CHAPTER 1 · 9 · Beauty and the Beast

“Andi’s… chest…
Jan… wasn’t wearing his make-up… his make-up… anymore…
Andi’s chest…”

“RIIIIISE AND SHINE, URSINE!”
“WH-WHAAAAAAAT?!”
A wave of sheer terror passes through my body, forcing my torso to dart up and my eyes to open wide.
“Oh yeah, ring-a-ding-a-ling or whatever alarm sound I was supposed to make, who cares. Don’t forget to treat each new day as if it were you last, upupu!”
Wh… Was that Monokuma’s voice, coming out of the speakers?
Oh, what am I thinking. Of course it’s him!
“Uuugh… Has he been doing this every morning..?”
I was always a heavy sleeper but… I really hope today’s the only time he decided to wake us up screaming, for numerous reasons.
It’s actually odd that I was somewhere between being awake and asleep already… Given that I’ve been sleeping through the mornings lately. Now that I think about it…
What’s even weirder is that the last thing I remember thinking about was Andi’s chest.
…
Was it that comfortable?
“Aaaah!”
I violently shake my head and quickly get out of bed. I’m sure she’d love me to be thinking this right now, but I’m not falling into her trap!
I’m a lot more motivated about seeing everyone today than I have been previously, I don’t know why, but I’m definitely fine with this. I take a shower, put on some “new” clothes and get out of my room.
I’m not necessarily in a good mood… I don’t know how to describe it. I feel bad because of what Monokuma brought upon us, I feel bad whenever I think about Keith, but still… This morning especially, I feel ready to take on the world.
Is this all because I got a good night’s sleep?
Ah, who knows. First of all, I should check on Keith—I’m thinking that I should ask anyone staying in the room if they’d like to eat breakfast before I get to the main building. Finding the door to Noah’s room open, I figure everyone must be awake, and I barge in to see…
…


The most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

I think. Keith, Andi and Noah have fallen asleep on the same bed, all over each other. Noah’s face down right next to Keith’s shoulder, and Andi’s… Aah… Too cute! Do I ship it? I think I-
“Hello.”
Oscar’s voice makes me jump a little. I turn around and notice that he’s still standing right next to the door, on the exact same spot he was yesterday. And man… He looks even scarier than usual.
He gets a little closer.
“You think they look adorable too, don’t you?”
“Yeah, totally..! But, uuh… You? Aren’t you a little tired?”
“Yes, of course. When they are awake I will go to sleep.”
“Okay…”
He’s expressionless as always, but it’s obvious he’s exhausted. Did he really stay up the whole night, guarding the three of them.. ? I feel really bad for him, especially since he probably didn’t have to…
But hey, how about I guard the room for him while they’re still sleeping? This way he’ll be able to go to sleep a little earl-
“Hrm…”
Oh, well, maybe I don’t need to. I turn around and see Keith trying to move his arms, his eyes closed, probably not having yet realized that Andi and Noah are in the way.
“Dammit…”
He opens his eyes with difficulty and looks to both his sides.
“Aw no, not you!”
He says, not loudly at all, like he’s not actually trying to wake anyone up. He however starts to slowly force his arm away from underneath Andi—should I let him do his thing before I try to talk to him?
“Nooo…”
Ah, Andi seems to be awake too. In that case, that’s perfect, Oscar will…
“Please… stop… Let go…”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Is she… talking in her sleep?
“Let me go… Please…”
And now she’s starting to… Cry?
What is happening? What is this?!
“Wh-“
She suddenly grabs Keith solidly by the shoulder.
“No… No… No….”
He darts his torso up and grabs her by both shoulders.
“HEY! … Hm-Arh-a-”
… Quick to let her go, having gravely hurt himself.
“ARRRHG!”
All of this is happening so fast, I don’t even have time to react! Keith’s now completely tense, his arms crossed, unable to find a position, changing from one to another so fast it looks like some monster is inhabiting him.
Unsurprisingly though, this all woke Andi up. She lets go of his shoulder and looks lost.
“Wh-What’s happening?”
“Fuuuck..!”
I hear some sort of growl, turn my head slightly, and notice Noah’s massaging the wounded part of his face. Again, this all happened so fast. A second ago, he was sleeping over Keith’s arm… Did he get thrown to the side when Keith suddenly grabbed Andi? I didn’t even see it.
“Are you o-“
“Are you okay?”
… I was thinking about Noah myself, but I guess Keith’s a good person to ask this question to as well, huh.
“Do I… Look… Okay?!”
He clearly doesn’t.
Noah lets out a long sigh and softly grabs Keith to force him down again.
“Hurh…”
Grimacing, Keith lets himself be moved around; Noah gets on top of him to fix the position of his makeshift orthopedic belt, while Andi gets out of the way to stand beside the bed.
But she stares at me before she calls to me, not giving me any time to figure out whether I should be jealous of someone or not.
“Hey, Devin, care to explain what just happened?”
“Why would she call me…” Oh, who cares. I shouldn’t question anything too much whenever Andi’s involved…
Or should I? Now I’m the one grimacing.
“You… Seriously have no idea?”
She blinks multiple times in a row very quickly.
“Dude grabbed me by the shoulders screaming “hey!”, which woke me up, and hurt him because he’s broken all over the place.”
…
After a pause, she does look at her own hand.
“Oh, I was holding his shoulder too, wasn’t I?”
She looks confused and slightly surprised – until she doesn’t anymore. Her expression suddenly changes to what seems to be sheer fear.
“How long have I been awake? Wow, have I been doing stuff this whole time and I completely forgot just now? Fuck, this is only getting worse…”
“No… That’s not it.”
I haven’t been paying attention to the two of them, but Noah’s now off of Keith, standing next to the bed as well, reaching for his notebook, while his “patient”’s now staying perfectly still, barely daring to turn his head to look at us. While his voice seemed full of strength when he yelled at Andi, it’s now devoid of it again, instead filled with pain.
“Huh?”
“You were… Talking in your sleep.”
“I… I… I was?”
“Saying some really worrying stuff… You even grabbed me pretty violently.”
White as a sheet, she doesn’t answer immediately.
…
And suddenly colorful again, she laughs.
“Oh, okay then! Guess I was just having a bad dream, that’s alright.”
If I had to guess what my face looks like right now, I’d go for the exact same as Keith’s; completely disillusioned.
“Man, you two should chill! Hey, if it’s because I woke you up and all, I’m sorry. Can’t say I won’t do it again… Oh well, I’m not sure you’ll let me into your bed once more, eh?”
Keith sighs.
“Sounds about right.”
“Oookay…”
I don’t want to say it, but I’m starting to think Andi may actually be clinically insane. I wonder… I truly wonder how she feels.
Noah’s still writing for some reason, and looking at him, I realize I haven’t been paying any attention to Oscar since Keith started waking up. I turn around and here he is—still standing in the exact same place.
“Hey, now that everybody’s awake… You should go get some sleep.”
“No.”
He doesn’t move an inch, not even looking down to see me. He seems to be staring into nothingness.
“No..?”
“No… I can feel it.”
“You can feel what?”
How long has she been right behind me?!
“Danger.”
“… Wow. Okay.”
I can’t see her, but I’m willing to bet she’s dramatically backing away.
And I myself don’t really know what to say at first… Because if Oscar’s saying this, it means…
Ah, no, I don’t want to hear it. Come on.
“Are you really sure? I think you may just be tired. What Andi just did was definitely worrying, but…”
“I said you should chiiiiillll!” she whispers, from near the farthest wall.
“… But it most likely doesn’t mean anything. Not everything has to make sense with her.”
“Yep.”
Does she think I can’t hear her?
Oscar finally looks at me – he actually stares at me for a while, in silence.
“It’s there.”
He closes his eyes, stretches his arms, and finally turns around to leave without another word.
…
“I’ll ask him about it again once he feels rested.”
Before I can look behind me again, someone taps me on the shoulder. It’s Noah, who walks in front of me, smiling, and hands me his open notebook. It says:
It takes me a little while to read, but as soon as I’m done, I look at him again, starting to feel myself smile again.
“Yeah, I’m doing totally fine! I woke up feeling pretty motivated, so whatever happens, I’m confident that much’ll last all day.”
Why am I saying all this? I don’t think he cares…
Or you know what, maybe he does. Why do I keep bringing myself down? I said I’d stay motivated today, so I can’t let all this anxiety or whatever it is make me think I’m always wrong! Noah’s smiling sweetly, as always, anyway.
“And sure! What do you need?
He takes back the notebook and quickly scribbles his answer down before he hands it back to me.
This part takes me a while to read too… I was persuaded he was going to ask me to bring him some food again.
“Uuuuh, sure!”
I hand him the notebook back.
“Any particular reason you want to see her?”
He marks a pause, visibly taking time to think about it, before scribbling again.
Reading this when he shows me the page, I silently nod. Why not… After all, anyone needs to have a talk with their closest friend every now and then. Though I can’t help but wonder if it has anything to do with Chris’ abilities… Her knowledge of muscles, or something? Or maybe the fact that only she knows when she’ll be able to be here to translate his words.
There are so many possible reasons, and after all, they’re none of my business.
“Yeah, okay! But since…”
“Alright buddies, I’m heading out. Don’t miss me too much!”
… Andi walks by us and leaves the room.
“… Since she was on guard duty last night, she’ll probably sleep for a while.”
Noah nods, and scribbles one final thing.
“I see…”
I take a glance at Keith, and notice that he’s closed his eyes. Waking up must have been exhausting… What a terrible thought. I’m glad Andi left so that he could get some rest.
I look at Noah again.
“Can I leave you alone then? I didn’t get to eat yet.”
He nods, smiling again. It makes me smile too.
“Okay then… See you later!”
I turn around and leave.
Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have been so loud, since Keith must have been trying to sleep. But it’s too late now, so… Guess I’ll be more careful in the future.

