Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ultimate Students.

You're probably familiar with them by now; exceptional Ultimates who made it big after their graduation.

Not only from Hope's Peak Academy,

.... but from their sister school as well, Yumeino Ultimate Academy For Elites.

It's a long name for a secondary school, isn't it?

Although they weren't always known to be an 'Ultimate' school before that huge disastrous event happened, they served a different purpose related to the students of Hope's Peak since both of them share the same founder.

After The Tragedy, however, they part ways.

The current headmaster reformed the Yumeino Ultimate Academy, and created a new goal with his speech, "These Ultimate students shouldn't be judged only by their talents but their individuality as well. Their talents only act as an extension during their youth. Therefore, this academy shall act as their sandbox to create..."

.... And so the headmaster created an annual event called, ' The Ultimate Cultural Festival '.

This event is every first year's Ultimates' practical exam; showcasing their amazing talent to the public. Well, calling it an exam is kinda redundant since it doesn't matter if you failed or not in it. As long as you gather enough curriculum points by the end of the year, you get to graduate with no problems at all.

All of it is just for everyone's enjoyment.

Sounds like a happy school life .....

..... Until something unusual happened.

....... which is why we stepped in.

As one of the people who's been scouted as an Ultimate and as a protege of my mentor, I decided to take up the case with strong determination.

I won't let this problem loom over the academy any longer.

It's part of our motto; leave nothing unscathed

Everything we do to help out our clients.... must be spotless.

Flawless.

No matter what...

No matter what .....

Even if we have to dirty our hands

"Ah-!? What the-!!!"

I felt my body being dragged down by gravity the moment I stepped forward. I tried getting up in an instant and flinched once a sharp pain struck my knees 'Ow, ow, ow.... seriously...? Ugh, I hope nobody saw that .... eh? Huh? Huh!?'

I was too busy lamenting that I completely ignore the strange change of scenery here. I somehow found myself in a completely different place....?

'Wait.... where am I?'

The place where I am right now..... doesn't resemble close to the exterior of the Yumeino Ultimate Academy. No, it's completely different.

A complete lounge area in the foyer with the reception desk, this layout just reminds me of a hotel instead.

'... Did I go to the wrong place? But... I made sure of it....'

I was with the other students, standing by the main gates earlier, 'Then... where are they...?'

I winced, trying to remember back and clutching my head that was filled with ringing noises. My memories are all jumbled up, fuzzy as if it's replaced by cotton balls instead.

Right now, my mind's not reliable enough to solve this mystery.

'But out of all places, why did I end up here?'

One question at a time, so for now; I'm gonna tackle the last one first.

Tracing back my steps, I found the elevator where I came out from, 'Weird cut from being outside of the academy to suddenly ended up in an elevator... huh...'

My eyes spotted a bunch of pamphlets being scattered around on the reception desk, I picked one up and saw bright red and gold lettering on the front that reads; 'Yumeino Luxury Hotel.'

'What? Did they convert into one without any of us knowing?'

There's no way we entirely missed the news about this change! This is the former sister school of Hope's Peak Academy, there should at least be a fuss about it!

I tossed the pamphlets aside, 'Guess I have to explore more outside of this hotel ...'

An unfortunate thought that I couldn't help but sigh, being stuck here alone. Or.. am I?

'.... There's no way I got kidnapped?' My mind wanders to that possibility instantly. '.... Never mind, it's too early to speculate that...'

The double glass doors of the hotel were widely opened as if to welcome any guests in and the moment I stepped outside, I was taken back by the sight of the gigantic walls surrounding the place. Those huge stone walls tower over the hotel itself, decorated with barbed wires and stretch as far as I can see it.

With these things, we wouldn't have a clue exactly where we are.

"W-What the hell is this..." I mouthed those words that first popped into my head.

This place..... there's no way we're in the middle of a city or even anywhere else!! Walls like these are highly against the law so how did they....!?

Suddenly, I heard a splashing noise beside that hotel and immediately got my guard up. There's someone nearby. And it might be the kidnapper just around the corner.

"Who's there...!? I- Huh..!?"

There's a small pool beside the hotel that I didn't notice from the inside, it was blocked by the bushes planted right in front of the windows......and inside the pool, a person is holding onto the edge, completely drenched.

"H-Hold on, I will get you out of there!?"

I seriously don't know what to think of this; did this person pass out from drowning? Or did they got thrown into it..? Nonetheless, I did a couple of chest compression just to be sure.

"H-Hey!? Are you alright-"

"Ngh.... this critter was enjoying their time bathing......"

"Huh..!?"

Without a word, the person sat up immediately, stretching around while looking frustrated, "Critter finally got the chance of revitalisation but was taken away instead.... how rude these land critters are....."

"L-Land critters....?"

I was so focused on his words that I almost let out a small noise when I saw that weird thing on his head.

"W-What's that....."

"Hmmm.... critter should know it's rude to point...." he shifted that weird fish hat around while explaining. "This powerful object protects critter from danger so refrain from taking it away....."

"I-I won't..." I have no reason to do that. "A-Anyways, are you okay?"

"Hehe, critter's well acquainted with the pure blue jewel... not a problem at all....!!" the other replied cheerfully. "Impossible for this critter to suffocate.....!!"

I'm not sure how I should take that but I got too interested in his way of speaking until I remember what my goal here is, "Could you... possibly be an Ultimate by any chance?"

"This critter's not aware where this place is yet...." he demanded(?) at his own pace. "Please relay all the details!"

Well, at least he said 'please', "This place might be related to the Yumeino Ultimate Academy, if that rings any bell...."

"Hmm, the name does sound familiar to this little critter..." he simply nodded. "Then, this critter would like to ask for the pink critter's name next! They won't give theirs until the pink critter does it first!"

Okay...? I guess that's fine, we're establishing some ground here, "Hoshino Sumire, Ultimate Private Investigator...."

"Ah, an investigator!!" He gleefully replied, his mood suddenly improved. "This critter's well-acquainted with them!! Critter's identification is Amahiko Shoma, Ultimate Marine Biologist!!"

Huh, a biologist. Guess that explains the hat? "Nice to meet you, Amahiko-"

"Shoma!" the biologist corrected. "We critters are from the same school! We should be swimming along closely!"

"Ah... um... okay then, Sho...ma-kun..." Too weird, this is the first time I called someone by their first name after meeting them.

"This critter will introduce their new friend to a wonderful world of the blue jewel one day!!" Ocean, right? Is he's talking about that? "Ahhh... this critter's mouth all dried up from talking too much...."

"Well, we- wait, not yet!?" I immediately pulled him back up before he submerged again. "Y-You can do that later!! For now, we should find out more about this place!!"

"Such a hassle....." he whined and slumped over. "Pink critter, please be kinder to this critter's well-being as well...."

"Y-You can do it later...?" I tried to convince him with an excuse. "There might be other people who are in the same situation as we are and they might be lonely..."

"Eh... fine... this critter will help out shortly...." Wow, that work!? "Just promise this critter to never disturb their floating session ever again, 'kay? This critter will get mad!!"

"I promise...."

I'm still having difficulty understanding his way here but it's strangely fun talking to him. Although, it did eat away most of my energy and I'm just as drained as he is now.

'But I already convinced him this far, no use turning back right now....' I sighed internally.

The nearest place we decided to investigate first was some sort of rustic bar, designed to have a wooden cabin-like exterior, really out of place when compared to the rich white and gold marble of the hotel.

"Aren't these things usually at the hotel...?" Like in the dining room or as a separate floor? Places like this shouldn't be that easily accessible.... for people like us that is.

"Perhaps separating them would make it harder for critters like us to wander in...." Shoma noted.

"I guess so...." An odd choice. "Without anyone watching around, it kinda defeats its purpose-"

"Let us critters announce our presence respectfully!!"

"H-Hold on a second!!" Shoma immediately pushed me into the bar without a warning, 'H-He's strong!?'

The bar, even with the cobwebs occupying one corner of the place, is still well-kept. The tables and stools are all arranged orderly with the shelves all stocked up.

"This dangerous place is well maintained... lands critters like this place a lot..."

"As if they operate this place regularly..." There's no way for the entire hotel staff to just disappear right before we woke up, it's still really early outside.

"Wondering...." Shoma asked, ".... if this 'hotel' is well-known? This critter never heard of it...."

"Neither do I..." I'm not sure. "Just how well did they hide this- Nyagh!?"

The moment I turned my head around, I caught glimpse of something aiming straight for my head as I managed to step out of the way.

"Wow! You managed to dodge it! Neat-o!" The perpetrator behind the sudden attack is an orange-haired man holding the pool table's cue stick who's grinning the entire time. "I was really quiet but you did it!! Did you see that, Ms Hanabusa!?"

"True, your footsteps are remarkably silent when you approach them..." the green-haired lady in a flowery dress giggled behind him.

"Told you, I have the same skillset as my animalistic counterpart!!"

"A spectacular analogy... it proves that humanity isn't completely cut off from their instincts..."

".... A carnivorous pair of critters have appeared...." Shoma remarked after a while.

"Who- Stop that!?" Why is he still swinging that thing around!? "Shoma-kun, please watch your head...!"

"This critter can wriggle their body out easily....! It's Sumire that this critter should start worrying about...."

"Got you!!" I waited until I caught the cue stick as it enters my line of sight. I sighed as I forcibly took it away, "Just... who are you guys?"

"You're pretty sturdy, lucky!!" The man laughed. "I was looking for a sparring partner now that I found myself in an unknown environment!!"

"You're the one being hostile right now..." I pointed it out.

"I can't help myself! When I sense a potential rival, it makes me wanna test their strength out!!" he added.

"And thus, Mr Yoshimune proceed to do a little demonstrate...." the green-haired woman said next.

"By hitting people randomly?" That's not scouting, that's a 'gut's feeling' and hoping for the best kind of luck.

"What a bad-mannered critter! Chop, chop!!"

"W-Why are you attacking me!?" The marine biologist just hit the other with a karate chop continuously. "Stop! I didn't think about this possible counterattack!!"

'That's right, Shoma-kun, get him!' I silently cheered before deciding to stop him. "Okay, that's enough. You two... are you guys Ultimates...?"

"Huh? You guys as well..?" the man rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Well, I'm Yoshimune Taiga, the Ultimate Marksman...."

"Hanabusa Hinako, Ultimate Animal Behaviourist...." the woman bowed while lifting her dress slightly.

'Ha-Hanabusa..?'

There's no way she's related to that clan, right? Surely it must be a coincidence, "Hoshino Sumire, Ultimate Private Investigator..."

"This critter's known as Amanhiko Shoma, Ultimate Marine Biologist...!!" Shoma waved at them as the marksman did the same in return.

"What a team!! Justice served with science stuff!!" said Taiga, excitedly.

"Interesting to see such a cute little rabbit with such a title...." Hinako chuckles. "What a tough little one..."

'Huh!? Cute!? Me!?' I seriously never heard anyone call me that!! "T-Thanks....? Um... a marksman and animal behaviourist, right? Mr Yoshimune has the most extreme talent out of all of us...."

"That's nothing compared to my huge military knowledge!" Hey, is the even safe to say out loud? "Quiz me on anything! I know top-secret stuff-"

"Please keep that yourself instead...." Yeah, that's not safe at all. So one of his family members is from the military... or he's one? "How on earth do you get all of that?"

"My pops suck at hiding stuff so I happened to discover them by accident!!"

"Amazing..." I'm amazed by his free will and lack of awareness.

"This critter finally meets the grand communicator of the land critters...!!" Shoma swayed around as he talked to Hinako.

"It would be nice for Amahiko to teach me about his kinds as well...." Hinako doesn't seem to be too bothered by Shoma's.... critter speech (I dubbed it). "We could get on the best of terms without a problem at all..."

"This critter agrees....! This critter will introduce the land critter to see the blue jewel one day!"

It's like I'm witnessing a shady deal being made right in front of me, "Do you guys have any idea about this place..? You're all first years at the Yumeino Ultimate Academy, right?"

"Oh dear, it seems our question was taken straight out of our mouth..." Hinako frowned. "You two have no idea either...?"

Both Shoma and I shook our heads.

"So no dice...." Taiga sighed. "We can't recall everything back in a snap..."

"Land critters remember stepping onto the academy's ground..?" Shoma asked next and received a nod from both of them.

'They're the same as us... so there's nothing else we can get from this conversation alone....'

Despite that, we're at least thankful to know that we're not alone here. "We're exploring this place to see if there's anyone else here. Wanna come with us, for security' sake?" I asked.

"It's alright, we can fight off anyone without breaking a sweat!" the marksman denied. "I'm quick on my feet and my coordination never failed me!!"

"You two have a lot of responsibility that we would just end up being a burden...." the behaviourist reasoned. "We will be fine, please do see us if there are any answers. I would like to observe this little tiger's behaviour more..."

The way she worded is kinda scary!? Even Shoma's surprised!!

"You're talking about my reflex skills next?" Taiga, however, doesn't seem to notice the weird undertone. "Alright, listen up because this is a top-secret workout that pops' squad has been keeping from others!! "

'O-Observing behaviour...? I get animals but why humans as well...?'

Was my connection about her last name and that clan was correct- "Wait..!?"

"Sumire-critter, let's not disturb their work...!" Without giving me a chance to sort out my thoughts, Shoma, again, pushed me to the exit. "Observational studies need a high level of concentration...! Let the two sharks devour each other in a fiery encounter...!"

".... Shoma-kun, please word that a bit better next time..." I'm beginning to get used to his words which is an unlikely bonus.

I don't know if it's beneficial but best to stop him from saying things like that.

"This place has a tropical atmosphere to it..."

Right after we left the bar (as we took note of a crashing noise that happened the moment we were out of its boundaries), we walked down the stone pathways surrounded by floras and oak trees.

"Are we near the beach...?" But surrounded by walls instead of sand?

"The critter recognised this breeze for a while..." Shoma closed his eyes, seemingly enjoying the light flurry. "We may be further from the land critter's home instead..."

"The ocean....." I added to his theory. "So a private resort-"

"Probably!!

"Unyagh!?"

Something just dropped down right in front of my face as I stumbled down after one wrong step, "W-Who's there!?"

"What a reaction!! That's so worth it!!"

"Ms Satoshi, please be more aware of yourself, they're clearly lost like us....."

There are two people, a pair like before and they're.... sitting on top of the tree branches.

"Oh really? Hmm... now that I think about it more..." the girl with an adventurer-like outfit inspected us closely. "Gah, this is impossible, I don't like to think about mysteries!!

"It's only been three seconds....." said the boy above her.

"Critters hanging from the tropical tree.... another species related to the land critters....?"

"Absolutely not, Shoma-kun...." I get up from the ground and waste no time with a question in mind, "Umm... you two are Ultimates from Yumeino Academy, right?"

"Yup!! Satoshi Kiharu, Ultimate Archaeologist and an enthusiast of past relics!!" Without breaking a sweat, she immediately jumps down and made a safe landing. "My goal is to find and identify any past relics that I stumbled upon!!"

"Osame Hiroshi, Ultimate Abseiler..." The other one is calmer with his introduction. "If you want a more easy-to-follow conversation then you can talk to me instead......"

"Huh, what happened to your previous intro?" Kiharu cocked her head to the side. "The one that goes like, 'I'm Osame Hiroshi! The greatest-'"

"Ugh, don't remind me of that!!" Hiroshi whined. "I threw it away after that guy made fun of it!! So much for a first impression!!"

"You met someone else before us....?" I asked curiously, we haven't encountered this 'guy' they're talking about and it sounds like it's not that long ago

"Shady red-haired guy...." the archaeologist described them. "Don't know much but my gut is saying that he's one of us for sure...."

"Where is this red critter....?" Shoma's eager to know as well.

"He went off without telling.... or in his words...." The abseiler coughed. "'Please don't talk to me! I don't want to deal with your problem!', as I phrased him"

Well, he sounds like a hassle to deal with.

Hiroshi sighs, "Better that way, can barely hold a conversation with him without feeling tick off...."

'A difficult one to deal with but for him to wander off without a clue.... is kinda dangerous..'

Or he has one which is why he went off alone?

"We've met two other people earlier... just to be sure of something..." I decided to ask them the same question, " Do you guys remember how you got here?"

"Hmm... not really..?" Kiharu answered. "Blacked out and found this guy sobbing..."

"H-Hey, I thought you promise to not tell that!?"

"Huh, I thought you don't want to act cool anymore?"

"Even so, don't just blurt it out!!"

"Fine, you're so picky..... you two are going exploring, right?" the archaeologist exclaimed, "... because we will do that as well!! Better have two teams rather than one!"

".... What exactly did two noisy critters were doing earlier?" Didn't catch it at first but the biologist hide his annoyance behind his soft tone.

"Hiroshi was showing some interesting stuff that I could use for my scavenging!!" Kiharu pointed at the abseiler, still up in the tree. "Not that I need it badly though!!"

"She was dangerously swinging upside-down from the trees..." Hiroshi answered with his side to it. "I can't let that slide so I showed her a safer way to do it...."

"I see...." That didn't answer our question at all. Why did they decide to climb a tree instead? Why is that part so important to them? "We will look out for that guy from before.... we will try to convince him..."

"Be careful, he doesn't seem friendly at all..." The abseiler advised us. "Who knows what that guy would do....."

'I wonder if he's that menacing....' I have no trouble dealing with difficult people but it's different if they're very violent. I don't want to hurt myself again.

Leaving the pair behind, I noticed that the biologist's cheery face was replaced by something indifferent, "Shoma-kun, what's wrong..?"

"Noisy...." Shoma eased his shoulders down. "This critter's hearing almost blew out the longer they talked..."

"Not good being around others, huh?" He was fidgeting a lot earlier, especially with the marksman and behaviourist. "Don't you usually work with other people when it comes to your talent?"

"Handled best when this critter is alone....!" Shoma explained. "After all, the blue jewel and this critter are one in the same, almost inseparable!! This critter understands them better than any living critters!!"

"Well... it does have its perks....."

'It's getting easier to decode his words right now.... while I still don't get this 'blue jewel' thing, it's better than just ignoring what he said...'

Besides, he looks much happier the more I talked to him.

"Pure, sparkly water greets this critters' sight!!"

"Another swimming pool...."

Except they're bigger than the ones at the hotel, probably for more party-oriented events. And it took Shoma's interest in just a second as he proceeds to take a dip, "H-Hey, Shoma-kun, don't just go in like that!?

"Why?" Shoma asked with a pout. "If pink critter doesn't understand this critter's dilemma then they should be dragged down in the sparkly water...!"

"A-Are you threatening to drown me!?" he said that too comfortably there! "You need to be-"

"Ackh!?"

"...Huh..? Huh..?!" There was a splash just behind Shoma, another mysterious person just entered the pool, "Who is it this time..!?"

As if it serves as my immediate answer, the reddish-orange-haired person emerged, seemingly yelling... at someone.

"What the hell, Higura!? I thought we were gonna spy on them instead!?"

"You fucking idiot!! Don't blow my cover like that!!"

Just from behind the washhouse, there's another person with a dark colour scheme to his wardrobe and thick-rimmed glasses, "Look here, no way I wanna be chummy friends with a crooked stranger in this shithole! I ain't that cheap!!"

"Ugh, that's too much for me to say of something back..." the other sank into the pool again.

"Good, stay that way...." the foul-mouthed person turned to us. "You two, better have an answer or else I will kick your asses next..."

"How vulgar this gloomy critter is.... hearing such cruel words make this critter wanna dissect their throat next..."

'... Dramatic but I'm on his side for this one....' Too much hostility there towards people he just met, I wouldn't say he's brave for doing it... maybe careless to put it more fitting. "We don't have them yet but don't blame us for that either... we've just woke up and-"

"Tch!! Just when I thought help has arrived!!" he clicked his tongue and scratches the back of his head. "Ahhh, this is fucking frustrating!! Ending up in some shitty billionaire's orgy house is the fucking worst!!!"

"You're complaining way too much...." Shoma, I understand your pain now. "We're all in this situation together so, please... shut your mouth...."

If my mentor hears about this, I'm done for.

"What did you say, you bitch-!? What the fuck-!?"

"Okay then!! That's enough!!" The person before me was cut off when the guy from before got him by his leg and then pulled him into the pool to stop him. "My five minutes of being good are up, time for some disciplining!!!!"

"You fucker, are you trying to kill me or something!? I will smother you-!!"

'... Well... at least that's not the person we're looking for....' What's up with these two? It's hard to see this as friendly roughhousing, seeing how they're trying to drown each other.... effortlessly.

"Hey, before you two accidentally passed out, mind giving us your names and Ultimates so that we can update our list here?"

"Gladly! The name Oozora Saku, the Ultimate Aerobat and this friendly fella's Mochizuki Higura, the Ultimate Graphic Designer!!" A completely different red-haired person, Saku, and the other foul-mouthed person, Higura, were introduced in one go. "W-We're a bit tied here so we will be joining you guys later!!"

"Who made you the boss here, huh!? Friendly, my ass!! You airheaded idiot-!!"

"Right, thank you for the introduction.." I looked down at the marine biologist, currently floating in the pool. I forgot he was in there, he's enjoying his float amidst the chaos, "Shoma-kun, let's go..."

"Ehhhh.... but this critter just got in....."

"Shoma-kun, there's an underwater war going on here..." I'm referring to Saku and Higura. "If you like to get tangled in there then I can leave you behind..."

"Hnnngh, this critter wouldn't want to leave so soon but if a mine is going to blow then this critter will follow....!" He quickly pushed himself up from the pool. "Seems like Sumire-critter's irritated as well...!!"

"Noisy people can irritate anyone..." And my hands starting to get twitchy as well. "But I can't just ditch you there..."

"Finally loosening up by conversing with their kind!" At this point, I'm just too tired to care about manners. "If the critter wanted to be submerged for relaxation, please call upon this critter for such request....!!"

"Ugh, at this point, I'm considering it....."

I appreciate the small amount of kindness I'm receiving from Shoma here.... because that's all I'm gonna get it seems.

Chapter Text

The next place we visited was the library, a minute away from the swimming pool and surrounded by the serene ambience of the forest. It would be an ideal place for a pastime.

"Wow, didn't expect this..." I found my favourite series on the shelves.

"Mhm, this place also has this critter's work...!!!" Shoma held a large folder close to his chest. "A rare chance for this to be here..."

"Your research papers....?"

"Reference for critters themselves...!" the marine biologist explained. "Dissections, experiments and everything internal fall under this critter's hobby...!!"

He just said something scary without even trying, "Strange that they managed to get them...."

"Perhaps they're stolen...? This critter will punish them for their misdeeds, no matter what....!"

"Best it doesn't come to that...." At least he's willing to listen rather than refusing to heed advice at all. "Still, be careful, who knows what they're plann- Ackh!?"

I just took a step forward and immediately bump into... someone else. However, my mind automatically registered this someone to be a ghost since there was nothing in my line of sight when I turned around, "W-What now....?"

I was fully prepared to be greeted by spiteful words but instead, it was a young girl who was on verge of tears.

"S-Sorry... I didn't mean to..." she sniffled.

"Sumire-critter, don't pick on even smaller critters...."

"I-I'm not, I didn't see- Wait, did you say..!?" I will set that aside! For now! "A-Are you okay?"

"Uuh... I-it's nothing... I'm the one being a bother here....." she slowly stood up. "Umm... you guys aren't the bad guys here... right-"

"Wah!!"

"Eek!?"

"Hey, why are you the bully now!?" the biologist has that mischievous smile now that we've met a recluse person, "Hoshino Sumire, private investigator... that bully over there is Amahiko Shoma, a marine biologist. We're both Ultimate students... you are...?"

"I-Ishimoto Nao... Ultimate Ghostwriter...." she looked away once she introduced herself. "I-It's not an exciting talent to talk about...."

"Ishimoto Nao...." That name sounds familiar, don't tell me....!? ".... Is your author initials, I. Na, by chance?"

"Y-Yes...?"

"I knew it..!" I snapped my fingers, feeling a bit excited by the revelation. "I love your works...!! Especially those that you assisted!!"

What a miracle! I never thought I would meet one of my favourite authors in this place, nevertheless one who's around my age!! If only the circumstance is different right now, I would love to talk more about her work! "I know that you don't consider yourself as an actual author but the way you expressed yourself through your works moved me a lot and- Wait, why are you crying again!?"

"U-Uhh...." fat watery droplets stream down her face as the ghostwriter struggles to get her words out. "I-I've never had anyone telling me that a-a-and...!! U-Uhh...."

"I-Ishimoto, please don't cry...!" I started to feel terrible for being overly excited instead.

"Sumire-critter, you bully..."

"You're the one to talk...!" I scolded the biologist who judges my actions from behind. That doesn't help at all and the ghostwriter became even more terrified of me. "I-Ishimoto-san..."

"Nao... you're being too noisy.... this is a library, you know...."

"M-Macchan...!" Nao immediately stopped crying, wiped her tears away and went to the source of the newcomer's voice.

They seem to know each other already as the ghostwriter instantly hid behind the newcomer, who appeared from behind the bookcases; a bespectacled man with his light brown hair tied into a tiny ponytail, wearing smart attire with a coat barely hanging from his shoulders.

.........

Huh, it feels like I've seen his face before...?

"You two....." For a very good-looking guy, he has an assertive tone to his voice. ".... State your business before I whipped you two into oblivion...."

'Uwah, a real threat...' that furious glint in his eyes even suggests that he might do that regardless we listened or not, "Hoshino Sumire & Amahiko Shoma, we're both Ultimates here, just like Ishimoto...."

"Is that so...." he crossed his arms together, against his chest. "Yokoda Machi, Ultimate Librarian. Just you two...?"

"Us, critters, found their school of critters along the way....!" Shoma answered. "There's more of us so glasses critter shouldn't be too wary of us....! Critters swim dutifully together after all....!"

".... What are you talking about?" the librarian's the second person to question that. "Actually, no, I can't accept that. Who knows, you two might be behind this mess...."

"We're just as lost as you are....." I defended ourselves. "Plus, if we were.... we won't show up willingly like this, that's a death wish..."

"That I wouldn't mind fulfilling it...."

Yikes, our captor must be glad they're not here right now, "Another question, have you guys seen a red-haired person by any chance...?"

"U-Ummm..." Nao peeked from the librarian's behind. "H-He passed by this place just a second ago.... l-left almost immediately once he saw Macchan...."

"Macchan...?" I looked back at the librarian. "You....?"

"Hmmm, can't be helped...." he clicked his tongue and then sighed. "You two can call me Macchan, free to lend an ear but that doesn't mean we're even here...."

The librarian's surprisingly cooperative here, despite his introduction earlier. His tone now shifted something similar to an older sibling type. Even his features softened up a bit, "Thank you... M...Macchan...."

"Speak louder....." Machi frowned. "What? Is it too much for you to say?"

"Hah, what are you, my boss?" I immediately panicked and up my mouth. Shit, I didn't mean to say that out loud..! "I-I mean -"

"There you go, that's more like it....." he smiles.... somehow. "Keep up the good work so that people can take you seriously now...."

"Why- Never mind, I got it....." I cast aside a certain sadist remark just to save myself. Besides, his attitude doesn't bother me that much.....

...... for now.

Shoma and I kept them up to date with our findings so far; three pairs of Ultimate that we've met before and this mysterious red-haired person that's venturing alone. And from what they've told us, they ended up here under similar conditions.

" I planned to barricade the entrance so that the culprits have to enter through the windows ...." Machi explained. "Higher chances of pushing them off...."

"Wouldn't critters have keys...?" Shoma asked. "Cameras also exist for them to see that the glasses critter's plotting malicious things...."

The librarian went silent.

"You didn't think about that....?"

"Sh-Shut up...." He turned bashful once we pointed out his flaw. "..... You're related to that infamous private investigator, right? I'm counting on you...."

My body immediately tensed up, there's.... someone who recognized that name, "I-I will do my best...."

"A-Ah.... that Hoshino...." Nao let out a squeak before hiding behind Machi again. "S-Sorry... i-it's rare to see one of his students out in public....."

For a good reason.

"Hmmm.... this critter doesn't understand....." Shoma broke the cold and heavy atmosphere with his cheery tone. "But it's no good to put pressure on critters like that....."

"Seriously, what's with...." Machi backed down. "Never mind, if it makes you happy then whatever. I'm done inspecting this place... we should leave already..."

"Ekk!?"

Machi and I snapped our heads to the front, Nao and Shoma went ahead when they suddenly stopped and the ghostwriter shrieked, "T-There's a body!?"

"Ishimoto, this isn't the time to be jumpy- There's actually one!?" Machi was about to reassure her until he saw a person laying on the ground, not moving at all. "Who the hell is this!?"

"This.... wasn't here when we arrived....?"

Another mystery has appeared, a person who got here in a weak state and passed out. Or... was he placed there? "We can't leave him like that-"

"Heave-ho!!"

"Shoma-kun!?"

The marine biologist proceeds to flip over the body so that we could see the person's face. Shoma was the first one to comment on it, "Really delicate....! Almost ghost-like...!"

He's right but is it because he's weak? I can't tell-

"That guy....!" Machi sounded shocked for a moment there before he calmed down. ".... Don't waste your time on that one, throw him in the bin while you're at it...."

"Wha-" He must have recognized this person well enough to warrant a sentence like that. "But he could be one of us....?"

"... Fine then, but I won't act sweetly if he's around...." Machi clicked his tongue again. "Ishimoto, let's just go before my mood soured....."

"O-Okay....?" the ghostwriter hesitantly took a glance at us before following behind the librarian. In the end, we were left to take care of this.... mysterious person.

"Hmmm, land critters act so rough towards each other...." said Shoma. "This critter doesn't get it but shall Sumi-critter do what the glass critter forced us critters to do?"

"No need...." I shook my head, "I don't think we have to do much...."

"Why-"

"Look, that person's smiling right now...."

Don't you dare think I didn't notice you smiling, mystery person! At least give us a sign before we accidentally did something horrible!

"Ahhh, I got caught...." the mystery person chuckles before he opened his eyes, smiling. "It's been a while since I last heard his voice...."

"You're talking about Macchan, right?" I asked him and with almost no hesitation, he nodded. "You two are acquaintances....?"

"You can see it like that...." he tried to sit up, a bit wobbly while using his hands to push himself up, ".... sorry, a bit faint.... will take a while to recover....."

"It's fine, we can use this time to introduce ourselves instead...." And so we did, we gave him our names and Ultimate talents before he gave us his.

"Interesting talents.... much more than mine...." he bowed. "Oki Renma, Ultimate Medium...."

"Medium....?"

"Someone who's able to talk to spirits, Shoma-kun...." I answered the biologist's confusion. But a medium, huh? First time meeting the real deal here, probably. "Just wondering...... why were you on the ground earlier?"

"Fufu, now that's certainly something to think about....." Renma smiled. "I don't have a nicer way to answer it, however....."

"Which is?"

"I just passed out...."

So not much different than everyone else? "W-Well, it's an answer..... but for you to be here out of the blue....."

Surely we could have heard it if he collapsed?

"Ah, so I was discarded here without a care....." the medium shook his head with a distasteful look on his face. "Such a cold-hearted person...."

"Someone... dumped you here...?" Speaking of which, all of the people we met here are in pairs and he's the only one without one. Could it be..? "Is your partner a red-haired man by any chance?"

"Hm? Why, yes, he is....." the medium confirmed my theory. " A rather hasty one without any patience at all....."

That solves it then, it's the same person that Kiharu and Hiroshi met earlier. "Do you know his name? Or.... why he went alone in the first place?"

"Unfortunately, I wasn't fully conscious when we first met... whatever he said might have slipped past me...." Renma confessed. "Forgive me for being incompetent......"

"Ghost critter need not worry...!" Shoma cheered him up. "We critters will eventually discover the answers together...!"

The medium just stared at the biologist dumbfounded for a while before his expression morphed into something more delicate. Even as Shoma pressed on about it, he continues to listen closely.

'It seems... Shoma made another friend....' I'm glad about that, something about the chattery scenery before me filled me with warmth. 'Good... that's good....'

Ding Dong, Bing Bong!

All of the sudden, we heard a chime of the PA system from nearby, possibly from the library. Alerted, I checked around for any potential danger but there was none. And then...

"Ah!! Ah!!! Testing!! Mic test!! Can everyone hear my lovely voice!?"

"That's...?"

"What is..."

"This critter never heard such a shrilly voice..."

The biologist's right, what's with this high-pitched getup? It sounds like it came from a doll or something.

"I see everyone's up and well!! Good, very good!! Now, this is a very important announcement to all my beloved guests; please proceed to the auditorium, located on the floor below the reception!! Please and thank you!! Can't wait to see all of yer' faces, you bastards!! Nyahaha!!"

And just like that, there's a click, as if to say that's it, that's the announcement.

".... The kidnappers have great faith in us following their orders..." the medium exclaimed. "Ms Investigator, what should we do?"

".... Guess there's only one way out..." If we want answers then, we have no other choices. "Who knows what would they do to us if we don't listen...."

"Then...!" Shoma proceed to take both of our hands and lead us towards the direction of the hotel. "Onwards to our mystery adventure...! Let us critters find answers safely!!"

"S-Shoma...."

"Haha, how energetic..."

The marine biologist must have noticed how uneasy both Renma and I are, so he decided to take the initiative. He means well to both of us so it's hard to see it as an unnecessary deed.

'... We have to stay vigilant still...' With the biologist's hand wrapped around my left wrist, I silently clenched my hand into a tight fist. '.... We can't let our guard down....'

On our way back, we found Taiga and Hiroshi having an easygoing conversation while Machi and Hinako... I think they're getting along well but their surrounding aura says otherwise.

Not wanting to interrupt them, I gave them a heads-up that we headed forward first. In return, Hiroshi and Machi warned us to be wary.

It wasn't until we were in front of the hotel entrance that we heard an argument happening inside the building, and from what we can peer outside, there are three people whom we saw before.

I observed them closely, two of them has an extravagant appearance; a girl with a long feathery silver gown and a man wearing a complete three-piece outfit with faint musical motifs adorning the edges. Then, the last one.... was a man wearing a long brown overcoat, a red-haired man,

"Does the pink critter not want to step in?" Shoma intrudes. "Or should we...?"

"N-No, I don't think it's that easy...." It doesn't look like they're going to stop. "I will go...."

The volume of their argument increased tenfold once the doors opened, wincing at how the walls just echoed back their every single word, "H-hey! What's going on here?!"

It was the red-haired man that breaks away from it first, "Oh, come on! Does anyone here know their boundaries! I'm wasting too much time on this ridiculous banter...."

"Wha- How dare you to look down on this disgraceful matter!?" the man in the suit yelled. "Not only do you mock my work and call them mundane, but you also stoop low enough to even insult our siren's talent!!"

"Again, please... don't make a big deal about it...." the girl seems too tired to even try and stop them. "Not everyone has the same preference..."

Not even a minute in, another argument has started, "Um, excuse me...."

"Yeah, keep your ears opened wide for once!!" The red-haired man bites back. "We got no time for these so-called 'sophisticated work of arts', we got our own lives to get by! The world ain't kind to dreamers so leave them at the door before you get lost in your delusions!"

"Hey..."

"How dare you!!" the other man quarrelled. "I won't stand being frowned upon by some commoner!! People like you will never appreciate the little grace in art when others depend on it!"

"Their issue, not mine!" the red-haired stuck his nose up and pout.

"Heeeey...!"

"For goodness' sake, can't you two settle this matter already...?"

"That's impossible, my dear siren!!" the man in the suit stared at the girl with a desperate look. "No matter how hard I tried, he won't admit defeat!"

"No way in hell I wanna lose to some penguin-looking snob-!"

"Hey!"

With their hands pointing at each other accusingly, I took the chance to grab their wrist so that they snapped out of it, "There are other people here too, you know!?"

The suited man was too shocked to say anything, leaving the red-haired man to back him up, "Sorry little miss but I'm trying to win here! We will get back to you once we-"

I twisted their wrists around as they yelped, "Later! We have other things to worry about! Didn't you guys hear the announcement earlier?"

"W-We did...." The other man answered and seeing how he's in most pain from the grip, I let him go. "W-We were on our way to the meeting point when we met.... this cretin...."

"Whatever...." The red-haired man rolled his eyes back. "Also, I'm still being restrained!!"

"Introduced yourselves first...." I told the newcomers. "Then I will let you go..."

"Fiiiiine..." he's exasperated. "You two, hurry up! We got things to do, you know!! Time's precious!!"

"Why you little....." the other man sighed before he gave in. "Sekiguchi Amane, the Ultimate Composer...."

"Thank goodness, it ended....." the girl, who has been quiet this entire time, expresses her relief. "You have my gratitude... Setsu Hibiki, the Ultimate Opera Singer...."

A composer and an opera singer, quite a fitting duo with their get-up. It explains a lot about their high and mighty tone there. "Nice to meet you two... Hoshino Sumire, private investigator..."

Immediately, the red-haired man looked back at me with wide eyes. I raised an eyebrow at him, "What's wrong...?"

".... Nothing, didn't expect....." Slowly.... yet sinisterly, a wide smile starts to spread across his face, "... to meet a potential rival here as well...."

"What do you mean....?"

"Well, guess I'm next!" he waved his other hand around dismissively. "..... Mafuyu Hisao, Ultimate Conman!"

"Wha-!?" Out of nowhere, I got pulled away from the supposed conman, accidentally letting go of his wrist when I didn't mean to. I turned around and saw the culprit end up being the medium, "Renma-"

"Be careful...." he had a serious look on his face. "It's dangerous to be that near...."

"Oh, it's you!!" Hisao blinked twice as if to make sure that the medium before him is the real deal. "Huh! I could have sworn you're a goner! Guess I'm just bad at reading vital signs! Nice to see you're up!"

"... Good to see you as well...." Renma inhaled deeply before he spoke again. "I supposed I can pardon you for that but please be more cautious next time..."

"Gotcha'! Even though it's meaningless to me!" Hisao snickers, he doesn't exactly scream 'scheming swindler', maybe just a bit mischievous?

Also, Ultimate Conman? 'Would the academy even take such a risk to invite someone that dangerous...?'

"Are you telling the truth here?" I have to be sure about it.

"You're not lying, right...?"

"Heh? Hey now, don't go accusing me of that!!" Why is he annoyed about that instead!? "Let's get this point clear, little miss!! I hate liars, so take my words as it is!"

A conman... that hates liars?

Weird. How would he even manage to fool people like that? Even though he's just a student, his talent isn't something I should overlook easily. He's an Ultimate for a reason.

"Is it done?" Without missing a step, the marine biologist latched onto my back. "Should we go to our destination then?"

"Huh... another odd one....." Hisao remarked. "Quite a group you got there, little miss. Must be nice making friends!"

'Um, friends...?' We've only met recently and I'm still not too sure what to think of them.

"What, you look lost about it!" the conman laughed at my probably bewildered look. "Count your blessing, little miss! Having companions ain't bad! Besides... it's better to have supporters while trouble lies ahead, right?"

"... You probably need that advice the most..." I replied, calmly.

"Huh, not a chance!" he lost interest once the spotlight is on him again. "I work best alone! I got a lot on my plate!"

"... Guess it's instinctual..... but if you have any idea about this place, I'm all ears and maybe I can help... with some exceptions, of course...." I offered some sort of aid, and that took him by surprise

Reeling back from it, he put on a mischievous smile that still radiant hospitality, "..... I will be looking forward to that then, little miss...."

"Likewise...." I muttered past him while walking towards the elevator with Renma and Shoma behind me. I pressed the button once I entered, my eyes and the conman' still focusing on each other before the doors closed.

I exhaled in relief before slowly kneeling, covering my face while letting the adrenaline go down, 'I didn't expect that... and of course, my usual instincts kick in....'

"You did well...." the medium patted my head with a chuckle. "For a moment, I was worried that you will get crushed..."

"It's just.... sudden...." And I could have handled it a bit better. "But it's nothing, I'm used to those people all the time so... this time, it's no different...."

"But why does pink critter friendly with that shady critter?" the biologist asked next. "They don't look that trustworthy...."

It's funny that he said it first, "... Sometimes, it's not a good thing to keep things strained between people...."

Like he said so himself, best to have supporters while you're ahead.

We stepped inside a waiting room outside the auditorium from the elevator, carpeted with cream and gold-coloured accents with swirled flower patterns while the walls are adorned with white and light brown stripes. The wooden pillars that's masterfully crafted and placed laterally towards each other with the electrical candle lights bolted on its surface.

Shoma opened the doors with... a cat-like logo engraved onto them? 'I don't remember the academy having some kind of mascot...?'

"Looks like we're not the first one here....."

Following the medium's gaze, we seem to stumble upon another pair; a girl with a white pixie haircut and striking golden eyes, her stance... just screams strict military general while the other...

The other....?

Wait, why is she running towards me!?

"YOU!!!" she suddenly grabbed my hands and was too close to my face. "What a vibrant colour! They're silky smooth as well!! Amazing!! Spectacularly beautiful!! May I know what type of dye you use or better yet your care routine!?"

'Hey, hey, hey!! What's with this!!' I internally screamed at the sudden pressure as she towers over me. "I-It's just a store-bought brand! T-That's all!!"

"Huh!? It's naturally healthy!?" the other gasped. "Impossible!! That's stupendously impossible, I'm jealous!! It would be a blessing if you can lend me some of your hair genes...!!"

"That's even more impossible!!" I replied, feeling my back bending way too much under her presence. Much to my relief, Renma swooped in and carried the other away, 'Thank goodness...!!'

"Now, now, let's not get too excited...." Renma let out a pitiful laugh. "It's great to see new faces but it's bad to leave an overwhelming first impression, wouldn't it?"

"You're right!!" the purple-haired girl snapped her fingers while being dragged away.... really far away as possible. "I'm the wild chemist beautician! The Ultimate Cosmetologist, Asami Mitsuru!! Hope you understand my predicament now!"

Ah, a beautician, I sure do now, "N-Nice to meet you too...."

"Please forgive Mitsuru for that....." the white pixie haircut girl sighed as she approaches us next, more calmly than the beautician. "We're relieved to know that we're not alone here....... Takara Homare, Ultimate Fencer, a pleasure to make your acquaintance..."

As she bowed, my mind wanders back to how her mannerisms go well with her ultimate and her family name..... but, 'Mochizuki... the Tsuki and Takara family... are here...?'

The feud between these two families is hard to ignore and they've been the media's favourite topic for a long time. So the fact that there are two from different sides currently present ... are the people behind this kidnapping trying to gain something?

"This critter never sees the sword-bearer and colourful pufferfish around before...." Shoma thankfully continues the conversation. "Does that mean the critters have been waiting for us here the whole time...?"

"Well... we have no confidence in leaving our safe zone here...." Homare admitted, earning a nod from Mitsuru as well.... still far from us with the medium alongside her. "And it seems like a wise decision since.... this turns out to be our meeting point..."

"Does this mean you two woke up here without knowing why....?" Again, another nod from the fencer. "Same goes for everyone else... all sixteen of us....."

Sixteen students... a specific number-

"Wha..!?" out of nowhere, the fencer took my hand into hers and carefully inspect them with a serious look on her face.

"Ah... a perfect hand to hold a sabre..." she smiled before she realized what she was doing. "I apologized, call it a professional evaluation instinct..."

"N-No worries...." Amazingly, she could tell by looks alone but I can tell she's embarrassed by it rather than being proud. It would be a blessing to have a keen eye like hers though.

"Everyone's arriving...." Renma pointed out as we saw the people that we've met before entering the hall, slowly filling up the space. As the last person entered the room, exactly sixteen people is present.... confused by their whereabouts.

"Seriously, where is this place...? I've never heard of it before...."

"Who the fuck knows? It could be some old rich man's orgy paradise for all I care!"

"All of this estate? There's no way someone had enough cash to keep everything here running..."

"A-And it doesn't look like it's been occupied for a long time...."

"From what we found, it's like everyone just.... left..."

Everyone just left?

Well, it's true that this place seemed pretty soulless but... surely.... there's someone here, the same person who brought everyone here-

" Alright, quit yer bitchin already!! "

Everyone jumped.

It's that high-pitched we heard from the PA system before. It came from... the stage in front of us and on it is... a stuffed cat?

"What the fuck.....? Is this some kind of joke?" Higura spoke up first. "Are they seriously acting cute and shit with that cat-"

"I ain't a cat!!"

The stuffed plush suddenly yelled and stood up, "I am yer' host for this special limited only!! The one and only, super-intelligent AI host for this luxury experience, the incredibly nyan-derful Monomyou! Ackh! I stuttered!!"

An AI... cat host?

We all stared at the currently self-deprecating feline doll, actually alive and being more expressive. I'm confident that everyone shared the same thought, that we refused to believe this plushie here could be our captor.

Hinako, the only person who was not stunned by this revelation, stepped forward first with a smile, "What an adorable little kitten, may we kindly know why are we all gathered here, Mr. Monomyou? Or even why we're here in the first place?"

'Getting straight to the point...; while playing nice as well.

"Keh! Such kind words!! The first I've heard from this batch of dumb-numbs!!" The AI cat, Monomyou, dramatically cried before its tears quickly dried up to deliver a sneer. "Since I'm feeling good about myself, let me explain things more thoroughly! You guys are this host's guests! Everyone here has given their only chance in a lifetime of experiencing what Yumeino Luxury Hotel has to offer for the Ultimates like you guys!"

"Well, my mood's already ruined, how am I gonna have a good time here..." Hisao, the Ultimate Conman, commented beside me. "So far I've been rudely greeted by other people here so that 'welcoming vibe' is kinda non-existent to me!"

"That's only on you...." I jabbed at him.

"Wow, way to pile onto it, little miss...." he side-eyed. He's been calling me that ever since I interrupted his argument with the composer; that has to be intentional, right? Because the first verb is really unnecessary.

"Alright! Before you guys get into another catfight! Please hold out your hands and catch the object above you!"

Above? Nevertheless, almost everyone did what they were told and instantly, some sort of tablet fell into our hands perfectly. I stumbled with it a bit at the sudden weight being added out of nowhere.

"Each one of you would need these ElectroIDs to get around for easy access!" the host explained. "Don't lose them or I will get mega, ultra, indescribably furious at myaou! Eek- I stuttered!!"

The tablet lit up, one by one, revealing everyone's name, Ultimate title and what I can assume is their room number in this hotel. Clear as day;

Hoshino Sumire, Ultimate Private Investigator

Floor 2, Room 52

...

No matter what, I still can't bring myself to accept that title being placed beside my name.

"Hey, furbait!!!" Hisao called out after he finished checking his. "Mind filling us why exactly are we chosen? We're still newcomers, aren't we? Isn't there supposed to be an orientation to welcome us? What with the sudden luxury trip? You've been very boring so far...."

The conman tries to aggravate them, trying to make them get to their point without any story bits or gags.

Smart, dangerous but a useful move.

Unfortunately, Monomyou's reluctant to fall into that trap that easily, "J-Just you wait!! I still have preparations needed to be done for this luxury package!! You will take back those words!! F-For the meantime, please enjoy exploring everything to the fullest! Please have patience with me! I'm a single organiser only to my name!!"

They're the only ones here?

"There's no way you managed to kidnap all of us just by yourself...." I argued. "There has to be someone else on this as well..."

"Kidnap!? What the hell do you mean by that!?" Monomyou shrieked. "There's no way this adorable host would resort to such an inhumane method to invite everyone!! Non!! Simple and classy is how we do things around here!!"

"Everything about this is beyond simple, and very absurd...." Hiroshi, the abseiler sighed.

"Besides, isn't the mystery at least a bit interesting?" the feline snickers. "Maybe it's the main event of this experience? Who knows! You might find your answer the more you poke things around, maybe, sort of!"

"So, um, is there a way out for us....?" Kiharu asked even further. "If we solve this mystery... you will let us go....?"

"Of course!! You can take my words and force them into my mouth to keep it as a promise!!" the host sounded serious about it. "After all, our main goal here is to ensure everyone would enjoy this experience!"

This experience they're talking... is awfully vague.

And the conman also took notice of his wording there as well. His brows furrowed the more he listened to it.

It can mean a lot of things.... a lot of bad things.

"W-Well... if it said so...." Saku let out a shaky laugh. "I mean, it swore by it so maybe it's telling the truth- gah!!"

"You fucking idiot, are you this gullible!?" Higura just elbowed the aerobat in the stomach. "Shit like this will lead you to get stabbed in the back!!"

"T-There's no way it can end like that, Hirarin...."

"What did you just call me, fucker!?"

"..... What with those two, so noisy..."

"They're already like that when we first got here...."

Hisao and I commented on the roughhousing those two decided to start once again with the cosmetologist trying to stop them, unsuccessfully. There's a pretty divisive showcase of emotions after hearing what Monomyou has in store for us. Homare, Hibiki, Renma and Hinako don't seem equally bothered by it, still keeping their usual calm demeanour while Amane, Taiga, Nao and Machi showed some doubts.

Shoma, on the other hand, slowly made its way to the feline host, "Mono... nyau? A critter here has a question....."

"Oh? What is it? What is it?" Monomyou eagerly asked. "It's this host's job to entertain their guests' questions as well!"

"What if we refused?"

Huh?

"What if we refused to participate in this 'experience'?" Shoma asked once more. "This critter doesn't like to be bothered so... this critter would like to be excluded...."

It's... unexpected. An unexpected question coming from an unexpected person. The marine biologist seems like that type to go with the flow and it's obvious that the host even thought the same thing with how stunned they sounded in their next line.

"Huh...? Refusal to participate....? That's......" The feline slowly lowers its head, staring at the stage floor beneath them with the biologist perfectly at its eye level. And then, it declared;

"You don't get to have a choice in that....."

PSHHHH!!

"Ah...." Shoma's eyes widened, and his hands previously clasped together were quickly brought to his face. Removing one from his face, a scarlet red fluid painted his fingertips, "Oh....."

"Shoma-!"

"Little miss, watch out...!"

The conman quickly grabbed onto my hood and pulled me to the side as something just quickly flew past where I was standing, leaving a mark on the floor.

A hole.

A.... bullet hole?

'What the, there's no way...' The denial came and go almost instantaneously, no matter how hard I convinced myself, the obvious signs were physically there;

"This asshole won't let us leave...." I muttered under my breath. There's no easy way out, the host refused it. It's doing everything it could to keep us here.

With just those two warning shots, Monomyou disappeared into the trap door below, leaving their last impression with a warning;

"You don't get to have a choice in that....."

We made no effort to try and catch them, frozen stiff from when the bullets first fired. Freezing, cold, the atmosphere's too cold, standing still and not even a hush or whimper escaped from our mouth. Those warning shots serve as enough reminder to us; 'play by our rules or you will regret it.'

"I guess... there's no escaping from this reality, little miss...."

".... I guess not...."

True to his words, the conman didn't lie.

Chapter Text

The feeling of suffocation has always haunted me to no end.

But, after that moment, it got unbearably worst...

—

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!

"Morning announcement time! Rise and shine, furballs! It's a new day in a new place! As your host, I will spare every single one of you from joke skits today since I don't have one now! Have your very myou-est of the day!"

Right, we went back to our rooms.

Last night, it was like a fleeting dream, nobody had anything to say to each other. We were too stunned by what transpired right in front of us, quiet and without a single glance; we retired without thinking of escaping, like what that cat said.

'No doubt everyone's trying to make what of that warning...' I kicked off the sheets after hearing the PA system shut off. My messy and tired appearance reflected in the mirror, '... Best to be prepared with whatever will happen today...'

...

.......

....

After preparing and bracing myself up for today, I opened the door and was immediately greeted by the familiar sight of a shell plush, "Oh... Shoma..."

"Oh.....? Critter sounds upset....?" The biologist crooks his neck in wonder. "Does critter not have enough sleep?"

"... Yeah, but it will get better, don't worry...." it's a new place, after all, it's not easy to just sleep in. "Shoma, what about your...?"

"It's not a problem as well!" he cheered while slightly scratching the bandaged cheek from where the bullets grazed. "The ghost critter helped with aiding this critter! Ah, ghost critter also asked this critter to pick you up for treatment!"

"Tre-Treatment....?" I wasn't hurt at all, Shoma's the only casualty here. "I'm perfectly fine-"

"Not just ghost critter!! Everyone requested treatment for pink critter!!"

".... Did you mean breakfast...?" Shoma nodded, and I looked at my ElectroID; almost eight in the morning. Crap, I slept in really late and kept them waiting.

I locked the door behind me, keeping in mind that the only way to access our rooms is our ElectroID and not anyone else's. It's the most secure way, "That reminds me, did you lock your room, Shoma?"

"I did, I did...." he replied ever so slowly. "The penguin critter helped this critter since ghost critter's too tired... though penguin critter keeps scolding for bothering them...."

'The composer...?' So he's not that self-absorbed, or just too annoyed to not care. I smiled while shoving the device into my jacket, " Shall we get going?"

