#Protag Teruya AU | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ninjagirlstar5 · 11 months ago

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Protag Teruya AU - [Act 1] The Price of a Forged Bond - Day 1 Part 5

TWs: Recovering Injuries, Discussion of Past Violence and Death

Also, Yuri being Yuri.

AO3 Version

Act I Cover

Act 1 Prologue Day 1: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Chapters Prologue [The Lost of You in a Strange Place]

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

Teruya groans, trying desperately not to fall asleep. He had moved from his chair to the empty bed as he was getting tired of sitting in it all day. But it was hard to resist the temptation of sleep. Not without some kind of distraction. Thankfully, Setsuka had gone ahead and gotten him some books to read to pass the time. They were all mystery novels and she handed him some pen and paper so he could jot down his own ideas on solving the mysteries in it. It would also keep his brain from falling asleep. She then left to rejoin the group, leaving him all alone.

And now, here he was, staring at the book in his hands while lying on his back and trying to wrap his brain around what was going on. Teruya was enjoying it, sure, but he had absolutely no idea what the answer was. The clues were there, he had been taking note of it, but he had no idea how each one fit together.

Teruya had flipped a page when he heard a groan.

He sits up, staring intently at Mikado’s moving form. The wizard groans again, turning onto his back before slowly, finally opening his eyes. He stares blankly at the ceiling like he was processing where he was. Teruya shakes as he lets out a breath.

“M-Mikado…!” Teruya jumps out of his bed and drops his book. It hits the mattress as he makes his way over to Mikado’s side, his hands hitting the bed as he leans over. The wizard blinks at him with slow, widening eyes. “You’re awake!”

“A…wake…?” Mikado murmured, tilting his head at him. He lifts his hand and proceeds to touch his face. He pauses, feeling around as if he was searching for something. Upon realizing that it wasn’t there, his breathing went short and his pupils shrunk. “A…Aaah…”

“Mikado? M-Mikado, what’s wrong?” Teruya reaches for him but Mikado immediately turns away, covering his face with his hands.

“M-My…My mask! Where’s my mask?!” Mikado blindly grabs at his surroundings. With those words, it finally clicks. Teruya rushes to the other side of the bed to the table where he left Mikado’s mask.

“I-It’s right here, Mikado! It’s right here!” He grabs the mask and waves it over to Mikado. The wizard pauses, his eyes darting to it and then his face before swiping it from his hand. Teruya winces at the sting from the mask being forced out of his grip but he doesn't complain. He just watches as Mikado turns his back to him and pats down the mask. His breathing slows but he can sense the tension radiating off of his shoulders.

“...It’s broken.” Mikado said matter of factly. Teruya pulls his chair over and sits down.

“Y-Yeah…it split in half when you hit the ground.” He scoots his chair closer, scraping it across the floor. The sound makes Mikado glance at him, but only for a moment as he keeps his back to him. Teruya inhales. “You’re lucky. Really damn lucky that you didn’t have any other injuries. Seriously…I’m…so glad you’re awake…”

“...I…I see.” Mikado runs his fingers over his mask and slowly puts it back on. Once it was settled back over his face, he slowly turned to him. His mask was almost cleanly broken in half, covering up his burn scars but revealing the other half of his face underneath. With the mask back in its rightful place, the wizard’s expression almost seemed…off. It was carefully blank, with half-lidded eyes, eyebrows that were deceivingly relaxed, and a neutral frown. With a blink of his eye, the mask suddenly comes back to life with its red expression. It wasn’t smiling but with the way his real eye moves, he can tell that he’s looking right at him. “...How long have I been unconscious?”

“Uhh…�� Teruya looks at his watch. “I’d say nearly a whole day.”

“A whole day…” The mask frowns, and yet, Mikado’s real face doesn’t move at all. Teruya couldn’t help but feel unnerved at the sight. The wizard grips the covers underneath, slowly inhaling and exhaling repeatedly. He sat there awkwardly, unsure of what else he should say or do. Just when he thought to speak up, Mikado beats him to it. “Has anything else happened?”

“Ah, r-right. So, basically…”

Teruya spent at least an hour or so catching Mikado up on what had happened. From everyone recovering from their injuries, including Nikei and his concussion, what they have all been doing and the updates they’ve given him, and how Teruya was trying to keep everything together. He tried to downplay his role as it still felt surreal, thinking that people were looking to him as a leader. But it was a part of the reality he found himself in and he didn’t think it’d make sense to omit it. Mikado is a part of the group, so he’d eventually figure out the shift in dynamics. The wizard himself was mostly silent as he listened, nodding along up until he finished his report.

“So that’s what happened.” Mikado stares down at his lap. He hasn’t loosened his grip on the covers the whole time he was talking. “...So, you’ll be going by the name ‘Teruya Otori’ then?”

“Yeah. If it’s really my name, then I won’t even have to change it.” Teruya said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Besides, I…feel like it fits. When they said my name…” He swallows when his mind flashes back to the two women claiming to rescue them. Or at least, what was left of them. “..I-It just fits. You know?”

“...I see. At least you’ve found a part of yourself, Mr. Otori.” Mikado said, catching him off guard at the formal use of his name. It’s not like he hasn’t been referring to everyone formally, he just…wasn’t expecting it. Perhaps Teruya shouldn’t have assumed that they were so close. It’s only been a day, after all. “And…Ms. Mitsume…you said she’s here? In the Monocruise?”

“Uhh…yeah, she is.” Teruya admits, dropping his hand. “She should be in her room since I doubt Nikei got her to leave. Why?”

Mikado sat up straight.

And then his mask shifts, darkening in color as its red eye glows.

“Why, I’m going to kill her of course.”

“Wha…” Teruya's jaw drops but when Mikado starts getting out of the bed, he immediately moved to stop him. “Mikado, no! You lost the first fight and got hurt!”

“It doesn't matter! She’s forcing us to kill each other, and I won’t allow it! So don’t stop me!” Mikado yells, spitting out venom as he tries to push Teruya away. He even manages to grab at his face. Unfortunately for him, the amnesiac still managed to grab his shoulders and pinned him against the bed. Mikado struggles and squirms underneath, trying to break free even though he could probably use his magic against him easily. “Teruya! She needs to be stopped, right now!”

“I know that! But I’m not going to let you become a murderer!” Teruya snapped. Mikado pauses in his struggle to break free but his expression doesn’t change. No, his mask does but his real face remained the same. Why? Why does his face stay like that? And the mask was narrowing its eye, like it was staring him down even though Teruya clearly had the advantage over him right now. Physically, anyway. The wizard slowly loosens his grip on his face, still grabbing at his cheek but feeling more like a caress than a fight for some kind of control.

A fight that barely got started when it was broken up by the least likely person yet.

“I’m afraid I will not allow you to do that, Mr. Sannoji. It is against the rules.” Monocrow pops up between them, making the both of them jolt at the interruption. Mikado was the first to recover, pushing Teruya off of him and he stumbled to his feet, trying not to fall over. He manages to right himself just when Mikado speaks.

“Excuse me? Are you asking me to kill you, Monocrow?” Mikado almost spat at him, his eyes glowing red with the threat. Teruya shudders but he can’t help but feel confused about Monocrow’s words. And naturally, that led him to ask questions.

“Rules? What do you mean by ‘rules?’ Isn’t this a killing game?” Teruya furrows his brow, trying to understand what he was hearing. Monocrow glances at Teruya and then Mikado, who looked like he was readying another spell of destruction. He then sighs and lowers his head.

“I was hoping to explain everything at once tomorrow. After all, it’d be inconvenient for me to explain over and over again just for a student that was still unconscious. And I have yet to hand out everyone’s e-handbook+s which have all the rules in them to look at whenever you need a reminder. However, since you’re planning to attack Kokoro Mitsume with magic, I have no choice but to intervene now even though I haven’t enforced the rules yet.” Monocrow then clears his…throat? Or whatever is the equivalent for a bird, and rubs his beak as he speaks. “In order to make sure you’re on good behavior, Ms. Mitsume and I have made Rule 16: Any use of magic against myself, Kokoro Mitsume, or used for destruction of property including cameras, drones, and mechs are strictly forbidden. Any violation of this rule…”

He pauses, his red eye glowing as he stares down Mikado.

“...will result in the death of a fellow student.”

The magic radiating off of Mikado immediately dissipates. And Teruya, upon processing the rule, was hit with what it meant for him. For all of them.

In order to restrict the most powerful student among them in the group…

…the mastermind was holding all of them hostage.

Even if killing Kokoro, Monocrow, and every other mech in the vicinity solved their problem, there was no guarantee that Mikado would be able to do it fast enough to prevent someone from dying as a consequence.

Not only that, even Mikado had his limits. He had to split his focus on protecting the class and fighting Kokoro at the same time, which played a factor into his loss against her.

No matter how powerful he is, Mikado couldn’t protect everyone.

And he knew this too, as his mask’s eye went wide in horror.

“You…You’ve got to be kidding me…” Mikado’s soft voice was laced with anguish and, perhaps, helplessness. He grabs a hold of the covers, looking like he was going to rip it in half. “You…You can’t do that!”

“I can, and I will.” Monocrow flaps his wing almost dismissively. “Now, unless you wish to get a student killed, you’ll follow Rule 16…won’t you?”

Mikado’s hands shook. From anger, from fear, perhaps from both.

But Teruya knew as well as him, that there was nothing they could do.

Not without risking another person’s life.

So Mikado let go of the blanket and his mask scowled.

“Fine. Clearly, my hands are tied here.” Mikado concedes, very, very reluctantly. Monocrow chuckles and Teruya had half the mind to strangle him, mechanical bird or not.

“Good. With that settled, I will take my leave. Do not do anything until given further instructions.” And just like that, he flies underneath the bed and disappears. The moment he was gone, Mikado buries his head into the pillow.

“...Damn him! Damn her!” Mikado slams his fist against the mattress, over and over again. “Damn it! Damn it…! Damn it…damn it…”

“Mikado…” Teruya…didn’t have any ideas to work around this rule. Just trying to work around it or even going against it would risk someone else’s life. And he couldn’t see any loopholes they could use. Not that Teruya wanted Mikado to murder Kokoro Mitsume. Even if she deserved it as the mastermind, he didn’t want Mikado’s hands to be stained with blood.

The dark look he had back in the park was the last time he ever wanted to see an expression like that on his face. Mask or real.

“I didn’t…I didn’t want this…” Mikado said, muffled as his face was still buried into the pillow. Teruya hesitates before slowly setting his hand on the wizard’s back. He stiffens but doesn’t push him away, so Teruya quietly rubs his hand up and down his back gently. He can feel the wizard breathing underneath his touch, slowly and carefully with each rise and fall of his back. When he has calmed down enough, Mikado turns his head, no longer hiding his face in the pillow and staring right at Teruya. “...I’m sorry, Mr. Otori. I wasn’t able to stop her.”

“It’s okay, Mikado. Neither of us could have seen this coming.” Teruya pats his back. As amazing as it would have been to stop the killing game before it could even get started, the likelihood of that happening was pretty low. And now, the chances were even lower due to Rule 16 preventing Mikado from outright fighting Kokoro again.

He didn’t hold it against the Ultimate Wizard. No matter how powerful Mikado was, he was still human. And because he was human, he made mistakes, and his off-the-cuff plan just didn’t work.

“Even then…I should’ve been more careful. I jumped the gun and attacked her without being smart about it. I even put all of you in danger.” The mask twists, as if it was about to cry on behalf of its owner. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, I’m not mad. You tried your best, Mikado. And I’m glad you did.” Teruya kneels beside the bed, making eye contact with the wizard. Well, he was trying to. But Mikado’s real eye refused to meet his. But that’s fine. “It’s just that…this plan won’t work again. Not that I want you to do that. I don’t want you to kill someone, Mikado. Not for any pacifist reasons or anything, I just…” He trails off. His hand lingers beside Mikado’s hair but he pulls away. “I don’t want you to become a murderer. That’s all.”

“...Thank you, Mr. Otori.” Mikado puts his head back into the pillow. “I appreciate your sentiment. But I would still do it, if it meant protecting you and everyone else.”

“...I see.” Teruya murmured. He didn’t feel as disturbed as he was before. Perhaps because he understood Mikado’s own desire to protect everyone. He didn’t want to see anyone get hurt, so of course he’d go after the one responsible behind this entire situation. But that was then, and this is now. So he changes the subject. “Are you hungry? I think the others should be eating dinner by now.”

“...I fear my appetite is currently nonexistent.” Mikado curls in on himself, grabbing the pillow to cuddle it. Teruya frowns.

“Mikado, you’ve been unconscious for an entire day. You must be really hungry by now and none of us know how to use IVs.” Teruya stands and pats down his pants. “At least let me get something you can digest easier. You don’t have to eat everything but you should have something, even if it’s just rice.”

Mikado looks at him, opening his mouth to speak.

Only to get cut off by the sound of his stomach growling.

Mikado stares down at his body for its “betrayal” while Teruya just gives him a flat look. The wizard just rolls onto his stomach and tries to hide his blushing face.

“...I won’t deny it any further.” Mikado muttered, which might as well be the closest to agreement that Teruya is going to get.

“Alright. I’ll be back, then.” Teruya said, patting Mikado’s back one last time before leaving the infirmary. Since he already knew where the dining hall was, it only took him a minute to enter. Upon opening the door, he saw that everyone was already cleaning up. He guessed that the group was eating but maybe he was just a little off on his timing. And it looks like he had walked in on a lively moment.

“Oh, oh! Kanade! Is that a Kemono Friends keychain?” Iroha said, pointing at said keychain which was hanging off of a bag that was apparently hidden underneath Kanade’s sweater. The guitarist blinks her eyes before shyly hiding the bag with a smile.

“O-Oh, yes…I, uh, kinda forgot I had this on me.” Kanade stopped cleaning the table with her rag. “Wh-What about it?”

“I have one, too! Er, I don’t have it right now but I love anime! It’s one of my favorite pastimes! Do you have a favorite show?” Iroha holds her sketchbook close to her chest, her excitement radiating through the shine of her eyes.

“Eww, anime?! That’s so creepy!” Hibiki buds in on this sweet moment, cringing as she puts a bunch of silverware into a cup. “What are you, an otaku?”

“Y-You don’t have to go that far! I just like anime, that’s all!” The excitement fades from her eyes but she keeps her attention on Kanade. The guitarist pauses before brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“W-Well…I don’t watch a l-lot of anime. But one of my f-favorites is…Corpse Party.” Kanade gives her answer to Iroha, who quickly goes pale.

“T-That gory series?!” Iroha steps away, almost hiding behind Hibiki. The singer raises an eyebrow at this, but she doesn’t push her away. Almost like she was sharing the same thoughts as Iroha right then and there. Kanade just gives them a sweet smile their way.

“Hey, quiet down over there! There’s no need to fight over something as trivial as a favorite media or hobbies.” Hajime calls out to the three of them, putting down a salmon sushi rice bowl on a tray. While he was doing that, another conversation was happening nearby.

“So you see, as I was sitting there, I decided to…!” Yuri was following Setsuka and Emma, apparently talking about some kind of story. One that Teruya lacked any details about since he walked right in the middle of it.

