#mayhaps ill put his scarf in his hand

[nanpecan]

update on the new nanami wip ehehe

[ladyborel]

Another Truth Revealed

Etien woke in her room feeling washed-out and creaky. It had been a long number of days, and she was considering taking this one off. She felt like something was pulled in her arm, and her shoulder blades felt too tight.

Maybe she’d simply slept wrong. She still wanted a day off. Hadn’t she earned one?

She stayed lying down, but stretched, her joints popping as she squeaked a little. She relaxed, then scratched at her ear, and the memory hit her. The memory of someone else scratching her ear.

She rolled onto her side, cushioning her head on her arm. Perhaps he didn’t know. It was possible he didn’t know many Miqo’te, and probably—hopefully—none that would have had cause to tell him anything about their ears.

Whether he knew or not, it had been a deftly affectionate gesture. It was… intimate, almost lover-like, the way his fingertips had grazed her scalp near the base of her ear.

Though, there was the fact that had his hand been a bit further forward, the action would have been near to feeling her up in public. Not that she would have complained if he had—she shook her head to clear it of the thought.

It was too early to be thinking such things. Even if she’d slept pretty late.

She had to go talk to Aymeric, after leaping into his arms one day, then bawling all over him another. But if he was too busy to be her emotional support, he was probably too busy to hear her out now.  

She sat up, stretching again and rubbing her eyes. She might as well get dressed, mull it over. See what there was to be had in the marketplace. Get her battle clothes fixed up.

She slipped from bed, pulling on some simple clothing and her boots, sliding the rest into a bag. As a final touch, she looped her scarf around her neck.

There. She was ready enough.

Her journey through the streets of Ishgard was shorter than she had anticipated, but it ended the way so many others had—Etien stood in the middle of Saint Valeroyant’s Forum, Firmalbert giving her a little wave.

She had nothing to lose, other than a little bit of her time.

Well, she supposed she might be a little hurt if Aymeric did let her in, and she did tell him how she felt, and he didn’t return her feelings. But having him as a friend was immensely more valuable to her than any pain would overpower, so. Nothing to lose but time.

She strode through the doors of the Congregation, then her gait took a bit more of a hesitant dint. She went over to the guard, and without speaking, he opened the door to inform Aymeric of Etien’s arrival, then gestured for her to enter the office.

Now that she was really going to do it, her nerves were getting the better of her, and she walked as if she were on a tightrope on her way to Aymeric’s desk.

“Etien. Is everything all right? To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hello, Aymeric. Everything is perfectly fine. I came here to talk a little. Are you busy?”

He pushed the papers in front of him to the side. “Not for you.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Why, thank you. I appreciate that.”

“So, what is so pressing that you had to come right here?”

Etien laughed, her eyes shutting slowly like they had that time they’d spoken at the fountain outside the Congregation. “I… well, actually, your office may not be the best place for this.”

“Oh, indeed?”

“If you want to stay here, we could, and I suppose we could be sure of privacy here, but… maybe we could go on a walk?” She asked, folding her hands so she had something to do with them (and she could keep a lid on her sweaty palms).

Aymeric stood from his desk and walked to the door, Etien following him, a tiny smile blossoming on her lips.

“Lucia!” He called. “I’m leaving on my lunch break early.”

“It’s hardly 11, Lord Commander!”

“Etien has need of me,” he said with a small smile in her direction.

Lucia rolled her eyes. “Etien has always had need of you. Pray return in an hour. If I come calling at the inn and find you there–”

Aymeric blushed. “I shall return on time.”

Etien bit her lip, following him out of the Congregation.

“So, what is it you wanted to discuss?” He asked her as they passed the fountain in the forum.

Etien gently shushed him. “Come on, let’s just enjoy a little walk first. Please?”

“All right.” So, they set off, Etien doing her level best to keep up with Aymeric. His legs were so long, it was hard, but she managed to stay a step behind him, if not at his side.

“There’s nothing to guard me against,” he joked, “you don’t need to be behind me.”

“I can’t walk as fast as you,” she replied honestly.

“Ah. I can slow down, if that would help.”

“Please. This is supposed to be leisurely, after all. We have an hour and no real destination.” She shrugged.

Aymeric slowed his pace.

But by virtue of the pair of them walking side by side, their knuckles happened to brush. The first time, Etien ignored it, figuring it was simply the proximity. But when it happened again, mostly by reflex, she flexed her fingers through the gaps in Aymeric’s, then relaxed them, curling her fingers around his.