The biologist skipped his way to the elevator, passing by all the other rooms on the floor as I observed each of the nameplates, 'His room is only two doors down..... and that conman is right at the back.....'

With the chime of the elevator as its doors shut, it's the start of an unusual daily life......

Right when we stepped out of the elevator, we can already hear an argument brewing up in the dining hall. Shoma almost instinctively hid behind out of shock as I proceed forward. As I suspected once I entered the dining hall, it was one of the noisiest people who started the quarrel.

"What the hell do you mean we should just follow whatever the shitty cat said!?" the designer slammed his hand on the table. "Aren't you thinking about our shitty situation here?!"

"Like I've said before..." Homare stood her ground while glaring at him. "There's no reason for a stakeout or any sort of sneaking around.... you've witnessed what happened yesterday, one false step and we'll be taken care of for good...."

"To be honest... she's right, we wouldn't have that many chances to escape...." the marksman, Taiga, added. "This place's heavily guarded and I'm pretty sure you will get what I mean once... you guys leave this hotel...."

"Whoever designed this place, I got a feeling they used a layout of a prison instead of a hotel in its initial design stage...." Hiroshi, the abseiler, continued. "Those high walls with barbed fences isn't something to scoff at, electrocution is a very likely thing, there's a risk of getting barbecued there...."

"Communication has been cut off as well...." the defensive points keep on piling onto each other with Saku, the aerobat, joining in. "The landline isn't connected at all...."

With Higura struggling to think of another argument, Shoma and I quietly made our way to the other side of the table where Renma quickly spotted us, "Good morning, Hoshino. Apologize if this is somewhat rude but did you sleep well?"

"Well, not really...." I laughed it off, no matter what or where I will always have sleeping troubles. "I'm surprised everyone had the energy to inspect the place...."

"It was a spur of the moment, but others may call it a desperate attempt...." Renma sighed. "I haven't made any peace with the spirits residing here, the atmosphere's too disoriented. I've been conjuring a few protective charms that could lessen the negative energy in the surroundings; would you like one for your room, Hoshino?"

"No thanks, but I appreciate it....." I would end up forgetting about it and I would feel terrible if I accidentally threw it away.

The medium later filled us in with a new set-up that the group came up with; each morning, a pair will prepare breakfast according to Homare's list that she made last night. It's supposed to encourage us to have some sort of routine until we figure this.... whatever this predicament is, out. Plus, it's best to have a meal before doing something draining.

"Relax, buddy, you're making too much of a fuss here!"

"How dare you!" there's another argument that's been stirred up between the composer and conman. Amane hasn't been in his best mood since yesterday, "I won't accept this slander you've made towards the siren. Repent for your sins-!"

"Amane, it's fine, this is the last time I will tell you this...." Hibiki sternly remarked as the composer reluctantly retreated to his seat.

The conman's clearly enjoying the restraint being placed against him as he started to spout more childish taunts that just put the composer on edge.

"Honestly, that person has no shame at all...." Renma shook his head. "If we let him do whatever he likes, who knows what he had in mind for that cat creature..."

'Does he....'

I don't doubt his abilities at all but from what I observed from his reactions yesterday, even the conman was shocked by everything being presented. And when we went back to our room, he has that troubled look on his face. It may just be due to his stealthy plans being disrupted but a person whose confidence is the key wouldn't show his weakness too carelessly.

I watched the two continuously throwing jabs at each other as I finished my breakfast in silence. From what I can pick up from the other ongoing conversation is that Homare agreed to Higura's second-time inspection of the hotel if it's to shut his mouth for the entire day.

'At least someone else had gotten to the point of their dispute...' I'm really worried about the state of this group from this moment onwards.

Before everyone completely left the dining hall, Homare & Higura seemed to get into another separate argument as I stopped at my track, letting Shoma to got ahead first.

Those two never stopped at anything to prove themselves right, huh?

"Give it up, Mochizuki...." Homare began to sound tired, judging by her expression as well. "All your options and plans will put everyone in danger. In fact, shouldn't we pry for more information so that we can figure out who the culprit is first?"

"Oh, don't play detective like you got everything under control, Takara...." the designer rolled his eyes back. "This isn't some shitty game where you got time to mess around! We would be dropped dead by the next second if those fuckers feel like it!"

Both arguments do have a point but it doesn't look like they're going anywhere with the way they're constantly on each other's nerves, so I decided to become nosy for a bit, "Hey, you two?"

"Ah, Hoshino...."

"Speaking of detectives...." Higura clicked his tongue. "Where was your help when shit hits the fan? I thought you're 'always on the case'?"

"Not my speciality...." I clarified, "I'm only good at tracking people down so unless we know about the identity behind this... cat.... then basically, I have nothing to go with..."

"Fucking great, really love it when you're surrounded by incompetent people..."

"I will deal with you later...." Homare switched her attention to me, "... Forgive me for being too distracted with.... this person here..."

"Oi..."

"But I decided to investigate the kitchen and dining room while keeping an eye on him if you're wondering..." Wow, she caught on, I was about to ask if she's following the rest of us behind. Guess the designer's too stubborn to follow her plan once he loses. "But from my earlier inspection, there's nothing suspicious as of note....."

"I see..." I took a mental note of every little detail from now on. "What about access to the kitchen? How did you get in?"

"That... host gave it to me..." She answered immediately. "There's only a single key and it's up to us how we handle the kitchen roster. So earlier, I proposed that we have a duo to look after the area daily with one of them being the key holder..."

Ah, so that's where the responsibility of preparing breakfast for the rest came from, as expected of Takara's competence trait.

"You make it sound like we're going to be here for a very long time...." Higura added in. "There's no way in hell anyone here wants to stay still and fuck around without knowing why we're in this place..."

"Please understand that we must adapt before doing something drastic..."

"Adaptation takes a long ass time and with enough pressure, we can easily lose our fucking mind here...." the designer argued. "Someone's bound to do something stupid so unless that idiot drags all of us down with them, best we make a move ahead of that furfuck..."

And there's Mochizuki- I mean, Tsuki's leadership trait. Stubborn but won't linger for too long if there's a window of opportunity open for them to take.

'But I wonder....' I can't help but... worry for this person. 'I wonder if he takes after them besides their family name...?'

I got the chance of witnessing both families' opposing traits and it would be a big advantage if they learned to work together.

I guess.... family feud has a tight grip on the next-generation one way or another.

"I will have to leave you two here to continue your investigation..." I decided to excuse myself. "Sorry for taking most of your time, Homare... Higura...."

"Oh..." Homare's eyes shot wide when I used her name. "Don't be... I'm just doing whatever's best for now..."

"Well, ain't that embarrassing if that's your limit here...."

"... You may leave, Sumire...."

And just like that, they went back into their thousandth argument of the day. They may have just met but their long-lasting grudge towards each other is honestly astonishing, 'Can't do much here... I will just get eaten alive...'

I decided to leave behind the noisy dining room for the host to handle if they could.

"Hey there, Sumi!!"

I stopped in my tracks, "W-What?"

In the foyer of the hotel, Nao, Machi & Kiharu decided to do their group investigation here. Or maybe... just Nao & Machi, Kiharu just relaxing at the lounging area instead.

"Yeah, I'm calling you out!!" Kiharu clarified. "There's only one person here who's named 'Sumi', right? I would freak out if you have a doppelganger!"

'... Geez, she would be surprised....' I kept that remark inside and approached the three. "What about you three? Got anything?"

"One thing for sure is that I have never even heard of this hotel's existence, especially from a huge catalogue of any well-established tourist attractions..." Machi, the librarian, explained. "I would know, I usually kill time from reading whatever I had in hand...."

"A-And..." Nao appeared from the librarian's back. "T-There's no existing record of it... back at the library... t-there was an archive that Macchan and I went through... w-we found nothing about this place..."

There's no way this place happens to be new, it inherited one of the Ultimate Academy's names. Surely it must have taken the media's attention at one point.

"How about the rest?"

"The conman and musician are down in the cellar...." the librarian sighed. "For a good but disastrous reason, the conman's there to make sure they do their job....."

"A ticking time bomb, for sure!" Kiharu added. "Taiga, Hiroshi and Renma went out by the bar area, they said Tai discovered something odd earlier!"

"T-The rest... said they went to the pool or... something.....?" Nao exclaimed quietly. "I-I think that's everyone so far.....?"

I didn't see Shoma here so he must have gone to the pool area as well, as expected of him, "I will check on the cellar trio first while I'm here...."

I just hope I have enough energy to deal with them.

'There they go....'

The elevator opened and I'm already greeted by another set of quarrels. I decided to ignore the duo and went to the opera singer's side, "Anything that you guys found?"

"Ah, how I wish I can ignore them like that...." Hibiki sighed, pointing out my action earlier. "From what the conman can deduce, it looks like a wine cellar storage..."

So my previous statement was right, the bar was originally from one of the floors. I wonder what causes its relocation? "What about those doors over there?"

I pointed out the two other metal bolted doors that don't seem like it has been opened for a long time. "Sealed shut. Won't budge or anything. I guess that maybe they're sewer systems that the host needed to cut off...."

For the host to claim that they're still under preparations, he has all the access to the outside world to take care of in advance. With precise planning, it has to be a group working behind this... tourist trap trip, I guess?

"I'm delighted to see little miss actually on her feet for this!" the conman seemed to finally wrap up his earlier conversation with Amane. "It would be troubling if our most resourceful person gets sidetracked by mundane things!"

"And what about you?" I asked.

"... Getting sidetracked, unfortunately...." he sighed, "... Please, I also want to be useful unlike to lots we're forced to grouped with...."

'And there it is...'

I covered my ears once more, once the composer got heated over by his phrasings. It's a pattern there, the conman obviously riling them up by sprinkling in a few jabs here and there.

Not sure if it's for motivational purposes or if he just wants to mess with them.

But seeing he got them under control (?), I decided to head on to another place of interest.

"What the..!? What are those things...!?"

I honestly thought I was hallucinating once I heard something heavy and metallic stomping around outside the hotel but I wasn't. On the grassy patches of the place, automaton soldiers are roaming around, armed to the boots.

"Yo, Sumi!" Hiroshi called me over to their group. "Must be pretty shocking to see, huh?"

"Y-Yeah, these things weren't here yesterday..." we should have heard them being moved around here last night.

"Whoever's running this place... is no ordinary citizen..." Taiga sat up, exclaiming. "These soldiers are highly confidential military weapons, enemies can easily underestimate and take them too lightly. But once you're in their line of sight, it's an instant game over for you...."

"Interesting that we are under surveillance by these automaton soldiers..." Renma hummed. "I wonder why such drastic measures? Is there something we had that Monomyou needed so badly?"

"It's to keep us in, obviously!!" the abseiler reamed. "We hardly took that thing seriously in that catty getup so this is like, their back-up plan!!"

"But who is the most important question here...." the marksman's highly attentive about the solider's presence here. "These things shouldn't be out and bout... nor should their existence should be known..."

His military background's really showing there, Taiga looks very serious while observing those things. Almost scaringly so. It's only been two days and seeing this side of his is unsettling.

"I... will look for the rest..." there should be three people left, and I haven't met up with Shoma yet and there could only be one location he's heading towards. "Just be careful, okay? We don't want any repetition of yesterday's... incident..."

"Ah... that...." Renma's words wandered off a bit before returning a smile. "You shouldn't worry too much, I doubt the host would make a similar move if he wants all of us a... active..."

Alive.

You can tell he almost let it slip there, preventing himself from making a grim remark, "Still, be on your toes, everyone...."

"Ah, that reminds me..." the medium stopped me from leaving. "If you're heading towards the swimming pool area, then you find others there. But... I doubt Shoma would be there...."

"Well... he hates crowd...." and there are two people in their group who are the loudest there.

"He might already sneak off by now..." Renma laughed it off. "But earlier, he invited me to an afternoon sunbathing by the hotel... if you like to, you're welcome to join us..."

"Is this really the time to do that...." Hiroshi commented by his side. "Also, you got a lot of nerves to invite a girl to your group!"

"Why's that?" Renma genuinely asked, along with Taiga curiously eavesdropping.

"Distance! There's should be plenty of distance for people you've just met, I mean!!" Hiroshi suddenly became flustered with his words.

'... Better scram before he gets all too embarrassed again...' saving him at least a bit of dignity, I left them alone to their own devices.

At least there's one less person to witness the abseiler's embarrassment.

"Yahooo! Hey there, Sumi!"

'Did my nickname get spread around that quickly?' The last group seems to be enjoying themselves for the quick deep in the swimming pool. At least the cosmetologist is on one of the floaties while the animal behaviourist soaked their legs.

"A pleasure to see you around, young rabbit..." Hinako greeted me first. "If you're here to check our progress, we have nothing to report..."

"Just a normal recreational swimming pool area..." Saku concluded. "Haha, which means we kinda went all the way here for nothing..."

"Which is why!! This is the perfect opportunity for relaxation!!" Mitsuru exclaimed as she continue to float around. "You should join me as well, Sumi!! You probably need it much more than we do!"

'Why- Oh...' I forgot, the injury on my cheek, "I'm fine, have you guys seen Sho-"

"The little biologist left rather early..." the behaviourist replied in an instant. "We didn't notice when he did, however..."

"Immediately gone once Mitsuru got into the pool..." Saku laughed. "Guess he didn't want to share the pool with others..."

'Just as Renma said..'

But it still worries me that he's going off alone, even if we already have people surveilling those soldiers back there. Still, I should trust his free will of getting out of trouble, for now, there's no way he would do something risky, especially after... yesterday. I unconsciously touched my cheek again from where the bullet grazed.

"Sumi?"

"Huh- What?"

I snapped out when the aerobat called out to me. He gave me a blank stare before continuing, "Homare told us to meet up at the dining hall by noon. It's almost time, isn't it?"

"Wait, how do you know...?" Saku showed me his ElectroID, where there's a timer clearly displayed on its screen. I went to check on mine immediately, "Huh... it is..."

"It appears we have to return empty-handed..." Hinako concluded. "Although, at least one of us had their fun..."

....

"She's strangely quiet..." Saku added.

"Strangely...?" I peeked behind Hinako and almost choked on my spit. "Mitsuru fell off!?"

"Wha- How!?" Saku panicked and immediately went in to save the cosmetologist from drowning. "How the hell did she manage to fall off that thing?!"

"Perhaps her relaxation put our mind at ease that we're safe and we took our eyes off of her carelessly..." Hinako giggles as she made her way toward the duo. "In the meantime, Sumi, it's best for you to check your ElectroID since you're not aware of most of its functions..."

Doing as the behaviourist told me to, the ElectroID contains most technicalities we know such as the time and weather but strangely not a date. So the kidnappers purposely left that out to leave us in the dark.

'The rules here... so most places are closed during nighttime but you can still wander around as long as you're not trying to get in them...' I listed out the rules being displayed on it. 'The bedrooms can only be opened by the occupant's ElectroID....'

"Ahhhh! I lived!!" The cosmetologist's immediate resurgence grabbed my attention. "G-Geez...! For sure I thought I was a goner!!"

"Be careful next time..." I sighed, shaking my head. "You're lucky that we noticed something's off..."

"Sorry!! I got too relaxed that I dozed off!!" Mitsuru exclaimed. "Gosh, it would be embarrassing that my last peaceful sleep is just a slipped-off from a floatie!!"

".... Well, that's one way to look at it..." I'm amazed how there are a few people here who can still be cheerful.

After making sure that the cosmetologist is fine with standing on her own, we made our way back to the hotel, expecting some developments from others during the search.

'I wonder... can I leave now?'

I keep eyeing the clock remembering Renma's promise from earlier. It's lunchtime now and a few of the residents just came back from their inspection, currently discussing the place's layout. They've just reached the part about the automaton soldiers and ways to avoid them completely.

Amazing how much group we've covered in just a few hours, but then again, there's nothing much we can go with figuring out our whereabouts.

As they were busy with the discussions, I decided to excuse myself but Mitsuru caught me leaving, "What's up, Sumi? Where ya' going?"

"I made a promise with Renma and Shoma to check out the pool beside the hotel..." I reassured them. "It's nearby, no worries..."

"Gasp!" Did she really audibly say that? "Such a brave action!! Why even I would not be so daring to let down my defences just like that!!"

"I have utmost faith for those two to be passive..." Homare backed me up. "You are dismissed, Sumi. Oh, I also like to ask if you can take note of their whereabouts before and afterwards when you're done..."

"Got it..." I bid farewell to the group.

"Shoma? I'm he-!? What the!?"

The familiar sight of the floating shell plush enter my sight as I rushed out of the reception area. It's the same pool I first found the biologist but this time, he's a lot more conscious, "Hey, Shoma!?"

"Sumi... you made it..." the biologist smiled, lazily floating around on the pool while the medium only soaked his legs. "The temperature's nice... critters should relax a bit..."

It looks like he's enjoying himself even though he's still in his blue jacket, I can't imagine being happy afterwards, being heavily drenched.

"Shoma thinks it's a lovely way to get your mind off a stressful situation...." commented Renma. "After all, both of you did experience rather... a rough treatment yesterday..."

'Stressful... guess he also wants to get rid of it...'

"Yeah, um, just give me a sec'..." I said as I took off my shoes and rolled up my pants. Slowly, I submerged my legs into the welcoming water as the calming sensation washes over me immediately, sighing in relief, "... It's too surreal... I still don't know what to make out of our predicament here..."

The medium let out a carefree laugh, "It's easy to get lost in times like this, like a wandering spirit. But we mustn't be easily swayed by the host's words, there's still a chance that it's their only and last warning..."

"A clear, strong mind can easily endure through the toughest of challenges..." Shoma continued. ".... Sumi-critter has the same distress face from yesterday and it upsets this critter a lot.... critters' friends shouldn't be unhappy..."

'These two can be honest...' Usually, people won't think about feeling down or not when they're trapped under unknown circumstances, it would be the least of their worries. I guess the desperate thought of wanting to escape will put a strain on anyone if they're not aware of it, 'Putting too many thoughts on it isn't wrong... but it wouldn't do well for yourself... maybe I should rethink it...'

Seeing Shoma and Renma being able to find their inner peace did make me feel envious, I wish I can stop my mind from continuously combusting with speculations for a second.

"By the way, Sumi..." Renma smiled. "Shoma's planning a slumber party in his room, maybe in a group of four so if you would like to, you can join us or invite someone else?"

"But... it that allowed-!?"

"That request was accepted!!!"

Out of nowhere, Monomyou jumps out of the swimming in a full diving suit, backflips and lands on Shoma's stomach, who didn't flinch or be bothered to look up. I almost grabbed Renma's shoulder back as if a shark was going to attack us instead.

"Ahem, as I was saying!" Monomyou removed its oxygen gear first. "Normally, I wouldn't bat an eye if you switched rooms or grouped up but if it makes you feel super-duper safe, the request for a slumber part is officially recorded, recognised and accepted! I do appreciate that you took the time to have fun while I'm still busy with the preparation! This host wishes thee to have a fun time and do ring for room service if you need any necessities!! Toodles!"

The feline jumped into the pool again and in an instant, we saw its silhouette disappear into nothingness. The three of us were quiet until Shoma spoke up, "The host has such a noisy attitude..."

"They... sure do..." Still looking into the pool, Renma and I wonder how long the host was waiting down there.

"You're having a time of your life there, little miss!"

'... It's him...' I stopped in my tracks. Renma and Shoma already went to their rooms while they leave me to meditate. I was about to do the same until I got stopped by the conman, "What do you want?"

"Easy with the attitude..." Hisao held up his hand as if he were taming a ferocious animal. "Geez, I wonder who said it at first that I can talk to you if I had anything in mind! I will be sad if that turns out to be a lie since you've been hanging out with a lot of people besides me! I can be a good company too, you know!"

"I doubt that..." people can trail off a lot on purpose if they're to get something out of others. "Do you want to hang out or you're just trying to steal something?"

"Steal? Why I would never!" he said in a mocking tone. "I don't care about my side hustle for now since I will get easily caught anyways. Instead, I wanna play a little card game! My skills are getting rusty and I've been wanting to find someone else to play with!"

So... just a card game? I could see him being a risk-taker, "Sorry but you're asking the wrong person... I have no idea about the rules..."

"I know!" Hisao waved the statement away. "I can teach you, no big deal! No tricks or anything, we can have it at the bar! There's that pool table if you're bored of it!"

"... I really don't have a choice here, do I?" Even though it's a harmless request, he wouldn't take 'no' as an answer, "Fine... show me the way..."

Reluctantly, I followed the conman from behind, ensuring that nobody else heard our conversation or followed us on our way to the bar area.

"Everyone! We're here at last!"

"What the...? You guys?"

To my surprise, Amane, Hinako and Taiga are also present, chatting over some drinks. It's a relief to know that they're the safe ones upon closer inspection.

"So you managed to capture Ms Investigator... I'm impressed...." the composer scoffed. "Well, it's a relief to know she will be cooperating with us..."

"... What's the meaning of this, Hisao?" I turned to face the scheming conman. "What are you planning here?"

"Okay, so first thing first... I didn't lie about the pool but.... um..." Hisao pointed at the broken pool table beside him with a confused look. "I... seriously don't know how this happened...."

"That's on me! Sorry!!" Taiga confessed. "Hiroshi and I did some rounds this afternoon and we went overboard!!

How much strength does these two hold? "I... see... well, let's hope Monomyou didn't see this..."

"'Aight! Now that we have that mystery solved, onto the more important bit!!" the conman clapped his hands. "We actually needed you here for a discussion!"

"To discuss what...?" I watched how easily he slide down the seat next to the marksman as he swung his arm over his shoulder.

".... About escaping, of course..." Hinako answered in his stead. "You see, it seems that the sweet little cat gave us little to no information about our whereabouts and Hisao suspect it's because they're planning to use that against us to gain... something..."

"And so he decided that it will be better if at least a group of people can search through the cracks of their planning here for possible clues..." Amane continued. "It's for the best if we can catch them off-guard when they least expected..."

Really? Does the conman really think that up? I didn't expect him to be the first to suggest this, especially after he spouted something about working alone. What on earth made him change his mind?

Feeling like something was looming right behind me, I quickly turned around to see if someone or Monomyou overheard us... but I never expected to see- "Nao!?"

"Eek!" The smaller girl almost fell back but I caught her on time. "S-Sorry for scaring you!! A-And I'm sorry for being late...! Macchan needed my help earlier so I stayed back!!"

"So you're at the library for the whole day..." I exclaimed. However, her words almost distracted me from her presence here, "Wait, Nao, you're part of this too!?"

"I-I wanna help as well!!" the ghostwriter defended herself. "T-They didn't invite me but I w-want to be useful!!"

But, my words were soon swallowed down once I saw those tears start to take form again. I shut my mouth and grabbed a handkerchief from my pocket, giving it to her as I asked, "Alright, I won't ask anything about it but... are you sure you're alright with putting yourself in danger...?"

"If she wasn't then she wouldn't show up and just run away..." Amane cuts in. "While I highly questioned the writer's abilities, I won't doubt her perseverance in trying her best to work along with some... difficult people..."

"H-He's not wrong at all! I'm happy to be of any use at all!!" Nao sniffled. "A-And there's no bad blood between us at all so..."

"Well, if you did run away, then I won't forgive you and label you as a traitor..." Hisao chimed in after observing us from afar. "Anyways, we need to look out for tomorrow as well!! I predict that the feline host we drop something big for us just to grind our gears even more!"

"Like a motive?"

"Right!" Hisao grinned at me. "That thing knows we're not gonna act unless there's something worth to act aggressively so maybe... give them a little push perhaps..."

"A classic conditioning..." Hinako wondered. "The cute cat would eventually give us a clue down the lane but there may be a price for it..."

"As if we're gonna fell for it!!" Taiga yelled energetically. "Whatever it wants for us, they're not getting it easily!! We will expose them and blow up their kidnapping plan in little smithereens!!"

Seeing everyone's determined to escape, this kind of enthusiasm... is refreshing to see. While going pacifist isn't bad, how long would that last? No matter how long we're willing to wait for a safer route, it won't last until someone might...

"I'm all for it but...." everyone turned to face me, surprised excluding the conman as if he's already expecting a catch here. "... If anyone went out of the line... I won't immediately help... I can only help everyone in finding any hints that the kidnappers might have overlooked...."

"That wouldn't be a problem at all!" Hinako exclaimed, eyes twinkling in excitement. "This would be easy as throwing a fake bone to fool a mutt!"

Did...? Hinako say something rather scary for a moment there?

"You got guts for giving us restrictions there when I also have some setbacks concerning you..." Hisao smirked, and stood up as he approaches me. "With your position in mind, it would get really messy when others keep meddling in! Your hand being tied all the time will only lead to little progress being made. So to you, little miss, I would like to ask you...."

Right in front of me, staring down, he asked;

"Can I actually trust you with their lives on the line instead?"

Hisao held out his hand, waiting for mine in return, "Just because you have the talent... doesn't mean we're entirely safe, right?"

There was a moment of silence between us... before I took his hand and shook, feeling confident with my final decision.

By nighttime, everyone went back to their respective rooms but Hisao's question still lingers in the back of my mind.

He entrusted me with their lives as if he have second thoughts about wanting me to be included.

'I'm sure... it was their idea but he didn't seem so sure about it...' I justified myself. 'Not when I acted too friendly towards him when we first met, perhaps I raised my suspicion bar a bit higher there....'

Still, his words don't make sense, 'He trusts me with theirs? Why did he single himself out? What is he planning?'

But for once and ironically, with things going at least somewhere, I slept soundly that night.

Chapter Text

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!

"Good morning, ladies and gents! This is your daily morning announcement! Time to be up and at 'em! Now that's an interesting analogy there, ain't it? I wonder why 'at 'em' so vague? Are we all supposed to be so fired up early in the morning? Who knows! Anyways, have your myou-est of the day!"

The PA system turned off by itself, and silence soon followed afterwards.

'For once, I'm up earlier...' by some miracle, I woke up early, feeling well-rested than yesterday. Perhaps I can do my part of the investigation better today? Who knows, that was the only thing I had in mind before leaving the room, meeting with another different face.

"Oh, Sumi! You're up!" The colourful Mitsuru greeted. "Ah, today too you look stunning! Glad to see you're taking care of yourself pretty well!"

"T-Thanks for the compliment...." I politely greeted her back. "So... what's the plan for today?"

"Oh, that... we don't know yet..." the cosmetologist pondered as we make our way to the elevator. "It seems we combed the area as much as we can but still, we got nothing... do you think Monomyou would eventually drop something major?"

"I doubt that..." thinking about yesterday's talking if what the conman said is true... "There's little to no chance of that happening in this kidnapping game of theirs-"

"Hey! Stop the elevator!!!!"

Before Mitsuru could even press any button, a figure suddenly lunged forward and pried open the closing elevator doors with all their strength. She shrieked loudly as I tried to pull the person into the shaft with us. It was the abseiler, "What the hell were you thinking, Hiroshi!?"

"Sorry, sorry!!" He doesn't look like he's sorry at all! "I panicked and went in last minute!! B-But at least I managed to stop it by brute force...!"

"C-Can't you do a better demonstration of it without scaring the crap out of us...?" Mitsuru suddenly swayed and leaned against me. "O-Oh no... feeling faint... losing strength.....God, please give me strength...."

"H-Hey, this is the time to see God now..." thinking that she might be playing a skit, Mitsuru's silence gets eerily prolonged. "Wait, again!?"

"Hehehe... see you guys on the other side... a beautiful paradise waiting for me..."

"Hey, hey, hey!? Snapped out of it!" Hiroshi quickly smacked her cheeks repeatedly to wake her up. "T-There's no way I'm gonna be that cause of this!?"

"You better take this seriously or else!!" I scolded him, trying to escape his responsibility.

We managed to bring the cosmetologist back onto the land of the living (unfortunately, still in an unknown situation), and we arrived at the dining hall with a dishevelled appearance. There are a few people already present and one of them, Kiharu, popped up with the question first, "Hey, we heard a scream earlier? What happened?"

"I spook the girls a bit and... um, well..." Hiroshi sheepishly answered. "Mitsuru's almost... a goner there...."

"I can't believe my spirit just up and yanked away just like that...."

"Cut that spiritual shit out, we had it with one of them around..." Higura called out, gaining a side-eye glance from the medium nearby. "Also, keep your damn mouth at night, it's fucking bad enough to hear you across the hallway rambling about your nasty fantasies!!"

"Eek!? You heard me!?" Mitsuru slides down to her knees as she hides her face in her hand from embarrassment. "Ahhhh, I'm embarrassed!! Now I have to find another place to confess...!!"

"It doesn't sound like you're hiding them, you kin-!" Higura's head was resting on his right palm so Saku took the liberty to pull his arm as his head slammed down onto the table. "You motherfucker! You're trying to pick a fight with me!?"

"If it makes you stop running those foul words, then I will accept it no matter what!!" Saku exclaimed. "People like Mitsuru are still human beings with feelings too! Geez, you never learn to cut back, huh?"

"Fuck off! As if you're any better than me!"

With the chaos just slowly unfolding with Hinako and Machi struggling to keep them apart, Homare seem to realize that she got her part being filled in so she decided to back down for now.

"Nothing can ever go peacefully..." Hibiki sighed as she sips her tea. "Have you discovered something new lately, Ms Hoshino...?"

"Nothing yet..." I was taken back by the last name basis. "What about you? Got any idea... Ms...?"

"Hibiki..." She refused to look me in the eyes throughout the conversation, similar to yesterday. We never mentioned each other by name before either. "We can guess all we want... but our fate seemed to be sealed and trapped here... so whatever that cat's planning... better to make it quick rather than to keep us waiting...."

The opera singer sounds cold, completely disinterested in the reality she's in. Like whatever situation she's in, she doesn't believe that she has any power to change it and just leaves it be.

Not wanting to press even further, I finished my breakfast, being prepared by Higura, the sandwiches are surprisingly good.

However, just when peace and silence finally set in, the PA system turned back on;

"Oh ho ho ho!! It seems the preparation for the luxury package that I promised is ready to be shown off!! How exciting!! This means, my dearest guests, it's time for everyone to gather around in the auditorium this evening for the special surprise!! So don't be late, ya' bastards! Nyahahaha!"

And it turned off once more.

"Shit... that doesn't sound good...." Higura clicked his tongue. "This means.... our free time's up..."

The conman from the sidelines hummed before turning his head to the fencer, "What should we do now, Takara? It doesn't look like we can excuse ourselves..."

The fencer's in a tight pinch, staying quiet as everyone's gaze focused on her. Even the graphic designer anticipates her reply, expecting a reliable answer.

"I... we will regroup during evening time...." Homare decided. "All we got are dead ends... we don't have other choices...."

".... Roger that.." Hisao leaned back onto the wall behind him.

"Tsk, way to fucking backed us up into the corner..." Higura turned his attention away.

With the tension from before filling the room once again, everyone went on with their morning routine without so much a word about the announcement. And, well, what else can they say? We're all in the dark about this mysterious luxury experience that our host keeps boasting about.

But perhaps no one wants to add anything in fear of the host coming back with a second warning shot...

'... We'll just see how this will turn out later...' I'm almost finished with my meal. '... Will take a while for the conman to brew something up...'

Maybe I should spend my time somewhere else?

The gentle aura of the Ultimate Animal Behaviorist, Hanabusa Hinako, has been nothing but a godsend when I first got here. It will take a while before I get along with everyone else but I would like to know more about the behaviourist herself; after all, topics about animals are easy to gush about!

Thanks to a tip I got from Machi, I found her at the library, hard to miss her green hair among the endless brown(s) layout of the place, "Hinako?"

"Oh my, Sumi! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Was wondering if you're free right... and wouldn't mind a small talk or... anything?"

Surprise, surprise, she's been reading an animal biology book as the rest books are stacked beside her, towering over my height. Quite a studious one, is she?

"Don't mind me, just recapping some materials..." Hinako smiled. "How nostalgic... I never knew such a place was hiding such unique knowledge related to my field of expertise..."

While her speciality is studying animal behaviours, there are still a lot more scientific areas she must go through. Things like veterinary surgery and such. Animal science has always been something I've been fascinated with and I would like to hear more from the semi-expert herself, "Hinako, if you don't mind asking, what would you consider the harder part of your talent? Surely you've experienced a few ups and downs when dealing with pets and their owners...?"

"It varies but if I have to be specific..." Hinako still retained her cheerful demeanour. "It's the human owners themselves...."

"Huh!?" Why did she word that so eerily!?

"Forgive me but it's not all fun when it comes to first-hand observations..." Hinako sighed, placing her hand against her cheek. "It became more troublesome when it comes to cooperating with other people. Diagnosing a problem is easier said than done if you have reliable input from the owners themselves but alas, not everyone can be honest with their actions... it's tiresome work, truly...."

"O-Oh, I see..." So it's about dealing with pet owners' stubbornness, right, got it! "That has to be difficult... especially when it comes to separating two different ways of living..."

"I'm happy that you understand my frustration..." Why do I get this feeling that if I don't, something terrible will happen? "All creatures are unique, even more than most individuals I have ever met..."

"...? I guess...?" I get but again, her wording?

"Ah, I didn't mean to exclude who has internal issues when it comes to taking care of a pet..." Hinako clarified, might be referring to animal-related phobias or allergies. "Just that... it's too often I've met with people with standoffish attitudes towards animals... might as well look after ornamental statues if they have no desire for hard work..."

That last sentence threw me off so much that I hardly believed it as some frightening joke. But judging how genuine her smile is, it clearly should be taken as one from an outsider's perspective.

Hinako has a strong attachment to animals more than minding other people's presence, which... isn't uncommon but certainly to not an extreme degree.

"It... sure would be a good substitute..." I awkwardly laughed it off, throwing in a reply to that last sentence she said. The behaviourist must have caught onto my uneasiness since she was staring at me weirdly.

"Oh dear... did my words trouble you...?" she asked. "I'm sorry... I get easily carried when thinking about those things..."

It's best not to irritate her too much in the near future, "No problem! I understand your passionate feelings... I have those similar days of frustration!"

Which usually doesn't include the expression of damning the entire humankind,  surely not .

"But some things are best kept to yourself..." I explained. "I don't want it to look like I'm taking it out on others so.... be careful with yours... you might accidentally set off an explosive chain reaction if you did so carelessly...."

"Oh? So our little rabbit can be secretive..." Hinako hummed. "Probably a desirable trait as an investigator..."

"It helps a lot..." if anything, it just numbs you out to even try and prevent a disaster when continuously dealing with danger. "But we're still human so it's sometimes unfair to say that we're being heartless and cold on others..."

"Yet your endurance with it can amaze almost anyone..." Hinako chuckles. "Similar to our beloved fencer, you handle everything in a calm and orderly manner, even with other meddlesome people being thrown into the mix. A hard-earned effort like that should be nicely rewarded in return so here's your high praises..."

As I proceed to do nothing, Hinako decided to pat and stroke my head as I shift around a bit. She's... actually rewarding me like a proud owner of their well-trained dogs.

I'm sure she didn't notice it herself but pointing it out right now... might not be wise.

'Guess... this is the start of closing the distance between us....' I decided to stay quiet. I really hope Hinako would learn and treat others more kindly in a sense...

.....

'Ah... almost evening already...? Probably time to head back to the hotel...'

By the time I got there, someone might be there...

Stepping out of the elevator and into the hallway leading towards the auditorium, a familiar sight of the figure wearing nautilus plush waves both his hands at me, "Sumi... critter! Is the little critter also waiting for the announcement...? Critter must have thought it's scary...."

"Ummm... I don't think so...?" It's difficult to take a threat coming from a doll seriously. "Are you scared of them?"

"Hngh... critter's scared of all land critters...." he slumped over. "Being scooped up and devoured is this critter's worst fear if the feline wishes to!"

"........?"

'.... Oh, cat and fish analogy...' My brain almost took it literally. "I don't we should worry too much... as long as we stay neutral, it will go fine... I hope...."

"Eh... even Summi-critter has nothing positive to say..." the biologist shivers. "Everyone's too gloomy to hear..."

"It's hard to stay optimistic right now..." not when everyone's worries keep increasingly hard to ignore. "Since that host has the power to do that warning shot...."

"Hnnnngh, too vulgar for this critter...!!" Shoma held his hat further down till it covered his eyes. "... We, critters, should be swimming peacefully..."

"It will be okay, I can promise you that..." No matter where I'm looking, my eyes always landed on that nautilus hat. "... Shoma, why do you always have that thing on? Is it comfortable?"

"The shell helps to block off any signal waves...!!" the biologist replied cheerfully. "Critters dislike disorienting things so to prevent that... critters wear this thing for protection!!"

".... Like a whale?" Frequency matters aside, I sort of get what he's trying to say here. Just that... it's hard to take it in all at once. "I thought it's like a pocket for you..."

"It can be...! This critter always stores sea gifts for other critters as a sign of friendship!!"

I knew it! I don't why I got excited for being right about it! "It must be a precious thing for you to treasure it so much..."

"It has to be taken care of carefully or else...." Shoma mumbles. "This critter's original power will get wrongfully unleashed..."

Where did that come from? "Does Shoma have any other supernatural power that we should know about...? It's kinda terrifying..."

"Hehe, it's a deep blue secret that every critter shouldn't know for their good!" he said with a wide smile. "If every critter knows about it, the sea will thrash and the storm will rage on forever and ever...! The aquamarine system will forever be in ruins if the forbidden knowledge is uttered to a single land critter!"

"I was joking!?" A harmless joke about the supernatural just turned into a frightening prophecy! "I-If so then I don't want to know about it anymore...."

"It's fine if it's Sumi-critter!!" Shoma exclaimed. "Because Sumi-critter is more tolerable than most critters here!"

"What about Renma...?"

"Ghost-critter have stricter boundaries...." Shoma explained. "Like right now, ghost-critter's meditating. Because this critter's thoughts are easily disposable, meditation is just a short warmup. However, the other wanted to be engulfed in complete tranquillity so this critter can't disturb him...."

"... Maybe I should join next time...." He looks lonely earlier before he saw me. "... It would be nice if all three would mediate together...?"

"This critter agrees....!" Shoma buries his hand into the nautilus hat, seemingly grabbing something from underneath it. The biologist then pulled out a small plush keychain from his hat and presented it to me, 'A gift from one critter to another! Critters would need a little companion once we parted ways soon...!"

"Thank you, Shoma..." So cute! I accepted the gift, the small nautilus plush has that beady eye look that I keep poking and laughing at.

'Shoma's like a kind kid... giving these gifts just to cheer people up...' I guess that's part of his charm. 'I... sure hope he doesn't give in to pressure... this optimism... would be nice...'

"Renma..!"

The moment we entered the auditorium, Shoma and I watched as the medium slowly turned around to greet us, with his legs crossed on the floor, "Ah... you two... a duo of early birds now, are we?"

"Same goes for you..." I'm surprised he managed to stay calm for this mysterious announcement soon. I offered my hand to him and he takes it without hesitation, pulling him up, "You've been here since this afternoon...?"

Right behind us, everyone else just entered the auditorium and the medium was staring through the cluster. I tried to follow his gaze and saw he was focusing on the conman and fencer, 'Did something happen? Or he senses something?'

"Renma?"

Briefly closing his eyes, he put on his usual smile and tone, "It's nothing. I have been meditating and... I sense uncertain energy that lingers around since yesterday... except this time... it's getting stronger to ignore..."

It's getting worst if anything.

I have to take his word for what it stands, after all, if he can accurately pinpoint negative attributes in people, then this announcement won't go as well.

As the last person enters the hall, a group of Mini Monomyou(s) suddenly popped out of nowhere, acting as a band and reciting an orchestra just to announce the arrival of the actual Monomyou, our feline host.

"Helloooo! Good evening, everyone!! Is everyone well!! Making friends left and right?? Making sweet, loving memories behind those bitter faces?? Good, good, glad to see my guests were about to entertain themselves while this host's busy with the special preparation!!"

Someone walked towards my side and stopped right at that moment, I didn't bother to see who since it was obvious. Both the conman and I just quietly observed every single action the host made.

"Uhuhuhu..." Monomyou sullenly approaches us with imaginary rainclouds above their head. "This host was in endless torture to make sure everything goes well for my beloved guests..! How cruel!! This host wants to have fun too! Which is why...! We shouldn't dilly-dally any longer...!!"

"Quick with the sob talk, it's a weak bluff..." Machi just glared at them. "Get to the point already..."

"D-Don't rush the excitement!! J-Just a little bit more buildup, okay!?" Monomyou angrily exclaimed. "So! About the luxurious package that the school offered...! This is just one of the experiences that will be presented for you!"

'This is it... a motive...' I side-eyed Hisao next to me. 'If it's true then... we can figure something out from there on...'

"Everyone! Please check out your ElectroIDs that the host kindly handed out!!" Monomyou clamoured. "The school kindly sent something special for their students as a congratulation gift of the sort!!"

On cue, the mini Monomyou(s) gave us some wireless earphones as something pinged on the screen of my ElectroID; a video attachment. I hover about the item for a while after making sure everyone received the same things, looking around to see if the others are doing it (just to know if it's safe and not a trick).

Seeing how nothing went wrong, I put the earpiece on and tap onto the video attachment, and was overwhelmed with shock.

On the screen, it's a video of Hoshino Iwao, my mentor.

"Hoshino Iwao, reporting to duty... ah, um... I supposed that's not necessary to add... well then, I would like to present this video to congratulate my daughter for  getting accepted into the academy. It's... an unusual surprise but one I must admit with pride of how- wait... what the..!? What you are doing here!?"

There's some muffled arguing going on before the screen turned to static. I almost panicked before the screen picks up again and shows another face in a different location... it's... Endou Ayame, my sister.

"Heeeeey, Sumire!! Long time no see!! I heard you got into some prestigious school or something!! Congrats!! Seriously, how long has it been since we last saw each other? You should really shove that old man of yours aside and take a vacation day or something! Let's hang out and catch up! Text me with all the details if it's happening, ok? Big sis is here to help you out anytime!!"

And it turned to static again, with the same muffled argument from before.... as it changes to an interrogation room with walls splattered with blood.

Huh.

Huh...

"Odd...."

There's nothing tense about my tone there, I said it way too calm from what I just saw.

The conman noticed how off I acted before trying to catch my attention, "You alright there, little miss?"

"Y-Yeah..." I wasn't too sure of myself. "Just... um..."

"Well, just take your time then..." Hisao stretches his body around meanwhile. "Got to say, this is the least expected gift we've received...."

I just nodded back, still staring at the tablet in hand. It's... It's the motive he predicted but instead of taking something... Monomyou took someone instead.

"What the fuck!?"

"Hey, you bastard, what did you do!?"

"N-No... there's no way this is happening..."

The yelling brought me out of my thoughts as I looked around. Everyone just reached the dire part of the video.

Higura looked livid, no surprises there, but his fury's followed up by Machi, Saku and Hiroshi. Nao broke down, crying profusely with Homare trying her best to comfort her, despite her shaky hands and twitching mouth betraying her calm facade. Mitsuru stares blankly at the screen but I can see her tears too slowly forming at the corner of her eyes as Kiharu drops her ElectroID, her whole figure shaking with fear and soon joined by Taiga. Hibiki, Amane and Renma all have worried looks on their face, expressing distress but not so vocally.

The only people who stayed neutral were Hinako, Shoma, Hisao and...

and...

... and...

......

'No, this isn't right..'

I was scared.

I was rightfully scared of what happened to my mentor...

But once her face showed up.... that fear immediately disappeared...

Even in this situation, my thoughts of her still stay the same.

Even when she took the chance to talk to me directly... I still haven't changed.

"Well, everyone, what do you all think about the gift!" Monomyou laughed. "Your loved ones took their time to record something special for everyone! Ain't that sweet? Just to show you how much love they've invested in you all!"

Slowly, I raised my attention to Hisao, who was still staring at his possible motive video, wondering how it turned out. Apparently, if possible, he read my mind and immediately groaned in frustration, "What the hell is this thing? You give everyone a fun gift but leave me out of the fun? What a shitty way for the host to give their guest nothing but a black screen..!"

"Oh, that...! Well, you're a special case here!" Monomyou puffed out their chest. "We received nothing in return from your closed ones at all so we just leave it as it is! How strange but fitting, isn't it? Who else wants to be associated with a criminal after all! No one should bother pursuing those people now, right?"

"How considerate..." the conman rolled his eyes back.

I can't even process their bickering because of the said blank screen, 'So his motive is just... nothing?'

"You bastard!!" The abseiler suddenly lunged forward from the crowd, with a furious look. "What did you do to them!?"

"Huh? This host didn't do anything...?" The host feigned ignorance. "The academy and this host merely requested your loved ones to record a message for everyone! Isn't that enough to ease your worries about staying far from them for this luxury experience?"

"That excuse doesn't mean shit to us, you fucker!!" Higura yelled back. "To hell with whatever the academy or you're planning, we won't fucking follow with whatever you guys are saying after this... this whole shit!!"

"P-Please..." Nao started to speak up a bit through her teary hiccuping. "Please... a-are they still....?"

"Oh my, now that's an interesting lingering mystery for our guests to solve, isn't it?" Monomyou snickers. "Well, it's part of our package mystery to wonder if anyone knew about your presence here so it should work in vice-versa as well! But alas, it's not part of the program to tell you anything else about them... or to even let you leave here..."

"Out of curiosity, are there any requirements for us to even escape?" Hisao boldly asked. "I mean, since I've been left out of the experience, I don't think I can be invested in this 'experience' you guys keep yapping about..."

"Ah ha ha ha, that's.... not you should think about just yet...." the host's tone shifted way too low that it struck our very core. "We put on some strict rules for people who want to leave this place without completing this luxury experience. It's a waste of effort after all... leaving so soon in the middle of the fun!"

"What... what would those rules be...?" Hinako's turn to ask next.

"Everyone's sure persistent enough to know so badly..." Monomyou chuckles. "... One must commit a murder behind these walls in order to escape!"

Silence.

Complete. And total silence.

We couldn't believe what we were hearing; asking us, students, to commit a murder... just to be able to leave this place?

There.... no way the Yumeino Ultimate Academy would do that to their own students.... right ?

"Of course, we can't let it be too easy for the killer to just run off!" the host added. "Guests will be able to cast judgement upon the killer if they figured out who committed it first! Those are the set-ups we prepared if anyone here decided to leave this hotel... whether they like it or not...."

"And... how... exactly are we gonna find the culprit..." I asked next, a lump stuck in my throat.

"Well... if a guest would volunteer to commit it, everyone would be able to experience it first-hand, if they so gladly do so...." Monomyou tried to gain everyone's attention back. "Anyways, everyone, I hope the video will suffice your worried thoughts about your loved ones back at home! They're all perfectly aware of our beloved guests being the top ultimate students of the academy who have the chance to experience our lovely luxurious package! Now treat your time here carefully or else these videos will soon be your final regret. Who knows...."

"If you perish here, then the pain and guilt you have inflicted upon others will forever remain in their hearts, nyahahahaha!"

And with that, Monomyou made their exit down the trapdoor. As usual, being too shell-shocked, nobody moves a muscle...

As if roots were grown from the concrete ground and are holding us in place.

Reality soon sank us in.

In order to leave... we must murder someone .

Surely, no one would do that right. Everyone.... they're not that desperate enough to do that... right?

....

There's... no way we would betray each other like that...

It took us a long time for our senses to come back as we left the auditorium, one by one. The same quiet and heavy atmosphere, nobody says a word, nobody bats an eye, everyone's... disconnect themselves from the reality they've now realized they're in.

Before I could take another step, someone grabbed my hand and I flinched back, almost snapping before I see who it is, the marksman.

"Sumi... got a second...?" his tone shows obvious signs of distress. "Let's... meet up tomorrow at the bar..."

"Oh! I have a thing to ask you two about the bar as well!!"

The host suddenly returned and pops out between us as Taiga immediately let go and took a step back out of fear. With their annoying cheery and high-pitched tone, it proceeds to ask us, "Does the bar feel off to everyone?"

"What... do you mean...?" the marksman's confused at what the host's implying. "I-If you're asking why the bar has alcohol on their shelves then you should ask yourself that first..."

"That's not what I meant!" the cat scolded. "That place... gives this feline the creeps!! It was fine when you guys arrived but all of the sudden, it has this eerie atmosphere that's preventing this host from entering the establishment! What's even creepier is this host can't see anything inside from the surveillance cameras!"

That has to be a coincidence, right? The conman chose that place for yesterday's meetup... did he do something about the wiring of that place?

"Sorry... not a tech expert..." Taiga replied nonchalantly. "If you think there's some spooky things going on in there then... there's Renma you can ask from..."

"I-Impawsible, eek, I stuttered!" Monomyou comically gasped. "It's one thing guessing about creepy things and it's another to completely face a spiritual menace altogether!! W-Whatever, this host must do something about!! It's part of the job to ensure every establishment is in proper working condition after all!! U-Urgh, however, the methods will be..."

With that, Monomyou just sulkily dragged their feet back into the main stage of the auditorium, leaving us behind.

We could have done something while that thing was around us but...

... we didn't lay a finger on them.

Instead, we left the place, the place that only serves as a bad reminder for what we experience from this day forward.

....

..........

................

..........

....

It's funny, isn't it?

Usually a chance like this, I wouldn't bother to think twice and immediately take it at any given opportunity.

What am I talking about exactly? Of course, it's the-

My eyes snapped wide open, hands immediately clutched onto my chest as if to prevent the air from escaping my lungs. A few minutes have passed until I finally calmed down, trying to focus on the endless ticking of the clock, indicating that it's only been a few minutes after midnight.

I couldn't sleep.

Just when I thought I finally resolved that problem...

... It came back, it always came back.

The fear from before... it's been a while since I've last felt it.

Chapter Text

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!

"Good morning, ladies and gents! This is your daily morning announcement after the beautiful start of this luxury experience! I hope everyone's lively enough to face the day! After all, this is only the beginning, nyahahaha! Have your myou-est of the day!"

....

This feline bastard.

I couldn't sleep all night. A few winks here and there but most of the time, I stayed awake thinking about yesterday's video. A video of our families, are they still...?

........

I had already dressed up before the morning announcement came on due to being restless so I immediately picked up my ElectroID and headed towards the front door. When I opened it, a passerby happened to stop in their tracks, "Ah... you're still in there..."

"Machi...?"

"Hey, what did I say before?"

"Erm, Macchan...?" I briefly escaped the librarian's heated gaze before he calmed down. "I was... idling around..."

"You're not the only one, even I don't want to get up for today...." Machi sighed as he pushed up his glasses. "But, it is what it is whether we like it or not...."

"Mhn..." I only give a noise of agreement. It's odd to see him conversing so calmy right now when yesterday, he was almost on verge of trying to break that feline host apart. He was downright furious, that's how badly the video motive affected him. "Are you okay now?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course not...." Machi glared. "If anything bad happened to my family then I would never forgive that cat or the kidnappers. Hell, if this is really those idiots from the academy doing then I will make sure they will seek hell once we get to the bottom of this mess..."

Is there any chance that the ultimate academy has something to do with this though? It's impossible to imagine that they will be pleased with what's been spouted by the acclaimed host, trapping us in this unknown place, "What if... they don't know about it either...?"

"The last time we were in the real world, we were at their gates...." Machi added as we waited for the elevator. "That's enough to speculate that they somehow brought us here, isn't it?"

"Maybe but just... what's the goal here?" I asked. "I get if it's about Takara and Mochizuki but... what about the rest of us?"

"Wouldn't it be to make it less obvious that they have an agenda?" the librarian assumed. "Like their identity will be obvious if they show their grudge against specific people?"

"Again, maybe but...."

I don't know why but...

.... Why does it feel like this was done before?

The rest of the elevator ride went without issues, just a few daily anecdotes to ease our mind from yesterday before heading to the dining hall.

Just when we felt reassured, the chaos just started back up once everyone was in one place.

"Enough with pacifist bullshit, Takara!!" Higura yelled back at the fencer, both parties standing on either side of the table. "People's lives are at stake and we can't afford to do jack-shit!"

"And what would propose that we should do?" Homare snapped back. "Act recklessly and it's your life on the line, act childishly and you will put everyone's life in danger. No matter what, our actions have consequences, directly or not...."

"So what? We're giving up now?" the designer spat. "Sounds pretty on-brand for Takara to decide, huh?"

".... Who would have guessed that Mochizuki would stoop low and use a petty trick to back themselves up...." barely noticeable, both of them twitched when their family names were brought up. "As expected of a bunch of giants who berates anyone in their way...."

This is bad, another family war is going to start...!

"That's enough...." while Machi was too busy gawking at the debate, I walked in with heavy footsteps to get their attention. "The last time you guys argued, it went nowhere. And now, you're tearing each others' names apart after what happened yesterday? Sounds ridiculous of you guys to throw away your dignity for this quarrel...."

