Honestly, she couldn't understand how someone could even go that long teasing a person and not getting bored. But that's Cathy for you.

"There! Problem solved!" Pheme struck a proud pose as her dagger magically materialized back into her hand. "Everyone's wide awake and attentive now right?" She looked around.

...

"I'll take the collective silence as a yes!" Pheme cheered for herself, then stepped off the table. "My job here is done! You all may proceed with... whatever!" She sat down on one of the free chairs.

"You're... joining us?" Lake blinked. They couldn't deny that, after yesterday, Lake was even more unnerved by Pheme. And now that she was back to being so casual... it was weird.

"Sure! Why not?" Pheme shrugged then leaned back in her chair. "I've always been so curious what you stars get up to in here! Besides, I also enjoy watching my glorious motive taking effect..." She giggled ominously with that last statement, but everyone knew that they had to ignore it.

"You're... curious what we *cough* get up to?" Rosalind titled her head. "That's rather strange."

"Wait... huh? Strange? Why?" Joji didn't get it.

"Well... would Pheme not be watching us through the *cough* cameras? To me, it sounds like she doesn't then... no?" Rosalind brought up a valid point.

"Oh! That's a valid point-nya!" Kuroko copied the narration.

"Hm..." Kei thought about this so-called "valid point" and came to a conclusion. "I... don't think it's so strange. Pheme has staff doesn't she?"

11. Pheme nor any of the staff will never directly commit a murder.

"Probably just splitting up duties and everything. Divide and conquer yeah?" Kei shrugged.

"Hm... I suppose." Rosalind conceded. "Forgive me for wasting our *cough* time then." She bowed her head.

"Don't apologize Rosalind-nya!" Kuroko firmly shook her head. "You're too pretty to be apologizing-nya!" She threw in with a wink.

Cathy immediately feigned throwing up. "Ugh, you humans and your flirting. It's gross!" She shook her head. "Save it!"

Kuroko rolled her eyes. "Whatever Cathy. I can't help it! Especially with a charming girl like Rosalind-nya!" She hit her with another wink.

"..." Rosalind didn't react.

"Aw..." Kuroko quietly pouted.

"Anyway!" Ji-hoon chimed in. He knew how easy it was for their group to get lost in mindless conversation, so wanted to chime in before that happened. "I'm not sure how I feel about doing our morning meeting with Pheme watching, but we most likely don't have a choice!"

"Mm hm! That's correct!" Pheme happily nodded, still twirling her dagger around in her hand. "Just pretend like I'm not even here!"

"...That's a big ask..." Rival yawned.

"Probably the best thing to do though. Let's do this like normal everyone." Ji-hoon cleared his voice. "I want to go over two things today. One, I want to discuss the special event that happened yesterday."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Yoshino turned to her partner. "Ade, you remember the announcement for that yeah?"

"O-Of course I do!" Adam was fairly proud of his memory after all.

"Weird. Guess they fucked off. Good." Yoshino shrugged. "Now Ade, let's-"

Yoshino kept getting interrupted. Now, by a sudden announcement.

"Attention everyone! It is now time for the second Special Event! I would like eight people... so four pairs, to report to the Romance Studio as soon as you can for a special game! I hope to see you there!" Pheme's smug voice cut off.

"Ah geez..." Yoshino rolled her eyes.

"What happened there Jiji? Ade didn't wanna go, and I got why. What shit did Pheme pull this time?" Yoshino leaned back in her chair.

"I object to your tone Ms. Akiyama!" Pheme frowned.

"Well did you pull some shit?" Yoshino gave Pheme an expectant and slightly angry look.

"...What is your definition of "shit"?" Pheme dodged the question.

"Just- it's fine Yoshino. I'll explain." Ji-hoon didn't want to risk Pheme getting agitated, like yesterday. And... he probably shouldn't even bring that up. Who knows how she'd react. He tried to non-verbally communicate with everyone who was there, to not bring that. To just save it for when Pheme wasn't sitting directly behind everyone.

"Right..." Aurora got the message. "Two main noteworthy things happened. First, Raiha and Joji revealed a secret of theirs, and Alpha and Kei revealed a fear of theirs. It was a part of a small game Pheme forced us pairs to play."

"O-Oh... I'm glad I didn't attend then." Ayaka didn't like being put on the spot... and she wasn't exactly eager to reveal any of her secrets.

"That sounds like a rather dreadful game." Damien also wasn't exactly eager to reveal any secrets of his as well.

"Secrets and fears-nya? What were they-nya?" Kuroko couldn't help but be a little curious.

"Ugh... I knew the hypnotist bitch would ask." Alpha groaned. "I'm afraid of baby oil, Kei is afraid of knives, Joji was on the news, and Raiha shit-talked herself online for attention. There! Move on! Fuck questions! Get going!" She was eager to move on from that topic, in case that wasn't blatantly obvious.

"...Baby oil?" Darren made another cameo.

"Fuck off you gross piece of shit lily-livered emo drunkard bozo!" Alpha pulled out the thesaurus for that one.

"Okay." Darren wasn't bothered.

"Anyway!" Ji-hoon took control of the conversation again. "The first part doesn't matter... it's the second part I want to talk about, and hear if anyone has any opinions or thoughts on it."

"Second part-nya?" Kuroko's curiosity was piqued.

"Yes..." Ji-hoon thought about it all as he spoke. "For those of you who were at the first special event, this second one had another audio recording. Detailing more of these tests... experiments... scientists... a lot."

He then proceeded to explain what all they heard, but off-screen.

"Hm... Akimitsu Agata... Hannah Yokomizi... f-fascinating." Adam couldn't help but be interested. Considering... "W-Was there any mention of Asher?" He asked.

"Oh yeah! Wasn't Asher a friend of yours Adam?" Joji remembered.

"Ah... y-yes. He was." Adam sadly nodded.

Adam started his lore drop. "Asher John Jr. was a good friend of mine in school. W-we weren't childhood friends or a-anything... but we met in m-middle school. We were b-both pretty similar honestly."

Adam tried not to think too hard about the fact that one of his best friends could be connected to this horrible game they were a part of.

"To answer your question Adam?" Ji-hoon chimed back in. "No. There was Akimitsu Agata and Hannah Yokomizi. Do those names ring a bell for you? Or for anyone?" He extended the question yo the rest of the group.

"Um... n-no. I don't believe s-so." Asher was all Adam knew

"Hm..." Aurora narrowed her eyes. She didn't think much about it yesterday... but didn't recognize the name Hannah Yokomizi... nor the name Akimitsu Agata... but... something still rang a distant bell for her. The name Agata. That was familiar for her. But... why?

"Aurora? What's up? You good?" Raiha was concerned for her bestie.

"A-Ah, yes. I'm okay. Thanks though." Aurora gave a reassuring smile. She didn't even have full confidence in that distant bell... and she didn't want to unnecessarily confuse anyone... so she decided to keep it to herself.

"Hm... aight! If you say so!" Raiha decided to trust her bestie.

"So... looks like no one has anything for the names?" Kei took the reigns from his partner. "Maybe the experiments? Tests? Anything at all?" He wasn't sure what to expect here.

...

Looks like that's a no! "Looks like that's a no!" Kei plagiarized from the narration.

"No thoughts at all... guess I'm not surprised." It wasn't like Ji-hoon necessarily had any thoughts of his own on the matter. Just a variety of theories.

"Are you humans going to continue wasting time?" Cathy snickered. She didn't actually care or anything, she just likes saying things sometimes. And for the record, she didn't know anything about any "test" or "experiment." Though... the names Yokomizi and Agata was familiar to her. She couldn't remember why though...

"I suppose we shouldn't waste anymore time should we?" Damien listened to Cathy's request. "Forgive me Ji-hoon, but shall we move on then?"

"...Yeah. Probably should." Ji-hoon was disappointed... but he had no choice but to move on. So far, he felt like this scientist stuff mainly had a connection to Pheme. Like maybe these scientists were recording audio logs after doing these "tests" with Pheme. But that brings up another question... who even is Pheme? He wasn't sure about everyone else... but he felt like he's heard of her before. But it's just a fuzzy memory. Hm...

"In that case..." Damien ignored Ji-hoon's inner monologue. "Am I right to assume the second topic at hand is the drinking party?"

"Oh! Oh! Is it? Is it?" Pheme got visibly excited.

"...Yes. It is." Ji-hoon couldn't understand how Pheme's moods and emotions worked.

"O-Oh!" Ayaka perked up a little. "Are we... still doing that?" She wanted to confirm.

"Hell yeah we better be!" Genjiro slammed the table. "I want a piece of that good shit! That rum!"

"Yeah-nya!" Kuroko was eager too. The party was something she was actively looking forward too, despite being handcuffed to someone who'll probably ruin it for her.

"I don't see why not." Darren shrugged. He would admittedly be a little disappointed if they weren't. He thought it might be fun.

"W-Well... okay." Ayaka was glad to see that everyone was still into the idea. "What is t-there to talk about then?" She tilted her head.

"When we should have it." Ji-hoon brought up. He was personally still fine with the idea. The handcuffs would make certain things messy, but he overall still though it'd be fine. "How about... it'll "start" at 8:00 PM. That sound agreeable?"

Ayaka blinked. Oh yeah... she'd technically be the person to ask about that wouldn't she? She hadn't actually thought about when it should be time-wise. "8:00 PM should b-be fine!" She nodded. She saw no problem with that.

"Good." Ji-hoon smiled. He wasn't sure what this might bring in terms if their overall group "bond," but he was still cautiously curious. He has gone through precautions to make sure everyone stays safe... and now he has to see if those would work. "Oh yeah, you remember you're on guard duty right Genjiro?" He had some other precautions too, of course. "You'll be watching Pheme."

"Yeah yeah, I know! I ain't fucking stupid! I remember!" Genjiro still thought it might be a buzzkill, but he'd deal with it.

"Oh my! Someone to watch me?" Pheme feigned a gasp. "Whatever for?"

"So you don't pull any shit like yesterday dumbass!" Alpha reminded the goddess.

"Oh!" Pheme nodded in understanding. "Trust me, I won't pull anything. But I understand your concern!"

"Hm... we'll see about that-nya." Kuroko didn't exactly believe that.

"I-Ignoring Pheme for a moment... t-that overall sounds l-like a logical plan." Adam was a little nervous for the event, but even he was... cautiously excited too.