Aymeric looked down at their twined fingers first, followed by Etien.

“Oh.”

Etien pulled her hand away as if she had been burnt. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to–”

Aymeric threaded his fingers through hers again. “No need.”

With the backs of their hands pressed together, it was a more subtle method of holding hands, but they were both keenly aware of where their joined hands swayed between their bodies.

Etien wondered if anyone else was noticing.

After a few moments of that, Aymeric spoke. “Am I correct in assuming that you are still a little shaken by the events in the Vault?”

“Which time?” Etien asked.

“Either. Mayhap both. I would not blame you if so; I am as well. And if you were as distraught with worry for a friend as you said afterwards…”

Etien sighed. “I did mean that.”

“I believe you.” He lifted their hands as much as he could without stretching Etien’s arm. “We must keep each other close, then, to avoid such worry.”

Etien squeezed his fingers with hers. “Do not tease me, ser.”

“I mean it in good fun.”

Etien smiled, then looked around.

They had reached Saint Reymanaud’s Cathedral. She took a deep breath, feeling the light-headedness and butterflies in her stomach that betrayed her nervousness. She only prayed Aymeric couldn’t feel her hand sweating.

“So, if you would like to discuss that business now, we may,” she began, her voice wavering.

Aymeric stopped walking, turning to face her, but he didn’t let go of her hand. “Go on.”

“I am fairly certain that you may have noticed my affectionate behavior toward you growing more obvious as time has gone on.” She sighed. “That has happened as my feelings have become known to me. My feelings… for you. When you scratched behind my ear the other day, everything solidified. No one had done that to me before, and now I find I would not want anyone to but you.” She took a deep breath. “It only served to intensify how I feel, but I am sure you had an inkling my feelings were already intense.” Now, she bit her lip, trying to force the next few words out. “I understand completely if my interest is not returned, and I certainly hold no ill will in that case. Your friendship is very important to me, and a gift all its own, and I pray I have not caused you any discomfort–”

“Etien.”

She stopped. “Yes?”

“You brought me to the Cathedral to tell me this?”

Etien flushed, covering her face with the hand not still in Aymeric’s. “I am a fool.”

“A romantic, more like.”

She blinked up at him. “I suppose. We can speak nothing of this, if that’s what you would like. I can go and you can return to your work at the Congregation.”

“Without telling you my answer?” Aymeric asked, a little incredulous.

“I…” whatever she had to say died in her throat. “Pray continue, Aymeric.”

He slipped his hand from hers, then slid his fingers under hers again, cupping her palm on the backs of his fingers. “Your fingers are freezing.”

“I’m nervous,” she explained, a little sheepish.

“Well. That is a little flattering. In any case, I thank Halone that you said it first.”

“What?”

“I would never have poured my heart out to you like have for me.”

“Aymeric, I don’t understand.”

He kissed her fingers, running his thumb over where his lips had just pressed. “It gives me great pleasure to tell you that your feelings are requited. And to know that mine are, as well.”

“Oh!” She cried, eyes welling at the edges. “Oh, good.”

He cupped her cheeks. “Was that all?”

“That’s everything,” she breathed, moving her head to settle her cheeks even better in his hands. “Thank you.”

“I see no need to thank me.”

“Oh, no? Well then, how about this? Can we seal this with a kiss?”

“Out in a square, in broad daylight?” Aymeric nearly frowned. “I’m afraid not.”

“Right. I understand.”

“But inside, perhaps?”

Etien’s eyes widened as Aymeric (carefully) pulled her into the cathedral, settling the two of them just inside the door, not likely to be seen by anyone coming in before they had time to break apart.

He ran his thumbs over the markings on Etien’s cheeks, halfway between simply appreciating the way the little bits of sunlight through stained glass played on her skin and trying to get himself to actually make the move and kiss her.

He would have to be the one to do it, since she couldn’t reach him, and if he picked her up so she could, that would look incredibly untoward. In a cathedral, even, he could hear them say. So he bent, sighing, and pressed his lips to hers.

For all the cold outside and the hard exterior she had once put up, Etien was warm and soft and pliant as he kissed her, as if she were melting into the kiss.