"You bitch-!"

"Sumi, you-"

"Alright, since little miss finally broke the tension!" Hisao had the designer in his grasp, tightening his grip while dragging him away. "Now, now, it's best not to go physical here since you're like an explosive chihuahua. You're making everyone here reaaaaal uncomfy with these rants and shits...."

"We know you meant well, Homare...." Hinako joined in, standing behind the fencer. "But... was your acting just now really ideal?"

That struck a nerve.

The fencer stammered, nervously looking around while the designer begrudgingly stopped talking as the conman let go. Hisao made his way over to my side before whispering into my ear, "Meet up at the bar later noon... good work stopping that mess pool...."

I can't say it back but it's the least I can do at this moment. Without any clues to lead forward, forcing people back from making a bigger mess is what I was able to do for now.

As much as I don't like it.

Right now, however, someone must have to.... or else.....

The breakfast went on and gone with not a single word being uttered by anyone. Both Homare and Higura were heavily guarded by Hisao and Hinako in case they broke out into a fight again but everyone else felt that the strained relationship between the two was too heavy for a lighthearted comment or joke.

This proves the full impact of yesterday's motive.

'Isn't this too much of a push for us....' the burden they placed was exceedingly heavy than we first thought. 'If... they wanted something... why to go so far... was... committing a murder plan their real goal after all..?'

Not wanting to remain in a tense atmosphere, I excused myself to head towards other places instead, hoping to distract myself with an idle talk at least.

I spotted the aerobat at the library, staring aimlessly at nothing, in particular, maybe I can take this opportunity to talk to him, "Oozora-"

"Hmph!? Hold it right there!" Saku immediately waved his hands around. "How did you call me there? With an 'o' or an 'u'?"

"Wha... aren't you always part of the great sky..?" I thought his name's pretty easy to remember, like Aozora or just Sora. "W-Was it wrong?"

"No, no, no!! It's just my way to differentiate a fan from just a passerby!" the aerobat corrected. "Many of them usually refer to me as 'King of the Sky' so I have to ask before I decided to bolt or not!"

"Aerobat have fan clubs?" That's new... and odd. "What's with the cold shoulder you're giving them...?"

"They're... just annoying to have around..." that's super blunt, his fans will be heartbroken if they heard that. "I don't do well in large crowds since I've always worked alone! That's how it is in the cockpit after all!"

"I get but it wouldn't hurt to show your face..." we're both similar, except he's adamant about leaving them behind. "Don't you usually perform in a team? Aerobatics has tricks that involved more than one, right?"

"We do but verbal communication is hard to do in the air... as you can guess!" Saku's a cheeky one with his words. "We send each other morse code through our communicators about our formations and stuff! Much simpler to do that!"

"... I think you guys just make yourself work a whole lot more with that..." I have never heard anyone preferring that as their method of daily communication. "But... aren't you... okay right now, talking to us? Was there some unspoken rule that your team shouldn't say something?"

"Hmm, I guess we saw it as unnecessary...?" Saku exclaimed. "We always reason that it's to keep our tricks a secret and sometimes we even trick people into thinking there's extraterrestrial lifeform recording our messages that we often use our plane movements to communicate instead!"

Okay, I'm totally lost here. This is a different kind of a mess. "How are you guys this patient to pull that kind of thing at each other...? I would have sworn at that moment...."

"Hands were previously close to meet some faces several times before..." his mouth twitched, it was by his hand. "But again, to us, unnecessary. We don't mind the extra leg work since we always switched out members..."

"So... you're not a permanent one?" Wait, he has a fan club so he's been around for a long time. "I mean, your group not being permanent..."

"That's how it always worked for us..." he explained. "Sometimes they leave, sometimes they don't. Sometimes we stay together until the time's up for us to work for other teams instead. All in all, our teamwork is purely contract-based."

"That's... a shallow contract... surely you guys thought something off about it?"

"It's not a problem to us..." he shrugged. "It's a hassle to get along if we keep changing. And sometimes the people you worked with aren't exactly nice so complaining about it is kinda pointless when they will be gone by next week. I mean, I tried to make friends with them but I pretty much gave them up as fast as the organizers dropped them off from the competition..."

"I... guess these things are happening behind the scene..." I assumed. "Since you stayed with the organized... you acted like their poster boy?"

"Oh! Never heard someone refer to me like that! But, maybe? Yes? I think I am!!" Saku sounds surprised. "Strangely enough that I have someone listening to my ramblings without getting irritated but you actually stick around!"

"It's a bizarre story coming from you..." It took too much of my thought process to make a comprehend scenario of what he said. "But it was interesting since I'm not knowledgeable about your profession..."

"Hmmm, hmmm... well, this is another strange moment..." Saku professed. "For you to still be around and enjoy hearing what I've said.... does that makes us friends?"

"Why are you asking me that?" I asked, confused. "I thought it's obvious that we are? I wouldn't talk to you so casually if we weren't..."

"So I got your permission in the end! Great!" Saku decided. "I will treasure this opportunistic friendship as much as I can!"

Maybe this contract-based talk infected his thoughts a bit but it feels like he views his relationship with others as something he has to ask for approval first. To him, it might never come naturally but hopefully, the more he hangs out with others, the less he thinks of handling things in his former ways.

I also want to hear more about his aerobatics team, their absurd relationship does pique my interest.

I went to the bar a bit earlier than promised and met up with Taiga there, just fidgeting around.

'Hm... perfect timing...' The marksman always strikes me as odd. A dangerous talent hiding behind a cheerful demeanour while somewhat skilful with things he shouldn't mess with. And the fact he joined Hisao's plan is even more peculiar.

It can be a coincidence, but it can still be his personal idea, who knows?

"Taiga..." I started. "How did Hisao convince you to join his scheme?"

I'm curious about the others as well, mostly Amane, of how the conman even approached them to form a group willingly.

"Umm... he just asked me if I wanted to piss off the host and I immediately accepted!" ... I supposed it's a personal thing? "That cat is the main issue here so if we get rid of that thing first then it should be fine!"

'What if it's just a stand-in...' I kept that guess aside. "Guess today's topic is about the motive from yesterday...."

"About that...." Taiga shifted. "What about yours? You... didn't react that much..."

I didn't think anyone would notice, everyone was too shell-shocked, "It's... just my mentor and sister... I wasn't that close with either of them so... what happened afterwards was more of a surprise than...."

"What, sister?" the marksman, somehow, look startled by the revelation. "You... and your mentor... it's... Investigator Iwao, your father, right?"

"....! How did you-" Rarely does anyone know about that. "... Y-Yeah... guess that name gives it away..."

"Heard of the guardianship but the full story behind it is still foggy to me..." Taiga explained. "I've seen you two work in the same case... I thought that you two would be more close due to that...."

".... It's just a learning experience...." I clarified. "Most of our time was spent working on different cases so..."

"Then your sister....?"

A question I dreaded initially, "That... I'm not comfortable talking about her yet..."

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to!!" Taiga stood up, trying to apologize before he was cut off by a certain someone's arrival.

"Alrighty then, everyone's here!!" Hisao arrived with Hinako and Nao behind him. Once he noticed the awkward atmosphere and our expression, he raised an eyebrow at us, "What happened here? Did you guys argue or something?"

"No, we're just discussing.. the video yesterday..." the marksman answered.

"Right, right, about that!" He pointed at both of us. "What did yours contain? This is important to stop from being sidetracked with suspicions and such! I mean, since you guys look anxious by just talking about it between the two, I can see how others might take advantage of this kind of motive!"

It's an insensitive approach, but it's rather direct and, while rude, better than a futile one. Hisao rather gets things to work straightforwardly than continuously second-guessed himself.

I told my video content easily since I shared it with Taiga earlier and so did everyone else who follow suit. Taiga's video has his father and his military troupe in it, Hinako's distant family, Amane's grandparents (while he's not here) and Nao's supportive older brother.

All of them have a similar trend of the video ending with the bloody wall .

There's no clear answer to what Monomyou did to them but it's too early to assume it could be fake. A part of us was waiting for Hisao to say his motive but then remembered the conversation yesterday with the host.

"Y-You actually don't have a-anyone, Hi-Hisao...?" Nao asked timidly and was rewarded with a shrug.

"Who knows?" Hisao replied. "After all, we cut ties! Not sure if they're still alive after I left for the streets. They may have already been dead for a long time or moved to more distant places!"

He made his answer sound so in the norm as he made his way past our stunned faces. Placing his ElectroID on top of the table, he exclaimed, "We're not too far off with the motive but Monomyou sure went for a sore point there..."

"But there's one glaring point that our videos showed us..." Hinako wonders. "When were they exactly recorded? They seemed to be congratulating us about entry..."

"T-Then, we weren't gone for that long, r-right?" Nao brought up another point. "Surely there's enough time for them to still be a-alive...."

"If Monomyou's the only one here..." I recalled back our first meeting with Monomyou. "There's no way he brought us all here all by themselves..."

"So someone from the academy made a deal with this mysterious host....or maybe not?" Hisao brought up his points. "Maybe blackmailed? Forcing their students out of their grounds? If this host wants something from them then why have something as absurd as... this?"

I shook my head, rubbing my forehead to get rid of an incoming migraine, "Let's leave this aside... we're piecing this based on nothing we had in hand... let's wait until whenever that noisy host decided to open their mouth... for now, we must deal with what comes after...."

"Don't worry about that, I have done my part!" Said Hisao while grinning. "Got inspired by a passerby's idea, you can say!"

"Which is?"

"You will see later!" Hisao deflects my question. "Amane will make sure the arrangement goes well with others so that everyone's on the same term. It's nothing too dangerous for everyone to be involved in!"

"Oh my, you sound so confident, Hisa..." Hinako chuckles. "I will look forward to your imaginative plan..."

"Hmph, that's right! Shower me with praises!" the conman puffed out his chest. "Even a person like me wants to be spoiled a lot!"

With those two going off with their chattering, Nao went over to our side to give them some space. The ghostwriter looked better compared to yesterday, though her eyes are still visibly puffy.

Out of instinct, I hugged her closely, "Don't worry... we won't let anyone fall for Monomyou's tricks...."

She didn't say anything back, instead, just squeezed my arm.

"... You're a good person, Sumi..." Taiga caught a glimpse and smiled. "Feels like people can rely on you for help..."

"That's-"

"Hmm? What's this?" Out of nowhere, Hisao, who secretly hid behind us, popped in and wrapped his arms around our shoulders. "Were you two secretly having a serious discussion again? The nerve of you two for having it while we're still here!"

I brushed off the arm and nudged Nao to let go. Both did so and I'm finally free from physical contact, "I will leave now if that's all... what about you guys...?"

"Making a mess out of Renma and Shoma!" Hisao claimed energetically. "Made a stingy bet with the designer to see if I can snatch that shell of his!"

"If you get hurt then don't blame others for it..."

He's asking for it anyways.

Nao said she will be helping Machi with organizing the library book and Taiga had some exercise routine planned with Hiroshi and Kiharu. I decided to follow the ghostwrite on her way to the library since I had that much free time.

Maybe I can find solace in the books there...?

An hour passed by and I've just realized I was the only one left in the library. Stretching my body around, I returned the book from where I found it and made my way to the hotel. From the outside, I can see everyone gathering in the reception area, seemingly having a discussion.

"What's going on here?" I spoke up once I entered the building.

"Ah, Sumire..." Homare's the first one to explain, holding her notebook in hand. "Impeccable timing, I was about to find you..."

"Did Monomyou do something while I was away?"

"Not quite, just... a weird proposition made by them..." explained the fencer. "To quell everyone's worries during nighttime... the host suggests for everyone to accompany each other for tonight..."

So, a slumber party? A promise with the biologist that we haven't gone around to due to... reasons.

Everyone's alibi will be recorded by other people without a problem so I can see that advantage of it. Is this what Hisao's talking about? I tried to look for him and found him standing beside Renma, looking terribly irritated instead, 'What wrong with them??'

'So that's why he said a passerby's idea....' He was nearby when Renma told me about the idea. But since we had the cat's approval first, I need to hear more about his current stance on it, "Did Monomyou add anything to it-"

Just when I did it, the damn cat dropped down in front of me and I almost stumbled backwards, yelling, "Can't you appear normally for once?!"

"Awww, where's the thrill in that? This host has to be superb no matter what! An eccentric host for the strange cast of guests!" Monomyou snickers. "As for my addition, the proposal was originally accepted with no other consequences! Ain't I a gracious host?"

"That's one question we would not like to answer dishonestly at this moment, dear feline..." Hinako eerily replied with a smile.

"Eek! A kind face but with cruel words!?" Monomyou sobbed in fear. "I-In my own words, please enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime get-together with everyone else! Make some loving, sweet memories as much as you like!"

"Quit it, you're making it sound like we threatened you to accept this..." Hibiki pointed out. "Aren't you the bad guy for faking that wimpy host persona?"

"W-Who are ya' calling a wimp!?" Monomyou scolded. "I-I will have you know I have successfully entertained guests plenty of times before and without a fail! And none have ever complained about my tardiness being the main issue! Even just a volunteer and an eyeball of spool- Ekk! I stuttered!"

"Just what are you trying to prove with that..." Saku grumbled. "If anything, you've already made a fatal flaw here..."

"Nyargh!? Which is!?"

"That no one here wants to kill anyone?" Hiroshi answered. "Even with yesterday's push, no one in their right mind would plan a murder here... no matter how desperate they are..."

"Huh? Nobody wants to escape? Well, now, isn't that rich coming from you all...." Monomyou snickers before their usual high-pitched voice turned dark and low as they look over all of us;

"One of you has already got a knife against everyone's back...."

'What!?"

I furiously looked around the room, inspecting each and everyone's face for any suspicions. Everyone's astonished at what the feline has said before disappearing off once more.

No way, no way in hell. There's no fucking way someone's actually making their move right now. If it's not that then... did Monomyou overhear us talking about them earlier?

Before going forward with that thought, Homare steps in, "... Let's not dwell too much on what the cat's saying... for now, here's the room planning for all of us..."

[ Room 1 (front left) ] Shoma, Renma, Hibiki, Sumire

[ Room 2 (front right) ] Higura, Saku, Hiroshi, Taiga

[ Room 3 (back left) ] Homare, Machi, Nao, Hinako

[ Room 4 (back right) ] Amane, Mitsuru, Kiharu, Hisao

The rooms being listed are much bigger than the ones we currently had, and they're located just above our floor.

The fencer gave out four unfamiliar key cards to the first person being listed in a row, "All four rooms are closely packed with each other so we can easily hear any noise or distress call nearby. For the person listed in the roster, please take good care of the key card and everyone, please keep your ElectroIDs with you at all times...."

'Huh, so everyone has their equal part in keeping everyone in check...' Amane must have been the one to relay the plan to Monomyou and let the rest organize their group placement. I'm surprised to see the opera singer would join our group, I thought the composer would fight tooth and nail to be in the same room as her. Each room has a reliable leader and watchman Shoma take the key and waves in my direction.

"Guess this is our slumber party now, Shoma..." I remarked. "Sorry that it's for something this severe...."

"Hmn..." the biologist doesn't look too happy about the change. "This should have been a joyous occasion... for it to be ruined with bad intention is too cruel..."

"It's for our sake..." Machi corrected. "We can't just ignore whatever the cat said... or did... complain all you want but we're not risking anything this time...."

Those motive videos from before, there are too many people affected by it, and some handled the situation poorly. We can't force them to say what they saw but we can't also leave them along with those haunting images either. So, it should be fine that we're keeping an eye out for each other tonight.

It should be... right?

"Sumire, may I have a word with you for a second?" I excused myself as Homare ushered me closer. She looked... distressed just by being near me. "Would you mind if you could assist me later, checking with all the groups before nighttime? I want to make everything safe and nothing dangerous is hiding in these rooms..."

"I don't mind..." I nodded, worrying about her troublesome look. She's fidgeting a lot, tapping onto her notebook and her eyes keep wandering around, "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine..." she lied. "Just... a bit stirred-up, that's all..."

'We'll see about that...'

Let's see if she gets better once we made our rounds around the hotel later...

Everyone went for their respective rooms first before heading towards the next floor. Right after Homare and I made our preparation for the night, we started inspecting each room, starting from Shoma's group. The door was unlocked so I went in first, "Shoma, have you guys settled- Aackh!?"

I tripped and fell onto the sea of pillows and blankets, littered on the floor, softening my impact, "S-Shoma... what's this...?"

"It's our seabed...!" The biologist let out carefree laughter, lying down on the pile. "Bed's too restricting... this critter wants everyone to be familiar with each other without boundaries!!"

"That's nice..." the fencer carefully step aside from the blankets. "So everyone's here without a problem?"

"As much as we can.... the room has no problems at all..." Renma's leaning against the pillow behind him. "Ahh... it's been a while I'm faced with a sense of comfort since arriving here...."

Hibiki did the same as well, both of them had a chat right before we came in. It's a rare sight to see the opera singer all loosened up like she's glad to be roomed with more laid-back people instead.

"Good to hear...." I tried to get up, clearing my throat. "We'll check the rest now... I will be joining you guys later..."

It's interesting to note that all four groups have some unique atmosphere surrounding them.

The second group was chaotic as predicted.

They started a pillow fight right before we stepped and we even ended up joining in (out of frustration that we can't stop them). Unfortunately, Taiga and Hiroshi were the heeded victors (and promised they will clean up before nighttime hits).

Homare's group is pleasant; Nao excitedly talks about her works with zoologists with Hinako who shared her knowledge about certain aspects of it. Machi mentioned the broken faucet in the bathroom that Homare took note of.

The last group was unusual; while the arrangement itself is already odd, it's remarkable to see Amane getting tossed around by Hisao and Mitsuru from being too bored to listen to his composing talk, deciding to roll him up in blankets instead. I didn't realise Hisao and Mitsuru would cause this much clutter in just a few minutes. Thankfully, Kiharu promised to keep them under control... she promised herself.

"Everything's okay..."

I went over the list of things available in the rooms, making sure they were all in equal amounts, "That should be all, right, Homare?"

The fencer spaced out again, and keep staring at her notebook.

"Homare..."

"Y-Yes, I heard you..." She snapped out. "I appreciate your help, Sumire... I really do..."

This is unusual of her; I've never seen the fencer being so out of focus until she didn't realize herself. She's been acting like this ever since... the group meeting this morning.... oh...

"Homare, did I say something that upsets you earlier...?" I asked. "I'm sorry if I did, I didn't mean to... it was a spur of the moment..."

"It's...." she's hesitant to tell, shaking her head, "... it's something else..."

"Then let's talk about it tomorrow..." I gave a reassuring smile. "With others, if you want to... it would help to let others know we're not on bad terms or anything... we should all hear out each other's problem so you don't have to keep it all in, okay?"

"... Alright, Sumi..." Homare finally gets rid of her stoic facade and strict poise. "Thanks for the reassurance... I.. was afraid you're still mad at me for earlier..."

"It happens..." It just happens. A fight, a mediator and something tense formed immediately afterwards. "But as long as you thought about it... then there's no problem at all..."

Every word that spilt from my mouth this morning, it's something that she and Higura need to hear. Especially coming from someone who's very aware of their outside situation.

We talked for a while before parting way to our respective groups, 'Hope she's okay... didn't mean to be too hard on them...'

....

"Thanks for your hard work!"

"Same here..." I collapsed onto the sea of the blanket after I changed out of my clothes. The nighttime announcement rang out as I rolled onto my back, "I'm exhausted..."

"Good job..." I can hear the singer sitting closer, gently (and all of the sudden) stroking my head. "Best to sleep in early... you don't happen to be an insomniac, are you?"

"Time for critters to fall into deep slumber...!" Shoma's back pressed against mine. "This critter rolls around a lot so apologize if this critter rolled over some critter...!"

I never considered myself as an insomniac but then again, I'm not surprised if people insist that I am. Renma's the first one to notice so it didn't come as a shock that he tried to help. We were all huddling together; Shoma and I laid down beside each other, Hibiki by my side while Renma's on the other side away from us, trying to sleep in early.

A soothing song played out in the room and I instantly feel fatigue washing over my body. Hibiki's voice is comforting to listen to but neither of us managed to stay up to appreciate it.

On that night, our group succumbed to deep sleep, letting tranquillity fill the room.

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!

"Gooooood morning, ladies and gents'! This is your daily morning announcement, presenting your beloved host!! The one and only host who's perfect for this luxury experience! Not like a few slip-ups here and there would stop any hosts from getting into trouble, nyahahaha! Have your myou-est of the day!" "

...

'I swear one of these days... I'm gonna give that cat a piece of my mind....'

I rubbed my eyes drowsily before I get up, preparing myself for another day. After stepping out of the bathroom, I realized that the other three tenants had already gone ahead while I was still asleep. I grabbed my ElectroID and was about to head out when I saw Nao, "You just woke up?"

"Good morning, Sumi!" Nao bowed as she explained, "I forgot my ElectroID in the room. I just had breakfast and was asked to fetch you and Hoamre!"

'She slept in too?' We did clock in pretty late, almost nighttime. "Then, I will go with you too... there's something I wanna talk with her about..."

Both of us headed towards the third room of the floor, Nao tried to open it but... it wouldn't budge.

"Huh...?" she keeps twisting the handle. "I-It wasn't locked when we left...?"

I tried knocking on the door, raising my voice in case the fencer has already woken up by chance. Ringing the doorbell again, I called out, "Homare! It's morning already! Wake up!!"

Nothing. No noise or shuffling inside the room.

My anxiety spiked within seconds.

'Surely she's prepping herself..?' I tried reasoning myself while searching for other solutions.

Looking for another way to get in, I saw the window panel above the door was opened wide, unlike in the other rooms. I swallowed my suspicion before asking the ghostwriter, "Nao, think you can crawl through that opening there...?"

She looked at me confused but immediately understood when she glanced upwards, "M-Maybe..? I need a little boost though?"

I held her by the waist and lifted her easily, Nao grabbed onto the frame as she slowly crawls her way in. Once she's on the other side, I can hear a small thus and a muffled 'ow' from her, "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah... just a chair in the way that I didn't see..."

'A... chair?... Why would there be-'

Suddenly, a bloody scream tore through the hallway and on instinct, I tried to pry open the door with all my strength, "Nao!? Nao, open the door!!"

"What's going on!?" I looked back to see Taiga approaching with Hiroshi following suit, Mitsuru and Amane just came out of their rooms as well. The marksman helped to break down the door when both of us didn't realize the unlocking noise from the inside. The door swung open and Nao tackled me to the ground, face burying in my chest while sobbing, "Ho... Homare..."

...

Wait...?

What?

...

No...

No way...?

There's no way...

Carrying her up gently, the ghostwriter guided me into the room... and I was met with a horrific sight.

Homare, with her serene face...... was hung from the ceiling fan, suspended by bloodied towels.

Taiga and the other remaining people on the floor walked in, the cosmetologist let out a shriek of terror and the abseiler lost his footing, stammering at the view.

Then... the dreadful announcement was rolled out.

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!

"Ladies and gentlemen! It seems there's a crime taking place during our luxurious experience! Please gather around the first floor to start our investigation!"

The PA system turned off immediately.

The announcement that no one wants to hear...

I wanna shut it out of my head.

The sickening sweet voice of that damned cat and the nauseous sight of a deceased friend...

I

Wanna

Shut

Everything

The

Hell

Out.

Chapter Text

Once everyone have already gathered at the crime scene, Monomyou appeared from above, with its sickeningly sweet voice, "Well, well, well! It didn't that long for the one with the knife to take a leap! I suspected that treacherous snake is hellbent to disturb our peaceful experience! "

We don't have the energy or thought to spare in arguing his words, not when the proof of it is right in front of our eyes.

'This doesn't make sense...' I bit my nail out of frustration. 'Everything was fine... no one was serious about the motive... then why did this happen!?'

And why Homare?

...

I'm furious, livid. All the burning emotions swirled inside my head, 'The culprit... has to be brought out of light no matter what...'

Those ill emotions distracted me from the thought of punishing a student who was stricken with grief by the motives they weren't prepared for. I stopped and steady my breathing before anyone can notice, 'I shouldn't be thinking like this... this shouldn't throw me off, I've seen this many times before...'

So why am I hesitating now? I asked no one but myself. A hand held me back as I turned to see Renma's concerned face. A face that clearly said, "Take your time, don't force yourself..."

I gave him a slight nod, holding onto the hand on my shoulder, "What are we supposed to do now, Monomyou?"

"Well, I said that it's going to be an investigation game!" the cat snickers. "It's one part of the many experiences we've prepared for our beloved guests!! After all, we wouldn't want you all to be gloomy after one of you disobey our arrangement! It's time for everyone to take up the detective role and search for clues to use in the Class Trial! It's time to shed light on our defenceless victim and leave no stones unturned!"

Monomyou handed everyone an electronic tablet, similar to our ElectroIDs, "Let this adorable host explain the investigation phase! The killer or blackened is among you guys but you don't know that until the class trial! In the meantime, you will be working alongside them so it's best to stay vigilant! Stay sharp or else they might change something without everyone looking! There's a time limit in this clue-hunting game so ravage the land for clues, and make sure everything's spotless! Make use of your talents, my dear guests! See you all in the class trial, nyahahaha!!"

With the cat out of our way, the air became deathly still as it was before. I spoke up first, "Renma, would you mind... telling the spirits here that we're to honour the deceased... in case, if possible, she's here..."

She needs to know that we're doing this for her.

"... I understood... I will fulfil it..." Renma was taken back that his service was required. He walked over to Homare's body, a small chant was uttered under his breath before speaking, "May your spirit be guided without any disorders..."

The medium stepped back, giving us a clear indication that it was safe to trespass. Taiga and Hiroshi helped to take the body down, the abseiler muttering apologies as he did so and cringing every time he heard a creak.

Looking through the tablet given, a document dubbed itself the 'Monomyou Victim Record File', I listed out her current conditions, "Unknown time of death. The cause of death is asphyxiation and has a wound on her head due to blunt force trauma. There is evidence of unknown flakes with dried blood on them..."

"The door's locked from the inside, right?" Taiga asked, searching through the fencer's pocket and finding the key card. He untied the knots of the towel and immediately reacted strongly to it. "Wait, the chair near the door..."

"It sure is strange..." Shoma hummed, staring at the record file. "Very strange for this critter, indeed...."

"What are you on about, shell-head?" Higura glared. "Spit it out, we don't have time for your cryptic bullshit.."

"All creatures bleed right? And never stop bleeding...." said Shoma. "So... when did it stop for her?"

".... There's no blood puddle....." that's what he's talking about. Everything in the room is spotless. I inspected the wound closely with the black gloves I put on earlier, it already dried up.

"There might be other clues at other places then..." Machi suggested. "Everyone, search away... kitchen, reception area... anywhere in the hotel, there's no way the killer had that much time to dispose of anything far away..."

Everyone agreed and dispersed immediately, taking the time limit into consideration. Only Hisao, Amane, Renma, Higura, Nao and I remained.

I checked the bathroom, looking over the broken faucet and the towels neatly hung up on the rack. Each room has five towels and judging over the hangers, three were used and two unused.

"The culprit didn't use the towels from this room..." I concluded. "Higura, Amane... mind giving me your key cards, I wanna check something..."

Both of them did without any delay and right when I was about to leave, a certain someone pulled the hood of the jacket over my head, calling me in a hushed voice, "Mind if I follow along, little miss?"

It took every ounce of energy I have within me not to get physical before sighing, "Fine, if you want to help then do so without distracting others..."

Hisao, then, pulled down the hood and with a smile, immediately took Higura's key card gleefully, "Okay! Let's split up to make things easier!"

We checked the rooms at the same time, Amane's room looks like it has just been tidied up since he and the cosmetologist were still in there before the announcement. I checked the bathroom to see all four out of five towels were used and nothing out of the ordinary.

"Heeey, little miss!!" Hisao called out from the hallway. "The rowdy group's room is surprisingly tidy! Only one clean towel but nothing too sus here!"

'Even their room's cleaned up... even after the pillow fight from last night...' I suppressed the memory of the last night's event, the last good memory the fencer possibly had. "So none of the bloody towels were from this floor. It has to be the culprit's...."

"We don't have much time searching through our rooms..." Hisao pointed out the time limit on the ElectroID. "Too time-consuming, chances of turning up empty-handed is also an issue..."

"I know that..." I clicked my tongue. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Nao, shaking and standing outside of her group's room, '... I wanna give her some space but... this is important...'

"Hey, ghostwriter! Got a bone to pick with ya'!"

"Wait, Hisao!?" I watched how the conman just approached her without a care or even noticing her frightened look as she stared at him, with lips pressed thinly.

"Did your group notice anything strange in your room overnight?" Hisao asked. "Like hearing strange noises?"

"N-No... or at least I didn't...? Hinako and I are deep-sleepers and Machi's a loud snorer so we're pretty much deaf...." somewhere, somehow, a librarian let out a sneeze. "But when we woke up, Homare's still asleep around 6 am..."

What was that?

... was the first thing that crossed our mind. Hearing that, Hisao pressed on even further, "Then you guys went to the dining hall earlier?"

"No, Machi and Hinako went to their rooms for their stuff and I took longer to prepare..." Nao brushes her hair nervously. "I arrived first on the ground floor and met up with both of them...."

This timeline.... makes their group's alibi shaky for now. "Do you remember the order of who arrived?" I asked next.

"Well, Higura and Saku arrived earlier than us..." the ghostwriter recalled. "Then... Kiharu and Hisao... a moment later, Renma, Hibiki and Shoma..."

"Everyone else who didn't arrive was in their rooms before the announcement..." I added my info. However, it's disorganized, and the timing between everything's messed up. Anyone should have noticed something's off.

How did the culprit slip through everyone?

"We should go see if the ground floor crew found anything useful..." Hisao suggested. Nao and I agreed as we made our way to the elevators. After the doors closes, I caught Hisao staring down, "What's the matter?"

"There's this irritating smell that has been bugging me since this morning..." He sniffed the air once more. The conman bend down and touched the carpeted floor with his bare hand, bringing it to his face and winches once he gave it a whiff, "Yup, someone cleaned this corner earlier... I can still smell blood..."

"... Now that you mentioned it..." after hearing, it took a while for the subtle odd smell to hit our senses. "I can barely tell the difference... is your senses that strong?"

"Eh... more of a hassle than a blessing..." the conman corrected. "But this means that the culprit transported the body from somewhere else to mislead us..."

"Homare's an early-rise so... she must have checked the ground floor all by herself, there are many openings there..." I speculated.

"I-If she was attacked... before the first person's awake..." Nao asked. "Then wouldn't everyone's alibi... hardly concrete?"

"What a pain in the ass culprit..." Hisao massaged his neck. "I wouldn't even be this complicated... and if the cat has given us the exact timing, then we might be able to narrow our suspicions down..."

Still, everyone's alibi is either airtight or nonexistent. Even nighttime alibi can be an issue in our findings, 'There's a gap there but I couldn't think of anything...'

Once the elevator doors opened up, we spotted Kiharu and Saku in the reception area.

"Sumi, over here!!" the archaeologist called out. "We may have found where the scene took place!!"

"Here..." the aerobat pointed. The tiles look spotless but thanks to the reflecting lights, we can see it was moped with visible streaks. "There's also this..."

Saku handed over a bloodied white coat to the conman, "Found it while rummaging through the trash can behind the desk... it was buried deep..."

"This..." Hisao's words were cut off through his whispering as he folded the coat and tucked it underneath his arm. "... Hey missy', how about you check out the dining hall? You and Nao can get more clues there considering how close it is... there's something I wanna check first..."

"Okay, make it quick..." I reminded him about the time limit and bid them farewell, still pondering about the conman's attitude towards all this. While he's still maintaining his playful side, he kept his boundaries well, especially when he stumbled upon important info from the ghostwriter.

Perhaps, he's trying to gain everyone's trust? No, that wouldn't make sense, even if it's to benefit his group to find other ways to the kidnappers.

'Now that I think about it...'

What is his plan exactly to ambush them? If the sleepover is part of it then wouldn't this consider a failure to him? Or.. was he aiming for something completely different?

Reluctantly, I added him to the list of suspects, aiming to extract more answers from him later.

"Macchan, did you find something else?"

"Hmph, if I did, then I wouldn't be standing here..." Machi remarked on his placement. "Unfortunately, didn't turn up with anything useful but just one oddity..."

"Which is?" He retrieved a box of herbal tea bags that Homare prepared for us on the first day.

"When I was on kitchen duty with Homare, this box has twelve tea bags... she only used two of them...." Machi explained. "Higura and Saku never used them yesterday neither did Kiharu and Renma the day before... but now, there's only eight of them...."

"You sure no one had them during afternoon or evening?" There's always that possibility.

"Like I've said, not too useful as a clue..." the bespectacled man sighed. "It's all I can say in these circumstances..."

"... It might still be helpful..." I gave some reassurance. "Things that are said to be useless can turn up again as an important factor so... maybe this oddity is one of them..."

"Huh... you sounded almost like her..." Machi remarked. "You're surprisingly a soft-hearted person... that's dangerous, you might be able to fool people with it..."

"Wha- Why would I need it to fool others...?" That's the first time someone sees my consolation as that. The librarian didn't expand on it any further and just excused himself, advising that I should check out Shoma in the kitchen currently. I obliged what he said and at the said area, the biologist was joined by Nao and Higura, who returned from the crime scene.

"You three found anythin-!?"

Before I can even complete my question, a rolling pin was swung in my direction, aiming for my face. I could barely dodge it in time, feeling it merely grazing my cheek, "What are you-!?"

Shoma just keeps swinging it aggressively and no matter what, my scolding didn't faze him. Timing it at exactly the right moment, I grabbed the thing before it landed on my head, "What the hell were you thinking!?"

"... Ah!" Shoma somehow just realized someone's right in front of him. "Sumi-critter is here...! Does the little critter think this equipment is useful?"

"A-Ah... Shoma thinks it might be a murder weapon!!" Nao quickly deciphered his words. "Hi-Higura didn't believe him so he tried to prove a point!"

"By not believing, more like his reasoning make it harder to think he's serious about it...." Higura added.

The biologist lifted the possible weapon and I can immediately tell how much of an impact a bulky and damp rolling pin can deal, my arm felt sore. With the right momentum and angle, you can probably use it to stun someone, "No one used it this morning...?"

"Shellhead said no one touched it since he and the animal whisperer were in charge..." said Higura. "They sense nothing's off and no one sneaked past them..."

"So we know how the culprit can take on Homare.... but that doesn't explain... the bedroom..." all of this might have occurred earlier than I thought. "... Yet nothing happened last night-"

"This critter heard a noise..."

"What?" Shoma's sudden confession got our attention.

"Faint but..." Shoma described. "Critter hears the heavy but precise steps of the sword-bearer.... marching like a soldier before dawn... and another that this critter can't hear very well... too soft..."

"... How the fuck does anyone manage to recognize people by their footsteps..." Higura remarked. "You better not make this shit up..."

"People can have a distinct walking style so maybe that..." I tried to defend Shoma's account, while it does sound outlandish. If it was true then Homare did leave the room and we knew went. "Did you hear any door being opened or anything before that?"

"No... the drowsy critter at that time can only do that much..." Shoma sulked. "If this critter knew... then the critter wouldn't have failed the sword-bearer..."

The biologist seems understandably upset that he missed the chance in preventing Homare from meeting her demise. That very fleeting moment that he was happened to be awake and yet...

...

'Damn it...'

I tried to restrain myself from hitting my head in front of others, 'I can't be thinking about it at a time like this... we will inevitably lament about it but... time's ticking... we can't fail her wish to keep everyone's safe either...'

"Don't flatter yourself either, Ms Investigator..."

"Wha...?" all three heads stared at the graphic designer who looked, as usual, irritated.

"If you think your words from yesterday caused this then you're thinking way too highly of yourself, that bitch has that much pride of herself than you think..." Higura claimed. "She has that much pride to prove that she could handle the situation perfectly and look where that got her. But she should have fucking seen it coming! And now we're cleaning the mess she left that she surely feels guilty for once so get your mind working and proved to that idiot that we don't need a leader and should have more fucking faith in us!!"

"T-That's not... nice... to say...." Nao slowly shrunk when she faced the designer.

"... Why did she leave earlier...." Higura's words... brought up a good point. "She.. should have known how dangerous it is after yesterday's videos. If she did, she would have stayed put but... the fact that she leave so early... did someone baited her out?"

"You mean someone lured her out of the room? Fucking maybe..." Higura grumbled. "Who knows what that bitch's thinking with her notebook constantly in her hands. She could be hiding some shit from us and we wouldn't even know what afterwards..."

"Was she... rendezvousing with someone...?" Could it also be the reason why she was acting off last night when I pointed it out? Because she's anticipating meeting someone later? '

If this sleepover idea was the reason she was all shifty then... maybe... Hisao did have a hand in this one.

"Sumi?" I felt an extra weight added to my back, recognizing it to be the medium's voice before turning around. "I found something odd near the bed..."

He uncurled his hand to reveal cotton wrappings covered with the same flakes with dried blood on them and a bottle with a little amount of water and a familiar scent.

"I had Mitsuru to confirm it for me..." the medium added. "It seems they're from the medical kit in the kitchen..."

I picked the wrappings up closely, "... Alcohol swabs... they must have fallen off and we didn't see it..."

"Ah... it's true..." Shoma went ahead and checked the neatly closed medical kit after the medium pointed out, noticeably some items are missing from it. "And that bottle... wasn't it from the pantry...?"

"... So they have access to the kitchen way before anyone else....?" Higura narrowed his eyes. "How's that possible...."

And with that, our investigation time came to an end when the PA system picks up once again;

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!

"Your investigation time's up, little detectives!! It's time to move forward with our very first exciting event, the Class Trial !! Please head your way to the northwest of the hotel immediately!"

It shuts off, and everyone in the hotel grouped up in the reception hall.

"That area... isn't it the small forestry?" the behaviourist confirmed it for everyone. "If there is such place... then the little feline kept it well hidden from us until... this happened...."

"Let's head there and check..." I made sure everyone's present before leaving the hotel. "Best not to test that thing's patience..."

Slowly and surely, the hall gets emptier as we dreadfully headed our way to the said location.

During our trip there, my thoughts still linger about this case, of how the culprit escaped our sight and managed to sneak part multiple people. And how they did so without a hitch.

We stopped in our tracks once we reached the said forestry, by looking at it closely, there's an old building wrapped inside the overgrown forest.

The archaeologist and medium were examining the walls, looking for something dangerous before Kiharu pulled away first, "Just some a normal single-storey building with this...." she pointed at the mechanism on the wall, "... being the only way inside, I guess?"

"An underground trial...." Renma mused. "So we'll be taken down where we will be pit against each other..."

"Hurry up and call for it already..." Hisao yawned. "It's bad enough we have to be this awake so early in the morning... there's no way everyone's mind would work oh-so-perfectly to make this trial work..."

"I fucking hope you're the murderer so that we can skewer you without a thought..." Higura hissed.

"Awww, what's this, did I hit a sore spot to earn that mild threat?" Hisao snickers, talking in a mocking tone. "That's cute, what's next? Threatened me with murder? Oh, better be careful with it! Not when we had one already happened!"

"Break it up..." I pushed both of them back, sending a glare to the grinning conman. "If you guys want to fight so badly, then how about giving it all during the trial instead?"

"Hm, at least I can do that..."

"Tch, fucking asshole..." the designer spat. "I'm gonna hauled that donkey ass down into the fucking ground..."

Fortunately, Kiharu amidst the argument called the elevator and as it arrives, everyone flooded in. The small room was filling in gradually, making sure that everyone got in... then suddenly, I felt a pair of hands slide under my jacket and touched my sides.

"Atchu-"

"Nyagh!?"

Quickly whipped around and feeling my cheeks burning from embarrassment, Shoma stood behind me with his hands up, "Y-You! Shoma, what on earth-!?"

"Critters won't survive under stress..." Shoma cuts off. He took my hand, pulling me along into the elevator shaft, "When critters went through too much stress... critters will give out... critters such as ourselves shouldn't think too much..."

When he lets go of my hand, it just occurred how strong his grip was once I saw the reddish marking, 'What... what's with him trying to help but ended up terrifying instead...?'

"Well, ain't that cute, little miss?" Hisao chuckles. "Didn't expect you would make that kind of noise when you got startled!"

"Oh, please shut it..."

As the elevator slowly descends, the silence that follows after was shattered by Mitsuru who speaks up first, "Do you guys... really think one of us did this?"

"That question has no place here... it's a useless attempt either..." Amane noted. "If it's true then the killer obviously won't admit it out loud... you will only make it harder to weed them out..."

"W-We don't know for sure!" Saku interjected. "There's a chance that this whole thing's rigged! There's no way anyone of us could do something like this...."

"Will cut off my tongue for this but the airborne fuckhead's right..." the designer dodged an attack from the aerobat just in time. "... With how much evidence doesn't seem connected... I'm betting that we're doomed by the furfuck so that we will fail miserably..."

"Oh~ho? You're placing bets again?" Hisao curiously sneaked into the conversation. "Mind if I placed mine as well to prove you wrong? Since your tongue will be gone soon, then I will take one of your ears so that no words will escape that empty head of yours!"

"Fuck off with your weird severed limb collecting fetish!"

"Someone has to get those words stuck inside your head permanently!"

'Ahhh, we can't win all the time...' I admitted defeat in my mind, but still managed to smile hearing that ridiculous argument. '... Better than just standing around in silence...'

And with that, the elevator door opened wide.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!! This host humbly welcomes you to the next stage of our luxurious experience, the Class Trial!"

Monomyou, with its booming voice, plopped onto its small throne, a silver-bearing with blue cushioning that stood higher than the podiums below, "Please make your want to your designated position so that your adorable can explain how the rules go!"

Our names were engraved on the podiums as we searched around. From the first podium facing the elevator, the order goes clockwise;

Mitsuru, Shoma, Hinako, Hiroshi, Saku, Nao, Renma, Amane, Hisao, Kiharu, Sumire, Taiga, Homare, Machi, Higura, Hibiki

The courtroom is just as lavish as the hotel's layout; marble pillars stood tall and surrounded by fake vines, while floral tiles, cerulean blue wallpaper with fleur-de-elise markings and dark blue curtains draped above us.

However, the aesthetics of the room wasn't enough to distract anyone... from noticing the podium with a picture frame in its place; a picture frame of the recently deceased fencer with a bloody X marked on her face, depicted with two foils clashed together.

"This.... what's with this tasteless joke....?" said Machi.

"That? Well, this host feels bad that we're missing a full audience while the show goes on!" Monomyou replied innocently. "Rather than leaving your friend out of the fun, how about preserving a piece of them as some motivation for this trial!"

"You have no right to say that!" Kiharu shouted. "For all we know, you might be the one behind all this!!"

"Impawsible- ackh! I stuttered!" Monomyou bit their tongue. "It's impossible for the host to intervene! It's against the rule for everyone's sake! Which I will lay out right now before I get interrupted once more...! Your lovely host is forbidden to lend a hand to guests who wanted to escape this place or even in their planning!"

"With no exceptions?" Hisao asked.

"Well, hurting my guests is possible but that only applies to guests who directly hurt this host first!" the host explained. "As for exceptions... well depending on the situation where I would need my guests' help to have one of you be taken care of but that really depends on how you all go about it!"

'All and all, they couldn't have done it...' I thought. 'Not a single clue pointing towards the host... the culprit's really one of us...'

"Now the host will present the rules of the court trial!!" Monomyou started. "Rule One, everyone will present your evidence and argument while theorizing who the culprit might be! Be sure to lay everything out bare for everyone to chew on! Leaving one out will surely be a fatal mistake! Rule Two, if all of you managed to corner the culprit or blackened and vote them out correctly, they will be punished for disturbing the peaceful ruling of our hotel! Rule Three, if somehow everyone voted for the wrong person, everyone here will get punished but the blackened will be set free! Just as the host promised if they managed to fulfil the requirements to leave this place!"

"Punished...?" Hinako picked up one glaring word from the sentence. "What... will you do to us?"

"Well, an eye for an eye as they always said!" Monomyou explained. "Our dear guests, it's all on your hands to pass the judgement! Misused it and you will pay the price, as they said as well! And lastly, Rule Four, you must vote! Forfeiting a vote will accidentally drag everyone's judgement weight down so be careful!"

"E-Either way...." the cosmetologist stammered. "All of our lives are affected! T-There's no way we have an easy way out either!"

"Then the spirits around this place were telling the truth..." Renma cleared his throat. "They've been rejecting the notion of us escaping..."

"H-How are we gonna..." the ghostwriter wasn't able to finish her words, breaking into tears again.

The air became suffocating, doubts towards each other keeps increasing, fear of having a backstabber in the group that would purposely deceive everyone, 'This is bad... now the pressure just got to them now... if this continues then... we won't last long here!'

"Ah geez, you guys are just a bunch of cowards...."

All eyes turned to look at the conman, staring at them with disinterest and disgust, "You guys just got here and immediately chickened out? Man, you guys are way worst than me! Even I won't back away from a dangerous bet!"

"B-Because we have no idea how everything will go!" Saku yelled out his reasoning. "What if we got it wrong in the end!? What if we can't find out who killed Homare and avenge her!?"

"Huh? What kind of bullshit reason is that?" Hisao glared down at him and I suddenly felt a shiver travel down my spine. His wide, expressionless face with his voice filled with malice, his whole stature just seeps that menacing aura. "There's no way I'm giving up my life for a mistake like that. That's fucking stupid. And refusing this whole mess means forfeiting my life but unlike you all... I actually want to live so shut the hell up or else you will drag everyone else down with you..."

"Hi-Hisa-" He suddenly brought his hand out, not letting me step forward and trying to get to his side.

The same hand then made its way to his neck, wrapping around it tightly, "Maybe a guess but if you don't want to deal with this then maybe forfeit your own life right here, right now without troubling others? There are no rules said about punishing others for not preventing the same incident from happening so if you like, be our guest and do so.... feel free and join our dear friend who risks their life to prevent this...."

And just like that, my stomach just dropped, my body all freeze-up hearing his venomous words. The man who took the words of a dead person to taunt others, who wouldn't dare to not show his distrust in others and who wouldn't hesitate to put others in their place.

Show him your uncompetitiveness and he will put you out.

That's the type of person that Mafuyu Hisao is, a two-faced conman.

A huge noise echoed throughout the room that grabbed our attention again, Higura slammed both of his hands onto the podium as retaliation, "Fuck off... fuck off with your creepy ass villain monologue and your superiority complex! Like hell we will listen to what you have to say, how about your know your place first!! If we failed then you failed as well!! But it's better that way than being worthless scums who didn't try at all!"

"Huuuh, since when are you fighting on behalf of everyone?" Hisao asked. "I thought you wouldn't for that fencer's sake... it's not like you're showing any compassion for her before her untimely death...."

"So what? She's still responsible for landing everyone in this place!!" Higura gestured to the courtroom around us. "You expect to show remorse for condemning us all just for her own selflessness?! If anything, she will feel even more self-pitying for causing it so we're gonna shred that sentiment into pieces! So how about you shut it and cooperate with us for one goddamn second!?"

"We will surely disrespect our friend's spirit..." Renma backed him up. Disappointment for not being able to do it so unfortunately for you, dear conman, we will have to reject your proposal to let us perish without trying..."

Just like that, a newfound determination was suddenly prompted and ignited within everyone, they've all calmed down and went to their podiums, shaking showing hints of nervousness but completely set on finishing the trial without a hitch.

"Well then, don't disappoint the host now..." Hisao sneaks a glance right at me, winking as he told me to hush.

'Ah... this son of a bitch...' I let out a laugh, so that was his intention after all. As I inhaled deeply, I watched how Monomyou was observing the whole situation from the sidelines, "Hey, were you paying attention? We're ready now!!"

"Nyehehehe...." the feline host sinisterly laughed. "That was a nice play done by my guests, I was impressed!! Who would have known such an act can even entertain the host to no end! Now then, I hope you have more in store for this host to be entertained!"

"We can now officially start the Class Trial ! A point of no returning!! With your strength and wits, it's time to refute with all your mind !"

'One of us is the culprit... one of us was determined to escape from here no matter what the cost... but we're not gonna let them out!' the lights of our podiums brightened up. 'Not until we bring them to justice... to expose them for their selfishness...'

Chapter Text

"How exciting! Our first class trial is about to start, this host has high expectations so everyone! Let's all be in high spirits!" Monomyou beamed. "Let's begin the trial with our first volunteer! Anyone would be dear to lead the flow?"

"There's one thing I want to confirm first before we talk about the clues..." I started first with the lingering question. "I want to know of all the alibi of people who weren't in the dining hall this morning..."

"Those people would be... Amane, Mitsuru, Taiga and Hiroshi...." Saku listed them out. "Wait, but that includes you too, Sumi...."

"I just overslept that's all..." I reasoned. "I was with Nao before we found Homare's body..."

"I-It's true!" Nao backed me up. "She just left the room when I was about to get my ElectroID!"

"Really, I wonder if you two are telling the truth?" Hisao smiled. "With the time frame between when Nao left the dining hall and the announcement we've heard about the body... it certainly is enough to pull something like that in a couple of minutes, isn't it?"

"W-What...." Is he serious about this? His claim... does make sense, just because I joined everyone in their investigation, that shouldn't dismiss the possibility that I could be the culprit.

"You sound very confident with those hunches..." Renma argued. "However, I failed to see the logic behind it...."

"Hey, keep your bias in check, spiritfucker!" Higura asserted. "Just because you guys are close, that doesn't mean you can give them a free pass..."

"I understand, I will eviscerate that man next time then..." said the medium. "But do note this; if it is widely believed that Homare was killed much earlier, then Shoma's group, including myself, would have been alerted if she left the room..."

"Correct, not only that, she was unconscious most of the night..." Hibiki added. "Due to her duty with Homare that lasted till nighttime, it makes sense that she slept in..."

"Y-Yeah but what if she managed to sneak past everyone and you guys didn't realize it..?" Kiharu asked. "Just to be sure, a lot of things can happen when we're not awake!"

My alibi's in great danger here. I must convince them somehow that I'm not the culprit. Isn't there any indicator though...?

An indicator like...

"That's it..." I snapped my fingers. "The announcement... Monomyou, dearest host, may I ask you about that first?"

"Oho? Now that's the first since you asked me sweetly, I will gladly hear you out! Go on! This host's eager to answer your question!"

"Everyone's alerted by the announcement that a murder took place but it wasn't until Nao and I found it that it rang out..." I pointed out. "So what's the trigger here? What does it take for that kind of announcement to happen?"

"Hm, now, you sure did ask the most crucial question really quickly!!" Monomyou sounded reluctant to answer but gave in. "That announcement exists to give enough time for the culprit to clean their hands off of everything they did, it wouldn't make sense if it rang out just when the knife struck the victim, right? To have that announcement to roll out, three people must discover the body first!"

"Three... Nao and I went in first..." I remembered back the events from earlier. "And Taiga because he was there trying to break down the door...."

"You two can be excluded but....." Machi doubted. "We can't say the same for Taiga... one of the three people could be the killer since the host didn't mention it has to be a passerby that found the corpse..."

"That's true..." Mitsuru muttered. "But I already heard the announcement before any one of us went inside the room... and in there, it was just those three..."

"If we assumed the killer's excluded...." the conman speculates. "It would make total sense, after all, there's no way our magnificent, awesome and beloved host would make it so difficult for their dearest guests, right?"

"Absolutely not!" Monomyou boasted. "I aim to entertain everyone and no entertainment is worth the trouble of thinking too much about it!"

.... Wow, they took the bait.

"Little miss, Taiga and Nao are excluded, okay, now that's out of the way!" Hisao got his answer. "We can move on to the slackers next! Now that we have some info about the announcement thing, we can use it to eliminate some suspects!"

Okay, I'm ticked that he did that just to scare me but I applaud for his daring feat.

"It's now rock solid that those three didn't do it since they triggered the announcement..." the conman continued. "Then the only people left are those who stayed on the same floor...."

"Mitsuru, Amane, Hiroshi... mind filling us in on what you guys were doing prior?"

"Well, Taiga and I cleaned up our mess from last night's pillow fight..." Hiroshi explained. The conman nodded since he entered their room for a quick investigation, giving them a pass. "It was... rough, we didn't realize we went that crazy with it...."

"I actually woke up early but Amane just won't budge!!" Mitsuru pouted. "He's so stubborn! As if he's in a comatose state!!"

"She did try to suffocate him using a pillow...." Kiharu sighed. "He's a real treat for us to handle...."

"... I absolutely don't know about all this, I left earlier..." Hisao added his words. "But I agree, the composer truly is a different kind of trouble!"

"Oh, hush your words...." the composer silenced his group. "If it weren't for you wenches, I could have woken up in top-notch condition..."