"Logical as shit! That's for sure! Ha ha!" Genjiro heartily slammed the table. Alpha has began to roll her eyes at literally everything Genjiro does. "How're you feeling then nerd? You excited to down some damn good spirits?" The wrestler initiated his peer-pressuring mode.

"W-Well I'm still n-not sure about that..." Adam didn't want to break any laws after all!

"Ah c'mon! Fuck the laws!" Almost like Genjiro could read the narration, he slammed the table again. "Shit'll be fun! You're boring as shit anyway, so some good booze might help you get a little... uh... outgoing and shit!"

"That's n-not very logical..." Adam shook his head. He honestly couldn't deny that Genjiro might have a point with that. Alcohol could, in theory, have that effect. But! He was only 20! He couldn't drink yet!

"Nah man, fuck your logic!" Genjiro's third table slam. "You're not going to get anywhere if you live and die by "logic" like a fucking pussy!"

"Uh..." Adam had no clue how to respond to that.

"So we're set right?" Yoshino opted to ignore Genjiro's nonsense. "The drinking party... all of that. Yeah?" She wasn't in a rush to get out of here or anything, she was more in a rush to just get the fuck away from Genjiro and Alpha. She assumed Adam felt the same.

"I think so." Kei shrugged. "To be specific... how about it'll start at 8:00 PM. Yeah?"

"Sounds good to me." Ji-hoon nodded.

"Sounds good to me!" Pheme nodded. "My schedule is wide open!"

"I guess it would be-nya." Kuroko realized. "Her schedule is pretty must just terrorizing us-nya."

"I don't just terrorize you!" Pheme attempted to defend herself.

"I don't want to be mean, but that is pretty much all you do." Lake didn't enjoy insulting people, no matter how accurate it is.

"Lake's right... that's p-pretty much all you do." Ayaka slightly frowned.

"Hmph! Well I wasn't asking you Ms. No-, ah, Ms. Naganohara! Whatever!" Pheme stood up from her chair. "Fine then! You clearly don't want my presence here! And that's fine!" She gave an aggressive curtsy. "So I'll leave you all be... for now! I'll see you all at the party!" She quickly waved before dashing out.

"She-" Ayaka widened her eyes and felt her heart drop a little at Pheme messing up her words for a moment. She just hoped no one else noticed her reaction.

"My dear Ayaka? Are you alright?" And of course Damien noticed.

"Y-Yes! I'm fine!" Ayaka didn't know if Pheme purposefully slipped up her words sometimes or not.

"Hm... if you say so." Damien once again chose to trust his dear Ayaka. It wasn't like she was hiding something or anything. Right?

But with Pheme leaving the room, everyone felt a wave of relief wash over them. Especially Ayaka. "I think... I w-want to go help prepare for the party now." She stood up, and Rival stood up with her, whether he liked it or not.

"...Guess I'm helping." Like the narration said, Rival basically had no choice here.

Then, in what would probably be the only moment in the story in where they'd agree on something, Damien and Darren stood up at the same time. "I'll go too." It involved alcohol, so of course he'd be going.

"Yes. I'd like to go and help too." And since it involved his dear Ayaka, of course Damien would be going.

"S-Sure. That sounds good." Ayaka did have some inherent nervousness about going off with three guys... but it'll probably be fine.

"Alright then! We'll see you all... or hopefully most of you at the party!" Damien couldn't be sure everyone would show up. Not in a morbid way, but he didn't know if everyone would attend yet.

...

"Yeah... that's enough for me!" Genjiro literally jumped out of his chair. "This shit was fucking boring... but at least I got some good ass booze with my name on it later! Fuck yeah!" He pumped his free arm into the air.

"God I hope you don't get worse drunk." Alpha rolled her eyes as she stood up too. "You feel like a benzosexual."

"Huh? The fuck is- nah. Don't care." Genjiro didn't have time to look up what that meant. "Let's just fucking go already! I'll see you fuckers later!" He ran out of the cafeteria.

"Can you slow down you fucking junkie?!" Alpha spat out one last insult as she was dragged out.

After Genjiro and Alpha left, everyone else slowly departed the cafeteria... most with excitement for the drinking party. Just a fun and chill time... with no worries over some silly Killing Game.

"Yeah... you think it'll go well?" Kei took a sip of his tea.

"...I don't know." Ji-hoon spoke honestly. He had no reservations about speaking honestly, as he and Kei were the last ones left in the room.

"You don't know? Not much faith hm?" Kei kept enjoying his tea.

Ji-hoon groaned. "I'd like to have faith. But you must've seen how these Killing Games go. Especially in the past ones, people get really creative to kill people. So because of that, I'll be staying on guard. I'll do whatever I can."

"You really got the will of a leader. Realistic and dutiful." Kei nodded in approval. "Say... since you bring up not knowing for sure, wanna check on the box of weapons you got stashed? Or maybe just guard it for the day? So no one tries to be sneaky and take something?"

"I highly doubt anyone will. Only four of us know about it after all. But..." Ji-hoon stood up, with Kei right after him. "Let's go anyway."

[Ji-hoon's Room]

"You've been keeping a careful eye on that box haven't you?" Kei raised an eyebrow.

"More like we've been keeping a careful eye on it." Ji-hoon corrected his partner. "You've been in my room for the past few nights you know. I doubt you've forgotten." He bent down ton inspect the box. And... it was no different. It hadn't been tampered with at all.

"What's the verdict?" Kei asked like he wasn't currently watching his partner inspect the box.

"It's good. No differences." Ji-hoon stood up.

"Good. That's good!" Kei stuck his hands in his pocket.

"...I get the feeling you want to ask me something Kei." Ji-hoon read the room. "Don't hold back. If you want to say something, say it."

"Heh." Kei was amused by that. "I do actually have something to ask you. Where'd you get that thought from?"

"...Just a feeling." Ji-hoon kept his arms crossed. Kei Aikawa, while being an ultimate, wasn't necessarily "famous." So Ji-hoon never really researched anything about him before hand. And- "Hold on." He cut off the narration. "Kei. Before you say anything. Let me say something first."

"Oh?" Kei was intrigued. "Go for it. I'm a captive audience after all."

"So... tell me something." Ji-hoon went full interrogator mode. "I want to know your pre-kidnapping memories." There was a little extra factor why he wanted to know Kei's specifically, but he decided to save that for now.

"Hm..." Kei looked Ji-hoon over. "...Sure." He smirked. "I won't waste time. From what I remember... I was leaving the courthouse after a particular case... it wasn't too noteworthy. I went to the parking lot to get to my Toyota Celica. Then... I heard a v-voice." He stuttered a little. "It was coming from a nearby alleyway. You know, in hindsight, I probably should've been more cautious. But I was right outside a courthouse. What's the worse that could happen? Well... when I peaked down there... I saw some bright blue eyes. After that... I lost consciousness. Unfortunate huh?" He acted surprisingly casual about the whole thing.

"...Bright blue eyes? You don't say?" Ji-hoon didn't expect to hear that.

"Yeah... I do say. What's up?" Kei wasn't aware of what that meant.

"Kei." Ji-hoon tried to speak as he started to think about what this might mean. "You know Raiha and Bessie's pre-kidnapping memores by chance?"

"Hm... no." Kei shook his head. "Why? Should I?"

Ji-hoon took out his Star-Phone and looked over some of the notes he's taken. "You can call it me overthinking it all if you want to... I wouldn't blame you. But I think you might understand where I'm coming from." He passed his Star-Phone over to his partner.

"What have we got here..." Kei read what Ji-hoon had noted down. "Ah... interesting. Raiha, Bessie, and my own pre-kidnapping memories are different from everyone else's? The blue eyes." He legitimately wasn't aware of that. "...Pheme has blue eyes." He already started to spout out his thoughts.

"She does." Ji-hoon nodded. "That might be relevant. Maybe Pheme herself was involved with your kidnappings. Or maybe... you're the traitor."

Kei raised his eyebrows. "Woah woah woah... hasty accusation there. Where'd that come from?"

"I have no proof." Ji-hoom shrugged. "Just an idea. And right now, all I can do is spit out ideas." He kept noting things down on his Star-Phone, which Kei passed back to him. "In a legit Killing Game like this... I don't like passing things off as a coincidence. Pheme... may seem a little scatterbrained with things at times, but she's still dangerous."

"Hm. I getcha." Kei understood what his partner was getting at. "Bessie was apparently the traitor. She was apparently working against us. And her story is different from everyone else's. And you say that's no coincidence."

"Yeah. Exactly." Ji-hoon nodded. "In this Killing Game, filled with mostly celebrities... I think it's possible for there to he more than one traitor. Celebrities jump at the chance to abuse their privilege for whatever they desire. And depending on what they were offered from Pheme... I could see a number of people here betraying the rest."

"That includes me then? And Raiha too?" Kei raised a single eyebrow.

"Well... again, I have no proof." Ji-hoon shrugged. "Admittedly... you yourself don't seem like the type to betray others, Kei."

"Aw thanks, I'm flattered." Kei chuckled sarcastically.

Ji-hoon actually chuckled too. "It's not flattery. You're among the people here which I know the least about. But from what I do know... you're no traitor. Still not discounting the possibility that you are... it's not like I know everything happening right now. But as of this moment, I doubt you are."

"...Thanks." Kei wasn't sure what all Ji-hoon knew about him here... but he was grateful their leader didn't distrust him. Distrust him right now, at least. "So we got Bessie as an apparent traitor, we got me as "not discounting the possibility" traitor... then what about Raiha?"

"Raiha Miyahara... I can see it." Ji-hoon answered with no restraint. "I've looked into her multiple times before. Even prior to this Killing Game. I can see her being a traitor."

"Damn. Crazy seeing you speak so... distrustfully." Kei chuckled again.

"You disagree with me?" Ji-hoon raised an eyebrow.

"...I didn't say that." Kei was just a lawyer. Not a detective. So his network of information was structured quite differently compared to Ji-hoon's. But... "I've never took part in any cases surrounding her... but I've read about them. I don't know as much as you, but I can see Raiha being a traitor too." If she was one... hmph. He had to know.

"I see..." Ji-hoon gave a thin smile. "My goal isn't to take advantage of her being drunk... but I'd like to talk to her more at the party. ...If she is one... better to get it out in the open now."

"I agree." Kei nodded. "Besides for that though... let me guess. Airi Nishigai?"

"Yep." Ji-hoon didn't change his expression.

"...Yeah. Same." Kei smirked. "I felt like we'd be similar. I'm assuming you hate criminals too?"