Aymeric eased back a little, hoping Etien would follow him off the wall so he could get his arms—or at least his hands—around her. She did, blessedly, and even draped hers around him, too. He would have preferred them around his neck, perhaps a hand delicately trailing up into his hair, but her tight embrace  and the hammering of her heart were more than good enough.

He didn’t want to break away from her, but he was feeling himself getting dizzy from the lack of air, so he pulled away. Etien followed at first, then giggled to herself as she let her eyes open. He bent and pecked her again, over and over, until he realized that they were likely running out of time.

“We had best get back to the Congregation,” he told her in the softest of whispers.

She nodded, pulling him to her for one more kiss, this one somehow sweeter than the last, and then, they left the cathedral, hand in hand.

They would worry later about when to make their relationship known. For now, quick, giddy kisses in closed spaces would please them well enough.

[pyropsychiccollector]

            “Monokuma… already revealed we stole their memories…!?” Mitarai was stunned as they all watched the events in the virtual world unfold. The first motive had been presented after a day of reprieve; it seemed like everyone was going to come together, in spite of the insane rules forced on them. Unfortunately, Monokuma seemed to want to nip that in the bud early on, as he told them about how Monomi had stolen their memories, and their loved ones might not be as safe as they last ‘remembered’.

            … And they weren’t. Most of them were dead. Whoever tried to kill one of their classmates would be coming back to a reality where, in all likelihood, their loved ones were dead… Such an outcome fit Ultimate Despair’s modus operandi perfectly.

            Not everyone from Class 77 had been able to come check on Nagito and the other Remnants of Despair, upon Hajime contacting them. Some were out in the field, and others had important work that couldn’t be put off. Yet there were those who put aside their Foundation duties to morally support their former classmate…

            “Fuck!” Fuyuhiko punched the computer terminal he was standing next to. “This is like the last Killing Game! Exactly the same…!”

            Sixteen people, thrust into a “game” to kill each other in order to escape. Motives presented to “inspire” people to murder… This wasn’t a coincidence. Somebody was mimicking Junko and her twisted ideas…

            The Imposter sighed resignedly.

            “We should believe in the people they are now. The people they were. In this moment, they are not Ultimate Despair… They are our underclassmen. People we failed to protect. Doubting them, worrying over them, we’re doing them a disservice.”

            Mikan moaned anxiously, clutching her hands to her bosom.

            “I don’t think it’s bad to be worrying about them… Th-They can still be hurt in there, can’t they?”

            “They can.” Hajime confirmed with a grave nod. “It’s cutting-edge virtual reality… It’s designed that way so they’re none the wiser to everything just being a simulation. If they get wounded, nothing might happen to their actual body, but their mind will be convinced they’re actually hurt. And if they die… we’re not sure if we would be able to bring them back. They might remain in a coma for the rest of their lives.”

            Natsumi scowled as her eyes stayed fixed on the main monitor.

            “Never mind who did it for now… Why the hell are Ultimate Despair doing this to their own people? To prevent ‘em from being cured?”

            Tanaka turned his head away briefly, his mouth concealed by his scarf.

            “We lack the information needed to draw conclusions… We should watch, and mayhap we will pick up a hint to the mastermind’s identity that they will not.”

            “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the who, why, how, whatever… Soon as we have ‘em in our hands, I’m smashing their teeth in…!” Fuyuhiko growled, clenching a fist tightly.

            Peko placed a placating hand on Fuyuhiko’s shoulder, getting him to relax, marginally. The rest of them were hoping their kouhais could hold out until they could regain control again on their side… At this moment, there was nothing they could do but watch.

            ~*~

            Though tensions were high, Makoto had proposed a party the next evening to rekindle bonds. They’d spend the whole day getting ready, and then they’d party all night long. Ishimaru, being the self-designated leader, tried giving out tasks for everyone to do, but Nagito, Makoto, Mukuro, and Sayaka all volunteered for the broad tasks that needed to be completed. Nagito would clean the old lodge, having drawn the short stick for it. Makoto would get all the supplies from the supermarket (Mukuro ended up helping him). Mukuro, though not a world-class chef, had some experience cooking for her and her younger sister when they were kids, and so took up that responsibility. And Sayaka would provide music for the party – Leon assisting her with the setup of speakers and other music equipment.

            It was a long day for everyone that was setting up for the party, but eventually they all met up at the lodge when the nighttime announcement came.