"Yeah? Then sleep in early next time..." It's the conman's turn to snap back. "We didn't sign up for a history lesson about composing last night..."

"The alibis of those who stayed in their rooms... are still the most suspicious people here..." Hibiki listed out the said alibis before giving her explanation. "If the record file's telling the truth about the wound on her head... it would make sense if she got it when she's all alone..."

"There's a chance that the killer caught her off-guard in that room..." Machi said. "But there's no sign of a struggle..."

"We would have heard it if there was importantly..." Hiroshi joined in the librarian's comment. "And didn't Shoma mention the lack of blood in that room, as well?"

"That he did..." I joined in. "Which is why I believe that she was hit near the reception area instead..."

"What...? That far away from us?" Machi narrowed his eyes. "That would only cause more work for the killer to transport the body... why go through such a hassle?"

"I don't know but it was Kiharu and Saku who found out the area there was recently wiped cleaned...." I pointed out the polished tiles compared to the rest of the flooring.

"The rest were pretty dusty so it was strange to find that certain area wasn't..." Kiharu replied.

"Not to burst your ego but..." Hisao coughed to get his attention. "When I was in the elevator with little miss and Nao, there was something different about its air. The left corner of the shaft was damped a bit and once I caught a whiff of it, no doubt, there's a remaining metallic scent to it..."

"So it wasn't just me..." exclaimed Saku. "Hira and I thought something was odd but we can't figure it out why... it was so faint..."

"Hey, who the fuck ask you to call me that?"

"Macchan, I hope that's enough to answer your doubt..." I glanced over to Machi. "At least we now have a concrete beginning on where Homare first encounters the culprit...."

"...My mistake... I apologized..." He doesn't sound like he's being genuine with it, not with that frustrated look.

"Hey now! This is a trial, you know!!" Hisao called out. "There's no use in exchanging pleasantries when it comes to an accusation! Everyone should be aware that have no place in these kinds of things!"

"Oh, so you feel nothing when you accused me a while ago?" I asked him, sarcastically but also bitterly.

"Being partners with little miss sure would give me lots of advantages but that doesn't mean we can trust you easily, you know!" the conman continued. "In fact, I don't really trust everyone on what they have said about their alibis! I suspect a cover-up is being done here!"

"A cover-up... of what?"

"Little miss, you remember Nao's account, right?" Hisao answered my question. "When they first woke up, Homare was still asleep. But since the attack happened way earlier than that, how is it possible that they claimed that she's still in her bed?"

"We would have witnessed something if it's earlier too but we heard nothing...." said Higura.

"Well, that doesn't mean it has to happen exactly when we're woken up by the morning announcement ..." Taiga shook his head. "That's risky... and unimaginable at that. The file mentioned that it's all dried-up so the wound was inflicted much earlier... like before 6 am... or even 4 so that they can clean up their mess..."

"Way before us...." Saku's eyes widened. "But that means... Homare would have left her room before anyone else..."

"... Shoma's account proved that...." the biologist tilted his head in confusion as I explained. "He said that he heard footsteps... I can't say for sure if that's Homare's since he, um, said that...."

"The swordbearer's steps are elegant but heavy! Like a soldier, befitting of her natural talent!! And... the critter did hear another step of soft footsteps...." Shoma continued. "However, this critter can only do so much with little energy to stay awake... thanks to the soothing voice of an angelfish!"

".... Were you talking about me?" Hibiki pointed at herself and received a nod. "Oh, thank you...."

"W-What!?" Amane looked shocked and terrified as he's gripping hard onto his podium. "You lots witnessed the Holy Lorelei's Voice first!? How dare you!! How dare you take away my chance of witnessing such exquisite beauty to help craft my own masterpiece!? Absurd, certainly, this is an absurd and cruel twist of fate!!"

"Fucking hell man, are all people here just easily distracted or what..." Higura winced at hearing the composer's ranting. "We're fucking doomed if we keep getting sidetracked like that...."

I would like to say 'no' but the previous occasion, unfortunately, proved his point. Can't help but to agree with the foul-mouthed graphic designer out of all people. "But to put that in perspective, Homare did leave along with someone else... probably the culprit but... that would complicate things..."

"Because why would she leave with them without suspecting them, you mean?" Saku put it into words. "Maybe she didn't think about it like that? Like she trusts that culprit a whole lot if she's that confident in leaving her room..."

"Her group would be the main suspects then...." Taiga accused. "Wait, Nao's excluded, we already knew that...."

"Y-Yes..." Nao gulped, trying her best to explain herself. "To be honest... we didn't hear much last night since we're heavy sleepers.... and Macchan snored really loudly that it honestly scared us a lot..."

"For the entire night even..." Hinako chuckles. "Honestly, it was like a predator undergoing hibernation, unable to wake up even with a little nudge. It won't be a shock to us that we didn't hear our door was opened..."

"Urgh-" The librarian just took imaginary jabs there. "I'm sorry you two...."

"So the culprit... is someone she's planning to meet up...." Renma proposes another perspective. "We all know the nature of our fencer and due to her carefulness, she wouldn't leave unless it's for something important... something that she needs to talk to this culprit about...."

"She was the one who's heavily against the idea of the slumber party...." Amane brought in new information that I'd never heard before. "This might be something you're unaware of, Sumire but right before you arrived, all of us argued about it before she reluctantly agreed. We suspect because it was Monomyou's idea that she was against it but... is it possible that she met up with feline instead?"

"I've already told you guys that it's forbidden for the host to murder this guest!" the host reminded us. "But as for secret meeting or such... then nope! Even a host like me needs some beauty sleep!"

'So... a rendezvous... a secret meeting... if it's that simple....' the rest continued to argue about the host's innocence as I was brainstorming. 'If Homare's the one suggesting to meet up and it's regarding this whole slumber party then... the only people who knew about it from the inside... and one I could possibly think of her trying to speak with was.....'

........

" Mafuyu Hisao ... I'm sure you have something you've been keeping a secret from us?"

All focus was ripped from the host and onto the conman next. He's quiet, staying still and still disinterested when he heard his name being called out.

"Hm? What was that?" He faked his confusion. "On what basis do you have to say I was hiding something? Or anything to might be related to this case at all??"

Now, it's my turn to go against you, it makes sense now that I think about it, "This slumber party thing... it was Shoma's idea and it was supposed to be for us three, Renma and I... and you happened to pass us by the hotel. Which means you discuss this plan with the host before making everyone involved...."

"Huh...." Mitsuru tensed up, she has every right to considering she's in the same group as he is and could have gotten in danger. "I-Is that true?"

"Don't you think it's a coincidence that I happened to be near when you guys talked about it?" Hisao argued. "If you're planning some kind of event that needed Monomyou for approval then surely it can be the host's idea alone to force everyone into it, right?"

"Now that's funny... there's no rule saying we need to tell Monomyou about some off-event...." I got you now. "So why did you bring them into this?"

His fist clenched, he was checking nails during this whole conversation and that just involuntarily edged him. And he knows he can't get himself out now that everyone saw how he reacts.

"Of course, it's fucking shady conman who's in this mess!!" Higura hissed. "What else should we expect from the least trustworthy person participating in the fucking trial! Should have gotten your ass while we were waiting before!!"

"The fencer is known for her strictness so for her to act nervous when she didn't need to be around us..." Machi glanced at Hisao. "You're the only one here that she could have been acting awry around...."

The accusation keeps piling and getting heated over to the point there's no space to even breathe in normally. Instead, there's anxiousness filling the air as we anticipate what the conman will say next, 'Come on, why aren't you saying anything!?'

....

He laughed. A small laugh to himself, it wasn't a forced one and it took everyone off guard. Just when thought he finally lost it, he slammed his hand on the podium and glared at me. I froze, it's the same cold expression he gave earlier before the trial started.

"You're a pain in the ass for forcing me to deal with this now, huh, little miss?" Hisao sighed, brushing his hair aside. "Just a small thing that you blew out of proportion, only because you weren't there to listen to it yourself. Isn't it annoying when people went hostile toward you just for being a little suspicious? Just when it doesn't matter at all?"

"What do you mean by that..." I asked, trying to fight back his words.

"If you wanted to know so badly, little miss then fine.... take this as gospel, I rejected her meeting plan..." Hisao finally comes clean, but it wasn't what we were expecting to hear. "Of course, I will reject it. Who in the right mind would agree to it when no one's around? Now, are you satisfied hearing that, everyone?"

He's... not the one who leaves the room. But he's the only one with a direct connection with the plan so surely he was the supposed person she's meeting with to ask about the slumber party.

I stiffened up.

I accidentally realized something.

'I... outed him...' I realized that I did something carelessly. 'I outed his involvement... this plan... was only for the escape group to know only...'

I looked around to see Nao and Hinako acting perfectly normally but Taiga's eye shifted towards me, looking all worried about what I'd just done. My instinct to double-cross came back again. I... was the one who stepped out of the line.

"But you know, that's weird, isn't it?" Hisao continued his side of the story. "Even if it is just a throwaway plan, why am I the only one she seeking out to ask about it? Why not Monomyou, the one who gave us the green light? I've only mentioned it once..."

"... And it could have been Amane as well...." Hibiki mentioned another thing. "He's in charge of our group roster, she would have asked him instead..."

"Or Shoma..." Renma added. "He's the original holder of the idea after all and the first to speak with Monomyou about it...."

"These three people would have been the possible culprit...." Hisao threw in another wild speculation. "But neither of us killed her... Mitsuru and Kiharu would have known if either Amane and I left the room since the keycard tucked ever so deeply in the pockets of the composer..."

"Why is that important for them to know that..."

"Because who wants to touch other people like that just to get our escape key?"

"In what universe must you resort to indecency act just to get a single card?!"

"Anyways..." the conman ignored the composer's fuming words. "What I'm trying to say is... why me? Why am I being targeted just to answer some simple questions?"

"You probably have the most dubious intents out of everyone here, maybe that's why..." Kiharu tried to reason. "Maybe she tried to confront you... and that only proves her right when you didn't bring this whole stuff up earlier!!"

"Because it will screw me over and everyone doesn't need to know..." the conman frowned. "I said no and that's the end of the story. If I mentioned this no big deal tidbit then in no time, I will be voted out almost immediately. Your trust in me is shockingly low that it might happen so I keep my mouth shut about it... but that doesn't answer my previous question...."

Why him ?

....

Come to think of it.... why with the blind suspicion? Why... is she not being careful around him then? "Why... did she approach if she knew you're dangerous....?"

"Ah, I'm so happy little miss' the first one to catch on..." Hisao chuckles. "Because that means you've realized your mistake now and consider her actions more critically. I was also curious why she asked me to meet her all of the sudden but unfortunately, the dead won't talk... well, there is a way and it's not a verbal one in fact...."

"Which is?"

Hisao threw something into the air and caught it in his hand; a familiar small notebook, the one belonging to Homare, "This little thing here... a device that can be used as a written confession. I retrieved this when everyone was inspecting the body... this was placed on the bedside table and I'm shocked you guys missed it...."

"That's... a precious property of the dead...." Renma seethed. "Do you have no shame at all for tossing it like some sort of dog toy?"

"There's no point in using emotions when you're the one who's near it but didn't notice it yourself..." Hisao shook the notebook. "I've checked just in case she recorded something important that we didn't know about and... I wasn't surprised at all! Of course, she went along with the plan for a reason. It makes sense now! Even so much more when she first asked me! It would have lined up all so perfectly... for her..."

For her?

...

Wait, no, don't tell me-

"Hisao... don't tell me......" I stammered. "What's inside that book was...."

"Little miss, this is what you're suspecting me for, right?" He smirked at me, before delivering the final blow. "The answer you're looking for was.... that Homare was the one who's planning to murder first..."

Just like that, a collective of gasps was heard in the room, others just flinched in response. The designer even dropped his annoyance and reacted just as astounded as everyone else. Machi, Nao and Hinako just stared wide-eyed at the conman's response.

"Oh, don't believe me yet?" Hisao taunted as he showed notebook pages to everyone else. And clear as day, the pages were detailed scenarios of getting away from this place, through gruesome means. "That's all her handwriting, no doubt about that! An impressive feat really and if everything went accordingly, she would have won in an instant..."

"M-Meaning...." the ghostwriter stuttered in fear. "When she tried to rendezvous with you... was she planning to...."

"Not that hard believe it now, isn't it?" Hisao closed the notebook in his hand. "Perhaps but since I declined... then this culprit that we've been trying to find might be taken as a victim instead! Wouldn't that perfectly explain why she would leave so willingly with only one person? And wouldn't that back up what Monomyou said yesterday?"

"Ooh? Whatever could you mean, sir!" Monomyou heckled from the back. "If this host has any involvement in this matter, then the most the host did was gave a simple warning!"

".... You said that someone was already planning it... before we went to our group...." I pieced it together. "You... were talking about Homare....?"

"Just who exactly spoke with the host about the plan first?" Hisao pointed it out, clarifying my point. "Our host must have realized what she had in mind when they were discussing it..."

"This host's senses are sharp as a.....!? Feline but coincidentally!" Monomyou panicked when they almost compared themselves to their animal counterpart. "But of course, intervening is forbidden even if it's preplanned! I had hoped that our beloved past guest wouldn't go through with it but, nyahahaha! She did it in the end!"

"So everything she did... was just a trap?" Mitsuru mumbled. "She planned to abandon us all just like that...?"

Everyone's speechless, at the revelations, at the conman, everything. And so am I. I thought back on the words I said to her last night when I offered to listen to her problems. What... would happen if she set her eyes on me at that moment?

.....

I'm upset and that's understandable. But not in a time like this, "It's... what we expected... in a situation like this..."

"Aha, so dear little miss is on my side now!" the conman cheerfully laughed. "That's true, just because someone themselves promised us they won't let anyone do something reckless... that doesn't mean they wouldn't it themselves!"

"It's... to be predicted..." Shoma said so solemnly, not being too affected by it. "Normal human reaction... even this critter understands... after the video, everyone's stressed out... especially the stone-cold sword-bearer..."

"Then why are we doing this..."

I heard someone muttering under their breath, their resolve to complete this trial slowly diminishing, knowing that they're defending a betrayer. And I can't blame to... I would too if I knew..... but-

"Everyone!" I raised my voice, and the people standing beside me jolted. "Everyone... please remember... even though... Homare planned all of this... we....."

"- have to solve her shit, no matter what...."

"Huh!?"

Everyone looked towards Higura, tugging his jacket as he continued, "It doesn't matter now if she's worthy to fight for or we should just ditch her initial promise to use into the fucking bin.... what's important right now is that... she sprung some shit up to get us moving..."

"What... do you mean by that...?" Saku asked.

"Hmm... this critter understands...!" Shoma continued. "Although the sword-bearer had selfish intents... but without that... would all the critters here be fine with the unchanging climate of the hotel?"

"Without an escape or anything that would progress our findings..." Renma added. "If she stayed true to her words... well, how long would anyone stay sane? If she's not the one to hold the knife, who would it be then?"

.... They're right.

No matter how we see it, it's another form of slow torture for us.

"We don't know if her original intention was really to escape... or was just a fluke that she got roped into murdering...." I continued from thereon. "She was the first one who's determined to keep us alive... maybe the meeting... was supposed to be about our survival..."

"What an optimistic output, my beloved investigator guest!" the host laughed. "I wonder how effective our perfectly filmed videos make guests all so jittery! This host would love to hear how a single moving picture was able to change people's hearts so easily!"

I glared at the cat on its throne, "And we can't blame her for thinking twice... for wanting to get out of here... because in the end... all of you would eventually do the same thing...."

It's human nature, isn't it? As silence prevails, everyone looked at each other, worryingly, nothing in their mind that could assist them in proving those words wrong, "But... you guys don't have to think that we're doing this for her... we will just have to expose the culprit and be done with it... let's end this trial for our own survival..."

An attempt to convince them, a please if you could see it that way, but one by one, everyone's motivation flared up.

"Our trust might be broken...." Hibiki nodded. "But we shouldn't admit defeat at a time like this... we still have a chance to prevent our demise..."

"I... don't know if all of this is a fluke or not... but...." Taiga exclaimed. "Whatever...! Let's follow your belief, Sumi! It's less convoluted than what we now knew about!"

'Ah... thank god...'

I felt an overwhelming rush of relief once everyone's getting better. My knees weak made me slide down, trying to catch my breath due to the tension. And through the small opening of the podium, I gazed towards Hisao's direction, wondering, '... Why must he get into that many details? He could have just said 'no' and told us afterwards but... he's so insisted on proving me wrong that he blabber more than he should...'

'Is this his way of getting back at me? For revealing his plan...? Or just another trick...' I quickly pulled myself up, some questions should be left behind for some other time. "... Let's trace back the sequence of events before we continue..."

"Okay, here it went..." Hiroshi took the lead. "Homare, whether it's to lure this person as a victim or someone to discuss our next step, brought the culprit to the reception area but it didn't go as she planned..."

"And then she took the hit..." Amane's turn to complete it. "All of this happened earlier and yet... if her group's telling the truth that was still in bed before the morning announcement..."

"I think... I have an answer to that...." Taiga confessed. "But I want everyone to be on the same page as I am because this can get a little confusing. When we first saw the body... what really caused her death there?"

"Asphyxiation, isn't it? There's no other way..." Hinako replied. "The time between when we left and entering the room was 30 minutes... it seems sufficient enough..."

"It's not how we found her in that's bothering me...." Taiga corrected, ".... it's the state of her body...."

"Care to explain that...?" Renma prompted him to go on.

"Well... I've learned how to differentiate bruises and wounds from a few medical classes I had before..." Taiga explained. "But when I saw Homare's neck... they're too evenly lined on both sides...."

"You... did notice it...." I recalled how he looked taken back when he untied the towels. "You sure they weren't caused by the towels?"

"They wouldn't leave obvious linings...." the marksman presented. "They're too thick, there shouldn't be any markings. And... if it's truly by hanging then it wouldn't make sense if Homare didn't think about standing on the edge of the bed instead.... the height between her and the bed wasn't that far and she could have untied it while being on it...."

"You think that the hanging was all just an act?" Higura winced. "Why the fuck would they do that...? And how? Surely, she must still be alive by the time the others left the room...."

It's true, the culprit would have a difficult time setting it up if Homare's just dazed from the wound. So to prevent that, they might have...

"That's the thing.... she didn't die from hanging..." my face just twitched at the image, "... she died from strangulation, from when the culprit first got to her at the reception area...."

"She died there!?" Machi shouted in shock. "But that means-!"

"If we're following little miss's thoughts here...." Hisao completed the mystery on my behalf, "... that means by the time her group woke up... she was already dead! Nao's group have been sleeping with a corpse unknowingly this whole time!"

In another shocking revelation, Nao, Hinako and Machi paled at the thought that after all this time, they were sharing a room with a dead body. Everything fits in with Nao's account of how they thought she was sleeping in her bed.... but she wasn't at all, she wasn't alive by then.

"The culprit critter must have done it in a rush..... disposing of the body...." Shoma swayed as he spoke. "Using the sword-bearer's key card to get into the room to place the body on the bed...."

"That's even more absurd!" Hinako argued. "The wound must have still been fresh when she placed there! The blood should have..."

"Then the towels' there for a reason...." Taiga reminded her. "It was bloodied but her main cause of death was strangulation.... so the culprit must have placed those things under the wound and used her weight as a means to apply pressure on it..."

"We... didn't notice anything out of the usual about the beddings..." Machi confessed. "But...! H-How didn't we notice her passing then... s-should we at least smelled something's off!?"

There... should be a metallic smell, right? The blood from the wound. Similar to the elevator's situation. Wouldn't that person notice it then? "Hisao, when... you took the notebook... didn't you notice anything else?"

"Like what?" the conman tilts his head.

"Like from the elevator!" I reminded him. "Didn't you notice any scent near the body or so?"

"... Even if there is......" Hisao covered the lower part of his face, looking bewildered at himself. "I can't tell the difference from any other rooms...."

"A difference....?" I raised an eyebrow. "Like what...? What kind of scent do the rooms have?"

".... Flowers" the conman admitted. "That's it, all the rooms just smell flowery to me...."

"Flo...wers?"

"It's nothing too drastic... when I went to my room earlier after leaving the group's room, not a single difference..." said Machi. "It's probably not that strong at all..."

But... how is there an absence of a bloody scent...? Unless...?

"The flower scent you've said..." I took out the bottle that the medium gave to me earlier. "Was it this one?"

From across the courtroom, I threw the bottle at the conman and it safely caught in his hands, he took a whiff and immediately pulled back, "Bleh, too strong...! Yup, that's the scent alright...."

"Let me have a sniff too!!" Kiharu pulled his arm close to her nose. " .....! It's the same sweet scent from our rooms!"

"Did the culprit somehow replicate the room's scent just as a distraction....?" the behaviourist questioned the weird evidence.

"Maybe...? There are also these materials...." I pulled it out of my pocket; the cotton wrappings with the alcohol swabs in it. "They probably used this to make that... Renma found them near the bed and the swab was probably used to clean the wound as well..."

"Hold on a second...!" Mitsuru suddenly gasped out loud, looking back and forth at the small bottle and the swabs in my hand. "Who's in charge of today's and yesterday's kitchen?!"

"It's Hira and I for yesterday...." the aerobat ignored the distant shouting of a disapproving designer. "And Sho, Hina for today...."

"Then can Shoma and Hinako list the things that were being used in a pantry or have been recently washed?"

"Probably a few bowls from yesterday... and there are some missing parchments and the bottle that Sumi-critter just threw..." Shoma answered. "Mortar and pestle... that's about it.... also, didn't colourful critter say the swabs were from the medical kit...?"

"That's not enough!!" Mitsuru, for some reason, scolded the biologist who shrunk into his podium. "There's a missing ingredient in the mix!! Is there any food or supply that went missing as well?!"

"The... tea bags...??" That's the only thing that fits the description. "Macchan said that some herbal tea bags are missing from its box... the one that Homare always prepared-"

"Chamomile and jasmine.... that's it!!" the cosmetologist snapped her fingers. "That's what that scent is!!"

"Th-That was fast!?" She didn't even explain the whole thing yet! "Mitsuru, how do you know...?"

"You see, perfumes can be made with kitchen appliances just as easily as you think!" the cosmetologist demonstrated. "As long as you have your main ingredient with enough alcohol buffer to enhance its scent! Extraction and mixing and all! You can have a temporary, homemade perfume in your hands!"

"And... it just so happened that chamomile is the scent most of the rooms had...." said the librarian. "Hold on, that's where they ended up at!?"

"It has to be!" Mitsuru sounds so confident in her words. "Aromatherapy inside the room of the corpse... no wonder you guys didn't notice it..."

"In a sense, we were already conditioned to the scent we're familiar with that we annihilate any foreign ones..." Hinako added. "... Truly a complicated measure...."

"Yet a helpful endeavour!! Guess the title of 'wild chemist beautician' really isn't treated as a joke!!"

"I'm a genius of beauty! Don't you dare laugh at me for it!"

Hisao ignored her remark, "And it's safe to say she's not the culprit since... she would have kept that as a secret to herself! But that info alone significantly lessens the suspect we all have in mind!!"

"It did?"

"It sure did!!" the conman snickers. "Aren't you happy we're getting near the end, little miss! The culprits were right in front of us all along!! They have some scientific knowledge and an open window of opportunity!!"

'It was already there for them to use....?'

...

I froze.

I know exactly what he meant... and I don't like it, wherever he's going on with this trial.

Because the only two people who would have thought of it... and has all the access to these materials were...

Shoma and Hinako.

'There's no way Shoma would murder anyone... for Hinako, there are too many risks for her to deal with... ' I can't imagine it but if those two were to rebut anything, it would be too tough to crack them either way. However, if Hisao's going to stir us in the wrong direction...

..... then I better take control of the trial before he does!

Chapter Text

"What a shocker!" Monomyou excitedly shouted. "Who would have known my beloved guests have been sleeping with their recently deceased friend this whole time! What a cruel twist of fate!! It just sends a shiver down this host's spine thinking about it!! Now, who would make such a daring move!? Certainly, this trial has piqued everyone's curiosity behind the true nature of the culprit!"

"So the culprit placed the scent near the bed, out of everyone's sight...." Hisao continued where we left off. "Now that we got a clear picture of how the bedroom scene played out, what do you think is next now, little miss?"

I eyed the conman, carefully as I went on with what we had left, "We know about the timing of when everyone entered the dining hall but what were you guys doing in the meantime before the announcement went off?"

"The usual, Hina and Sho serve us breakfast since it's their rotation..." Saku replied first. "Higura stir up a fight... like he always does...."

"Yeah, the fucking usual..." Higura grumbled, rubbing on what seemed to be a sore red spot on his cheek now that I looked at it closely. "Everything went dainty as everyone chatted for the whole morning..."

"Hina and I went to our rooms to handle our... businesses...." Machi coughed. "The ground floor restroom was under repair so we couldn't use it. Shoma and Renma were meditating at the corner of the dining hall...."

"Hibiki and I were planning to go swimming!" Kiharu exclaimed. "It was a great chance since I finally got her to agree with me but then we heard the announcement!!"

"I... stayed with the group but head back to the group's room to get my ElectroID...." Nao fidgets. "That's when I bumped into Sumi...."

"And I was playing around with those soldiers outside!!" Hisao grinned, without even meaning to be funny with that sentence. "It's been a while since I had a good exercise....!"

"He... sure did that...." Hiroshi confirmed it for us. "Was out for a jog and saw him did that.... along with Kiharu and Hibiki as witnesses...."

"I wanna do something useful too!"

"Okay, how is having a death wish being useful?"

With all the alibis being recorded, no doubt, Nao's group have the most suspicious ones out of everyone. They've all gone their separate ways and gone away earlier than anyone else, "Keep everyone's placement in mind, this is important, everyone...."

"Right... this is related to how the culprit went in and escaped, right?" Taiga asked. "The door's locked from the inside and we tried to break it down...."

"The locked room was just them trying to make it look like a suicide..." Higura said. "And I would have a hard fucking time believing that they would leave the body alone without a thought...."

"But thankfully, we didn't diverge from the main focus of the trial due to plenty of evidence that hasn't been erased completely...." the medium tapped his fingers against his cheek. "They wanted to mislead us and purposely vote wrongfully..."

"They have an amazing gut feeling than mine for planning that ahead without knowing about the trial rules first...." Kiharu remarked. "Buuuuuut, how would you vote if it's suicide? Like... what's considered to be the blackened one here?"

"Ahem-hmm, hmn! Nyargh-!!! I bit my tongue!!!" Monomyou fell back in its seat after coughing several times. "W-We had several discussions about that before and several hosts before yours truly have different rules regarding it! As for mine, a substitute will be punished instead! The reason behind their death!"

"That's such a shallow rule!!" Hiroshi yelled. "That means a small fight between friends will just doom both of them if it happened! Even if the victim's bitter feeling towards them is temporary-"

"It doesn't matter and it's not going to happen for this trial..." the conman cuts off the abseiler's sentence. "We're getting side-track as usual. Wow, you guys sure are useless without little miss or I holding your hands!"

"You're the one who's dumping that huge baggage on us out of the blue!!" Mitsuru pointed at him accusingly. "Besides..! Stop calling Sumi, little miss!! That just gives her the creep for having some relationship with you!"

"Erm, sorry? But I have better taste than that...I wanna have my own freedom, you know?"

"Wha-!?"

Excuse me!? Even as a joke, I still find that unnecessary!! And he definitely knew that the way he just smirked at me as I just rolled my eye back at him.

"Back to the question... of the critter escaping...." Shoma pondered. "Was there a secret passageway that the critter culprit could have gone through that we didn't know?"

"N-No, it's much more mundane..." Taiga explained. "They escaped through the opening from the window above the door...."

"Do you guys remember the chair near the door?" I asked them to recall back the crime scene. "The culprit used it to escape through the opened window panel as a height support...."

"The same way Nao enter the room to unlock the door from the inside with you giving her a boost..." Taiga nodded. "Yeah, I remember it now!"

"I-It was upright before I knocked it over...." Nao nervously laughed. "So... it's perfectly solved... it was very near that I didn't have time to land safely once I got over...."

"I suppose the culprit couldn't place it back to its original place after escaping..." Renma reasoned. "They would be too far away from the chair to move it so they just leave it be...."

"So we got the beginning and the ending solved...." Machi grumbled. "But we're still missing the middle part of our timeline... where most of us are around during morning..."

That, I haven't... decided to talk about it yet. Not when the conman seemed to have a trick in his sleeves that would change the flow of trial... which might happen now-

"I know it's not wise to point fingers again but I can't help it..." Hisao finally threw in his final accusation. "Can we put all our current knowledge and suspicions on Homare's roommates now?"

"Huh!?" Nao, Machi and Hinako were all taken back by the sudden mention and I almost let out a surprised noise from hearing the list. He... didn't suspect Shoma?

But still, lo' and behold, Hisao, himself, has made a move that I feared he would do.

"Come on, everyone, think carefully and don't act all surprised about it..." the conman sighed. "It's pretty suspicious that they were all clueless about their friend sleeping in without at least trying to wake her up. All three geniuses in one group yet none of them think about checking to see if she's alright?"

"W-We knew she spent all her energy checking all of us so we didn't...." Hinako reasoned. "We just let her rest a bit more...."

"And isn't Nao on the clear!?" Machi scolded the conman. "Now you're really pinning the blame on either you just think is being too close to her from the start!"

".... I refused to believe Machi would be the culprit..." Renma suddenly came to his defences. "He's not that type of person...."

"I don't need your help, Renma!" the librarian snapped back. "Don't get your hopes high for thinking you can act all friendly with me now!"

'What the...? I thought Macchan would be happy that his senior is defending him....?' Whatever happened between these two must be a sore subject for them to remember

"I-I thought we were on the clear...." said Nao. "W-We were just as clueless as everyone else is...."

"I do hope you have a logical explanation for trying to back us into the corner...." Hinako replied. "Because like what Nao said, we're in the dark about Homare's actions...."

"Ah, well, I just have a tiny, itsy-bitsy suspicion, that's all!" Hisao smiled. "And I'm sure little miss knew something's off about you guys, right?"

Hmm, so he's sharing the spotlight now, "... Just as he said, excluding, your alibis are the least believable out of everyone else..... "

"W-We went to our rooms! That's all!!" Machi defended. "We were together during that time!"

".... Which is why.... we're not suspecting you at all...." the conman's smile got wider as I continued. "Who we're actually suspecting.... is Hinako..."

"N-No... there's no way Hinako would...."

"Just because someone's kind.... it doesn't mean they would never kill...." Hisao corrected the ghostwriter. "And listen, everyone, with all the evidence, laid out bare so far, don't you think she's the most likely culprit out of all?"

".... It's the kitchen roster that Mitsuru asked from before, right?" I brought up the roster that was off-handedly mentioned. "Today's turn was supposed to be Shoma and Hinako....."

"She would have all the access to the materials needed......" Mitsuru's eyes widened. "A-And....! Sakkun, Hira, when did you guys give the key!?"

".... Last night, right before we went with our group...." Higura answered. "... Don't get too overly confident about it because it might just be a fluke. Chances of the culprit just fucking breaking the lock can be possible too...."

"That would have alerted Monomyou if it did, breaking the hotel's property is against the rule...." said Hibiki. ".... Isn't there any other way to prove that the conman's right?"

".... Shoma, Higura, Saku and Hinako...." I have an idea. "Please list out the materials you guys used in the kitchen before nighttime and during morning time.... all of it if you could....."

All four looked at each other anxiously before Hinako listed out all the things, "We've noticed some of the leftover utensils that the last people in charge didn't quite clean it properly. A couple of cutleries, mixing bowls and a rolling pin, that's all...."

.....

There it is.

"And you're confident about that, Hinako?" I asked her once more. "Because there's something I want you to listen to what the other three have to say-"

"We didn't use the rolling pin last night, you idiot...." Higura cuts in, realizing the slip-up the behaviourist has made. "And shellhead may have always been in his little world but he's much perceptive than you are!!"

"We, critter, never used it either..... and this critter never saw it placed in the sink when we first arrived in the kitchen....." Shoma added. "So... how does... animal whisperer know about the rolling pin being washed in the first place?"

"Because it's what someone will use as a blunt force weapon..." Hisao reasoned. "It's one of the heftiest utensils there is and using knives might be damning evidence to immediately point to you two. Well, she still got caught so she's got careless there...."

"Don't you think you're being too reckless with your deduction there, Hisao, Sumire....." Hinako argued back. "While I've said might have increased everyone's doubt, but that doesn't mean Shoma didn't realize it himself either...."

Out of all people, she's the first one to point out the biologist's possible involvement. Both of them were there-

"But this critter doesn't have the key, look....." Shoma emptied his pockets, turning them inside out and, shockingly, took off his hat and does the same as well. A couple of nautilus key chains fell to the ground, making awkward clinging noises in a silent room, "There are all the things this critter had with them....."

"I... um... thank you, Shoma....?" For clarifying, I guess?

"And... I also remember giving it to Hinako specifically..." Saku added his reason.

"Oh my, now that's two against one there, Miss Hanabusa...." the conman taunted as Hinako sent a deadly glare at him. "Maybe I should make it a third? With this one as a finisher?"

He pulled something out from under his jacket and once he unfolded it, a bloodied coat that Saku found in the reception area was revealed to everyone else, "I'm sure not everyone's aware of this but has anyone checked the closets in their own room?"

"No....?" I answered as I watched everyone either said that they have or haven't.

"Mh-hm, so for the people who have, have you guys ever checked the tags of those clothes you found in your room?" Hisao asked. And Kiharu answered;

"It's some sort of winter jacket that has my room number on... is that the same for everyone else....?"

Clothes with their room number tags? Wait, that means-!!

"Ding, ding, ding!!!" Hisao imitated a winning bell noise as he pulled the tag from the coat's cuffs, "Each room has its jackets and coats provided by our wonderful host!! And this bloodied coat that may be worn by the culprit here before they struck Homare.... has Hinako's room number on it.... mind clarifying why is that, our dearest host?"

"Nyahahaha, this host has a special numbering system to prevent guests from losing their precious belongings!!" Monomyou explained. "After all, with this host being the only one in charge, I wanna make sure that everyone's items are well-taken care of so I put tags on everything for extra safety!!"

Hinako's face paled immediately after hearing everything, making her look more guilty than innocent, "S-Surely there's a mistake... I have never seen that coat before!!"

"Monomyou never made a mistake, especially when it comes to being truthful when it matters!" Hisao smirked. "After all, entertaining the guests is their utmost priority!"

"How could you trust their words so easily!? Wasn't it because of them we're in this situation!?" Hinako snapped, her patience running out. "That could have been a lie that they made just to fool everyone! And you're accusing me just of baseless facts!!"

Nao and Machi were looking sideways at this point, their faces tell a lot; they wanted to defend her but it's too risky when everything's there.

....

It's painful, I know it is.

....

But..... it's for our own survival...

"Here's what I wanna know.... did you really not notice that Homare left the room? " I cornered her. "And did you really stay in your room when the discovery announcement played off?"

"Of course I did! Machi saw me-!"

"Ah-ha, but that's not enough!" the conman interjected. "For all we know, you could have left the room with the towels to use to stage the murder scene all by yourself. You did say 30 minutes is enough for a person to die from hanging asphyxiation, such a specific number! I wonder why you know that at first!"

Because we suspected the towels were from the culprit's room, that's why Hisao and I questioned their alibis at first.

"And from Shoma's hearing account...." I pushed it even further. "Both sets of footsteps were heard too closely together, so there's a possibility those people exited from the same room. And you've said a lot about the scent being too familiar to us to notice any difference....."

"Oh dearie me, there's no way out of this one now, huh?" the conman mocked her by using her catchphrase. "So, do you have any rebuttal against everything we've said, Hanabusa?"

Just like that, her livid expression morphed into something of terror. Fear of realization, caught, this is the endgame for her now. What everyone didn't know is that.... this is a feud within the secret group that Hisao created.

A feud caused by someone who stepped out of the line.

"Nao... Machi... are you two convinced now?" I asked her previous roommates. Both of them looked at each other, trying to accept the slip-up being the truth before agreeing, and making their final decision. "Then, before everyone voted, I wanna go over the timeline one final time... as a way to finalise our judgment..."

As I took a deep breath, I started from the beginning, from the reason why this case started;

"The plan was set in motion when Homare and Hisao arranged a sleepover with Monomyou, as a way to keep everyone in check and prevent them from leaving their rooms. However, what we didn't know was that this might benefit Homare the most who have a plan in mind to commit a crime, judging by her diary entries. While it's unknown how the culprit knew about her plan... they're not going to end up being the victim when Homare first approached them. The culprit discreetly hid the coat somewhere in the kitchen once they've got the keys, taking their time to prepare all the things before they met up with Homare...."

"Homare presumably didn't expect the culprit to make the first blow, causing the culprit to easily strike her from behind with the rolling pin, staining the floor and the coat they're wearing to prevent getting it on her clothes underneath.... and as a final resort, they strangled her."

"In a flash, the culprit threw away the coat into the trash behind the reception desk, unaware of the room number tag along with it. They went ahead and treated her wound with the materials from the kitchen's medical kit and cleaned up the rolling pin alongside the floor. They took the homemade perfumed bottle that they prepared beforehand with them and took Homare's body with them into the elevator. Cleaning any leftover stains in the elevator, they have to make sure the wound and the perfumed bottle can be seen so the culprit placed the swab against the wound and the pillow with the bottle hiding beside the bed, away from everyone's sight. From there on, the culprit just needs to play pretend...."

"Convincing her roommates to leave her behind, the culprit decided to go with them to make up their alibi for the morning before leaving once more, to finish the job. They went to their room to use their towel to dry up the wound and staged the elaborate scene, misleading us while carelessly missing the swab being left behind beside the bed. While locking the door from the inside, the culprit escaped through the window panel above it by using the chair as support before they went to their own room... until someone discovered the body..."

"That's the true story you've been keeping from us, Hanabusa Hinako, the Ultimate Animal Behaviorist!"

.......

............

.......

Silence...

The whole room became silent as we watched carefully how Hinako stood still without saying anything. Her eyes with a tint of regret in them and yet, she chose not to fight back, that's her way of surrendering.

.... For the first time, a culprit I'm going against didn't fight back.

"Hooo, boy!! Dearest guests, you have put on such a wonderful case altogether!!" Monomyou exclaimed loudly. "Seeing two smartasses cornering the culprit is pretty exhilarating and probably the most satisfying part of all!! But as they've said, the show must go on! Which is why, my dearest guests, it's now the voting time!!"

The voting panels suddenly shot upwards in front of us, showing pixelated images of everyone, saving for Homare who was greyed out. Some have already cast their vote while others hesitated before giving in. The panels immediately vanished from everyone's sight once they voted.

'.... As much as I don't want to do this but....' I pressed onto the Hinako's image and the panel retracted. 'All those efforts will go to waste if we don't vote....'

A big monitor suddenly appeared behind Monomyou's throne, showing a roulette system with our faces on it. The arrow quickly spun around clockwise fashion before it landed on Hanabusa Hinako, and the bright neon light of words perfectly described her current situation, guilty.

"A job well done, my little detectives!!" Monomyou jumped down from their throne to join everyone by their podiums. "I was on the edge of my seat when the evidence pointed towards the obvious culprit in the room! This host never has two opposing talents joining forces to solve a case so good job with the teamwork!"

While Monomyou paraded around, Nao stepped forward, ".... Hinako... why...? Did you really kill her.... just like that.....?"

With not a lot of energy left, she bitterly laughed, "... I tried to convince her...."

'Huh..?'

"I tried to convince her... I overheard the discussion between her and Hisao... I suspect something's off about Homare and... saw what she wrote on that notebook after Hisao left..." Hinako explained. "I asked her to meet later, I want to stop her from murdering anyone...."

"... So you two met up, for completely different reasons...." I exclaimed. "What happened during the meetup?"

"She's a stubborn one, I will give you that...." the behaviourist continued. "Insisting that what I've seen was a mistake and that she wouldn't do so, but she has so much pride in her family name that... she said she won't hesitate if she's given a chance..."

"She doesn't want her family line to end with her, unfinished and unfulfilled...." Higura continued. "The Takaras are stuck-up... but a determined bunch who will do anything to prove their worth...."

"Ah yes, family, a lovely concept!" Monomyou chuckles. "The most common emotional connection one has that would influence them greatly! Despite what the rumours said about the fencer, she has a strong attachment towards their family worth!"

"I... don't want to give her that chance...." Hinako admitted. "I couldn't let her... there's no way I would be okay knowing that... she has a strong reason to do so...."

"And you went with the most absurd approach...." Machi completed her words. "You took matters into your own hands... and did it yourself...."

"I know I shouldn't and yet, I defended myself...." said Hinako. "I... was almost disgusted at myself for trying to cover everything up but... I panicked... there's a part of me thinking 'I don't want to get caught out of instincts...."

At least, she turned around and smiled in my direction, "But.... in the end... with how I tried so hard to hide everything from everyone... I'm... glad that you found me out, Sumi..."

Hands clenched into a tight fist. Was I happy with this result? No, of course not. Ultimately, Hinako tried to protect us from Homare's scheming nature who, even with selfish intentions, wants to survive to see her family again.

So.... who's the real culprit here? Monomyou? That's logical, right?

"Sumi... Homare.... talked rather fondly of you...." Hinako grabbed my attention. "Both of you really are two peas in a pod, I saw her hesitate when I brought up you in our last conversation... I'm sure that... even she's glad that she met you who became her first friend....."

She stepped ahead, taking my hand into hers and placing a white rabbit pin on it, "... Please... guide everyone... escape from this place...."

".... Understood...." I curled my hand with the pin inside into a fist. "And... if we do... we will let her family know... and yours as well, Hanabusa... it... will probably be a messy one..."

Hinako's eyes widened for a moment, before chuckling, "..... So you do know about us...."

"Ahem, I apologized for interrupting such a heartfelt moment!!" Monomyou called everyone out. "But it's time for the most eventful part of our trail experience!! I've prepared something special for the Ultimate Behaviorist, Hanabusa Hinako!! Ladies and Gents', strapped yourself back!! It's the moment we've been waiting for, it's punishment time!!"

The host pulled down the curtain and revealed a big monitor of a sprite version of them dragging along Hinako's sprite with the lettering reading out;

[ HANABUSA HINAKO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY! ]

[ LET US COMMENCE THEIR PUNISHMENT!! ]

Out of our sight, a collar with a chain snapped onto Hinako's neck and pulled her back into the room we'd never seen opened before, her face twisted in horror once she realised what was going to happen to her.

[ Ultimate Animal Behaviourist, Hanabusa Hinako's Execution ]

[ Pavlov's Execution Theory ]

The chain dropped Hinako in the middle of an empty white room, reminiscing a veterinarian's room, the collar still attached to her neck. She trails along the chain to see it was connected by the hook on the ceiling as it continues to trail along the floor.... and attached to the collar of what she assumed to be a robotic dog.

Monomyou appeared in their medical scrub, holding a bell. They ring the bell once and the robotic dog immediately leaps toward them but not too close, salivating. The sudden movement caused the chain to life Hinako's higher by the collar, slowly suffocating. The more times Monomyou ring the bell, the more exciting and jumpy the dog is, causing the chain to be pulled every so tightly as the behaviourist desperately clawed at the collar around her neck till it bleeds.

Nearly running out of oxygen, Monomyou threw a bone in the Hinako's direction and into the air, near her body. The robotic dog, with its gnarling teeth and large mouth, bite onto both the bone and Hinako, crushing the body and snapping it in half.

Tearing through skin and bones, the crushing and snapping noises continued to the echo in the room.

We were watching it all happened in real-time. I can feel the bile rising inside my throat as I tried to hold it in.

Horrific, that's the only thing we can describe this. I found myself hugging my own body, shivering from hearing those awful noises. I... Is this right? What we've done.... was it correct? Was it worth it?

"Sumi...." Shoma pulled my jacket slightly, rubbing circled on my back. Everyone's eyes glued onto the monitor, the punishment still playing too long for comfort, everyone broke down at the sight of it; Nao's speechless cries, Mitsuru's collapsed form, Renma's shaky hands and Higura's loud noises of denial.

Everyone was thoroughly distraught by it.

"The process has been executed with tremendous succession!!" Monomyou dropped down in the group out of nowhere, with their booming voice and laughed. "I will admit! Everyone's performance has a pretty strong start, even though our genius guests were the main centre of it all! Be kind to everyone and give them plenty of roles, will ya'?"

"Can't help that it's our first trial..." Hisao's the only one who replied. "And what? Everyone's gonna get punished next if no one contributes?"

"Not exactly! Just that it dampens the luxury experience a tiny bit if you just handed everyone the clues!!" Monomyou exclaimed. "After all, this experience is tailored for all of our guests to feel included! Everyone here has a special bond with each other and it would be a waste if they don't get to have a hand in it!"

As its last word to us, they promised us, "Now remember, everyone, a trial will only commence once someone disturbed our lovely luxury experience! Please, let us all enjoy our time here and don't act so selfishly, nyahahaha!"

Evening fell once we got out of the trial room, going back to our hotel rooms. There's nothing to say towards each other, not wanting to be bothered with anything else. What we saw back there.... serves as our only reminder that... if we escaped... we will be met with a horrible fate.

While they retreated to their rooms, I stayed back, heading towards the bar where there's still time before it closes during nighttime hours.

I tried to recollect my thoughts, tapping onto my leg, 'If this goes on... there will be no one else left... but if we don't do anything... then it's no different than to just rot here forever....'

"If we actually escaped...."

"You mean when we actually escaped...."

I sighed heavily, resting my head on my folded arms on the table, "You're such a pain in the ass to deal with earlier, you know that right?"

"Said the person who would go off-tangent with a heroic speech and all...." Hisao shot back, sitting right across mine. "Going out of people's sight might cause people to be wary of us but maybe they're too distressed to think about it for now... not especially after that successful first trial! A victory to live for another day!"

"How could you still be cheerful after that?" His free-spirited attitude started to be grating. "You said it as if Hinako wasn't part of our group, as if it's all her fault for ending up like that.... she said so herself she tried to stop it!"

"Ah-ha, interesting!" Hisao just chuckles at my reaction. "You're trying to fight logic with experiences here, little miss! I've seen people die for their ambitions all the time! It's because of people like Homare and Hinako who make sacrifices for it only puts more burden on everyone involved instead...."

"Hinako has no choice!" I stood up, hands slammed against the table as I shouted. "She took that chance to stop her and if she didn't do that then all of us could have been in terrible danger! A danger that was made possible because of your plan!"

"Hmmmmm, so we're celebrating that wannabe-martyr, now?" Hisao didn't flinch at my outburst, remaining awfully stoic. "Look here, I never said I will guarantee everyone's lives will be in a safe place when that was decided. Monomyou kept everything in their tight grip that it's impossible to make a dent in their security... well, this place is the only exception somehow... and if Hinako didn't act so irrationally, that trial wouldn't happen at all....."

".... You knew...." I stepped back, processing what he'd just said. "You knew that she was going to do something from the start....."

"Of course, little miss, do you really think I would look past a 'Hanabusa'? That name alone might fall into obscurity but people from the underworld won't go through a day from hearing it being tossed around...." said Hisao. "Despite her looks, Hinako is still from that family, she believes she can take the matter into her own hands and well, in the end, she hurt everyone, including yourself. That's the biggest mistake here, that mental wound can be left for that cat to dig it deeper and make everyone here vulnerable.... pretty sure someone like you would understand how that usually goes...."

A recluse who doesn't want to deal with other people's problems.

"Why do you always say things as if you knew all along?"

"Oh, I just have a hunch...." the conman shrugged. "But I do have these words to say to you, Hoshino Sumire...."

He brought his finger to his lips, as he declared, "Don't act too shocked once I did something you guys didn't expect, I stand on a neutral line and my only wish here is to figure out what's going on here by any means. Like you, I can also offer a helping aid but of course, that doesn't mean I'm obliged to save anyone from harm. So here's this interesting fact I've discovered while everyone's busy roaming around the place....."

Hisao slowly approached me as I suppressed the urge to back down, he's acting so eerily to the point it can't be treated as an act or joke. He's a lot more capable than everyone perceived him as, and he just knew what was going on behind the scene. I can feel his steady breathing beside my ear...

"There's a fake in our group. Someone who shouldn't be here with us.... someone who might be working for the mastermind behind Monomyou..."

"The mastermind....?"

That's too crucial to gloss over, the mastermind behind the killing game, "What is their purpose here exactly....?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're responsible for delivering information to Monomyou. In the meantime... I suggest being wary of who you act all buddy-buddy with or else....." pulling away, I didn't notice how his right leg was positioned behind me as he proceed to knock me off, making me land on the floor with a resounding thud. "They will pull the rug underneath you once you let your guard down...."

Stunned, I couldn't say anything back, all of what was relayed back to me was too much to dwell on. Hisao seems finally satisfied with my silence, "Oh well, serious time's over! It's been a while since I've played a big baddy in this situation! Hope you learned to not take me for granted next time, little miss!"

".... Yeah... I guess...." I muttered under my breath.

"So, now what?" he kneels down, his tone shifted into something more akin to a child's. "You said you're out once one of us went out of the line and Hinako did. But we solved that issue and we're rewarded with a fate even worst than predicted! So, what's your answer?"

.....

..........

.....

He's really annoying.

"I will stay..." I replied without giving it much thought. "If we can't escape that easily then the best we can do is exposed that mastermind you're talking about... you have an idea or two on how we will go around it, right?"

"Won't reveal too much about it!!" Hisao grinned, the same childlike grin he showed during the entirety of the trial. "Two minds think alike, huh, little miss!"

"I don't wanna be associated with your way of thinking..." I grumbled. The conman stood up and put out his hand, which I accept and gets up, "... If you messed up anything then I wouldn't hesitate to beat you up, Sao-chin..."

"Huh!? What!? Sao-chin!?" That nickname, out of all things, caught him by surprise. "Are we at that level already!? Giving each other ridiculous nicknames!? That's so lame!! Can't you think of a better one!?"

"Get used to it, you will hear it a lot in the future...." I puffed out my chest in retaliation. ".... It's payback for calling me that anyways...."

"What? Little miss? Isn't that the truth though?" I knew it!! He was taking a jab at it!! "Man, I didn't see that coming, you're full of surprises, little miss! At least it's a nice contrast!"

Honestly, this evening is filled with mixed emotions; from the daunting realization of Hisao knowing about Hinako's plan to the childish nature of the two 'supposed' main stars of the previous trial. Even though Hisao treated everything as a game, he's not close to being heartless about it, 'One of these days... his charisma will surely fail him....'

"Sao-chin..." The nickname sounds kinda ordinary once you got used to it. "I know you're hiding a lot of things from us so tell me... did you really think Hinako had it in her to stop her in the first place?"

"Unlike the dragon family, the thorn family have always been crafty in their ways...." Hisao replied. "That's what you get from living under a similar roof!"

"So you can be honest when someone asked...." I pointed it out. "I wonder when will you decide to be more open instead of tossing riddles at us?"

"It takes an extremely long time to earn my trust!!" He answered. "And like you're the one to talk! You too were never honest with anyone in the first place! I guaranteed you have stuff hiding behind everyone's back!!"

.......

.........

.......

Maybe he's not wrong

Chapter Text

" Hanabusa Hinako and Takara Homare ?"

"They're an interesting pair, aren't they? A total opposite...."

"The kind but menacing and the strict yet pacifying! They're that type, right!"

"Considering their background, they're different...."

"Yet they have similar issues..."

"Aiming for a low blow there now, are you?"

"Yes, but people do need a leader and a mediator to stay grounded sometimes..."

"Can we get on with the others, already? There's a lot we need to sort out..."

"There's.... ** including us, right? It will take a while...."

"Alright, let's stop dilly-dallying and finish our work for today!"

"And whose fault was it...."

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!!!

"Good morning, ladies and gents', rise and shine!!! This is your daily announcement after the job well done with yesterday's event! This host still feels tingly with excitement and leftover adrenaline from the class trial! I'm sure everyone feels the same but it's better to enjoy this luxury experience with a calmer mind! So I would like to announce that several areas that were off-limit are now open for exploration! Be at your tippy-top best and have a myou-est of the day !"

The PA system shuts off after that annoying cat's speech. I woke up earlier this time, just so I wouldn't be rudely awakened by the host's screeching. Everyone returned to their rooms on the second floor, alone from evening till morning. Staring at the front door, I've been fidgeting with the ElectroID in my hands, thinking about the last night's exchange, '... I ended up spending all night thinking about it... what does he mean by a fake anyways'

Identity? Talent? Personality? It could be any one of those.

Hisao may know, or he may not and just figured something's off. Is he referring to the survival group, where he's trying to trap them in, or someone outside whom we should keep an eye out for?