“You know, Big Sis can handle all sorts of people…” Setsuka tosses some plates into the kitchen sink. She was too far away for him to see her expression, but it wasn’t very hard to guess. “...but this one tires me out.”

“Well, we did agree to have these dinners…” Emma said, tossing away a few napkins. Looks like Yuri was still bothering the girls. What else is new?

“Quiet! QUIEEET!! Let’s all try to clean up in peace!!” Shinji’s boisterous yells echo throughout the room. But unlike the time in the infirmary, it was only adding to the noise rather than dispel it.

“I think my headache is flaring back up…” Nikei was leaning against the table, having propped his elbow on top and covering his face with his hand. Even though he could easily hide his face if he tilted his hat just a little bit.

“Geez, at this rate we might as well be at a concert since no one will quiet down.” Yoruko shakes her head while closing her eyes.

“Yeah, I give up too.” Yuki slumps, gripping his tie as he resigned himself to the mayhem. Teruya felt awkward, just hovering over by the door. But before he could even think of something to say, Yuki turns towards the entrance and brightens upon seeing him. “Teruya! You’re here!”

Those words were enough for everyone to stop what they were doing and turn towards him. Teruya can feel himself breaking into a cold sweat. But he couldn’t freeze up here. They were all looking at him, so it’s important for him to respond in a way that satisfies them. The amnesiac takes a moment to breathe and then speaks.

“Hey, everyone. Have you guys already finished eating dinner?” Teruya asked, sounding much calmer than he really was. A look at the table revealed all that was left was the two trays Hajime had been organizing with food.

“Yep, yep!” It was Hibiki, who had switched from berating Iroha and her sister to her usual cheerful attitude. She waves her hands at him as she continues. “We were just finishing up and are putting together some leftovers for you!”

“Oh, really?” That actually put a smile on Teruya’s face. “That’s very considerate of you guys, thank you.”

“It’s not a problem. But…why are you here?” Yoruko smiles at him but has crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. “I thought you’d still be watching Mikado?”

“Actually, I got great news!” Teruya couldn’t help but be delighted despite what had happened earlier. After all, it was news no one would be unhappy about. “Mikado just woke up!”

“Oh my God, really?!” Iroha’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, bouncing around the table to meet Teruya up close. Her cheer quickly calms down, though, as she starts playing with her hair nervously. “How is he? Can he move? Is he still in pain?? Oooh, I hope not!”

“Mikado’s awake?! GREAT!!! Let’s all go see him! Right now!!” Shinji’s yell completely bulldozes over whatever answer Teruya was about to give Iroha, making his way right over to him.

“Oh, great. Looks like I’ll have to deal with another despicable male after all.” Yuri said out loud even though he probably should’ve kept that to himself.

“Will you quit that?? Even a guy like you should be happy that he didn’t die!” Nikei immediately whirled around to chew out Yuri. The astronaut clearly could care less, as he had crossed his arms and pouted with a huff. In fact, it looked like no one’s glares were reaching his heart, not even the girls. Nikei shakes his head before walking up to Teruya with his notepad in his hand. “Now, before I forget…Teruya! Do you wanna be in an article??”

“Uh, an article?” Teruya asked, furrowing his brow.

“An article! For protecting Yuki’s life!” Nikei’s eyes shine like he had found the most opportune scoop yet. It seems like he had completely switched gears now that things were starting to calm down. Teruya smiles but he bows his head.

“Thanks, Nikei. But I’m afraid I’ll have to turn you down.” It wasn’t that Teruya didn’t mind being in one. He just didn’t want that kind of attention spread around like he was some kind of savior. Nikei slumps but then shrugs.

“Well, not much I can do about that. I’m not the kind of journalist that would run around posting things without someone’s consent. Unless they’re corrupt authority figures, then it’s free game.” Nikei huffs, tipping his hat over his head. He almost seemed pleased at the thought alone but the expression quickly faded from his face. “So, Mikado is feeling better?”

“Yeah. I’m glad everyone is receptive to this news, especially since some of you guys want to visit him.” Teruya said, smiling at his group.

“I mean, it is good news! We were all worried about Mikado and if he’ll ever recover…” Yuki joins Shinji, Iroha, and Nikei crowding around him. His relief quickly shifts into what seems to be worry though. “But…no one has seen Syobai all day. Are we sure he’s not plotting something?”

“Don’t worry. I haven’t seen the guy at all while guarding the infirmary. So I think it’s safe to assume that he won’t make his presence known anytime soon.” Hajime was quick to reassure Yuki, having his hand on his hip and joining the growing crowd.

“Have you guys exchanged information?” Teruya changes the subject. He didn’t think it was productive to talk about Syobai right now. He said his piece and then left them alone, just like he said he would. That was enough for Teruya to believe him.

“Nah, not yet.” It was Setsuka that answered him. “We figured it’d be easier to share it with you instead of repeating ourselves all over again.”

“And since Mikado is awake now, we should bring our investigation results to him as well!” Emma adds on with a point of her finger. “Not only would this light-hearted atmosphere help with the tension, it would also keep him in the loop of everything. Nothings worse than feeling like you’re being left out, after all!”

“I feel like everyone’s a little too relaxed.” Yuki furrows his brow, but his comment goes completely ignored by the rest of the group.

“Ah, okay. I think this is a great idea everyone. I’m sure Mikado would be happy to have visitors.” Teruya then cranes his neck to look at the table. “Do we have anything that Mikado can easily digest? He hasn’t eaten anything for almost a day, after all.”

“Oh, yeah. Here, let me help you make a plate.” Hajime walks back to the table, gesturing for Teruya to follow him. He does so and he hears some conversations being picked up again between everyone as they go through the leftovers. After a bit of back and forth with Hajime and what would be best for Mikado, they settle on a plate of japanese rice soup with a small amount of vegetables, mushrooms, and eggs alongside a glass of plain water. Once they were done, Teruya helped put away the rest of the leftovers and then carried his own tray, which had the salmon sushi rice bowl, chicken katsu, and some green tea that Emma made.

With everything cleaned up, Yuki picks up Mikado’s tray and the group leaves the dining hall, making their way to the infirmary. Upon entering, they see Mikado playing with his hat almost despondently. But when he looks up and sees them approaching, he drops it and his mask’s eye goes wide as a circle.

“M-Mr. Otori…? Why is everyone here?” Mikado asked, pulling his legs closed to his chest. Teruya sends him a smile as he sets his tray down on the table.

“I told them that you were awake and they were all so happy about it that they wanted to see you!” Teruya said, sitting back down on his chair. Mikado blinks his eyes when Yuki holds out his tray for him to take.

“That’s…” Mikado looks away from the group, taking the tray from Yuki so he can stare at it instead. “Y-You didn’t have to…worry about my health.”

“Mikado.” Teruya snaps his chopsticks in half, but the break wasn’t as clean as he had hoped as there’s a block of wood on one of the chopsticks. He pouts but focuses on the conversation at hand instead. “You literally stuck your neck out trying to protect everyone, but got hurt in the process. Of course everyone would be worried.”

“Yes, we wanted nothing more than your swift recovery!” Emma adds, crossing her arms as she gives him a look of concern.

“We wouldn’t be good classmates if we didn’t express some kind of concern for you, you know?” Yuki scratches his cheek as he blushes.

“YOUR BRAVERY DESERVES TO BE RESPECTED!!!” Shinji yells again, and just like before, Mikado cringes and curls into himself. Upon seeing this, the firefighter immediately gets embarrassed, his face turning a little red as he looks away. “Uh…sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, Shin. What’s important is that Mikado is awake and is feeling better.” Setsuka sends a smile Mikado’s way.

“And if you need cheering up, me and Kanade will give you a concert! Right here, right now!” Hibiki points at the wizard, her eyes glinting like she was going to pull out a microphone out of nowhere.

“A-Ah…! If we’re going to do that, I-I’ll need to grab my guitar!” Kanade curls her hands into fists and raises them, quickly sharing her sister’s enthusiasm. Unlike usual, she seemed to be all for this idea despite it being dropped out of nowhere from her spontaneous sister.

“Ooo, I know! I’ll draw you a picture! I’m sure it’ll cheer you up!” Iroha immediately opens up her sketchbook and starts sketching something out with a pencil she actually pulled out of nowhere. Maybe she has a hidden pouch or something.

“Be sure to eat your food! You’ll need all the energy you can get after being unconscious for so long.” Hajime started nagging, like usual, but he was also smiling. Clearly, he was relieved to see Mikado recovering.

“Yeah, if you need anything, I can go grab it for you.” Yoruko plays with her boa scarf. She hasn’t quite relaxed yet, but she seemed to be willing to do anything she can to help Mikado.

“Unlike some people, we do care about your health, at least.” Nikei tacks on, not so subtly sending a glare Yuri’s way. The astronaut notices and glares back.

“Alright, alright. Let’s not start another fight, you guys. We’re here to support Mikado, not cause drama between each other.” Teruya was quick to step in, giving both Yuri and Nikei a warning with his eyes. Yuri, of course, completely ignores him but it wasn’t unnoticed by Nikei, who sputters.

“I-It’s not my fault that he started it!” The journalist was quick to defend himself, but Hajime bumps him with his elbow. Nikei winces and rubs his arm. “Alright, alright, I’ll drop it. Doesn’t mean I’ll let it slide, though…”

“Haha…” The exchange actually got Mikado to chuckle as he stared down at his tray. He plays with his spoon before he starts to mutter in a small voice. “...Thank you for visiting. I’m flattered.”

“It’s not a problem, Mikado.” Teruya said, giving him a smile before grabbing some sushi with his chopsticks. After chewing on the piece, he notices how quiet everyone has gotten. The only other sound was Mikado slowly going through his food, his spoon clinking against his bowl in the process. Remembering the rest of the agenda they had set out to do, Teruya swallows. “Ahem, anyways. Since we’re all here together, how about we exchange investigation reports?”

“You’ve all been investigating?” Mikado tilts his head at the group.

“Yep!” Hibiki said, putting her hands on hips and puffing out her chest. “We’ve been really busy trying to find a way out, so don’t you worry.”

“Th-That being said, we haven’t made much progress…” Kanade admits, tilting her head down as she folds her hands behind her back. Hibiki snaps her head towards her sister.

“Hey! Don’t downplay our efforts, Kanade!” The singer pokes her finger at her chest, which causes Kanade to jolt.

“S-Sorry, Sis!” Kanade raises her hands in the hopes of placating her sister.

“Yeah, let’s share what we’ve been doing right now!” Iroha starts to jump on that idea until her eyes land on Mikado and she starts to backpedal. “U-Unless Mikado isn’t feeling well enough for this…”

“No, I’m fine.” Mikado cuts in before anyone could have second guesses. He sets his spoon down in his bowl and adjusts his sitting position. “I want to know what everyone has been doing. I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You’re not a burden, Mikado. You just lost a fight, that’s all.” Yuki reassures him as he tug on his tie. The wizard glances at him but doesn’t say anything else.

“Well…in that case, let Big Sis start off with the basic information.” Setsuka said, raising her hand while putting the other on her hip. “We’re on an island named Utsuroshima, a.k.a. The Isle of Nowhere. As the name suggests, it’s completely deserted. None of us came across anyone else on this island, and we did a complete sweep of it.”

“It wasn’t that hard to do, since you can circle the entire island just by walking.” Hajime adds on, crossing his arms. “It’s…surprisingly small. But aside from the buildings, it looks like no one has been here for a while.”

“It’s weird…” Yuki speaks up, curling his fist near his chin. “I’ve never heard of an island named ‘Utsuroshima’ or the ‘Isle of Nowhere.’ I can’t even make a guess as to where it is.”

“No one found a map?” Teruya raises an eyebrow as he chews on his chicken. Hajime sighs and shakes his head.

“Nope. Nothing. Not even a compass.” He said, letting his hands fall to his side. “Which also means using the ship or building a raft is out of the question. If we can’t find a way to guide ourselves on the sea, we’ll run out of supplies before we even see a little bit of land.”

“I mean, Japan can’t be that far from us, right?” Hibiki asked, curling her eyebrows. “It’s not like you can kidnap someone and move them halfway across the world in a single day, right?”

“S-Sis…Utsuroshima is a tropical island a-and Japan doesn’t have any t-tropical climates…” Kanade replies to her sister, keeping her head down. She starts playing with the bowtie of her uniform. “It’s probably further south, past Okinawa.”

“...Huh?!” Hibiki turns to her sister with a glare. “Are you doubting your older sister’s logic, Kanade?!”

“Wh-What? No!” Kanade tears up, holding her hands up to her face. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Hibiki…please. This kind of open discussion is important if we want to understand our situation better.” Teruya said, verbally stepping in to keep Hibiki on track. Seriously, why does she keep doing that? Well, it’s something to talk about later since now wasn’t the time. Hibiki huffs but crosses her arms and grips her shoulder. Surprisingly, another person speaks up on the matter.

“Actually, I agree with Lady Hibiki.” Yuri said, subtly opposing Kanade’s opinion without outright saying it. The guitarist snaps her gaze at him intently. “It’s too early to conclude that Utsuroshima is a part of the tropical region.”

“Huh? Why’s that?” Nikei raises an eyebrow at Yuri. The astronaut, however, crossed his arms with a scowl.

“Like I’d tell you, you cur.” Yuri turns his nose up and Nikei grinds his teeth. Teruya tries not to sigh and exercises his patience with the astronaut.

“Yuri, please. At least tolerate us for the sake of the girls in the group?” Teruya asked, feeling bad that he had to play into Yuri’s misandry in order to get him to cooperate. Unfortunately, it seems this time that was the wrong thing to say as Yuri turns his ire onto him.

“And if it were up to me, I’d have kicked you all out by now.” Yuri tilts his head at him, almost like there was a darkness shadowing across his face. Teruya couldn’t stop himself cringing at the sight. Dammit, Yuri…!

“Yuri.” Emma speaks, sweeping in to rescue the conversation before it could go even more downhill. “Please explain your reasoning.”

“But of course, Lady Emma!” Yuri immediately brightens up and raises his hands. Teruya slumps and Nikei curses underneath his breath. The astronaut was pretty much the definition of ‘exhausting.’ Yuri points up to the ceiling as he finally clarifies his logic. “Basically, the climate is tropical but the plants and ecosystem are similar to that of Japan’s.”

“Eh? How’s that possible?” Shinji asked, his pupils shrinking as he raised his hand. Something clicks in Teruya’s brain and he speaks up.

“Is it…because the tropical and East Asian climates seemed to have merged? If we're still in Japan, the weather would make more sense here...” Teruya frowns, rubbing his head as he tries to understand how the hell that works. “It does look like a southern island at a glance…and yet, it’s not? Kinda like it’s fake somehow…” He trails off at his own offhand comment but shakes his head. “N-Nevermind, I’m probably mistaken–”

“No. I think you’re both right.”

Teruya blinks, turning towards Mikado with raised eyebrows. Yuri does the same, but he seems far more displeased. Like someone had just stolen his thunder.

Well, too bad for him. He doubts the girls’ opinions will flip around just like that.

