Danganflipa: Chapter 5 - Crimson Resolve (Daily Life)

Previous: Chapter 4 - Despair Foretold (Class Trial)

Next: Chapter 5 - Crimson Resolve (Deadly Life)

Welcome back to Danganflipa, my fanmade Danganronpa/Papa Louie series! Last time, the surviving students participated in the fourth class trial and solved the murder of Chuck, the Ultimate Model. They came to a conclusion that Xandra, the Ultimate Guardian, was the killer because Chuck wanted her to escape the school to stop the Killing School Transfer from starting. Unfortunately, she was exposed and was executed. Akari became insecure, Gremmie threatened to kill, and Ninjoy promised to protect the students. What will happen, and will Ninjoy be able to keep her promise?

Day #11: Breakfast

Monokuma: Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!

Cooper: I had another dreamless night. It gets very annoying... you know, when you really want a dream just to see which one you'll get? After facing two more deaths yesterday, Chuck and Xandra... I just really needed a dream. But when I woke up, I had to accept the fact that I didn't dream anything. I let out a pitiful groan and rubbed my head... I decided that I'm not leaving this bed without a dream. So I closed my eyes, and imagined that I was in a dream.

"Prudence": Morning, Cooper.

"Cooper": Hey, Prudence. Ready to get flipping?

"Prudence": Not exactly... I got, like, no sleep last night. It doesn't help that we have to work in the mornings, either.

"Cooper": Haha, I get it.

"Prudence": You wouldn't mind if I took a quick nap, would you? Just run the place for a couple hours?

"Cooper": Uh, yeah, of course I mind. C'mon, today's supposed to be busy.

"Prudence": What's so great about today?

"Cooper": Don't you remember? I put up some posters around Tastyville and Frostfield. At the end of the day, we're gonna donate a fourth of today's tips to Hazelnut High for their marching band uniform fundraiser.

"Prudence": Oh, yeah. Ehehe, sorry... it totally slipped my mind. Sorry about that.

"Cooper": No worries. Hey, since when did sleep deprivation turn into memory loss?

"Prudence": Ha ha, very funny.

"Cooper": C'mon, we open in a few minutes. We cleaned the counters and set the ingredients out. Suddenly, we heard the doorbell ring.

"Ninjoy": Hey, Cooper.

"Cooper": Ninjoy? Good morning! Welcome to Papa's Pancakeria.

"Ninjoy": Thanks. Hey, I was wondering if you and Prudence would want to join me and some friends later.

"Cooper": Huh? For what?

"Ninjoy": We're going to go catch a midnight movie. The Internet says that it's a pretty good one.

"Prudence": Which movie?

"Ninjoy": Tohru decided on Spiderman: Homecoming.

"Cooper": Tohru? Suddenly, a crowd of familiar faces opened the door.

"Scooter": Yo! How's it been, dawg?

"Cooper": I was creating the story off the top of my head, but I tried not to get emotional in order to progress the "dream." Scooter!

"Chuck": Morning, you two. I'm H-U-N-G-R-Y huuuuungry!

"Wylan B": Yep, me too. Let's grab a quick bite to eat!

"Clover": I could go for some flapjacks. Two pancakes drowned in syrup, Cooper!

"Timm": Ey! Make that four! I'm starving!

"Cooper": Coming right up, you two.

"Timm": Righteous!

"Wylan B": What? Did you forget about me or something? I still want some pancakes!

"Tohru": Well... why don't we all get two? Just to make it easier for Cooper and Prudence.

"Prudence": Yes... please do. Haha!

"Utah": Okay, but I want two waffles. They're their own syrup holders, it's amazing!

"Akari": Haha, you... are all kinds of crazy.

"Deano": It's been so long since I've had pancakes. I haven't really missed them until now.

"Gremmie": Trust me, pancakes are the best, especially after a break.

"Deano": After a break?

"Allan": He means that they're worth the wait. We'll all enjoy them, though.

"Xandra": If this restaurant has no Flavor-X Drizzle, I refuse to eat here.

"Deano": X-Xandra... use your manners.

"Cooper": Don't worry... Ninjoy, do you think you could go steal some Flavor-X Drizzle from the Donuteria?

"Ninjoy": Sure. Be right back. (leaves)

"Scooter": H-Hey, I still need to use that later! I WORK THERE! (chases after her)

"Alberto": Who's up for a game of soccer after breakfast? It'd be nice for all of us to get some exercise together.

"Elle": S-Soccer? I... I don't know if I'll be good at it...

"Timm": It's easy peasy lemon squeezey. Trust me, you'll have it in the bag.

"Elle": R-Really? You mean it?

"Alberto": You'll do great. Soccer's easy, anyways.

"Cooper": Sounds like a plan. Let's all meet up at Hazelnut High later for a game of soccer.

"Akari": Awesome. I'll be there!

"Ninjoy": Hey, is everything okay?

"Cooper": Wait, I... thought you were gone...?

Ninjoy: Cooper, I know you're awake.

Cooper: Ninjoy? I opened my eyes to see Ninjoy standing over me with a pretty annoyed face.

Ninjoy: We've been waiting for you to come, you know...

Cooper: Oh... sorry...

Ninjoy: You look pretty happy. Did you have a good dream or something?

Cooper: ...You could say that.

Ninjoy: I'll let you get yourself out of bed. Meet us in the dining hall, and don't be too late.

Cooper: She left my room. But why is she in such a hurry to get me to Breakfast? Are they having some sort of meeting? I rolled out of bed, got dressed, and made my way to the dining hall for Breakfast. Five people were sitting around the table: Ninjoy, Wylan B, Akari, Allan, and Clover. Gremmie was missing...

Allan: Good morning, Cooper.

Cooper: Hi, everyone.

Ninjoy: ...Come sit down. We need to have a discussion.

Cooper: Uh... right. Is everything okay?

Akari: I guess so...

Cooper: Akari was looking a bit down this morning.

Clover: We've been waiting on you for about ten minutes. Where were you, still in bed?

Cooper: Yeah, actually. Sorry...

Wylan B: No worries. So, Ninjoy, what's this discussion about?