Ji-hoon shook his head. "Well I do hate them... but it's celebrities I hate the most."

"Aren't those the same though?" Kei snidely remarked.

"Touché." Ji-hoon chuckled. "That's enough about that though. We'll worry more about that later today. Anyway... I recall you wanted to ask me something?"

"Oh yeah. I did." This was fairly important to Kei... so he was glad he was getting the chance to ask this. "So... I know you're technically a "celebrity detective" and not an actual detective. But I'm curious if you have any information about a certain case."

"...Keep talking." Ji-hoon was intrigued.

"...Do you have any information about a case involving the name Aikawa?" Kei dropped that vague bombshell.

"Aikawa huh?" Ji-hoon started to think. He's gone through a lot of cases ove the years... so it's not the easiest task to just pluck one from his memory. But he said Aikawa... that's pretty interesting. Aikawa... Aikawa...

"It's fine if you don't. I'm just curious." But Kei was hoping he did have information.

Ji-hook kept thinking... and thinking... "Hm. I think I might have something."

"What do you have?" Kei tried to keep his inner eagerness in check.

"I seem to remember my mother Akiko talking about something once." Ji-hoon had to dig deep in his memory for this one. "My mother was the chief of police in Kyoto. I seem to remember her talking about a policewoman named Hana Aikawa. Something about how commendable she was... and how she respected her."

Kei kept his signature smile on his face. "That's for sure..." He muttered to himself. "But is that it?"

"I think so." Ji-hoon slowly nodded. "At least, I don't think I've ever worked on any cases involving the name Aikawa. Or- damn it."

Kei sighed. "Hm?"

"I don't know if I've told you this before, but my memories have been fuzzy ever since I was brought here." Ji-hoon explained. "I'm assuming it's no coincidence. But I've been having trouble pulling up some of my memories. I have some still... but others are like a complete blank. So... I don't know if I've researched a case presumably involving Hana Aikawa." He wanted to ask Kei questions, but he decided against it. Out of everyone here. Kei was fairly high up in the "not being able to get personal details out of" tier. Second to Darren.

"I see..." Kei probably should've expected that. "I appreciate you trying. But it's no biggie." He shrugged. "Those memories of yours though... think Pheme has it out for you?"

"Heh. Probably." Ji-hoon sighed. "Something about a "celebrity detective" in a Killing Game full of mostly celebrities always rang strange to me. But that's something for another time. For now..." He took another glance at the secured box. "I say we just prepare for the party."

"Hm... yeah." Kei smirked. He was glad he asked Ji-hoon that question... it was one of the main reasons he even chose him for the motive. He didn't expect to come out with more questions... but that's how it goes. All in all... he was satisfied.

...

Wait. No he wasn't. "Ji-hoon random question. What's that sticking out of your nightstand?" He pointed to his nightstand... and at a small string coming from it.

"Wha- oh." Ji-hoon went over to it, stuffed the string into the drawer, and all with Kei watching. "Don't worry about it." He said surprisingly sternly.

"Heh... fine fine." Kei shrugged. Alright, now he satisfied.

All in all... Ji-hoon and Kei grew a little closer today!

[Ultimate Carpenter's Studio]

Due to the loss of the majority of his tools, Joji couldn't do much in his studio. But that doesn't mean he can't do nothing!

"Huh..." Well... maybe it was close to nothing.

"Joji? What's wrong?" Lake looked up innocently at their partner. "Why are you just staring at the wall?"

"Hmph... I was thinking about something to make." Joji answered honestly. "I'm drawing a blank though."

"Oh? Well you made that bench the other day!" Lake pointed with their free hand to the bench that was featured in Adam and Yoshino's FTE.

"Well yeah. I did." Joji gazed at the bench. "It was pretty much just three of those wooden planks though." He motioned to the plank storage room.

"Well I guess so... but it's still impressive!" Lake kept encouraging him. "I definitely couldn't make that!"

Joji chuckled. "That's not the right attitude to have! Anyone can do whatever they set their mind to. ...I may as well ask, but are you interested in carpentry?" He was expecting a "no," but he thought he may as well ask. Why not?

"Well... if you're interested in it... maybe? Possibly?" Lake shrugged with a smile on their face.

"That's a real wary answer there..." Joji slightly frowned. "It's obviously fine if you're not. Don't answer a yes just to make me happy or something!"

"Uh..." Lake internally sighed. They'd better be honest. "Yeah... maybe not. I'm sorry! I'm sure it's really interesting! And cool!"

Joji chuckled again and scratched the back of his head with his free arm. "I mean, I personally think it's cool. But that's not the point. Lake?" He looked them straight in the eyes.

"W-What is it?" Lake sensed he was about to get serious.

"You don't gotta say shit just to please people." Joji opted for a gentle lecture. "I mean... you're a ballet dancer. You're pretty lithe and agile right?"

Lake felt themselves calming down... and they also felt a small blush on their face. "Well... I'd say so!"

"Right. You are!" Joji nodded with a smile. "Skills like that make you good at ballet! Or- no. It's because of those skills you're good at- fuck. I-" He started to have trouble explaining his point.

Lake giggled. "It's okay Joji! You don't need to worry about it! I get your point!" They nodded. He basically just wanted to say that they shouldn't force themselves to please others for the sake of pleasing... and that because of their inherent skills, Lake is likely better as a ballet dancer anyway.

"Okay... good. Good!" Joji was worried he wouldn't be able to get his point across.

"Say... Joji?" Lake tilted their head. "You talk about skills... what about your skills? You're so muscular! How did you become a carpenter?"

"Oh... uh..." Joji didn't expect to be talking about himself here. "Well... let me think. I know it's probably weird, but when I was younger, I used to watch a lot of home improvement shows and stuff. You know Aren Timu?"

"Hm... I don't think so!" Lake shook their head. "Who is he?"

"Aren was the star of a lot of the stuff I used to watch. He was a carpenter who worked on houses in home improvement shows, he worked on home makeover shows, and he even starred in his own sitcom!" Joji started to fanboy over the guy, who was in reality a referential name. But don't worry about it! "But it was a combination of him... and just those types of shows in general that helped me get on this path!"

"I see! Interesting!" Lake just liked learning new things about people they liked.

"Yeah... my mom and dad weren't really around a lot. So it might've been irresponsible of me, but I used that time to really mess around and experiment!" Joji explained.

"Experiment? Like what?" That's not the usual word that Lake would think of when they'd think about carpentry.

"Ah- well, experiment is probably the wrong word!" Joji laughed sheepishly. "I'm just grateful we had enough tools laying around the house. I found them, and I'd practice my skills by fixing small things like broken floorboards, rusty nails, and stuff like that! That's a better way to word it!"

"Oh, okay!" Lake was honestly a little relieved at that. "That's pretty cool!"

"Yeah... yeah..." Joji looked back on some memories. "Hm..." He remembered some not so pleasant ones, so he wanted to shift topics. "So... how about you Lake? How did you get into ballet?"

"Oh!" Lake didn't expect this to shift to them. "Well... I guess my mom and dad, Ocèane and River Beaumont, are a decently big part of it! I grew up pretty rich, and they wanted me to get into something that was "high profile" so to speak. So after some experimenting of my own... I found ballet! And I've enjoyed it ever since!"

"You grew up rich? No offense... but I didn't expect that from you!" Joji nodded in surprise.

"Oh, well, it's not that important anyway." Lake brushed it off. "I never even knew why mom and dad were so rich. They kinda just... were! But it helped me get my footing in ballet! It helped a lot!"

"How so?" Joji liked learning about Lake.

"Well... money!" Lake giggled and shrugged. "Because of who my parents were, it helped me cultivate my talents a lot."

"I see... this isn't me trying to be mean at all... but I guess you're a "nepo baby" huh?" Joji chuckled. Add another one to the list folks.

Lake chuckled too. "I guess so?" They shrugged. "But uh- yeah. It was that sort of stuff that helped me get to where I am today."

"Nice! I'm glad you found your calling!" Joji gave a thumbs up with his free hand.

"Well... "calling" might be a bit much!" Lake blushed a little. "I don't know..."

"Ah come on, don't be modest! I-" Joji just then realized something. "I know I haven't really seen you perform or anything, but I'm confident you're a great ballet dancer!"

"Now look at you pleasing for the sake of pleasing someone!" Lake put their free hand on their hip with a jokingly smug expression.

"Oh- well I-" Joji got a little flustered.

"But... I'd be fine with performing for you eventually!" Lake cheerily nodded.

Joji raised his eyebrows. "Really? What about- nevermind." He cut himself off rather quickly.

"Huh? What is it?" Lake tilted their head.

Joji gave an embarrassed chuckled. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to dance right now but..." He held his handcuffed wrist.

Lake felt their arm rise. "Ah... yeah." They sighed. "Maybe... maybe after we figure out a way to circumvent this motive. Then I'd be glad to dance for you, or for everyone in fact! If this party goes well... I think having more gatherings like that will be important." They considered the circumstances around Bessie's shows to be... unfortunate, but it'll be an outlier too. They're not gonna let another death happen. No matter what.

"You know what... yeah! That'll be good! That'll be fun!" Joji liked the idea. Even though neither of them spoke this aloud, they were determined to make sure no one else would die. And to do that, they need to focus on positivity. And dancing could be considered fairly positive! "And uh... if you want to, maybe we could... dance together?" He decided to be bold and ask.

"No! No I-" Lake widened their eyes as they realized they raised their tone. "Oh uh- sorry. I didn't mean to shout." They looked down at the ground.

Joji blinked. Hearing Lake raised their tone like that was strange. "Was it that bad an idea?" He didn't know what the problem was. Don't ballet dancers sometimes dance together?

"Uh, well..." Oh god, Lake didn't know how to explain this. "It's not a bad idea... but... I'm sorry! I just... don't really like dancing with others. I'm sorry!" They kept apologizing.

"It's alright! It's okay! No worries!" Joji attempted to reassure his partner. "If you don't wanna, you don't wanna! That's fine!" He felt like Lake's reaction to that was a little much... but he didn't want to invade their privacy.

"Okay... okay thank you." Lake felt a small wave of relief wash over them. Of all the things to be reminded of here...

Joji lightly chuckled. "Yeah... in hindsight, I probably wouldn't have been the greatest partner. I've only ever danced with Kar-" He stopped himself.

Lake blinked. "Hm? Were you about to say something Joji?"

"Uh- no! No! Nothing at all! Don't worry!" Now Joji was the one making acting defensive.