With this, what is he planning to do next...? And how exactly did he even know about it? Where did he even get it?

Ding dong! Ding dong!!

The doorbell was rung repeatedly without giving it a break, forcing myself to answer it before the person in question accidentally jammed it in. "Just what a minute...." I called out before opening the door and was surprised to see Higura, "Oh... Hira?"

"Who the fuck said you can use that?" he glared. "That airhead bonehead won't stop pestering me so I'm here to get your ass to the dining hall..."

"Oh, was I the only one absent...?" Earning a nod as confirmation, I closed the door behind and locked it. "Sorry, was idling around. Let's go..."

The designer doesn't waste any time, not up for a small talk or anyone until we both made it inside the elevator shaft. After we selected the floor, I realized how the elevator now has a more pleasant but familiar floral scent as my eyes wander over the button of the floor above ours, 'What happened to the third-floor bedrooms....? Is she still...'

"The spiritfucker already check them...." Higura started suddenly. "He was planning to cleanse them or whatever shit he's trying to mess with.... everything was cleaned up, tidied, spotless like hell never break loose in there...."

"So the body...."

"Who the fuck knows..." the designer scoffed. "Would rather not remind them if we want another sobbing mess scene again.... even if it's her..."

"So you do think about them...."

"With a shitty attitude like that, how can I not?" he snarled. "The Takara have always been dubious from the beginning, it's hard to trust their words.... was expecting that Homare would be the least extreme of their spectrum...."

"Were they always like that...." I continued. "They became more noticeable ever since their parents made that decision... I'm sure you guys knew that too..."

"I'm keeping myself out of this business talk, brings nothing but disaster to the table..." he decided to end it there. "In my mind, it's best to keep minimal trust in anyone you've just met, not all of them have good intentions, to begin with..."

Higura exited first once the elevator doors opened as I staggered behind him. Unlike last time, he's being tight-lipped about his feelings about it. Once we entered the dining hall, he announces, "Got her out of the cave, go and kiss her ass!"

Something flew by but the designer managed to dodge it in time. I took the seat next to Saku, seeing how Higura decided to take one between Nao and Amane.

An interesting trio of artisan people.

"Good morning, Sumi..." Saku smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Did you sleep well...?"

'Sleeping well' started to sound more like a challenge to everyone here and hardly a natural thing to do, "Not.. really. Stayed up all night thinking about... yesterday... I would have stayed in a lot more if you didn't send Hira to get me...."

"Huh....?" Saku sounds surprised. "I didn't do that...? He left on his own...."

Oh. So Higura was... worried? Maybe? Somehow? I guess he can be troubled by everyone's state of mind here, 'Maybe Sakkun's comment about him being kind... might be true after all...'

Speaking of, there aren't many people present right now; most notably Hisao, Taiga and Mitsuru, arguably the loudest one out of those three. The aerobat mentioned how Renma and Hibiki immediately left before finishing up their morning duty, probably leaving the rest to consolidate their lingering fear from yesterday's trial.

'Well, figures Hibiki would rather be by herself and... maybe Renma would rather let others be instead and went with Shoma... speaking of...'

"Where's everyone else...? I was the last one, right?"

"They're more... active...." answered Machi. "Exploring the new area ahead of us just in case... and if anything goes wrong then they can come back here and-"

Loud and heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway, connected from the reception room to the dining hall as it gets closer and closer before someone burst into the hall, sweating and panting. It was Hiroshi, looking awfully pale, "G-Guys..! Trouble...! At.. the gymnasium...!!"

"Wha... what happened...?" Mitsuru stood up, showing concern for the abseiler who looked like he was going to faint. "I thought you left with Taiga earlier....?"

"That... he and Hisao...!"

"Him!?" I immediately get up once I heard that name being brought up. When two names from the survival group were brought into a serious conversation, then something dangerous just started because of them. Leaving my seat behind, I took a head start as I ran out of the hotel. A path was cleared up near the library that I noticed so without skipping a beat, I whizzed past the eyes of the automaton soldiers as the elongated building enter my line of sight. I didn't think twice as I drastically opened the doors once I got there, "What's going on!?"

"Ah... Sumi..."

Standing and resting against the wall, Renma stared wide-eyed, I almost didn't notice him at first if he hadn't immediately grabbed me in by my wrist, pulling me beside him, "It's best not to stand there mindlessly...."

"Why no-"

BANG!

A shot rang out and out of instinct, I whipped around and grabbed onto my holster on the belt.... or where the holster should but it's not there.

'Gah, of course, it's not with me, I left it behind before heading to the academy....' I slowly retracted my hand and tried to locate the source of that noise. The medium seemed to be staring at something in particular so I followed and looked upwards and...

Impossible, I can't believe my fucking eyes.

"Taiga, what the hell are you doing!?"

"Woooohooooooo!!"

There, up in the air, was the marksman wearing a vest that was attached to a zipline as he swung around carelessly and dangerously so, "Sumi!! Hey!!! Guess what!! This place just opened up a shooting range and I found something interesting that we can use ourselves!!"

In his hand, unmistakenly, is a gun and I shrieked, "Don't use that around like it's nothing!? Even if you're an Ultimate, there are still other people to worry about!?"

"No worries at all, this is just an air-soft model!! I used it on others and they're perfectly safe, no defect at all!!"

Oh thank god, they're not real. I exhaled a deep breath that's been kept in once I saw that thing. I felt relaxed knowing that it was not the real deal. And yet. "Wait, no, Taiga, why you on the zipline for!?"

"It may be unusual, but it's his usual morning training, little miss!"

Ah, yes, there he is. The cause of my midnight crisis.

On the other end of the gym where the starting point of the zipline is, there's a rock-climbing wall as the line connected on top of it and there, Hisao and Kiharu was overlooking everything that just transpired, with a mischievous grin on their faces.

"Things were getting boring with the usual routine so I proposed something exciting! And they agreed to it!! But of course, Hiroshi immediately dipped out..." Kiharu explained the whole ordeal. "Anyways!! This is all for fun!! Not a single scratch on any one of us!"

"I've arrived once I heard the commotion from the outside...." Renma sighed. "My words are futile so I remained here in case thing goes terribly south. It seems even I lost control over a situation that can't be solved by words... or patience...."

"To be fair, I don't think anyone can control this level of excitement..." The marksman continued to wildly swung around before the rest from the dining hall just arrived. The look on Higura, Saku and Mitsuru's faces at the sight before them.

"What the fuck!? How is this fucking allowed!?"

"I-Is that what I think it is in his hand!?"

"H-Hey, Tai!? Don't you think this is too much!? Your vest hook will be loosened up if you...!"

"That will be an interesting finale!" unfortunately, that advice just gave the conman a terrible idea. "Taiga, since the party poopers came, let's give them one final scare! Detach yourself from the zipline, the adrenaline will surely get to your head!"

"How about DON'T!?" Hiroshi just arrived, again, out of breath and struggling to stand still. "You guys are being too reckless with this and Taiga wouldn't know how to land safely from that height!!"

"It will be fine!! There are mattresses around the place that will break his fall! That's what they're usually for!" Kiharu tried to reassure us, "That's your cue there, Taiga!"

"Okay!!"

Just like that, without a care, the hook immediately came off and the marksman fell ever so slowly in our eyes, to the mattress below. Without realizing it, I took off, the adrenaline flaring through my veins despite the protests behind my back, 'Shit, shit, shit, what is he thinking!?'

Once I'm near enough to break his fall, I caught him in my arms, right before we stumbled forward after a slight misstep and landed on our backs. Before he can even get up, I instantly grabbed the gun he held earlier, "O-Ouch... Taiga, are you okay...?"

"Woooo!" He immediately sat up with a wide smile. "A-Okay! 100% well and safe!"

"I'm glad...." I smiled in relief..... before I quickly turned that around and pulled the trigger, the pellet hits him in the chest leaving a small paint marking and a slight yelp out of him. "Because we're fucking not...."

"Ahahaha... for a moment there, I thought you were aiming for my face..." he slowly shuffles away. "T-That would be scary..!"

"For a moment, I was..." I exclaimed. "But I won't hesitate next time, you hear that?"

"Y-Yessir'!!"

"Good...." I tried to stand up but hissed when I felt a sharp pain just strike my ankle. "O-Ow...! Did I seriously...?"

"Whoa, wait, did you actually sprain your ankle there...?" Taiga suddenly became worried, as he ignored the previous threat. "Y-You really shouldn't have done that earlier... I would have landed safely without any trouble at all!"

"I panicked, okay?" I replied, trying to push myself up.... only to stumbled back and almost fell back onto the slipper mattress again, "Ah!?"

"Gotcha!"

I felt a pair of arms lock me in place, and snaked its way under my armpit as they lifted me up while swinging my right arm around their shoulder.

"The critter caught the pink bait on time....!"

Shoma.

Never thought I'm glad to see that plushie hat again, his presence made me fully appreciate how much attention he attracts away from the mess.

The biologist hit Taiga on the head afterwards, once he tried to get close, with a karate chop repeatedly, pouting, "Tiger shark's so meddlesome, it's not nice to cause trouble for others!"

"Ow, ow! It's not my fault!!" Taiga tried to reason. "All I did was letting myself off the hook and that's it! Ouch-! It's not that dangerous!"

"Can you repeat that again but with more confidence?" I demanded between them.

"Ouch, okay, okay!! I learned my lesson now!! I won't do it next time!!"

"Nope....! Never!! Nada!! No more next time!!" Hiroshi, who finally regained back his energy, cuts in, dragging Hisao and Kiharu behind him by their clothes. "Don't do that ever again!! It's a hazard and I won't allow it!!"

"Hey, how did we get dragged away by Hiroshi...?"

"Beats me, he's more stubborn than we think..."

Both Kiharu and Hisao secretly have a hushed conversation between them. Higura, Saku and Mitsuru joined the crowd, scolding the troublesome trio as well while the medium urges Shoma to carry me back to my hotel room to get my ankle treated, in which he agrees.

The biologist immediately carried me, without a struggle, over his shoulder as I slumped over like a rolled-up carpet, "W-Whoa... never knew you have that much strength in you Shoma...."

"Fuhahaha...! This critter went against many currents..!" said Shoma. "Resilience only builds up faster for critters like me facing difficult challenges!!"

"That has to be the most logical thing I've ever heard from you for the past few days...." Higura grunted. "Would have made it a whole lot easier to use words that we understand for once...."

"Yeah, take Hira's effort to coax Sumi out of her room as an example!!" the aerobat cheerfully explained... as the designer glared back at him.

"... Are you fucking implying something like that is too outlandish even for someone like me? You're begging to get your ass handed to you, huh, you bonehead!?"

"Goodness me, one can't handle a compliment as simple as that?" Renma laughed at Higura's, supposed, bashfulness. "Perhaps your spirit is weaker than we thought..."

"Another spiritual mumbo-jumbo out of you and I will fucking have your head as well!"

"Hey, Hira, you should back this one down or else they will double it against you...?"

"Shut it, beauty freak! I can handle more than a fight!"

Being carried around by the biologist, the conman and archaeologist getting lectured by the fussy abseiler, the designer and aerobat arguing with the cosmetologist as a spectator and the medium just leading the way and not minding the commotion we're making behind his back.

It's like nothing bad ever happened, we're just playing around like when we first arrived here.

....

But that's a lie .

Because something bad happened.

And that single bad thing.... we will never forget it.

Earlier at the dining hall, there was just something in the air that was too suffocating, too distracting. It makes it impossible to have a normal conversation or to even go on after... what we witnessed, the true face of this luxury experience.

Yesterday's trial, the case, the execution and the revelations, were all too much .

.... And that sort of thing.... can happen again when we least expect it.

Maybe that's why Taiga acted so recklessly just now and they just went along with it. They were trying to cope with what they'd just witnessed, trying their best to clear their mind and move on.

It's something that they never wanted to see themselves and so they purposefully stir up trouble... so that others can look away from it as well.

Everyone... desperately act as if yesterday's events didn't happen, that they didn't exist and focuses on what we have right now.

'But how much difference would that make....? Can we just settle down.... and hope tomorrow will be different....?'

........

'Now that's typical for me to think otherwise about it...'

I also want to forget.... but how can we do that when the lives of everyone else.... is hanging by a single thread from our fingers...?

"There, I wrapped it up nicely...."

Renma smiled to himself while looking at his handiwork. He recommended that he will be treating my sprained ankle in place of the marksman who will only profusely apologise while getting distracted with guilt. Currently, Shoma's lying down on my bed, spread out like a starfish basking under the sun while I'm just sitting at the corner of it.

"Thanks, Renma..." I tried to move it around but winced when the pain struck if I twist it the other way. "It's only a sprain... it will go away in a day so you really don't have to do this..."

"On the contrary, people can be stubborn sometimes...." Renma strictly warned me. "Which is why I recommend you to not go anywhere for today, even for an absolute reason. To ensure a full recovery, please do excuse yourself from the group's planned exploration. Even if you're against it, you only have yourself to punish since it was your own action that landed you with that injury, correct?"

'Why does he speak like a scolding grandparent and where did that attitude come from!?' Only a few days ago he was acting like a fragile maiden but now he's becoming more unforgiving with his words? Words that for once actually made me feel bad?

"I-I'm sorry...? We... can't risk more people getting hurt over a stupid stunt, that's all..." I mumbled. "I-If anything! Hisao and Kiharu are the ones that should be scolded for letting Taiga get away with it!!"

"Those two critters are heavily punished by the ascender! This critter has never seen such fury exuded from a single being..!" Shoma shot up as he said, "Tiger shark is lucky that they swam away before getting devoured...!"

"But he's still got caught..." the medium sighed. "Good grief, they're a handful if they're left to their own devices. A single glance off of them and they're out causing trouble no less a foot away...."

"It's... best they're still full of energy early in the morning...." I chuckle. "I'm sure they're trying to relax and take their mind off of serious issues...."

"Oh... so critter thought so too..." Shoma has the same idea as well and... maybe Renma. It wasn't just me at least. These two can be open when talking about their feelings towards things happening right now, just that their faces usually don't say much so it's hard to tell. Even during class trial, they were taking it rather calmly... especially with the medium's disbelief towards the conman's actions.

"Say, you two... about yesterday..." I started. "... What do you think we should do now...?"

After all, our supposed leader, Homare... is no longer with us.

"I've heard from Macchan that we will investigate the newer areas for safety reasons and to understand what their purposes are...." Renma exclaimed. "But as for our goals... I'm afraid we will have to wander aimlessly until we found a solid clue..."

"This critter is also lost in the big sea...." the biologist faced down onto the plush blanket. "I don't think.... critter have the motivation to go swimming just yet...."

"I see...." Not too surprising there. ".... We have to be sure that yesterday's wouldn't happen again...."

"... I wonder if it could have been prevented if the host didn't approve of Shoma's idea...." Renma pondered. "Would that restrict Homare with her initial plan and forced her to give up?"

"I doubt it... you've seen the list...." I brought up the book the Hisao stole during the investigation. Thinking about the conman back, what if he didn't propose the idea? But, I can't let them know about that, I don't want to make that mistake again. "She's... pretty resourceful..."

".... It's an unfortunate turn of events indeed...." the medium realized how I reacted to him bringing the fencer up. "But it's unpredictable, even we're sure to make everything's safe for us... something internal can still change the outcome...."

"Ghost critter, don't make us upset...." the biologist whined.

"Forgive me but... I hope you understand what I'm trying to say here..."

If no one intervene or nothing happened, would things be different...?

In the end, we're still going around in circles just talking about it. Figures that it's hard to even try and work past it but... it really is impossible.

I felt a sudden weight pressing against my body, Shoma's leaning on my back with his chin resting on the shoulder, "This is annoying... we, critters, should savour the moment of living... let us all swim along happily...."

"Geez, you really like to invade other people's personal space...." I grumbled, ".... I'm glad you're still optimistic...."

While trying to get the biologist off of me, Renma just stared at us, expressionless. I prompted a 'what?' and that immediately does that trick.

"Nothing too important, but it seems you started calling everyone by just their given name... even during the investigation...."

A minor detail like that and he still notices it? Seems like nothing can just go by under his radar, "I'm trying not to treat others like they're strangers so...."

"Indeed....!" Shoma rolled off the bed and landed on the floor with a small thud. "We're all the same in the vast blue ocean... best to familiarise ourselves with each other!!"

Both of them left once they felt like they over-stayed, which I don't really mind. Renma said he will fill me in some details of what they've later before nighttime about their investigation of the new area and will check in from time to time to ensure my needs.

I looked at the clock on the wall, 'Even though I'm supposed to stay in bed.... there's no way I can idle around with this much free time.... maybe there's someone else on the same floor with who I can hang out with...?'

I found myself standing in front of the composer's room which, I will admit, does stand out to me as an interesting person in terms of talent..... and normalcy. He's not raunchy or mysterious, just your typical stuck-up with a snob-like attitude that you can find in almost anyone, 'And for that... maybe it's enough for me to handle....'

Knocking on the door twice, I heard a shuffling noise and a soft voice saying, "Come in, it's unlocked..."

True to what he said, the door opened without a problem and I was startled by the litter of musical sheets all over the floor, "What the... were you in the middle of cleaning, Amane...?"

Leaning dangerously further into his seat, the composer just twirled his pen, "Nonsense, I was in the middle of my musical amusement, a certain inspirational muse just tickled my brain so I have no time to tidy after myself... if you want to, you can waste time picking up those rejected failures..."

Wow, he's very critical, quite opposite of Higura who would throw out his works to others as it is. Still, I picked them up one by one and placed them on the desk neatly, "You know you can work more efficiently with a clean environment...."

"Heard of such notion but it's unnecessary, you can easily be indulged by your work if you're inspired enough..." he seems to be listening to a music player in one ear, probably acting as his white noise while he works. "Now, state your business with me. Otherwise, leave if you're just here to bother me with nonsensical things..."

Yikes, I went in a bad timing? "Well, I got too much free time on my hand and I... um... maybe learned a thing or two from you about... um... composing skills?"

Sumire, it's going to take a fucking miracle for him to believe that!

"Hm, I see...." Amane turned to the empty sheet in front of him. "Unfortunately, I'm still in the middle of this one here so you can use the rejected one as an example. But if you're adamant about waiting for a success score then forgive me, I won't be able to pay attention if you decide to start a conversation since I treasured my work over the words of others..."

Wow, he didn't decide to just throw me out! Lucky!

Ironically, we both have that in common. Curiosity got over me as I tried to see what was he listening to once he went back to writing, "Oh, Gnossienne No.1... I have heard of that before...."

"Huh!?" He suddenly got up, almost knocking me back. "Impossible!? A middle-class human actually has heard of such a piece!?"

"You know you're still considered middle-class, right?" I sighed, so it's gonna be one of those conversations. Also, hate to break it to anyone here, but being an Ultimate doesn't change your social standing that easily. "I used to play the piano when I was younger, I think it's one of the earlier pieces I remember practising for...?"

"Amazing...!" the composer grabbed both my shoulders, shaking frantically. "Would you ever so kindly use your skills to play one of my future masterpieces one day! Oh, for how long I've been wanting to hear them performed so gracefully!"

"Huh...? Wait, you mean....... you never heard them in person?"

"Of course, I have? I sold them off to eager performers...." he explained. "However, it's because they think they're worthy enough to perform the Ultimate Composer's work, they often improvised poorly and hope it will pass. Unbeknownst to those rookie conductors, I would rather slit out my stomach than sit and listen to such amateur performance...."

"I bet you will do that...." I'm questioning the normalcy statement I made earlier. Everyone always has these morbid speeches and I'm not sure if I should take them seriously or not. "But why me? I'm even more amateur-ish than those people you've.... dissed..?"

"You're in my peripheral which makes it easier to develop your skills to an exceptional level or close to my liking..." Amane snickers, sounding proud of himself. "The moment you recognise Gnossienne then I have faith that you would recognise Gymnopedie as well..."

"Well, um, you're not wrong?" I mean, they're both done by the same person. It would be evident that I recognized them but I'm not sure where he's trying to lead this conversation here. And he seems to take my silence as confusion here.

"Answer my question if you're still with me..." he demanded. "When you hear the aforementioned pieces, what kind of feelings did it invoke with you?"

"Hm, slow, solemn, the passage of time gradually passed by while daydreaming during a rainy evening..." And they're both earlier pieces as well with rather monotonous and repetition keys. "Oh... you're looking for someone who can resonate with your piece emotionally?"

"Exactly!" He finally lets go of me, continuing his triumphant speech. "You truly have it within you to feel the flow of the world, Ms Investigator! No doubt the further we can grow that skill of yours, the better the piece's emotional impact!!"

Listening to him rambling is interesting but it can also be tiring every time his voice peaked and I have to pay close attention, passion does wonder to a person, "Then I don't mind... playing one of your pieces, maybe as a free trial..."

"A trial!?" Amane scoffed. "Nonsense! I'm expecting a fully orchestra-level performance once we leave this place!! You will be an absolute expert under my guidance!!"

"Wha- I don't have that kind of capabilities to put up such a huge musical show?!!" I yelled. "You can't even set up Saint-Saëns' 'La danse macabre' perfectly within that limit!!!"

"Not with that kind of perspective! Good grief, I won't let you look down on my abilities on conducting people to perfect their musical prowess!"

'Thinking big about his work yet always discarded them and calling them failures... I feel like Amane may have been too hard on himself here. But, maybe I can convince him to give them a chance to shine....'

We ended up listening to 'La danse macabre' in silence, I can see how fingers keep tapping in tune with the flutes.

I went back to my room shortly after to use the bathroom and once I opened the door, stuffing my ElectroID into my jacket after unlocking it, it appeared, "There you are, my beloved guest!"

"Nyagh!?"

A flash of the black and white object suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, right in front of my face. I fell backwards and scrambled away till my back met the front door's surface, "Y-You..!! What do you want this time!?"

"Huh! That's rude of the guests to not show gratitude towards their's host's concern now, is it?" Monomyou innocently tilted their head as if they didn't do anything wrong. "If you're scared of this host is the imposter or one of my cute mini minions then I can assure you! There's only one of me, you adorable and magnificent host! Could there be something else impersonating this host...? Do tell all your concerns, dear guests, if anything bothers you all!"

They're the ones who are bothering us with all this speak of luxury experience and this place's mystery, "Why are you in my room in the first place...."

"Shouldn't it be the host's responsibility to regularly check on their injured guest?" said the cat. "This host got very worried, ya' know! It's one thing if you disobey the rules but it's a whole different thing if you got injured instead!! I want everyone to have the same magnificent experience in this hotel and it's pointless if one of them gets left out and mulled over their carelessness!!"

They said that but in the end, it's probably related to the class trials. If it weren't for Hisao's findings and my deduction, we wouldn't have survived that. And now they've become more aware of how we're able to go around the things they throw at us, which means someone is definitely overlooking our whole situation right now, probably the mastermind, "Surely, that's not all you're here for..."

"Perceptive are we!" they snickered. "Well, as a sign of appreciation for yesterday's successful trial, this host decides to give everyone their reward!!"

"R-Reward....?"

"Everyone likes rewards, right! This host wants to make it fair for everyone so they're the same thing and no trading needed if there are any preferences!!" Monomyou threw a small amount of confetti in the air. "Just don't lose it!"

The host then proceeded to hold up the said reward which turned out to be... a stuffed animal? It's a stuffed white cat doll with beady blue eyes and a pastel blue ribbon around its neck. Not gonna lie, I wouldn't admit it out loud in front of the host but it's actually quite cute.

"I'm glad this host can give away such a cute gift!!" Wait, did they seriously just read my mind!? "Don't be too curious about other guests' rewards, they're all the same but in different colours of their liking! Even my guests can sometimes act like kids fighting over a single toy!"

What do you seriously take us for...?" Left with no choice, I grabbed the plush from their arms, it actually has a hefty weight to it and it's soft enough to cuddle with at night. "Is.... this all? Just a doll....?"

"Nyahahaha! This host promised that's all for now!!" Monomyou laughed. "They're very special, exclusive talking plushies that many children would fall in love with!!"

"If it talks in the middle of the night, then I won't hesitate to burn it...."

"D-Don't do nyat! Ackh- I stuttered!" Monomyou profusely begged. "T-That's one of a kind like this host said!! It's will be entirely your loss if dear decide to throw it away!!"

My loss? "What do you mean??"

"N-Nyahahaha! It seems this host managed to convince dear guest!!" Their annoying laughter returned once again now that they caught my interest. "But this host won't reveal the surprise! Why not let the surprise come to dear guests instead! It's now for this host to take their leave now to attend to the others, adieu!"

And just like that, they disappeared, through an opening on the floor that closed up after them.

'Just what is the thing up to now...' I held up a plushie as I collapsed onto the bed. The cute beady eyes of the cat plush reflect my worrisome face, is that host just messing with us? Making a big deal out of the dolls so that we... do something?

I was so hyperfocused on the plush that I didn't realize there was someone at my door, recently ringing the doorbell as I scrambled to answer it. As I opened the door, I was greeted with another black cat plush with green beady eyes, held by, surprisingly, Higura.

"So that bitchass feline got to you as well..." the designer clicked his tongue. "I was so close to ripping their head off..."

"Did yours start acting strange or anything?"

"Not yet but I'm not going to sit around to see if it did...." Higura shook his head. "... Everyone got the same thing... it had to be something shady and we're not going to take it like that...."

"We can't exactly throw it away or anything..." In fact, we don't know what would happen if we did, Monomyou could punish us for petty reasons even. "So... we're stuck with this momentarily..."

"Just why the hell you're being so critical when we're at death's door and not before disaster strikes...." the designer complained.

"It can still be a trap..." and we will just make a fool out of ourselves.

Before Higura can continue, another visitor stepped in, "Oh my, it seems you're busy...."

"Renma?" with the same cat plush as well.

"Tsk, I will be leaving then..." Higura turned away. "Better save my mood before I hear something that could sour it...."

So why was he seeing me then? If he knew that I wouldn't have anything to say about it then why did he pay a visit? Was he that worried over a cat-themed reward?

"I apologized if I interrupt something important..." the medium bowed. "I didn't expect a visitor so soon...."

"It's okay, me neither..." I confessed. "Seems like the cat has made its rounds...."

"Indeed..." Renma chuckles. "I'm currently finding a way to communicate the spirit to use this thing as their vessel, I find it much more pleasant to have a spiritual companion than an empty soft shell after all..."

Well, that sounds wonderful, I'm not gonna lie. "But you know... that cat host might plan to trick you by giving you talking plush one... they did say they're something special..."

"That's.... plausible...." Renma nodded. "Oh well, there's always possession as an option. Perhaps the underworld wouldn't mind a sudden spiritual call from their one and only messenger since I'm offering up a body to them..."

What's with that sentence?

"For now, I'm here to be asked for if needed...."

That's right, he promised that he will relay things back to me about everyone's routine this afternoon, "No, not really. But I would like to hear how's everyone doing so far..."

"Just the usual, nothing of sort... everyone's been idling away but I did leave before being given... this thing...." he showed the cat plush in his hands. "I'm afraid I might have to tend to their worries after this...."

"Wouldn't blame you, it doesn't seem like an ordinary gift from Monomyou....."

"We should never trust what the cat gives..... not after the last debacle....." said Renma. "At most, we can hope and wish that this is that thing's attempt to cheer us up... as strange as it is....."

Perhaps it's a motive, was what crossed my mind. But why give it so soon? And why like this? To make it less obvious? Or is it made for a specific someone they're aiming to pursue-

"I will be seeing you tomorrow, Sumire...." Renma excused himself, "I have a fair bit of work given by others so forgive me if you're looking forward to talking about this with someone..."

"No, no, you can go on with your day...." Busy with what, I wonder.

Right when I almost shut the door closed, the medium says, "Be careful, Sumi... the spirits surrounding this place are getting even more restless... Someone is prompting them....."

'Someone...?' I stopped, he said something similar before those motive videos were revealed. Something's going to happen and Renma noticed it.

'Surely... not...' I hoped... it's just a coincidence. For now, I should put my mind at ease.

Nao and Machi weren't in their rooms (and presumably at the library) so I decided to hang out with Kiharu. I'm sure she has a lot of interesting stories as well, being the Ultimate Archaeologist can often have the most interesting narratives.

I rang the doorbell once and I can immediately hear her stumbling around in the room before opening the door with a dishevelled look, "Oh, hey, Sumi! Hey, hi! What's up!?"

"Um, hi?" Is she in the middle of something? "Were you busy? Sorry if you-"

"No, no, not entirely!!" Kiharu corrected. "I didn't expect guests, that's all! Why don't you just come in and not stand in the middle of the hallway like that!"

She pulled me inside and locked the door immediately with a relief look on her face afterwards, "Sorry!! I'm currently hiding, you know!?"

"Hiding from....?"

"Amane!" She explained. "I stole one of his music sheets as a dare by Hisao when I visited his room! I was warned that he's rather possessive about it but we thought we could up the ante by leaving a note behind to say it was for research purposes!"

".... You do know he will have your head once he realized?"

"Yup, which is why I'm predicting that he will be breaking down my door any minute now!!"

"Okay...?" I would be terrified, not of the composer but of the damages he will cause and the harm he inflicts..... on my soul and brain.

"So why are you here for..? Oh! Maybe you might be interested in this one!" Kiharu dragged me along to her desk by the nightstand, there are numerous shelves on the walls filled with miscellaneous miniature fossils and bone fragments, obviously for decorations. It almost gave the hotel room an eerie vibe, "I want to show others this picture that I found during my library hunt!! Look here!!"

There are two sets of photographs, showing numerous excavation sites; it looked like they've dug up a sunken graveyard considering the bones and skulls being buried deep inside.

"Ya' know, when I see sites like this, I get all tingly and excited!" Kiharu?? "It makes you wonder, 'What happened here? Was there a feud between two different groups? A small rebellion?'. It makes my heart pounding like crazy, like, I wanna be there to witness these kinds of things!!"

"I-I can see that..." It does make me question its enigma but at the same time, doesn't it seem dodgy to say that so freely? Theorising some kind of tragedy shouldn't be taken so lightly considering how badly it affected the world in a sense. I get uncovering these kinds of things is crucial to keeping a record of the past but it's still a bit... much.

"Argh! But it's so, so annoying!" The archaeologist threw the photos back onto the table with full force. "I wanna go out there again!! I wanna go to do some energising digging and recovers amazing artefacts!! Letting the old history cover you, from head to toe, with its murky spores, I want that kind of physical excitement!"

'Hey, hey, hey, why does that sound way lewder when she said it out loud!?'

"But, alas, paperwork and this.... whole situation stopped me from doing that..." Kiharu sulked in her seat, sinking in deeper. "I wanna go back to my excavation buddies one more, man, I bet they're crying for my return every day. Every moment I'm absent will be a huge loss for them...."

"Your team...." I'm sure even as an Ultimate Archaeologist, it's near impossible to make a discovery alone, taking on a large area is too much for one person to go through thoroughly. "Do you think they're still on-site, waiting for you?"

"Of course they are, they're not gonna abandoned their leader like that!!" She immediately stood up with a determined tone. "I'm the one who's carrying those dead weights around!! Before I even took up the leadership role, they weren't near successful in finding anything! Without my guts and knowledge, we wouldn't uncover the entire underground city and their massive necropoleis! Also their ritual temple with all that remaining artefacts and books, we still haven't figured out what those things actually do and we haven't deciphered their language as well..."

"Considering your description of said city and what you guys found, I'm pretty sure they're cursed and you guys are in big trouble..." I said my point bluntly... with a bit of concern. "But it's amazing that... you guys discovered a lot of that. Just by taking the mantle... no wonder you're considered an Ultimate, Kiharu..."

"Then again, I couldn't have done it without my team!!" she flashes a grin. "Because there's one thing I wanna make it clear with them; I hate quitters, slackers and the likes!! I hate people who just gave up halfway when it became too difficult for them to continue!! My team and I learned how to push through the challenges we faced and make sure we see the light at the end of the tunnel! It's a team effort so when we discovered something amazing, I will definitely mention them at every chance I get!"

As a team leader and team player, Kiharu has both amazing qualities. Strong, adventurous and instinctive, someone who anyone can rely on to get the job done. Kinda make me feel jealous of her. She's definitely an ideal person I would like to listen to all day without getting tired of it.

"Hm, I wonder if my teammates will start pestering me once I got out though... I mean, they do act like a bunch of worrisome mother hens when we're onsite, even when I get sick during the excavation...." Kiharu pondered. "Well, that should be obvious when you're surrounded by the air of old history!!"

I almost laughed it off as another sign of her recklessness because considering the usual state of excavation sites along with her attitude as it is. A person who always heads first into things wouldn't exactly think twice about the consequences. There was a moment of silence between the two of us.

"... Are you sick now?"

"Huh? Why you're asking me that? I mean, light-headed, yes but not too serious-"

"Ask Monomyou for a proper health diagnosis immediately...." I told her, instantly and firmly, with no doubt, I can't believe she kept that to herself up until now.

"Huh..? Macchan?"

I walked in at the right moment the librarian's with the ghostwriter for a few seconds before she went into her room. My voice managed to only catch his attention just when the door's closed, "Oh... Sumi..."

"Got back from the library?" Only Nao and Machi spent most of their time at that place... and only there for the rest of the day. "Must be some serious cleaning...."

".... No... I realized Nao was acting strangely earlier so...." Machi exclaimed. "I reassured her all day..."

... Right, I forgot these two were..... "... Maybe I should have done the same as well..."

"Don't be ridiculous, you will only be seen as pathetic in her eyes if you do so..." he scoffed. "She knows what's right or wrong so don't go acting like it's something she's unfamiliar with..."

"People don't just get over with it in just a day, you saw it yourself..." I argued back. "And that feeling would only get worst as days passed without anyone knowing...."

"... She has me so don't worry about it...." the librarian confirmed it. "... I will keep her out of harm's way... and I will make sure she knows how to pick her own battle...."

I just nodded at his words; speaking of picking a battle, "Can I ask you something... about the previous trial...."

"If you're applying that same logic to me, I'm perfectly fine-"

"No, it's about... Renma...." they're the only pair who knew each other beforehand and by the sounds of the medium's account, they're at least close enough to warrant a reaction like yesterday's incident. "I was wondering if you guys.... knew each other's acceptance to the Ultimate Academy or anything?"

".... We rarely talk to each other after a year..." the librarian explained. "It's our personal business so if you ask one more time, I will sew your mouth shut"

Scary.

"I will leave you with this warning...." Machi decided to take his leave next. "Don't go trusting his words too easily, he's an impulsive liar... intentional or not...."

.......

Come to think of it, Renma always notices something's off way before everyone else. Even Hisao. Maybe... he has something in common with the fake player that the conman mentioned?

With that thought in mind, I retired to my room as well before nighttime hits.

Chapter Text

Ding Dong! Ding Dong!!

"Wha..."

I groggily lifted my arms and stared at the front door, someone's at the door again.... so early in the morning, before the announcement, '... This better not be that cat's doing...'

Leaving my comforting bed and letting go of the cat plush, I didn't bother to fix up my appearance before answering the door, "What....?"

"Oh whoa, that's an amazing bedhead!" I was greeted by Taiga's loud voice. "You're really knocked out! I've been hitting that bell for a while now!"

"Usually, if no one answered the door for an hour, that would be your cue to leave....."

"Yeah, but I'm persistent enough!!" he stated. "Also, I'm here to make a report on something rather furtastic!!"

'That's an awkward cue....'

Letting the marksman into my room, I made sure there was no one else in the hallway for safety reasons and closed the door once the cost's clear, "So what's your impression on the cat dolls-"

"It's the next motive...." Taiga suddenly answered in a stern tone and frustrated expression. "Kiharu, Shoma and Hisao already had their motive and... they weren't exactly happy with what it told them...."

So they are the talking plush kind, "What did it say?"

"They're somewhat a riddle but... they're a very personal secret that tied to the person it's eluding to...." exclaimed Taiga. "They guessed who can it be tied to and instantly figure them out. Hisao.... believe they can be used to turn against everyone here...."

Something you've kept from others, something they shouldn't know about yourself. And of course, the conman has to get it first, what rotten luck, "So it's at random on when they decide to reveal them... and since they're personal gifts..."

"No one would know whose secret they got...."

What a scummy way to hide and reveal the next motive.

'But considering this is about hidden motives, would it possible for the mastermind to out their fake player as a farce?' They could do that as a scare tactic or as a way to get rid of them once they've realised one of us figured their plan out.

"Surely... they don't happen to mention who got whose...?"

"They... did, well, one of them did..." Taiga remember back what he knew. "Kiharu got mine and she confessed about it once it happened. The other two.... weren't so helpful. They're very tight-lipped about it but in short, Shoma got someone he trusted and Hisao got someone he really, really hates..."

"That literally could be anyone...." the conman doesn't hide his feelings towards everyone. "... I will let you know as well if I got mine by tomorrow..."

"But... is it wise to tell others about this..." Taiga asked with uncertainty. "I mean, it's probably for the best but... I wouldn't imagine everyone would be on board with it...."

"I...." I don't actually know what to say. If I said it would be fine, it might end in a messy situation like last time. If we decide not to, then it will just make it worse once others knew the cat's true objective. No matter where you see it, we're all still screwed.

"I think we should wait... until everyone settled down first so that we could talk about those plush..... if by bad luck they all got everyone's motives by then, we might need to discuss that stolen intel and how we should keep them from others knowing...."

"Huh, strangely parallel to what Hisao had in mind..." I really don't want to know what he means by that and I hope 'telling everyone your personal intel' isn't the idea he had in mind. "But I'm with you on that... it's best for others to not know who got whose in the first place..... even though Kiharu already crossed that line...."

"And you're okay with that....?"

"It's... kinda hard to believe... and risky to admit...." Taiga side-eyes while saying that. "But I'm sure you guys understand my situation with a bit of backstory! I haven't told you about my wild lifestyle back home!! They're just like those action stories that will keep everyone on the edge of their seats!"

If his stories are gonna be anything like when he first introduced himself as an Ultimate, then I'm prepared for total absurdity, "Well, I will be looking forward to hearing them one day..."

"Oh!" Taiga snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot!! The most important thing of why I'm here, to begin with!"

I thought the whole plush thing is a lot more important than whatever his reason is?

"Since things have gotten really dangerous now knowing what that cat could do, especially when you're temporarily out of action now!" I want to defend myself there but I will let that remark slide for now. "I went back to the shooting gallery and got something extra to work with!!"

"To work with?"

"I was experimenting with something while everyone's busy!!" Taiga handed me the airsoft gun he had earlier, except this one seemed a little different. "I actually found two of these things when that place first opened up!! Both of them now belonged to the two most experienced holders!!"

Yeah, makes sense. I examined the gun I'm holding right now, a small handheld and a more spring-powered type. "If we ever get separated as a group, it would be fine since there's the two of us..."

"And!!" He handed over some pellets that I hardly recognised, brightly neon-coloured pellets. "These will come in handy!! I can give you the ordinary ones as well but I added my own spin as well- Tracer pellets!!"

"Tracer pellets....?"

"Even though we're not allowed to enter other places during nighttime ...." Taiga pointed out. "Wandering around during that time is not against the rule with the exception of those machine soldiers observing us! So in case of an emergency, I concocted several different pellets if we ever try to catch a bad guy down!! They're essentially glow-in-the-dark kinds of stuff!"

"How do you even make these and who did you bribe?"

"That's a secret!!"

"Your talent....... surprises me sometimes...." I sighed, taking the pellets and putting them into a smaller pocket pouch I found at my nightstand. Taiga could have mistakenly been an Ultimate Gunsmith instead of Ultimate Marksman with this much effort made. It's almost impressive how much he prepared in a short amount of time. "There are only five pellets for each of us?"

"I have five tracer pellets and five marker pellets!!" Taiga grinned. "With my perfect precision skills, there's no way I would waste them all that easily so we shouldn't worry a single thing when pursuing our next culprit!!"

Our next culprit...

So even Taiga, who can be passive and all that, has the same idea about preventing the trial from happening again. Both of our survival instincts decided to kick in too late yet too soon as well, it's almost frustrating. But now it's not the time to weep about it, "Thank you, Taiga. You really don't have to go this far for our own sake...."

"Well, call it instinct or paranoia, I always have to be prepared for the worst ever si-" Taiga immediately stopped, before he changed the subject. "Anyways!! I better get going!! Because of the shenanigans yesterday, I was forced to clean the dining hall with Hisao for today so, see ya' later!!"

With that, he quickly left and closed the door behind him without me greeting him out, 'What was that? That was so abruptly....... did he look terrified for a moment there...? Did it has something to do with....?'

I shouldn't think too hard on this. If it makes Taiga uncomfortable, then I have no reason to pry that information out of him.

Huh, how ironic that I actually have that thought, 'Anyways, I still have some free time left.....until breakfast...I can't really sleep in with all that info in mind....'

Spiritualism isn't something I would be interested in but some folklore or horror stories made an impact on my life... as a discipline lesson (by my mentor who somehow knew even more gruesome stories). However, Renma's connection with the spirits made it seem like they're more than tall tales to make children behave like they have substance to them.

'He's pretty open about them so I'm sure he doesn't mind if I pry around....' I found him meditating in the reception hall, meditating. 'He looks calm-'

"Dearest investigator, perhaps you want a word with me today?"

"Wha!?" Renma turned around with a smile on his face. "I-I didn't even say anything so how did you...."

"Your presence alone agitates the presence in this hall...." he pointed at the seat in front of him. "Please take a seat, the spirits and I would be delighted to discuss our relationship...."

"Yeah..." that was kinda scary, I thought my heart would stop beating there. I accepted the seat as the medium carefully watches over, "So... how often do people see you for those.... rituals?"

"It's my speciality, after all..." Renma answered simply. "I'm a messenger for the death and the afterlife whether by words or actions... it became some sort of tradition from where I came from..."

"A tradition? So your entire family has that strong connection already from the start....." His strong belief in them would be explained a lot, but to make it something like a tricky business deal-

"It's no fool's play, I will have you know, Sumi..."

"Huh!? How did you!?" Immediately, I get rid of any more intrusive thoughts in my head. "What the hell, are you a mind reader?!"

"Is that surprising? Infiltrating people's minds is a child's play compared to possession..." no ordinary person would happily compare those two. "Reading people isn't difficult. Clairvoyance and such are merely beginner's steps towards mediumship...."

The way he explained it sounds like it's no big deal but there's no way anyone can handle that amount of stress of surrendering their body for the spirits to take over whenever they like, "Just... how often you even have those spiritual ceremonies...? It can't be that often...."

"Ah, you underestimate how grievance can easily sway the heart...." the medium started. "Loved ones, passed ones, people would beg a dime just to see them... and of course, there are some instances where I have to refuse their offers...."

"So you can do that......"

"Of course, being kind doesn't point towards a humble manner..." he chuckles. "There are some spiritual connections I refused to indulge in. Who knows what would happen if I made a pact with spirits with much stronger force, I doubt I could keep my consciousness on this realm for that long..."

"Well..! Things like that won't happen anytime soon!" I stiffened up, trying to wrap things up before he could continue his morbid views. "It just sounds like you're handling more loss than others instead...."

If you think about it, a medium has to give up their body and mind for the ceremony so there are a lot of risks that come with it. Not only that, but Renma's feeble nature would also add up to the trouble he has to go through.

"It's important to specifically seek out your strength..." Renma replied. "After all, your body isn't everything but a fragile object if not taken care of carefully. Who knows what the unknown is thinking once they've laid their eyes upon you... especially with those peering, hungry eyes behind you..."

'Don't look back, don't look back, don't look-'

I yapped once I felt something brush against my left shoulder as I whipped my head around; it was a potted plant and its leaves that were swaying slowly by a small breeze from an opened window.

"Simply amazing...." Renma laughed as he applauded. "Your heightened sense seems to be your weapon of choice. I'm impressed that you barely passed the ceremonial test if it weren't for your high awareness..."

"W-Why....?" How exactly did he time that perfectly?

"Ceremonies can fail if the participants aren't in a calm state...." the medium answered. "Such disruption can easily break off our connection with the spirits in the afterlife, making it difficult to communicate with them. After all, even spirits have no patience with restless folks.... however, if you would like to, I would be delighted to teach you ways of meditation...."

It would have been wise to turn his offer down by now (since it's becoming more obvious that he's being a tease now), but I still believe he's being sincere about it.

After resting for a bit, I exited the room to go get some fresh air and was greeted by Hibiki who was about to knock, "Oh, Hibiki...did you need some-"

"We need to meet up with others in the dining hall immediately...." she sounds like she's in a rush, and her expression seemed serious as well. "Macchan and Nao found something in the library's archive... something related to this place and us...."

...! A possible clue to our missing memories!?

"I will help you out. I think Kiharu, Amane and Higura are still on this floor..."

She gave me a nod in reply and went ahead to get them. 'First, the plush and now this? What's that cat planning? Better hear it out and make sense of it...'

"So sloooooow! We already went through the stuff before you guys do!"

"Oh, shut the fuck up! As if we expected some bullshit to pop up this soon!"

I sighed once Higura and Hisao started bickering. I can see everyone's tolerance remaining strong every time these two opened their mouth while I've found my own kryptonite. Everyone was already gathered in the dining hall and on the table were a bunch of newspaper clippings that looked pretty old.

"We found these while cleaning the archive rooms...." said Machi while Nao, behind him, looked unsure about their findings. "It's about this hotel and.... us...."

"Let me have a read...." I suggested and Machi handed over the documents while I skimmed through them. Kiharu and Amane read them over my shoulder with Higura beside me (I lowered my arms so that he could see).

—

TRAGEDY STRIKES AT THE YUMEINO LUXURY HOTEL

xx.xx.21xx, an unfortunate tragedy has struck at the brand new hotel that was built by its main facility, Yumeino Ultimate Academy For Elites.

As the place was intended to hold the graduation program for its 50th Class and their sixteen talented students, multiple explosions around the building went off causing the building to collapse, leaving no survivors.

We would like honoured the deceased who, unfortunately, left this world too young and too soon.....

—

Under the column was the list of our names, under the title 'In Memory Of...'.

"What the hell...." those words escaped my gaping mouth. We're... dead? We're supposed to be dead in the outside world? You're kidding.... right?

"This doesn't make any sense!?" Kiharu stammered as she snatched the newspaper from my hands. "This looks too recent!! And we've just enrolled in the academy!! This has to be a messed-up prank!!"

"What kind of prank requires multiple media companies to be involved?" Machi sighed, taking his glasses off to wipe away the dust. "We found multiple clippings by those companies, all of them covering the same thing. Sixteen students perished in a brand new hotel. To add more to the confusion, these newspaper clippings were dated at least two months ago...."

"If this isn't some tasteless joke... then this whole place...." Amane's troubled voice is hard to miss. "This place we're standing in... should have been destroyed........"

"So why rebuild the place... and trapped us here?" Renma mumbled. "And why go so far as to lie about our deaths?"

"Perhaps they're trying to get something out of us...."

Everyone turned to Hisao, who still looking at the other newspaper clippings, his voice still having a tint of boredom in it, "Well, think about it; we're in a copycat hotel with a weirdo playing as the annoying cat host and will maybe release us once we reached the end of this 'luxury experience' that can be just a guise of imprisonment and without any outside interference. It sounds like they're testing us with... something. And also think about how that host presents themselves, going so far as to explain how things work here, maybe our time here is being recorded...."

Is that even possible, was what I wanted to ask to hear more of his insights but it was cut short with...

"But that's just a wild gut' feeling! There's no way we have such a creep watching over us and recording our every movement!! On the other hand, why would anyone want anything from a bunch of gawking teens, how lame!"

"You little-!"

Instinctively, I held the designer back, stopping him by firmly grabbing him by the shoulder and pushing him back. He was surprised by the sudden aggression but didn't say anything afterwards.

"Well, what if that first sentence is right?" I probed him and Hisao immediately has that all too familiar smile on his face, now that I'm following his logic here. "We're here... after some tragedy with that lie about our disappearance... because they're trying to get something...."

"Or someone...." Hisao shrugged. "If you see our class roster, our talents and achievement pinned to our names... it's like they're looking for someone to join a secret organisation maybe, like some sort of messed-up recruitment test...."

Those are exceptional talents on that list. If this whole setup was done by those people who are after our talents, then we already fell right into their trap, didn't we?

An organisation that determines who will gain freedom and the will to live.... and who will just die and disappeared off the face of the earth...

"But the academy... should have known something...." Saku cuts off the tense atmosphere. "Like... there's no way they didn't know about this kidnapping thing.... surely they knew something's up?"

"Their 'For Elites' part of the title is also quite on the nose...." Hiroshi pondered. "For being a sister school to another well-known talent academy, they would have expected their students being... I don't know...targeted?"

Maybe. Almost all of the talents here are quite absurd and really outlandish, especially with talents like myself, Hisao and Taiga, who were well-known to be dangerous.

In which aspect of ourselves were they targeting?

As far as most evidence goes, this is the least complete than yesterday. Everyone kept their cool but I can see they're still showing a considerable amount of worried looks that we don't have a complete story yet. Maybe that cat hid more clues in other places as well...

"A pleasant day to everyone!" Suddenly, Monomyou jumped down and landed on the table. The people nearby hurriedly grab the materials before it will get taken away. " "I see my lovely guests have found another mystery to this hotel indeed! Such a shame that it was discovered way too later before the trial happened...!"

"Y-You! What's the meaning of this!?" Mitsuru shrieked, pointing at them. "What kind of prank is this!? There's no way we're, like, living breathing ghosts right now!!"

"Wha!? This host's terrified of ghosts!! There's no way these beloved host's guests could be ghosts either!!" the cat gasped. "But please don't be too harsh on this host, I only collect the original copies from the outside world! The contents of the library's archives are records for everyone to go through and reminiscence!"

"Then please answer our question, dearest host..." Renma inquires kindly. "If the said hotel was destroyed in said tragedy, how was it rebuilt so quickly within a month or two gap? And why is our disappearance been described as absolute 'deaths'?

"Who knows? This host only knows which to collect that could grab everyone's attention! Something that could solve this mystery game, perhaps!" Monomyou giggles. "This host's impressed with everyone catching every single detail here, no wonder you guys solved the first trial easily! But that's not enough to save yourself from each other still!"

With that cryptic last line, it disappeared and all of us let out a collective sigh together. Wasn't expecting the host to give us hints but a scrap or two would have been helpful. In the end, more questions showed regarding our supposed whereabouts here. Nao and Machi volunteered to keep the records in their room got safety reasons once they return to the library to search for more.

Everyone else started to do their own thing since there were no other places left they could investigate. Now occupied with this news in their head, Taiga, Renma, Saku and Amane look the most unsettled out of the group while Shoma's acting as floaty as ever, mindlessly dusting off the dirt on the table.

"What about you, Shoma?" I asked, curious to hear what he would say since he was really quiet earlier. "Do you have any thoughts about it?"

"Hm..... this critter doesn't really get it...." Shoma confessed. "From what critter's feeling now, it seems redundant. Because.... all this critter's friends are still here... so we, critters, should worry over such a tragic history.... right? We can still leave this place alive...!"

'Strangely positive there....' I thought about the plush mystery from earlier, wondering what kind of secret he's keeping from us, 'It's probably not that bad if he's still optimistic....'

"Little miss!" The conman patted my head to get my attention and immediately, the biologist left on his own. "Got a minute? Have something to ask you for!!"

'... Guess it's meeting time....' seeing how Amane's following him, the group decided to act on this one, except for Taiga & Nao who have other things to work with. Of course, if we all keep staying in a group, then someone would find out soon so it's better if they don't know about our intentions yet.

As we entered the bar, I noticed the security cameras are still down and dusty, meaning that Mononmyou had just given up on trying to fix it, much to our relief.

"So you guys received those lame plush rewards, right?" I expected Hisao to ask that first so I simply nodded.

"Yes, but nothing happened yet. From what I know, you, Shoma and Kiharu got it already...."

"I see, so they do have other ulterior motives....." Amane wasn't too shocked by the revelations but it sounds like he hasn't gotten anyone's secret yet. "However, what's so important about it that we must gather out of everyone's sight?"

"Sheesh, I knew that Taiga can't keep yapping around, stupid paranoia has gotten the best of him!" Hisao clicked his tongue. "How annoying! Guess that bravery is just an accessory then! Should have known it from the start!"

"Sao-chin...."

"Ergh! Quit that!?"

"Pfft.... what an atrocious reaction..." Amane tried to hold back laughter from what he heard and saw.

"I-I'm just joking around! That's totally uncalled for!" The conman tried to regain his composure, "Anyways! This is clearly another trap set up by that annoying cat! Another motive!"

"Figures...." And too soon as well. "If this plush managed to reveal everyone else's darkest secret at the end of the day.... things will only get rough from there on...."