Ninjoy: I was the first person in the dining hall, and Akari was second. She wanted everyone gathered here so she could talk to us about something.

Cooper: Is something wrong?

Akari: Yeah... I don't really know how to say it, but...

Cooper: ...

Akari: ...

Wylan B: Is... she gonna say anything?

Cooper: Take your time, Akari... take your time.

Akari: (inhales)

Monokuma: (appears) Guh-guh-good morning, everyone! Who's ready for some mouthwatering pancakes and waffles?

Clover: The same ones we have every morning? I guess...

Akari: Mm...

Cooper: Akari looked down and faintly smiled to herself. I guess she really doesn't want to talk. We got in a short line by Papa Louie's cage for him to fix us pancakes again. The usual... but, can I get waffles instead of pancakes?

Papa Louie: Mhm.

Cooper: Why does he still have that duct tape on? It just seems so unfair... Monokuma's in the dining hall right now, so I shouldn't say anything until he leaves. Papa Louie waited for the batter to grill in the waffle iron. He then took them out and sprayed whipped cream on top, and then syrup and chocolate chips. Just... milk today, please.

Papa Louie: Mhm...

Cooper: And he poured me some milk. He passed the tray through a small opening in the cage, and I took it. Thank you, Papa Louie.

Papa Louie: (tears off half of duct tape) You're very welcome. (sticks it back on)

Cooper: P-Papa Louie-!

Monokuma: HEY! What's going on over there?

Cooper: I tried not to let my poker face show when I said... Papa Louie just gave me my food.

Monokuma: Don't lie to me, boy! I saw him take off his duct tape.

Cooper: Y-Yeah, but I just-

Akari: What's it to you? He just said, "you're welcome."

Monokuma: Oh? Did he now?

Akari: Yeah. So beat it.

Monokuma: (walks backwards awkwardly)

Akari: *sigh* Two french toasts, please...

Cooper: I sat down at the table, and waited for the other five to join me. Gremmie walked in, and to our surprise, cut in line, took Akari's tray full of french toast, and left the dining hall.

Akari: Wh-?! Well, screw you too!

Clover: Just ignore him, Akari... jerks like Gremmie always get what's coming to them.

Akari: Mmm...

Cooper: Eventually Akari and the others sat at the table.

Ninjoy: So, Akari... what did you want to tell us about?

Akari: Well, um... do I have to?

Wylan B: What are you talking about? You wanted to talk to us.

Akari: R-Right... the thing is... well...

Cooper: ...

Akari: I... I was lying last night.

Allan: Lying? About what?

Akari: I proved Xandra guilty... you guys remember that, right? But... I voted for Gremmie.

Cooper: R-Really? But if you proved her guilt, then you should've...

Akari: I'm afraid of the truth. There, I said it!

Ninjoy: Seriously? Everything you said last night was a lie? You really never lost faith in Xandra?

Akari: ...I should have, but I didn't... I'm really sorry guys.

Cooper: Akari, this isn't you.

Akari: Huh?

Cooper: This isn't the brave, bold, daring Akari I know. What happened to her, and when can we get her back?

Akari: ...I don't know...

Cooper: *sigh*

Monokuma: In other news, if you guys wanna hear it...

Allan: What now?

Monokuma: Just letting you know that the fifth floor is available for investigating!

Akari: Why should we even go up there?

Monokuma: Wuh?

Akari: Like there's even going to be anything useful up there. Let alone an exit... so why even bother?

Cooper: Don't say that, Akari... that's just your fear talking.

Akari: ...

Ninjoy: Besides, it's better to be prepared. It'd be best to go investigate.

Akari: Y-You do that... and I'll stay down here.

Cooper: You're not afraid, are you?

Akari: ...Yeah, I'm afraid. So what?

Cooper: Akari, this seriously isn't you.

Akari: I know... what happened?

Cooper: How are we even supposed to get her back to normal? I pondered that as I finished up my waffles. As I went to throw away my tray, I met up with Akari again. Are you sure you're not going to investigate?

Akari: Look... if I go, will you leave me alone?

Cooper: What? Excuse me?

Akari: Answer please.

Cooper: Okay, fine... I'll leave you alone.

Akari: Th-Thanks...

Cooper: What was that about? Did I make her mad or something?

Akari: Allan, let's go.

Allan: To the fifth floor, you mean?

Akari: Where else? C'mon, hurry up...

Allan: Okay.

Cooper: The two left, but Akari was a bit faster... she grabbed Allan's hand and pulled him along, so fast that he had to jog. Ninjoy, did you want to investigate together?

Ninjoy: That's fine.

Clover: I guess that leaves you and me, Wylan B.

Wylan B: Fine by me. C'mon, so we can beat the slowpokes.

Cooper: And... those two ran straight to the door.

Ninjoy: Are you okay with the whole Akari situation?

Cooper: Hm? Well... I don't know how to feel about it...

Ninjoy: Honestly, me neither... I just wanted to hear your thoughts on the issue.

Cooper: Why?

Ninjoy: I promised that I'd protect everyone, but that doesn't mean that you don't protect yourselves as well. She's letting her guard down... and I want to get her back on her own two feet.

Cooper: I pressed the elevator button and waited for it to arrive. But how do you plan on doing that? She's being extremely dismissive.

Ninjoy: (steps inside elevator and presses the 5 button) Well... what do you think is making her so frustrated?

Cooper: The fact that she couldn't save Xandra...

Ninjoy: Maybe she's blaming herself for her death?

Cooper: ...But would Akari really do that? It's not her fault that Xandra's request to vote incorrectly was forced on us. I think she did what she thought was best, and she shouldn't break herself down for that.

Ninjoy: ...Then that's what she needs to know. (elevator opens and steps out)

Cooper: We just have to let her know that there was no wrong decision... that'll cheer her up.

Ninjoy: I hope...

Day #11: Investigation

Ninjoy: Hey, check it out.

Cooper: Whoa... The fifth floor was... purple. All the walls were painted purple, the floor tiles were black and white... and purple... and a long purple velvet carpet ran across the entire floor. It led from the new study centers to a revolving door. A sign above it said, "Planetarium."

Ninjoy: I quite like the aesthetics of this floor.

Cooper: I take it you like purple?

