Forum Thread

Hisoka Yamanaku

Different places? The words echoed in Hisoka's mind. That... was odd. Very odd. He didn't like that in the slightest. What motive would an ordinary student have to say that...? Or were they that much of a naïve fool?

He suspected the former. There was something about Keiki that seemed off to him.

I need evidence. Get them to speak.

Decisively, Hisoka let his head tilt to the side. "Different places? What on earth do you mean? Surely there's no reason not to attend? Not only will it be less dreary than this terribly boring school, show us our enemy's cards, and keep our secrets safe from the others, we'll ensure that we maintain a semblance of record and gather more evidence as a conducive whole as of the identity of the Mastermind."

Niwa perked up, curiously. He was looking at Hisoka now. As was Amano, albeit with a very strange expression.

"I don't want to take that risk," Amano said quietly. "I agree with Keiki. There are other things we can do."

---

Keiki Meyumi.

"Unlike some people- I wouldn't want to see other's secrets. They might see mine, and I would have to spend the rest of my days here paranoid of others- I don't want that. You might think I'm stupid, but to that I say screw you. I'm not going- I don't care what anyone says." Keiki burst out.

They were starting to show the angry side of themselves- the one Keiki would prefer to keep hidden. It only causes trouble anyways.

Amano Tetsuo

Oh- Keiki's mad. Normally, Amano'd try to calm such a person down. But right now, he just felt too numb to care.

Fortunately, Niwa looked uncomfortable too. He reached over and awkwardly patted Keiki on the shoulder. "Calm down," he whispered. "It's okay. You're right. We won't attend tomorrow."

"Anyone who wishes to attend, please speak up." No pleasantries. Just get the message through. "Right now. So we're all clear."

Hisoka shot him a look he couldn't decipher. He didn't look angry exactly, but he didn't look very happy either. "Of course, I will be attending."

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't." Suko giggled under their breath. "Who knows? I don't! Let's set a fire!" They smiled directly at Amano. A worm of uneasiness inched in Amano's chest. He tore it out with a sigh.

"Alright. Do you have any ideas, Keiki?"

---

Keiki Meyumi.

Keiki took a breath to calm down. "...I've seen a few places where the ones who wouldn't want to attend could go. We could go to the cafeteria area....stay here- or go to the pool. Why there's a pool here is a question I've been asking myself for a while. Nevertheless- that could be somewhere we go. I don't know-" Keiki shrugged.

Third Person POV

"A pool!" Niwa cried. "What a wonderful idea!" Hisoka turned to stare at him. Niwa blushed and ducked behind Keiki.

"Fine." Hisoka's voice was tense. "Any fool who cares naught for their own life can go have fun at a pool. Anyone with sense can arrive at Monokuma's meeting tomorrow. Capiche?"

---

Suzume Fujimori's POV

". . ." Suzume sighed. "Look, I'm going to be honest about this situation. This is a very difficult decision for me to make. But. I think for my own safety, and for the safety of others... I'm going to go to learn the motives. After all, knowledge is power." And power can make all the difference in a sadistic game where everyone has to kill one another.

"Megami? Are you planning on going?" she asked her friend. Wait. Her friend. Had Suzume seriously just thought that?

No one was her friend here. No one would ever be her friend.

Right?...

Kowai Kurai's POV

Kowai yawned boredly. “I meeeeean, I guess I could go. But then the next trial might be too easy! I don’t want that,” she pouted. “Besides, I don’t want to kill anyone…” A distraught look came upon her face. “Although, come on, who would kill anyone right now?”

---

Hisoka Yamanaku

You, more than any of us, Hisoka thought, shooting a glare at Kowai.

"So," he said smoothly, trying to draw her attention to him. "Shall we go? Share what you have discovered with me?"

Niwa looked more interested. He started trying to inch around Keiki- coward- and towards Hisoka. But Hisoka turned away, and nodded to the exit. "Lead the way."

---

Kōun no Megami
"I... suppose i'll go. People will learn my secrets regardless, so I might aswell learn theirs."

---

Buraddo Jemu
"I'm going to the pool, I could care less about the motives."

---

Majikaruman Dōseiai-shadearimasu
"I'll sleep on it."

Niwa Atsushi

Hisoka sneered derisively, but he didn't look away from Kowai. What were those two crazies thinking? Niwa started to sweat.

Fortunately, Suko broke the deadening silence. "I'm staying for the motives!" Oh, of course they'd want to go to the po..oo...l... Nope. Everyone had briefly gone totally mad. Guess they were all stuck.

"Alright," Amano breathed out. "We've got our group." Amano didn't look happy either. Niwa uneasily wondered why. "I suppose we'll be having Lightsout soon. We'd best get to the dorms."

And just like clockwork, the Monokuma message blared from the speaker.

"Lightsout in ten minutes! Lightsout in ten minutes!"

---

Kōun no Megami
I quickly walked to the dorm room I shared with Suzume. Good thing I swapped with Keiki.

---

Buraddo Jemu
I sprinted off down the hall.

---

Majikaruman Dōseiai-shadearimasu
I simple disappeared in smoke, soon appearing in a dorm.

Niwa Atsushi

Niwa grimaced at the loud blaring above his head. "Guess I'll head to my dorm..." With an uneasy feeling, he recalled that he shared one with Amano. "Um... hey, Keiki, uh- you're with... Suzume, right? Is it okay if I come over? Or you come over? Either's fine, I just..." He gave Keiki his best puppy eyes, tugging on a strand of purple hair. "I don't want to be alone..."

Ultimate pout initiated!

---

Amano Tetsuo

Amano didn't care about any of this. He just didn't want anyone to die... not like Nagisa. He clasped his hands together breathing in and out as deeply as he could. Perhaps he'd feel better tomorrow. But today, he was scared of everyone. Including himself.