I head out of the dorms and quickly go to the main building’s dining room. In there, I find Alice, Chloe, and my new best friend Andi again. She’s just getting installed while the two others seem to be almost done with their breakfast.
I catch a glimpse of their conversation before they notice me.
“… Well, Noah wrote that he hates writing. So he was actually glad that I was there to do the talking, even though Keith hates me.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say he hates you…”
“Eh, it’s just a word, you know. Oh, hi again, bro.”
“Oh, so we’re bros now?”
“Hells yeah!”
“’sup bro?”
“… Hi, Neo.”
I giggle. At least they’re being in character.
“Hello! What’s for breakfast in here?”
“Just check the kitchen, Chloe and I laid out some stuff when we got here.”
“Oh okay, thanks!”
I head in, and find a lot of different types of breakfast foods. I pour myself a glass of apple juice, grab a few viennoiseries and go back to the dining room.
“Sit with us!”
Of course. I sit next to Chloe, facing Andi.
“We don’t see you up this early that often.”
“I know… I was woken up by Monokuma’s uuh… screaming.”
Alice lets out a dramatic sigh.
“He does that eeeevery morning!”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah, it surprised me the first morning too, but I’ve been ignoring it since.”
“Well, you’re lucky… I tried to, but I really can’t.”
“Shit takes some training.”
Alice and Chloe are done eating, while Andi’s happily gulfing down a bowl of cereal.
“I’m fine with getting up early… I just wish he didn’t even exist!”
“Same.”
Andi’s frank answer makes Alice laugh.
“Oh, well, at least it brought us some new company this morning.”
She’s looking at me—I laugh awkwardly.
“I wasn’t that far from waking up anyway..! Does everyone wake up at the same time everyday?”
“Roughly. If we don’t count the guarding rounds.”
“Ah, yeah, that’s right. I wonder whose turn it is today.”
“Jan’s usually the first to get up, though.”
“Hmm, that’s true… He’s usually the one to get breakfast ready. I haven’t seen him yet this morning…”
…
…
“… But he did say he was tired last night, so he probably needs his beauty sleep.”
“Yes, that’s it.”
Don’t think about it, Neo. Jan… He’s fine. He’s gonna be fine.
“Prolly. I wonder where the brat is, though.”
This is torture.
“Hm… Mina, right? It’s more peaceful without her anyway…”
Torture.. !
“No, you can’t say that!”
Without even realizing it, I turned around to face Chloe completely.
“It’s not! It’s only peaceful when we know for sure where she is, and how she is! You could never say that… You could never say that if she were really gone..!”
Looking completely shocked, she stays silent for a minute.
“Uuuh…”
*crunch, crunch*
Andi’s enjoying her cereal.
“I… I’m sorry… Was I being... Insensitive?”
Her innocent, lost-looking face suddenly makes me come back to Earth.
“Wait, uuh… No..!”
“I would never… Of course, I would never wish for something so terrible to happen to Mina… I just thought… It was nice to eat breakfast with different people, for once…”
“Yes, I, uuuh…”
Now I’m looking lost too. Of course… What was I thinking? I’m the one who’s… Obviously, I’m the one who’s…
“You’re worried, Neo, is that it?”
It takes me a few seconds to answer.
“Y-yes… I think so.”
“Well, you shouldn’t take it out on others…”
Yes… I bring my hand to my face in a slow facepalm. I’m so ashamed, I don’t know what to say…
“But in that case, I’ll have to do something to reassure you.”
“What?”
I turn my head to look at Alice again. She’s smiling confidently.
“I said I’d look out for you, right? If that’s what it takes to make you feel better, then I’ll go annoy literally everyone to make sure they’re safe! And if you don’t hear me screaming, you’ll know they are.”
“That… sounds easy.”
Why was that my reaction?
“Of course it is!”
She gets up and grabs her used dishes.
“So, does that work with you? I’m sure you’re not the only one who needs to know.”
Staring at her, yet again, I don’t immediately know what to say.
“I… Guess. It’s a good idea.”
“Then I’m off!”
She goes to the kitchen and back here, to leave us with a peace sign. I’m speechless.
Andi’s just done drinking the milk from her bowl.
“You people here are so cool. The guys at home should learn a lesson or two from you.”
“The guys at home? Do you mean your family?”
Chloe’s facing the table again—wait, what? Are we done? Really? But I haven’t even had the time to say sorry yet!
“Nah, ya girl lives on her own. I mean whoever surrounds me, you know? Friends, neighbors, managers.”
“Oh, I see… But why are they your friends if you don’t think they’re “cool”..?”
Andi laughs loudly.
“I don’t need them to be amazing as long as they’re entertaining enough for the time we spend together. I’m exaggerating, though, some are really cool…”
She smiles.
“Like that cute guuuy… What was his name? He’s been paying me a few drinks after concerts lately. Long red hair, those innocent blue eyes, a few tattoos… I didn’t think much of him at first, but I think he’s growing on me.”
Chloe’s cheeks are slightly pink.
“In that case… You’d like to go home where you get to have drinks with your friends, right?”
“Hmm, yeah, that’d be cool. But I don’t miss ‘em as much as I miss my guitar!”
She buries her head in her hands.
“I miss her so muuuuch!”
“Your guitar’s a… she?”
“Ah… I see.”
Andi seems to be done whining already, because she suddenly stands up.
“You know what, I’ll go search for a xylophone or some shit. I just need a break!”
She practically throws herself back into the kitchen with her empty bowl, then out, aaaaand she’s gone.
Chloe and I are left alone.
“… I think I can understand.”
I look at her. She’s staring a the wall in front of us… Is she ignoring me?
“Hey…”
“Hm?”
Guess not. She immediately turns her head to look at me.
“I’m sorry for getting upset right now… I really didn’t think it through.”
It's okay. I don’t feel as depressed as I would have the days before… But I feel really uncomfortable and awkward. Poor Chloe… Alice is right. I shouldn’t take my anxiety out on others… I need to be more careful.
“Ah… Isn’t that just the way people react when they’re scared?”
“I… Uuh… Why? I mean…”
I guess it’s the way I reacted when I was scared just now…
“We witnessed Lois react almost the exact same way when we first met… So that’s what I’m figuring.”
“You’re… Probably right.”
She seems to be figuring this out quicker than I am, but…
“Hey, Chloe… Why is it that you’re only learning now to… Understand people, I guess?”
From what I gathered, that’s what she’s been doing.
“Hmm… I don’t know…”
“You don’t?”
She looks towards where Andi was sitting.
“Should I tell you about my life..? I think it’s safer not to.”
… I just don’t know how to react. I didn’t know Chloe would have something to hide…
“But it’s not just about my life… I think it’s my personality too. To others, I may be the one who’s weird, but… Andi tells me she’s the same, so I’m thinking maybe it’s okay, and I just need to learn at my own rhythm.”
“Andi’s…”
“… the same as Chloe?” Hm…
“Yes. She says she doesn’t always understand others as well, that she just can’t grasp why they feel certain ways… But well, the difference is, she says she feels like everything is much easier in her own head.”
Does she really think that?!
Chloe looks at me again.
“In any case… It’s okay. I’m glad you said you were sorry. So, what are you planning on doing today?”
I don’t immediately know what to think, but finally find myself smiling. Things work themselves out… Of course, as they always do.
And I actually have plans in mind.
“Oh, well, then. Since I missed the first few days we spent here… I was thinking about trying to search for an exit again. Maybe there’s something that I missed… Who knows, you know?”
“Ooh, that’s a very good initiative!”
She nods enthusiastically.
“I’ve been trying to do it every now and then, but I think the others just aren’t doing it anymore. Why is that? Did they give up? Or are they waiting for something new to appear?”
“I… don’t know.”
And I think maybe I don’t want to know.
“In that case, would you like to go with me? You could tell me what places haven’t been searched thoroughly enough, in your opinion at least.”
“Hm, sure.”