            Well. Everyone except for Togami, but Ishimaru seemed fine with that so long as he was the only one absent.

            For some reason, the Ultimate Moral Compass was on edge, giving everyone who entered the lodge a fully body search before putting anything that could be considered a weapon into a duralumin case that he kept at his side at all times. This obviously upset a lot of people, making some downright uncomfortable, but the hall monitor was satisfied no one had come brandishing weapons… aside from Fukawa, who bizarrely had a number of scissors on her.

            … Ishimaru had a long talk with her in private about that, but the author was unwilling to divulge anything.

            “Ah, Miss Celestia Ludenberg…” Nagito greeted as she entered the dining hall. “Do you like it?”

            Celes hummed as she looked around.

            “You are referring to how you cleaned everything up in here, yes…?”

            “Yeah, I got it all decorated for the party… I even brought in the carpet.” Komaeda explained.

            “The… carpet…?” Celes trailed off, perplexed.

            Nagito just nodded.

            “I brought it from the supermarket. I actually wanted to cover the whole floor, but I guess the carpet wasn’t big enough.” Nagito laughed sheepishly. And it was true, there was a perimeter around the carpet that showed the natural floor underneath, which looked to be rotting in some places… Nagito rubbed his forehead in annoyance. “There was a lot of dust and cobwebs all over the place, too. It took me all day to clean the dining hall just because of that.”

            Celes intertwined her hands beneath her chin as she beamed at the older Luckster.

            “Ehehe… You are commendable, indeed. Keep up that dedication, and you might exceed D-rank one day…”

            Nagito rolled his eyes but smiled good-naturedly.

            “You don’t have to lie to my face, Celes. I know you don’t exactly have a high opinion of a lot of people here…” He then turned his back, waving over his shoulder. “Well, I hope you enjoy your evening!”

            Celes stayed rooted in place for a while after that… While she couldn’t deny a word he said, it really was astounding that such a suck-up could be so perceptive.

            … She would have to be careful around him…

            As he set a platter of food on the table, Makoto noticed Fukawa shivering and huddling in a corner of the dining hall. A look of pure disgust was etched all over her face.

            “What’s up, Fukawa?” He considerately asked.

            Fukawa just sent him a bitter glare that was oozing with loathing.

            “H-H-He rubbed his hands all over me…!” She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her head, letting out a howl of frustration and anger. Makoto sweatdropped.

            “Well… While I will say it was pretty excessive, Ishimaru’s just trying to look out for all of us. I’m pretty sure he gave the guys body searches that were just as thorough…”

            Fukawa howled again as she raised her twitching hands up in melodramatic fashion.

            “He rubbed all over meee!” Clearly, that was just unacceptable, no matter the ‘excuse’. So… Naegi just backed away slowly…

            Asahina pouted as she stewed in her own frustration at the Ultimate Moral Compass’s… thoroughness.

            “Maybe Fukawa’s a little melodramatic, but she kinda has a point! I mean, Ishimaru didn’t have to treat you so suspiciously, Sakura! He took way longer inspecting you than me!”

            Sakura just smiled wryly.

            “Ishimaru harbors no ill intent. I do not mind him being cautious. His passion to ensure there are no killings should be admired, and we should all follow his fighting spirit.”

            Asahina kept her arms crossed before she sighed in defeat.

            “I guess…” Her stomach then growled as she noticed a platter of donuts set out on one of the tables. She looked to Makoto, who was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Did you get those just for me, Naegi?!”

            The younger Luckster laughed softly.

            “Well, yeah! We might not know each other too much yet, but I wanted you guys to enjoy yourselves! This party supposed to bring us together.”

            Asahina wept tears of sheer joy at the Luckster’s considerate nature. Oooh, she was gonna pig out tonight… She didn’t care what anyone else had to say!

            … Well, except Ishimaru got in her way, as he arrived with the last of them – Mondo, Hagakure, Kirigiri, Fujisaki, and Yamada. Sayaka and Leon were setting up final preparations with the sound equipment in the back of the dining hall, and Mukuro was in the kitchen.

            Asahina repeatedly kept trying to get at the donuts, but the Ultimate Moral Compass brought up the fact that the case with the confiscated weapons needed to be guarded. He had the key for that case stored in the other one, which also had a self-defense kit inside, but he thought that distancing the key from the lock would make them all the safer. Fukawa volunteered for guard duty, since she didn’t feel very comfortable eating around or socializing with others, so she left the dining hall with the case rather promptly; it was decided she would guard the case in the abandoned building’s office.