"Um... alright!" Lake innocently nodded, not even noticing how blatantly obvious it was that Joji was hiding something there. "So..." They looked around awkwardly. They didn't expect the conversation to end abruptly like that. "What now?"

"Huh?" Joji shook his head like he was getting out of a trance. "Um... hm." They didn't really have a purpose when they went in here... so now they didn't know what to do. Joji kept looking around the room... until he spotted something. "Lake? The room that stores the wooden boards." He pointed to it.

"What about that room?" Lake tilted their head.

"Was that always open? I remember talking with Kei the other day... and it was wide open then. I don't think I did anything with it that day. But I closed it then. And now... it's open again." Joji bit his lip. It seems random. But...

"Oh. I don't know!" Lake shrugged. "That seems random though. I don't think it'd be important." They didn't see how that would really mean anything.

Joji went to cross his arms, realized he couldn't, then just left his free arm at his side. "...Let's hope you're right." He'd keep a mental note of that for later.

But he went over to it with Lake and closed the door. "Let's get out of here Lake. I wanna walk around." Joji had a sinking feeling... but he tried to ignore it.

"Okay! Where to?" Lake on the otherhand, had no such sinking feeling.

And so, the duo left, with both of them knowing...

That Joji and Lake grew a little closer today!

[Horror Studio]

"Why in the fuck did we come here?" Not even two lines into the FTE, and Alpha was already sick of it.

"Calm your tits! Just trust me!" Genjiro attempted to reassure her.

"This is where you, Kei, Yoshino, and the cat bitch had the fucking orgy right?" Alpha called back to the first prologue part... minus the orgy of course.

"Damn right!" Genjiro firmly nodded. "I woke up with Yoshi in here. And man, lemme tell you, shit was hilarious! So fucking funny!"

"Huh? What was?" Alpha wasn't in on the joke.

"Bitch, I know you've been told about it." Genjiro scoffed. "Yoshi is bat shit scared of the dark. And seeing her freak out in here was so fucking funny!" He couldn't keep himself from laughing.

"God you're immature." Alpha rolled her eyes.

...

But she couldn't deny that she found it funny too.

"Oh shit! Hold on!" Alpha suddenly yelled.

"Huh? The fuck is it?" Genjiro turned to look down at her.

"Before you rape me or whatever, that shit about Yoshino reminded me of something." Alpha adjusted her sunglasses. "I know I'm one to talk, but you're a fucking bully dude. Like fuck. Aren't you supposed to be a wrestler who's an icon of health for kids or some horse shit?"

"Ohhh! Ha ha!" Genjiro laughed and wagged his finger at his partner. "You know about me? Fuck, that's crazy!"

"Bitch what? No I don't!" Alpha defended herself. "My barren ass gas station gets so fucking boring sometimes. And whenever I'm bored, I look up random shit on my shitty internet."

"Oh yeah? And what did you find?" Genjiro started to act smug, knowing that this conversation was going to he talking about him.

"Uh... fuck was it...?" Alpha had to remember. "Oh yeah! Aren't you some public speaker for some shit like children's health? Spouting how excersie is important?"

"Ha ha! That's right!" Genjiro flexed proudly. "I've always liked kids, and I want them to grow up big and strong! Shit like childhood obesity is a bitch!"

"Uh... true...?" Alpha was weirded out seeing Genjiro acting sincerely over something like this. "You actually believe in this shit? It's not just bullshit you're spouting to make the media like you?"

"Uh... shit. Honestly? Yes and no." Genjiro smirked. "It's shit I believe in. And it makes me look good in the public eye. Win-win type shit."

"Tch." Alpha scoffed. "God the more I hear of you the less I like you. You're such a massive asshole."

"Heh. The less you like me...?" Genjiro smirked. "You seemed to be liking me... last night."

"Shut the fuck up!" Alpha pounded a fist into Genjiro's chest. "Nothing fucking happened last night!"

"Something almost happened though!" Genjiro kept acting smug about it.

"Ugh... god I fucking hate you." Alpha wasn't going to give her partner the satisfaction here... but yes, something did almost happen between them. Alpha was stressed and- well, it doesn't matter! "Spout whatever bullshit you want! Nothing happened! End. Of. Story!" She felt annoyed at herself that she would've even considered doing it with a man like Genjiro.

"Yeah yeah... whatever you say!" Genjiro didn't particularly like or dislike Alpha in that way... but he wouldn't of objected if something like that happened. "I've been around the block plenty of times. You know what? I don't even need you!"

"Ha! I feel the same!" Alpha snarled. "I've been with plenty of guys! I don't need a muscle-head like you!"

"Heh... huh." That made Genjiro curious about something. "This is a random ass question... but do you do romance in general? Or do you just sleep around?"

"Bitch! I'm not a fucking slut!" Alpha didn't like what Genjiro was implying. "But to answer the question... no. I don't do "dating" or shit like that."

"No shit?" Genjiro didn't know why he was curious about this, but he was.

"Yeah... bah. I don't like remembering him. That pervy bastard." Alpha groaned and shook her head. "I remember the first "romantic" date I had. It was with some guy named Garcia Belmara. A fucking rat bastard he was."

"Gonna guess he wasn't fucking rats?" Genjiro raised an eyebrow. "But seriously... fuck did the guy do? Get handsy and shit?"

"God no." Alpha scoffed. "We weren't even 18 at the time, and the bitch would beg me to suck him off and shit. We only had one date, and he was constantly asking for sex. Fucking perv."

"Damn. Sounds like a bitch." Even for Genjiro's standards, that was a bit ridiculous. "What happened after that?"

"Well..." Alpha didn't want to explain the exact story which led to them breaking it off. So she decided to skirt around it. "Funnily enough, the bitch broke up with me. Ain't talking about that shit though. So don't even fucking ask!" She stomped her foot.

"Fuck! I get it! Jesus!" Genjiro honesty underestimated how loud Alpha could be. "Personally, I've never had any real "romance" either!" He immediately shifted to talking about himself. "Chicks have trouble keeping up with the "Painkiller" baby!"

Alpha rolled her eyes. She's been rolling them a lot lately. "Don't remember asking bitch. But uh- that reminds me. Way back when we entered here."

"Huh? The fuck are you talking about?" Genjiro didn't remember.

"Ugh... the shit I asked you when we got here?" Alpha wasn't surprised Genjiro had a shit-ass memory. "I asked how you can be so fucking rude to bitches like Adam, all while being a positive figure for the youth and shit."

"Oh... heh heh." Genjiro chuckled. "I'll expand upon my previous answer then!" He let out a smug exhale. "Looking good in the public eye is easy, if you know what you're doing. The public just takes you at your word. And using that, I built my fanbase up and up and up... because I had to reach the peak. As soon as I got that letter from Hope's Peak in the mail... that was it. I felt like being famous was what I had to do!"

"...Okay...?" Alpha had to digest that for a second. "So you became a massive asshole after getting into Hope's Peak then?"

"Ha ha! You could say that!" Genjiro didn't deny it. "Shit... after everything, it's just damn fun to be like this. I've got the fame... and I've got the power... so I get to act however the fuck I want. The public doesn't need to know shit about my "true" self or some bullshit like that.

"Fuck." Alpha blinked. "You really just admitted that shit outright huh?"

Genjiro shrugged. "Why not? I know Phlegm is filming us to keep an eye on us and shit. But she ain't releasing that crap to the public right? It'd be pretty fucking stupid of her to do that!"

"...Holy shit. You really are fucked in the head." Alpha laughed. "So you're fine with acting like your true self, as long as no one is watching?"

"Bingo!" Genjiro flexed like that was something to be proud of. "This feeling... of being able to whatever you want to... shame you can't experience that."

"Bitch? Like I'd ever want to be anything like you." Alpha looked away. "I'm content with my place in life. Living in a stupid-ass gas station, working at a stupid-ass gas station, and thriving in a stupid-ass gas station. I'd never be a fame hound like you."

"Oh yeah?" Genjiro raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Tch. I get you're living all high and mighty up that ass of yours, but trust me man. That shit is gonna come crashing down on you, whether you like it or not. Dreams get fucking demolished. That's how the world works." Alpha took off her sunglasses. "Make one wrong little misstep, like the BDSM bitch releasing her spankbank of footage of us to the world, and that's it dumbass. You're done." She spoke surprisingly sincerely.

"Ha ha ha!" Genjiro punched Alpha's side. "No fucking way that's happening! I'll kill the bitch myself to make sure that doesn't happen!"

"Still so fucking smug?" Alpha groaned. "You've seen the bitch. Taking down a psycho like that is easier said than done."

"Ha! You underestimate me?" Genjiro shot her a saucy look. "Shit is simple. I find my opening, then I attack! I kill the bitch, we all get out of here, and I'm the hero! Ha ha!" He kept on flexing his free arm.

"Didn't take you to be so optimistic." Alpha narrowed her eyes. "Just don't do anything fucking stupid until this motive is over. I don't want to be dragged into any dumbass plan."

"Ha!" Genjiro kept "Ha!"ing. "Like I'd need you! The Genjiro Mashimoto is fine on his own! I don't need nobody! Uncle Ichiro helped me here... but it's all me now. For forever and on!"

"Uncle Ichiro? Who's that? Your gay lover?" Alpha snickered.

"Nah! My legit uncle! My mom was a drugged up junkie, so he's the one who actually took care of me. Well I guess I was in foster care but- fuck it, it doesn't matter." Genjiro brushed the topic away. "Uncle Ichiro helped me get to where I am... but he don't matter no more. I don't need anyone now!"

"An uncle huh?" Alpha thought for a moment. What was he doing right now? Hm... who knows. "...You're fucking insane." She dare elaborate on anymore personal details for this guy.

"Maybe I am! Maybe I'm not!" Genjiro didn't mind being called that. "But we've talked for long enough! It's time to do what we came here for?"

Alpha forgot they had a purpose in coming here. "What was it again? Don't say you forgot or some horseshit."

"Nah! Don't worry!" Genjiro walked them both up to one of the trees. "I train with the trees here. See?" He delivered a strong punch to the tree. "Shit is like a punching bag! It'll do great until I reach my own Ultimate Studio!"

"Implying you ever will..." Alpha muttered.

But Genjiro didn't answer, as he was already consumed in his makeshift workout. Alpha kept heaving heavy sighs watching this idiot go at it...

...

Until she eventually joined in the training herself.

It's hard to say for sure, but I think Genjiro and Alpha might've grown closer today!