And it was decided—I quickly finished my breakfast and we both left the dining room.
We immediately got to work, starting with the “outside”. We searched around the closed dome, to no avail, and looked at every single wall in false hope that there’d be a hidden door somewhere. Inside the dormitory, we searched the small storage room which held nothing interesting, and I noticed that this time, Noah had closed the door to his room.
Without Oscar nearby, that was the safest bet.
We then came back inside the main building and proceeded to search every single room, until our mission led us upstairs—towards which I rushed, curious, because I heard a quiet hum coming from the right.
Here’s who I found…
“Aaaaaah! Hellooooo!”
“Oh boy.”
“So that’s who’s guarding the weaponry room today.”
Emily, who was kneeling on the floor, gets up incredibly fast, and jumps giddily.
“Emily’s glad to have some company! I was so bored!”
We instinctively got closer to her.
“Hey, tell me, Emily… Why do you do this..?”
“Whaaat?”
“Which thing that she does could she wonder about the most?”
“How you talk in third person sometimes… I would have guessed it was a gimmick, but… You don’t really seem to be taking it seriously, since you switch from “she” to “I” from a sentence to the other.”
“Ah..!”
Emily looks away, like she’s taken aback, and even a little nervous.
“Uuuh, Emily doesn’t knooow, it’s just sooo… random, you know?”
“Oh, that’s worse than usual.”
“Why would you lie?”
“Aaaaw, Chloe, you’re so crueeeel!”
Emily laughs nervously, but it seems to help her calm down. Soon enough, she’s simply smiling, looking incessantly at each of us one after the other.
“You got me! Em… I mean, I really want this to be my gimmick, but I keep forgetting, you know?”
She then looks away for a second.
“Hmm… But that’s not it!”
How deep can it really be?
“Emily’s used to doing it this way now! Like, I think that it depends on what I’m feeling.”
“Depending on what you’re feeling, you’ll… say either “I”, or “Emily”? What marks the difference, then?”
“Uuuuh…”
She ostentatiously looks up at the ceiling while she’s thinking.
“I know!”
Then back at us.
“So, when Emily has enough time to think about what she’s feeling, she says it using third person. But when she says something as soon as she thinks it, she uses first person! Like, most of the time.”
“So… When you don’t think about it beforehand, you just forget, is what you’re getting at.”
“I see… I think I understand.”
“Do you?!”
“Yaaay! Emily’s glad because our bond is stronger now!”
She lifts both of her arms up, looking genuinely enthusiastic.
“… Surely.”
“So, uuh…”
All of her attention is now turned to me.
“It’s your turn to guard the room, right? Are you doing it all alone?”
She immediately shakes her finger right in front of my face.
“Nuh-uh! It’s not my turn.”
“Huh?”
“Wh-What?”
“Today is Isabella’s turn! But she was feeling sick so Emily told her she would take her turn for a few hours so that she can wake up a little later. But Emily can’t guard the room all day because tonight’s her turn, so she needs to be rested!”
“Wait, really?”
“Oh, is Isabella going to be okay?”
Our interlocutor nods.
“Emily thinks so! Because Isabella said she needed some rest. Emily said she could guard the room all morning but Isabella said she didn’t want her to and she’d try to come as soon as possible!”
I take a glance at my handbook… It’s past 11AM already. Is Isabella really going to show up..?
Emily suddenly gasps.
“BELLAAAAAA!”
Immediately getting around us, she starts running towards, you guessed it, Isabella.
She’s extremely pale but grabs Emily in an embrace.
“Are you okay, sweetheart? I’m so sorry it took me so long…”
“Hm-hm! Are you okay? Time went by sooo slowly…”
“Yes… I am… Still a little tired, but everything’s fine, see? I managed to get up, and here I am.”
Emily lets go of her girlfriend and stares at her for a few seconds, before she turns around to look at us.
“Do you think she’s okay?”
“Uuuuuh…”
What am I supposed to answer to this?!
“Come on, Emily, I’m the only one who can answer this question.”
“Hmmm…”
She sounds a little frustrated.
“Well, you do look exhausted, Isabella.”
“I know, I… I know.”
She slowly starts to walk closer to the room, with Emily right behind her.
“I’ve been feeling nauseous for hours and hours, but… I’m a little better now. All that is left is tiredness, but I can get over it.”
Now that she’s in front of the door, she sits against it.
“But Emily doesn’t understand why you’d be sick! We always eat the same things!”
“Honey… I told you already that it was probably the shock of what happened yesterday.”
“But Emily’s fine..!”
Tears are starting to appear on the corners of her eyes.
“Hey now…”
“She wants to give you her feeling fine so that you can feel better…”
Isabella lifts up her hand to grab hers.
“Why would you have to?”
“Because seeing you feel bad… Makes Emily unhappy… But Emily needs to always be happy…”
“That isn’t true.”
“Yes it is!”
Emily’s still holding back her tears.
Should I… Say something too? I think about it, but it turns out Isabella’s doing just fine by herself.
“You do not… have to always hide your feelings. Tell me, Emily, how do you feel whenever you compliment me?”
Emily falls down to her knees and grabs Isabella’s hand with her own other hand too.
“Good!”
“Why is that?”
“Because it’s the truth!”
“In that case, don’t you think you could assume that saying the truth makes you feel better?”
Emily looks down at the floor.
“Sweetheart, how do you feel, just now?”
She looks at the floor for a little longer before she lifts up her head to look at Isabella instead.
“I’m… I’m scared!”
She says this so suddenly and so loudly that Chloe and I jump a little, but we both choose not to say anything. A tear finally falls down Emily’s left cheek.
“Me too.”
She hugs her once again, and both stay completely silent for a minute.
So do Chloe and I. We look at each other—I expected her to look confused, but she looks rather concerned.
This interaction… Is so bittersweet. Isabella being so pale, Emily breaking character…
… Ah, I wonder if she really did.
She’s the first one to let go of their embrace.
“You’re right, I feel better now.”
…
I look at Chloe, but she’s simply looking at the scene, with the exact same expression she had a second before.
But…
“But it’s not just about being truthful…”
Emily’s voice…
She kisses Isabella on the cheek before standing up.
“I love you.”
It’s ever so slightly different…
She turns around and starts heading towards the stairs.
“Hey, where are you going?”
My own voice makes her stop dead in her tracks. Her back to us, she stays still and silent for a few long seconds.
But she ends up suddenly turning around, smiling.
“Emily’s feeling a little hungry so she realized she didn’t even give Isabella the lunchbox Jan prepared for her! So she’ll take it and probably bring some stuff for herself too.”
I can feel my heart shrink. Her voice… It’s slightly higher-pitched, but the intonation is what makes it so different.
I voice different characters for a living… Now I can confirm Emily’s constantly voicing one too.
“Would you like us to keep you company, Isabella?”
“If you don’t mind… I would rather stay alone for a bit.”
“… Okay.”
I turn my head to check out Isabella, and she does look very sick. But what could I possibly do about it.. ?
“Let’s go, then, Neo. I’d like to hear from Alice again…”
When I turn my head back around, Emily’s gone already. I simply nod without even looking at Chloe, and head towards the stairs. She follows me, and without running into anyone, we’re soon inside the dining room.