"And that's not just an overreaction, what I got really just shot through the shock factor by a million on a horror movie scale...." Hisao trying to get Amane to see the bigger picture. "So here's the deal; do not let anyone know about it! Even if they swear that they're not going do something horrible, just don't do it out of kindness or whatever, even if it's their secret!"

Oh. So... he doesn't want to get rid of the weeds that easily?

That's a surprising approach, is this what Taiga mean by having a parallel opinion? "I really thought you would insist on telling just to prevent some bad apples from acting up...."

"Compromised it, I have boundaries that I want to keep, you know? And my life's pretty valuable and I'm not gonna waste it from revealing some hearsays!!" Hisao grimaced, clearly telling the truth. "But I also got a job for you two since you guys are workaholics and being musical genius or such..."

The conman reached for something in his jacket, rummaging around for a moment and for a moment, his sleeves pulled back a bit, revealing an odd-looking futuristic bracelet that's clamped tightly around his wrist, 'What's that?'

"Found them!"

He handed both of us a bunch of musical sheets that seems gibberish at first, "Study them carefully! These can be pretty useful in due time! You two can consult on how to approach it but don't go overboard and go all touchy-feely behind my back now!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Amane and I said in unison, annoyed by his joke.

"Whoa, such attitude!" he just laughed it off. "Anyways, that's all I wanna talk about today! Have fun with the assignment! I'm gonna play around with Renma and his sixth sense again! A very interesting person he presented himself to be!"

My suspicions about the fake player suddenly doubled when he said that. Does that mean he has Renma's secret? Something... incriminating his identity maybe?

'There's no way Hisao would create trouble for everyone just because of that... he's going to make both a bigger target AND a fool of himself..'

'I feel like... without Hinako around....' the behaviourist's usual floral appearance flash through my mind. 'We became this man's babysitters instead..... Lord, please send my gratitude to Hanabusa Hinako and her amazing resistance towards this rascal....'

"N-Nao...?"

I was greeted by the huge stacks of books that were placed in front of the ghostwriter's door and I could barely see Nao who was sitting down on the floor. She seemed to have a lot in her hands to have a chat, it took her a while to notice my presence, "Oh, Sumi, was doing some research!"

"A research... huh..." I carefully manoeuvred through the book's obstacles before sitting beside her. "About what?"

"Whatever pops in my mind!" Nao closes the physics book she was holding. "I used to write for all kinds of genres, you see, so my mind tends to wander between different topics. I could be finding materials for flowers and other earthly topics, and I would end up researching about a micronation's culture!"

"Is that so..." Her enthusiasm made me chuckle. "So something like this can get rid of your stuttering...."

"I-It's that apparent?!" Nao exclaimed in shock. "M-Macchan said that same thing... w-well, I've been trying to get along with everyone since... I've always isolated myself for a long time.... but..! At least it's not for nothing, right!?"

"Yeah, at least you're improving your skills and it really shows..." her communication skills have been getting better. She handed me a book, one of the mystery books that she co-wrote with a familiar author. "...! This is the book I first knew about you!"

"Had a feeling it was...." said Nao, playing around with her glasses. "It was the starting point as a ghostwriter....."

"This person... I've always admired him, I love the twists and turns in his writing that I bulk-buy the entire volumes!" I exclaimed gleefully, admiring the beautiful hardcover. "What was he like? Surely you must have met him once, right?"

The ghostwriter just stared at me, dumbfounded, before a look of realization hit her, "Oh... right... they never want to make that public... he's... dead now...."

I choked on my own saliva, "W-What!?"

"Y-Yeah...." said Nao, twirling her hair and avoiding eye contact. "S-So... he passed when making the third book due to health complications. But he already assigned me to write the next few volumes as an assistant so I took his place and finished it before the deadline..."

"There are six volumes in total..." I remembered the neatly packaged boxset that I bought a long time ago. "So the rest of the volumes were actually written by you alone?"

"As a ghostwriter, we should be able to mimic other people's writing style..." Nao explained as she begins to organise the book into their initial place. "It's like we're acting as a stand-in for the real once but in reality, it was like... to save face. Because of the author's high-earned fame, the company wasn't entirely prepared to let everything go yet so I stepped in to complete the series..."

"I-I see...." It's no wonder why his company plaster his name everywhere, promoting Nao's writing, in fact. They're probably waiting to announce the big news once the demands died down. "I'm.... still impressed... all the plot points eerily fit the whole theme and the mysteries from the first volume were beautifully carried overall throughout the anthology in a satisfying way. Did the author leave you some points he wanted to put in his series....?

"No, the author is not that type of person...!" The ghostwriter awkwardly laughed, reminiscing back on her writing days. " He just... winged most of them. Any topic that he randomly thought about would be sneakily put in. He doesn't have a plan or anything prepared, he just follows along with what would make his series more interesting!"

"That's... really brave of him..." I could hardly find any author who would take a risk like that. Hell, I could hardly find any author whose lines of thoughts could be even close to understandable. "He must have been a very interesting person to talk to....."

"I've never met him in person but... everyone keeps saying he's a bright one..." Nao sighed, seemingly fond of talking about the author. "I find myself inspired by his writing as well, but since I'm a ghostwriter... creating a series of my own is out of my field..."

"You can definitely do it!" I encouraged her immediately. "It's too early to talk yourself down like that so give it a try at least! I love the series that you mostly contributed with your ideas so there's still a chance there! I can help with the beta reading!"

"Really?!" Nao's eyes gleamed with excitement. "T-That's great!! I can't wait to show you the prototype! I have my mindset on a sci-fi genre with some Kitsch elements in it! Oh, but I have to discuss it more with Mitsuru about that last thing!! I want it to be more realistic as well!"

'Nao can be passionate once the right button is pushed...' Her rambling continues as I listened in intently. 'Better not to disappoint her, I gotta make sure to stick by her side until the final process!'

After that, we finished what we had so far before leaving the ghostwriter's room. Even after a traumatic event, Nao remained herself, still stuttering here and there but managed to pull through. Perhaps it's thanks to Machi's doing that she's able to stand her ground.

'I wanna help with their library duties one day....' I closed my bedroom door. 'Really wanna know how they spent their time the entire time...'

As I sat at the foot of my bed, I saw bandaged ankle and felt a wash of dread over me, 'Wait, wait, wait, Renma saw me walking around like it's nothing, he will surely nag me about it-!'

The stinging pain became numb now that I can go anywhere without a problem. The bar and the hotel don't have that much distance so I didn't notice anything off, 'Urgh, why am I acting like he's actually going to hurt me... pretty sure he wouldn't hit a fly...'

Silencing my thoughts immediately, I sighed, falling back onto my bed, "... I shouldn't think about fighting at times like this, no matter how unintentional it is..."

If it came to it if my secret turned turns out to be that, then I would have a hard time explaining myself. Their faith in me will surely diminish once the perpetrator spilled the beans.

And as if right on cue, I heard the beeping noise coming from the cat plush on the bed, "C-C-Congratulations, Hoshino Sumire...! Hoshino Sumire, Ultimate Private Investigator...!"

Right now? And just like that!?

"Unfortunately, due to your fortunate partner's luck, your partner has no such interesting trivia! What a shame! It seems you have no other materials to use to deepen your bond with everyone!"

The cat plush went silent, as I frowned at its sudden action, 'Blackmailing... of course, that's what they're aiming for. Thank god, I didn't get anything...'

I wanna guess that it's Nao's secret that I'm supposed to get since knowing her attitude, she wouldn't dare to verbally hurt anyone.

But, tomorrow will still be troublesome, that worried feeling keeps bottling up. If I got the motive now, then surely everyone else will get theirs in due time.

Inside of the desk's drawer was the airsoft gun that Taiga gave for safe-keeping. I really, really hope that the day I will be forced to use it wouldn't happen.

Chapter Text

"It's finally here..."

"Yeah, fuckin' finally graduating after wasting two years goggling at everyone's faces... I better have some clients kneeling for my work after this!!"

"Hira, you will drive them away instead...."

"Who cares! They will come back crawling eventually!"

"Money is an important factor in your life, eh...."

"Well, who can argue with that...? At least we got our training wheel off before diving into more opportunities out there!"

"I sense a great fortune waiting ahead of everyone, an interesting endeavour...."

"Then Amane and I will wish for a flourishing future for everyone.."

"Oh yeah, good luck on that overseas tour, you two!! Send us some souvenirs!!"

.....

"Hey, ... you've been really quiet since this evening.... you okay there?"

.....

"Yeah, I'm fine... I'm sorry, Sumi...."

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!!!

"Good morning, ladies and gents', rise and shine!!! This is your daily announcement to be at your very myou-est of health! I hope everyone has found joy in this host's special awards, they're limited edition! This host's wishes these dolls held some significance by your side! Have a myou-est of the day!!"

The PA system turned off, it took me a while to make sense of what I just witnessed there, 'What... was that dream? Everyone was there... even Homare and Hinako... wasn't that... the place where we first met Monomyou?'

And for everyone to say their farewells so genuinely in that dream, "Was that... during our graduation-"

The doorbell rang, and I wasted no time idling around as I immediately answered it, "... It feels like there's a routine going on who's in charge of waking me up...."

"Which is my turn!" Saku, who's at my door this time, chuckles. "Ren's orders since he looks like he's in a rush. He wanted to make sure you're doing well and all, I mean, you look okay yesterday..."

"I think..." I tried moving my right foot a bit, a subtle pain but not like before. "I need to move around or else it will stiffen up..."

"Don't worry, I'm good at coming up with excuses on the spot if Ren notices it!!" Saku cheered. "At least you're exercising a bit, many people I know wouldn't because they believe it will go as well as not moving at all. Well, if they enjoy hearing their joints popping every single minute then I wouldn't argue with that..."

"I'm sure there's a better way to describe that feeling...."

"There's no fucking way we're keeping this shit to ourselves!!!"

"If we don't do that then something terrible will happen soon!!"

"This isn't something to joke around, you know!?"

"This is that creature's plan, you shithead!! Of course, they want us to stir some shit up!!"

"Shit....."

Just as we exited the elevator, we can already hear the commotion from the dining hall. My worst fear has, unfortunately, come true, they already found out about it.

"What's going on...?" Saku looked at me for answers. "Did Monomyou do something? Why is everyone already arguing...?"

"You will see..." So Saku hasn't gotten anything yet? This will be hard to explain. I quickly change my pace and marched towards the dining hall, swinging it open to clearly see how divided everyone is.

On the left side, we have Higura who's upfront, snarling at Machi and Hisao on the opposite side. Following behind the designer are Mitsuru, Hibiki, Nao, Kiharu and Hiroshi. With the librarian and conman standing their ground, Amane, Taiga, Shoma and Renma remained by their side. Following Hisao's words from yesterday and what came out of Higura's mouth earlier, their approach regarding the hidden motives seems to clash.

"What's going on here...?" Saku, who entered late, looked around before his gaze fell onto the fuming designer. "Hira, what did you do this time... and why is everyone separated from each other...?"

"Don't go accusing shit now, bonehead!!" Higura pointed at the conman. "I have a good fucking reason to be pissed off now and this fucker decides to make it everyone's problem!!"

"Excuse your squeaky toy's language here but at the same time, teach him some manners, will you?" Hisao sighed, not minding the heated glare from the opposing side. "It's ironic that the person in the sky isn't on the same ground level as our situation right now so let's keep this short... Monomyou's revealed our sensitive secrets towards others using plushies as a disguise..."

"What!? So that's what they're for!?" The aerobat didn't bother to argue with him about it, seeing how damning the evidence of the said commotion was right in front of him. "So... they're supposed to really talk...?"

"So it seems like you received the blessing of not receiving anyone yet..." Machi exclaimed. "Like the videos from before, our secrets are held captive and dangling around for anyone to use as blackmail...."

"That's why I fucking said before!!" Higura cuts in before Machi can finish. "If we reveal that shit early, then there's no reason for that blackmailing crap to even happened! No one would have any reason to go suspecting each other!!"

"I understand your concern but..." Renma frowned. "These are sensitive manners that no one should readily expose themselves. If said secret made them seem dubious then there would be a dispute. And since it's an open secret, it can be used as a shield for others to use, shifting the fault on that person instead..."

"It's a 50-50 situation, I agreed...." Hibiki argued further. "But regardless of that, it's something that we've witnessed ourselves, we can still trust each other's account-"

"Oh, so just like that last trial?"

Everyone's breath hitched. The conman's merciless tone continues, "You know what happened last time, right? We trusted a friend's intention and yet it only backfires once we figured out her secret. Do you really wanna throw that word 'trust' around now?"

He has a point, no matter what everyone said or even wants to deny it, Hisao has a point about believing people too easily. Keeping it to yourself will feel like torture but it will be like a Russian Roulette once you let it slip from your mouth.

It's a 'free-for-all' at that point; like anyone can take the opportunity to murder anyone using that secret motive, easily blaming it on the said person with their secret.

Everyone here is wise in their own way, there's no doubt about it, but once that will to live burns stronger, being logical during the class trial would never cross their mind.

Trusting anyone's intention could only get you so far.

"There's also a problem with this motive thing..." I calmly spoke up, walking over to Hisao's group, solidifying my stance in the manner. "How do we know if the secret that Monomyou picked is really the one we think it is? It could have been something that never crossed our mind or didn't think has our involvement at all. Doing that would lead to accidentally revealing too much of ourselves and the problem repeats itself...."

I turned to Saku, the only one who wasn't up to date with the situation at hand, "Saku, I know this is all too much to handle but if you still wanna side with Higura then it's okay, we won't treat you harshly because of it-"

"Actually..."

To everyone's, and even Higura, surprise, he walked over to Hisao's side as the conman stared at him questionably, "There's... no way I'm okay with that... even if it's for our own greater good, there no way it would end in anything but bad luck..."

"And like a spineless coward, he always is..." Higura clicked his tongue as he looked away. "Hiding behind people's back..."

The aerobat didn't say anything, he looked like he regretted his decision but still kept quiet about it. The atmosphere grew tense as we continued our morning chatter (Nao and Hiroshi were in charge of breakfast today), in our separate groups.

'Unlike last time, everyone's divided...' my mind wandered. 'This is bad, we can't let this thing deter anyone... not when Higura already made themselves a bigger target here...'

"Heeeey, Sumi..." Taiga repeatedly calls out my name, snapping me out of my daydream, with his usual cheery tone. "You're not busy this afternoon, right?"

"Huh? Um, yeah..... do you need something?"

"Nah... I just need a partner to hang out with at the shooting gallery....." said Taiga, nonchalantly. "Kinda boring if it's just by myself... but who knows, maybe we can practice our shots there! You might be even better than I am!"

'Shouldn't that pose a bigger threat to your title...?'

"Yeah, I'm in, don't have any bigger plans at the moment..."

Guess my plans to help out with Nao and Machi can wait until later, I do want to spend time learning about the marksman.

'Hmm... I still have a lot of time before I meet up with Taiga.... maybe I should hang out with someone at the gymnasium first?' I stared at the time on my ElectroID before I left the dining hall.

It wasn't surprising to see the Ultimate Abseiler at the gymnasium on the rock climbing wall. He was already halfway there before he noticed my arrival in the room, "Oh, hey Sumi! Fancy seeing you here!"

I gave him a wave of acknowledgement before asking, "Guess Kiharu influenced you this much, huh?"

"This was sort of my thing in the past, I'm not that rebellious, you know!!" He gives a thumb up while still holding onto the wall with his other hand. "Need to keep building up my stamina or else I will get weak like a wet noodle strand!"

Weird analogy but okay, "So you usually do these sort of things like your daily exercises? You do the same outdoors, right?"

"Well, I used to..." he shrugged. "It was part of the routine before becoming an Ultimate but now, not so much... guess, I have some fear that I might slip and fall again, hahaha..."

"Wha- Again?!" I unintentionally shouted, staring as he continues to scale upwards. "But you're fine now, right!? I-I mean, you're doing well right now so..."

"Hey, you're good at observing, right?" Hiroshi called out. "Take a good look at my movement and figure out what's off...."

What's with the sudden challenge? I'm more worried that his skewed focus might throw him off. Going along with his little game, from a single glance, he has no trouble manoeuvring his arms, they're very responsive if that elevator moment didn't prove enough. But once I saw his foot placement and movement, it clicked, "....You can't move your left foot...."

"You got it!!" he managed to get on top of the wall. "Well, it's kinda obvious from afar so I can't give you too much credit!"

'So he injured his left foot and doesn't want to strain it any further...' It's no wonder that he was adamant about safety for the past few days, especially when he's with Kiharu. Despite the incident, it does seem like he still wants to do these sorts of things once in a while.

Hiroshi made his way down using the stairs beside the wall with a large grin on his face, "Now, I know what you're thinking; why did I decide to become an abseiler after that?"

I just nodded and he continued without interruption, "Well, let's be real; I was kinda scared to touch any of the climbing equipment after that accident but since my area is well-known for its mountainous range, I have to help out my folks in one way or another. We often have tourists wanting to experience the thrill so I'm always there making sure their gears are all safe and tight...."

Seeing how the story is reaching a troublesome point, I listened closely and attentively to his story, "But one day, one of the anchors gave out. The person attached to it was struggling too much that it loosened from its place. It wasn't too serious, they only have some minor injuries here and there but they're still stuck in the deepest part of the area. I was the only one there who know the place really well so I have no choice but to go after them.... haha, I was shaking a lot when I tried getting them out of there but the good news is that both of us escaped easily!!"

"So... you overcome your fear...." He didn't let his injury get in his way to help someone, what a kind-hearted person.

"It's gonna happened sooner or later, I remember telling myself. I can't stay scared of it since this thing will probably never recover...." he pointed at his injured ankle. "It will get worst so... best do whatever I can, right?"

I chuckle at his statement and smile, a risky thought but he's pretty determined enough to at least try his best, making sure no one has to go through what he has to. Of course, it's an obvious safety precaution but it's something to meet a young person like him willing to risk his life again just to help others in danger.

"Also, since you're here, about yesterday..." he pointed out. "Amazing how quick you are catching a falling tiger! You completely drop everything and hurt yourself!"

"I-I panicked..." I admitted it. "It was a spur of the moment so I wasn't really thinking...."

"Don't be too hard on yourself there, Sumi..." Hiroshi repeatedly poked my head while making his point. "You're still fine now, you know? You got a long road ahead of you so this isn't the worst you have faced so far. Don't go rushing into danger just because you weren't thinking straight..."

He sounded like an older sibling profusely scolding the younger ones for hurting themselves, 'Still, I gotta look out for him or else... Someone should also look after his safety too as well....'

"Oh, I better get going to meet up with Taiga at the shooting range...." I reminded myself and exited the gymnasium.

"Heeeey! Over here, Sumi!!"

"Oh... Kiharu, Renma?"

"Yup, they're here by chance!" Taiga laughed, he got his safety gear on already. "Apparently they heard about our plans from Machi and immediately want to see our impressive skills!!"

"We're here on watch..." Renma clarified, even with the archaeologist who tried her best to be intimidating but... poorly. "Especially with what happened two days ago, it's best to prevent another accident earlier. Taiga's talent can be, while amazing, dangerous thanks to his naivety, careless and clueless nature..."

"Wow, you pulled out a lot of words to describe his denseness there...." said Kiharu. "Really hate to be the party-popper but there are also things like Monomyou appearing out of nowhere just to mess us up..."

"There's no real loss here if that thing decides to jump in..." Taiga shrugged. "Especially in a place like this shooting range gallery. Now about these targets, the distance is quite alright... Sumi, wanna see how many we can take out?"

"Fair warning, it's been a while so I may be rusty..." I answered before inspecting the said equipment, the guns are all bolted and would be hard to remove them from their place. "I'm more onto combat, you know?"

"Yeah but I don't wanna hurt you more than I did before!" He exclaimed, seemingly confident that he could take me down. Or he seems so, as Taiga's pointing at Renma smiling with that menacing aura that even scared off Kiharu. "Renma will surely pluck my bones out to make soup for dinner if I did that!"

'There goes another morbid thing that Renma said...' The medium has gotten comfortable with us saying things like that.

So both of us fired away, with the ear muffs and goggles on for protection, we took our shots and keep track of our scores. I took a peek at how Taiga was doing, and to say it wasn't mesmerizing how serious he looked would be a lie. I've never seen the marksman so deadpan and solemn, totally different to his exaggerated and energetic personality from before, 'I wonder if the switch in attitude usually happened if he uses his talent...'

In the end, the score has been rounded up to 10-6, except for my shots being way off while Taiga perfectly aimed his at the perfect middle of the targets.

I took all of the safety gear and congratulate the marksman, "As expected of the Ultimate Marksman, a perfect score... you looked pretty cool just now with how serious you're taking this..."

"T-Thanks!?" The marksman suddenly sounds flustered by the compliment. "People usually find me frightening but thank you, seriously!! It's been a while since I had a partner to hang out with who wouldn't be weirded out!"

"It's not an ideal place to bring your friend here in the first place unless they got a lot of guts..." Kiharu sighed. "Actually, both of you guys' ideal of fun can be considered way out of the chart, especially for Ultimate students...."

"They can be dangerous but they're very lovable people..." Renma defended. "They're much more reliable than the people who would disappear and reappear to cause more pressure onto others. It sure is a blessing to have a helping hand like these two..."

'Ren-chin, just say we're good people and end there!' He's painting us as if we're the only good people here!?

"I still find it strange that..." Taiga looked around the place, inspecting the structural components of the building, "... this place... it looks way out of place when you compared it to a hotel..."

"You're talking about its purpose, correct?" Renma asked. "Indeed, it's ill-advised to have a building harbouring such a dangerous activity to be near a crowded area...."

"I have heard amusement parks being built near the hotels or other destination that has the shooting range..." the archaeologist added. "But why would they decide to build this one so near the hotel?"

'Is it possible that this place wasn't part of the area layout...?' The aesthetics of both buildings aren't the same and if... the dream I had were real, then the hotel is the real deal... and the rest of the buildings that we've visited before were just some add-ons.

"I guess it's a last-minute decision..." I exclaimed, another possibility but the least likely. "Maybe people find it entertaining to have one built here. I'm also sure a luxury hotel can easily attract plenty of wealthy hunters who would trade their trade of secrets..."

"Hm, I wonder if it's just that..." Taiga scratched the back of his head. "Gah, sorry, my head's not working well today! I can't even solve a mystery that I thought up!!"

"When will it ever be...."

"Kiharu, surely you're not excluding yourself, especially after a certain event..." Renma brought up the archaeologist's antics from a few days ago which made her flinch. "There are a lot more mysteries to this place, unfortunately, and we can only do so much by relying on given physical evidence..."

"Nao and Macchan found them by luck..." Kiharu exclaimed. "We're... really slow in finding them and even then... we don't know if it's real or not..."

Even though Monomyou said they're a real deal, something like our deaths being recorded and kept as a public archive... what else is that thing is hiding from us?

'Something tells me that we will get our next obscure answer.... really soon...'

'I still have some free time... maybe I should spend the rest of the day at the library until I had enough...'

... was my initial plan before deciding to leave if the place gets too busy with how much organizing Nao and Machi have done to it. But, instead, the ghostwriter is nowhere to be seen and I was greeted by a pile of books on the floor, burying the librarian who's about to get up, "... Macchan, are you-"

"Do NOT mention it...." the librarian snapped. "... Pretend you didn't see this small.. mishap or else..."

'Geez, he sure frets over his appearance a lot...' I hurriedly shove aside the book on top so that Machi can finally break through and rolled over from the messy pile, "Isn't there a moving cart you can use to move these books?"

"Broken, so we have to manually move them..." Machi sighed. "I was doing fine before... that happened..."

"Where's Nao? Wasn't she the one always helping you out?"

"Low stamina, she's not used to heavy workload so I let her go and rest early..." he answered, collecting the fallen book and placing them on a nearby desk. "Nao always leave an hour earlier so I usually handle the clean-up until nighttime hits...."

"That's still a long time to spend in one place..." Especially from early morning until night, even with that much dedication. "What do even do here besides... cleaning?"

"The ordinary librarian's duty...." he explained. "Organizing, updating and keeping track of borrowed books, and making sure none of the sections is missing a book or even a page..."

"So in short, a neat freak..." Not surprising there, I wouldn't expect less from him. "It's still a common practice so... how did you earn the Ultimate title then?"

"Are you doubting my abilities?" Machi clicked his tongue. "It's not easy to handle all five local libraries in the area for a short time, even though I have my hand mostly on the university one. It was thanks to my effort that I got to hold onto some detailed and treasured works by famous scholars by any means..."

"By any means, huh...."

"You better not think about any indecent stuff about my image here..." I wasn't!? "It's a pain in the ass to get them but the libraries get to be more complete with valuable information to balance out other stuff as well..."

So all of that was just for aesthetic purposes.

"But believe me when I said I love working in universities more than the public..." Machi sighed in admiration. "Seeing hard working people really warms the heart, just make it worth the struggle I put into the place. Of course, thanks to my ethic, it's becoming a more pleasant study place, especially for a student like me..."

"A librarian who's still a student... have a tough responsibility there..." Shouldn't there be an assistant for a person like that? Come to think about it, would Ultimates need assistance in an occupational field where they're still developing their talent? It sounds a hassle to balance their working time out, it's like being home-schooled on their own.

"... One day, it will turn out it's all for nought..." Machi scoffed. "Can't stop that from happening..."

Ah, he's upset... about being libraries being irrelevant? I mean, true, with how technology improved over the way and e-books become more convenient for busy people. But, I'm sure it will not be gone completely, "That won't happen, a lot of people still prefer physical copies, you know? Maintaining good eyesight is everyone's concern currently..."

....

Are Machi's glasses prescribed? There was that time he spotted Taiga and Kiharu from afar setting up some kind of prank. It was quite a distance.

"You know... smart buildings are one of the few inventions set for the future..." I pointed out. "Maybe an E-library is a possibility?"

"An E-library place, huh...." He made it sound silly with his melancholy tone but a glint of interest in his eyes said otherwise. "Wouldn't make much difference than an information centre but... that could be something I can organize... hmm, so, Sumi, once we're out of this place, be my business consultant until it comes to fruition. I wanna make sure that idea won't go to waste..."

".... You're not giving me any choice now, are you..." With that small smile on his face, it's already settled, he's not going to let me back away from this plan. I kinda dug myself with a longtime commitment there with someone I'm not familiar with.

Although... maybe if I get to know more about Machi, that idea can flourish even more and we can sort of close the distance between us?

After finishing up some stuff to do, I returned to the hotel and witnessed a strange sight in the reception area just from the windows outside, "Huh, since when did you two get along?"

"Oh, dear little miss, up and walking around, already?" The mood suddenly shifted once Hisao noticed me, flailing his arms around as a greeting. "Were you on a date? Who did you go out with? I heard it was Taiga! No fair! Spend more time with me too! You've already hung out with everyone else personally except for me here! I want some care and attention too!"

"You will have your time..." I gave my answer without missing the playful tone, I don't have the energy to be sassy with his jokes. "What are you two doing? The fact that you guys don't have hands wrapped around each other's neck yet is pretty impressive..."

"The young conman made a peace offering for his behaviour in the last trial, you see..." Renma showed a neatly wrapped gift, it was hard to make it out what it is. "So... in a sense, all are forgiven...."

Oh, so momentarily.

"Yup! Ren-chan and I have formed a spiritual bond!" Hisao exclaimed. "Now, we're bound together and have each other's back! No matter what trouble lies ahead, we gonna lend each other's helping hand!"

"Please don't go casually announce such an association, I've just learned that being grouped with you isn't pleasant at all..." Renma smiled through the conman's loud declaration. Guess he's still mad about being left behind when they first met.

"Stay strong, Ren-chin...." I muttered some encouragement to him. But... an association? What would Hisao get from partnering with Renma? And why now did he decide to need help?

"It's already dark..." Renma commented as he looked outside. "I still have some matters to discuss with this conman here so mind if you take a certain cute critter to his room, Sumi?"

"Cute critter...? Don't tell me..." the medium pointed downwards, my eyes travel down and widened at the figure sleeping beside that medium's feet. "H-How long has he been sleeping on the floor for!?"

"He passed out while swimming..." the medium looked like he has a lot to explain. "Shoma himself said he has this thing called 'swimming gauge' that if it runs out, then he will just mindlessly float around... luckily, I found him just in time... facing down in the pool and managed to fish him out in time..."

'No, no, no- no matter what he called it!! That's the stamina he's talking about!! Out of all the things Shoma have said, that's the easiest word to decode!'

"Then this man came along asking for a favour so I have no choice but to put the matter aside which seems like an immoral decision-"

"Hey!? I did say, 'You can take him to his room first then we could talk', but you insist on saying that it would be a waste of energy to do all that just so we can have a conversation!!" Hisao argued back, earning a heated glare from Renma.

Leaving the two with their friendly talk, I walked over to Shoma's side and leaned down, poking at his side. I heard his groan as his face twitched before burying into his collared jacket, "Good thing he's still conscious. I will be carrying him now..."

I tried lifting him up, with one arm over my shoulder, 'Whoa, he's heavier than I thought...'

"Now, now, don't just go tossing a dead fish into the box just because you got tired!"

"You better shut your mouth if you value your tongue!!"

"Hey, she finally knows how to threaten people out loud now, neato!" was the last thing I heard before getting on the elevator with the sleeping biologist.

It's a miracle that I found the ElectroID in Shoma's pocket, not damaged despite the person himself constantly submerged in pools with their clothes on. The automatic lock made a noise once it scanned the owner's ID and inside the room, there were a couple of small aquariums with many vibrant fishes along with fish models like the mounted eels on the wall.

"So all of our rooms were decorated to match our talents..." My room only consists of a corkboard and just a bunch of notepads in the desk drawers, nothing exciting for a person like me and that's fair.

Carefully laying down the sleeping figure onto the bed, I made sure his head aligned perfectly on his pillow, I spotted the plush reward that Shoma had, except this one is a.... jellyfish?

'I thought Monomyou wants to keep everyone even...? It's... cute though...' Shoma must have nagged that host for having a mammal plush as a reward so much that they have to change it.

The biologist is sound asleep but for some reason, something within me wants to tell him, "I will be leaving now, Shoma... be sure to lock the door..."

"... Yes... this critter... will do..."

Wow, that actually worked? But he will eventually get up, so I will leave it to him to get more aware of his soaked clothes right now. Making my leave, I walk down the hallway to my room, planning to idle around till the nighttime announcement kicks in before I heard a loud crashing noise, "What the hell!?"

That sounded like a window being broken from downstairs? The reception area? Against my better judgement, I quickly went into my room to get the airsoft gun and the pellets that Taiga gave me, and shoved them both into my jacket before leaving my locked room behind and entering the elevator, "Renma and Hisao are still there..... they should be-"

Words and thoughts suddenly disappeared once I saw the sight right before me, Hisao kneeling down with a bloody arm, "Sao!!"

"Gah..! Little miss..." he gets up without a problem, wincing and grasping his injured arm. "God, this is so uncool. I got injured even though I saw it right before it happened!!"

"What is...." the area where Hisao and Renma previously were has been littered with the shards of broken glass from the windows. A few shards have specks of blood on them, meaning that the conman must have picked them right out of his wound, "What the hell happened here!?"

"M-Medic here!" Nao appeared right from the direction of the dining hall with a medkit, with a panicking Hiroshi following right behind her. "We just got here when we saw it happened!!"

"A person in the hood threw something at the windows!!" Hiroshi tried to explain clearly without going over his words. "R-Renma chased after them!! He said that we should-"

"That pea-brained idiot took off without giving two shits about himself!!" Hisao hissed when the ghostwriter applied the antiseptic to his injury. "They headed towards the shooting range!!"

That's enough information for me to take in. I encouraged Nao and Hiroshi to stay with Hisao for a while and check in whoever is still in their rooms as well. Swiftly, I left the hotel, loading two tracer pallets into the gun, scanning the area as I did it.

'Damn it, why does it have to happen during the night...' I gritted my teeth, gripping the airsoft gun. I have to hear for any noises, any indication of life in the same perimeter. And then I saw it, the said hooded figure running from the shooting range in the direction of the library.

I fired once, the straight neon light of pellet shot from the barrel and aiming ahead, almost missed the figure's head. As long as I pinpoint their direction, it will do for now as I quickly gave chase. Two more shots were heard from afar and with a loud grunt, someone else fired? That person has to be...

"Taiga!"

"Sumi..!" Taiga looked like a mess, wide eyes filled with fear, "You saw that right!? Your tracing helped me a lot so I used my marker pellets as well!! I-I think I only got them by the legs..!"

"Tha's good enough!" I grabbed him along and quickly ran to the gymnasium. 'Quickly, quickly, quickly, or else we will lose sight of them! We have to corner them immediately or else....!'

.........

...................

Or else... what?

...............

.........

Panting heavily, trying to catch our breath in front of the gymnasium's entrance, we heard the nighttime announcement roll in minutes before we arrived. I tried to speak clearly, ignoring my shakiness, "T-They may have entered the gym already... best to search around the surrounding first in case they've escaped through any windows..."

Taiga nodded in agreement and went to the left side of the gymnasium. I proceed to take the right side.... before I heard something rustling. I braced myself, it took everything in me to remain calm in a dire situation like this.

'That has to be the culprit!' I quickly looked over to the side of the building with my gun up but my tense reaction soften once I saw who it was, "R-Ren!?"

"Sumi..!" he looked frightened, immediately frozen in place like a deer got caught in the headlights. "T-This is..."

He stood up, cowering backwards away from a familiar-looking sheet on the ground; the sheet that covered the runaway figure from before, 'Why is it... why was he...'

Whatever got into me, whatever spirit possessed me, I went ahead, leaned down quickly and pulled over the sheet, a ghastly sight was waiting for me.

Kiharu was laying downwards with her head facing towards me, empty eyes and mouth agape with blood dripping out, pooling underneath her rigid body.

"W-What..." I don't understand, what the hell is going on!? Who's behind this wild goose chase!? Renma's still standing with his eyes locked onto the still frame of the archaeologist, trembling. "R-Renma, did you...."

"Y-You're mistaken!" he shouted, his calm composure breaking down at the worst possible timing. "I just found her like this!!! She was already here when I arrived!! The person I was chasing isn't here!!"

Taiga must have heard us, he went over to our side and looked at the horrid sight, knees buckled immediately, "Oh no... Kiharu.... h-how..."

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!

"Ladies and Gentleman!! It seems like we have a new murder case!!! Please gather around near the gymnasium to start clue hunting!!"

It will take the others five minutes to get here from the hotel, and when they get here, the investigation will start again. We have to go through the class trial again.

'We need to find out who did this no matter what....' I have no reason to even be mad that it happened again, it's evident that it will from this morning. 'But... just... how would do this so elaborately...? This sequence of events... there's literally no witnesses...'

We've already hit a dead end before the investigation even started.

Chapter Text

The feline host, Monomyou, spun around while wearing a long brown overcoat with a hat on, making its dramatic entrance once again in a deadly situation, "Oh my, what a terrible turn of events, my dear guests! Our peaceful luxurious days has been disrupted once again! It's time to play little detectives now, my guests. But be warned; this is a tricky case!"

A sound of agreement is unneeded here, especially when I don't want to give away any indication that these things get more bearable to handle. Just like the case from before, everyone gathered together at the horrid sight of the crime and Monomyou appeared to give us the gist of it.

"Just hurry up and do your thing then leave already..." Hisao grumbled, rubbing his bandaged arm. "It's bad enough we have to haul our asses here so late just because someone is too trigger-happy to murder someone..."

What's with him? The conman never shows his frustration before and usually, he can be eerily excited over these sorts of cases, even though he wants to exclude himself from this problem here. Did this particular case tick him off in any way...?

"Oh, straight to the point! Understood, my dear guests!" Monomyou handed everyone the 'Monomyou Victim Record File'. "Everyone seems too eager to solve the mystery of such tragedy! That's good! We shouldn't let the culprit of this case get away cleanly! I shall give you all the luck needed to solve this case during the class trial, lovely guests! Nyahahahaha!"

We didn't wait for the host to disappear, we immediately went ahead with the investigation the moment we were given the record. Everyone's discomfort was immediately wiped away as they waited, for me to make a move... I guess.

"Renma... can you take off the sheet? I'm gonna inspect it now...." I gently called out to the medium, he still looked shell-shocked. Fidgeting a bit, he slowly removed the sheet as I immediately kneel and turned the body over.

With the record file in one hand, I begin listing, "Time of death is unknown. Found near the gymnasium but the exact location of death is approximately between the gymnasium and shooting range gallery...."

I frowned at this detail, 'What's with this gap? The area's too wide for something that happened in a short amount of time. The time of death... was probably a dead giveaway which is why they didn't include it.....'

I'm getting an impression that Monomyou, while always parading about this luxurious experience, would also be kind to the culprit since they're technically their guest still.

"Everything listed here amounts to nothing..." Hibiki noted. "How do they expect us to work with something like this...?"

"Hold on, let me see that..." Taiga kneel down on the other side of the body, his hand almost touching the archaeologist's clothes before I stopped him.

"Wait, better use my gloves if you're gonna inspect the wound..." I took off my gloves and handed them over to him as he wore them immediately. "You're alright with inspecting the body by yourself?"

"Not my first time..." he revealed that too casually. "But... um... I would rather have everyone look away for a bit, it's embarrassing to have this many eyes staring right at me..."

"Hey, this ain't a time to act like some sort of shy maiden, you-" Higura stopped himself, probably because Saku just glared right at him, and sighed dejectedly. "Fuckin' fine, we won't peek..."

One-by-one, they all turned, except for Hisao, Shoma and Renma. 'I understand why the two of them didn't but Shoma's....?'

The biologist looked dazed, he must have woken up abruptly after hearing the body discovery announcement.

"Bullet wounds..." Taiga muttered, partially revealing the source of the bleeding near the stomach. "No exit wounds either..."

"So no dice finding the shells..." I revise the record file once again. "Cause of death is excessive blood loss... there's also a wound from blunt force trauma. But... I think we shouldn't ignore the head wound just yet..."

"But which comes first? The bullets or the head wound?" Taiga furrowed his brows. "With this amount of bullets, it's enough to kill a person... so why go for a second hit?"

"Probably didn't plan it well enough..." Hisao joined, giving his insight. "If I have to guess, this culprit's an idiot for thinking a head trauma is enough to get away so they went to a more extreme method..."

Taiga and I stood up, the medium was still silent this whole time. His lack of words and reactions is really worrying.

"Everyone.... you can look now..." I called out to them. "Let's all spread out and look for clues..... I'm not sure about the locations since the detail's vague but best to go with everyone's guts....."

"We will inspect the hotel!" Hiroshi stepped forward with Nao. "We saw the culprit left there so... maybe there's something they've left behind at the back of the hotel..."

Machi added that there were a bunch of waste disposal bins at the back and if they decided to inspect each one of them, then he will join them to make the process faster.

With the trio left, Higura, Saku and Mitsuru said they will check out the shooting gallery for possible murder weapons as well. Amane and Hibiki will stand by at the body, in case of anyone tampering with the crime scene.

Two teams already spread out, leaving Hisao, Shoma, Renma, Taiga and I behind at the gymnasium. "Renma, aren't you gonna-"

"Yeah, I will do my duty here....." the medium didn't wait for me to finish. "Unfortunately, my fortitude is a bit weak now and I'm afraid I will just be a hindrance to everyone. I can't help but excuse myself out of this investigation..."

Something is definitely bothering Renma, he never acted this way during the last investigation. If anything, he's the most interactive with body investigation and even found a clue himself. Did he see something? Or does he knows something's off about this as well?

"Can we look inside the gymnasium?" Taiga tried to pry open the door. "It's locked shut! It's like the culprit timed it perfectly to enter and leave once nighttime hits!"

"Hmmm, I wonder if this will work..." Hisao brought both of his hands together and yelled out. "I summon thee, the one and only, the magnificent Monomyou!!!"

"Uhu~nyah!!!" Like a magician, Monomyou appeared with smoke coming out from seemingly nowhere, in between Taiga and Shoma who jumped back a bit. "Nyahahaha!! You have learned the marvellous spell that summoned your dear host, eh!?"

"Nah, it's kind of obvious you were waiting for us to beg for you to open the door just now...." said Hisao, putting his hand on his hip, "Can you grant us permission to investigate the gym since it might be related to the case. You can do that, right? There's no way you're gonna make your guests go through such a rough wave? Pwetty pwease??

I have no idea why but I just raised my arm involuntarily so did Taiga.

"Nyahaha! Who am I to reject the beautiful pleas of my guests! It's my place to say that I will only allow certain buildings to be unlocked during nighttime that may be of importance!" Monomyou clapped and a clicking noise was heard behind them. "There now, investigate to your heart's content! But, I'm eyeing on you two there, dear ace detectives! Better not get too ahead of yourself and let everyone give their best performance!"

He was referring to Hisao and me, he already expects us to figure this one out quickly as well. The smoke appeared once again, replacing the spot where Monomyou was just mere minutes ago. The three of us immediately entered the gymnasium with a heavy creak of the door echoing inside.

Nothing's off, everything looks ordinary.

"We should check the storage room just in case...." Taiga said, pointing at the door on the right side. "There's a lot of heavy equipment in there and also a sink if they're gonna wash anything off....."

"Do you think the culprit used anything from here before nighttime hits?" I asked him while walking to our destination.

"Hmmm, possible....." Taiga replied, unsure of his answer. "There are no rules of taking items out of their original place but I doubt they would find enough time to put them back after we chased them down....."

Once we were in front of the door, Taiga turned the knob and opened the storage room's door widely. Immediately, Hisao's face scrunched up and covered his nose, "Ugh.... what an overwhelming smell....."

Hisao's hyperosmia isn't the only one that's picking up that scent, all of us reacted the same to the strong metallic smell. I went in and approach the source of the foul smell, it was the crumbled-up gymnastic mat that was still covered with blood. It's a thinner kind that wouldn't be usually used by acrobats.

There was also a small horizontal window above, slightly higher and almost near the ceiling as well.

"Hisao, can you reach up there...." I pointed at the window. "I just want you to give it a little push...."

"Aye'! Anything for dear little miss!!" He skipped over and stood on his toes, reached up the window and barely pushed it outwards, "Huh... you can only open it from the inside....."

"Was that window opened before....?" I asked Taiga, remembering the incident from yesterday morning.

"No... when we get the zipline that was set up, it was closed.....Ah! But..." Taiga remembered something important. "Someone did clean up the place this morning! I think it was..... Saku, Higura and Hiroshi... right after that morning disaster it was... well, Hisao, Kiharu and I since we caused it ..... we did open up this window when we were dusting off the place....."

'Dusting, yeah, that sounds about right.....' I may understand how Higura would have a hand in this case, it's plausible after all. He's the first one who wanted to reveal all the secret motives. But, that's shouldn't be all, right? Right now, it's not looking too good for his side.

Out of the corner of my eyes, Shoma still stood outside of the room, looking dazed still, 'Alright, these two laid-back people literally worried me to no end, something's up....'

"Hey, Shoma?" I waved my hand in front of his face. "You okay? You seem out of it ever since you've arrived here....."

"Hmmm.....hngh....." Shoma's in distress, trying to think clearly. "This critter doesn't remember what happened....... the events from this afternoon are too rough for this critter......"

"You've been out since this evening though...?" Hisao raised an eyebrow. "Renma found you floating dead in the pool and he fished you out like a beached whale... you've been asleep for the entire time as well....."

"But this critter.... doesn't remember sleeping.....?"

'Doesn't remember? What-' Something caught my attention, a very familiar scent. Without thinking, I held Shoma's head with both of my hands on his sides and leaned closer, "Shoma, don't move..."

Shoma started stammering but I didn't pay any mind to it, what was important was the smell I caught a whiff of. Once satisfied, I let him go, "Someone knocked you out.....a slightly sweet smell as well......"

"Ummm... Sumi....?"

"What?" I whipped around, expecting either of them to question my finding but instead, Taiga looked bashful while Hisao just grinned mischievously. Looking right back at the biologist, Shoma looked flustered, his cheeks entirely red until the tip of his ears, tugging onto his nautilus hat further down.

"A-Ah...." I suddenly feel the weight of my action, and my cheeks heat up a bit. "S-Sorry..... I got too close and didn't realise it..... Sorry, Shoma. I got too carried away......"

"S-Sumi critter is just helping... that's all....." his mouth is covered within his jacket, still looking away.

"Okay!!!" Taiga's voice suddenly boomed and forced laughter rang out. "Now that we solved that mystery!! What did the culprit use to knock our biologist out, huh, Sumi!?"

'Oh, thank god, that scared the embarrassment out of me....' I sighed in relief and coughed a bit to retain my normal speaking voice. "There are cleaning supplies in the kitchen but we all know that it's locked and the key is with one of the people in charge. But there's some here as well....."

"Ah, now that you pointed it out... there's like one of the cleaning supplies missing here...." Taiga pointed out. "I don't remember what though...."

"It's not that hard to deduce...." Hisao shrugged. "A sweet smell.... something that needs some kind of cleaning supply to make it... basically chloroform is what I'm trying to say here...."

"You ended up telling us that anyways....." I'm grateful for his hint, though. "The bar doesn't really have any restriction in taking any alcoholic drinks out either.... so the culprit must have taken these two things with them...." Or a more possible scenario, they made it at the bar to avoid suspicion.

"But why Shoma though....?" Taiga asked. "It's kind of weird to knock out one person who wouldn't be a threat, especially someone who's not the scariest to deal with during the class trial. Sorry, Shoma...."

"Tiger shark, I will chop you...." Shoma pouted.

"For now, let's investigate the area between here and the shooting range.... perhaps there's more clue out in the open....." I suggested.

Everyone agreed, and we make sure everything was in place before leaving the room. Hisao checked up on Renma, Hibiki and Amane with the body and told them to keep an eye on the gymnasium's surroundings as well, before leaving himself to check out the bar first out of curiosity. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened so far as we headed to our next destination.

Automaton soldiers slowly marched around the grass patches, away from the stone pathway that we're standing on right now, trying to keep our distance or else we might trigger their sensor. We've been scanning the area for anything unusual but can't find anything useful.

"The place of death was speculated to be... around here..." I keep going back to that irritating detail on the record file. "But the distance between two places is wide so it's hard to pinpoint...."

"Unless we want another useless body discovery announcement to happen during the investigation, I suggest holding yourself back..." the conman appeared out of nowhere, resting both his hand on the shoulders of Taiga and me. "But if she died here.... then do we really need to search for the murder weapon?"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, just some nonsense rambling of a daydreamed conman..." Hisao smirked. "Although, if you wanna hear it again, then you're running out of luck of using your helper-pal here! Please wait for an hour to recharge to use your helper-pal for more clue hunting!"

"You're unbelievable..." I sighed while closing the record file. "But... when you think about the places we've visited... they seem too far apart for murder to happen recently..."

"They would have a tough time moving the body around at night..." Taiga reasoned. "Even if they decide to use a flashlight, they're gonna get caught easily..."

"Well, that's the reason why most of the information remained missing..." Hisao chimed in. "It would have been obvious who the culprit will be if we have everything we needed. Just a minor deduction and we're done...."

"Hmmm..." the marine biologist kneeled down, now that he's fully aware of his surrounding, and spotted something. "Ah... a bolt..."

He picked it up and showed it off to us, a specialized bolt that could only come from a specific place, "From the shooting range...? Then maybe the culprit uses the gun there...? That's an awfully lot of work to take on off from their stand..."

But it makes sense since I last saw the figure running away from that place.

"Wait, but that's-" Before Taiga could say anything, a familiar ringing tune was heard and our attention was glued to a nearby PA system around that area.

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!

"our investigation time is up, little detectives!!! It's time to move forward to the exciting ' Class Trial' event! I wonder how would the puzzle unfold from here and out! Please head your way to the northwest of the hotel immediately!!

"Wha..? It doesn't feel like we're given enough time at all!? Taiga exclaimed, hanging his head in defeat nonetheless. "We got close to nothing..."

"Same with the bar..." Hisao noted. "Yes, there's a bottle missing but... that's it..."

"Uhu... this critter hates going through such a difficult wave again...."

Yeah, suspecting others isn't a pleasant thing to do, especially when you're under pressure. But there's nothing else we can do about it. "We should meet up with others so that we can talk about this for a bit...."

The three of us headed in the direction of the hotel, meeting up with Nao, Hiroshi and Machi who looked just as distraught as we are. "Hey, hope you all found what you were looking for....." Hiroshi started. "We didn't find much... except for two things....."

"What is it.....?" Shoma prompted.

"W-We found... two of the small weights that came from the gymnasium....." Nao explained. "One was used to break the window, it was covered with a towel so we didn't know it was the same thing as the other one we found in the waste bin...."

"I took a quick shower while after diving into the dumpster, no worries...." Machi pointed out.

"I don't think we need you to smell nice during a class trial so no need for that..." Hisao commented. "But with a detail like that, as nonsensical as it is, it just complicates that culprit's motive here, isn't it?"

"Why...?" Also, did he say he's not going to help earlier...?

"Why do that after you did something wrong?" the conman simply put it out there. "If they could have just left everything as it is, we wouldn't discover Kiharu's body at all until tomorrow..."

He brings up a good point, the culprit threw away the biggest advantage they have. Unless they have other ulterior motives...

"There's the matter of alibis as well..." Hiroshi hummed. "Everyone's in different buildings when it happened so it's hard to know if they're being concrete about it or not..."

"But surely the reason they go after Kiharu was because of that damned secret motives...." Machi sighed out his theory. "She did side with Higura this morning so the timing couldn't be more obvious. She must have touched a nerve there for wanting to reveal the secret motive... which might belong to the culprit..."

The marksman's frame suddenly tensed up but the others didn't pick his reaction up early. Quietly, I placed my hand on his back discreetly, muttering encouragement as a form of reassurance, 'We know that it's not true but... they didn't know that Kiharu has Taiga's secret so to object it now would only cast more doubts on him...'

Taiga's shoulders relaxed a bit, his normal composure temporarily returned as I retracted my hand.

"But one this for sure that the culprit's a male!" Nao beamed. "Their figure kinda gave it away when they ran past us but their face wasn't clearly shown...."

"Ran past... from the back of the hotel...." Hisao murmured. "Say, Taiga, Sumi... you two are the only ones with those airsoft guns, right? They're from the shooting range, correct?"

"Yes, I did some modifications as well!" Taiga quickly answered. "They would only bruise the target and I've concocted several pellets that could help us track down our potential culprit!"

"And did it help just now?"

"Well, Sumi's tracer pellets did lead me to them..." the marksman explained. "I did shoot my marker pellets at them and it hit but... it's not enough since they still got away..."

"Hm... I see, just asking for clarification..." But I wonder why he suddenly brought up the airsoft guns that we both have. 'If he's going to suspect either of us, then we wouldn't hear the end of it even after the trial ends... well if it even ends with our favour on the line....'

After a few minutes of waiting near the entrance of the elevator to the class trial, the rest of the group finally arrived as Mitsuru spilt their findings, "One of the guns was taken out from its stand... the stand was totally busted as well... the culprit definitely use that as a murder weapon!"

The bolt that the biologist found fits the missing piece there but for some reason, Taiga was about to retort before being cut off by the elevator noise.

"Everyone, it's here....." Machi already called for the elevator and in an instant, it slowly filled up, the door closes we begin our descent. It's moving even faster than before, must have been my imagination. The medium right beside me still has that concerned look from before, 'What's going on? Why is he being like this?'

'Let me think about who and where they were at...' I quickly summarised everyone's placement from memory. 'Shoma passed out and was resting in his room and I believe Amane was in his as well. Hisao was on the ground floor, and Nao and Hiroshi just arrived when they witnessed the culprit leaving. From the direction, where they came from, Machi and Hibiki left the library while Higura, Saku and Mitsuru are still a mystery...'

Now that I think about it, there are a lot of people getting indirectly involved in this case; Renma and Hisao were just talking in the reception area but one of them got injured while the other kept silent about something. Shoma got knocked out without a reason and Taiga, if they found out, would be hounded on because Kiharu got his secret motive. Not only that, he was the last one to leave the shooting range as well.

Once we reached the class trial grounds, the beeping noise synchronized with the conclusion I thought up in my head, '... They're trying to place the blame on either of these people..... as long as everyone's involved without a single witness, then they can get away as they make stuff up on the spot....'

"Alright, my lovely guests! The time has unfortunately come to place your judgement!" Monomyou announces from their throne. "What a cruel twist of fate that this has to happen again! And to see my dearest guests struggling with this tricky mystery has made me shed a tear... but alas! This host must not interfere with the case for it's for my guests' entertainment!"

As the host ushered us to take our podiums, Kiharu and Hinako's podiums were replaced with their funeral photos; Hinako have a bloody animal paw on it and Kiharu has that usual 'X' mark.