Ninjoy: Purple's my favorite color. So... expect to see me up here pretty often.

Cooper: I don't know about that. Your study center's not even up here.

Ninjoy: Oh... then that means I'm on the sixth floor.

Cooper: But I can see the Ultimate Percussionist's, Gondolier's, and Competitive Dancer's rooms.

Ninjoy: Ohh... so it's the love triangle, huh?

Cooper: Haha, but... don't tell Clover. She'll rimshot your face until you turn red.

Ninjoy: I suppose she would. Haha!

Cooper: C'mon, let's go check out the study centers. We started with Clover's study center. Her door had a music note on it. We opened it and we were overwhelmed by shades of blue, brown, and burgendy.

Clover: Hey, you two! Come on in!

Cooper: Hey, Clover. You like your study center?

Clover: Honestly, I love it. They've got EVERYTHING here! Groovstock wallpaper, a vintage drum kit, marching snares and basses and tenors, seriously... I think I died and went to heaven.

Wylan B: This room is seriously amazing. Even I'm impressed, and it's not even mine!

Ninjoy: I'm really glad you two like the place. (whispers to Cooper) Although I don't exactly care for the loud atmosphere...

Cooper: (whispers back) Again... don't tell Clover.

Clover: No... way. It's my high school marching cadences!

Wylan B: Whoa, cool! Can I see?

Clover: This one's my favorite. Bee Sting.

Wylan B: That looks sick! Can you play it?

Clover: It won't sound the same with only one person... well, get comfy, grab a bag of chips or two, and prepare yourselves. You're about to witness the Ultimate Drummer at work!

Wylan B: I thought it was the Ultimate Percussionist.

Clover: Not here, it's not! Like my bandmate says a lot... "I don't do formal." So I'm not doing formal in my town! I'm the mayor, I make the rules, and I say, "no formalities!"

Cooper: Did you get any of that?

Ninjoy: Last thing I understood was "grab a bag of chips or two."

Cooper: Clover put on a silver marching snare, and picked up two jet black drumsticks. She held them up in the air with one hand.

Clover: Lady and gentlemen, the Burgerburgh Marching Dumplings are proud to present... Bee Sting, played by yours truly!

Cooper: We watched her tap her drumsticks on the snare as she created catchy rhythms. Wylan B began to bounce and clap his hands. I looked down and saw Ninjoy tapping her foot. Clover threw her drumstick in the air with her left hand, let it spin a couple times, played a quick beat with her right drumstick, and caught the left drumstick. Then, she played three more taps before clicking her sticks in midair, pointing them to the side, and then continued to play. She ended with a drumroll, a couple more notes, and a rimshot.

Wylan B: Whooo! Epic playin', Clover!

Clover: Thank you much!

Ninjoy: That was very impressive. You deserve your title.

Clover: Thank you much... again!

Wylan B: Hey, Clover... have you written any cadences?

Clover: Well... I mean, I've been working on some. I'm not that good at it, since there aren't that many drum solos in my songs...

Wylan B: ...Want some help later?

Clover: That'd be super! Hey, maybe we should start right now!

Wylan B: 'Kay. Let's see here...

Cooper: Wylan B pulled up a chair next to Clover and started writing on a piece of paper. The two began to talk very quietly.

Clover: Oh, sorry, you two... do you mind leaving? I work best in privacy.

Cooper: You... still won't be in privacy when we leave.

Ninjoy: Uh, sure. We can go see the other study centers anyway.

Clover: There's a door right there that leads to Deano's, I think.

Cooper: Thanks, Clover. We went ahead and entered that door.

Ninjoy: ...There's a river.

Cooper: Yeah. Just like Utah's room... she had her own personal beach. I took a look around. The wallpaper resembled that of Papa's Pastaria. Branches of ivy crept down from the ceiling, but after taking a closer look, you'd realize that they were fake, just like everything on the Garden Side of the Abyss. The river was in the shape of a ring, and resembled a lazy river. A gondola was right beside the "river" along with some oars for Deano to practice rowing. Now he'll never get to...

Ninjoy: This room must have taken a while to set up.

Cooper: It's very calming. I may just come in here to relax sometime!

Ninjoy: I really like Italian culture... I guess I could join you.

Cooper: ...What do I even say to that? Is she inviting me to hang out, or is she trying to progress a conversation? Why don't we go ahead and check out Timm's study center?

Ninjoy: The door's right there. I'm expecting a surplus of strobe lights and disco balls.

Cooper: True dat! I opened the door to Timm's study center, and sure enough, the room was dark as a large disco ball illuminated the room with small glittery spots of light. Multicolored strobe lights shone from the ceiling and danced in circles across the floor.

Ninjoy: What did I tell you?

Cooper: What? I didn't disagree with you. But something's missing... it's music.

Ninjoy: There's a turntable over here. I'll go see if I can get it to work.

Cooper: Ninjoy walked over to the turntable and I could see her arms moving, like she was fidgeting with something.

Ninjoy: There's authentic records over here...!

Cooper: Really? I ran over there and gripped my hands on the turntable walls.

Ninjoy: Oh, this one's pretty popular. The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd.

Cooper: Nice! I love that album. She put the record on the turntable, and placed the stylus on top of it. The first song, Speak to Me, began to play.

Ninjoy: What's your favorite song off this album?

Cooper: Time. How about you?

Ninjoy: Us and Them.

Cooper: Can you change it to Time? I never really liked Speak to Me.

Ninjoy: I don't think you can fast-forward a vinyl record.

Cooper: We'll just have to wait, then, won't we?

Ninjoy: It won't take that long. 

Cooper: We sat on a nearby bench waiting for the record to play Time. It got a bit awkward sitting with nothing to do, but I enjoyed it, and I hope Ninjoy did too. The record went quiet, and suddenly, we heard an alarm clock and a grandfather clock. This is it. It's Time.

Ninjoy: Mhm.

Cooper: We were waiting for this moment, but there's nothing really to do. We just sat and listened to the easy-listening rhythm, doing nothing in particular. I'm glad we waited to listen to this, but... the awkwardness was real. The song ended, and I stood up. You don't want to wait for Us and Them to come on?