There are a few more people inside. Emily’s nowhere to be seen, but I’m guessing she’s inside the kitchen—other than that, I see Alice, Akiro, Jan, Mina and…
“Chris!”
“Wassup?”
Seeing her seated at the main table, I quickly walk towards her. I almost forgot my one job!
“Noah asked me to make sure you’d come see him in Keith’s… no, wait, his room.”
“Yeah, I know, I already did.”
“Oh… Oh! Good!”
“We decided he’d be staying there until Oscar came back, and then he’d scram. I don’t think he needs to stay there all the time, he’s not even a doctor…”
“So you’re the one who took that decision?”
“And like, poor dude needs some space!”
“Which one?”
“Uh… I meant Keith, but sure, we all do.”
I let out a nervous giggle. Things work themselves out…
“Who did you say just went inside the kitchen?”
I can overhear another conversation—the one between the only four other people in the room, excluding Chloe, who came in with me, actually.
“Emily.. ?”
“Oh boy.”
I can see Jan calmly get up and walk towards the kitchen without any further comment.

Emily’s character… How much does she base it on her personality? Parts of her seem to be truthfully childish, but… I wonder if we should be that worried about her making any mistake.

Chris yawns.
“So tired…”
“Ah, that’s right… You didn’t get much sleep, did you?”
She actually doesn’t look too great.
“Hm-hm… Can’t wait for tonight… I’ll have suuuch a good night sleep.”
She stretches her arms, then yawns again.
“What time is it? I think eating will help me wake up a little better.”
I look at my handbook.
“It’s like… 11:30.”
“Hm-hm. Good, good.”
She starts staring at the floor, and I… don’t think she realizes I’m here anymore. I think I’ll let her rest alone for a bit…