With everyone in their place, the tension slowly keeps rising, looking at each other with uncertainty, 'Here we are again with the class trial... it's hard to admit that someone's trying to get away with murder... judging from this morning's event and how it split everyone up, it should have been a sign already. The secret motives have to be involved in some way or another. If not then they wouldn't target Kiharu specifically....'

"Dear, oh, dear, my guests, it seems everyone's well-behaved today?" Monomyou snickers. "What an obedient bunch! It seems my talent as a host has finally pierced through your cloudy hearts to allow me to present my act!"

"You sure have a lot of energy to use that flowery language to talk us down... remember, we're playing your game so we can easily walk away if we want to...." Hisao remarked. "That would be totally awful if the class trials don't go on, we will get bored! And that would make you a bad host for making your guests die of boredom instead!"

"Eeek-! Unacceptable!!" Monomyou shrieked. "T-This host won't allow anyone to walk away but... u-uhu... if this host's actions have made this trial unbearable then I will simply excuse my presence and be an observer instead!"

"You've always been keeping an eye on us and it's creepy as hell..."

'How are these two talking so normally...? The conman even addressed them directly' We couldn't even bother to play along with the host's mindless antics. '... He did get a crucial hint out of them from the last trial so maybe he's taking that opportunity again...'

"A-Argh! T-Then, please allow this host to make their opening speech for today's class trial!!" Monomyou cleared their voice. "I-I hope everyone will put up a good fight! This host has a gut feeling that this case will be an interesting one! But will that climax of this case be able to amaze the guests as well! Everyone, let's impressed your dear host, and amaze us with your amazing detective skills!!"

"We can now officially start the Class Trial !!! With your wits and strength on this nightly trial!! It's time to refute with all your might!! "

'Must they really treat this as if it's a wrestling ring?' I sighed, observing everyone's faces. 'But one of us really did it... one of us killed Kiharu and could probably be using the secret motives as a cover-up. It could be that.... it could be not, we wouldn't know for sure. I may have my doubts but what matters is the outcome of this trial, with everyone's lives still intact. No matter what, we will reveal this shrouded mystery, once and for all!'

Chapter Text

"As per usual, this class trial will determine who's the killer of Satoshi Kiharu, the Ultimate Archaeologist!" Monomyou started. "An unfortunate loss of the bright adventurer but never fear for we will avenge our dearest guest! The rules will remain as it is unless the host decides if there are any changes! Choose wisely, vote for the correct culprit and they will be punished but vote for the wrong one then everyone will face the consequence except for the culprit! Now then, let us all hear your verdicts!"

"It's safe to assume that not everyone was near the crime scene or the body before the announcement, right?" Hiroshi begins first. "The first three people who discovered the body were Taiga, Renma and Sumire so that's an automatic clear, right?"

"We can include the people who were at the hotel the whole time..." Machi added. "Hisao, Amane and Shoma, I don't think they would have any time to commit it and return in one clean slate.... or even be at two places at once..."

"So the people under suspicion are the ones who are in other buildings, Nao, Hiroshi, Machi, Higura, Saku, Taiga and myself, correct?" Hibiki asked. "It would make sense since we spent the most time outside of the hotel..."

"Now hold on, everyone..." I stopped the discussion before they get too ahead of themselves. "It's too hasty to single out everyone like that... we should discuss the evidence first before we finalized our list of suspicions... more concerningly, the ones at the hotel..."

"What happened...? Did someone else got hurt..?" Saku sounded unsure. "Higura and I just visited the bar and were about to... search for Kiharu.... and we ended bumping into Mitsuru during the announcement..."

"God, I wish that wasn't the case..." Hisao dramatically groaned, showing off his bandaged arm that Nao and Hiroshi helped to wrap nicely. "Renma and I spotted the culprit near the hotel and before we can even register it, they threw something at the window as a distraction and quickly fled..."

"Just why the hell are they trying to give away their doing after they fuckin' shanked someone?" Higura spat out. "Brain-dead idiot, they're asking for the punishment at that point...."

"Maybe to throw something away...?" Mitsuru questioned. "I'm pretty sure there's nothing at the back of the hotel, other than those waste disposal bins... so maybe they were planning to dispose of the murder weapon!"

"Wait, wouldn't that eliminate the mystery behind the dismounted guns...?" the aerobat reminded the cosmetologist of their finding. "They're just scattered on the ground, like in a rush..."

"I know that but..." Mitsuru grumbled, "... there's something about those things that don't... seems right..."

"Don't speculate too much, we do the honour in searching for it..." Machi spoke up. "And we've found are a bloodied weigh that's from the gymnasium... but that's not all...."

"We've found another weigh that's used as a distraction at the hotel's reception area...." Nao added. "B-But no doubt that the bloodied one is used for blunt force trauma part in the record file, right?!"

"Yeah, it doesn't take a lot to figure that out, you know..." Hisao smirked at the shrinking scared ghostwriter. "Kinda obvious so no lead-up can hype that surprise. Even a stuck-up know-it-all like Amane can see it from miles away...."

"Who are you calling...!?"

"The fact that the culprit was first spotted at the hotel doesn't make sense...." Hibiki interrupted before Amane could even finish his insult, and it will start another long debate between those two. "Even if the culprit happened used the other one as a distraction... what for? Why would they have another one carrying with them?"

'It does sound like they're purposefully leading us to... Kiharu...' My thoughts stopped, maybe... just maybe. "It probably has something to do with the body placement..."

"I see, from what's stated in the record file..." Hibiki brings back everyone's attention to that specific detail. "Kiharu's original placement of death was between the gymnasium and the shooting range, right? But... leading us astray only brought us to it directly instead..."

No, no, it feels like there's more than one thing that's happening at the same time .

"That info seems pretty dodgy...." Machi pointed out. "If it's really from that place then we should have seen any specks of blood on the walkway... compared to the scene near the gymnasium, don't you think it's more plausible to be killed there...?"

"Not possible....." This is the first time I heard Renma's voice since the trial started, confident and in control for now. "Monomyou wouldn't give faulty information since they wanted the trial to be fair for both detectives and the culprit here...."

"I'm hurt that my beloved guests would believe that I will trick them!!" Monomyou butts in for a while. "Please believe wholely in my desire to entertain everyone equally!!

"Shut the hell up, you're not helping us at all here!" Higura snarled. "What a fucking messed up way trying to get a giggle and shit out of anyone here..."

"Hira, please settle for a second...." Saku sighed. "But maybe they just covered the body with something else when they were moving it...?"

"Is there even something like that here to fully cover a blood-dripping body?" Hiroshi asked.

"Actually, there is.... right, Sao-chin?" I can see him cringe once his nickname is heard by everyone in the courtroom. "We found a crumpled-up bloody gymnasium mat in the storage room.... recently used as well since the blood is still fresh....."

"W-What!?" Saku looked shocked. "I-I thought the mat that covers the body was the one being used in this situation!!"

"T-Too convenient...." Hisao recovered from the nickname attack. "Besides, it looked too clean... and since the bloody one looked eerily similar to the clean mat that's on the body...."

"It was tossed into the gymnasium afterwards then...." said Hiroshi. "But how...? Most of the places here were supposed to be locked once nighttime hits... not even within ten minutes prior...."

"Knew that most annoyingly...." Higura stated. "When Mitsuru and I were wasting time at the bar, that stupid cat kicked us out in like an hour before nighttime yesterday!"

"But we arrived at the gymnasium just a few minutes after nighttime announcement hits...." Taiga pondered. "If someone did enter there, then we could have heard them leaving inside that place but... we didn't...."

"Well, dear guests, because everybody here is so good-mannered who listened to the rule, you wouldn't know this but...!" Monomyou revealed. "Alarms would have rung for those who still linger inside the buildings after midnight!"

"We didn't hear that....." which means the culprit wasn't inside the building at that time. So the most likely answer is... "They threw the evidence through the gymnasium's window from the outside. Since the window can only be opened from the inside, they must have propped it way before nighttime...."

"So the suspects would be those who were at the gymnasium or even earlier...." Machi decided. "Well then, that wouldn't take long... it would be people in charge of the cleaning duty; Higura, Saku and Hiroshi..."

"Hey! You got guts to accuse us straight away!" Higura sneered. "We only dropped by this morning to check if those idiots did their punishment from that morning's ruckus!!"

"Y-Yeah...!" Hiroshi backed him up. "A-Although, we didn't notice anything strange in that room so even if something is missing...."

"Anyways, it's still too hasty to point the finger at us three...." Saku tried to defuse the situation. "Especially when anyone can just enter the gymnasium and open the window for themselves..."

"Well, that's true...." I can't deny that, it's also possible that the culprit took the chance and blame it on the morning's group because of their placement. "Anyone can take advantage of the lack of security here too so maybe we're being forward about it..."

But there's still that possibility ...

"Wait, there's something that's missing here.... the weapon! Mitsuru!" Nao tried to grab the cosmetologist's attention. "After the investigation, you said that there's a gun dismounted from the stand at the gallery, right? It was odd evidence and you didn't say anything about it afterwards...."

"Hmmm..... yeah...." Mitsuru said. "I don't know.... there's just something about it that doesn't make sense......"

"A gun.... hm...." Shoma mumbles, quietly crossing his arms behind his back. Is he... not bringing up that bolt we found?

"Then... it should be obvious that it's definitely the murder weapon..." Hibiki pointed out. "Not all of us are skilled firearms so... there could only be one person with that sort of later..... right, Yoshimune Taiga the Ultimate Marksman?"

Taiga froze, his face paled almost immediately, "I-I.....I don't know what you guys are talking about...."

"Hey!! Stuttering just put yourself in a guilty place!!" Higura fights back. "Speak up if you're not guilty!"

"I... no, wait, you guys don't understand...! Because I was there when the announcement-!"

'Taiga's right, he was there when the announcement rang- wait... did it....?' That's... wait, it did ring but.... it was at the exact moment when Taiga went to check on us. So the one who triggered that announcement was... me, Renma... and someone else other than Taiga.

However, I doubt that Taiga has something to do with Kiharu's murder, even as a personal deduction, he was there when we chased that hooded figure down. Which means...

Hisao stared right at me, he also knows there was something wrong with what was being said in the courtroom right now, all the evidence are being pointed to the wrong person.

"No, it's not possible for Taiga to use it, even to commit the murder...." I stated. "And it's highly unlikely it was used as a murder weapon as well...."

"Excuse me...?" Hibiki frowned.

"There's no other person who knew how to use those things!" Higura pointed accusingly. "For you to back him up and knowing your background, So it's either you or Taiga who did it!!!"

"Well, someone's really eager to vote someone and let everyone else die....." Hisao rubbed his forehead out of frustration. "That's not the point, you moron. Both of you are wrong thinking that the gun at the shooting range is the murder weapon here...."

There is it, the true fact behind this mysterious range gallery clue.

"How so? We weren't way off from thinking that it might be....." Hibiki explained. "After all, Kiharu was shot, right? And the only thing available at hand is the dismounted gun at the shooting range..."

"That's right!! And there's only one likely suspect and it's Yoshimune Taiga, the Ultimate Marksman!!" Higura added.

"The guns used at the shooting range are all filled with rubber bullets..." I refute back. "It's still a small chance that it can actually kill someone...."

"Well, can't know the exact damage it will cause for sure...." Hisao shrugged. "But know this; there's no way those kinds of bullets even pierce through the human skin. They can cause hematoma but there were clearly bullets wounds on Kiharu, remember?"

"However... when I was at the bar... I clearly heard those gunshots nearby...." Hibiki remarked. "How would that make sense if those things are not the weapon here since they're the only existing evidence of a murder weapon we have right now-"

"That's where you two made a mistake, those shots weren't from those things, they were from the air-soft guns that Taiga and I have..." I clarified. "You're not wrong from thinking such firearms are involved in this but it is due to a completely different reason...."

"Air-soft what now?" Higura stammered. "What kind of bullshit name you're throwing out this time??"

"Airsoft gun is something they used in a paintball fight, right?" Nao asked. "I made a study on this as well. They've used spherical projectiles instead of bullet-shaped ones, right?"

"The projectiles that those two used weren't harmful at all...." Hisao explained. "They just glow-in-the-dark and marked the target with dust or paint.... those are the only two things that these two possessed...."

So he did use the information he got from us here. Good to see he actually backed us up for once.

"Then... what's with the dismounted gun problem....?" Hiroshi looked confused by all the revelations. "If those shots we all heard were harmless then why was it discarded like that-"

"May I please say something first...." Taiga raised his voice, he was clearly in distress, trying to speak up but the accusations overwhelmed him. Now, he can finally speak up, "I'm gland that Sumi explained it on my behalf but... about those dismounted guns... to be honest, I don't even know what you guys were even talking about at first...."

"Huh, what about it that you don't get?" Saku asked. "Mitsuru, Hira and I found them like that.... they were, like forcibly removed from their stand so we figured that they were somewhat being used in this case...?"

"That's the thing! I was at the shooting range just as I heard the first shot!" Taiga finally explained the glaring problem himself. "Even after I left the gallery, none of the guns was even dismounted or left on the ground..."

" What!? "

Everyone shouted in unison as I covered my ears due to its echoing back, biting my lower lip, 'That's the truth that Taiga kept it in since the start of the investigation. If he knew about those guns were dismounted in the first place, he wouldn't look so unsure about it. Was that used as a distraction? Or did the culprit go for a shot in the dark and try to blame it all on the marksman?'

"R-Right... now that weird feeling from before makes sense...." Mitsuru snapped from her surprised gaze. "When we first inspected those things.... their barrels are still full as if they weren't used before.... the whole gallery was even spotless when we arrived...."

"It's still possible the culprit might have a refill on hand but...." Amane added. "We already have confirmation that those things stayed in its place before Taiga left the place....."

"So there's a different weapon being used that's not out physically...." Machi replied. "And those things that we found were just plain decoys...."

"Because of our lack of concrete evidence here, we heavily suspect those who have access to the place and with the accurate skills to be the culprit...." Saku realized the goal of the distraction. "B-But... why did they want frame Taiga....? I-Isn't that risky to even try and roped in someone with that kind of talent while trying to imitate their skill as well...?"

That's.... an answer that I'm not allowed to say first if the marksman wants to instead. And it looks like he decided to get it out for the sake of the trial.

"I... I don't know how to say this, especially with this happening right before that fight at the dining hall..." Taiga exclaimed. "I'm not sure how but... maybe, just maybe.... they knew that Kiharu has my secret motive...."

"Taiga......" I'm getting really worried. If the culprit really uses their secrets as the blackmail motive here then... that group is entirely in danger, isn't it?

"Secret motive....? How did critter know that she has it...?" Shoma's eyes widened. "Ah... she told you...?"

"To tell you the truth, I wasn't bothered by it at all...." Taiga looking sideways. "I really didn't mind if anyone else knew about it as well since it's way out of my control, especially when Monomyou introduced those.... reward plushies...."

"Which are high-quality and special limited dolls that the host can provide for their guests!" Monomyou chimed in. "It's a perfect get-along gift, isn't it? But sadly, its true purpose has been used for evil deeds instead!"

"And... whatever Kiharu did with my secret, I seriously have no control over it!" Taiga added. "Just.. please believe, I didn't kill her. Not even the secret motive can push me towards doing anything like that....."

"Geez, you're being overly dramatic over something that we all know you didn't do it...."

"Huh?" Taiga looked at the conman, confusion plastered all over his face as if he didn't believe his words.

"I mean if everyone used their brain for once..." Hisao yawned. "It's obvious that Taiga didn't get his hands on real firearms, that's kinda too easy for everyone's entertainment, isn't it? There's no way the host would let such mundane act entertain their guests like that...."

"And why are you so sure about that?" Amane asked.

"After what Taiga and Mitsuru said about the range gallery, my suspicion was correct..." the conman snickers. "Little miss must have realized earlier as well. After all, this kind of detail is hard to ignore by the naked eye! Surely she remembered alongside professing my admiration towards her dedication in solving these cases!"

"You what!? How bold of you to go as far as to make a confession by the second case!?"

Ignoring Mitsuru's outburst and excessive actions, there was that one question that did bother me; "Is there even a need for a search for the murder weapon? You were referring to that?"

"Yeah, those are definitely my words you're speaking out...." Hisao nodded. "It kinda makes sense now with what we found at the gym, the place of death and how it actually takes the entire group to find those scattered evidences... the timeline makes sense now..."

All those three pieces linked together? A timeline that actually makes sense? If anything, the place of death wasn't clear at all and if what they found at range gallery along with what Taiga has said turned out to be the truth then... wouldn't that mean.....

.....

"Hisao, you son of a bitch...." I can't fucking believe it took me that long to figure it out.

"Oh.... oh..... you actually didn't...?" That slow realization turned into a look of glee on Hisao's face. "You didn't notice it! Hahaha, I thought it was so obvious!! The distance was so far off that the murder must have been done through that! I was so explicit about them since the beginning, you know!"

"Um... um... Sumi, a little help here....?" the abseiler nervously asked. "We're.... not sure if we're following you guys' logic here, we're still kinda stuck here...."

I curled my hand into a fist, this guy, this fucking guy. One day, I will beat his ass for keeping this information from everyone for too long, "There's no murder weapon that we needed to find to begin with...."

"What.... you're saying that.... it didn't exist at all?" said Machi. "Impossible, there's no way those wounds just magically happened!?"

"Ms Investigator, you better explain this properly...." Amane furiously demanded. "I will not accept such an outrageous answer when there's clearly a cause for it!"

"I... don't understand what little critter's saying..." Shoma asked curiously. "This critter believes no such harm would be caused out of nowhere...."

"Geez, now I understand the feeling of being backed into the corner like Taiga...." Hisao exclaimed. "No wonder he's all shrivelled up this entire time!! No breathing space and time to explain, you guys are like rabid dogs waiting for some treats before you all finally behaved! Dear little miss needs some time to think about it, you know? And because of that, I will gladly answer in her place!"

"I would rather let you not..." I warned him before he filled his statement with lies. "The reason why we can't find the exact location where Kiharu was killed and the exact weapon used to kill her.... was because both of those things weren't done by a human.... the real cause of death was those automaton soldiers....."

"That.... makes sense...." Renma pieced it together. "We have never taken account of those things possibly set off... they're the only ones that have real ammunition. And we can't get near them or else we will share the same fate as Kiharu because of that restricted zone...."

"Hm? Huh?? What was that, my dear guests?" Monomyou tilted their head. "What do you mean by restricted zone? This host doesn't remember such a thing existing in their coding?"

"If there isn't..." Wouldn't that mean her death.... wasn't meant to be? "Then is it because she accidentally steps into their range...?"

"Yup, you got that right!" Hisao continued. "The real danger zone is when you're too near those soldiers which truly sets them off!! Each soldier only fired once, isn't that right Taiga?"

"Yes... I actually test that out during our first day here with Hiroshi....." Taiga confirms it. "I ran past by them... so it's true that the real trigger here is when we got too close to them....."

"So when you said you were playing with them from the last trial...." Hibiki remembered something else. "You were actually....."

"Wow, something as minor as that?" Hisao snickers. "That's amazing, I thought everyone just brush it off! Maybe there is more hope for you guys to act as minor detectives than I thought!"

"But that's... wouldn't that mean this case is impossible to deduce...?" Saku pointed out. "If it's by those things then... the voting would be a total bust, isn't it?"

Right, if it's a suicide, Monomyou said they would present a substitute or someone who pushed them to do it. Then, it should be similar in this situation, quite literally, "It would be someone who tricked them into getting themselves killed...."

"Oho! Thank you, dear investigator, for answering the question for your dear host!!!" Monomyou sniffed. "Such kindness!! Not worthy for your host!!! I would shower you all with praises!"

"Sorry, but I would rather not receive anything like that from you....." Mitsuru cringed a bit. "But this is getting weirder and weirder...... I mean, how else are we gonna cornered the culprit at this point...?"

"The list doesn't even go down at all...." Hiroshi admits. "Anyone, excluding the people who stayed at the hotel and the people who discovered the body, can still be a suspect and we weren't even near halfway there....."

"Should we play the blame game then?" Hisao suggested. "I mean, it's much more fun and easier when we throw accusations at each other until one of them slipped up....."

"Anyone can lie, Sao-chin....." I refuted without hesitation. Monomyou wasn't joking when they said this case is a tricky one. It took us too long to determine what the cause of death actually is. Now, trying to find who's the culprit is became really difficult. But there's one thing that bothers me right after Taiga said about the secret motive, "Who else knew about each other's secret motive?"

"Is that still relevant to this case....?" Hiroshi asked

"If the culprit actually uses Taiga's secret motive as a cover-up... then Kiharu must have told someone else about it... someone who could possibly be our culprit...." I explained, I couldn't imagine the archaeologist would carelessly reveal someone else's secret like that but the fact that she's siding with Higura before, then it's possible. "Because Kiharu sided with Higura to reveal each other's secret motives....."

"Are you saying Hira is to blame?" Saku narrowed his eyes. "That's too early to decide, don't you think?"

"I don't know where you get that idea from but I don't like what you're hinting at!!" Higura gritted his teeth. "I will tear you a new asshole if you're gonna corner me like that again!!"

Resisting, as usual, I have to-

"Kiharu revealed it to the group...."

"What...?" I stared wide-eyed at Hibiki, who was on Higura's side earlier, who spoke out and spouted those sudden revelations. Everyone else also reacted no differently.

"I don't want this to escalate into something dramatic and getting side-tracked because of it......" Hibiki confessed. "So it's better if I said it right here, right now..... Kiharu told us about Taiga's secret motive and so did everyone else in the group....."

"Ah.... so it's true. You guys really think this will solve everything, huh?" Hisao's face darkened. "You set up those death wishes on everyone here....."

"I didn't immediately agree to it but...." Hibiki defended herself. "I knew that something will go wrong if no one was looking after them first so I joined in. And to think everyone revealed it so willingly is... disheartening to say the least..... which is why I'm the only one who didn't reveal my partner's secret motive in the group....."

Mitsuru, Nao, Hiroshi and Higura all looked betrayed, but I don't get it. How could they be so careless about it? Did they seriously think it would turn out just fine if they spilt it out? Were they really being serious about it being the only way to prevent blackmailing from happening?

"And so that cat's out of the bag.... but no surprises there....." Hisao was the first one who breaks the silence. "Geez, I wonder what's that thing I've said during yesterday's feud? Something about 'trust'? Oh, that's right! How are we gonna trust you guys' word now that we knew you guys did that?"

"Y-You!!!" Higura stammered, clearly a loss for words but still trying to fight back.

"Higura, enough....." Hibiki tried to confront him. "The more you tried to defend yourself, the more you're making a bigger fool of yourself. If you truly care about the outcome of this trial more than your pride... please let us all admit it...."

".... Fine... be my fuckin' guest....."

"Even till the bitter end....." Hibiki sighed. "I'm sure not everyone else in this group is happy to admit so I will just say it right now in their place. Kiharu has Taiga's motive, that's confirmed. Even though I didn't reveal it, I have Sumi's motive... I pity your condition, Sumi...."

So, they're using that . It's a lot tamer than I thought.

"Nao has Hiroshi's motive while Hiroshi has Kiharu's motive..... both of them have nothing too serious...." the opera singer continued. ".... But Higura has Renma's secret motive...."

"So... it has finally revealed itself...." Renma's eyes twitched, and his worrisome look from the investigation is back. "I'm afraid that your group has something to do with this..... I was wondering what that scrap of paper was doing at the scene...."

What? A paper? Could this be related to his sudden change of attitude just now? "Renma, what did you say?"

Renma doesn't waste any time, he pulled the said scrap of paper out of his pocket with the words saying, 'I know about your hidden Ultimate. I will tell everyone else if you interfere with the investigation and class trial'

"I didn't want to say anything until the person responsible for this note came forward or when the secret motive is mentioned again...." said Renma. "But this truly shines more light on it, didn't it....?"

Right now, everyone turned their attention towards the graphic designer, now silent and expressionless. 'The way he keeps on pushing back on others from before makes sense.... but why does it feel... incomplete? Why does it feel like there's more to it? Not when.... there's too much going on in this case....'

"Well, Higura.... all the clues and your careless attitude lead the spotlight to you...." said Amane. " Did you intentionally mislead us to our doom in this trial?"

"I can sense you're feeling restless from all of this but...." Renma stated. "I won't be satisfied until you revealed your intention for using my secret motive against me....."

"Hi-Hira... that's not true.... right?" Saku pleaded. "You're not actually the culprit... right?"

"No, he's not" I cut in. "There's something completely wrong here.... not all of it makes sense just yet....."

"Does it matter at this point?" Hisao yawned, looking irritated at this point. "We're all getting tired on this nightly trial so it's best to vote ahead while finding our suspect..... It's obvious that Higura was the one who left that note to blackmail Renma to not have a helping hand in this one so it's safe to assume he tricked Kiharu, right?"

"Don't you think all of that is too convenient?" Machi refuted. "Look, Higura may be dense but he's not an idiot to go around and do something like that...."

"I wanna believe in Hira's innocence!!" Saku loudly exclaimed. "There must be something else wrong in this case, we haven't discussed most of the evidence we found as well!!"

"The critter believes it's a fake......." Shoma slowly raised his hand up. "The real culprit tried to set up the creative child and lead us to our doom..... I'm sure the siren and the colourful pufferfish thought so too..."

Both Hibiki and Mitsuru nodded, it took me a while to realise Shoma was referring to the cosmetologist as the latter.

"But e-even so....." Nao stammered. "Is it even safe to give a clear for him... when there's this much evidence pointing to him...?"

"It's too early to determine...." said Hibiki. "It's best to rationally think about it without any disagreement-"

'There should be something we could use to convince others to continue with the trial...' I balled my hand into a fist. 'That paper thing.... would Higura be petty enough to use Renma's secret, even saying that blackmailing wouldn't work if they revealed it to each other? Because the chances of someone knowing that secret in the same group.... maybe....'

"If you really are the one behind this case then..." I started to test out my luck. "What's the riddle to Renma's secret?"

Taiga said that plushies are equipped with riddles that will reveal the target's secret. While I can't confirm that every riddle may be the same or what it would say, especially when I've never heard them myself, it's something that can be crucial in a time like this.

Higura went silent, he looks sideways and tried to find something back himself up but he was taking way too long.

"Everyone....." I started. "It's still wrong if we immediately vote for him this early... because there's a lot of questions that too severe to ignore... mostly about that note...."

".... If Higura has his secret then he would have known what's the riddle given to him...." Machi continued. "The riddle is too vague so it's still safe to reveal it in this court... but for Higura taking so long to remember something revealed to him only a short period of time...."

".... You have no idea of that note's existence, right, Higura?" I asked.

Again, no reply. The graphic designer just stood there in silence, not even moving a single muscle.

'Come on... why aren't you saying anything!? Where's that tough defence you always had!? What's holding you back-'

"Ah, you're so annoying, do us a favour so we can finally let you off the hook...." Hisao stepped in with an annoyed look. "Show us that...."

"Show.. what exactly...?" the designer finally said something.

"Well, something you've recently got...." the conman eluded to... something that might have happened to him earlier. "I'm sure that would save your skin now, would it? After all.... you don't wanna die now, do you?"

.... Oh, so he's asking for that .

And sure enough, Higura just quietly and slowly rolled up his left pants till it reached his kneecaps.... and revealed a small bruise right on the front limb.

Taiga's eyes widened as he spoke, "So you're the one who we were chasing after...."

That confirms it; Higura was our runaway figure.

"There, you got your answer now, little miss..." Hisao directed the attention to me now. "You look really irritated by the fact there's more than one culprit here so I took this one down for you, no need to thank me!"

'Of course, he noticed that detail as well....' I sighed. We both knew that Higura wouldn't be the type to do this so recklessly, he's too prideful to risk his life like that. But the real reason why the secret motive existed in the first place came to our mind, "Higura.... did the culprit blackmail you to take the blame?"

"..... I don't even know anymore...." he lost his strength to fight back, he has finally given up. "..... that's all I can say right now....."

'That's all he can say right now?'

So someone else is truly threatening him to do this. I eyed everyone at their podium right now. 'Someone who's willing to put up this elaborate scheme and forced Higura to take the fall.... but I'm not gonna let that happen. I will surely bring out the culprit from its hiding no matter what....'

Chapter Text

"What an amazing development to the second class trial!!" Monomyou let out their bellow laughter. "Even the last case wasn't so complicated as this! For such a culprit to use everything and everyone but not by their hand, how cunning! How terrible! But, this host believes in their guests! It's just a nyatter of time till they figure out who it is!! Ackh- I stuttered!!"

"We've already tackled the mysterious runaway figure is Mochizuki Higura, the Ultimate Graphic Designer...." Machi went over the details we've covered so far. "Filling in for the real culprit, he helped to dispose of one of the evidence but slipped and panicked threw them once he was caught by Renma and Hisao...."

"This critter doesn't think so..." Shoma said in his usual tone as he managed to keep up with events that transpired. "The place is too hollow and dark... sneaky critter would have managed to escape from the den... but for them to get noticed easily... the critter must be too near to the window to start with....."

"Shoma's correct... I was about to say something similar to that as well..." Renma answered. "There were tall foliages outside the windows and if Higura doesn't want to get caught, he would have easily blended in without a problem. But for him to intentionally catch our attention at the window there...."

"First thing first...." Hisao pointed out the glaring point in that scenario. "If he were to dispose of the evidence, then the bloody weight would have been alright and he's good-to-go.... but he somehow included a clean one which doesn't make sense. And then he decided it's a good toy to use as a Frisbee instead...."

"Which means he's purposefully trying to lead us to Kiharu's body...." That's the only logical conclusion I've come up with all the facts we've managed to dig out. "Higura's an unwilling accomplice, he never wanted to cooperate with the culprit, to begin with...."

"So the culprit placed the note to direct that blame towards someone else...." Hibiki continued. "Probably Higura since he's the one to convince everyone to spill their secrets first..."

"But the people who knew about the secret motive would be Higura's group...." stated Taiga. "Then... the culprit is..."

'... It's.... what, no, that shouldn't be it....' Even if Hibiki exposed that they knew about others' secrets... neither of them was that near to the gymnasium in the first place. Even with the time of death being a mystery, it surely happened right before Higura was forced to dispose of the evidence.... there's not enough time there for Higura's group to even fake their alibis.

"That's too early to say, wouldn't it?" Hibiki narrowed her eyes, almost feeling threatened by the accusation. "As I've said, I didn't want to reveal my partner's secret motive because it's an invasion of privacy.... and I don't want to even believe that Mitsuru, Nao and Hiroshi could even convince Higura to do something as absurd as this...."

Well, that makes another one of us see this as unconventional.

"I-I'm just as confused as you guys are!!" Hiroshi exclaimed nervously. "Be-because earlier before the incident, Higura was hanging out Saku near the bar like it's nothing and suddenly, he's the suspect!?"

"There's... a lot of things I don't quite understand how everything's patched up...." Nao admitted. "Like... there's no gap in the timeline... everyone was within the perimeter of each other...."

"Not only that, besides Higura, we wouldn't think of messing around with someone's secret motive...." Hm? That's an odd detail that Mitsuru added, what was that note referring to?

"I'm sorry but there's no way I wanna bet my insides on how the hot-headed idiot Higura is behind this kind of murder plan, too complex for someone like him!" Hisao snorted, his attention turned to the medium with curiosity in his eyes. "What's more interesting is Renma's secret motive! It seems now the spotlight is on you! I wonder why's that? Is your secret motive that important that they would use it against you?"

"Sao-chin, now's not the time-"

"Oh... I see now what you're trying to get out of me of this entire time...." Renma closed his eyes as he exhaled deeply. "I was wondering why the sudden change of heart when you decide to be friendly with me after that first meeting.... so you were aiming for that all this time..."

"You're saying that as if no one saw your ElectroID from the sidelines...." the conman snickers. "You should be really careful about it! Especially when someone like me who's eager to blabber their mouth about it!"

"Hisao, enough...." I warned him from trying to derail the situation right now.

Renma chuckles at my defensive nature, "I appreciate your defence but I must come clean with a confession if it indeed helps the trial... according to Hisao's instinct here since he saw it, unfortunately..... very well then...."

"My apologies for the deception, the title of the Ultimate Medium was nothing but a ruse as this Oki Renma was officially known as the Ultimate Mortician...."

"You're a what!?" That wasn't what I expected at all. I thought he would be someone dangerous, like the said fake player Hisao told me, but... a mortician...? I mean, his morbid jokes now make sense but still-

A fake Ultimate?

"Okay, um, yeah, he worded that rather weirdly... can't you simplify your words?" Hisao rolled his eyes back. "Renma here specializes in handling dead bodies, an interesting detail to keep in mind when you bear how close he was to the previous victims before we started investigating. It's like he knew what he was doing at the time. This work also raised him to form a spiritual connection with the afterlife so in a way.... he has two talents...."

"It's a title that I felt rather ashamed to hold...." Renma sighed. "It brings me nothing but grief and as such, I present myself as the communicator of the dead, that single bridge between life and death you can say...."

"Wait a minute!!!" Hiroshi cuts in all of the sudden. "That's your secret motive!? No lies or add-ins or anything?!"

"I- Hm...? That's... all there is to know?" the medium, now known as the mortician, furrowed his brows. "Surely Monomyou revealing a secret of having someone who has knowledge of cleansing a body might pose himself a bigger threat in this situation... except I wouldn't do a disservice to those who haven't passed yet...."

"This host tried his best to keep their guests' secret to be as discreet as possible but there's no way this host would turn a blind eye to what is considered a property of the Ultimate academy!" Monomyou confirms it from their throne. "That Ultimate title should be worn as a badge of honour, this host wants their guest to feel proud of it! So do have some gratitude towards yourself Oki Renma, for the academy was able to grant you two ultimate titles!"

"That's...... then....." Hibiki sounded unsure, she could even say anything until Nao said it.

"We were lied to... Higura lied about Renma's secret motive to his group!!"

"Hold on a second, Higura!!" Mitsuru shrieked. "What the hell is going on!? Why did you lie and said that Renma is some psychopath who murdered people before this killing game happened!?"

"Wha- I never murdered anyone in my life!" Renma, why do you look so offended about that instead?! Ask Higura about the last one!! "My talent should not be used for evil and in fact, I have never once lifted a scalpel towards a living being!"

"What kind of bullshit lie you're trying to put Makkun in, huh, you shitty brat!?" Wha... Makkun? Was that a nickname that Machi gave him? What with him suddenly defending him after giving him the cold shoulder repeatedly before? "Wait, till I get my hands on you-!"

"Whoa, slow down there or else you will get voted out instead of the true culprit for this trial..." Hisao laughs, bringing his hand to his mouth like a mischievous child when he saw the librarian slowly backing out his words. "But isn't that an interesting thing to know about! Renma's secret motive is whatever, sure, but why, oh, why would Higura lied about the secret motive of his partner?"

That piece of information backed up with what we got after knowing Higura doesn't know the riddle to Renma's motive, "Higura didn't have Renma's motive. He probably has the culprit's secret motive...."

"The culprit's!?"

"Must you guys want us to explain in a more detailed answer..." Hisao rolled his eyes back. "I'm getting tired of piggy-backing you all here so keep up with us summarizing the revelations we had so far. Now, explain this to me; why did the culprit specifically choose Higura? If they were aiming for any weakling, Mitsuru and Nao would have been a better choice, right?"

Right, if the culprit would want to get away quickly, either of those two would have been fine. For Higura to be an accomplice, there has to be a reason why are they aiming for a tough-headed person to be their helper, "Because of what you've said, Higura might have the culprit's secret motive. And to keep him from spouting their motive, the culprit threaten them and gave him another person's motive as to replace their own...."

"Hahaha!! Dear little miss strikes gold once again!!" Hisao cheered. "I knew you could do it!! Now, now!! Can you guess who's the secret motive that the culprit had and gave to Higura?"

"...Oki Renma, of course, since Higura doesn't even know the riddle to his either.." and that eliminates the designer from being a suspect, including his actions before. After all, he's the one who's trying to lead us to Kiharu's body in the first place. It has been a slow process to even manage to get the gist of what the culprit tried to do with the secret motive but it suddenly clicked, "Hold on a second..... if that's true... then the culprit did plant the note framing Higura, to begin with, and made him lie to his group....... and if nobody in that group even knew about Renma's Ultimate talent lie on that paper..... then...."

"The culprit instead is in our group! The group that didn't want any of our secret motives to be revealed!" Hisao exclaimed loudly and somehow proudly to himself. "Can you believe that, little miss! What a wild card! A scoundrel I do say so myself! And a clever one at that because when you think about it, you have Higura's group, Higura himself and the culprit planning to vote for the wrong culprit which is Renma... they only needed one more person and the victory is on the culprit for managed to convince them with that lie!"

'They're trying to outweigh the majority!' If those people that Hisao mentioned were caught in the culprit's lie for too long, they may turn against Renma until the voting time! Not only that, but the culprit might also plan the gun decoy as a way for others to cast their votes away for Taiga as well. So even if our group doesn't suspect Renma, they will go after Taiga instead.

"The culprit tried to disperse our votes...." my eyes widened. "If we didn't manage to clear up the suspicions on Taiga and Renma, either way, the majority would still end up wrong.... even on Higura for being an associate..."

"So you made Renma confess and use the details from Taiga to help them out... you even made me prove myself..... that's quite fucking bold move but as expected of the conman...." Higura commented, who sounded glad.

"Oh, thank you!! I didn't expect to be complemented by an associate of the culprit!" Hisao took a jab on that, earning a glare from the other. "I was expecting little miss to appreciate me a bit more for actually helping out but that will do! Although, there's one question that I wasn't too sure about which is why was Shoma found dead in the pool this evening?"

"Huh!? He's dead!? Then who's that standing at the biologist's podium!?" Mitsuru pointed at Shoma himself, who just stared at her in disbelief.

"That's Shoma, Mitsuru, in flesh and blood...." I reassured the panicking cosmetologist. "I'm sure no one noticed but Shoma was knocked out before the chase even happened, he was pretty dazed during the investigation as well which is why he's really quiet right now...."

"Hm... that's....." Renma joined in the discussion. "If I recalled... I found him at the swimming just next to the hotel... where we would see him from the inside. Surely the culprit must have done that to ensure there wouldn't be any detection?"

Plausible, if Shoma stayed awake during that time, he would have figured out it was Higura immediately but... wouldn't that actually help the culprit in casting doubts on others even more?

"The critter.... have foggy thoughts...." Shoma lightened up a bit. "Went for a quick float but was attacked by a strong smell....! And then.... blacked out...."

"Yes, I'm sure you've recognized that smell now, Shoma..." I answered. "It's the makeshift chloroform that the culprit used to-"

"Wait... how would the culprit get that thing in the first place...." Mitsuru asked. "There's no way it would be in anyone's reach and... last time I checked, I've never seen a single bottle of it in the hotel or any places at all!"

"Well, maybe our beloved host supplied it for the culprit or...." Hisao watched Shoma taking the lead after him.

"This critter believes that.... a cleaning detergent and alcohol... would be sufficient.... after all... it's the most commonly used ingredients that shouldn't be swim together...!" Shoma continued.

"Yep! Wow, Mitsuru!! Didn't you know that! That's like a number one PSA of mixing chemicals that you should avoid in the first place!" the conman called out. "Dang, your chemist name is danger after hearing that, huh!"

"I-I'm a beautician, not a full-blown chemist!!" Mitsuru defended herself. "I just find it weird that the culprit has it all in their reach!?"

"Fair, but hmmm... I wonder who would have that much power to get two things at once and with a motive as well!"

That's sarcasm, that's definitely sarcasm right there. But I can see why he's doing this. So, I will just have to play along for now.

"If you're really waiting for an answer, the gymnasium would be obvious..." I answered. "Even Taiga confirmed for us back then..."

"Yes, we checked the storage room where all the types of equipment and cleaning supplies were kept..." Taiga explained. "From what we found out, there's one bottle missing...."

"And another missing ingredient is something like alcohol! Since the bar has no restriction and we're too much of a goody-two-shoes to drink..." Hisao continued. "The culprit definitely took the chance there!"

"It's great we found out why Shoma passed out in the first place...." Machi pointed out, still confused by the chain of events we're trying to go through. "How is that helping our case? We're just chipping away the smaller branches that the culprit created to side-track us from the most obvious one..."

"No, no, I wouldn't call this 'side-tracking'...." Hisao revealed. "I would like to call this, 'the culprit's big mistake'. If only they were thorough about their place, they would have got away scot-free minutes ago! But instead, they let out two major slip-ups!!"

"Slip-ups...? Such as what...?" Renma asked.

".... Ah! My eyes are getting droopy! Whoopsie! Little miss, if you don't mind, I'm gonna take a nap for a while so I will be leaving the spotlight to you for now!" Before I could even say anything, Hisao slid down into his podium as his back leaned against it. Amane who stood beside him, shockingly, confirmed it for us that he indeed went fast asleep.

"..... Unbelievable...." I muttered under my breath. But this means I can take control of this trial for a while before he spurts into action, "I hope everyone kept up with this string of events, as heavy as it is......."

"I-I will go over it again...." Taiga volunteered. "Sumi, Renma and I found the body covered with the gym matting that's similar to what the runaway fugitive was wearing and the bloody one in the gymnasium. Higura disposed of the bloody weight but used a spare to lead us to the crime scene. We know the cause of death was by those automaton soldiers so the dismounted gun at the shooting range was just a decoy...."

"That's one thing that we should be concerned about...." Amane admitted. ".... those gun decoys at the shooting gallery... since Taiga said it wasn't like that before.... who did take it off in the first place and when...?"

There's a slight gap of time between when the place was left unattended and before the announcement so judging by what I know, the person who did it...

"It has to be the culprit...." I answered. "They must have waited for Taiga to leave the shooting range before they could even take it off from their stand. They may have an idea to leave it somewhere visible so that we can think of it as the potential murder weapon... but because of Higura's sudden change of plan, they wasted no time and have to leave it be once the body discovery announcement happened...."

"With not enough time left..... the culprit would have to pretend they are about to head to the gymnasium from a different location...." Nao pondered. "Perhaps.... we should remember where we met and with who at that time...."

"I was about to head to the hotel from the library when the announcement happened and I immediately rushed to the gym......." Machi answered. "On my way there... I met up with Mitsuru, Hibiki, Higura and Saku...."

"Okay, it's time to interrogate those people heavily!!" Hisao suddenly jumped up from his place. "I'm all hyper-charged and ready to tackle some inconsistencies!!"

"C-Come on!! Me again?!" Mitsuru panicked. Higura was silent this whole time but we knew for certain he was just an accomplice in this plan. "You can't be serious about pitting us against each other!! Like we said before! We're not the culprits!"

"Hey, I got bored and wasted my energy explaining things to you guys...." Hisao pouted. "Now it's your turn to explain yourself!! I wanna hear everything so entertain me, peasants!"

"Didn't you say the people who sided with Higura are unlikely suspects...?" Amane rephrased what he said. "That's an awful contradiction you've dug yourself there-"

"He means... it's Higura and Saku......" Shoma cuts him off immediately. "The critter doesn't want us to trap them.... he wants us to isolate them..... which means it can only be them...."

"W-What!? Hell no, I wanted little miss to figure that out!" Hisao pointed at the biologist, whining out loud. "How dare you steal her thunder! Repent! Repent for that right now!"

'What the....?' Judging by how Hisao reacted to his words that means..... he got it right. Shoma got to the answer before everyone else, besides Hisao, did. And if they're right... then...

"Oozora Saku..... you're the true culprit of this case, aren't you?"

"W-What!? What are you talking about!?" Saku staggered a bit. "W-Wouldn't that make no sense!? Like... we meet up with everyone first right after the announcement rang! Kiharu's my friend, I wouldn't do that-!"

"Friends can kill each other if being pushed to do it...." said Amane. "But I see why Hisao mentioned the major slip-ups...."

"The first major slip-up was the cleaning group for the gymnasium.... since we knew Higura isn't the suspect and Hiroshi doesn't even know about the actual secret motive, it automatically has to be Saku doing the prep work before murdering Kiharu...." I explained, that in the end, he trapped himself by taking evidence that completely narrows the suspect list to a few.

"The second slip-up was probably when the body discovery announcement happened.... because he doesn't have enough time to even fake his arrival, he has to meet up with Higura mid-way after he did his part and before Machi spotted him...."

"Oh yeah, that's not a slip-up actually, it would be hard to know if they're faking it or not...." Hisao whistled. "The real slip up here is that I bumped into Saku at the bar yesterday evening......."

"You what!?" Mitsuru and Amane shrieked, I defensively shielded my ears from their piercing voices. But still, what the hell!? Why didn't he bring that up before!? 'Come to think of it...! We did leave the bar earlier yesterday before Hisao so he must have seen it himself!!"

"Yeah, I saw him being fishy at the bar but I didn't say anything...." said Hisao. "I just acted like I didn't see anything and he didn't even suspect a single thing. That confidence is truly something else, Saku!! You have to teach me your ways!! I didn't bother mentioning that earlier because that will end this mystery way too fast for my liking!!"

"You... You!" Saku is fuming, this is the first time I saw him being this furious. "This isn't a time for games!! You shouldn't run your mouth claiming things that aren't true at all!"

"Ah-ha! No tricks and lies here!" Hisao laughed at his rage. "I'm a conman of my own words, my words of truth are what I built myself with but I won't hesitate to bring others down who tried to outperform me here!"

"Hang on...." Taiga pointed out. "If it's true... if he got the alcohol bottle from yesterday already... doesn't that mean...."

"It was a breathtaking performance done by Higura, wasn't it?" Hisao said excitedly. "Yup, there's no doubt... Higura was only acting like a feral dog this morning just to fool everyone... so that we all would suspect him as the scapegoat and not Saku who joined us just for virtue points!"

"That's bullshit!" Saku yelled out in frustration. "I'm not the culprit!! I didn't do anything wrong! I... I-I... Hira! I was there with you when the announcement rang, right...? T-there's no way we were that close to that place....!"

Higura just cringed at how the aerobat spat out his name like he pleading for him to say something. His whole body grew tense and shook every time Saku said his name.

"Hira... hey..... buddy.... you're my friend right...." Saku is smiling, but it's not that usual heartwarming smile he always has. It's the kind that just sent cold shivers down your spine. "I've done a lot of great things for you..... I even helped your troubles out since you got here! So why!? Why aren't you defending me!? Aren't you supposed to be my friend!?"

"Stop fucking calling me like that...." Higura glared at the aerobat from his place. "What fuck is wrong with you....? I don't wanna hear that nonsense out of that shitty hole of yours!!"

"Saku, Higura...?" Mitsuru looked like she was about to leave her podium to comfort the designer. "What's with you two...? A-And why are you pressuring Higura like that!? Stop it!"

"But I'm his friend.... that's what friends do, right...?" Saku slowly spoke, his low voice echoed in the trial room. "Friend.... got each other's back.... friends defend each other until the very end...."

"Like hell we are!!" Higura yelled out, still refusing to look at the aerobat directly. "Friends, don't be fucking delusional! If it weren't for your stupid slip-up, we wouldn't be in this mess right now!!!"

"Huh?" A slip-up? He's talking about how Saku's caught, right? "The slip-ups that Sakkun can't cover up...?"

"Not fucking those!!" Higura retorted. "This idiot... this fucking idiot's just waiting for people to clean up his mess and hide everything behind!! As if it will work for the second time!!"

"An... earlier slip up....." Something inside me just snapped, and the small issue that I had with Shoma's case... just came into mind when I heard that. "Huh..... Higura.... are you saying that..... Kiharu's death was accidental?"

"Don't say it, Hira... Please, don't say it... I don't wanna die...." a sob wrecked the aerobat's body. "I don't wanna be punished, Hira. Please, I'm begging you...."

Higura stood up, hugging himself at this point as it's comforting to him, "Saku planned to confuse everyone with the mixed-up secret motives... and it's true, Saku did have Renma's motive. With Kiharu revealing Taiga's motive, Saku was planning to use that against him..... his real target here was supposed to be Shoma...."

"This critter is...." The biologist didn't sound surprised at all.... as if he was expecting this kind of answer.

"And so the mystery behind Shoma's knocked-out story makes sense now...." Hisao explained. "After a successful first class trial, Saku must have seen how a majority vote works its wonder. And so he decided to use that concept and tried to split everyone's vote... and with what we've found so far before we decode the mystery completely, the majority vote wouldn't succeed if our the list of suspects is completely wrong.... even for a mistake, he still managed to set it up...."

"And the secret motive paper.... was put alongside with her body because I was just one of his targets....." Renma grimaced. "Using my true talent against me and for everyone else to see, I or Taiga would have easily taken the blame for the decoys he set up...."

"But everything went into the wrong order....." Higura confessed. "Because Kiharu saw us at the gymnasium earlier this evening..... Saku panicked and then-"

"I-It was an accident!!" Saku yelled. "Why are you telling them all of that! Do you hate me that much!? I didn't mean for her to die!! I wanted to help her but she ran before I could-!"

"But you're a coward and you don't wanna take the blame..." Hisao sighed, looking bored already. "How boring, I thought you would at least be an exciting exception. You have this brilliantly executed plan but you decided to get rid of a loose thread in the most ludicrous way. I'm sorry, but where in this part of the play are we supposed to feel sorry for you?"

"That's enough..." I balled my hand into a tight first and gritted my teeth. A situation too tough, too raw and yet.... everything's too familiar to me. I don't need to hear any more excuses, neither from Hisao nor Higura.... nor Saku either. "You don't have to go on, I get it. Saku got rid of Kiharu just because of an accident. Is that... alright, everyone? I will go through the detail from the beginning if you have any doubts...."

"Well, the stage's yours, little miss...." Hisao faked a bow and everyone else can only stay silent, feeling rather uncomfortable by the confession earlier. "You're the main attraction of the class trial, after all... convicting two wrong-doers to be punished...."

"No... there's only one..." My eyes met with the eyes that filled with anger and fear, belonging to the Ultimate Aerobat. "I'm gonna end this trial, erasing any guilt and doubt left inside everyone else....."

That's what you're all waiting for, isn't it;

"In order to deter everyone in a majority vote where all of them can fail, the culprit has to plan way ahead. After getting the secret motives, they convince or even threaten Higura to follow along with their plan, whether, by luck or deduction, it's all because the Ultimate Graphic Designer has his motive that they don't want to spill. The culprit has to collect the alcohol bottle from the bar to finish their concoction plan, which ironically falls apart from here once they didn't notice that Hisao saw them."

"Higura set up that morning confrontation as a distraction and a way to divide us all and to make sure all attention falls onto him and his words, dismissing any future doubts we will have for the culprit who sided with us. After some time, during the morning clean-up, the culprit took the chance and open the small window to the storage room as a way to dispose of the evidence later that night. Higura and the culprit meet up at the gym to start their plan and make the chloroform with one of the cleaning detergents there but unfortunately, Kiharu spotted them and the culprit, in panic, hit her with the weight."

"From what we know, Kiharu ran from them which means she took the hit but tried to get away as soon as possible. But due to her panicking and hazy mind, she accidentally wander too close to the automaton soldiers, alerting them.... and causing a misfired. Due to the miscalculation and a huge slip-up, the culprit and Higura decided to press on forward in fear of getting caught red-handed. They carried the body, wrapped it using the gymnasium mat and carried it over to the other side of the gym, where one of them disposed of the bloody mat through the small window to the storage room and closed it from the outside. At this time, the culprit would have to go and go ahead, waiting for Taiga to leave the shooting range. Higura, on the other hand, has to dispose of the evidence...... but he has another plan in mind."

"Higura has to knock Shoma out to avoid detection and placed him unconsciously onto the pool. Since it's Shoma's strange gimmick, nobody suspected something was wrong with him. Higura disposed of the bloody weight and the rest of the evidence, mainly the empty bottles to make chloroform. Next, he just has to lead someone to the crime scene. With the clean weight he secretly took with him, he grabbed Renma and Hisao's attention as he threw it into the window and make a run for it, also attracting Hiroshi and Nao's attention as well."

"After he arrived at the gym, Higura removed the clean gym mat he wore over his head and placed it on top of Kiharu's body, not realizing a scrap of paper underneath her that the culprit planted to frame him. With everything set, he immediately left using a different route. While all of this happened, on the other side, the culprit immediately removed the bolted gun from the stand once Taiga left to chase after Higura but because of the body discovery announcement, they just left it on the floor in a hurry to meet up with everyone. From there on, Higura and the culprit just have to pretend that nothing went wrong... and one of them didn't realise they were being set up, to begin with."

"This is the act that could only be done by you, yourself, Oozora Saku, the Ultimate Aerobat!!!"

.......

............

.......

Despite everything, I still feel sick in my stomach.