            The other order of business was to make sure Monokuma didn’t sneak in and spark anyone’s intent to murder. Makoto volunteered to stay outside the lodge, but a pout from Sayaka Maizono and a reminder that he’d promised to listen to her concert, and the Luckster capitulated and allowed someone else to take up that task. Ishimaru had been going to suggest they do it in shifts, but Kirigiri volunteered in order to keep it from turning into a huge argument. Makoto tried to convince her to stay, but Kirigiri was rather nonchalant about missing out on the party, feeling this was an opportunity for a detective to do something before another murder happened…

            With all of that sorted out, Ishimaru had intended to dive into a long discussion about the night’s itinerary. But by that point, he’d lost control of the crowd – especially Asahina, who just wanted her donuts – and the party entered full swing.

            … If only it remained peaceful like this.

            ~*~

            It came without warning. But blackouts seldom have them.

            There was no real buildup. Some of them had been having too much fun – like Hagakure, Mondo, Asahina, Yamada, and Leon – but they were high school students. Things were bound to get out of hand. But it was all in good fun, and… it was as if they could forget all about their troubles since coming to this island, so long as they stayed in this dining hall together.

            Maizono held her concert, and it was amazing for the teens. Sayaka’s soothing voice helped them relax.

            The food wasn’t “world-class” or anything, but Mukuro was a pretty good cook, at least in the humble opinions of Asahina, Hagakure, Sakura, and Mondo.

            Yamada got up to some perverted antics, but one well-placed baseball to the face from Leon shut up the otaku and put him in his place…

            Fujisaki revealed he got a camera from the supermarket, and he snapped a lot of good pictures of everyone having a blast.

            Everything was going well. Ishimaru had to keep some fights from escalating, but even with those, no one was seriously going to get hurt. They were high schoolers who were just being their rowdy selves.

            And then… it happened.

            “What was that…?” Ishimaru tensed as there was a beeping noise.

            No one recognized that noise, except Makoto, who knew that was the AC turning on for whatever reason.

            And then… darkness. Complete and total.

            “It’s dark…?” Makoto mumbled.

            “It’s a blackout!” Sayaka cried net to him. Somehow, they were able to fumble around enough to find each other’s hand and intertwine their fingers. It didn’t do anything to help their situation, but it did make them feel safe, having someone they could trust by their side in this turn of events…

            “Hey, I can’t see anything!” Mondo shouted irritably.

            People began to stumble about in the dark in fear. Makoto and Sayaka stood rooted in place, in fear of bumping into someone… Plus, they didn’t know if this blackout was an accident, or if it was… premediated.

            … Neither of them liked to think of that possibility.

            “It’s pitch black!” Asahina cried.

            There were the sounds of screams and frantic footsteps, but they were quickly swallowed up by another voice…

            “Everyone, remain calm!” Sakura urged. “We must remain composed in these situations…”

            Suddenly, there was a malicious aura that filled the room. Makoto didn’t quite know how to explain it, but it felt very angry…. When the next person spoke up, he understood.

            “Did you… have the audacity… to stomp all over my feet, Porky!?”

            Yamada squealed in terror.

            “P-Please have mercy, Miss Celestia Ludenberg…!”

            “Die…!”

            Makoto sweatdropped as he could hear the telltale sounds of roughhousing from that quarter. Yamada brought that on himself for trampling Celes’s feet, though…

            “What the hell! What’s going on here!?” Ishimaru demanded heatedly.

            The windows were completely covered with those iron plates, so they were surrounded by total darkness. And it was because of that complete darkness that their eyes would never adjust, no matter how long they waited…

            “Wh-What is…!? Ow!” Ishimaru suddenly cried out. There was some sort of thumping noise – possibly the Ultimate Moral Compass falling over.

            “Turn the damn lights on, would ya?!” Leon growled.

            And then, the soldier’s voice joined the cacophony. She’d gone to the kitchen to bring out more food, and she must’ve been on her way back for her voice to be heard now.

            “You guys? Where are you…?” Mukuro asked warily. “Wasn’t the blackout… just in the kitchen…?”

            “Maybe the breaker overloaded.” Yamada suggested.

            “To whomever stole my goggles…!” Ishimaru suddenly called out again. “I must demand you return them at once!”