In the meantime… It seems everyone I was worried about – namely two people – are here. I just saw Jan head into the kitchen, and Mina’s sitting next to Alice and Akiro, staring at the table in front of her.
Uh-oh. That’s unusual. I walk closer to the trio.
“Here comes Neo! Feeling better now?”
I glance at Mina.
“I guess… Well, I mean, did you really check on everyone?”
“Yeah! Who do you think woke Chris up?”
Ah, she must hate Alice right now.
“Well, there’s only one person who wouldn’t answer the door, but I’m sure th…”
“What does it matter?! It’s clear no one was murdered last night, and why check now, when we haven’t been checking any other morning before?!”
Mina suddenly slammed the table and started speaking through gritted teeth. Both Alice and Akiro jumped in surprise.
“Wait, but who…”
“And what would it change to find it out now or later? It’d be too late already! You can’t bring back the dead!”
“What, isn’t it valuable for a detective to-”
“And in any case, if murder there were, then Oscar… Oscar…”
I don’t even know what I’m thinking anymore.
“Oscar…”
She slowly starts to lower her head towards the table again, her voice falling down as she does.
“Well, I don’t need to be a detective to find out what’s bothering you in particular.”
“Y-Yeah, that’s… Um… I mean… Don’t you think you… N-need to talk about it, Mina?”
We all look at her, but she doesn’t answer immediately.
…
“It’s truly a mystery.”
“W-what? What is?”
“Your stutter! The way it comes and goes, I’ve been thinking it over and over again, but it never makes any sense!”
Akiro’s cheeks turn red.
“Uuuh…”
She’s still looking at the table, but now putting on her usual needlessly accusatory tone- ah, she turns her head around as soon as she notices something moving near the kitchen.
It’s Emily, who’s coming out of it, loosely followed by Jan. She hums giddily, with a huge smile.
“Thank yooouuu Jaaan! You’re the best!”
“Haha… You’re welcome.”
He takes a last glance inside, as she suddenly stops dead in her tracks to stare at what she’s holding; two lunchboxes. I can guess who prepared them.
“Hm-hm, this’ll make Isabella feel better! I’m so happy you’re here!”
Though she’s talking to Jan, she doesn’t turn around to look at him, and she soon goes back to happily walking out.
He watches her leave – actually, pretty much everyone does, except myself, since I’m looking at Jan for some reason – in silence, before he turns to us.
“Ah… What’s so embarrassing now?”
He gets closer and takes a seat.
“N-Nothing..!”
“You! Tell me what you think!”
It’s not very polite, but Mina’s pointing at Jan, and I doubt she cares about that. As for him… Well, I don’t think he ever minds much.
“Sure.”
This usual little smile on his face—but something about his behavior makes me feel like he’s in a pretty good mood right now.
“You look like someone who understands people well, and you’ve been hanging around Akiro a lot, so you have to know… What’s up with his stutter? When? What? Why!”
“Oh, do I, now? Hmm…”
He turns his head around and looks at Akiro, apparently amused by Mina’s questioning. Akiro who, as he put it so well, looks simply embarrassed.
“It really sounds like he’s just not confident enough…”
He draws his face closer to his friend’s, his facial expression unchanging.
“It’s nothing medical, is it.. ?”
“H-Ha..!”
Letting out a nervous laugh, Akiro quickly and ostentatiously turns his head away.
“Haha! Y-Yeah, just that, just that!”
He’s facing in my direction and boy is he red. Jan, on the other hand, looks satisfied as he goes back to his initial position.
“Hm, guys, let’s stop worsening Akiro’s stutter and go back on track.”
She’s right in that I’ve also noticed that mentioning it only makes it worse. I think he’d rather not think about it and… maybe it would even be the way to fix it.
“What track were you on?”
“Mina’s character development.”
“Mina’s what now?”
She immediately looks annoyed.
“You sounded worried, didn’t you..?”
“Well…”
“Nah, no getting around it. My boy’s right, it’s pretty clear that you need to talk about it, else you wouldn’t dumbly interrupt people talking like you just did.”
Oh yeah, what was it that Alice was talking about before Mina suddenly acted upset?
“Well maybe I’m just rude.”
She crosses her arms and closes her eyes, looking like… _{a child}…
I don’t even want to think it, because I’m afraid she’ll somehow find a way to read my thoughts.
“Not that much usually.”
“Oh, eff off.”
She opens her eyes again and sighs.
“Okay, right, I’m worried. What about it?”
“Good question.”
“Wait, no, I know. You’d rather I express myself right now than slowly but surely become insufferable.”
“Bingo.”
“Wow.”
Akiro, who seems to have calmed down, turns around to look at Jan, like he’s curious about something.
“I don’t have much to say, though. I’m annoyed by the way Oscar has been acting following Monokuma’s terrible party.”
“I… Well, I didn’t really notice anything.”
“Of course you wouldn’t. But he’s been acting weird- it’s clear that he’s worried to death, and I can’t stand the thought.”
I could almost hear Andi insensitively crunching her cereal but she’s not here right now. Guess I just can’t take her off my mind… That’s the kind of person she is. She may be a little obnoxious at times but I don’t think I dislike her…
Oops, I forgot to follow the conversation.
“… but it’s not just about myself being worried about him, you know, I also believe that for such a person to be shaken like he is can only have a negative impact on the group as a whole.”
“Do… Is it that you think there’s a risk for it to be contagious?”
“Surely… Not that he’s the only one to be worried to begin with. But if he starts to express his feelings as if they were facts...”
“Ah… Do you mean something like saying he senses danger all of a sudden?”