Ninjoy: No, it's fine. We should continue investigating.

Cooper: Okay... We got up and exited Timm's study center.

Ninjoy: By the way, we skipped this small room in the center of the floor.

Cooper: It looks very odd. It was a mini-building in the center of the floor, kind of like the Layer Cake. But this one was small, and only had four walls, each having its own door.

Ninjoy: You go through one, I'll go through the opposite one, and I'll meet you in the middle.

Cooper: Uh, what?

Ninjoy: Oh, don't worry... just my attempt at being funny. Let's go ahead and see what the heck this room is.

Cooper: Agreed. I turned the doorknob, and as soon as the door opened and my hand left the handle... my heart stopped. There was a shrine in the small room. It was a small pedestal, with a golden statue of Izuru meditating on it. It was painted to look like he was crying a stream of blood. His smile was so innocent... but the room so dark. I caught myself looking around the room out of curiosity to find the walls filled with dimly-lit candles. Ah... ah... AAAAAAHHH!!!

Ninjoy: C-Calm down...!

Cooper: (heavy breathing) WH-WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!

Ninjoy: It... it's a... it's a sc-scary shrine...

Cooper: Ninjoy, are you okay?

Ninjoy: I hate scary things... I can't stand them... seriously, I can't even look at it anymore...

Cooper: She dragged me out of the shrine room, slammed the door shut, and held her arms, shaking. That was... insanely freaky.

Ninjoy: And freakishly insane.

Cooper: Right. But what was the purpose of that, anyways?! To creep us out?

Ninjoy: I don't know... why does the founder of Flip's Peak have a shrine... that's crying blood?

Cooper: The students must have really respected him.

Ninjoy: No, Monokuma and Gremmie must have really respected him. They remodeled Flip's Peak... they must have been the ones to build this!

Cooper: Was Izuru looked at as a god of some kind?

Ninjoy: He couldn't be that amazing, now could he? He's just some... some dumb person who founded a school.

Cooper: You're right. Although that just sounds like fear talking.

Ninjoy: L-Let's investigate something else now...

Cooper: I don't blame her for being a bit frightened, but she looked seriously scared. Ninjoy... the calm and collected ninja-loving thief we've known up until now is that afraid of scary things? I brushed the thought aside and went to the two doors on the wall. They were set up just like the art room and nurse's office downstairs. I peeked through the window on the side of one of the rooms, and I could see order and organization. The tables were clean, and each one had a vase with a flower in it. There was a sort of mini-kitchen to the side, and I could see a large air vent at the top of the room. This room looks pretty neat.

Ninjoy: The label by the door says, "Teacher's Lounge."

Cooper: Can we even go in there? We're not teachers.

Ninjoy: Like there are even any teachers in this school besides Monokuma... if you can even call him one.

Cooper: But what if Monokuma has a rule about it?

Ninjoy: (pulls out e-Handbook) Rule #6. With minimal restrictions, you are fee to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.

Cooper: "With minimal restrictions." What if Monokuma tries to punish us?

Ninjoy: Let's just try to get inside. The worst he could do is tell us not to go in there.

Cooper: You sure he wouldn't punish us?

Ninjoy: There's no rule about it. If he tried to punish us, it'd be unfair, and Monokuma would be abusing his power.

Cooper: Fine. You open the door. She opened it with ease and gave me a confused look.

Ninjoy: You want me to walk inside first now?

Cooper: *sigh* Go ahead. She stepped inside, and looked around.

Ninjoy: All clear. Come on in.

Cooper: C-C'mon... don't do that. I had already gotten a full view of the teacher's lounge from the window. Well, I saw everything except for... a couch?

Ninjoy: It looks very comfy.

Cooper: That vent up there looks pretty large... I pointed up to the one I saw earlier.

Ninjoy: Oh, that... up there. It's big alright. Possibly big enough for someone to crawl through.

Cooper: I saw Ninjoy face the counter, and then the vent.

Ninjoy: Watch this.

Cooper: Wha-? She jumped onto the counter, and then reached for the air vent. Ninjoy? She took a screwdriver out of her pocket, unscrewed the screws in the vent, and took off the cover. She lept for the vent, and crawled inside. Ninjoy, where does that lead to?

Ninjoy: I'm gonna find out. Hang tight!

Cooper: I sat on the couch as I waited for Ninjoy to call back.

Ninjoy: Okay, I'm at the other side!

Cooper: Where does it lead to?

Ninjoy: It leads to the room right beside us. Can you check it out?

Cooper: O-One second! I ran out of the room and went straight to the room next to the teacher's lounge. I didn't bother to read the nameplate, but after I opened the room's door, I realized that I should have. I was overwhelmed by a rush of hot air as soon as I entered the room. Large pipes took up most of the room, and the entire top half of the place was replete with steam. I looked for an air vent identical to the one in the teacher's lounge, and I saw it to the left. Ninjoy was behind the vent's cover.

Ninjoy: Here, take this screwdriver and unscrew the cover.

Cooper: Thankfully, the vent was right above a wooden crate. I hopped onto that as she fed the screwdriver through the openings of the cover, and I grabbed it. Unscrewing the vent cover was a bit tricky, but I got the hang of it after the fourth one. The cover fell on the crate, only to hit the ground with a loud noise.

Ninjoy: I could feel the heat from right there... so this must be the boiler room.

Cooper: A boiler room? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Ninjoy: ...Maybe there's something in here we should investigate.

Cooper: Like what?

Ninjoy: Look here.

Cooper: Ninjoy pointed at the opposite wall, where a thermostat was. Doesn't the Layer Cake have one identical to that?

Ninjoy: They look about the same.

Cooper: Ninjoy began to play around with it, tapping the buttons rapidly. D-Don't change the temperature, please.

Ninjoy: I-I'm not... I'm just looking at the settings.

Cooper: Anything I should know?

Ninjoy: One thing is standing out to me... it looks like this thermostat can control the temperature for every room in this academy.

Cooper: Wait, really?

Ninjoy: That's right.

Cooper: But... what are we going to do with it?

Ninjoy: Nothing.

Cooper: Good plan! Let's leave it be-

Ninjoy: Sh, sh! Not so loud.