“I will say now, that an island like this is impossible to exist. At least, naturally through Mother Nature.” Mikado crosses his legs, his mask frowning as he stares into his bowl. “As Mr. Kagarin and Mr. Otori have pointed out, these facts contradict each other and yet, this is the island we have found ourselves on. Which means, it’s an island made for an unknown purpose by other humans.”

“S-Seriously?!” Yuki gapes, raising his hand in shock.

“Now that you mention it…” Yoruko’s pupils shrink in realization, her hand curling over her chest. “Even though it’s an island, the weather doesn’t feel hot or cold. It’s actually decently cool.”

“You’re right…Even though I’m wearing a fur coat, I don’t feel hot at all.” Emma rubs her cheek, staring at her own coat when she realizes this fact.

“That’s…” Teruya couldn’t hide his unease, his face going pale. His chopsticks nearly fall out of his hand but he quickly reaffirms his grip on them. “Wait, if this is all artificial, how much can we trust our own eyes? Or even our ears? How much of what we’re seeing is even real–”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Yoruko waves her hands back and forth, her own face going pale. “Let’s not go that far! I don’t want to think about how messed up that would be!”

“S-Sorry…” Teruya presses his hand against his chest. He takes slow, deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Now wasn’t the time to panic. He needed to remain as calm as he could, for the sake of his group. Besides, it’s entirely possible that he was overthinking it. For all he knew, it was just an island that was made by humans years ago but was eventually abandoned.

“...Is that it? Do we not have any other updates?” Hajime asked, raising an eyebrow at everyone. Yoruko, very reluctantly, turns to Yuri.

“Weren’t you working on a communications device, Yuri? Have you even started yet?” Yoruko crosses her arms, glaring at the astronaut before her. He smiles at her, but it wasn’t his usual wide grins.

“I’m afraid not, but I assure you it's because I’m still going through the materials I would need for one. I can’t begin without having what I need, after all!” Yuri was relaxed with his words, and was thankfully straight to the point. “I should be able to gather everything from the mart tomorrow morning.”

“Well, at least that’s progress for something, even if it’s from Yuri.” Hajime said, scratching the back of his head. Of course, since he said that out loud, Yuri heard him and clicked his tongue. He starts muttering Russian words in Hajime’s direction, all with a dark glint in his eyes. Probably calling him rude names and such. The boxer completely ignores him. “Aside from that, no one seems to have found anything legit despite searching the entire island.”

“Yeah. I even tried out the swimming idea but after an hour, I realized that I was only seeing an endless sea.” Shinji speaks, his voice lower than his usual volume as he hangs his head. Whether it’s because of Mikado’s sensitivity to loud noises or because he was feeling shame for his failure, Teruya wasn’t sure. “I decided it was too dangerous to go any farther and came back. It…really seems like escape is impossible.”

“Don’t say that, Shinji.” Teruya keeps his expression neutral, even as he grips his chopsticks tightly. The firefighter lifts his head in surprise for the sudden call out. He didn’t like the idea of putting him on the spot but he needed to say it. “If we say things like ‘it’s impossible,’ it’ll only cause doubt and make us feel despair. Hope isn’t found, it’s created. So we must keep our spirits up if we’re going to find a way to escape. Whether it’s by our own means, calling for rescue, or just waiting for an opportunity, we have to remain positive.”

“...You’re right! There’s no reason to give up hope!” Shinji said, grinning and putting his hands on his hips. “Looks like our roles have been reversed, huh?”

“Uhhh, I guess.” To be honest, he was mostly spouting whatever came to mind. But seeing Shinji, the most confident and strong willed person he knew so far, crumble the moment he’s confronted with failure…it just rubbed him the wrong way. Something that nagged at the back of his mind but was unable to nail it down. It was annoying that his own memories just won’t come back to him, remaining as vague feelings he had to take a guess at. But he doesn’t show it, instead sharing Shinji’s smile. “It’s only been a day. It’d be a miracle if we all just found the exit almost immediately, but that’s not realistic.”

“True…” Shinji rubs the back of his neck. “I guess I was hoping for better results.”

“Eh, don’t sweat it, man. We may not have found an exit, but that didn’t mean we got nothing to report.” Hajime crosses his arms. “I looked through the mart again, and nothing had changed from what I can tell. At the very least, we won’t be running out of supplies any time soon, whether it’s from the mart or the pantry on the Monocruise. We’re pretty much able to cook our own meals at any time.”

“Having such an abundance of supplies will keep us sustained, that’s for sure. So that won’t be a concern for everyday life.” Nikei writes something down on his notepad before putting his pen behind his ear. “As for my report, after I failed to interrogate Kokoro Mitsume through the door of her room, I decided to investigate the park next to the mart. You know, the place where everything went down last night.”

“You tried to interrogate Ms. Mitsume.” Mikado raised an eyebrow. Or at least, his mask gave an impression of raising an eyebrow. Nikei huffs, flattening his gaze at the wizard.

“Yeah, but I was pretty much stonewalled the entire time. I don't know how she did it, but eventually my hand was hurting too much to the point that I had to give up unless I really wanna injure myself. I wouldn’t be a journalist if I lost my scooping hand, after all!” Nikei shudders, holding his hand close to his chest like it was his prized possession. Considering how much he seems to love his job, he probably wasn’t far off the mark. Nikei sighed and dropped his hand. “Anyways, about the park…” He hesitates, his eyes slowly drifting over to Teruya. When he raises an eyebrow at him, he speaks bluntly as if he were ripping off a bandaid. “And…well, it’s gone. And by gone, I mean, any remains of the battle that took place last night had disappeared. The fire, the bullets, the rubble…everything. Almost as if it never happened.”

Teruya’s jaw drops.

“Wh-What?!” He jumps out of his seat, his chopsticks scattering onto the tray. “That…That’s impossible! The entire ground was filled with bullets and craters! Hell, even one of the statues was destroyed! Are you saying that the damage was just…replaced overnight?!”

Everyone was quiet at his outburst. They were all staring at him like they were at a loss of words. Not out of shock, but from quiet contemplation. Even Mikado didn’t ask questions and slowly resumed eating. Setsuka was the first to speak.

“I’m sorry, Teru, but…we all saw the park for ourselves.” She tilts her head, scratching the back of her head with a hand on her hip. “Everything Nik just said is true.”

“...Seriously?” Teruya looks at Nikei, his confusion still sticking to him like glue. The journalist just sighs and stuffs his hands into his pockets with a shrug, closing his eyes.

“...If you don’t believe me, you should take a look at it for yourself when you have the time. However…” He opens his eyes, hesitating even though it wasn’t like him. “If you’re expecting to find that Mekaru woman’s body, don’t. It’s…She’s gone, too.”

Teruya stared at him.

And felt as though the rug had been pulled from underneath him.

Rei’s body…is gone?

She’s gone? Before he could even go back for her?

Before he could work up the courage and take care of her body?

Before he could give her something for her bravery? A burial or even a cremation?

Did Monocrow just take her body…and disposed of her like she was trash?

After trying to stop Kokoro Mitsume and rescue not only Teruya and everyone else, she was simply…tossed away? Just like that?

And he just…lost his chance.

He lost his chance to say goodbye to her. To what’s left of her.

Because she deserved something more than what she got.

“...I’m sorry, Teruya.” Nikei sighs. And then grins, his eyes shining as he picks up his pen and notepad. “But hey! If it makes you feel any better, they’re selling some green-tea flavored cola that was pulled off the market ten years ago in the vending machines!”

Teruya just stared at him like he had grown a second head.

“Hey.” Hajime grits his teeth. “Come here so I can hit you.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Nikei immediately backs away from the boxer, who was just radiating irritation. He ends up hiding behind the nearest person, which just so happened to be Shinji. “At least it’s a positive scoop!” That actually got Teruya to snort but a smile doesn’t break onto his face.

“That reminds me, actually…” Yuki speaks up, keeping the conversation from derailing completely. “Who…were those women anyways? They acted like they knew you, Teruya.”

“...I’m sorry. But my memories are still completely blank.” He lowers his head and he rubs it, cursing his inability to remember even a smidge of his past. Of all the times to get amnesia, it just had to be during this entire ordeal, with the people who apparently recognized him and came to rescue them all getting snuffed out at the drop of a hat. “Even…Even when I feel like I just lost a friend, it’s nothing more than a feeling. Like I’m trying to look through an old camera but the film had been exposed to the light and was ruined.”

“Yikes. That’s one way of describing your amnesia.” Nikei dryly comments. He ignores him, staring down at his feet with shame.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up too much, okay?” Emma gives him a smile, one that doesn’t reach her eyes but was caring all the same. “Perhaps your memory will return on its own? It may be best not to force it, you know?”

“...You’re probably right. I’ll just have to wait and see for now.” If only there was some way to speed up the process. Or maybe if he just knew more about amnesia and how it works, he might find a way to reverse it. Even if all he could do was apply some home remedies and wait to see if the effects take hold.

“Although…now that we’ve brought those women up, I’m a little worried about the one with the hoodie. What did Mekaru call her again…?” Emma furrows her brow in an attempt to remember. It was Yuri who answered her question.

“I believe she referred to her as ‘Taira.’” Yuri said, saying the name like he had memorized it without any effort whatsoever. Knowing him, that was probably true when it comes to a woman.

“...Taira…” Teruya swallows, a heaviness weighing down on his heart. He presses his hand against his chest in an attempt to calm himself. He still remembers nothing, but hearing that name only brought an uneasiness to himself. Like he didn’t want to believe what he was hearing. The amnesiac shakes his head and adjusts his scarf. “I…want…to believe she’s okay.”

“I’m afraid that’s unlikely.” Mikado was quick to express his doubt, his mask narrowing its eyelid together. “That woman has been sent flying through the sky. Even if she were to land in water, with how high she was and the force of gravity, breaking through the surface of the ocean would most likely shatter her bones. And if she does survive that, she’d be stranded in the middle of the ocean. It’s safe to assume that she probably drowned out there.”

The entire group goes silent at that. Not even Yuri had a rebuttal, let alone an insult prepared in Mikado’s way. After all, his logic was pretty sound, even to those that weren’t familiar with how physics worked.

“...I see. Well, films do tend to rely on suspension of disbelief.” Emma sighs, her face going pale with her arms by her side. “It’s very common for characters to jump into the water like it’s some sort of safety net, but of course that doesn’t coincide with reality. Especially when the character is meant to survive a ridiculous height.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this any further.” Setsuka crosses her arms, staring at Teruya, who was trying his hardest to hold back tears. He didn't want to cry, at least not right now. “Not only is this an upsetting topic to talk about, it just gets more complicated the more we try to figure out what it all means.”

“...Yeah. I agree.” Teruya sniffles, sitting back down slowly. “Sorry, but we don’t have enough information about them to try and discuss it as a group.”

“Well, as for the locations we found on the island…” Shinji starts speaking again. He was, thankfully, following their lead and Teruya can’t help but be grateful. “There’s a church with a bell-tower, the cabin is apparently a guest house, and there’s some floating houses.”

“...It’s actually a boardwalk with houses, Mr. Kasai.” Mikado corrected almost automatically. Only for Shinji to suddenly flip a switch.

“AND THERE’S NOTHING TO THEM!!!” The yell reverberates throughout the room, catching everyone off guard. Mikado just groans and sinks into his bed, handing his tray back over to a baffled Yuki.

“What the heck, Shinji?! Did you even investigate at all??” Yoruko snaps at him, which quickly causes Shinji to turn as red as his hair. Yuki quickly steps in between them.

“C-Calm down, Yoruko! It’s not like he didn’t try, it’s just…There’s nothing of interest in there anyways.” Yuki raises the tray, realizes his hands were currently full, and then lowers it back down. It was Yoruko’s turn to start blushing.

“I…well…I guess…” She admits it very reluctantly, turning her head away to hide her embarrassment.

“I believe…” Mikado speaks up from the bed, pulling the covers over his body as if he was making some kind of shelter. “...what’s important right now is where we are: the Monocruise.”

“O-Oh…! You’re right! Did you guys explore the Monocruise? Do you know what’s here?” Teruya asked, playing with the buttons on his jacket. It was Iroha who answered him this time.

“Well…since it’s a cruise ship, it has a lot of stuff here.” Iroha sets her arms down by her side. “There’s a game room, a bathhouse, a workout room, a library, etc. Basically, you name it, they probably have it.”

“There’s four floors to the Monocruise, with the third and fourth floors having our rooms.” Yuki adds on, still unsure of where to put Mikado’s tray. It looks like he’s finished eating even though there was still food left on the plate. “They’re all unlocked at the moment…well, except for Kokoro’s.” Nikei tsked again. Yuki ignores him and averts his gaze. “But Monocrow mentioned that this will change as soon as he passes out everyone’s handbooks and explains the rules of the killing game.”

“Handbooks?” Teruya raised an eyebrow. “I…think he mentioned them before. But he never explained what they are.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone was able to ask him any questions since he had left as soon as he brought it up.” Yuki looked at the group, and everyone pretty much nodded their heads. He sighs. “Yeah, I kinda figured…Personally, I haven’t seen him since.”

“...Actually, we have seen Monocrow earlier to explain one of the rules.” Mikado speaks up, but he turns onto his stomach to bury his face into the pillow. Teruya watched as everyone leaned forward in surprise and anticipation. But the wizard refused to look at them as he continued. “It was Rule 16…one that was created to put me on a leash.”

“A leash?” Yoruko raised an eyebrow. Teruya clears his throat, feeling uneasy at revealing this information. But since it’s part of the rules and was apparently something that can be reviewed at any time upon getting their handbooks, they were going to find out sooner or later. It’d be better to get it out in the open than for the group to pile unnecessary expectations onto Mikado.

“Rule 16…to keep it short, Mikado isn’t allowed to use any magic against Monocrow, Kokoro, or used to destroy property…” The amnesiac swallows and rubs his fingers against his goggles. “If he breaks this rule…one of us will get killed in response.”

A heartbeat passes.

And outrage broke loose.

“WHAT?!” Yuki drops the tray and it clatters to the floor, scattering its contents all over.

“Y-You’ve got to be kidding me! Death…to one of us?!” Yoruko steps away, her face going pale once more.

“So, basically, our most powerful ally can’t do shit unless he wants to risk our lives? Great, just fucking great!” Nikei scowled, his face darkening underneath his hat.

“But he is the Ultimate Wizard. Couldn’t he just blast everything to smithereens until nothing can threaten us?” Yuri seemed completely unconvinced, but the furrow of his brow showed the doubt in his own words.

“That’s not the point, Ri-Ri. If he messes up, one of us could end up dead before he could wipe out the enemy.” Setsuka scolds Yuri, gritting her teeth as she stares down at her heels.

“Not only that, Mikado tried to fight Kokoro and lost by sheer numbers. No matter how powerful he is, he’s still human.” Hajime rubs his head. It looked like he was trying to imagine what to do with this information but was coming up with a blank.

“S-Sis…this is bad.” Kanade clings to her sister. Hibiki turns to her with a scowl.

“You think?! If this is one of the rules, how bad are the other ones??” Her nose flares but he can see the tears forming in her eyes. But she quickly wipes it away. “Auuugh…is there really no way to get out now?”