Mina stares at me for a few seconds before she answers.
“You sound like it’s something he’s already done.”
I look away awkwardly and then nod. She sighs.
“See? He may not look like it but he’s a mess right now…”
“Wouldn’t it be tied to his talent, though? Maybe he’s actually sensing something may bring danger upon one of us.”
I hadn’t noticed, but it looks like Jan is now looking away, even as he speaks.
“Well I… I…”
Sounds like she doesn’t know what to answer.
“Yeah… If you’re just worried about him overworking himself, you should probably just talk to him about it. Other than that… It’s up to him, you know? He probably wants to use his talent the best he can.”
“Hm…”
The way she reacts, her mannerisms—it’s hard to think they’re not child-like. “Poor Mina…” I think, whatever she does, she probably can’t escape her childish appearance. Are we treating her like a kid right now.. ? I don’t really think so, but somehow…
“’sup.”
“AAaAaah—!”
My butt fled off my chair all by itself as Benjamin suddenly announced himself from right behind me. How did he come so close so sneakily?! I’m usually able to hear people coming!
When I turn around, he looks simply bummed out.
“Feels bad, man.”
“I… Okay, I’m sorry. But you need to stop teleporting yourself like this!”
“I’m pretty sure he walked in normally…”
He shrugs.
“Each of my movements being completely silent is an important part of the staging, you know.”
“The st-“
“Anyway, sorry to bother you, I just wanted to ask you guys a question.”
“Hm-hm?”
What staging?! This is not a stage!
“Who’s guarding the room next morning?”
…
…
Everyone’s looking at each other like they have no idea. “Who’s in charge of this?!”
“Uuuh… Maybe it’s not been decided yet?”
“I thought… I thought we were supposed t-to be good for at least… two weeks…”
“That’s what we should have been, but I’m pretty sure we were lazier than expected.”
“Wha- guys, are you for real? How does this even happen?“
I thought they were taking this guarding thing a lot more seriously! If I’d known, I…
“I know, I know... I would have liked to be a little more careful too, but like half the group got bored and left before we were done, and the rest of us mostly got unmotivated.”
*facepalm*
I don’t even want to know who left.
“In that case…”
“In that case it’s decided! Tomorrow morning’s Neo’s turn!”
…
“Wait, what?”
“One of the reasons these decisions were so tough is that we weren’t sure everyone would be able to do the job… But now that we know you’re okay, you can easily take up a slot, can’t you?”
“Uuuuh…”
“No excuses! If Keith hadn’t put himself in the way of Monokuma’s giant robotic arm, next time would be his turn! And next time I see Oscar, I’ll tell him what I think!”
“That’s the spirit!”
“I… I don’t think that’s what h… Oh, well.”
“Yeah! I’m actually gonna go check on him now!”
Mina jumps out of her chair and away she goes.
“Wait, lunch should be… Oh, well.”
“Are we okay with Neo taking the slot, then?”
“I mean sure, but, uh… How? When? What?”
I guess I can’t say no… There’s no reason for me to escape the job, plus, Mina’s right to say I have no excuse to complain… If that’s what she was saying. How can I criticize the group for the way they dealt with decisions when I wasn’t even there to support them?
“Don’t worry, it’s super easy. You just have to show up at 6 in the morning and stay in front of the door until 6 in the evening. You’re allowed to bring a friend.”
“Hmm… What time does Monokuma make his morning announcement, again?”
Guess I should simply ask.
“Oh, and your handbook has an alarm function, so don’t worry about not waking up in time.”
“Oh.”
“Does that sound good to you?”
“Well, then, yeah, no problem.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll come by every now and then to make sure you’re not too bored!”
I laugh awkwardly.
“Okay, thanks!”
“Hm… You’re saying lunch will be ready soon? I guess I’ll stay here and tell her about it later.”
“Hm-hm.”
Her… Lois? Wait, does she ever eat? Does Ben bring her a lunchbook or something? How many lunchboxes does Jan have to prepare?
“Ah, by the way, Lois said she was curious to taste your cooking fresh... someday.”
“She’s welcome to come eat with us anytime.”
“I don’t think she feels that way…”
…
…
…

Hmm, nothing else very interesting was said for a few minutes. More people started coming in, Jan checked the kitchen and said lunch was ready, so we all went ahead and set the table together. I thought everyone who would come was already there, but another person joined in just as we were all about to sit down.
…
Not that he announced himself. Noah came in and sat himself next to Chris. I happened to be about to sit right in front of her, so I’m able to say hi again.
“Heya, is it finally time for a break?”
He nods.
“I’ll translate stuff if you want, but you’ll have to sign veeerry slowly.”
She accentuates her sentence with a yawn, and Noah giggles before he shakes his head.
“Let’s give her a break, right?”
He nods again. In that case, I guess I won’t be chatting with them right now, and I decide to look around to check who’s sitting where.
Akiro and Alice are sitting close to the kitchen’s door, as they do most of the time, and they seem to be having a fun chat. Next to Akiro is Mina, and facing her is an empty seat, probably Jan’s. Next to Chris sits Chloe, and next to me there is an empty seat… I wonder if someone’s going to seat here? To my right Andi just sat, facing Noah. Isn’t someone missing?
I know Emily and Isabella are eating together, if they haven’t eaten already, since Emily probably needs to rest before she guards the weaponry room tonight. Keith isn’t allowed to move at the moment, and from Noah being here, I’m guessing Oscar’s staying with him for now… And Lois, well… This means only one person is actually missing.