Cooper: What?

Ninjoy: I trust you. Do you trust me?

Cooper: O-Of course.

Ninjoy: Then let's keep this our little secret, okay? Nobody needs to know about this. It's not that it's dangerous, but it shouldn't exactly be common knowledge.

Cooper: I understand. Secret?

Ninjoy: Secret.

Cooper: Wait, but what about Gremmie? Shouldn't he already know about it?

Ninjoy: You're right... the best we can do is pray that he won't come near this thing.

Cooper: Can we break it?

Ninjoy: Absolutely not. It's against the rules to break school property. I assume that exceptions include intentions of murder... Utah broke a vase, and Xandra broke a window. Nothing happened to them... at least, for breaking property.

Cooper: Oh...

Ninjoy: Alright. If I'm not mistaken, there's one more room on the fifth floor.

Cooper: Are you talking about the planetarium?

Ninjoy: Of course. I believe that Akari and Allan should be in there, since we haven't seen them yet.

Cooper: Alright, let's make haste. We exited the room, and followed the purple carpet to the planetarium's revolving door. I love these things. When me and my family went to hotels, I begged my parents to let me spin around in it over and over.

Ninjoy: Like the scene from Elf?

Cooper: Yeah. That's my favorite Christmas movie.

Ninjoy: Really? I believe that Christmas Vacation's better. Haha!

Cooper: What? You wanna fight over it?

Ninjoy: ...Maybe later. For now, let's see what this planetarium is all about.

Cooper: Wait... why did you have a screwdriver in your pocket?

Ninjoy: What?

Cooper: You took a screwdriver out of your pocket and unscrewed the vent. Why was that in there?

Ninjoy: Uh...

Cooper: Ninjoy dragged me back into the boiler room, shut the door, and held a finger to my lips.

Ninjoy: I'm about to tell you something else nobody can know about. Just between us, okay?

Cooper: O-Okay... what is it?

Ninjoy: The truth is, I bought some tools from the dumbwaiter. I always carry them around with me just in case.

Cooper: 'Kay, so you have a screwdriver. What else do you have? With a worried look, Ninjoy reached inside her pocket and gave me the screwdriver. Then she dug some more, and pulled out a small blue object. What's that?

Ninjoy: D-Don't freak out, okay?

Cooper: She pushed a metal button on the object, and a sharp blade flipped out for me to see. A-A-AAAAH!

Ninjoy: What part of "don't freak out" don't you understand?

Cooper: A-Are you going to... to...

Ninjoy: Relax. (closes blade) It's a switchblade knife. I carry it around with me just in case something bad happens.

Cooper: You mean... out of self-defense?

Ninjoy: I didn't say that... think of it like what Chuck did. He only pretended to attack Xandra, but he never did. He only did it to get a scare out of her, and that's what I intend to do if somebody tries to attack me.

Cooper: ...

Ninjoy: I would never hurt anyone. I promised to protect you guys. That's not to say that I can't scare someone a little bit.

Cooper: Haha, well, I trust you.

Ninjoy: I'm glad, then. Now can we go visit Akari and Allan in the planetarium?

Cooper: We walked back outside, but to be honest, that scared me quite a bit. Ninjoy just flashed a knife in front of me and told me not to freak out. That's impossible! We walked inside the planetarium's revolving door, and we saw a large bowl-shaped ceiling filled with revolving stars. It was certainly a large room, about the size of the movie theater. Seats with purple cushions were organized in rows that filled the whole room. It wasn't hard for us to spot Akari and Allan sitting together, looking at the stars.

Ninjoy: Allan! Akari!

Akari: Hm?

Allan: Who's that?

Cooper: As Allan turned around, I saw him lift his arm from behind Akari's back. Akari wiped some strands of hair from her face as she looked down. What... exactly happened here?

Akari: You guys should watch this a little.

Allan: It's actually very fascinating.

Ninjoy: I guess we have some time for it. Cooper?

Cooper: Definitely. I would have sat next to Akari, but she sat on the end chair, so I sat beside Allan, and Ninjoy sat beside me.

Akari: This really calmed me down... I don't feel stressed or frustrated anymore... thanks for taking me here, Allan.

Allan: Yeah, yeah. No problem.

Cooper: Allan looked like he didn't care, but I could see him flash a quick smile towards Akari. We enjoyed looking up at the beautiful images of space for the next five minutes or so. We got to see a couple planets up close. Jupiter was cool, Neptune was cooler, but my personal favorite was Saturn, since it showed its rings up close. I thought that was pretty amazing.

Ninjoy: Pardon me, but don't these shows usually have a narrator?

Allan: There's a projector over there. Go see if you can get anything.

Cooper: She stood up and went over to the bug-shaped projector. After skimming the buttons, she pressed one, and an all-too familiar voice filled the room.

Monokuma: Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system. Scientists are unsure of how many rings it has, but let's face it. Someone liked it a lot, cuz it's got several rings on it. Am I right?

Allan: Turn it off.

Ninjoy: With pleasure. (turns the voice off)

Cooper: I eventually got bored of looking at the stars. Ninjoy, I'm gonna go back to my room.

Ninjoy: Alright. Goodbye... and try to be wary of Gremmie if you can.

Cooper: I will. Thank you. As I rode the elevator down to the dorm hall, I couldn't stop thinking about Gremmie. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down, and I thought it worked. That is, until I saw something on Ninjoy's door. I walked all the way to her door, which was the very last one in dorm hall, and I saw a skull carved into it. N-Ninjoy... My heart sank, and I took another deep breath, as if I had just surfaced from deep waters. Gremmie was out to get Ninjoy...?! Trying to eliminate the thought from my head, I thought I saw another scrape on a door. It was Akari's, but it was only one large line instead of a picture. I thought I was crazy until my finger slid across the line. It's real... Gremmie's actually out for-

Gremmie: Blood?

Cooper: G-Gremmie! My hand thrust to my heart, and I felt limp; I had to lean on Akari's door. Gremmie walked up to me, brandishing a knife.

Gremmie: Hmph.