“L-Let’s not panic just yet!!” Iroha chimes in despite her paling face. “Think positively! Think positively! M-Mikado might not be able to do anything, but at least he's alive and awake! Th-That’s better than nothing!”

“Y-Yes…” Emma crosses her arms, even as she nervously glances at the rest of the group. “It’s a messed up rule, for sure. But…that doesn’t mean anything, as long as we can find a way off this island.”

“Y-Y-Yeah!” Shinji starts to yell, but he stutters over his words when he is replying to Emma. It becomes much firmer, though, when he starts addressing the whole group. “The rules won’t matter as long as we get out of here! So forget about that Rule 16 and just find other uses for that magic of yours!”

“Guys, guys, breathe a little!” Teruya speaks up over the chatter, waving his hands back and forth to gain the group’s attention. Thankfully, it was enough for them to quiet down but the panic was still written over most of their faces. He takes a deep breath. “I know this is…terrifying news. We’re already in a killing game, which is stressful enough as is without the layer of being hostages. But…at best, it just means that Mikado can’t use magic against Monocrow and Kokoro, or use it to destroy property.” Teruya then frowns before staring right at Shinji. “That being said…I don’t think we should ignore the rules entirely.”

“Yeah, Shinji, there’s obviously punishments attached to these rules. If we break them, who knows what will happen to us?” Hajime said, putting his hand against his hip and raising an eyebrow at Shinji. “Especially when breaking Rule 16 apparently gets one of us killed.”

“Uh…Sorry. I got ahead of myself.” Shinji looks down, a little ashamed that he overlooked that bit.

“N-No, it’s okay, Shinji. I understand what you mean. Escape is definitely a priority for us, and once that happens, we won’t have to worry about these kinds of rules ever again. Until then, though, we should be careful.” Teruya feels a nag in the back of his head, but it goes away when he tries to reach for it. He frowns. Why is this feeling so…strong? Is it deja vu?

“...Well, at least we have an idea of what these rules are gonna be.” Nikei seemed to have calmed down now, alongside everyone else. He puts his hands into his pockets and closes his eyes with a huff. “With that being said, there are other places we haven’t looked yet. But they’re locked so we left them alone for the time being.”

“I-It’s probably for th-the best.” Kanade was still clinging onto her sister. It looked like Hibiki's snap didn’t bother her this time around. Not to the point of crying, at least. “M-Monocrow mentioned that ‘vandalism’ isn’t allowed wh-when we considered cutting down the trees f-for a raft…S-So ‘vandalism’ might include breaking down the doors as well.” Teruya blinks.

“Wait. Talking about the rules reminded me of something...Syobai said that he’s under surveillance by Monocrow and Kokoro. Do you guys’ know what’s up with that?” Teruya scratches his cheek as he checks everyone’s reactions. Mikado looks up from his pillow, no longer trying to hide his face from the world. But aside from him, everyone was exchanging confused looks.

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Emma was the one to respond first. “I do find it odd, though. When he tried to commit murder, Monocrow wasn’t happy with what he did even though that was the intention of a killing game.”

“...Perhaps the way he went about it was against what Monocrow and Ms. Mitsume wanted? There are fifteen other rules that none of us are aware of.” Mikado speaks up, turning onto his back. Hajime winces.

“I…can’t help but wonder what those other rules are. What if we break one and get into trouble?” The boxer asked. Teruya can feel the sweat growing on his neck.

“Maybe we’re better off waiting for Monocrow’s announcement. Even if he claims to not be enforcing the rules, he’s stopped us twice from breaking one of them. Who’s to say that he’s telling the truth?” Teruya said, pressing his hand against his chest. He can feel his racing heart underneath.

“Yeah, no, you’re right. Monocrow and Kokoro haven’t done anything to us yet, but I’d rather not get myself killed over a rule I didn’t know about.” Nikei agreed, tilting his hat with a tsked. Everyone quickly followed suit as no one would want to get hurt from breaking a rule. “Even then, there’s nothing we can do right now but to continue investigating.”

“Yeah. Not to mention that the Monocruise is a lot bigger than I thought. Maybe we should do a more thorough search of it tomorrow morning?” Setsuka adds in her suggestion and Teruya slowly nods. He hasn’t had the opportunity to do his own investigation either since he was busy taking care of Mikado. The billiards player glances at everyone and then shrugs. “Aaaand I think that’s it.”

“That’s it?” Teruya looks at every single member of their group. They all either shrugged or broke eye contact. The amnesiac slumps in response, unable to hide his disappointment. “I, uh…I know it's only been a day, but I thought we’d have an idea of how to get off this island. Or at least contact help.”

“Yeah, we didn’t really learn anything new.” Hibiki agrees, crossing her arm across her waist and gripping her shoulder. “I wish an escape route would just ‘poof’ into existence right now.”

“I mean…it’d be much easier if we can just use the Monocruise to leave…” Iroha lifts her sketchpad up, curling her eyebrows as she smiles awkwardly. Yuki, a little more calmer than before, kneels down with a sigh as he tries to clean the spill he made from dropping the tray.

“If we could find the control room, then yeah, we can just forget about the killing game and leave. But none of the rooms we checked looked like a place where we can start the Monocruise and if it’s behind a locked room, then we can’t get to it anyway.” Yuki cringes as he wipes the food with an unused napkin. “I doubt Kokoro would let us move the boat anyways.”

“...Yeah. She wouldn’t.” Teruya didn’t doubt it at all. As long as she was in control of the situation, any of the easy solutions would be stripped away from them. They have yet to have the means to establish a connection with the outside world, they can’t find the control room of the Monocruise, and they’re not even allowed to cut down any trees for a raft.

Is it…even possible to escape at all?

“Why are you two making that kind of face?” Teruya blinks, looking up at Shinji as he realizes he has started to slump. Yuki also looks up from his position on the floor just in time for the firefighter to lean down and suddenly scoop him up in his arm. The student gasps, flailing slightly at how easily Shinji had picked him up, quickly approaching Teruya and wrapping his free arm over his shoulders to pull him into a hug. Teruya’s eyes go wide and Yuki gives up on escaping from the firefighter’s grasp. But it doesn’t erase the bright smile Shinji gives both of them. “We shouldn’t distract ourselves over ‘what if’s!’ It’s only been one day since we got here. Like you said, Teruya, we just need a little more patience and hope to find a way off of this island. Besides, Kokoro has been pretty quiet since last night. Monocrow may be a nuisance but he hasn’t done much to us either. So we’ll find a way to escape for sure!” Shinji sets Yuki back down on his feet but only brings the two of them even closer. “Now perk up, both of you! As your Big Bro, I’ll help you build some confidence as men!”

“Shinji…” Teruya can’t help but stare at him. He has been very supportive since they first met, especially when he immediately proclaimed himself as his “Big Bro.” Shinji even showed empathy when Teruya finally cracked under the grief of losing Rei Mekaru and helped him let it all out. And while he can falter upon experiencing failure, he seems to quickly bounce right back to help other people. But…he supposed he didn’t expect him to take it as seriously as he is now. Teruya can’t help but feel like he’s unused to this kind of treatment, at least when it comes from someone so close in age as him.

It…kinda made him happy, knowing that Shinji was looking out for him and Yuki.

…Even if he thinks it’s impossible for things to go as smoothly as Shinji hopes.

…No, he can’t think like that. It’ll be like setting himself up for failure.

He just needs to have hope that it’ll all work out and do his best.

It’s not much, but it’s a starting point.

“Regardless, Ms. Mitsume is one of the biggest clues we have as she is the mastermind.” Mikado speaks up, bringing the topic back on track. Shinji takes that as his cue to let go of Teruya and Yuki. The latter was all too happy to have his space back, muttering questions about how the heck he got into this. “I don't think it's likely she’d be willing to spill all the details in her plans. But it’s worth the effort to keep an eye on her.”

“That depends if she ever leaves her room, but I can’t disagree with it either.” Hajime adds on as he crosses his arms. “As for that Syobai guy…it’s probably best that we keep our distance. He’s clearly dangerous but he seems to be calm…for now.”

“Speaking of Syobai, do you guys know his full talent and name?” Teruya asked, sitting back down. He had completely forgotten to tell them this morning. It should’ve been the most obvious thing to share, but he was distracted by…pretty much everything up to that point. He still shouldn’t use that as an excuse. He needs to stay on the ball here.

“Yeah, we do. Shinji and Nikei were quick to spread the news to everyone.” Yuki replied, shuddering as he went back to cleaning the tray. At least Shinji and Nikei remembered to spread the word when Teruya didn’t. “I knew Hope’s Peak sometimes chooses criminals to invite as ‘the best of the best,’ but to have one in our class…”

“Um…I have a question, actually.” Iroha speaks up almost timidly. Teruya looks at her and she shyly hides behind her sketchpad at the attention he gives her. “How were you able to come across that information? We all had trouble getting anything out of him unless we paid him. Uh, his words, not mine.”

“Oh, uh…” Teruya felt his face go hot once again. He hopes this is the last time he had to explain this. “I, um, figured out his name…when I mistook his podium for my own.” Iroha stared at him, looking like she was struggling to connect the dots. Before he could explain even further, her eyes went wide as it seemed to have clicked on her own and she smiled at him with sympathy. Teruya moved on before they could linger on the topic any further. “A-And I only got him to say his Ultimate Talent when he came to…’apologize’ and take responsibility for his actions. We made a, uh, verbal exchange of sorts and he complied.”

“...That’s it?” Yoruko said, raising an eyebrow. Teruya just shrugged. She sighs. “Geez, as if being classmates with a criminal wasn’t already bad enough, he has strange principles, too.”

“Ah, so that’s why his name sounded familiar. That ‘broker’ really was him…” Yuri muttered as he crossed his arms. Teruya looked at him but his stare went completely ignored. Thankfully, Setsuka noticed and spoke up.

“Oh? Have you met him, Ri-Ri?” Setsuka scratches the back of her head but Yuri shakes his head.

“Never! He is a man, so I wouldn’t have bothered to get to know him.” Yuri turns his chin up with a huff. Teruya just takes a deep breath to help restrain his annoyance. The astronaut, thankfully, doesn’t add on to that comment any more than he had to. “‘Syobai Hashimoto’ is simply a super famous name in the black market. I think he even has connections to the Russian mafia.”

“...Should I be concerned that you even know about that?” Nikei takes a step back from Yuri…even though he was writing down the information he had spoken out loud in his notepad. Yuri turns his head away, refusing to answer. Nikei narrows his eyes but chooses to ignore him in the end and turns to Teruya. “I still can’t believe a guy like that would come and apologize. Hell, I was there to witness it, too!”

“Honestly, I agree.” Teruya scratches his finger against his cheek. “Hm…maybe, even though he is a criminal, Syobai considers himself a businessman and follows his own set of beliefs? Or maybe some kind of rule despite how shady he is? If that’s true, then we might be able to establish some sort of deal with him and–”

“Absolutely not.” Teruya jolts and turns to see that it was Mikado who spoke up. He was sitting up now, the mask’s expression almost glowing with its narrow eye. His tone was harsh and scathing. “Even if he is good at gathering information, he is still the Ultimate Broker and tried to kill Mr. Maeda. He is far too dangerous and may try to backstab us the moment there’s something that would motivate him to toss us aside.”

“That…seems awfully emotional, coming from you, Mikado.” Emma said, tilting her head at him as she rubs her cheek. Mikado blinks at her but crosses his arms.

“Don’t look too deep into it. I’m merely upset that something like that had happened while I was unconscious.” Mikado scowled, but hung his head. The mask on his expression lightens just a tiny bit but only enough for it to stop glowing. “I also just don’t like him.”

“Can’t argue with that!” Hibiki puts her hands on her hips. “How the hell do you trust someone that goes around trying to stab people in a killing game anyways!?”

“R-Right…the killing game.” Yuki picks up the tray of food now that it’s been cleaned up. But Teruya notices the slight shake in his hands, even when his knuckles are turning white with how tightly he was gripping the tray. “Nearly getting stabbed like that…urgh.”

“Uh…” Hibiki quickly calms down, gripping her shoulder as she sends an apologetic stare at Yuki. “S-Sorry. We were all just…talking about the killing game so casually that I just…said that without a second thought.”

“Uh, don’t worry about it.” Yuki takes a deep breath and sags. “I’ll…be okay. It’s just…I nearly got stabbed and…yeah.”

…Now that she’s brought it up, they’ve been very open in their discussion of the killing game so far. Just another reminder that this is the reality they’re stuck with. A reality where Monocrow told them to kill each other. And if they don’t find a way to get out soon, or make some kind of progress…

Teruya swallows.

He doesn’t want to believe it.

But this instinct, this feeling, was deeply rooted in his chest and he knew.

He knew someone would die.

And he can’t let that happen.

No matter what.

“Hey…try not to worry too much, okay?” Hajime speaks up to try and relieve the tension that was forming in the group. “No one here is willing to commit murder.”

“Aside from K-Kokoro and Syobai, anyways…” Shinji tacks on but quickly clears his throat. “But aside from them, we’re in this together as a group! We won’t fall for their trap as long as we’re together!”

“Y-Yeah…” Yuki suddenly starts to perk up. It almost catched Teruya off guard at how quickly he started to smile again. But should he really be surprised? “Besides, like Shinji said, Monocrow only popped in here and there to regulate the ‘rules’ and Kokoro has been completely silent in her room. No news is good news, as they say. So we might be able to return home if we keep investigating!”

Teruya felt his cheeks starting to hurt and realized he had been smiling at Yuki the whole time he was talking. He rubs at them, trying to relax his face. It was very uncomfortable.

And yet, it was hard not to be a little optimistic when it was Yuki expressing his hope—

Ding dong bing bong!

They all freeze at the sudden sound. Teruya felt his skin go out in a cold sweat as his head snapped towards the TV screen attached in the corner of the room. It crackles to life with static, and as soon as it cleared up, Monocrow appears on screen. He clears his throat, or whatever was the equivalence, and speaks, his voice reverberating throughout the room through the speaker attached.

“Ahem! Testing, testing.” Monocrow taps something off screen with his wing and then stares directly at the screen. “If you are hearing this, then that means the screens found throughout the Monocruise are working and have been set up on the island. From now on, I will be using these screens for announcements, including daily day-time and night-time ones. The day-time announcements are so you can all wake up on a timely schedule while the night-time announcements will be a signal for the Monocruise locking up for the night. Lockdown will begin at 10PM and will last until 7AM. Oh, and one more thing before signing off for night-time: after breakfast tomorrow, I will finally be able to tell you about the Killing School Trip’s rules and passing out your e-handbook+s at Utsuroshima Park. Do not worry about forgetting for I will make a reminder announcement in the morning. But don’t be tardy as I will consider it as breaking school rules and will dole out punishments accordingly.”

And then the TV was shut off, leaving them to digest the announcement.

Yuki, of course, was the first to react.

“A-Already?! It’s barely been twenty-four hours!” He looked like he was going to drop the tray again but he managed to keep it together. “I didn’t think he’d be making a move already…”

“I knew it! I knew it was too quiet up to this point.” Yoruko grit her teeth and crossed her arms.

“Wh-What should we do…?” Kanade speaks up, looking around to see if anyone has any ideas.