"I'm heading back to my dorm," he said softly, more to himself. He turned around and- stopped. Hisoka was staring at him. Those amber eyes he'd come to dread so much were fixed on him. And now they looked directly into his eyes.

Amano felt a shudder run up his spine. That was the most terrifying sight he'd ever seen.

He quickly left the room, heading straight for his dorms.

Even along the way, he still felt eyes on his spine.

---

Hisoka Yamanaku

How odd. Amano was fearful? Another mastermind? Both Keiki and Amano, and no! He needed to stop being paranoid. This was all ridiculous. There was no need to add another layer of fear to an already tense situation.

He just had to make it to morning.

Which wasn't all that easy, considering the person he was meeting just before Lightsout.

"I'm heading to my dorm," he said curtly. "No one is to follow me." There. That was a clear message. He swept out of the room. No one was looking at him..

Except that odd one, Suko. Their eyes resembled hers so much-

Hisoka shuddered and shut the door behind him.

---

Suko Nobu

So many secrets. Suko almost laughed. Oh god. Everyone was so stupid. This wouldn't keep them alive. They'd all die... they'd all die...

They felt their fingers trembling. They ordered them to stop.

They were shaking now.

"I'm heading to my dorm!" they announced cheerfully. "I'll kill anyone who comes after me~ Ahahahhaha~" But in actuality, they had no dorm. They had a totally different plan on their agenda.

They smiled grimly.

It was time.

---

Keiki Meyumi.

"Puppy eyes don't work on me Niwa...but fine-" Keiki smirked. "If that's all right with Suzume, of course.."
They muttered.

"Come on then- I'm tired. Very tired." Keiki walked to their dorm.

Niwa Atsushi

Niwa did a mini air-pump. Success! He hurried after them. "Yes! Dorm time! We're going to have a sleepover!" A desire to laugh was suddenly bubbling up in his chest. He gave a delighted giggle and looped his arm through Keiki's. "Let's go!"

---

Narrator

Hisoka and Kowai met, as per their arrangement. The two of them spoke in low, rushed whispers, both aware of the ever-ticking time that was slowly inching down to zero. The two parted. Suko hid in the bathrooms, listening to the both of them. Perhaps they had heard something, perhaps not. But all three made for their separate ways.

Hisoka headed down to the dorms. He knocked on each individual door, waiting for a response.

Suko hurried to Femi's, and gave a few rapid knocks. When no response came, they picked the lock and slipped inside.

---

Keiki Meyumi.

Keiki gave Niwa a strange look.

how can he be happy...we're in a murder game for goodness sake...

They shook their head a forced a smile.

'"Alright."

Third Person POV

Niwa smiled blindingly at them. He looked so happy. As if being with Keiki was all that he wanted.

The two of them made their way to Niwa and Amano's shared dorm. The door was wide open. Niwa poked his head in. Amano sat on his bed, staring endlessly into the wall. Niwa cleared his throat to announce their arrival and shut the door behind the both of them.

Amano still did not react. Niwa offered Keiki one of Amano's spare blankets and his own pillow. "Do you want to take the bed?" he asked in a hushed voice.

---

Keiki Pooyumi.

Keiki shrugged. Their eyelids were drooping. "I- uh...I don't know-" They muttered sleepily. "Anything's-" They paused briefly to yawn. "...fine-"

Keiki's head slumped down, and their eyelids closed briefly. They were so close to falling asleep on the spot.

Niwa Atsushi

Niwa smiled, despite himself. They were so stupid, weren't they? Just a fluffy dumb bunny. Friendly, he reached out and patted them on the head. "Okay. Here, let me guide you." He hooped their arms together and guided Keiki to the bed. He helped them sit down, then pulled back. "I'll sleep on the floor, then, I guess-"

"Why're they here?" Amano asked. His hazy eyes were lidded. Niwa shivered. "Don't they have a dorm?"

"Uh- well, they'd be alone, in that case..." Niwa bit his lip. "Since they swapped with Megami. Who had Nagisa."

"I see."

---

Keiki Meyumi.

"Thank....you.." Murmured Keiki. They fell asleep in an instant, eyes scrunched up, preparing for the onslaught of nightmares that always happened. Their fingers gripped their bedsheets tightly, Keiki bit their lip to stop themselves from screaming. It happened every night, always did.

But they didn't want to make a fuss. They had to hide this, from Niwa, from the others.

Keiki had nightmares about what was to come. About what could happen.

They winced as a knife pierced their side. It was all bad dreams and such, but in their head, it was all real.

Keiki didn't want to die. They hated dreaming about it.

Third Person POV

Arms wrapped tightly around Keiki. "I'm here," a voice whispered in their ear. "I'm here for you." Slowly, after the other two people had drifted off, Niwa pulled free from Keiki.

He stood, staring down at them. His eyes softened. He put another blanket on top of them, then curled up on their nest on the floor.

Tonight, the night lasted mere hours, not days as it had the day before.

...
...
...

Morning

Morning came, and with it, Amano was as chipper as he had been the morning before. "Wakey wakey!" He singsonged, tearing the blankets off his companions.

Niwa groaned, burying his head in his pillow. "Noo... don'... don' wanna..."

Amano seized Niwa by the armpits and dragged his limp body up. "Time to get up~ We're heading to the pool today!"

Niwa dangled limply in his grip, making no move to put any weight on his own legs. "mmmmmmph..." Amano gave a breezy laugh and let him crumble onto his makeshift bed.

"It's morning, guys~! We gotta wake up!"

---

Keiki Meyumi.

"Frick off." They murmured sleepily, putting a pillow over their head.

Keiki's nail beds were bloody masses, they'd been biting them in their sleep.

"And go away."

A tear ran down Keiki's face, obscured by the pillow.