Cooper: He cocked a wicked smirk at me, and slowly put the knife up to my neck. I didn't know what to do! I was breathing heavily through my mouth, and my hand was scraping against Akari's door out of fear. My instinct was to run, but Gremmie would kill me if I tried to. H-Hello, Gremmie.

Gremmie: Top of the morning to you too, slug.

Cooper: S-Surprised you didn't join us this morning. You sh-should've apologized to Akari for taking her f-food...

Gremmie: She doesn't care.

Cooper: What do you want? To kill me?

Gremmie: Hm... not yet. I'm still debating on who to kill... first.

Cooper: F-First, huh? That means you're going to kill two people, right? You won't...!

Gremmie: I'm glad you can understand simple math. Perhaps you're the Ultimate Mathematician?

Cooper: Ngh... y-you came up to me with a knife, and put it against my throat... so you have to want something. Right? Just... just tell me what you want.

Gremmie: I don't want anything except to scare you.

Cooper: H-Huh?

Gremmie: Remember how I was always talking about how I wanted to be your friend and whatnot?

Cooper: I remember, but I didn't understand it.

Gremmie: I was torn between hope and despair, but... after remembering something very important, I chose despair.

Cooper: I blurted out without thinking. Y-You'll die next!

...

Gremmie: Did you say something?

Cooper: Y-You're going to die! Me, Ninjoy, Akari, and the others won't put up with your villainous attitude anymore! I can't speak for everyone when I say that we won't kill, but someone will eventually get fed up with you, and they'll kill you.

Gremmie: Bold claim.

Cooper: ...Can't believe that I said it either.

Gremmie: At least you've got guts. I'll give you that.

Cooper: He lowered the knife from my throat, and I took a deep, refreshing breath. He stabbed Akari's door with the knife right beside my head. I looked at Gremmie's face. It was completely covered in hair, but I could see his demonic grin.

Gremmie: Those guts may be the death of you, so I'd watch it if I were you.

Cooper: Wh-What are you saying?

Gremmie: Watch your back, and know your place. Don't get to close to me. Do you understand?

Cooper: ...! Gremmie slammed his hand on my chest and raised the knife above my head.

Gremmie: DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!

Cooper: Y-Yes... now leave.

Gremmie: ...Hmph.

Cooper: He stuck his knife in his pocket and walked off. I went to my room and tried to take a nap. I couldn't, though... it took me about half an hour to get to sleep.

...

...

...

Cooper: Looks like I woke up about a half-hour before Dinner. What if I go spend some free time with someone? Well, I've gotten more close to Ninjoy, so maybe I should go see her.

FREE TIME: Ninjoy #5

Cooper: After checking my e-Handbook, I noticed that Ninjoy was in the planetarium, so I made my way up there.

Ninjoy: Oh, did you want to speak to me?

Cooper: Should I invite Ninjoy to hang out? Definitely.

Ninjoy: Here, come sit down. Honestly, this planetarium's shows are quite boring, but... it'd be nice to have someone to watch it with.

Cooper: I took a seat beside Ninjoy on the very back row. I spent the day talking with Ninjoy while watching a very boring planetarium show. It looks like Ninjoy and I grew a little closer.

Ninjoy: So... um, how do I put this? ...Thanks for helping me out last time we hung out.

Cooper: With the smile thing?

Ninjoy: Yes, with the smile thing. I feel like I'm becoming more trusted among my classmates. And while I'm not exactly, and I quote, "BFF material," I'm happy with what I've made of myself.

Cooper: ...If you don't mind me asking, why are you the way you are?

Ninjoy: Huh?

Cooper: Sh-Should I have worded that better?

Ninjoy: No, no, it wasn't offensive, it just came out of nowhere...

Cooper: S-Sorry...

Ninjoy: No! Don't be! Just continue with what you were saying.

Cooper: Why are you so reserved, Ninjoy?

Ninjoy: What made you ask that?

Cooper: You asked me how to make you seem more likeable. Call it intuition, but I think that you're a bit self-conscious.

Ninjoy: ...Oh?

Cooper: And yet you're a thief slash ninja. Why did-

Ninjoy: ...

Cooper: Ninjoy gave me a cold stare. Yeah, you're right. That's only going to lead to me asking why you became a "thief slash ninja."

Ninjoy: Well, I've known you for this long. And I've trusted some great secrets to you. But there's just this one secret that I can't share, not with anyone.

Cooper: Your identity?

Ninjoy: ...Make that two secrets. Well, I can tell you this much.

Cooper: Take your time.

Ninjoy: The Ninjoy you've known up until now, isn't the real me.

Cooper: The real you is your other identity, then?

Ninjoy: Exactly. Believe it or not, I'm actually a pretty cheerful person.

Cooper: R-Really? Ninjoy? ...Cheerful? In what universe?

Ninjoy: In order to keep my identity on the low, it's best for me to barely have any personality at all.

Cooper: ...I don't even know how to respond to this.

Ninjoy: Figured you wouldn't.

Cooper: But I mean, the Ninjoy I've known up until now has a personality! You're kind, caring, and you know what's right.

Ninjoy: But that's not the real me. I'm not Ninjoy, I'm...

Cooper: Who cares? Even without knowing your true name or intentions... I can tell that Ninjoy is a part of you. You can't fake the kindness you've shown so far.

Ninjoy: ...

Cooper: Ninjoy?

Ninjoy: ...I've never told anyone about this except my family... I feel uneasy about this...

Cooper: Hey, calm down. I'm glad you told me everything you did.

Ninjoy: I'm sure you are.

Cooper: ...?

Ninjoy: But I have to go now. Just need to think some...

Cooper: She stood up and adjusted her mask.

Ninjoy: Excuse me.

Cooper: I shifted my knees to the side to give Ninjoy space to walk out of the row.

Ninjoy: And... you should see the planetarium storage room over there. It has some stuff you may want to see.

Cooper: And she left. Of course I went to go look at the storage room, but... I couldn't get that feeling of doubt out of my head. I'm really glad she's opened up to me, but I need to accept that there are secrets that are better off unknown. I should respect Ninjoy's opinion, because we're friends now. And now that I've gotten to know her better, I don't want that to ever change.

...