“It’s better that we do what Monocrow says.” Mikado was the one to answer her. Shinji frowns at him.

“Are you scared of some punishment, Mikado?” Even though Shinji didn’t seem to be judging him with how there was sweat gathering on his forehead, Teruya couldn’t help but cringe at the question. Mikado just flatly stared at him.

“I mean, I don’t wanna go, but it’s probably best that we do.” Setsuka said, scratching the back of her head. “We don’t know the official rules and it’d be safer to know them just in case, like Teru said before.”

“Not only that, Kokoro did kill Mekaru.” Emma looks down and crosses her arms. Teruya swallows but ignores the pain in his heart. “If the punishment is anything like that, then choosing to stay behind would be a bad idea.”

“Need I remind everyone that this killing game is the same as a hostage situation?” Nikei grumbles out loud as he puts his pen behind his ear. “Whether we like it or not, if we’re not cooperative on some level, we’ll only get hurt for no reason. Or worse.”

The more everyone countered Shinji, the redder his face got from embarrassment.

“I think we all get it, Nikei.” Teruya stands up from his chair as he speaks up. The journalist huffs but doesn’t comment any further. He stares out at the group, all of whom seemed much more uneasy now that there was something planned for them tomorrow. He takes a deep breath and clears his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “I…I know we’re all anxious at this news. But for now, we should all head back to our rooms and rest. We’re going to need as much energy as we can for our investigations tomorrow.”

“Yeah…I agree. You can’t use your brain if you don’t get enough sleep.” Hajime nods his head. Everyone else murmurs their agreements, and starts to slowly trickle out of the infirmary. Before they go, though, the boxer lingers long enough to look at Mikado. “Rest up, man. I know it seems counterproductive to sleep after you just woke up but you’ll heal faster if you do.”

“Yeah! I don’t know if that’s true but you should focus on getting better, Mika!” Hibiki points at him as she grabs a hold of Kanade to drag her off with her. The guitarist doesn’t fight her and follows her older sister with a sigh.

“Oh! That reminds me! I finished this sketch for you.” Iroha runs over and rips a page out of her sketchpad so she can hand it over to Mikado. He holds it in his hands and Teruya leans over to see what it is…which was just a chibi version of himself with a tiny bird on top. “It’s nothing complicated but I thought you could use something cute and simple!”

“Goodbye. Try not to be tardy tomorrow. Or do, I don’t care.” Yuri dips out the moment the meeting is over, trying to follow after Hibiki and Kanade.

And yet, even with Yuri’s distasteful comment, everyone continued to wish Mikado well. A sentiment that only made the wizard redder and redder. A physical response that not even the mask can hide despite the empty expression on his face.

“Th-Thank you all…” Mikado looks away, holding the drawing close to his chest. “I will be back on my feet in the morning, promise.”

“Good! In that case…” Shinji waves as he turns the corner. “Goodnight, Mikado!”

“See you in the morning, Kado!” Setsuka pats him on the shoulder before doing the same with Teruya on her way out.

“Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Nikei flippantly waves without looking back.

“Huh – Hey! Wait for me!” Iroha, upon realizing that everyone was leaving without her, immediately runs after the group.

“Here’s some water in case you get thirsty.” Yoruko smiles as she sets the water bottle down, one that she must have gotten from the fridge. She then walks away. “Sleep well.”

“Don’t ‘night’ the bullet while we’re gone!” Emma grins and Teruya scrunched up his eyebrows at her. Despite her only response being a groan from Yuki, she walks out of the infirmary with light steps.

“That had to be the worst one yet.” Yuki muttered before turning to Mikado. Realizing that he had nothing new to say, he just blushes and bows his head. “Uh, g-goodnight, Mikado.”

“Uh, goodnight, everyone…” Mikado, clearly unused to the amount of attention he’s getting, simply waves them goodbye. Yuki leaves the infirmary and now, it was only them. When it becomes clear that Teruya wasn’t leaving just yet, the wizard looks up at him. “...Is there something you need, Mr. Otori?”

“Oh, I just wanted to check on your wounds before...” Teruya hesitates, as he didn’t think it’d be a good idea to leave Mikado like this. He’s obviously feeling a lot better, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take a turn for the worse.

“...I see.” Mikado then raised his arm to him, propping his chin onto his other hand. Teruya blinks but the wizard goes on. “I’ll admit, I am not well versed in healing magic. So I appreciate your care, Mr. Otori. But I’m certain I’ll be fine in the morning.”

“...Even then, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard, Mikado.” Teruya goes along with it, and pushes his chair closer before sitting back down in it. He gently grasps his arms, lifting his sleeves up to examine his skin. Mikado cringes at his touch, almost pulling his arm out of his hand upon the reveal of even more of his burn scars. But Teruya can tell that he’s forcing himself to remain still as he can feel the tension in his muscles. The amnesiac can only give him an awkward smile. “Sorry. I’ll make this quick.”

“Please do.” Mikado said, and Teruya went to work.

While it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t a doctor, he recognized the knowledge he had in his head was at least basic first aid. The good news was that Mikado is obviously responsive being awake as he is, was breathing in and out easily, and didn’t seem to be bleeding anywhere. There also wasn’t any signs of him bleeding from the inside either, as there was a lack of swelling, Mikado wasn’t sweating as much when he was unconscious, and he didn’t claim to be very thirsty. Teruya hums.

“Are there any, uh, symptoms you want to share with me?” Teruya asked, unwilling to pat him down as he didn’t want to invade any more of Mikado’s personal space. He just didn’t have the guts to do so, especially when he’s wide awake and not in a coma, as short as it was. Perhaps another sign that he wasn’t a doctor in his past life.

“Aside from a minor headache and a bit of soreness in my body, I feel quite fine.” Mikado pulls his arm out of Teruya’s grasp, wincing and then gently massaging it. “...Perhaps I am a bit bruised. But with an ice pack and some rest, I will recover by morning.”

“...Alright.” Teruya could do nothing more than this. As long as they were cut off from the outside world and with no Ultimate Doctor in the class, there was very little he could do for Mikado. He couldn’t even use an emergency number as there wasn’t a single phone on this island and he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to get a signal anyways. Teruya sighs and gently, carefully sets his hand on Mikado’s shoulder. “You should lay down and rest, then. Try to keep your movement to the minimum as much as possible to avoid making the pain worse. Okay?”

“Okay.” Mikado does what he’s told and lays down in bed. Teruya takes the blanket and covers his body up to his chest. The wizard stares at him, his face blank while the mask’s grin widens. “You’re quite doting, Mr. Otori.”

“Well, someone has to make sure you’re okay.” Teruya's hands linger on top of Mikado. He didn’t want to leave him alone. He didn’t think it was a good idea. But…he trusted that everyone had gone into their rooms like they said they would. And even if he wanted to stay and keep watch, he’ll only tire himself out with no one else to take over his shift. Just staying in the infirmary all day was exhausting with little to no stimulation. Teruya needed to rest as well, so he’s choosing to trust that Mikado will be fine on his own. He pulls away. “I’m gonna go rest now.”

“Wait.” Mikado suddenly grabs his hand. Teruya stops in his tracks, raising an eyebrow at his friend. He doesn’t sit back up but he does turn his head away. “...I’m sorry. For acting without thinking.”

“Again?” Teruya said, raising an eyebrow. He holds Mikado’s hand with both of his own. “You have nothing to apologize for–”

“Yes, I do.” Mikado squeezes him. His grip was tight and a little painful. “My actions have indirectly put you all in danger. I saw the danger of that mech and those drones, what they did to those two women, and everyone was in the vicinity, and yet, I just…!” He pauses. And takes a deep breath. “...I do not regret trying to stop her. But I do regret having endangered all of you without thinking of the consequences. And for that, I’m sorry.”

Teruya stared at their joined hands, taking in his apology and considering the best way to soothe his friend’s guilt. He loosens his grip on Mikado and then kneels down beside the bed.

“Mikado.” Teruya keeps his tone gentle. Mikado stared at his face as he spoke. “I understand what you did was reckless. But you were only doing the right thing by trying to stop her…no matter what it took. You went as far as to put your neck on the line for everyone. That’s…admirable, even if I don’t want you to stain your hands with blood for our sake.”

“Admirable?” Mikado looks away, but Teruya can see his ears turning a shade of red. “...I may be willing to do everything I can to protect everyone. But murder…there’s nothing admirable about it. Please don’t call it that.”

“Then let me put it this way: I was shocked about Kokoro’s death. Hell, I was mad about it. But when I found out what she’s really like, I wish that Rei Mekaru did stop her the first time.” He pauses before carefully tugging his hand out of Mikado’s grip. The wizard looks back at him as he stands and pats his blanket again. “I don’t…want to say this. But if the mastermind had been taken care of right then and there, we wouldn’t be in this killing game in the first place. That’s a reality I’d have to accept, whether or not either of you had succeeded.”

“...I’m surprised.” Mikado admits with a tilt of his head. “You were so determined to keep me from starting another fight, and yet, your opinion is quite…pragmatic.”

“Well, you say that, but I’m serious about that promise I made. Er, the promise that you were unconscious for.” Teruya scratches the back of his head, feeling a little bit embarrassed. “I promised to protect everyone, so I won’t allow anyone to commit murder. I don’t want anyone to die. And…I just have this bad feeling in my gut that if someone were to murder, it won’t end well. So, please. Let’s not do anything drastic for the time being and keep an eye out. Alright?”

Mikado was quiet.

Teruya patiently waited for his response, allowing him to think for as long as he needed to.

Eventually, he spoke.

“...Alright.” Mikado sighs. “I understand. I don’t like repeating my mistakes anyway. I will refrain from doing anything drastic and follow your lead until the end, Mr. Otori.”

“Oh, um…” Teruya looked away, perhaps a bit anxious at the thought of Mikado following his lead. He…really has become a leader, huh? He couldn’t turn him down, though, so he just tried to give him his best smile. “Thank you for your support. I’ll try not to let you down.”

“Do not worry. I’m sure we can figure something out together as a group.” Mikado turns his head, staring directly at the ceiling now. His arm was laid across his chest, looking like he was going to get lost in his thoughts. Teruya lingered a little longer, thinking on what else he should say. When he finally settled on something, he spoke up.

“Mikado?”

His voice reaches him and he turns to look at him.

“...Even though you have a willingness to kill, you just wanted to protect everyone. So…thank you.” Teruya gives him a small smile. “Thank you for trying to stop Kokoro. You’re a good person, and everyone knows that.”

“I doubt it–”

“No, they do.” Teruya pressed his hand against his chest. “A lot of us expressed worry when you were unconscious. They all visited you in the morning to see how you were doing. And when I told them that you were awake this evening, they all wanted to see you personally. We all saw what you did, and not a single one of us thought badly of you. You see?”

Mikado didn’t respond. But his mask’s eye had gone wide, like he’s been completely blindsided to everyone’s care.

Was that expression genuine? A sign that the mask showed the truth to what Mikado was feeling? To help him convey his emotions?

He…wasn’t sure.

He wasn’t sure if he understood what Mikado was feeling or expressing. Not when he’s wearing a mask that was so…simple and distant.

All he could do was guess and hope he got it right.

Teruya waited for Mikado to respond. But when he made no move to speak and signal what he was thinking, he realized he had nothing to say. This left them in an awkward atmosphere. One that Teruya had no choice but to break as he had nothing else to add except to excuse himself.

“I’m, uh, gonna go find my room now. There’s…” Teruya starts, clearing his throat. “There’s some painkillers on the table if you need them. Okay?”

“...Okay. Goodnight, Mr. Otori.” Mikado glances at the painkillers but goes back to staring at the ceiling.

“Goodnight, Mikado.” And Teruya, after grabbing his books, leaves Mikado alone in the infirmary with an anxious heart. Hoping that he’ll be okay for the rest of the night.

(Left alone in the infirmary, all Mikado could do was think. Teruya Otori was…far kinder than he had expected. And perhaps a bit naïve. He wasn’t sure if it was due to his amnesia or if it was simply a part of his personality. But Teruya is quite trusting, leaving his back wide open to any potential backstabbing.)

(...Mikado won’t allow an opportunity for that to happen. He can only hope he can end this game before it can even get started.)

–♥–

It didn’t take long for Teruya to find his room. He had to make a guess on which floor were the dorms but upon going up the flight of stairs twice, he knew he was in the right place when he saw how simple the layout was with only eight doors in sight, four for each side. Even better, it became apparent that the dorms were split between the boys and the girls, and the boys’ floor was the third floor, the one he was on right now. Examining the portraits above the doors allowed him to see which room was whose, so he didn’t have to take a guess on which one was his. To his left was Yuki, Shinji, Yuri and Syobai’s rooms, and to his right was Hajime, Nikei, Mikado’s…and his own. Testing the knob revealed it was unlocked, just like what everyone had said and he entered his room.

Once inside, he spotted a bed and a desk. He walked over to it, dropped his books and let them scatter across the desk, even allowing them to fall right off. And then, he let gravity do all the work as he fell on top of the bed. It was surprisingly soft to the point that it didn’t hurt at all and he decided to take that as a win. No matter how small it was in this clusterfuck of a situation.

The results of today were…a lot more lackluster than he had hoped.

Yes, it was good for them to gain an understanding of their surroundings. He knew better than to complain about that outside of that one time. And the group did find some interesting things like how the damage of Mikado and Kokoro’s fight was just undone overnight and that they were on what seems to be a human-made island. The implications…were not good, to say the least. But they had a better understanding of their surroundings for the time being.

But they also haven’t found an exit yet, and the ideas that they had wanted to use to escape weren’t feasible one way or another.

Teruya huffs out a breath.

He knows it’s only been one day. It was natural that they hadn't made much progress in just one day.

But he can’t shake away the anxiety clinging to his heart, knowing full well that everyone is probably feeling the same way. They were just hiding it under a veil of normalcy, to try and keep their heads in check as they work to find a way out. But if someone were to break under the pressure…

No, no. He shouldn’t assume that bad things will happen just like that. It’s stressful to be stuck in a killing game, yes. But as long as they try to keep each other in check and support one another, nobody would succumb to murder.

Right?

Right.

Nothing bad will happen.

Not on his watch.

Even when he knew that it would probably happen, Teruya wouldn't allow it.

He’ll never allow it.

Not again.

…Again?

That strange sense of deja vu again.

Why does this feeling keep cropping up?

Teruya searches his brain for any kind of hint. Any kind of memory that would make him think this way. To feel this way.

But he finds nothing but an empty, blank space on where his past memories would be.

Teruya exhales harshly through his nose and turns onto his back, deciding he would only frustrate himself if he kept trying to dig in an empty ditch called his memory. His amnesia wouldn’t make it easy to recall his past but if he could just figure it all out with a few clues…Maybe he’ll have a bit of peace of mind. For now, though, he shouldn’t force himself for the memories to appear. He should just…ease up a little. Relax.

Teruya watches the lights in the room automatically flicker off, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. And then he kicked his shoes off, slinging his backpack onto the floor, and the rest of his accessories onto the nearby desk. Teruya didn’t know if there was any extra clothing he could change into, but he decided that was a problem for future him. He then pulls the covers over his head and waits.

He waits for sleep to overtake him.