[Ultimate Hypnotist's Studio]

"Ah..." Kuroko let out a content sigh as she sat in her Ultimate Studio. She knew that the whole vibe wasn't for everyone... but it was certainly for her!

"Ugh..." Cathy let out a groan as she sat in the faker's Ultimate Studio. This whole vibe wasn't for everyone... and it certainly wasn't for her! "Hypnotist human? Why are we just sitting here? This is boring." She pouted.

Kuroko chuckled. Frankly, she was surprised Cathy wasn't disrupting this more than she already was. Watching Cathy just... go along with her was strange. But she certainly wasn't objecting. "We're just here for a moment of peace-nya. I know you like your chaos-nya..." Kuroko definitely knew that. "But isn't some peace and quiet nice sometimes-nya?"

"Hm... hm... hm..." Cathy seemed to legit think about it. "...No!" She jumped up out of the chair, throwing Kuroko off balance in the process.

"Geez Cathy-nya! What's your deal-nya?!" Kuroko had trouble keeping her temper in check around her partner.

"My deal you say? Nyahaha! You're the one who needs to explain their deal!" Cathy pointed an accusatory finger at her partner.

"Wha-? What did I do-nya?" Kuroko, confused by what Cathy meant, stood up and got her bearings.

"Oh please! Humans always love to play dumb!" Cathy shook her head.

"You- gah!" Kuroko stomped her heel-clad foot on the ground. "Can you just tell me what you mean for once instead of skirting around it-nya?! It's so infuriating-nya!"

"Nyahaha! Calm down faker! I never said I wouldn't!" Coming into this motive, Cathy was dreading how this might go. But honestly, seeing how easy Kuroko gets riled up helped her cope with this arrangement.

"...Are gonna say anything-nya?" Kuroko had no more patience for this.

"Yes yes! I will! You humans are so impatient!" Cathy shook her head again. "But what I wanted to say... what's the deal with that "-nya" nonsense?"

Kuroko blinked. "Huh? What do you mean-nya?"

Cathy also blinked. "...Huh? What do you mean "what do you mean?"" She seemed baffled.

"...What are you asking about-nya?" Kuroko also seemed baffled.

...

"...Let me reword my statement." Cathy wasn't sure what just happened. She didn't understand humans, and she hoped she'd never have to. "Hypnotist human... everything about you is just so phony! It's ridiculous!"

"What?!" A dash of anger got thrown into Kuroko's confusion. "Why am I a phony-nya?!"

Cathy let out an annoyed sigh. "It's just like a human to not listen. Didn't you just hear me?" She let out a deep exhale. "You prance around in these tight and over-sexualized clothes... you only hypnotize female humans... but the main ridiculous thing are those ears... that tail... and that silly tic of yours. You're a faker. You're creepy. You're exactly the type of human I despise." She explained with a surprisingly serious tone.

"Wha- I- But-" Kuroko was at a loss for words. She didn't know how to respond.

"At a loss for words? Hmph." Cathy rolled her eyes. "Well now you know! Nyahaha!" She went back to being smug.

"Well... well... what about you-nya?!" Kuroko returned the accusation. "You call my outfit tight-nya? This is just what I wore in my stage hypnotist days-nya! But you wear even less than me-nya! Even I'm not that bold-nya! And it's not your business who I choose to hypnotize or not-nya! It certainly wouldn't be you-nya! And... again, I'll dress however I want to-nya!"

"Nyahaha! A classic human maneuver!" Cathy covered her mouth as she laughed. "My outfit is so I can be stealthier when I'm stealing from dirty humans like you!"

"Hah! You call me creepy-nya? You're the one stealing from innocent people-nya!" Kuroko was ready for the cat fight.

"Nyahahaha!" Cathy added one more "ha" to her signature laugh. "Innocent people you say? Once again, you're absolutely clueless! I don't steal from the rare and infrequent innocent humans!"

"...So... who do you steal from then-nya?!" Kuroko really wished Cathy would just continue her thoughts herself.

"Nyaha!" Cathy shortened her laugh again. "The greedy and the selfish of course!" She flicked Kuroko's forehead. "It's no fun stealing from the few good humans! Though I still will!"

This conversation was giving Kuroko whiplash at this point. "So... two things-nya. How'd you even start stealing in the first place-nya? And... there are good humans in your opinion-nya?" She didn't know how to approach this anymore.

"Nyahaha!" Cathy seemed proud. "I started my escapades as a cat burglar after I witnessed firsthand how horrid humans can be. And after that... I'd witness it again and again. You have no idea the things you hear while you sneak through these miserable homes!"

"Like... what-nya?" Kuroko was starting to get curious.

"Hm..." Cathy didn't think she'd end up talking about this with the faker of all people. But eh! Who cares? "Well, I first targeted the people who wronged me. And it was there where I eavesdropped and learned about more scummy humans. So I kept stealing and stealing and stealing... taking these miserable objects that the humans didn't deserve! Nyahaha!"

"I... kind of got that already-nya." Kuroko should've known Cathy would skirt around it, like she usually does. "I was asking about the sorts of things you'd hear-nya?"

Cathy narrowed her eyes. "And why would I divulge that information to you?"

"Huh?" Kuroko felt a migraine coming on. "If you're just going to keep shutting down the conversation, I'm just going to ignore you-nya!"

"Nyaha! Relax! Again, you are so easy to rile up!" Cathy laughed. "What did I hear? Well... if you're seeking an honest answer... I won't say. When I was younger, it was a lot of human terms I admittedly didn't understand. Things such as "Taking advantage of her while she's sleeping" or "Let's destroy that innocent barn for a miserable shopping mall" or "Let's take all his money" and so on!" She said it anyway.

Kuroko sighed. "That second one seemed oddly specific-nya..." She shook her head. "So... I guess I understand why you steal from humans then-nya." She felt like she was still missing context... but it wasn't worth it to try and get it. "What was that first one though-nya?"

"Huh? Oh." Cathy snickered. "You humans and sex. The fascination you have with it is disturbing!"

"Sex?! Ah-" Kuroko stopped herself. Huh... that first thing made a little more sense now. "You've been exposed to a lot of the bad sides of humanity haven't you-nya?"

"Pfft! I don't want your pity! Save it! Nyahaha!" Cathy deflected any sort of pity from her partner. "Besides, all of that has told me... that humans... or even goddesses... are all the same. Heh." She smirked. "There's the wrestler human beating on the academic human. The gas station manager human being nasty to everyone. Then in general most of the humans here have secrets hidden deep in their cores! Including you! Your phony and promiscuous talents are great for abusing, manipulating, and taking advantage of-

"Hey!" Kuroko got right up in Cathy's face. "Don't you DARE imply I use my talents to abuse people! Listen, I get you've probably seen some messed up things! But can PLEASE just shut up about this stupid fucking faker business?! I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you just existing and making my life worse for no reason! So can you PLEASE get off of my case, and don't you fucking dare imply I manipulate and do nasty stuff with my patients! I just want to help people! And I'm sick of you! I'm sick of mom! And I'm sick of dad just being so rude about it!"

...

"Hmph." Cathy turned her head away. "I... take back what I was going to say."

"You... do?" Kuroko tried to catch her breath.

"To be clear, you're still a foolish faker, no matter what. Your cat persona is an utter phony, no matter what you say." Cathy stayed looking away. "...That's it." She didn't offer an apology, nor any more explanation.

"...Okay." Kuroko didn't think she'd be ranting like that today. "Sorry... I just hate the idea of people using hypnosis for sick fantasies-nya. And I hate people who assume I do too-nya."

"I can definitely see that. You even dropped your ridiculous tic!" Cathy pointed out.

"I... did-nya?" In case you didn't notice, Kuroko didn't end any of her sentences with -nya in her rant!

"You did!" Cathy pointed out again. "That's why I listened! You didn't end your words with nonsense!" She turned her head back around. "You truly don't notice that silly tic?"

"I... what? What do you mean-nya?" Kuroko still didn't get what Cathy meant.

"Ugh. Whatever!" Cathy rapidly shook her head. "Nyahaha! That's enough seriousness! I didn't ask to grow closer to you!" She quickly changed her mood.

"Well I didn't ask to grow closer to you either-nya!" Kuroko countered. You know, considering this was an FTE between the cat girls, Kuroko honestly didn't know what she learned here.

"Nyaha! Fair enough faker!" Cathy snatched Kuroko's fake cat ears off of her head. "Now c'mon, you don't need these right?"

"Wha- really?" Kuroko was just tired of this now. "Give it back Cathy-nya!"

"Oh? And what're you gonna do about it? Nyahaha!" It seemed Cathy could only be serious for so long.

"Seriously Cathy-nya?" Kuroko tried to reach for her stolen cat ears. "First you break into my drawer, and now this-nya?"

"Nyahaha! You spout nonsense! I didn't break into any drawer of yours!" Cathy kept laughing as she held the cat ears out of reach.

As the cat girls ran around the room... it was a little uncertain if Cathy and Kuroko grew a little closer today. Did they? ...I don't know!

"And... there-nya!" Kuroko managed to snatch her ears back. "Don't take them again-nya!" She tried to make sure they were more secure on her head.

"Nyahaha! Well make sure they aren't out in the open for a cat burglar to steal then!" Cathy flicked her partner's forehead again. "Anyway, isn't it about time?" She changed topics quick as she pulled out her Star-Phone. "It's 8:00 PM. It's time for you humans to indulge in alcohol!"

"Oh wow! Time flew by-nya!" Time flies when you're... not having fun? "Let's go Cathy-nya! I don't want to keep everyone waiting-nya!" Kuroko ran to the door.

"Slow down hypnotist human!" Cathy now saw what is was like to be on the opposite side of being dragged around.

"Okay! Let's-" Kuroko tried to open the door to leave.

...

"Wha-?" Kuroko tried again.

...

"What the-?!" Kuroko kept trying.

"Really? You can't open a door?" Cathy deadpanned.

"No... it's not that-nya." Kuroko shook her head with a concerned look. "It's... it's locked-nya. But this door... doesn't have a lock-nya."

"...Oh?" Cathy raised an eyebrow. "Nyaha! How bold! It seems a human is already planning a murder! And locking us in is a part of it? Ha!" She shoved her partner out of the way. "Move it! Let me handle this!" Cathy got working on trying to see what was up on the door.

Kuroko quietly watched her partner work. She... she had a bad feeling about this...

...