Not because of knowing Saku who willingly throw his friend under fire for a crime he shouldn't have done, but because of the pure feeling of satisfaction I get once I completed the details of the case.

It still feels wrong.

It still feels like Saku didn't want to do this in the first place.

However, "Is that story clear enough for you to admit it? That you're willing to throw away your friendship with Higura just to get away from murder?"

The aerobat didn't reply, that must have stung, better to move onward before another outburst started up, "Forget it... Monomyou, it's the voting time!!"

"Wha-wha-what!? T-That's my line, my beloved guest! Please don't steal another spotlight from your dearest host!!" Monomyou exclaimed, in a panicked manner. "This host can't believe it but to have another snake ripping our beautiful luxury experience apart is unacceptable! Now then, ladies and gentlemen, we have cornered them! Let us draw a satisfying conclusion to the trial that everyone has worked so hard for!! It's Voting Time!!!"

The voting panel appeared right before and I wasted no time but pressed onto Saku's icon as the machine immediately vanished from my sight. Everyone already voted once it appeared as well, no need for second guesses or even anything, Higura and Saku already voted as well, albeit hesitating almost.

Once every panel is gone from each podium, the big monitor from before appeared behind Monomyou, playing the roulette system again.... until the arrow landed on Oozora Saku and the bright neon lights of the word 'guilty' lightened up once again.

"Nyahahaha!" Monomyou laughed as they jumped down from their throne. "Amazing! Stupendous! All of you got it right! Everyone got it right! Let us all huddle together for another victory! A victory for all the guests in this lovely experience!"

"Saku....." I ignored the cat host as I approached the trembling aerobat. "You could have stopped there..... you could just stop when you accidentally hurt Kiharu..."

"Ah, little miss, don't get too close...." Hisao warned me but he's not doing anything to prove that he's being serious about it. "Unless his secret motive holds any truth, it's best to stay back during interrogation...."

"So you knew about that....?" I hesitated but I took a few steps back just in case, Higura is right behind me, looking at Saku directly. Heavily sighed, I asked, "What else do you know?"

"Well, maybe it's just a hunch... and thinking about the lie they've made up about Renma's secret...." Hisao smiled, placing his hand on his cheek. "Don't you think they got that inspiration from someone else? Someone else's motive perhaps?"

Everyone gasped but Monomyou's the only one who let out who interjects immediately, "W-What is this!? How does the guest know each other's secret without so much of a hint!? D-D-Did this host accidentally dropped some kind of clue somewhere? O-O-Or did you faced each other for it first!?"

Not only does Hisao know about Saku being the culprit, but he.... also knew his secret motive.... the motive that he doesn't want anyone to know.

"It's a big one, in fact, I understand perfectly why he wouldn't want the cat out of the bag yet..." Hisao continued. "But it would be disastrous for everyone here to know the real story of how the Ultimate Aerobat came to be...."

"P-Please, dear guest!! Let this host do the explanation as it is my job here to entertain everyone!!" Monomyou borderline begged the conman to not steal their spotlight, to which Hisao let them. "I-It's a gruesome tale for sure but one that landed him with such a title! It's a competitive field where only one can make it out on top! However, tragedy strikes when a major crash took the lives of those innocent rookie pilots. With no other competitors in line, the Yumeino Academy has its eyes set on Saku as its next line-up of Ultimate students! But, it wasn't until a secret investigation by the flight academy that trained these pilots..... that Oozora Saku was in charge of a vehicle routine check a day before the accident...and so they're holding the case under suspicion of jeopardizing everyone in the competition!"

"What!?" Saku, who was inanimate since the voting, suddenly stirred up at what Monomyou has said. "Where did you hear that!? That's... there's no way anyone knows...!"

"This host has close ties to the academy and their students! It should be in my best interest to get to know my guests as well!" Monomyou asserted themselves. "I would like to present myself as some sort of friendly figure to my guests to make them feel comfortable by understanding their place but... this host has some feelings about what you've been keeping behind your back there, Mr. Oozora..."

"A-Ah..."

Amane was speechless by the revelation but Hibiki took those words he wanted to say right from his mouth. "How... horrible.... how can you be so heartless to do that...?"

"T-That's...." Mitsuru shook her head, trembling as Nao hold onto her with a worried look. "I-Is that true.... that you would do such a thing...?"

"Stop eating up words that you don't know anything about it!" Saku yelled, glaring at every one of us. "You don't know the entire story so don't pile onto it and act like saints all of the sudden!"

"You bastard...!" Taiga sneered, looking like he was about to attack him but Renma hold him back. "Is that how you're gonna treat that as if it's nothing!? Not after what we now knew what happened to Kiharu!?"

"I didn't mean for both of them to happen!" Saku gripped his hair out of frustration. "I-I... don't want that thing to be handed to everyone so soon... I-I have to get out of here and... get back on the field... but the chances of both of them happening were too slim... if it weren't for that small mistake, and for people like Hisao and Sumire to exist..."

Unconsciously, I grabbed onto Higura's arm, for safety. This is bad. I recognized this seething, emotional outburst, this will turn physical if Saku continued. "What were you planning exactly once you get out of here... and were you that confident we would just act as your stepping stones....?"

".... You wouldn't understand... none of you would understand...." Saku clicked his tongue, hand wandering near his neck. "You should have just let it go... let me go... I-I need to do something... but you, you-!"

Something whizzed past me, I didn't catch it, it was too fast. But once it got to the front, my eyes widened in shock, "What!?"

Shoma held Saku up by the front of his jumpsuit, lifting him with no problem at all. The aerobat looked terrified by this turn of events. In Shoma's other hand was a scalpel, "Please snap out of it, Saku. You wouldn't want everyone's last memory of you.... to be this now, do you?"

"W-Wha...? Shoma, what are you...?" the aerobat was too stunned to speak further.

"Shoma, don't...!" I quickly approached him, placing my hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly. "Think twice, he's gonna get the punishment now either way... and you will get one too if you stepped over the line..."

Reluctantly, the biologist lets go, leaving Saku falling onto the ground with a heavy thud as he coughed. In return, I let go of his shoulder but... my hand shook for a bit.

His sudden change of personality, sudden change in tone.

Fake Ultimate, fake personality, fake identity.

It fits Hisao's description of a 'fake player', didn't it? But, this is still different, they still stay true to themselves, their real true nature.

"G-guests shouldn't interfere with the final judgement, please settle down, everyone!!" Monomyou interrupted the tense atmosphere. "This punishment is only for those who dared to step away from our luxurious experience and caused any upsets that my guests are facing! That won't do, dear guests, dear guests, please don't be too eager to step in! Although, the setup hasn't been fully prepared so if any of my beloved guests have any parting words for the perpetrator...?"

"Yeah, got a lot to say here...." Higura spoke out. He approached the aerobat with heavy steps as I watched carefully, on stand-by in case anything goes wrong.

"Ah.... ahahaha....." Saku let out a laugh. "In the end... I couldn't prove myself... I... can't help anyone... I ended up helping myself...."

"Yeah, and you should feel guilty about it..." Higura counter back. "At least I know when to step back once I fucked up real bad... unlike you, I stepped up and stop acting as if it's alright...."

He pulled Saku up by the shoulders, who was taken aback by the designer's sudden showcase of strength. "You really cause me nothing but hell for the past few days since we got here.... so here's my revenge...."

He then pulled the aerobat into a hug, earning a noise of confusion from the other who didn't even try to break free from it, "This is my revenge, Oozora Saku. This is the only time I will show you kindness and it will be the last time you will ever get it..... you have that chance to build a long-lasting friendship and make things right.... but as usual, you ruined it and you have yourself to blame....."

The designer lets go of him and took a few steps backwards, but Saku doesn't look like he wanted to with his arms still frozen in position. Saku's face, his destroyed face, as if he realized what has he done, ".... I could have remembered you as a friend if it weren't for that....."

.... That's Saku's punishment from Higura. One last word of kindness that's dashed away with cold, brutal reality.

"C-Cold... how cold!" Monomyou shivered. "That's so cold! This host couldn't believe such venom was being placed onto the culprit's guilty conscious! But, as a merciful host to his former guests, a special warming act will surely warm that frozen heart of yours! Ladies and Gents', please step back for this is the moment that we've all been waiting for, it's punishment time!!"

The curtain pulled down, showing Monomyou dragging along Saku with them as the letters below them spelt out;

[ OOZORA SAKU HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY! ]

[ LET US COMMENCE THEIR PUNISHMENT!! ]

"Higura, I-"

Without letting him finish his last words, a collar clamped onto his neck, pulling him backwards with his hand reaching out to the designer in shock.

[ Ultimate Aerobat, Oozora Saku's Execution ]

[ The Amazing Glider's Hammerhead Extravaganza!! ]

Both Monomyou and Saku were in the cockpit of the plan, with the actual aerobat being strapped to his seat with no freedom to move around. The plane took a running start and took off at accelerating speed.

Monomyou guided the plane higher, higher into the atmosphere until Saku was gasping for breath, feeling his ears starting to pop due to a sudden increase of pressure. Once they're near and almost out of the Earth's atmosphere, Monomyou let the plane descend rapidly. The cat host panicked to search for something and accidentally knocked Saku's helmet out of his head. Monomyou pressed the emergency evacuation button as their seat jumped out of the cockpit with a parachute attached.

With the plane particularly heating up and falling apart as they descended further down, they crashed into the ground with a loud explosion. Monomyou safely landed with their seat and parachute, not affected by the loud burning crash site behind them. The cat host strikes a pose as the judges off-screen seemingly cheered for them, throwing a bouquet of flowers at them as the curtains closed.

"This host has successfully pulled off an exhilarating performance!" Monoymou announced in the same room as us. We watch the whole thing play out and the same thought crossed our minds, 'A premeditated karma was set in stone for him...'

"Truly a magnificent performance that everyone managed to build up! You all have practised long and hard enough for the host to notice your efforts, nya' know! Ackh-! I stuttered!" Monomyou went on and on. "However, let this be a lesson for the future, dear guests! While we all share the same goal, there will always be one outlier... one who's willing to go their way to use others for their gain... and their next target... might be one of you..."

Just like that, they disappeared.

As per our usual way from the last class trial, we walked to the elevator, no sound, nothing, just in complete silence.

I can't read everyone's faces clearly, I doubt anyone here was even glad that the execution even happened. What Saku did was unforgivable but what he got, in the end, was too much even in our eyes.

Right, when we arrived at the hotel, Hiroshi handed me the key to the kitchen before he get on the elevator to his room, he put on a small smile as he left almost immediately.

It's Mitsuru and my turn to cook for everyone tomorrow, I recalled the roster we set since day one and sighed as I placed the key into my pocket.

What a mess, seriously. Everyone's currently dealing with this mixed feeling towards the case but the person I'm most worried about is Higura, who's still sitting in the reception area, head in his hands.

'I can't imagine what he has to go through for the past couple of days...' he was already stressed out during the period of setting up that crime with Saku, I'm not even sure how much more the class trial piled onto that.

With the aerobat acting like his friend, he will have difficulty trusting anyone else right now, 'I wanna talk to him... but...... no, there's nothing I can say that could even make this feel any better. I haven't even thought about Renma and Shoma with their... sudden changes....'

"Sumi...? You're not going up?" Mitsuru snapped her fingers in front of my face, as I staggered a bit. "Ah sorry...! I-I thought you looked tired and needed some help...!"

"N-No... it's fine... it's just....." the cosmetologist saw my eyes wander on the designer, sulking. Mitsuru hummed a bit before skipping over to Higura, approaching him from the back, sneakily. Then without any words, she uses both of her hands and pushed Higura's back down, causing the other to reveal his face.

"There you go!!! Now I can see your face!"

"What the-!? What the fuck are you trying to do!?" Higura yelled out his usual foul language. "Are you trying to start some shit up!?"

"That's our Mochizuki Higura, the foul-mouthed Ultimate Graphic Designer!!" Mitsuru chuckles. "All pride and not taking anyone shit! Not the usual sulky teenager just because of a little betrayal!"

Higura winched at that last statement, as he sighed, "Look..... now is not the time to joke about that, I'm not in the mood for your stupid game.... just leave me alone and-"

"Contemplate what you could have done? I don't think so!" Mitsuru frowned at his shifting attitude. "There's nothing else you could have done about it except improve yourself! Improve more and try to intimidate others more so that you're not just a sack of meat waiting to be pushed around! You're a strong, hot-headed young man who isn't afraid to spit on The Devil himself!! Now get up and clean your face!!! I'm going to help you out!!"

"W-What!?" Higura got dragged along with Mitsuru, guiding him to the elevator. "I-I can do all of that by myself!!! Stop fucking pulling my arm, it hurts, you know!?"

"Nonsense! You're just gonna lie on your bed all day and won't even take shower out of guilt! I'm gonna make sure you clean yourself up before going to bed! Even if it means I have to get into the same shower as you do!!"

"Hey!! Fuckin' stop!! That's not something you should say so freely!!"

The elevator door closed on the chatter duo, leaving me dumbfounded.

Wow, she did that so effortlessly. Mitsuru actually helped the designer out from his troublesome thoughts without so much backing down from him resisting so much.

"Mitsuru sure is enthusiastic to help everyone...." I heard an unfamiliar tone, I looked around to see it was Shoma, with his nautilus hat in his hands, smiling normally. "It's hard to change that positive outlook on her so Higura already lost once she set her eyes on him!"

"Y-Yeah...." hearing Shoma talking so... normally feels weird now, especially when he started to call others by their names. "Shoma... about just now..."

"Hm...? You don't like it...? This critter can change its tone whenever it wants to, Sumi....." Shoma faked his high-pitched voice for a moment. "... It did hurt my throat a bit so maybe it's a good thing I let myself lose this early....so, sorry for making you all think that I might be a defenceless critter..."

"Why did you do that?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. "Did you just do that so you can be close to everyone else easily?"

As an advantage point?

"Hm, I have my doubts like everyone else here...." Shoma answered. "I wasn't too sure how to think of everyone here, especially of Saku and Homare whom I thought were good people. It seems people who are usually good and orderly-mannered never turned out to be people with good intentions either way. So, I have to act like a defenceless kid for a while so that everyone let their guard down around me..."

Amazingly, his speech pattern still doesn't change..... that much. But now knowing that Shoma is a sceptical person, is it possible that he's trying to pry more info out of others by getting close to them?

"So... the reason why he's closed with Renma and I was....."

"I really like Sumi-critter and ghost critter!" He explained with a big smile. "After all, you two helped this critter out by a bunch! And for that, I will always be grateful!"

"That's way too much encouragement for me...." I chuckled. "I just do what I have to do, and not everyone can agree with what I'm doing. There can also be people who loathed my existence too, you know?"

"Then are you happy with yourself? Are you happy with being known as the Ultimate Private Investigator ? Is something you've been doing for your entire lifetime, right?"

That question came out of nowhere. I didn't expect him to ask something so personal like that. The biologist always studied people's emotions from afar, like how he guessed whether Renma and I feel down or not.

With his eyes still staring right back at me, piercing through, I can only give him this answer, "...... Probably. It's something I'm only good at after all. It makes me happy that I can at least help someone else out there but... it's never a satisfying job regardless of the outcome....."

Shoma didn't look like he was buying it for a moment but he simply walked away, "This critter's too tired to think about another answer so let's all rest up for the night! I want to know more about Sumi and Renma before getting out of this place... it's been a while since I made friends!"

Friends.....

So he still considered this weird back-and-forth, speech-decoding relationship the three of us have as a sign of friendship.....

Ultimate Mortician, Ultimate Marine Biologist and Ultimate Private Investigator.....

"What a messy group...." I said to myself and laughed. 'It's been a while since I have close friends like them too.....'

The elevator doors closed behind us, leaving an eerie presence that was looming over the hotel area alone.

"Haaah, that was exhausting..." Monomyou exasperated on the hotel's counter. "... It's almost time for the next act... how totally bothersome to prepare all of this! Why do I have to do everything..!? Nyargh!!! Whatever... I hope this next act will entertain those people till they bet their lives on it!"

Chapter Text

" Oozora Saku and Satoshi Kiharu ... now you're just picking them at random.."

"Well, you try it then, the students in this class clashed way too much..."

"But they all get along preeeeeetty well! Like, way too well!"

"I wonder where we land if that's already abnormal...."

"Why worry over trivial things like that? The three of us are alright as it is...."

"My, oh, my, did ** actually admit that we're a trio!?"

".... Who do you think gather you two here in the first place?"

"Oh yeah! This ** forgot! Tehee, sorry!"

"Goodness gracious, what am I gonna do with you two...."

'I don't remember the last I woke up earlier than the announcement... but then again... it was more of a nap since we got back late...'

To even rely on the Monomyou's PA system's screeching to be your personal alarm is quite a nightmare so I'm glad that I managed to wake an hour early today, 'Should I go and wake up Mitsuru....? It's our turn for this morning's breakfast... Maybe I should just go and check on her room.....'

With my usual attire, I walked out of my room and locked the door, shoving the ElectroID into my jacket as I approached Mitsuru's room just in front of Saku's room. I stopped for a moment and just stared at the recently deceased's old room but shook off those unpleasant memories from yesterday, 'As cruel as it is... it's still not right....'

"Mitsu-"

A note that was scribbled with cursive handwriting was placed on the door of the cosmetologist;

'Currently being a short-time therapist for Higura, please knock on his door if you're searching for me!' - Mitsuru.

"She stayed overnight in his room.....?" My mind wandered into dangerous territory and I immediately slapped both of my cheeks.

'Gyah! Inappropriate thoughts! Get away! I vanished thee!'

It's just a normal slumber party, like last time, don't overthink too much, you idiot Sumire. I tried to convince myself. Yeah, that's right. Nothing wrong with that, nothing at all, "I better head to the kitchen to prepare everything....."

With a clear conscience, clear head and clear thoughts, it took everything in me to just walked past Higura's room without looking back as I take the elevator.

"Ah!! Sumi!!"

A familiar sweet-sounding voice echoed in the dining hall, Mitsuru wildly waved her hands in the air, "Wait, wait, did you go ahead and prepared everything already!? Ahhh, I'm so sorry I'm late! I woke up late after getting Higura to snap out and get a grip of himself last night!!"

Yeah, you sure did- "No worries...." I smiled, ignoring that intrusive thought that suddenly popped in. It wasn't a full-on breakfast meal, just a normal sandwich with added barbecue sauce (unhealthy but hey, we deserve this after spending the rest of the night wasting our precious sleep time).

"I didn't prepare any drinks so you wanna be in charge of that?"

"Aye, aye!" Mitsuru saluted as she skipped to the kitchen. A familiar tune played out and the PA system turned on by itself;

Ding Dong! Bing Bong!!!

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, rise and shine! This is your daily announcement after the exciting event from yesterday! I hope everyone slept well! I sure did! After such an amazing performance, who wouldn't be thrilled to start the day today with a BOOM!"

"I would like to announce that several areas that were off-limit are now open for exploration!!! Be at your tippity-top best!! Have a myou-est of the day!!!"

I went over to the kitchen to check on the drink-making progress, "Just how large is this place...? I didn't think it's possible for them to extend so soon..."

"They must be hidden behind those forests that were sectioned off...." Mitsuru seems to be mixing some kind of fruit juice. A vibrant yellowish-green colour shows through the translucent jar. "But... it sounds like they've been planning for it... I wonder if it will happen again...."

"Little chances....." I expressed while smiling. "Best to be positive, right? Better not let Monomyou triumphed over us, we shouldn't let them know that they got us at our worst...."

Mitsuru gasped, and a slight blush appeared on her face, "Oh my god, Sumi's smiling face is absolutely adorable!! Gyaaah! Why don't I have my phone with me!? Your cute smile would have been a perfect addition to my album!"

"Album of what?"

"I like collecting pictures of pretty smiles!! That's what I did after I finished a session with my clients!" Mitsuru expressed her joy at work. "Sometimes, it's super magical seeing your handiwork cheering people up so I wanna preserve that forever and ever!"

"That's.... kinda cute actually..." Albeit a little odd.

"You should have seen my album I have like five of them!" I can see where the storage space in her phone is being used for. "And they're all priceless possessions! I also have one album dedicated to my favourite idol goddess of them all!! Dolly Esther!!"

"Wha- Sis-" I snapped and covered my mouth immediately. But it's too late, Mitsuru already registered that word.

"Huh... Sister...? Wait a second..." Mitsuru stopped whatever she was doing and immediately grabbed me by the cheeks, studying my face way too close. "... You two do sorta look alike..."

"Well, we're not necessarily THAT related..." I slowly pushed her away, letting her catch her breath before explaining myself. "Both of us were from the same... place... we have the same caretaker so... we sort of referring to each other as just sisters at that point... Ayame wasn't the type to care about the little details..."

"Oh, so you and Endou Ayame are..." Mitsuru's curiosity doubled down into concern. "Esther never mentioned anything about her childhood so this was sort of surprising for me, her usual hairdresser, to hear..."

"We went our separate ways..." Ayame went with our caretaker, Endou Misaki while I went with my mentor. She was the first one to leave the place. "She rarely visits but we do keep in touch via SNS..."

"Hm, you keep calling them 'mentor' but technically... he's your father, right?" Mitsuru asked. "That 'Hoshino', I mean...."

"I... don't really call him that..." It's for a silly reason, my mentor really just placed me under his wing by chance and while I'm grateful, it's hard to see our association like that especially when we never once spend time together as a family. "We're really busy and my mentor always went on an excursion so... it... really didn't feel right to call ourselves a family..."

Helping to place the beverages on the table, I whipped around just to see Mitsuru on verge of crying, "Erm, um, a-are you okay? Sorry if I said something wrong, I rambled a lot and didn't realise it..."

"N-No, just that... waaaaaaah!"

The cosmetologist just tackled me into a hug, sobbing as we both stumbled down and my head almost hit the chair behind us. "Sumi sound so lonely and I felt really bad!! I'm sorry for bringing up painful memories!! No wonder you're this distant from others!"

What, what!? Why is she being like this!?

"I-I don't really get what's the deal..." I tried rubbing circles on her back awkwardly. "I-It's not that bad! It's nothing once you're used to it! A-After all, being lone wolves can have its advantages! At least I made some effort to get to know you guys here..."

And for the lack of a better way, would have been great if this happens at a sensible time.

"That's right!" Mitsuru sat up, furiously rubbing her tears and snot away from her red-painted face. "Sumi got us! You're no longer alone at all! Don't worry, we will never leave you be! We will be by your side and you can call for us whenever you needed help!"

"T-That's too much of a burden!" I lifted my upper body up from the floor. "You don't have to go that for! Now, please get off of me before anyone else sees us-"

Cough.

Both of us turned our attention to the hall's entrance, Higura, Renma and Shoma just standing there, overlooking us, in our current position. Renma just gave us that same pitiful smile while Higura, who looked annoyed, got that red-tinted ears and tried to act tough. Shoma, on the other hand...

"Ah, are you two recreating some sort of a romantic scene...?" the biologist asked bluntly. Noticeably, he's not wearing his usual getup, his nautilus hat missing and replaced with a similar-looking pin on the pocket of his lab coat over his dark blue smart attire.

"Erm, um, maybe...!" Mitsuru awkwardly laughs. "I, um, remember this scene from the show I like and I, um, was describing it to Sumi but she doesn't know what it looked like so I-!"

"That's really not it..." I sighed, immediately getting up that caused Mitsuru to fall off. "Just some conversation that went into emotional turmoil..."

Apologetically, I helped her up and fixed the elaborate outfit she wore, "You three are early as well..."

"Yeah, because three hours is all we fucking get...." Higura grumbled as he made his way to his seat. "I wanted to sleep in since Mitsun nagged me all night-"

Shoma and I turned to him at the mention of the nickname, "Mitsun?"

"Oh, none of your business, seriously...." The designer snapped at us, leaving the cosmetologist to explain the rest to us.

"I thought it would be a nice change of pace to call us a cute nickname and something that's not... crude... also, I was getting jealous of how everyone's getting their own nickname while I haven't! Ain't that right, Mochi?"

"God, that's so fucking lame......" the designer buried his head into his folded arms, I almost missed the slight blush on his face.

'So... Mitsuru really did her job to close that distance...' A surprising development, Higura set his first impression as a rough and difficult person to work with so to think he's being close with Mitsuru was unexpected.

"I'm glad you looked well..." Renma commented on my appearance. "That's a relief, considering the unfortunate events we have to go through and you being on the front line..."

'Not gonna lie, I really thought I wouldn't get any sleep after what just happened...'

Higura looked to his side, trying not to listen to the conversation about the last trial. "It's best if we keep our spirits up, right? We also need to investigate those other areas that just opened up so it's not the time to relax...."

"Ah, that... I'm afraid I have something to say about it..." Renma added, with a strange look on his face. "One of the places might have included a certain area that Mononmyou only allowed me to enter... but it seems it's now opened to everyone else since my new talent has been revealed..."

A place... specifically for you...?" I asked.

"It's a section of the basement that wasn't available from the first day..." he explained. "You will understand why once you've seen the place..."

"Okay...."

I have an idea of what this place is that Renma has been taking care of but so far, I'm not too sure of how his talent affects other people's perception of him... or even Shoma. So far, the effect is been mild.

"Just wait for us to finish our fucking breakfast then we will head down the creepy crawly land...." Higura stated, biting into his food, mouthful of lettuce.

"Sounds like a plan....." Everyone seems to be on board with that idea. That's good, everything is moving along as usual.

With a thought like that, there's a heavy feeling in my chest as my anxiety starts to act up, 'Why does it have to be now? All the mysteries after that damned plush events already cleared up... What am I so afraid of it now? We just needed answers to our whereabouts right now....' I pushed those feelings away once more people entered the dining hall.

"Whoa... this place is... something..."

Mitsuru seems to be the only one here who didn't connect the two dots of the place Renma might be referring to, someplace that might have a connection with his talent.

To put it simply; the place that was made available for Renma, was the mortuary hidden on the basement floor.

"Thank you for a kind review...." Renma chuckles at the trembling girl, facing the countless cold chambers built into the wall. The examination tables have cloth covered over them but certain tables looked like they were occupied with tags attached to them. We don't wanna disturb anything in the place without permission and as a sign of respect.

"I'm still in the middle of performing my work so please do mind my awful silence. Multitasking is a skill I have yet to master..."

"Isn't that..." the mortician barely lifted the cloth but I can see the burnt brown fabric below it. Renma eyed both Mitsuru and I before we looked back at Higura. If he sees this...

'Distract him...' I mouthed at the cosmetologist and thankfully, she got the idea.

"Hey, Mochi! Look what I found!" Mitsuru pulled out a random from the shelves in a hurry before the designer turned around to look. "This is a record of.... the deceased over the years! Let's see if there's anything interesting about it! There can be funny stories related to the incidents sometimes!"

"Whatever you say....." Higura sounded really uncomfortable but it works, a distraction is a distraction.

"Hm, hm, Renma has a lot of interesting things kept here..." Shoma was busy looking through and organizing chemicals on the shelves nearest to us. "... Are they all being used for that?"

"Only a handful are useful..." the mortician answered. "Monomyou placed ones that I'm not too familiar with and they might be too dangerous to handle. But I've done to the best of my abilities to make sure our dearest friends pass onto the afterlife..."

"Just... how on earth did Monomyou recover the bodies from the site...?" I frowned, looking at the burned remains of what was supposed to be an arm. "Are... you sure you're okay with this, Ren?"

"I understand your concern but do have faith in me, it's my talent..." Renma confesses as he puts on the gloves for examination. "It may be difficult to go back to my old ways after years of avoidance... but I wouldn't want to ignore the wish and will of others who would like to rest peacefully..."

"Don't push yourself too hard there, Ren..." It's odd to see the previous medium act so anxiously around others.

"Hey, Sumi?" Mitsuru called out to me, I would have thought she actually found something really funny but her serious expression tells a different story. "Look at this... Does this name sounds familiar...?"

"Name....?" She passed me the book as she pointed at the title of the page. "'The Tragedy Of Hope's Peak Academy'..... it... does sound familiar......"

"You too..? What the fuck..." Higura looked at the book, his face paled. "I swear I heard that shit from somewhere... and those next pages..."

More?

Mitsuru turned to the pages that Higura was mentioned and there, I get a lot of information that certainly sounded familiar; there's a list of deceased who are the result of a certain event called The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History, with the earlier list consist of something called the 'Reserve Course Students'.

It sounds so absurd, I would have let out a small laugh at the silliness of the title if it weren't for an alarmingly high death count that reached almost over ten pages and it's not even halfway there in the alphabetical order, "What the hell is this.... how... is something as big as this we've never heard of?"

What the hell is this? Is this even real...? But from the look of Mitsuru and Higura, and even my own reaction, this is somewhat a very real thing.

"But... what's with the cause of death...?" The cosmetologist pointed out. "Driven into despair by the... Ultimate Despair?"

Ultimate Despair. Just by hearing that, everyone suddenly jolted involuntarily, I don't know why that title brings out that reaction. Is... such ultimate talent even exist? Why... something like that should be considered an 'ultimate'?

"One disaster that causes humankind to suffer...." Mitsuru gulped as she continued, ".... all caused by an Ultimate student of Hope's Peak Academy..."

"I... I have heard of her...." I don't know how, or why, but I've heard of her. I worked with previous people who needed my help in covert surveillance and that allowed me to learn more about my clients and the people I'm supposed to look out for. One of the clients I previously worked with has this detailed record about 'The Tragedy' that he kindly lent me to read, "Enoshima Junko... and Ikusaba Mukuro... those two Ultimate students are known as the Ultimate Despair Sisters... and along with their undying followers, 'Remnant of Despairs', they wreaked havoc across the nation."

Wait, how can I remember that one piece of information while missing the rest of the details? I bit my tongue out of reflex, trying to recall back the past but, along my time prior to entering this hotel, I can't recall back the past memories of my investigative work, 'Damn it, why can't I remember!?'

"Hope's Peak Academy..." Higura mentioned one topic we haven't touched on yet. "Another ultimate academy but... this one... how are they fucking related to us or the one we're at? They're both Ultimate Academies...."

"They both existed at the same time but it's too early to tell if both Hope's Peak and Yumeino have something to do with each other..." Shoma appeared right beside me, looking down briefly. "But... I wonder why those names caused a reflex within us? That event happened a bit more than ten years ago so I doubt we have clear memories of what we went through..."

"M-Maybe we forgot due to shock or something like fuck, that's still possible!" Higura tried to convince us that's the answer to the unwavering mystery in our heads. "Maybe it was too scarring that we just... deleted it from our head out of fear!"

"It would be an ideal answer..." Renma commented far from the crowd, still working on the body while brushing something off of it. "I, unfortunately, reacted the same way once I discovered that book but there's something missing. I wonder if the missing portion of our memories of the tragedy has something to do with how we found ourselves here. It would be plausible if we heard of it when attending the Yumeino Academy since we're their 50th students...."

So the academy would have gone through the event as well and was just relaying all the history to the future students. But, would that be enough to warrant that much of a reaction?

".... For now...." I closed the book and approached the mortician. He warned me to cover my nose and mouth first before going anywhere near the body. I did what he told and I placed the book on the table, "It's best to keep this with you.... since this place is open to everyone, I'm afraid someone would steal it...."

"Who would steal a book list of deaths?" Higura questioned.

"I can think of one person who would do it...." I sighed.

"Hisao..." Everyone said in unison, including Renma. That's right.

"Well, maybe, we will find the answer someday but for now! Let's focus on what we have!" Mitsuru pulled Higura along with her. "Come one! I think the others almost finished up with their investigation at other places! Let's go before they leave! We gotta scavenge for more clues!!"

"Hey, fuckin' ask for permission before dragging people into your shit!" Higura tried to keep up with Mitsuru's pace until both of them exited the mortuary.

Now, the place was left quiet, even though I didn't realise until they left, that Higura haven't made a single rude remark or even start a fight.

"Those two are getting along well....." Shoma hummed, looking pleased with himself. "It's a good thing that Higura hasn't been feeling down ever since Saku's trial... Mitsun has taken the initiative to be his guardian angel after all....."

"They would make an unlikely couple, don't they....?" Both Shoma and I just stared at him in disbelief, but Renma doesn't understand the weird looks he was getting. "Oh? Is it really off to have that thought about them?"

"Well, Mitsuru... always act like that towards everyone, especially towards pretty things..." I'm trying to sugarcoat my words there. "I don't think Higura can keep up with that kind of high energy 24/7...."

"Oh ho, it seems Sumire is the only one who's agreeing with that thought..."

"Wha- You brought it up first!?"

"Ah ha, it's only a thought but you decided to give more substance to it..." Renma chuckles at my remark. "It sounds like you're the only one who thinks of that thought to be more of a possibility..."

"Is it because Sumi thinks the same for Higura as well?" Shoma added more to the conversation. "He has a similar energy level with how serious he can take his work. But with Mitsuru being a positive figure, that could help him reach a newer high..."

"... What are you trying to say, Shoma?"

"Sumi, your jealousy of their supportive nature is showing!"

"Shoma!" I scolded him for... you know what, I'm not gonna reveal if he's right or wrong about it.

"This critter is simply pointing out the obvious..." Shoma laughed at my reaction. "... I will be by ghost critter's side to help with his work... this place may have a lot more to its than we first thought..."

Like when we first missed the newspaper clippings from the library during our first day here.

"Yeah, sure... I will be going ahead.... be safe, you two. Careful not to hurt yourself..."

I bid farewell to the biologist and mortician as I headed my way out.

One of the aforementioned places that have been opened up was strangely, a large theatre house located behind the library. The gleaming marble architecture entered my sight and as expected, I met up with Amane and Hibiki who looked enamoured by the stage. Nao and Machi fooled around, dancing in the middle of it all, laughing at each other.

"Ah, such beauty, so breathtaking...." Amane dramatically sobbed into his handkerchief. "To think this marvellous place was hidden from me for far too long... oh, how I wish to recreate one of my many masterpieces under this spotlight!"

"Wow, eager to hear your own ego echoing back in that empty head of yours?" Hisao snickered behind him, earning a reasonable glare from the composer. "But having this much space to perform whatever we like is amazing! Haven't seen a stage this grand for a long time!"

"You got to experience?" I asked from below the stage. "You're acting really confident there...."

"Yup, yup, you gotta learn from somewhere how to impress people with your words!" the conman added. "Dear little miss, do you think we can recreate 'The Grand Guignol' like this?"

"If you can even think about an original act so putrid and horrifying, then the stage is yours to have control over it...." I answered, wondering how the conman would know such a specific theatre. A horror theatre, at that.

"It's almost similar to the stage I performed before..." Hibiki muttered. "A theatre packed with people just to hear a poor canary sing.... truly a nerve-breaking moment...."

"So even the Ultimate Opera Singer can get nervous on stage as well, huh?" Hibiki has such a lovely singing voice that even a single note from her would be enough to put everyone into a deep sleep.

"There's always the unexpected... voice cracking as an example, sometimes a compromise is is necessary as long as the end result still closed on a good note...." Hibiki chuckles. "Perhaps you would be interested in some vocal practice with me, Sumi?"

"M-Me?" I got taken aback by the sudden offer.

"You seem suited for a soprano almost..." the opera singer seems to like the idea she proposed. "It might sound daunting at first but I have a feeling that you will be natural at it..."

"W-Well, I used to sing in a choir back then but not so much now..." It used to be my favourite thing to do since the place I came from used to be a church. "I may be a bit rusty so I might be stuck within the mezzo range....."

"That's a shocker! I didn't expect you to have such a graceful hobby like that, little miss!" Hisao butted in. "You have such a bite that everyone would see you as a brut- Ackh!!!"

Hibiki slapped the conman in the face from the back with the pamphlet she was holding the entire time, making him tumble down onto the floor. I held back my laughter, 'Serves him right....'

"There's nothing wrong with starting from the ground up..." Hibiki smiled, ignoring the conman behind her. "Maybe some other day, I will do my best to guide you. We're currently preoccupied with the sudden addition to the place...."

"Didn't expect for them to open them up so soon...." not when we've just finished the second trial mere hours ago. "I guess that cat really planned for us not to get ahead of ourselves...."

"Speaking of ahead, there's one more place that you guys might need to head towards...." Hibiki pointed out. "It appears to be.... a very dangerous place where Taiga and Hiroshi are currently investigating..."

"Huh? Those two...?" But Hiroshi's with him, there's no way Taiga would set up another trouble with the abseiler around.....

....... would he?

Apparently, he would but in a different way.

Once I heard about this 'dangerous place', I never thought it was referring to a casino out of all options. And knowing the Taiga and Hiroshi are involved, then I sort of knew how the marksman gonna give the other a hard time investigating.

The abseiler's currently on the floor, defeated as Taiga sat on top of him, laughing victoriously with a bunch of casino coin earnings piled beside him. Mitsuru and Higura were the first ones here to witness this mess with disgruntled looks.

"How... is he that lucky..."

"No fucking idea...." Higura answered my question. "He made those guesses so effortlessly that it's like whatever holy up there is pulling a prank on that idiot there...."

"I-I guess... that machines' are all brand new and they're just testing out the odds limit...?" Mitsuru suggested that reasoning but...

"It's not fair!" Hiroshi sobbed out. "There's no way Taiga could claim all the lady luck to himself! It's abnormal! Inhumanely impossible!"

"Wait, Hiro, why do you follow along in the first place?"

"B-Because I couldn't believe what Taiga was doing!!" he tried to defend himself. "L-Like, there's no way that guy can win three prizes in a single crane game!!"

Ah, so he got hooked at the first coin, I understand now.

"It's all about calculations!" Taiga snickered. "It's better to count your losses first before it goes to nothing! There's a clear pattern in everything and it's only a matter of figuring them out before you doomed yourself! It's kinda game over if your probability is too weak to save you from it!"

"Y-You! Don't go saying those smart things as if you intended to do that!!" Hiroshi pointed at him accusingly. "Next time, I will prove you wrong-!"

"Nope, nuh-uh, this stops here!" Mitsuru pushed Taiga off a bit and lifted the other one up. "No one's gonna waste their life savings away next time! Control yourself! I don't want anyone to fall into the trap of an endless guessing game!"

"Too late...." Higura and I said in unison, eyeing the abseiler.

I relay back the findings we so far collected for today and in conclusion, we have three places recently opened up; the mortuary, the theatre house and the casino. We didn't find anything interesting or suspicious in any of those places so they're deemed harmless for now. And before we could even discuss what we should do next, the irritating feeling as if Monomyou was about to make themselves known in the room.... happened as the cat host appeared from below and right in the middle of the group, with Mitsuru screeching.

"G-Good morning, everyone!" Strangely, Monomyou seems all jittery unlike his earlier self this morning, as if he's just finished some business before showing up. "I hope everyone's having fun! This time, the areas that the host has managed to set up can be used for your entrainment!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Why the hell are you stuttering and 'bout?" Higura raised an eyebrow at his action. "As if you're the one who has to go through last night's bullshit, are you finally acknowledging us that we will rip you apart?"

"P-Please be reminded that violence against your magnificent host is strictly forbidden!" Monomyou spurted out the rule. "T-This host has to deal with unimportant but also crucial background stuffs that it might take a while to get back to my guests for the rest of the experience!!"

"We would rather.... not for you to come back either...." Hiroshi added. "What's so important that it held you back, didn't you say you're the only person here?"

"A sole organizer can have helpers too, you know! I would like for them to meet you, guests but... things are getting out of hand currently!" Whatever these helpers they're referring to, they're probably not human from the way they easily introduce them. "Malfunctioning on such a very important day! And to think they ran away with the guests' trial rewards! Unacceptable!"

That mention of reward made everyone stare at each other, the same reward that led to the second trial in the first place. Immediately, everyone has that worrisome look on their faces while Monomyou still ranting about their helpers, "Y-Your magnificent host will try their best to find them! In the meantime, please indulge yourself with some wonderful entertainment that I have provided to your hearts' content! A-And if anyone of you happened to find those troublesome helpers.... please call for me!!"

And with that, Monomyou disappeared into the trap door below them. It's a well-hidden and carpeted spot that we never knew there was an escape hole underneath it. Hiroshi sighed, scratching the back of his head, "Well... this means they will leave us alone for however long that problem gotta keep them occupied so... it's best we savour our peaceful moment before it all comes crashing down....."

"But what else could they possibly have in store for us now?" Mitsuru asked. "They've... used most of what we had against us and they wouldn't even tell us anything related to the ultimate academy or those newspapers about our graduation days...."

"It's best not to dwell too much about it..." I reassured her. "The more we do it, the more that host can see how it can be used as bait for us. If we fell for it, it will only end in a complete mess.... like last time. For now, we should all talk about it once Monomyou came back with it....."

"Yeah, that would be a nice change of pace.... for now...." Taiga replied.

I wouldn't want anyone to be completely divided over it, it was partially my mistake for saying we should keep the secret motives to ourselves last time, without knowing someone else already planned ahead. It was hard to figure out what would work best with our situation at that time and we barely managed to dodge the bullet there.

After the confrontation, Taiga and the others are already leaving the casino, saying that they want to at least sleep for a little longer before venturing out again. 'Ah... I don't feel like going back to my room.... perhaps I should go look around some more....'

"Playing dead?"

"Oh, little miss! Didn't notice you got in! I was having a wonderful daydream, you know!"

"I can tell...." I decided to visit the theatre house again and found the Ultimate Conman still laying on the grand stage, staring at nothing but the ceiling. Not an odd thing I witness him doing, "So this is what you do when you have no one to bother?"

"Hmph, nope! Even I know when to give people some space till they let me bother them again!" He sat up with his legs crossed each other as I do the same thing as well. "Besides, I have lots of other interesting hobbies! Like testing other people's gullibility!!"

Right, conmen usually have their own targets; people who are easily fooled or even extremely greedy, "How much confidence do you actually have in your tricks? Really can't picture how people would easily believe your words...."

"Hey, I'm a dapper-looking person! People can still fall for my charm!" Hisao gave it a thought for a while. "Alright, how about this! It's been a while since I tricked a law enforcement personnel so I may lose some points here! Let's play a little trickery here!"

Alright then, guess he wanna proved himself.

"Imagine this, you caught me tricking a young man into emptying his bank account in order to get this super rare medicine for his lover!" Hisao laid out the foundation. "However, it turns out while questioning this man, he has done a lot of devious acts that are more diabolic than your fellow conman here. What do you think you should do in this kind of scenario?"

That's oddly specific, I wonder if this story was inspired by his real-life experience, "So I already interrogated the 'mark' who explained the whole situation and about you two exchanging the deal... I think that's enough to step in..."

"That's nice, you actually knew our personal terms for our prey!" The conman grinned, clapping like an excited child. "But why interrupt before the money's involved? It would have been better if your burst into action once the exchange has been made..."

"Legal tender is part of this plot...." I pointed out. "It's one way to scam someone out of a dubious medicine but it can be also complicated if the young man would end up planning on turning the table. It would be unjust if one's caught doing the job without observing the recipient's intention and background..."

"Hmm, hmm, kind of interesting...." Hisao just nodded along without letting his expression give anything away. "Maybe it's a bit much for me to underestimate your thoroughness... but then again, that kind of thing would be useless to intervene when the deal's already made! It's a game over for that!"

"Both parties are practically vulnerable so it's hard to prioritize which...." I frowned. "But what's with that scenario? It's way too specific for it to be made up...."

"Because it happened to me before!" Hisao put it bluntly. "It's a common occurrence to me! Every conman has their usual customers that deal with every day! There's a lot of people who would go far and wide just to satisfy their own needs and wants!"

I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn't aware of that. He must have made a fair share of deals and met more ruthless people than I do. With how unusually positive and giddy he is, he's able to trick others into trusting his confidence. But I wonder if he ever screwed up and put himself in a difficult situation, will his act manage to get him out of it?

"Awww, you look so concerned over me!" He playfully cooed. "I'm happy that you're actually worried about someone like me!"

"No, that's not it... I was wondering if there's a time that you weren't able to fulfil a deal or something similar...."

"Unfortunately, I had one...." Hisao shrugged with a smile. "But that's a story for another day! I blabber for far too long that I'm afraid you would use any of my ideas! That would be terrible! I'm trying to make a living here so don't you dare turn me in after we leave this place! Although.... maybe little miss has a pass for listening to me, unlike the others!"

"That's not my job...." I stood up. "If you really want my permission to turn in then it's best to make a request... but considering how busy I can get, you will have to wait for months..."

"Aww, you're boring....." the conman pouted. "Whatever, I have a plan in mind! I can just scam one of your seniors so that you have to pay attention to me and my case!"

"I admired your strong determination but please don't do that...."

'Yet again, Hisao's confident nature still remains strong even with just one person.... perhaps some other day, I will manage to tear that down... I would really like to see his true nature one day....'

"Huh? Amane...?"

On my way to the library, a lone composer was found standing right in front of the entrance, seemingly minding his business right until I snapped him out of his daydream.

"Oh, miss investigator..." Amane cleared his throat. "Fancy meeting you here... if you may, have you seen that dastard man lately?"

"Dastard man...." Does he mean by...

"Wowie! This is an unexpected group gathering!"

Yup, it's him. "What are you two planning now? There's no way Amane would do something drastic...."

"Hey, he can! He just needs a bit of a push! Which is why I'm here!" Hisao pointed at himself. "I just needed some help at the library, especially about that archive Nao and Machi keep rambling about! Your help is much appreciated though!"

The archive. The last time Nao and Machi visited that place, they found those newspaper clippings. They were crucial clues to our missing memories so maybe these two were trying to find something similar. "Why not ask those two in the first place? Maybe Nao? She could have helped out with the location of the previous newspaper clipping..."

"No, no, this ain't a simple task for that pipsqueak...." Hisao waved his hand around. "Machi will get too suspicious of us! So, best to bring Amane along so that the librarian won't bother us!"

"Taiga would have been a perfect distraction", but the conman didn't listen as he drag me and Amane to the library with all of his strength as I kept on resisting.

The library's archive has gotten messy since the last search. While there are a bunch of books neatly lined up on their shelves, there are some still scattered all across the floor, all from different categories, genres and languages.

As we care not to step any of it, to preserve them and not leave any evidence behind, it's strange that it hasn't been tidied up by the ghostwriter and the librarian yet, maybe they took a day off today.

"This will take a long time... there should be a suspicious spot for someone to hide important documents!" Hisao pondered as he examined each shelf. "Think, everyone! What's the stereotypical place would someone pick to try and hide their precious documents!?"

"Inside a concrete wall...."

"Between the floorboards..."

"Up, in the ceiling...."

"Between the books..."

"Okay, thank you, class, for the answers. Now let us all search for them together!"

With that sarcastic reply, I began to look on top of the bookshelves and immediately spotted a blue and white folder bare peeking away from our sight, "Hm... is there any stepladder around here?"

"You can use my shoulders, little miss!"

"Anything is fine, just lift me...."

Just as commanded, Hisao easily lifted me without a problem, placing me on his shoulder with his arm as support, "Is this enough?"

"Wha- Have some decency to ask first before doing it at least!" Amane scolded, alarmed by his action.

"It's okay, Amane... I'm the one who asked for it..." My head's now on the same level as the top shelves. I grabbed the folder and blew away the dust, "Got it, you can put me down...."

And so the conman did, resting his head on top of my shoulder while I flipped through the folder, as Amane looked over from behind, "'Yumeino Ultimate Academy for Elites' Students Folder'......"

Flipping through the documents, I read most of the content out loud, "It's filled with the student profiles from the last five years... maybe we can find ours in this one if there are any ties to our missing memories...."

And so we skimmed through the folders of countless students from different classes until we reached the student profiles of the 50th class. Asami Mitsuru, Amahiko Shoma, Hanabusa Hinako, everyone's data is included here, especially mine. I looked through my profile but nothing out of the ordinary, especially the guardian's name, Hoshino Iwao (48 y.o, PI).

But as I turned to Hisao's profile, everything was left blank, even his measurements missing, "What the....? Why is yours completely empty...? Did they forget....?"

"Maybe they will get into trouble for hiding information about me from the enforcement?" the conman shrugged. "I don't know, hard to tell what they're doing with student's detail....."

That is a possibility, it would raise a suspicion that the academy would keep someone with that kind of talent around others if they knew. But in the end, how would they cover up his presence as a student there?

I thought that would be it for the student folder until my finger slipped and the last page of the file flipped over, "Huh... what the...? Who's this...?"

Hibiki's profile should have been the last one in our class roster but right behind her page, was another for a student named, Oshiro Eiichi the Ultimate Lucky Student, who also has an empty page.

"I've never heard of this person....." Hisao commented. "And that kind of talent... I don't think the academy has ever scouted someone with that kind of arbitrary talent...."

"And yet, he's in our class...." But we've never met him before here, at this luxury resort. He's the only one missing here, "He... didn't appear on the memoir list... he wasn't even mentioned in that newspaper...."

"Hm, either expelled or he's alive back in the real world...." Hisao tried to examine it thoroughly. "As if the host wants to kidnap a living person from the public eye, people will go into a frenzy after that hotel incident. Guess they don't want us to be searched for...."

This ghost student... It's better to bring this along and see if others have any idea about this person's identity, "Once everyone's present then maybe we can ask them about this mysterious lucky student.... what kind of talent is that anyways?"

"The Ultimate Academy scouted out their talented students, right?" Hisao exclaimed. "Perhaps this person is one of the lucky students to get in without even being good at anything!"

"That's a bit of a downer...."

"There's a lot of nonsense talents in the world, I'm sure this person would be fine not associating with such strange, weird or morbid talents....." said Hisao, as he exited the archives and notices Amane's troubled expression, "Amane? What's up?"

"..... I would like to stay behind for a minute...." Amane muttered. "I do have other work to do in the library, another spark of inspiration came to me while we're inspecting, you can say...."

"Hm, hm, I see...." the conman sounded suspicious but he immediately covered it up. "Ah, whatever, you guys can do whatever you want now, that's enough mystery for today!! It's a bountiful finding for sure! Can't believe this was out there this entire time!"

Was it? Hard to believe Machi and Nao didn't find it first when it was out in the open for anyone to grab, 'Was it there initially with the newspaper? Or did Monomyou secretly place it there and waited for us to discover it eventually?'

While decoding the mystery, Hisao and I made our exit out of the library, leaving the composer behind, silently pondering.

.....

"That person.... no way.... isn't he...."

"Oh, Taiga..."

I was wondering where the marksman went after the casino debacle, but he seemed to be having a grand time playing pool at the bar. I just happened to choose this place to get a clear mind of earlier findings, "Guess you're still killing time...."

"Sumi...!" the marksman greeted. "Since I got banned from entering the casino and the shooting gallery is kinda a sore spot for me to consider... I decided to spend time here instead! While it's quiet!"

"Sorry for interrupting your peace then...." I was wondering what his thoughts about the gallery range now that it was used against him in the last trial, it affected him badly it seems. "If you like, I can still accompany you there... making sure everything's safe and all..."

"No, no, no! You don't have to do that, Sumi! Seriously!" Taiga profusely rejected my idea. "I-It's just some lingering feelings that will go away soon so you don't have to worry about it. Besides, I can't really keep myself away from that place even if I wanted to...."

"Why?"

"Those airsoft guns?" he pointed out. "There's still leftover pellets to experiment so if anything, I will keep coming back to it if I need some spare ones...."

"How are you not a gunsmith..." What is his talent, actually? We struck gold with one of his concoctions that lead to Higura's semi-innocence in the last trial, we should really owe it up to Taiga for that victory.

"Hey, Sumi.... can I ask you something...." the tension that I sensed earlier broke when Taiga finally ask what was bothering him. "About the past two trials.... how did you... do it actually..."

"Like what?"

"I mean.... it's like it's nothing when you outed Hinako and Saku as the culprits and your intuition never landed you in a tough spot...." he explained. "Even in a complex scenario, you easily wriggled yourself out of that problem and landed a safe conclusion. I'm just wondering.... what did you think of them once you realized they're the culprits?"

My impression of them.... being the culprits.

......

That's not something I should be honest about now, should I...

"I was... disappointed...." I told him. "That's all I can say, I thought everyone would keep their word that we will get out of here without hurting anyone but... yeah, I wasn't surprised that it happened... it's... as expected...."

"Oh, um..... geez, didn't expect a downer answer from you...." Taiga awkwardly commented. "It must have been harder for you to do all of that when we all promised to escape together...."

"..... Yeah..." It was taxing for me during those last two trials. "But... it's better for us to get the hell out of this place... in their place..."

"E-Exactly! We will do it for their sake! So let's not give up anytime sooner, okay?"

Giving up. It's too early to give up but it's too vague to what we're actually looking for here. Or why we ended up here in the first place.

We wouldn't even know if it's some sort of feud or a grudge against the academy... or even towards us.

If it is then... what are they trying to gain from us...?

What are those kidnappers actually looking for?

Chapter Text

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