He waits for morning to arrive.

He waits to see what lies in store for him and his classmates.

Because he knew.

He knew this was only just the beginning.

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ninjagirlstar5 · 11 months ago

Text

Protag Teruya AU - [Act 1] The Price of a Forged Bond - Day 1 Part 1

Bleeeeh, if I wasn't constantly distracted by the games I'm playing, I'd be working on a lot more progress on these projects I feel. At least Day 1 is finally finished, I hope you'll enjoy these as they come out in the next few days.

TWs: Recovering Injuries, Minor Violence and Discussion of Past Violence

There's also Yuri being a misandrist, but what else is new?

AO3 Version

Act I Cover

Act 1 Prologue Day 1: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Chapters Prologue [The Lost of You in a Strange Place]

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

It’s gone.

The days of their youth, the times they spent together playing and laughing, and the shoulders they cried on…

It was all gone.

The moment they had been laid to rest was the moment he realized he’ll never get those days back.

He knew he was never going to get it back. And yet, it hadn’t hit him so strongly until the memorial was set up before him. A reminder of the reality that he was forced to witness himself. A reminder that he can never, ever get them back.

The tears felt heavy on his eyelids but he was tired.

So tired of crying. Of screaming and complaining that it just wasn’t fair.

So he can’t just stand there and cry.

He can’t stand around and do nothing.

Because that’s what he promised, right?

He promised —

So…

This is goodbye.

Goodbye, to the close friends he never had before in his entire life.

And probably never will again.

-♥-

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”

Teruya jolts awake, feeling his eyes go wide as his brain pounds against his skull. He looked around frantically but his vision was still blurry. Like the concept of consciousness has yet to register. He blinks to try and clear it up, and eventually, it did.

Just in time to realize that Syobai Hashimoto was standing beside Mikado’s bedside, towering over him.

Syobai glared at Nikei, who must have woken up before Teruya did. It took him a second to process what he was seeing before the amnesiac lept into action. Grabbing the nearest object as an impromptu weapon, which just so happened to be a pair of medical shears, Teruya leans over Mikado’s body as he takes a stab at Syobai, his chair falling over as a result. Syobai, however, lets go of Mikado’s arm and dodges the attack, the shears embedding into the mattress and barely missing his sleeve. Teruya grunts as he wiggles the shears free but refuses to keep his eyes off of Syobai. Before he could even make a retort, a yell echoes through the infirmary and Shinji comes barrelling into view with a chair held over his head. He swings it down but also misses, the chair clacking against the floor as Syobai once again leaps out of reach.

“Sheesh, since when did the three of you wake up, Mr. Sleepyheads?” Syobai snidely remarks as if he hadn’t threatened a friend’s life last night. Teruya and Shinji barely move from their positions, keeping their weapons aimed in his direction and guarding Nikei and Mikado. He simply scoffs at the sight. “What, do you really think you can defeat me with that?”

“Considering I managed to restrain you last night, I’d say that the odds are in our favor.” Teruya hissed out, his eyes glancing at Shinji but quickly going back to Syobai. The firefighter looks at him, breaking his line of sight but doesn’t say a word. Dammit, don’t just look away like that, Shinji…!

“Ha…Well, maybe this will convince you to put down your ‘pitchforks.’” Syobai was completely nonplussed by his response, his eyes wary as he sizes them up. Teruya felt his sweat cling to the back of his neck as the man put his hands into his pockets. “I’m here to apologize.”

A beat.

“...What?” Teruya was dumbfounded and lowered his shears.

“What??” Shinji gapes as his grip nearly loosens on his chair altogether.

“What.” Nikei speaks up again, his voice going flat in disbelief.

“Apologize. You know, the whole, ‘I’m sorry for this or that, let’s bury the hatchet and forget this ever happened’ spiel?” Syobai said with the most sarcastic tone he could muster. Teruya flattens his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing to show the skepticism on his face. He simply rolls his eyes as he shrugs. “After what happened last night, Ms. Four-Eyes and Monocrow have been keeping a close eye on me ever since. It’s not like I can do anything right now.”

“And…you’re regretting it now? After getting in trouble for nearly taking someone’s life??” Shinji had recovered from his bewilderment and tightened his hold on the chair again, raising it up as a silent threat. Syobai just raises an eyebrow at him before pulling something out of his pocket. Before Teruya can order him to reveal what it is, he suddenly tosses it his way and it hits his shoulder. The amnesiac yelps and drops the shears in favor of scrambling to catch the object before it could hit the floor. Once he had a firm grip on it, he examined it in his hands, and his wariness devolved into a more pronounced confusion.

“...Painkillers?” Teruya raised an eyebrow at Syobai. He just shrugs again.

“Like I said, I came to apologize. Got out of bed at an ungodly hour to do it, too, only to find out that everything was under control here. Hell, you even put the wizard boy in a recovery position to keep him breathing without his tongue blocking his airway.” Syobai said, any sense of sarcasm suddenly disappearing as he nodded his head at Mikado’s body. Teruya looks down at his friend. He was still unconscious but they had carefully moved him onto his side at some point into the night, putting his hand underneath his head to support it and one knee bent to keep his body from rolling onto his stomach. “I examined both of you earlier, but it seems my knowledge won’t be of any use here. The injuries are minor at best.”

“Wait, since when did you–?!” Nikei scoots farther away on his bed as if to put more distance between himself and Syobai.

“While you were still sleeping, dumbass.” Syobai cuts him off, pointing at his own head. The journalist scowls at him but he completely ignores him.

“Why…would you do that?” It was then that Shinji started to lower the chair. Almost as if he had confirmed that Syobai was no longer a threat…for now.

“If you really want an answer, it’s pretty damn simple. I may be trash, but even trash has its own morals.” Syobai turns away, but his gaze remains on them as he speaks. “If he hadn’t stopped me like he did, I probably would have stabbed him instead. And I try to avoid making any more victims beyond what I intended. Think of this as me taking responsibility by double checking your work in case these two need better help than either of you could provide.” He then tilted his head until there was a loud popping noise from his neck. Teruya cringed at the sound but Syobai wasn’t bothered by it at all. “Luckily for you, that wasn’t the case and I just needed to give you some painkillers to numb the pain.”

“That’s…” Weird. Strange. There were probably a few words Teruya could come up with to try and explain Syobai’s…interesting morals. But the best way he could describe it was that Syobai seemed to run on a give or take morality. Not just in the way he interacts with others but also how his own actions affect himself. He’s willing to take if it benefits him but if his own action backfires on him, he’ll try to make it up if it’ll help him in the long run.

That didn’t mean he should have attacked Yuki at all. But, somehow, Teruya felt like he was seeing some kind of thread between them. Like a part of him can understand the mentality, even if he couldn’t agree with how he approaches it. Especially if it meant endangering other people’s lives.

“It’s fine if you don’t get it. I don’t have to explain every little detail of my beliefs to you.” Syobai said, starting to clean out his ear with his finger. Teruya grimaces at how gross it was but he also feels a slight pang in his chest at how dismissive he is. “I’ll just be taking my leave now.”

“Wait.” Teruya stops him, his voice assertive as he clenches the painkiller in his hand. This actually gets Syobai to stop and raise an eyebrow at him. “I…If you actually have better medical knowledge like you said, then…I’m thankful that you checked our work. There was no way either of us could know if Nikei and Mikado would be okay for certain.” He can sense Nikei balking at his words while Shinji stares at him with wide eyes. But Teruya ignores them both as his gaze hardens. “But that doesn’t mean I’m just gonna move on about Yuki nearly getting stabbed. You endangered his life and I will never forget that.”

“Oh? Are you trying to bargain with me?” That somehow ignites Syobai’s interest, pocketing his hands as he leans forward with a grin. Teruya remained nonplussed with his change in demeanor. “You’re pretty gutsy for a guy that lacks his memories.”

“I’m just trying to figure out what your deal is.” Teruya said, a strange, familiar calmness washing over him.

“So you say.” Syobai leans back and shrugs, his smile falling off of his face in favor of a more neutral expression. “Alright, shoot then. I’m willing to do anything to make it up — within reason — since I already lost a lot on my end.”

He already lost a lot?

…Actually, he can kinda see it.

Due to Syobai’s actions, he not only lost the trust of the entire group but also got the ire of the mastermind and her puppet, if he were to take him at his word. Teruya doesn’t know why Kokoro would be angry that Syobai tried to kill someone when she’s literally masterminding a killing game, but that probably means there’s more going on than they think. So Syobai is now in a position where he has to help them in order to gain trust on some level if he wants to have an amicable relationship with the group. That doesn’t make him trustworthy at all since he has proven himself to be dangerous. But it’s something he also recognizes and is trying to mitigate the damage. Perhaps by doing favors for them…?

Teruya takes a minute or two to think it over. Eventually, he speaks.

“...I want you to tell me your Ultimate Talent. It’s the only thing I don’t know about you aside from your name.” And the only reason he knows that is because–

“Wait, how do you know that?” Nikei asked, and Teruya cringed a little.

“Well, uh…” He can’t even turn around to look Nikei in the eye, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise in his cheeks. “...I kinda mistook Syobai’s podium for my own.”

“Oh yeah, I think that happened.” Shinji said, looking like he was recalling the events of the fake trial. Honestly, probably everyone noticed Syobai shooing Teruya away from his podium before claiming it as his own. The trial grounds were in pretty close proximity after all.

“...Wow. Then again, I can’t blame you considering that you barely even remember a thing about yourself.” Nikei’s tone was slightly flat but light. Teruya, however, felt his face grow hotter as his shoulders rose. He wished he could bury himself beneath the dirt right now.

“...Seriously? You want to know something as mundane as that?” Syobai seemed almost disappointed at his request. Teruya tightens his grip on the painkiller.

“You ignored me when we first met and have been tight-lipped about yourself ever since. I think I deserve to know this much.” Honestly, he could ask for almost anything and Syobai would probably do it, if he’s the kind of guy to keep his word. However, Teruya…doesn’t really feel comfortable with that kind of request. He wasn’t going to force him to spill everything about himself or his secrets or anything like that. It just wasn’t right to do that to someone he just met. Regardless of how bad his first impression is.

“Hmph…Talk about an unequal exchange…” It was then that Syobai smiled, but it was more of a neutral one that leaned towards a smirk. “Not that I care. It would’ve gotten out in a situation like this anyways, even if I did try to hide it.”

“Just like that??” Nikei seemed more surprised than Teruya as Syobai seemed to have caved in pretty fast. Faster than either of them expected. At the very least, the amnesiac expected some kind of pushback.

But, instead, he gets exactly what he requested.

“There’s no way you’ve ever heard of me, but I’m a broker who works in the black market: Syobai Hashimoto.” Syobai Hashimoto, the Ultimate Broker, starts to chuckle mirthlessly with that smarmy grin on his face again. “But you already know that since you were standing around my podium.”

“Augh…sorry…” Teruya murmured underneath his breath, feeling his embarrassment come back in full force.

“A…A broker?” Shinji speaks up, sweat dripping down from his cheek as his eyes go wide. “Are you saying you’re a criminal?!”

“...Well, shit. That explains a lot about you, actually.” Teruya can hear Nikei moving the covers of his bed and his feet hitting the floor. “How the hell did you get yourself into Hope’s Peak, though?”

That last comment actually got Syobai to laugh, harsh and jarring with how out of left field it was.

“HA! Oh please. This ain’t the first time Hope’s Peak gave away Ultimate titles to teenage criminals just to study their talents. If you’re so shocked then clearly you’re lacking in your own resources.” Syobai said, tapping his head again. Teruya can just sense the scowl Nikei has with the way he hissed at him.

“I…I see. I guess with what I’ve seen so far, that’d make sense.” Teruya felt…well, he wasn’t sure what he felt. Disgust and a bit of fear, naturally. But with how crazy everything had turned out, he just…wasn’t surprised anymore. The knowledge of Syobai being a broker was just a pebble compared to everything else they have to deal with right now. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Heh…The fact that you’re even willing to talk to me is pretty impressive. Even if you clearly don’t trust me at all.” Syobai then yawns and turns away. “Well, I don’t have a reason to stick around and talk anymore. I’m outta here.”

“Hey, hold on!” Teruya follows after him but is careful to keep a decent distance away. Syobai stops before he turns the corner, raising an eyebrow at him. He can feel Shinji and Nikei’s gaze on him but Teruya ignores them as best as he can. He carefully considers his words before speaking. “Since…we’re all pretty much in the same boat…Why don’t we work together?”

“HUH?!” Teruya winces upon hearing Nikei’s livid yell. He can guess by the creak of the bed that the journalist was standing up now. “Teruya, he’s insane!”

“Nikei, lay back down! Your concussion!” Shinji said, but his voice had grown to its usual, loud volume. Nikei winces like the pain had come back to him very suddenly and he hears the bed creak again. Teruya then feels a hand grab his shoulder, which makes him jolt at the sudden contact. He stares at the firefighter’s hard stare, not accusatory but downright serious. “Teruya, this is a bad idea!”

“He’s right. That is a bad idea.” Syobai said, actually supporting Shinji’s words but also rebuffing Teruya’s attempt to get him to cooperate. He felt the instinct to defend himself but the broker continued before he could justify his thinking. “I’m literally the guy that just tried to stab someone in front of everyone. Do you really think your little group would accept me that easily?”

That made Teruya pause, pressing his lips together tightly. He then turns to Shinji and Nikei. The former had loosened his grip on his shoulder but he had his head turned away. Conflicted but unwilling to budge. The journalist was sitting on the bed but he was staring straight at him. Judging his next move. Teruya can just feel the uneasiness radiating off of both of them.

And if their first reaction was to act like this at just the idea of Syobai joining them, how could he bring it up to everyone else? How can he expect them to just accept it without conflict?

…It’s too soon, he realized. Much too soon to risk having someone like Syobai around right now. Even if it’d be so much easier for everyone to get along and work together, he can’t pretend like his actions didn’t have consequences. Teruya may be willing to set his differences aside to work with Syobai, albeit with some caution, but that doesn’t mean everyone else would be in favor of this. Let alone be able to even consider the idea at all.

“....You’re right. I’m sorry, I just thought it’d be good for all of us to work together as a team.” Teruya said, backing down from his admittedly dumb idea.

“Huh…And here I thought you’d be insistent about that nonsense.” Syobai said, almost looking like he was scrutinizing him with how strong his stare was. Teruya frowns, allowing his trepidation to show as he takes a step back from him. That actually gets the broker to chuckle. “Looks like you’re understanding the situation better. Good. If you’re slow on the upkeep, you’ll only get left behind.”

“Will you just leave already?? I’m sick of seeing your face.” Nikei bites out with clear venom. Syobai pockets his hands.

“Don’t need to tell me twice. Just be sure to take it easy with that concussion of yours, Newsie. Same with the wizard boy over there. Now, if you’re done keeping me here…” Syobai turns on his heel and finally leaves the infirmary. Teruya slumps over, somewhat relieved to see him go. But beyond the curtains, he hears the door open and the broker speaking once more. “Oh, great. More of you.”

“Wha — Hashimoto?? Wh-What are you–” It sounded like Yuki but he was quickly cut off.