[Comedy Studio]

"Everyone relax! The most anticipated pair has arrived to the party!" Genjiro burst through the door to the Comedy Studio with a flex.

"Um, I'm sorry to burst your bubble Mr. Mashimoto, but the most anticipated person has already arrived!" Pheme was already sitting down at the bar, acting like she was one of them.

"Bitch! Shut up! I know everyone was waiting for me, not you!" Genjiro got surprisingly sassy there.

"Every fucking time with you..." Alpha was getting tired of rolling her eyes, yet she did so again. She then pulled out her Star-Phone. It was 8:03 PM. She looked around. Everyone was here except for the pairings of Ji-hoon/Kei and Kuroko/Cathy.

"The pussies and the gays ain't here yet?" Alpha frowned as she looked around. "Even the ebola bitch is here!" She meant Rosalind, in case you didn't know.

"I am indeed *cough* here." Rosalind sipped on a glass of wine. "Should I leave?"

"You don't gotta go nowhere!" Kei walked in with a smirk, with Ji-hoon obviously right behind him.

"I know we're not very late, but I apologize anyway." Ji-hoon checked his Star-Phone.

"What were you guys up to?" Yoshino decided to ask first instead of someone like Alpha, who would presumably accuse them of something "gay" like-

"Sucking each other off I'm assuming? "theoretically speaking," this handcuff shit is kinda kinky." Alpha spoke anyway, even briefly mocking Adam while she did.

Kei chuckled. "That is, in fact, not true." He shook his head. "We were just talking about stuff. Nothing to worry about."

"Exactly." Ji-hoon didn't exactly want to divulge any details yet.

"Well... I'm g-glad you were able to join us!" Ayaka tried her best to be a good host.

"It's a pleasure." Kei winked, then went with Ji-hoon to sit down.

"Ah yeah! This'll be a damn good time!" Genjiro pumped his arm up into the air, then dragged Alpha behind him to sit down at the bar counter.

Darren, who was naturally behind the bar counter, saw him approach. "What do you want?"

"That fucking rum of course!" Genjiro pointed to the bottle of rum that had his name on it, figuratively speaking.

"Coming right up." Darren got moving to prepare some shot glasses with the rum for Genjiro.

"I suppose I'll help." Damien sighed as he held his head in his free hand the whole time. He basically was forced to help out here. Because there was no way Darren was just gonna sit back and do nothing here.

"Alright." Darren answered, despite Damien not asking for one.

Damien had, against his will, been given a small primer on bartending from Darren. So he had a slight idea of what he was doing. "This is... ah. Wrong drink." He accidentally picked up some Gundo Sake.

"Gundo Sake huh? That's not bad." Darren spawned in a drink of his own and took a sip. "They say it was first brewed a long time ago. They also say it evokes a bold flavor- a mix of the far east and the wild west. It makes you feel like a gunslinger." He gave more referential lore.

Damien narrowed his eyes. "Sake can make you fell all of that? Really?" He hadn't indulged in sake before.

"Yeah. Probably." Darren went back to preparing Genjiro's rum.

Damien just sighed and put down the bottle. "I wonder if my dear Kuroko will be able to feel that when she has a taste...?" He muttered to himself.

...

"This Okukik wine is rather..." Aurora took a sip. "Good."

"I'm glad to hear that bestie!" Raiha took a sip of her own, generic wine. She didn't deserve any referential alcohol. "BTW, why'd you pick that brand or type or whatevs?"

"Yes! Tell me too!" Pheme intruded on their conversation. "I was surprised when I heard that you wanted the same type of wine as I, Ms. Beaufort. Is this an attempt to get in my good graces perhaps?" She tilted her head

"Uh- no." Aurora had to keep telling herself to be careful whenever she talked to Pheme, considering her freakout yesterday. "Sorry, but I've always been a fan of the wine. It tastes rather nice... like a shrine maiden who can see dead people." She took another sip.

"Oh, I so get what you mean!" Pheme sat down next to Aurora. "It's a rather pleasant drink!"

"Uhh... sure." Raiha kinda got the ick when Pheme sat down with her and her bestie, but there wasn't much she could do. "So..." She didn't know what to say now.

"Oh, don't mind me!" Pheme somehow drank her wine through her mask without spilling it. "Continue on!"

Gabbing and gossiping with Pheme watching them? That was easier said than done...

...

"I'm g-glad that this is going well." Ayaka contently sipped on her own drink.

"Yeah... this... isn't bad." Rival wasn't drinking anything, but even he couldn't deny that he didn't hate this atmosphere.

"Oh, that's Laki-Laki Vodka right?" Suddenly, Darren. (And Damien)

"Huh? W-Well... yeah." Ayaka showed Darren the bottle.

"Hm... that's a pretty good one." Darren picked up the bottle with his free hand. "It's said that Laki-Laki was first brewed by a young girl, who kinda just threw a bunch of random stuff into a cup... and she somehow made vodka. She was said to be a pretty chaotic girl." He gave the final piece of referential lore.

"I... didn't k-know that." Ayaka didn't choose the vodka for any particular reason. She just wanted to give something a try.

"Are you just a... walking lore machine?" Rival narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe." Darren shrugged.

"Excuse me, should we not get back to preparing Genjiro's drink?" Damien interrupted.

"Oh! D-Don't let me interrupt you!" Ayaka shook her head.

"Nonsense! You are never an interruption my dear Ayaka!" Damien reassured her. "...But we should probably get back to Genjiro and my dear Alpha now."

"Yeah." That was all Darren said as he left Ayaka and Rival.

"...I don't get that guy." Rival frowned.

"Well... I-I think he's probably fine." Darren didn't seem harmful... so Ayaka decided to hold a modicum of trust in him. "Do you w-want to help him?" She was probably the second most skilled bartender here now.

"...Fine." Rival saw no reason why not, so he went with Ayaka to help hand out drinks.

...

"Are you enjoying yourself Lake?" Joji didn't mean to come off like a dad, but he kinda came off like a dad.

"Yeah! I am!" Lake didn't hesitate on their answer. "A bar isn't really my preferred atmosphere or anything, but this is fun! It's just... everyone hanging out! I like it!" They happily nodded.

"Good! I'm glad to hear that." Joji got a beer, but he hadn't drunken any yet. After Bessie and Aelia... he wasn't sure if the group would be able to achieve an atmosphere like this again. But... he was wrong. And he was glad. "Don't be getting too used to this Lake! Don't wantcha getting a taste for the nightlife!" He joked.

Lake giggled. "I... don't think that would happen, no matter what." They were just content where they were. And they hoped it would stay this way...

...

"Excuse me, Darren? Shouldn't you be *cough* getting Genjiro his drink now?" Rosalind pointed to the impatient wrestler.

"He's fine! I don't want the guy boozed up." Yoshino groaned.

"Shut up Yoshi! I've been waiting days for this shit!" Geniiro didn't appreciate Yoshino denying him his dreams.

"I wouldn't get in the way horror bitch." Yeah, that's what Alpha calls Yoshino. "Big man can probably handle his alcohol anyway. And if he gets handsy, he wouldn't even go for paper tits like you."

"Whatever! Fuck off!" Yoshino rolled her eyes, not too bothered by Alpha's insult.

"I r-really can't understand how t-those two can j-just... say things like that." Adam decided to say something. "I m-mean, logically s-speaking, it's a waste to use brain p-power on that." He offered his logical opinion.

"Damn right..." Yoshino sighed and shook her head. "Well, they seemed to be occupied with each other anyway. Let's just chill by ourselves yeah?" With the exception of the obvious disruptive pairings, Yoshino was having a good time at the party.

"R-Right... that sounds good." On the other hand, a party was basically the opposite of Adam's preferred environment, so he... was kinda eh about everything so far. But as long as-

"Yo! Nerd! Yoshi! Get over here!" Genjiro called the pair over. "I want to peer pressure you!" He was refreshingly honest."

And here we go. "Ugh..." Yoshino groaned. "Let's see what he wants." Genjiro was the type of bully who just couldn't be ignored. If anything, being ignored causes him to bully more.

"O-Okay..." Adam took a deep breath.

...

"Shouldn't you be watching Pheme, Genjiro?" Yoshino raised an eyebrow as she went to sit next to the wrestler.

"Uh, I am? See?" Genjiro cocked his head towards Pheme, who was sitting next to Alpha, so she was one seat away from Genjiro.

"Hi Ms. Akiyama!" Pheme waved. "I hope you're having a good time!" Pheme giggled as she sat next to Aurora. But the starlet and her bestie were trying their best to ignore the goddess's stifling presence.

"Uh... yeah." Yoshino didn't want to humor Pheme in the slightest here.

"S-So... why did y-you call us over here Genjiro?" Adam got to the point.

"Ha ha! Here you go!" Genjiro handed Adam a shot glass full of rum. "Darren and Damien took their sweet fucking time preparing this shit, so Ayaka gave this shit to me instead. So c'mon!"

"T-This is... y-your rum?" Adam blinked, eyes wide.

"Yep! Have a taste man! A bitch like you needs to loosen up, c'mon, I'll let you go first! Make you a man! Lord knows you need some masculine energy! Ha ha ha!" Genjiro slammed his shot glass of rum down on the bar counter as he laughed his ass off. "You want some too Yoshi-"

"No!" Yoshino shoved the offered glass back at the wrestler. "And Ade, you don't gotta do shit you ain't comfortable with."

Adam kept staring at the shot glass, wordlessly.

"Nah man! Go first and get some of that good shit in your veins!" Genjiro brought out some (corrupted) peak peer-pressuring.

Alpha didn't even do anything, as she was too busy attempting to mentally fuck off.

"Ade, don't listen to him!" Yoshino was getting tired of this.

"C'mon nerd-"

"C'mon Ade-"

"C'mon nerd-!"

"C'mon Ade-!"

Like a metaphorical angel and devil, Adam kept getting conflicting messages. But... he didn't actually have to think too hard about it. In fact... Adam took small sip of the rum. "W-Woah!" The impact of the drink hit him faster than he would've calculated.

"Hey! There we go!" Genjiro looked Adam over. "Must be some good shit then." He narrowed his eyes. "Bottoms up!" He began to down some shots.

"Ade..." Yoshino sighed.

Adam nervously chuckled, then held up the glass to his lips again. After a second, he set the full glass down on the bar counter. "I f-figured that'd be the l-logical way to get him to b-back off. And... he did!" He seemed a little proud.