            Makoto could almost hear Mondo roll his eyes.

            “What are you going on about now?”

            “I had brought night vision goggles for just this occasion!” Ishimaru revealed. “However, someone bumped into me, and I presume they stole the goggles in my disorientation!”

            … Well, at least he was honest.

            “Huh?” Nagito abruptly said, though he said it so quietly that Makoto thought he was hearing things. In the next few moments… there was a much softer thump, and some rustling of cloth…

            What was going on?

            “H-Hold on!” Hagakure called out. “I’ll… I’ll go along the wall and… do something about it…!”

            There was a long, anxious wait for the darkness to lift… From the various cries, it sounded as if Hagakure was bumping into people way too easily.

            After a while… the lights finally came back on…

            And it seemed everyone was fine… Well… to be honest, there had been a small accident…

            Mukuro blushed, as she had been bumped into at some point, and had fallen in an awkward position, allowing most people to see up her skirt… She wouldn’t have normally allowed it to happen, having good response skills even in dark conditions, but the fact Naegi would have chided her for hurting their friends… It gave her pause, and now… she was like this…

            Somebody would pay. .

            Mondo flushed deeply as he realized that it was him that had bumped into Mukuro, resulting in her compromised position…

            “Shiiit! Shit, shit, shit, shit…!” Mondo hurried to help her up, but the damage had been done, and he got punched into a wall for his trouble. “… I deserved that…”

            The red on Mukuro’s face didn’t go away as she dusted herself off, eyes closed. That was humiliating…! He deserved a lot more than that, but for now she’d let it slide… Accidents happen…

            And again, Naegi would disapprove of violent retribution…

            Leon grinned as he ran a hand through his hair.

            “Nice job, Hagakure! You managed to get the lights back on!”

            However, the fortuneteller didn’t look like he could take credit for that miracle…

            “Yeah, uh… In case you couldn’t tell, I hadn’t even left this room, let alone make my way to the office, where the circuit breaker is!” The dark-haired boy laughed weakly.

            “Then… who did get the lights back on…?” Celes wondered.

            No one had an answer to that…

            “Um…” Everyone turned to Sayaka when she shuffled her feet awkwardly. “Not to worry you guys… But where’s Fujisaki?”

            As Makoto looked around, he noticed she was right. There was also something bugging him about Nagito, as well, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. Then again, with them having moved around in the darkness, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was just the fact Nagito was now standing closer to him and Sayaka, rather than his initial location by the table with the lamp on it. Celes and Hifumi looked about as he’d expected; Asahina looked relieved to have the lights back on, and Sakura was checking over her for injuries; Ishimaru was looking around for those night vision goggles…

            But Fujisaki was nowhere to be seen.

            “That’s weird…” Asahina muttered. “He was here earlier, taking pictures!”

            “Did he run somewhere during the blackout…?” Yamada wondered.

            “I’m… a little worried.” Nagito confessed. “We should split up and go look for him. I’ll look in the storage room, so can I ask you to check the entrance, Makoto?”

            Feeling no need to object, Makoto complied as he walked out of the dining hall. Sayaka offered to check the office, and the others split up to search the building. The programmer couldn’t have just disappeared into thin air.

            ~*~

            Kirigiri said Fujisaki hadn’t left the lodge, so that meant the programmer still had to be inside. However, when Makoto turned around to go back in, there was a sort of chime that rang out from the screen over on the hotel. Makoto could make out Monokuma on the screen as he sipped a martini and casually made an announcement.

            “A body has been discovered~! Everyone please make your way to the dining hall in the old lodge!”

            The screen flickered off.

            “The… dining hall…?” Makoto whispered faintly. But he’d just been there! There’d been no body!

            “I’m assuming one of the others searched the hall…” Kirigiri said, as if reading his mind. “Come on. We have to go see for ourselves.”

            “Y-Yeah…” Makoto just couldn’t believe it…

            However, as they made their way back in, Makoto’s feet feeling a hundred times heavier as he plodded along, he knew the moment he saw the crowded dining hall that it had happened… There’d been a murder, despite Ishimaru’s security.

            For in the far corner of the room, under the table with a lamp, was the corpse of Chihiro Fujisaki. His throat was slit, there was a blood spray  on the cloth that covered the table, and there was some night vision goggles near his body…

            Chihiro Fujisaki was the first victim.