“I was just leaving. And all you need to know is that I won’t be bothering any of you any time soon. Now get out of the way.” Curious, Teruya turns the corner of the curtain just in time to see Syobai disappear beyond the doorway. Yuki was watching him go, gaping as Kanade held her fists close to her chest.

“Wh-Why was he here…?” Kanade speaks up and she looks into the infirmary, her eyes making contact with Teruya’s.

“Who cares?! At least he’s gone now!” Teruya could already tell it was Hibiki even before she walked inside. When her eyes land on him, she puts her hand on her hip and points. “Hey, Teruya! How’s Nikky and Mika?”

“Oh, uh…Nikei’s awake. Mikado…” He hesitates before gesturing to them to come inside. “Well, nothing really changed with him. But you can come inside and see for yourself.”

With that overt permission, Yuki and Kanade walk right into the infirmary. But they weren’t alone as it quickly became apparent that everyone had come to check on Nikei and Mikado’s status. It actually warmed his heart to see the whole class taking the time to see their fellow students together. Especially since they all looked much calmer now after a full night’s rest. At least, he hoped they rested well. It feels as though they were quickly uniting as a group, and that brought a relief Teruya was more than happy to welcome.

If they could keep this up, then maybe…maybe no one will die.

(That was wishful thinking. But all he can do right now is hope.)

“Good morning, Teruya!” Iroha greets him cheerfully. Unlike last night, it seems her usual bright smile had come back full force and that alone made him return it. She was holding a tray full of food that shook slightly in her small hands. “We brought you guys breakfast!”

“Oh, thank you, Iroha!” Teruya said as the painter does her best to hand the tray over to him without spilling the contents. Thankfully, she didn't and Iroha seemed almost proud of herself at that moment. He looks to his chair, only to remember that it had tipped over when he tried to attack Syobai earlier. The amnesiac manages to right it back up with his foot and then sits back down on it, setting the tray onto his lap. The tray had taiyaki, Japanese fish waffles, toast with jam, and milk. Upon touching the waffle, it becomes apparent that it had cooled down since it was somewhat lukewarm. “Did you guys already eat?”

“Yep! We decided to stick to something simple for today.” Emma answered before looking over to Nikei. She smiles as she walks over to hand him the tray she was holding. “I hope you like the fish we made! They’re fin-tastic!”

Yoruko doesn’t even bother to hide her groan at the pun.

“...Emma, this isn’t even a real fish.” Nikei deadpanned as he held the waffle up. He then pauses before nibbling on it. “What’s the filling anyways?”

“Well, we were gonna use classic red bean paste…but then Hajime insisted we use fruit instead.” Emma chuckles to herself as she rubs her cheek.

“Hey, at least this is a healthier alternative! You get to eat waffles and fruit at the same time. It’s a win-win!” Hajime scolds the actress as he hands off a tray to Shinji. “Here, man. It’s not much but it’ll at least hold us over for now.”

“Thank you for the food, Hajime!” Shinji grins and sits down in his chair. Which he must’ve set down at some point without Teruya realizing it. The amnesiac decides to take his first bite of the taiyaki, its soft crispiness melting in his mouth as the filling of sliced bananas, strawberries, and blueberries added a refreshing burst of flavor. If only he could’ve had them while they were fresh off the pan. They’d probably taste even better when hot.

“...Is Mikado still unconscious?” Yuki speaks up, adjusting his tie. His words pull Teruya from his bliss and he looks over to the wizard. He was still asleep and the only reason none of them were freaking out over it is because his chest was still rising and falling at a steady pace.

“...Yeah, he is.” Teruya said after swallowing his food. He furrows his brows. “I’m…not even sure if it’s okay that he’s been out for so long.”

“...I think anything beyond six hours is concerning.” Shinji was honest but careful with his tone. Setsuka snaps her head to the firefighter, her eye widening in horror.

“Six hours?! It’s been more than that and he’s still out cold!” The billiards player makes her way over to his bed, putting her fingers against his neck. She frowns as sweat drips from her cheek. “Well, his heartbeat seems normal…?”

“...Sorry, Setsuka. But if Syobai can’t do anything else to help him then there’s only so much we can do.” Teruya takes another bite out of his taiyaki. But with the reminder that his friend was still unconscious for longer than he should be, it tasted a lot blander than before.

“Syobai…? You mean Hashimoto?” Yuki pauses but Teruya can see the gears turning in his head. When it finally clicks, his eyes go wide and he stares at them in bafflement. “You let him examine Nikei and Mikado?!”

“Correction: he examined us while we were all still sleeping.” Thankfully, Nikei snips that misunderstanding in the bud before it could get out of hand. He takes a sip of his milk before continuing. “You should have seen Teruya and Shinji when they realized he was here. They had their own weapons aimed at him.”

“Of course we grabbed ourselves a weapon! He threatened one of us before. We couldn’t take that chance when we realized he was here!” Shinji said, patting the chair he was sitting on. Hajime looks at it with a raised eyebrow but must have put two and two together as he snorted.

“Anyways, Syobai apparently has better medical knowledge than Shinji and I. And according to him, we did everything right with what we had. He didn't do anything else besides that since…well, it was his way of apologizing, apparently.” Teruya explained, trying not to insert his own opinions on the matter since it would just influence the facts.

“‘Apologizing??’ He literally tried to stab Yuyu last night!” Hibiki gapes, disbelief written all over her face. An expression that everyone else seems to mirror.

“How can we just take him at his word? He could have done…anything while they were unconscious.” Yoruko asked, her eyes narrowing as she grit her teeth and held the tray in her hands closer to herself.

“Believe it or not, aside from the headache of my concussion, I…don’t feel any other kind of pain.” Nikei grimaces as he glares at his food. “And I woke up while he was examining Mikado. Whether he had ill intentions and I interrupted him before he could do anything or not, I wouldn’t know. All I can say is that he did seem genuine while checking his injuries from what I could tell looking back on it.”

“...Sheesh. Talk about running in with fire in one hand and water in the other.” Setsuka seemed less alarmed now, but her displeasure was still visible on her face.

“Truly a despicable and dishonest man. He must be the lowest kind of trash there is.” Yuri pitches in his own opinion. And while everyone was grimacing over his blatant misandry, none of them could really disagree as Syobai had a strange but ultimately selfish way of thinking. One that could easily endanger other people’s lives, like what happened just last night. Teruya, personally, wanted to give the broker the slightest benefit of the doubt and that he truly meant what he said about his way of apologizing. But he knew better than to bring it up now as Yuri would take it as a stance against him. And since he was a guy, well…he’d just be setting himself up to take the brunt of the astronaut’s misandry comments. That’s not something he wants to deal with right now.

“Well, that would explain why he showed up here…Hopefully he knows better than to come back.” Yoruko said before finally walking over to a nearby table. She carefully sets the tray down and stares at Mikado’s unconscious form. “...I hope he wakes up soon.”

“...Me too.” Teruya takes a sip of milk.

The group goes silent. It was like they were all uncertain of what to do. Especially in a crazy situation like a killing game. One that encourages suspicion and the willingness to murder another human being.

But it doesn’t take long before someone decides to get the ball rolling.

“So, what should we do now?” Yuki said, adjusting his tie again.

“W-Well…we should try to escape. Right, Sis?” Kanade looks to her sister for guidance. She huffs as she crosses her arms.

“Well, duh!” Hibiki pauses. And then frowns. “...But I guess the real question is, where do we even start?”

“Obviously, we should start looking for ways to get off of this island.” Nikei pitches in between bites of his toast. “We’re on a ship, aren’t we? Why don’t we just look for a way to start it and leave?”

“Do you even know how to steer a ship?” Yuri doesn’t hesitate to take a shot at the journalist’s suggestion. He opens his mouth to retort, pauses, and then slumps over.

“Uh, no, I don’t…” He admits reluctantly.

“Bah! Of course you don’t. Another man proving his uselessness.” Yuri crosses his arms with narrowed eyes.

“Yuri, shut up.” Yoruko said, almost automatically as she glared at him.

“With pleasure, Ms. Kabuya!” Yuri’s attitude takes a complete one-eighty the moment Yoruko’s attention was on him. The hostess grimaces like she wished she kept her mouth shut.

“Maybe we could build a raft? Or even swim if we have to.” Was Setsuka’s suggestion.

“But how would we navigate the seas? We have no idea where Utsuroshima is even located.” Emma reminds them of where they were: an island that is seemingly isolated from the entire world. Even when there are buildings that suggested human life was once here, there were no other people around to help them.

“Would a map help?” Iroha asked, holding her sketchbook close to her chest. Hajime scratches his head.

“Uh, Iroha, none of us had even heard of Utsuroshima before. Where would we even find it on a map?” Hajime points out the obvious.

“E-Ehh, really? I just…weren't there people here?” The painter blinks, confusion written all over her face.

“That…actually does raise a question. If people were here, shouldn’t the world know of this place? And it’s not like this place looks old or anything. Most of the locations we’ve seen on this island are pretty modern. Just take a look at the U-Mart as an example.” Apparently Iroha’s words were enough to get the gears in Yoruko’s head moving. But the longer her brow remained furrowed, the more confused she looked. The hostess sighs and her arms fall to her side. “...I have no idea what that could mean, though.”

“Why don’t we just shelve that idea for now?” Yuki said, before his eyes lit up and offered his idea. “What if we just try to contact the outside world? Someone might see our distress signal!”

“Or, maybe, we could try to interrogate the mastermind behind all of this.” Nikei narrowed his eyes as he seemed far more motivated now that he thought of this idea.

“Would we even get a straight answer from her? Would it be safe to do that? Do we even know where she is??” Kanade pushes back on his idea with a pretty firm voice. Nikei tosses his hands up in the air, his tray swaying from his movements.

“Hey, information is power. If we could squeeze even a little bit from her, we could plan around this stupid killing game of hers.” Was the journalist’s justification of the idea.

“Ehh, are any of these ideas even worth it, though?” Hibiki questions the practicality of this, her uneasiness only growing more visible on her face. It was then that Teruya decided to step in.

“Guys, guys, slow down! You’re starting to talk over each other.” Teruya said, raising his hand to try and placate them all. They all stop talking and turn to look at him. He gulps at the amount of eyes giving all of their attention to him but he forces himself to remain calm. At least, on the surface. “...Honestly, I think these are all great ideas. But I also think we’re…kinda getting ahead of ourselves?”

“What do you mean?” Emma asked, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. But the wavy lock falls back to its usual place.

“I mean…” Teruya thinks over what he should say so that his explanation is as clear as possible. He glances at Nikei and feels as though a lightbulb was flickering into his head. He sets his tray down next to Mikado’s and adjusts his sitting position. “...Information. We’re missing information. Like, as Nikei suggested earlier, we don’t have enough information to understand our surroundings. Ideas are good and all, but…if we don’t investigate what’s already around us, we can’t plan ahead. It’s like…like putting the cart before the horse, you know?”

“...That’s a good point.” Yuki was quick to back him up. Teruya’s heart stutters and he’s not sure if he’s happy or anxious about this. “If we don’t know what each location on the island can provide or hinder us, we’d just be running around with no direction.”

“Not only that, I doubt any of us had looked around too hard at the beginning.” Setsuka adds, scratching the back of her head. “It’s very likely that we missed something when our guards were down.”

“Hm…so the idea is to investigate the island first before deciding on a plan?” Yoruko plays with her boa scarf as she speaks.

“Sounds like a good idea to me. I mean, for all we know, there might be another exit around here and we just haven’t spotted it yet.” Hajime was starting to smile now as he put his hand on his hip.

“W-Well…learning about the island would let us plan our escapes or find a way to contact help better…” Kanade concedes, although she doesn’t seem to be fully onboard just yet.

“Oh, cheer up, Kanade! At least we’ve finally agreed to something thanks to Ruya!” Hibiki said, seemingly sensing her sister’s doubts.

“A-Ah…! You’re right! S-Sorry, Sis…” Kanade cringes but she smiles at her sister before looking at Teruya with lighter eyes. “Th-Thank you for keeping us on track, Teruya.”

“Uh, no problem! Just trying to help, haha…” Teruya rubs the back of his head, resisting the urge to break eye contact. There was a strange, uncomfortable pit in his stomach and he’s not sure how to describe it…

“With that being said…where should we meet up to share our findings?” Shinji asks, raising his palm up. His tray was already empty, with the only signs of his breakfast being the crumbs of his food. Teruya couldn’t help but do a double take as he hadn’t noticed the firefighter had already finished his breakfast. He should probably continue eating before his food gets any colder.

“Uhhh, how about the dining hall? It’s where most of us started eating breakfast today, so…” Iroha trails off like she was struggling to come up with another reason. Luckily for her, Yuki was quick to piggyback that idea the moment it was brought up.

“That’s a great idea, actually! Since the dining hall is a place where we’d naturally eat, why not use it as a place to meet up to share our results?” Yuki said, a smile forming on his face.

“I agree. Meeting up for breakfast would be a good way to check-in with everyone, and dinner can be when we share our investigations. It’ll be hitting two birds with one stone!” Setsuka props her hand against her hip, turning towards Teruya with her own grin. “How about you, boss man? What do you think?”

“Huh? Uh…” His brain scrambles at the sudden attention again, but Teruya quickly smooths his expression out. “Yeah. The dining hall is probably our best place for a meeting.” He ignores the way his heart pounds against his chest.

That nickname…surely, she can’t mean…?

No, no, he’s overthinking this. Right?

“Well, I can’t really argue with that.” Nikei said, suddenly setting his tray down. He only ate half of his food, but at least he had finished his milk. Maybe he’s not very hungry or just doesn’t eat a lot. The journalist gets off the bed and stands without swaying at all. “Now, let’s get down to investigating! The sooner, the better!”

“Are you sure you’re well enough to run around?” Yoruko narrows her eyebrows as a drop of sweat rolls down her cheek. Nikei rolls his eyes though.

“Pfft, you can’t just wait around and hope for something to happen. If you want a scoop, you gotta run out and get it yourself!” Nikei completely blows off Yoruko’s concern, which only makes her glare at him. “If no one else has anything to add, let’s get going.”

“Uh, okay!” Iroha pauses. “Um…where are we starting?”

“Just…follow me, Iroha. We’ll talk about it on our way out of the Monocruise.” Hajime said, gesturing to her to follow by waving his hand.

“Oh, okay!” The painter immediately lights up and goes to stand by his side. Hibiki nudges her twin sister somewhat harshly with her elbow.

“Come on, Kanade! Let’s get off this island!” Hibiki orders without another thought.

“Ah, y-yes, Sis!” Kanade doesn’t complain. In fact, she seems far more motivated now that her sister seems to be on board for investigating.

“Good, good, seems like we’re all getting our heads into the games.” Nikei said, pleased to finally get a move on with the plan. He pauses though when he passes by Teruya. He hesitates long enough for the amnesiac to realize that he wanted to say something, but Nikei speaks before he could ask him what’s up. “Thanks, Teruya…For, uh, watching over us.” He looks away as if to hide the blush on his cheeks.

“Yes, the way you took charge last night really snapped us all out of it.” Emma said, adding her two cents in before Teruya could tell Nikei that it wasn’t a problem. He freezes but the conversation rolls on without anyone taking notice.