"Oi... if you say so." Yoshino shook her head. "You feel alright? Lightheaded or anything?"

"No! N-Not at all!" Adam also shook his head. "Logically speaking, t-this amount of alcohol s-simply isn't enough to have any n-negative effects. So I am fine." He logically explained.

"Shit... if you say so!" Yoshino couldn't believe how smart Adam could be sometimes. "But man..." She looked at the unopened bottle of Gundo Sake sitting on the counter. "Roko and Cathy ain't here yet."

"It's 8:30 PM." Alpha checked her Star-Phone. "Those pussies must be getting up to some kinky shit."

"Wait, they're not here yet?" Ji-hoon overheard as he and Kei walked up to the group.

"You fucking blind? Of course they're not!" Alpha looked around.

"Are you fucking blind? Why're you looking around?" Genjiro took a break after his seventh shot.

"Don't fucking even!" Alpha slammed her hand down on the bar counter.

But in the meantime, Ji-hoon didn't care at all about Genjiro and Alpha's squabbling. "They're... not here." He felt a sinking feeling.

"Hm..." Kei narrowed his eyes. "I feel like Cathy is fine. She's not the type to go down easily. But Kuroko..."

...

"We're here-nya!"

"Nyahaha!"

After being over thirty minutes late, Kuroko and Cathy burst through the door to the Comedy Studio.

"Roko?! Cathy?!" That actually scared Yoshino a little.

"Goodness... that almost made me *cough* spill my drink." Rosalind got startled too.

"Oh... I w-was wondering when you two were going to show up!" Ayaka felt a little relieved seeing everyone officially show up.

"Ah, Kuroko. How are you?" Aurora casually asked.

In fact, no one seemed to notice the worry on Kuroko's face. Cathy didn't look any different.

"Kuroko... what's wrong?" Ji-hoon noticed the worry on her face.

"It- It-" Kuroko didn't know exactly what had happened to her and Cathy but-

"Yo Kuroko!" Genjiro yelled out. "Good you're here! I think you dropped this shit earlier?" He pulled something out of his pocket.

"Wait... huh-nya?" Hearing that threw Kuroko off of her train of thought. "What is it-nya?"

"Here!" Genjiro tossed the thing over to the hypnotist. He wasn't sitting too far from the entrance, so it was a fairly short toss.

Cathy was tempted to intercept it, but she for once decided to not intervene.

Kuroko caught it with surprising ease. "What is... this...?"

...

"A... letter opener...?"

...

"I... I... I... I... I-I-I-I-I-I-" Kuroko's whole body started to shake. Blood started to trickle out of her nose.

"Holy shit! Roko?!" Yoshino quickly stood up.

"W-What- W-What is happening?!" Adam didn't expect this.

"Oh?" Pheme stared intently at Kuroko, a curious expression on her masked face.

"What the fuck are you doing?" It was unclear is Alpha actually cared about what was happening.

"Kuroko?!" Aurora held her hand over her mouth.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-" Kuroko's eyes started to roll up into the back of her head.

"My dear Kuroko?!" Damien ran out from behind the bar counter.

"Damn it!" With what Ji-hoon knew about Kuroko, he was afraid of this happening eventually.

"What in the- hypnotist human! What's wrong with you?!" Cathy attempted to get through to her partner with words.

"Is she having a seizure?!" Joji was no medical expert, but he stood up and rushed over to her. "Kuroko? Kuroko?! Can you hear me?!"

"..." Kuroko was still breathing, but she had become unresponsive.

"Jesus Christ!" Alpha didn't flinch or move at all, but she still frowned at the sight. "The fuck did you do dumbass?!" She punched Genjiro's arm.

"What?! How the fuck is it my fault?!" Genjiro didn't take any blame. "The bitch dropped this, so I gave it back to her! I didn't think she'd have a fucking seizure!"

"Shut it! It doesn't matter!" Joji yelled from over his shoulder. "I'm taking her to the infirmary!" It was awkward, but Joji managed to heave Kuroko over his shoulder. It left Cathy and Lake in weird position though. "Sorry Lake! But we're going!" He apologized to the one he actually cared about.

"It's fine! J-Just help Kuroko!" Lake didn't know what was happening anymore, so they just shakily went along with it.

"Carpenter human? What are you-" Cathy found herself being dragged along against her will.

"Hold on Jojo! We're coming too!" Whether Adam liked it or not, Yoshino stood up and ran after the duo.

...

Then, they were left with an awkward silence and eleven people. "Well then! Wasn't that exciting?" Twelve people, counting Pheme. She sat back down, adjusted her drink, and took another sip. "Alrighty then! Back to it!"

"Uh... wha? How TF can we just go back to partying after that?" Raiha seemed very confused at what just happened.

"Yes... that was..." Aurora slowly took another sip of her wine. She... didn't know how to react to that.

"...Genjiro?" Ji-hoon sternly turned to look at the wrestler. "Did you know that would happen?"

"What?! Fuck no! How is me returning something to someone a criminal act now?! What the fuck?!" Poor Genjiro :(

"...Hmph." Ji-hoon wasn't sure if he believed that.

"That's pretty interesting though. All you tossed was a letter opener right?" Kei raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! Crazy fucking reaction!" Genjiro threw his free hand up into the air.

"Crazy is a... *cough* fair way to describe it." Rosalind didn't even know how to process that.

"Yes... I wonder how that would trigger a seizure? Is that what that was?" Aurora pondered as she took another sip.

"I'm not sure what that was..." Damien couldn't help but be concerned for his dear Kuroko. "But... let's go. I wish to check on her. I-" He glanced at his dear Ayaka. She was currently looking down at the ground, guiltily. "My dear Ayaka-"

"Gah!" Aurora suddenly held her hand over her mouth.

"Wha- bestie? Are you feeling sick?" Raiha didn't think that Aurora drank enough to be sick, but she thought she may as well ask.

"...Aurora?" Rival actually seemed a little concerned.

"...What's wrong?" Darren eyed the starlet.

"It..." Aurora spoke shakily as she removed her hand from her mouth. Blood covered her entire hand.

*BLERGH*

Aurora threw up blood all over the floor.

"Aurora?!" Raiha widened her eyes.

"Woah! Holy shit!" Even Alpha was a little thrown back by that.

"...That's not good." Darren spoke with the slightest hint of worry in his voice.

"...R-Raiha..." Aurora tried to still speak with blood filling her mouth. But... "I..." She passed out onto the ground, dragging Raiha with her.

"Aurora?! Aurora?!" Raiha tried shaking her bestie's body. She was still breathing. But...

"Goodness! This keeps getting more interesting!" Pheme had the opposite of a normal reaction at the sight before her.

"Shit!" Ji-hoon ran over to the starlet. "Kei! Anyone else! Give me a hand!" Kei wasn't a huge help, but the duo picked up the unconscious starlet. "Go! Now!" Ji-hoon barked out orders like a drill sergeant as he jumped into action. Kei just went along with it. The duo then ran out of the Comedy Studio, Aurora in hand, with Raiha shaking the whole way.

...

"Let's go!" Damien called out to the remaining people in the Comedy Studio. He could tell that his dear Ayaka was feeling especially down, but he'd have to soothe her later. Now... there were more important things to do as everyone left the Comedy Studio.

[Infirmary]

"Move! Out of the way!" Ji-hoon charged into the infirmary, Aurora in hand.

"What the fuck?! Aurora?!" Joji immediately turned around at the sight of nearly everyone else entering.

"Wait- what happened to Aurora?!" Lake widened their eyes.

"I think she was poisoned." Kei answered before setting her down on one of the beds. "Isn't there anything in here we can use?"

"F-F-For poison?! I'm n-not sure..." Adam was ashamed to admit.

"Let's look around Ade! C'mon!" Yoshino got to action.

"We'll help you!" Ji-hoon and Kei went to help them.

...

In the meantime, sensing that his dear Aurora would be taken care of, Damien wanted to check on the status of his dear Kuroko. "Joji? How is my dear Kuroko?"

"Ah, well..." Joji and Lake moved to give her clearer shot of the still shaking Kuroko, and an unhappy Cathy. "I don't think her life is danger. She keeps muttering things... but I think she's fine. She might just be out of commission for a while."

Lake didn't say anything. They just looked down sadly.

"Well... at least she's fine." Darren took solace in that.

"There are plentiful questions I'd like to ask her... but we'll have to wait." Damien sighed.

"Yeah, I'd like to too! Because now I'm stuck here!" Cathy didn't show an ounce of care for Kuroko's well-being, as she just pouted while she sat next to the bed.

"Too bad Cathy!" Joji wasn't in the mood. "But enough about Kuroko for now. Was Aurora really poisoned. I thought we..."

"Hm..." Damien thought about it. He, along with Joji, Ji-hoon, and Kei, had taken care of the poisons that were present in his Ultimate Studio. Or... did they? ...He might have to go back and investigate his room again. Let's hope that they didn't miss anything.

"H-Here!" Adam shouted out, holding a small bottle of medicine. "T-This... might work?" He unconfidently claimed as he brought the medicine over to Aurora, who still had blood trickling out of her mouth.

"Yes! Thank you Adam! Give it to Aurora!" Raiha was panicking.

"You sure it'll do Adam?" Ji-hoon needed to make sure.

"Y-Yes! Theoretically s-speaking, this should work!" Adam swallowed any doubt, and with help from Yoshino, helped Aurora take the medicine.

...

"Uh... nothing is happening?!" Raiha was still panicking.

"It'll b-be fine! It'll work!" Adam got a surge of confidence. "It just... n-needs time. I think... y-yes. It'll work." Now his confidence was all over the place.

Yoshino took a deep breath. "Let's... hope." This day proved to be more exhausting than she would've thought. At least... no one died.

Rosalind was staying silent throughout this whole ordeal. "If they have truly been *cough* taken care of... should we depart? I'm no medical expert, but shouldn't we let them *cough* rest?"

"I-I'd like to do that." Ayaka spoke, currently feeling horrible about herself.

"...Yeah. I know Cathy and Raiha are here... but we should leave someone else here... just in case." Rival suggested.

"Joji and I will stay!" Lake immediately volunteered. "It's getting late... and I won't be able to sleep at all like this! I want to stay here and make sure that Kuroko and Aurora are okay!"

"I'm okay with that too!" Joji firmly nodded.

"...Alright. Good idea Rival." Ji-hoon nodded. "I feel alright leaving this with Joji and Lake. Both of them are... trustworthy."