Cooper: The storage room had a lot of supplies. Paint buckets, tools, paper, cardboard boxes... after taking a good look, this was where all the items from the dumbwaiter came from. I took a look at the dumbwaiter on the wall, and it looks like it doesn't reach up to the sixth floor; only the first five. I returned to my room after looking at the supplies, and waited for Dinner to start. But before I entered my room, I heard the elevator door open. Ninjoy walked out and went straight to the dining hall.

Ninjoy: Don't mind me.

Cooper: Hey, what gives? Dinner's not for another ten minutes or so.

Ninjoy: Like I said, don't mind me.

Cooper: Are you getting food? Are you going to eat alone, like Gremmie?

Ninjoy: *sigh* Yes, you caught me. I just need some time to myself, if that's alright.

Cooper: I-It's perfectly fine.

Ninjoy: You and the others have a nice meal, okay?

Cooper: O-Okay. She went through the double doors of the dining hall, and left me by myself. There wasn't much to do besides wait on my bed for the minute hand to reach the 6 on the clock. When it did, I made my way to the dining hall. Everyone else was there, Ninjoy excluded.

Day #11: Dinner

Cooper: But... even "he" was here...

Gremmie: ...

Cooper: ...Hey, guys.

Allan: 'Kay, that just leaves Ninjoy.

Clover: Where could she be? She's usually one of the first people here.

Cooper: Oh, um... she wanted some time to herself, so she picked up her food a few minutes ago. She's in her room right now.

Akari: Oh, alright.

Cooper: I noticed that Akari moved seats next to Allan. Those two sure are spending an awful lot of time together, or maybe... maybe it's just me.

Allan: C'mon, I'm famished. Let's grab our food now, yeah?

Akari: Yeah.

Cooper: We all stood up and formed a line by Papa Louie's cage. I noticed Allan push in Akari's chair for her as he gave her a toothy grin, and then they both joined the line. Tonight was chicken wings. I asked for Buffalo and Spicy Garlic wings, and a few pieces of celery with Mango Chili Dip. Thanks, Papa Louie.

Papa Louie: Mhm.

Cooper: I had already finished half of my plate before the table was refilled.

Wylan B: Yuuuum-y! Those were something else, Papa Louie!

Cooper: It wasn't really visible or audible, but I could tell that Papa Louie was laughing.

Akari: So let's get down to business. Why are you here?

Cooper: She pointed her icy stare at Gremmie, who didn't move a muscle.

Gremmie: ...Because I was hungry. I don't want this to turn into the second or fourth motive by starving or anything. (chuckles)

Akari: Don't expect us to just let you waltz in here without a second thought! What you did last night was unforgivable.

Gremmie: Uh-huh. What did I do?

Akari: You carved a SKULL into Ninjoy's door! What exactly do you have against her?

Gremmie: (shrugs) Look, do I really need to spell it out for you? She's trying to protect you guys. I'm trying to do the OPPOSITE of protecting you guys.

Clover: You're going to try and kill us?

Gremmie: Pretty much. You know what they say about the weakest link?

Cooper: What...?

Gremmie: Get rid of 'em. But that's not how I play it. What I say is, "get rid of the strongest link." And that's obviously Ninjoy. Once she goes, you're all gonna go nowhere fast.

Allan: You're not going to lay a finger on Ninjoy.

Gremmie: ...Maybe I should go see her and tap her on the face just to prove you wrong. With a weapon.

Allan: You... YOU!!!

Cooper: Allan stood up and knocked over his chair. He dashed towards Gremmie, and threw his hand towards his throat. But Gremmie was still. He held up the same knife he used to threaten me with, and it almost cut Allan's hand.

Gremmie: You think this knife'll do?

Allan: Wha-?!

Gremmie: Look at that. (puts his hand between knife and Allan's hand) I'd say about 2 to 3 inches? Close call, partner.

Allan: Ngh...

Gremmie: My point is I'm not a force to be reckoned with.

Allan: No, that knife's not a force to be reckoned with.

Gremmie: What?

Allan: Without that knife, you're nothing.

Gremmie: And you think that you're not? Who's the one with the weapon here?

Allan: NNNGH...!!!

Akari: Why don't you just leave? We don't need you, your knife, or your attitude here.

Gremmie: Hmph. (throws knife in trash can) I've got plenty more. Besides, I've still got some wings left.

Akari: ...Eat quickly, will you?

Gremmie: Of course not.

Cooper: Allan slowly picked up his chair and sat down. The rest of our meal was silent. No one, not even Gremmie, spoke. Not once. That didn't help the mood at all... honestly, I was shaking from what had just happened.

...

Cooper: Looks like I was the first person to finish. I stood up, expecting all faces to turn towards me, but no one did; they all focused on their food. I threw my tray away, and waited by the door for the others to finish. I wanted to speak with someone. They stood up, and I walked over to them.

FREE TIME: Gremmie #1

Cooper: Gremmie, can we talk?

Gremmie: ...We just did.

Cooper: No, no... I mean, like, ... Should I invite Gremmie to hang out? I should just go for it and ignore any possible future death threats. Can we have a conversation?

Gremmie: Alright, that's fine.

Cooper: Phew... at least he agreed to it, and he didn't pull out another knife or anything. I spent the day talking to Gremmie on the

Gremmie: Okay, you called me. What did you want to talk about?

Cooper: I just want to talk. No reason in particular-

Gremmie: Aha, you're lying.

Cooper: Alright, you caught me. I want to know why you act... the way you act.

Gremmie: Meaning... what?

Cooper: You should know what I mean. Why are you... how should I put this...? Why do you play the villain?

Gremmie: Okay, you just went straight to the point. Sorry, pal, not gonna happen.

Cooper: Why not?

Gremmie: Buddy. If you just received answers directly, those class trials wouldn't have lasted as long as they did. We'd be in and out of that courtroom in less than a minute. But I won't tell you now.

Cooper: That means you'll tell me later, though, right?

Gremmie: Hopefully not directly. I wouldn't want to go through the trouble of explaining everything. It would be bad for the both of us.

Cooper: Really now?

Gremmie: Yeah. But don't ask why. I'm extremely cautious about what I say, and what you say. And what you're trying to get me to say.

Cooper: *gulp*

Gremmie: So I'd back off.