“Don’t forget Shinji! His voice really stunned us all.” Yuki was quick to praise the firefighter with a smile.

“He certainly knows how to get everyone’s attention, that’s for sure. It at least got us to calm down and realize what we were doing.” Yoruko adds her own compliment as she crosses her arm across her waist. The moment the hostess spoke in his direction, Shinji’s face started to turn bright red.

“Uhhhhhhh, i-i-i-it’s no problem…! J-Just making sure e-e-everyone gets a-along…” Shinji stuttered through his words but they were at least comprehensible. Yuri scoffs at him, but thankfully keeps his mouth shut this time around.

“Well, since we’re all going to start our investigation of the island, we’d best leave now if we want to make the most of our time.” Setsuka said, making sure to guide the group to focus on their current goal. Everyone nods and starts moving out of the infirmary, with the billiards player being the last person to turn around the corner. Before she disappears completely, she turns back and gives Teruya another carefree smile and a salute. “See ya later, boss man!”

“A-Ah…Good luck.” Teruya could only reply dumbly. Setsuka didn’t seem to notice. Or, if she did, she chose not to comment and simply left him to his thoughts.

The amnesiac waits until he hears the door close shut before propping his elbows onto his lap and burying his head into his hands.

Boss man.

A boss. That’s what Setsuka called him. A pretty innocent nickname on its own, one that seemed to be used in jest. Teruya had brushed it off because he knew at this point that Setsuka has a habit of referring to everyone with nicknames. That, on its own, was normal for her.

The problem was Emma’s words. The way she looked at him as if she was admiring the way he “took charge” and put some sense into everyone’s high strung emotions. Really, he was simply doing what he could to get everyone to stop fighting. It was Shinji’s voice that really got them to shut up, not Teruya.

…But, he was also quick to give Teruya the spotlight and allowed him to say his piece. Like he was simply giving him the opportunity he needed to give guidance to everyone. To get them to realize that insulting each other and fighting like this was only going to make it harder for everyone to work together to escape. And just like that, they all just…accepted his words. Like he had already obtained their trust as a leader.

A leader.

They were all looking at him like he was a leader.

…Oh fuck, that’s why they were all looking at him like that. Their gazes held expectation, anticipating his next words and what they could mean. The ideas he had to express so he could help them all through this terrifying killing game.

And Teruya had no fucking ideas.

He didn’t know how to escape from this place! He doesn’t even know why everyone was looking at him like that!

He didn’t deserve the admiration and expectations they held for him. Not when they were so much better than him.

“Teruya?”

Teruya jolts in his seat, turning around so fast that he nearly tilts his chair over.

Shinji was standing beside him, holding a stack of two trays in his hands. He was staring at him with a concerned gaze and raised eyebrows.

Shit, he was still here? Teruya didn’t even notice, he just thought he left with everyone!

“Sh-Shinji…” Teruya runs his fingers through his white hair, brushing against the goggles that still rest on his head. Just touching them gave him a warm, comforting feeling in his chest and Teruya felt himself calm down a little. He manages to control and hide the panic on his face, sending Shinji his best smile. “What’s up…? I, uh, thought you were gonna join the others.”

“I will. But…” He hesitates for a moment, as if he was thinking over what he’s going to say. When he spoke, his voice was a little more faint than his usual volume. “You looked like you were gonna freak out. Are you alright?”

Teruya knew.

He knew he shouldn’t say anything.

A leader had to be strong. Strong enough that their group can rely on them without a moment’s hesitation. A leader that can guide them through the obstacles that stood in their way, ones that may even be threatening their lives.

A leader can’t falter or show weakness, for that would call into question on whether he could lead at all. And weaknesses allow an enemy to exploit them for their own gain.

And yet, that simple question was enough to make a crack in what little resolve Teruya had in his chest.

“I…I-I…!” Teruya lets out a breath and swallows. His thoughts had become jumbled, unable to form a coherent sentence as he ran his fingers through his hair again. He was nearly tugging at the strands of his hair as he did. Not even the touch of his goggles kept him from spilling his thoughts. “I, Shinji…What do I do??”

“Uh, what?” Shinji seemed a little slow on the uptake. Or maybe Teruya just wasn’t being clear enough. “What do you mean?”

“Shinji. They were all…looking at me.” He stops to take another breath to try and control his beating heart. Shinji’s confusion only grew on his face. Shit, get yourself together, Teruya! Give him a clearer answer. “They were looking at me like I was a leader.”

“...Oh! So that’s why you’re anxious.” Shinji said, looking somewhat relieved…for some reason. He then gives Teruya a brighter smile. “Don’t worry! I’m sure everyone has put their faith in the right person!”

“But what if I’m not the right person?!” Teruya, to his own surprise, explodes, tucking his head between his legs and his nails scratching at the back of his head. “What gives me the right to lead them? Why do I have to do this when other people could do a better job than me? What…What do they even see in me?! I-I haven’t even done anything that would warrant that kind of…expectation or…or respect! I…” He takes another breath. His heart was pounding so loudly in his ears that it drained any other sounds in the area. Teruya’s voice was barely a whisper when he continued. “...Why am I a leader, when I don’t even know myself? No credentials, no experience, no friends that know me…nothing. So why…?”

Why?

Why him?

Why did he have to do this?

Because everyone just decided he had to be the one? Without his say?

Did it matter?

Yes, it did.

But they were looking to him for guidance. To lead them out of this killing game before tragedy struck.

But why should he do it?

He just thought of the answer himself, didn’t he? That alone should be reason enough to do his best. People need his help.

How can he help others?

As long as he has the will to do it, he can help them. To do whatever it takes to help someone, even at the cost of yourself…

That takes strength.

He just needs to take the first step.

Teruya goes quiet, deliberating with himself over and over again. He was paralyzed at the thought of so much trust placed into his hands. Trust he could easily ruin with just one wrong decision. If he messes this up, if he hurts anyone, then…then…

“Teruya.”

He refused to look up.

He didn’t want to see Shinji’s disappointed face.

“Teruya. Look at me.”

He bites his bottom lip, his teeth scraping against the skin.

But, perhaps he was taking too long to come up with a response.

Because he heard Shinji set down the trays and felt a pair of hands grabbing his shoulders.

“Wha–?!” Teruya jolts at the touch, finally coming face to face with Shinji. The firefighter was, strangely, not disappointed. But there was a glint in his eyes that he couldn’t place. He suddenly pulls Teruya out of his chair very easily before setting him down on his feet. But Shinji didn’t let him go.

“Calm down. Take a deep breath.” Shinji said, doing exactly what he just suggested. When Teruya continued to stare at him slack-jawed, one of his hands let go of his shoulder to pound on his own chest. “I said, take a deep breath!”

“A-Ah…!” The shout scrambled his brain, but he quickly did what he’s told. Teruya takes a deep breath before letting it out. He does this on repeat for a few times, his own heartbeat slowing down and becoming far more quieter than before. Once he felt his shoulders start to relax, Shinji finally let go of his other shoulder.

“Good. Now repeat after me.” Shinji straightens his back and puts his hands on his hips. Teruya blinks his eyes, unsure of where he was going to go with this. “‘I’m a leader now, so I will do my best!’”

“Uhh…” Why was he–?

“Don’t hesitate! Just say it! ‘I’m a leader now, so I will do my best!’” Shinji raises his voice, even going as far as to smack his back. That finally got him to repeat his words.

“I…I’m a leader now, so I will do my best...” He trails off at how weak those words sounded to his ears. Shinji, of course, notices this and crosses his arms, puffing his chest.

“Again.” His eyebrows narrow, but his grin was anything but judgmental. Just…determined. Teruya straightens his back.

“I’m a leader now, so I…I will do my best.” Teruya said, faltering near the end but he managed to make his voice stronger.

“Again!” Shinji suddenly yells, showing off his sharp, shark-like teeth.

“I’m a leader now, so I will do my best…!” Teruya clenched his fist and pressed it against his chest.

“LOUDER!!” Shinji’s face goes red, his high-octane energy practically coming off of him in waves as he abruptly pokes his chest. The push caught him off guard, but only for a moment and he quickly bit back.

“I’M A LEADER NOW, SO I WILL DO MY BEST!!” Teruya yelled it out with all his might, his voice echoing throughout the infirmary.

And then, silence.

Teruya breathes in and out, slow and steady. The yell had taken far more energy than he expected, along with his throat aching in dryness, and he wonders how the hell Shinji does it all the time. With the firefighter in mind, his eyes focus back to the guy in question. His finger was still pressed against his chest but Teruya was standing firmly against it, like he wouldn’t allow him to push him down without a fight.

And with that, Shinji’s face goes back to his normal color but his smile remains big. Just not as fierce as before.

“Better?” Shinji asked, putting his hand down. Teruya swallows. There was still some sweat clinging to his neck, his doubts clouding his heart and mind. He’s just now feeling his embarrassment creep up on him for yelling out something so…simple. And yet, it also felt as though something was being lifted off of shoulders. Not necessarily removed, but the weight no longer felt as though it was going to suffocate him.

“...Yeah. A little bit. Thanks.” Teruya said, giving him his best smile. Shinji stares at him like he was verifying if he was telling the truth or not.

“...You know, I think you have what it takes to be a leader.” His words surprised Teruya, raising his finger to point at himself. Shinji snorts at his reaction as he shrugs. “Teruya, you were scared, just like everyone else. But you kept your head on straight and tried to come up with a plan so Mikado can focus on fighting Kokoro. You protected Yuki when no one else could move, and even made that promise to protect us all. Almost like you were a person that held authority. A leader is someone that can think under pressure and make decisions in a heartbeat. And in my opinion, you’ve clearly got the makings of one!”

“Y-You’re flattering me a bit too much, Shinji…” Teruya felt a blush rising to his cheeks. He resists the urge to look down at his feet, as he knew it was important to keep steady eye contact to show that he was taking his words seriously. “I was mostly just…following my instincts.”

“Then trust in those instincts!” Shinji puffs out his chest, like it was the most obvious solution in the world. Teruya blinks but the firefighter continues before he could come up with a response. “Teruya, you shouldn’t downplay your efforts to help everyone. You brought up a lot of valid points when everyone was talking, and even diffused the argument before it could get out of hand.”

“I-I couldn’t have done that without you, Shinji. No one paid any attention to me until you got everyone to shut up with the way you yelled.” Honestly, the firefighter could be a pretty good leader himself. The way he just demanded attention and got people to listen by his voice alone shows that he could give out orders if he needed to. It was probably from his own training as a firefighter that made him understand how important teamwork was in a scary situation like this. “Everyone just…completely ignored me.”

“You’re right. It’s only naturally for everyone to get so wrapped up in their emotions after…everything that just happened. But all I did was give you the opportunity you needed to speak your mind. The rest of that was your own doing. You get it?” Shinji crosses his arms, going quiet for a moment. Teruya thinks it over…

…and realizes that he was right.

While the firefighter was the one that quieted the group down, it was Teruya that managed to stamp out the flames before it could get any bigger. Teruya was the one that brought everyone down from their anxiety, to realize and assess what they were doing in the moment and that it would only hurt them all in the long run by fighting amongst themselves. Not only that, he even made it clear that it would be beneficial for them all to work as a team as creating enemies would just be playing right into the mastermind’s hands and possibly motivate someone to kill another. That was something everyone can agree to avoid at all costs. And thankfully, with Setsuka being the first person to agree with him, it encouraged everyone else to trust him and follow his lead.

Teruya was still uncertain if he was even qualified to be a leader for this group.

A part of him firmly believed that he had almost no use for any of them.

But, the fact of the matter is, Teruya made decisions that revealed him to be trustworthy enough to be a leader. Everyone was looking to him now for guidance. And he can’t just turn them away like that. It was not only irresponsible of him to relinquish that role so suddenly and without another thought, it’ll also cause unnecessary conflict. And when they’re in the middle of a fragile situation like a killing game, that conflict could have a domino effect in causing paranoia, which leads to accusations, which leads to plotting murders, etc., etc. Perhaps Teruya was overthinking this, but now he was certain that he had to do this.

Even if he was scared of fucking it up, he had to.

What kind of leader turns their back on their group? A group that is trusting him to guide them through dark times?

That wasn’t the kind of leader Teruya wanted to be.

So he takes a deep breath and resigns himself to his duties.

“...Yeah, okay. You’re right.” Teruya said, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes. “If I had said anything else that just added fuel to the fire, maybe everyone wouldn’t be trusting me so easily. But I didn’t, and now I’m here, as…as a leader. So I should at least do my best.”

“That’s the spirit!” Shinji yells and then Teruya feels a hard smack to his back. He winces, opening his eyes to see the firefighter pulling him into an one-armed hug. “And don’t act like you’re doing this alone. You may be the leader, but a leader also knows to rely on their teammates too!” That actually got Teruya to chuckle as a smile slowly formed on his face.

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not just me here. The pressure is just a little scary is all…” He couldn’t help but admit. He was already doing that minutes ago anyways. Shinji just gives his shoulder a comforting squeeze. Teruya sighs before gently prying the firefighter off of him. “Thanks, Shinji. I needed that after…after realizing the kind of position I was in.”

“It’s no problem. Just remember that you can always rely on your Big Bro!” Shinji gives him one more pat on the back before giving him some space. “So, what are you going to do now?” Teruya pauses to think it over, his eyes slowly sliding over to Mikado’s unconscious form.

Even after all of that, he still hasn’t stirred.

Teruya felt his heart plummet.

“...I’m gonna stay here and watch over Mikado. Someone has to do it, and honestly? I’m really worried about him.” Teruya hesitates but slowly reaches over to tuck a strand of hair behind Mikado’s ear. This actually gets him a response, one that has him humming and curling even further into his body. The reaction surprised him but eased a few of his concerns, as it seemed like he had shifted from being unconscious from his injuries to actually sleeping. A glance at Shinji showed that he was also relieved at the sight. “You can go and join the others, though.”

“Are you sure? We can take shifts, if you’d like.” Shinji offered but Teruya was already shaking his head. He sat down in his chair before scooting it a little closer.

“No. We’ll need to cover as much ground as possible on the Monocruise and the island. The more people out there, the better.” Teruya explains. He pauses before pulling his tray back onto his lap. “Besides, I haven’t finished my breakfast yet.”

“Oh yeah, I should return these trays to the kitchen…” He trails off. Sweat starts to form on his cheek as his pupils shrink. “...Where is the kitchen anyways?”

“Uh, I think your best bet would be to check the dining hall. Those two rooms are usually not that far from each other.” Teruya said, as it seems like the most reasonable way to arrange a layout of most buildings. “If not, just ask someone to show you around. There’s no way the group just manifested these out of thin air, after all.”

“Good idea.” Shinji picks up the trays and then nods his head at him. “Be sure to take breaks every now and then.”

“I will.” Teruya knew he had to at least take care of his own needs. If he doesn’t, he won’t be able to take care of Mikado, let alone protect him.

With that, Shinji leaves the infirmary, and Teruya and Mikado are left alone.

Teruya sighs before stretching his limbs. He was careful not to tilt the tray as he did so.

It was time to keep a lookout.

And if all goes well…

It’s going to be boring as hell.

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