"Thank you Ji-hoon! We won't let you down!" Lake was glad to see that they had confidence in them.

"W-Well... l-let me just i-inform you of a few things then." Nobody here was a medical expert in the slightest, but Adam was the closest thing they had to one. So he went over a few things with Joji and Lake. "T-That should do it. Just... m-make sure they're fine. Please." He spoke sincerely.

"Don't worry!" Joji gave another determined nod.

"Alright then... I'm not sure how I'll be able to *cough* rest, but I'll depart anyway." Rosalind left the room.

"Yes... let's let my dear Kuroko and my dear Aurora rest." Damien heaved a heavy sigh, before slowly leaving with Darren.

After them, everyone else slowly trickled out, not without leaving some good vibes for Aurora and Kuroko. They were just grateful that nobody was going to die. They still did know that Aurora wasn't out of the woods yet... but still.

...

After everyone had left... "Aurora... Kuroko..." Lake looked down at the girls sadly.

"Lake. They're... they're gonna be fine." Joji did his best to comfort his partner. In reality, he didn't really know. But... he had to hope for the best, no matter how difficult if was.

"...Aurora..." Raiha looked down at her unconscious bestie. She didn't say anything else.

"...Hmph..." Cathy looked down at her unconscious non-bestie. She didn't say anything else.

As it was getting late, Damien and Darren brought in a few chairs for Joji and Lake to rest on. Neither of them felt comfortable sleeping in the last remaining infirmary bed.

Both Joji and Lake were sitting down. "I... I'm tired." The ballet dancer admitted as they felt their eyes threatening to close on them.

"Yeah... I am too." Joji sighed. Cathy was currently trying her best to sleep while staying as far away from Kuroko as possible, and Raiha couldn't fall asleep yet. She kept looking at Aurora with a sad expression. "But... of all the ways for this to go. It's... fuck. I'd thought this party would've amounted to some good but... I guess not." He really wanted to figure out the truth behind Kuroko's seizure and Aurora's poisoning... but he had to be patient. That was something best left for when these two were better. But for now...

"...Joji..." Lake quietly muttered. They had fallen asleep, and were currently laying on his shoulder, using it like a pillow.

Joji chuckled. "You really weren't lying were you?" He looked down with a thin smile. "I'll let you sleep. This... was probably a lot." He sighed... and felt his own eyes start to close on their own. Maybe... maybe he could shut his eyes for a little bit too... and get some rest...

...

"Attention my glamorous stars! It is now 11pm, and that means it's night time! It's time to go to bed, and get a good night of beauty sleep! Sleep well my stars!"

...

*CLICK*

...

*CLICK*

...

Joji slowly opened his eyes. Shit... how long had he slept? The infirmary was currently shrouded in darkness. He tried to focus on Aurora and Kuroko. Raiha was still here... sleeping next to her partner. But Cathy was gone. Hmph. He wasn't surprised. She was such a...

...

Wait. What?!

Joji immediately stood up.

"Wah!" Lake felt themselves falling to the floor. Quite the rude awakening.

"Joji...?" Raiha slowly opened her eyes. "What's the-" She stopped herself as she realized Cathy wasn't here. She looked down at her handcuffed hand and... they were off. "Wha- Wha- Wha-" She didn't know how to react.

"Shit!" Joji was able to move both of his arms too. The handcuffs... were off. So that meant...

"No... no!" Lake reacted before Joji could. "No! This can't mean-!" They refused to believe it. Like a ballet dancer possessed, they ran out of the infirmary.

"Lake! Wait!" Joji didn't expect them to run out. "Raiha! Stay here!" He yelled out before he ran out after them.

[Grand Lobby - 2F]

"Lake! Slow down! Don't go alone!" Joji saw them go up the stairs, but he underestimated how fast they could run. But he needed to catch up to them. If they were to come across a body... he didn't want them to witness that. He wanted to protect them.

"Lake! Lake!" Joji kept yelling out as he reached the second floor.

"Joji?! What are you-"

"Shut up!" Joji heard others already on the floor... but he didn't pay attention to them. He saw Lake enter Bessie's Ultimate Studio. "Lake! Hold on-"

He couldn't finish his thought... as he heard something... he wished he wouldn't have to hear ever again.

...

"Attention my glamorous stars! I have something very important to tell you all! What is it? Well... a body has been discovered! Everyone, please report to the Ultimate Pop Star's Studio at once!"

...

The... Body Discovery Announcement... no! No!

"KYAAAAAAAAA!"

Joji heard a scream. That was... "Lake! Hold on Lake!" His concern for the ballet dancer overtook him as he ran into Bessie's Ultimate Studio...

Or, he at least tried to. "Fuck!" Joji tripped over something that was laying outside of the Ultimate Studio. "What the- huh?" When he looked to see how he tripped, he found Rosalind's Parasol. "This is Rosalind's- no! There's no time! Lake!" He got up and ran into Bessie's Studio...

[Ultimate Pop Star's Studio]

"Lake! Lake! Are you okay? What happened?" I ignored my surroundings and ran over to Lake, who was currently kneeling on the ground, shaking and crying.

"Joji... Joji...!" Lake pointed at the stage, tears staining their cheeks.

"The... stage?" I looked where Lake was pointing... and it was then when I saw it. Not just it... I saw everything.

"What the...?!" I didn't even notice it when I ran in. But the entirety of Bessie's Studio was utterly trashed. Blood covered the seats and center isle like a morbid painting. Seats were busted and broken, with all sorts of debris everywhere. It was... insane. But... that wasn't the most shocking thing here.

Because... up on the giant blood-covered stage... were two bodies.

The first one lay in a pool of their own blood... with blood still trickling out of their mouth. Their lifeless eyes were facing towards me... and it was chilling. But not just chilling... it was... impossible. Improbable. Insane! This didn't feel like reality. I felt my whole body shake. Was this a nightmare? It had to be right? Right?

...

No. I couldn't lie to myself. This... was no nightmare. This... was reality. And in this reality... I couldn't deny that...

...

Genjiro Mashimoto, the Ultimate Wrestler... was dead.

...

But... that wasn't all. After all, another body lay across from him on the stage. This one... also layed in a pool of their own blood, with blood seeping from various wounds on their body.

...

It didn't take long for me to acknowledge this one. I... knew this was real. And... I knew who it was. I mean... who else could it be? Who else could the second body be but...

...

Alpha, the Ultimate Gas Station Manager.

Hoo boy! Here we are! The second victims... and it's Genjiro and Alpha! Were you surprised? Shocked? Did you expect it? Tell me your thoughts! I'd love to hear them!

Now... before we get any further...

Thank you so much Grandma Sue for giving me Genjiro! You know, throughout the first chapter, I always felt like I was writing him poorly. I wasn't sure what is was... but I just always felt like I could've been doing it better. But the feeling went slightly away upon reaching chapter 2. But that's not the point.

In the end, I enjoyed Genjiro a lot! His larger than life personality, how vain he was, and how he was an overall bad person! I accepted him roughly a few hours after I got his form, and I don't regret it! He was a lot of fun... especially his interactions with Alpha. And boy do I have stuff to say about that! I'll save it for later though. But fitting for Genjiro, he added a certain flair and life to the group... but he can't add that now! Because he's dead!

Quick funny story. Throughout the acceptance process, I'd add characters to a hypothetical death order as I accepted them. A lot of it was merely vibes... vibes I'd expand upon later. But by the end, I had everyone in the death order right? Nope! I completely forgot to put Genjiro in a hypothetical spot at all! But that didn't matter too much, as when I did accept everyone, I removed everyone from the death order and made a new one, now with the knowledge of all nineteen characters in my mind. Some people didn't change, but it overall allowed a more fluid death order. So I ran with it for a week or two... until I again forgot to put Genjiro on it! I don't know how that happened. So, I did some moving around, and here we are.

For 95% of the time, I had Genjiro as the chapter 2 victim. It felt right for him to die here. I won't explain everything yet... but yeah.

For the other 5% though, I had him as the Chapter 2 Killer for a time. But... it was for a short time, as I quickly changed him back to victim. And... it's better this way.

Grandma... I hope you enjoyed how I wrote Genjiro, and I hope you look forward to finding out who killed him! Once again, thank you so much! He was awesome!

But now... let's not forget the...

Wait.

Do you guys... hear that? What is that? What's... that sound? Is it coming from...

...

"Oh my god..." I said breathlessly. How... how in the-

...

"U-Ugh..."

...

Wait... what?

"G-gah-" Alpha stirred back to life, blood dribbling from her mouth. She slowly turned her head over to me. "Y-You... h-help me..." She spoke weakly... before passing out once again.

"She's... she's..." I didn't know what was happening anymore... but I knew one thing for certain.

...

Genjiro Mashimoto was dead... but Alpha... was still alive!

Oooooo sorry Epi! So close! Better luck next time! It's not Alpha's time to go yet! But isn't that crazy?! After all the fancy rules for this motive... it looked like there only ended up being one victim! I have a lot to say about how my thought process went for this case... but I'll save that for the epilogue.

For now... Genjiro is dead. Alpha is barely alive. What happened? Who killed Genjiro? Who almost killed Alpha? Tell me your theories! I'd love to hear them!

And I hope you look forward to getting your theories confirmed/disconfirmed!

Glamorous Stars Remaining: 16

Adam Brooks - Ultimate Academic [PROJECT DRAMA]

Alpha - Ultimate Gas Station Manager [Epifanio Therion]

Aurora Beaufort - Ultimate Starlet [WolfieRed23]

Ayaka Naganohara - Ultimate Violinist [Sempi]

Catherine Munchkin - Ultimate Cat Burglar [Nekoja]

Damien Lux - Ultimate Beautician [oddlyillregular]

Darren Taylor - Ultimate Bartender [Otterplay]

Ji-hoon Jo - Ultimate Celebrity Detective [TheRoseShadow21]

Joji Kaneshiro - Ultimate Carpenter [SureJahn]

Kei Aikawa - Ultimate Lawyer [theotakureader101]

Kuroko Kurobara - Ultimate Hypnotist [MrUtenaHolic]

Lake Beaumont - Ultimate Ballet Dancer [KadachiNova]

Raiha Miyahara - Ultimate Trendsetter [Prince PokePersona]

Rival Seizon - Ultimate Backing Vocalist [SinWriter7]

Rosalind Reinhardt - Ultimate Cinematographer [Orlando Butler]

Yoshino Akiyama - Ultimate Horror Novelist [DeathlyJazzHands55]