“Well, there’s only one person who wouldn’t answer the door, but I’m sure th…”

“They… Where are they?!”
I suddenly get up, inadvertedly slamming the table with both my hands.
“CIEL!”
“Whaaa-”
“Wait for m- No, wait, don’t! I-I don’t care!”
I already forgot what I just said. Before I can even realize it, I’m running out of the dining room, and then the main hall.
If Alice wasn’t able to… I know we should have been careful! But no, I don’t even want to think about it! I run as fast as I can, and as soon as I reach the dormitory, I throw myself against Ciel’s door and start banging.
“Ciel! Open up! Please!”
I bang on the door harder and harder, and after a few seconds, it opens to reveal…


…

A perfectly fine, though confused, looking Ciel.
“C-Ciel!”
“Uuuh, yeah, that’s me… Is something… wrong?”
“I… uh… Wh-where have you been?”
I’m starting to feel a tiny bit embarrassed.
“… Here, in my room, sleeping? I woke up like, 20 minutes ago, and I took a shower and IIII was about to head out.”
“B-But… Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“Uuuh… Ever heard about sleeping in?”
They’re starting to look worried, and I get why. Tears are also starting to form on the corners of my eyes, and I really wish I could hug them right now.
“I just… I… I got so worried…”
“I… understand, but I’m here now, so it’s okay… Okay?”
“Yeah… Yeah.”
I can’t help but stare at the ground. Seems like I got really worked up for no reason…
“Oh, thank God you’re okay!”
Chloe’s voice suddenly makes me turn around. I wasn’t focusing… Did she just come here?
“You had us all really worried here, Neo! Alice didn’t know what to do… I decided to follow as soon as I could…”
“Sorry… I’m really sorry…”
“Uh, wow. I guess this is really my fault, huh? I’m sorry, I should have realized that not showing up in the morning would be especially worrying today.”
“No, no, it’s me, I…”
“Well, it seems to be that you didn’t answer Alice when she came to check on you a little earlier.”
Ciel blinks twice.
“I didn’t hear anyone.”
“Hm? How come?”
Now they look definitely embarrassed.
“Well… I guess I mustn’t have been asleep for that long when she came by so… I wasn’t anywhere close to waking up.. ?”
Chloe looks away for a second.
“Okaaay… Weeell… I think we should go join everyone. They’re probably worried and waiting for us to come back.”
“Yeah, of course!”
Ciel closes the door to their room, and we start walking back to the dining room. I let out a sigh and can’t even manage to make it discrete.
Why am I like this… I start the day telling myself everything’s going to be fine, but I still manage to be so paranoid. It would seem that I need a little more time to really come back to who I usually am…

When we’re back, everyone’s still sitting, waiting, and every single person looks relieved as they see us.
“Aaaah, finally! God, if something had happened to you, I would never have gotten over it.”
“I’m really sorry, I… Chloe told me you came by, but I didn’t hear you!”
“Wow, really? … But well, nah, it’s not your fault, come on. Let’s forget about it and eat before it’s cold!”
Ciel laughs nervously, and they follow when Chloe and I sit where we initially were.
“Well I’m relieved… So, what’s for lunch today?”
A really big pot is waiting for us in the middle of the table. Jan gets up, walks up to it and smiles when he opens it to reveal what it contains.
“Blanquette de veau.”
Hearing a few happy, or impressed reactions makes me giggle. We all really do appreciate Jan’s cooking, don’t we? It has to make him glad. He works so hard for us everyday, after all...
“Oooh, Jan, you seem to be fond of French cuisine, aren’t you?”
“Hmm…”
It’s rare to see him hesitate.
“It’s actually that someone I usually cook for loves it.”
He puts away the lid and grabs a ladle from beside the pot.
“So, who wants to give me their plate?”

As always, Jan’s cooking was delicious. We all enjoyed our meal, and I’d never thought I’d ever be quite so happy to be able to chat with Ciel.
Once we were all done, some of us left, some others volunteered to wash the dishes, and now only Noah, Chris, Ciel and I are left in the dining room.
Chris seems to be feeling a lot better.
“Ah, Jan knows the way to my heart.”
“Aw, come on, you shouldn’t say this in front of Noah.”
Noah giggles, but Chris looks unamused.
“I’ll fight you, punk.”
“Hey, it’s you interpreting stuff the way you feel, what they’re saying really insinuates Noah’s the one to be interested in you.”
I’m not saying I wish for it to be the case—
Chris shakes her head, smiling, probably finally admitting that she’s amused, before she looks towards Noah. When he notices she’s looking at him, he makes a heart-shape with his two hands and winks.
“Alright then, I’ll fight you too!”
He signs something back.
“No military training will have prepared you for an angry Chris, kiddo.”
I laugh a little too loudly. However much time it takes us to get out of here, at least I’ll have gotten to meet some amazing people.
“Oh well, don’t damage him too much, I’m pretty sure at least one person would like him to be in good condition right now.”
“Ah, right. Is Keith doing better?”
Noah nods and signs his answer.
“He didn’t make his injuries worse this morning if that’s what you’re worried about, and he’s sleeping a lot. Hmm… What happened this morning?”
Signing.
“Jumpscared by Andi.. ? Sounds rough.”
“So… Is he staying in your room?”
Noah nods once more, and Chris answers before he even has the time to start signing.
“He agreed to lend his handbook to Noah in exchange. Oscar insists on staying with him so his improvised doctor will be able to sleep alone tonight.”
“Improvised… I mean, you do have some knowledge from being in the army, don’t you?”
He gestures a very recognizable “so-so” before he signs his full answer.
“He knows first aid and has had to help war doctors in the past but it’s not really part of his skillset. He was actually surprised he was able to deal with Keith’s injuries so well and with so little hesitation.”
“I guess… You’re not just any soldier after all.”
Noah’s next gesture says “I guess”.
Ultimate Soldier… Talents such as his really make you wonder what it means to be an Ultimate. Talents such as Chris and mine are probably easy to evaluate and define, while being a soldier… Is a lot more impressive as a whole.
I wouldn’t even dare to compare it to the talent of being a professional clown… Though whatever that means, I’m sure Ciel does a stunning job at it.
“Not just that, you’re also a really kind guy… To take care of someone, like that, without asking any question…”
“Ah, that reminds me!”
I turn my head to look at Ciel.
“Would you like to come upstairs with me? I wanted to check on Isabella, she wasn’t feeling too well this morning.”
“O-oh, yeah, sure.”
“Because he wants to prove how much of a nice guy he is… Riight, right, just kidding, sorry. Noah says to ask him if you need anything, though he can’t really do much for someone who’s sick but not injured.”
I let out a giggle.
“Of course! Alright then, let’s go—see you later!”
“See ya.”
Noah waves at us, and both Ciel and I leave the room. They follow me upstairs, where we find Isabella sitting alone against the wall, next to the door she’s guarding.
“Oh, hi, Ciel. Hi again, Neo.”
“Hey again! I wanted to see if you were feeling a little better.”
She’s still rather pale, but she nods calmly.
“Yes. I think getting up must have been the hardest part, but now that I’m here, and having eaten a little, I feel much better already.”
“You sure? If you really feel sick, I’m okay with taking your place for a little while, you know.”
“How kind of you! No need to worry, though. I have felt better in the past, but this is nothing to keep me from sitting here and making sure no one comes in.”
“I… guess, yeah. This is not the worst.”
“Has Emily been gone for a while?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s been too long… I’d rather she rests well anyway, since she’ll be taking her turn tonight.”
“She’d get a little tiring after a while, especially if you’re feeling sick already, wouldn’t she..?”
“Oh… I understand why you would say this, but I have grown very attached to her, you know. She never bothers me.”
Isabella’s sweet smile is reassuring, even underneath her tired eyes. She’s staying strong… I’m really proud of her.
Not that I had any reason to doubt her in the first place… I just feel this way.
“Hmm… That’s good to know. I’m happy for you, then.”
“I get that you’re not very fond of her yourself…”
Ciel instantly looks ashamed.
“N-no! I mean… I’m just… Not patient enough? But… She seems nice. I just think she’s better off with you than with, uh, me.”
“It makes sense, and it’s fine, you know… As long as you realize that she makes a lot of efforts.”
“Hm… Yeah?”
They don’t seem to realize that she makes a lot of efforts.
Isabella lets out a sweet laugh.
“If you knew… Ah, let’s say that not everyone at home acts too kindly with her. For her to stay so outgoing and trusting… I think it takes a lot.”
The both of us grimace.
“Erh… For someone who’s clearly putting up a persona to actually have a rough family life isn’t too surprising. I wish she were just like that and actually happy.”
“Me too… Ah, would I say it’s a persona..?”

This afternoon wasn’t very eventful. We chatted with Isabella a little longer but ended up leaving her alone because she looked a little tired from talking. I then stayed with Ciel, everyone gathered to eat together in the evening, and now… Since I’m getting up early tomorrow, I’m going to sleep earlier than usual.
Ciel follows me to the dorms.
“So, you didn’t sleep well last night, is that it?”
“Hmm… I guess I didn’t really try.”
“You didn’t… try?”
“Yeah, I had a lot of stuff to think about, so I just stayed up. I’m not used to the best sleeping schedules, you know.”
“Oh… Okay. I never stay up extraordinarily late. I guess I never really thought about it before, I just sleep at night… you know?”
They giggle, probably because I mirrored their speech pattern.
“Honestly, I’d like to be like you. Every morning is full of regrets with my method.”
“Seriously…”
Since we’ve reached the door to my room, I take my handbook and open it.
“Alright then, see you tomorrow! … I’ll try to wake up earlier this time.”
I laugh nervously.
“You don’t have to… But I guess I’d rather, yeah.”
“It’s okay… Good night?”
I step inside.
“Good night!”

Once I’m alone in my room, I search for the “alarm” app on my phone, and set it to 5:30 tomorrow morning.
“This way I’ll have enough time to get up and take a shower…”
Tomorrow will probably be a little more boring than usual… But what can I say, guarding the room was my idea to begin with. It doesn’t take me much time to drift away to sleep.

…

Ugh… The sound of this alarm is so annoying… I’m willing to bet Monokuma specifically picked it to be the worst. But at least it’s efficient… I turned around to turn it off so fast, it completely woke my body up.
I quickly go take a shower and dress myself up, so much so in fact, that it’s only 5:45 when I come out of my room. I expected to be just in time, but it surely won’t hurt Emily if I’m a little early. She must be so tired right now!
I walk out of my room and make my way towards the weaponry room, in the main building upstairs.

When I arrive, I’m surprised to find that…
No one’s watching the room. Could Emily have gone back to her room already? Wasn’t I supposed to show up first? I didn’t ask the others about it… I check the time on my handbook again. 5:49. It’s a little early for her to be gone…
I look around. Maybe she went to the bathroom.. ? Nothing indicates it, though, in fact—I find that there’s a door open, that usually isn’t. Is that where she went? I think it’s a classroom.
I get closer.
“Emily..?”
There’s someone inside… But it’s not her.

It’s…
Lois.

She turns towards me as I enter the classroom…
“Neo…”
But I can’t look at her. Behind Lois, against the wall, there is…


“The most beautiful thing I have ever seen…”

I turn around. Isabella’s leaning against the doorframe…
She looks horrified.
This isn’t a dream.

A school bell rings throughout the place.
"A body has been discovered!"