Cooper: Hey, Gremmie?

Gremmie: ...What is it now?

Cooper: What was your childhood like?

Gremmie: Let's see... I lived on Calypso Island. Yeah, I knew Utah and Alberto. I was a lonely kid, and learned how to surf. And now I'm here.

Cooper: Wh-Whoa, whoa! I couldn't keep up with all that!

Gremmie: Didn't expect you to. Just because my life story's so overwhelming and complex, right?

Cooper: Sarcasm noted.

Gremmie: Hmph.

Cooper: ...

Gremmie: ...

Cooper: Jeez, I only wanted to talk to him to get some answers out of him. Now it's just awkward. Maybe I should leave.

Gremmie: Should we leave? I'm bored.

Cooper: Y-Yeah... As we parted ways, a question popped into my mind, and I couldn't help but ask it. Gremmie...?

Gremmie: Huh?

Cooper: Do you really care about us?

Gremmie: Barely.

Cooper: Then what you said to us about being our friend a few days ago was a lie?

Gremmie: ...I wasn't lying.

Cooper: Then prove it.

Gremmie: Listen here. I'm going to continue to play the villain, and the rest of you are going to have to deal with it. But let me just say this...

Cooper: ...Don't think I wanted to listen to him anymore.

Gremmie: I really wasn't lying when I said I cared about you all. I happen to be known for caring about others.

Cooper: ...No other word could come to my mouth except... What?!

Gremmie: Hehehe... you'll see what I mean. Soon, to be exact.

Cooper: He turned around, stuck his hands in his pockets, and left. Maybe... I really did want to hear that last part. Maybe deep down inside, Gremmie's a nice person. Right? Or is he just trying to get into my brain? ...I feel like I'm getting to know Gremmie a little better... or I feel like I'm getting tricked by Gremmie. Either way, I left the dining hall in complete confusion. Back to my bed, back to playing some games.

...

Cooper: ...After a half-hour of playing with two intervals, I noticed that I had about 1,500 Monocoins. I have enough money to buy an e-Hand Plus! I threw the covers off my bed and ran up to the elevator, which took me up to the third floor, and then I ran to Bloop Mobile. I had to take another look around the store, since I've only been in here once. I walked up to the counter, and Monokuma sprang up from behind the counter!

Monokuma: Howdy!

Cooper: Ah-AHHH!!! Seriously, how many of there are you for you to teleport that fast?

Monokuma: Write down the number ten on a piece of paper and then write down fifty-nine more zeros.

Cooper: I felt a bit faint after thinking about that. There's millions of millions of millions of him! I just want to buy an e-Hand Plus. Can I?

Monokuma: Do you have 1,000 Monocoins?

Cooper: Yeah.

Monokuma: Let me see your e-Handbook.

Cooper: He tapped onto it with his paw, and opened up one of my games.

Monokuma: Yep! It says you're over a thousand!

Cooper: Just asking... I have some physical Monocoins downstairs in a box. And then there's the digital ones.

Monokuma: If you want me to, I can take all of your Monocoins and make them digital.

Cooper: That'd be great. More space for my room.

Monokuma: Alright, glad to be in business. (jumps up and shakes Cooper's hand violently)

Cooper: O-Ouch...

Monokuma: Here you go, I deposited a thousand Monocoins from your e-Handbook, and... now I'm stealing it.

Cooper: Normally I'd be a bit agitated that he supposedly "stole my e-Handbook" but I just stood still, knowing that I'd get a better one in return.

Monokuma: And... here's your e-Hand Plus!

Cooper: All of the data and stuff has been transferred over, right?

Monokuma: Yep yep! Hey, watch this.

Cooper: He scattered out of Bloop Mobile, and scurried to the right, away from my vision. Hey, Monok- My e-Hand Plus started vibrating. I was getting a Hologram alert from Monokuma. I pointed my e-Hand Plus at the wall and answered it. A life-sized image of Monokuma appeared on the wall. What is it?

Monokuma: What? You don't look impressed.

Cooper: Because you already told me and Akari about the hologram feature.

Monokuma: Oh... that killed the moment.

Cooper: I'm, uh... gonna go now...

Monokuma: No, wait, wait!

Cooper: ...

Monokuma: Let's play charades!

Cooper: His image disappeared and reappeared with rope in his hands. He wrapped it around his neck and pulled himself up with one hand.

Monokuma: Who am I?

Cooper: A part of me wanted to say "Tohru," but I just hung up on him instead. That sick little...

BZZ BZZ!

Cooper: My e-Hand Plus is vibrating again...? It's Monokuma again, isn't it? I looked at it, but it wasn't a Hologram alert from Monokuma. It was a group text from Clover. I opened it and read what she said.

CLOVER: Hey guys. Meet me in the dining hall asap. Something happened that I need to tell u guys. Thx.

COOPER: Omw.

Day #11: Clover's Meeting

Cooper: I took the elevator down to the first floor, and I could see Wylan B, Akari, and Allan walking to the dining hall together. You guys know what this is about?

Allan: Beats me.

Akari: I hope it's nothing too serious... Clover's been through a lot, y'know? She doesn't need anymore stress.

Wylan B: True. Great gal, that one.

Cooper: We all entered the dining hall and saw that everyone else was sitting at their seat by the table: Clover, Ninjoy, and Gremmie.

Clover: Take a seat, guys. Something happened.

Cooper: I did so. What's this about?

Clover: I can't find my practice pad anywhere.

Allan: ...You're kidding, right? THAT'S what this is about?

Gremmie: You called us in here to find out who stole your practice pad, right?

Clover: Yes. It's you, isn't it, Gremmie?

Gremmie: Me? Wait, no, I didn't steal it.

Clover: It's you, obviously. Trying to stir mischief, like always.

Wylan B: Wait. When did you notice that it was missing?

Clover: After I got back to my room from Dinner.

Gremmie: Then it couldn't have been me. I was in here during Dinner.

Clover: If it wasn't you, then who could it be?

Allan: Obviously someone else.

Clover: You know what I mean...! We trust each other, don't we? Gremmie excluded.

Gremmie: No offense taken.

Clover: I promise I didn't lose my practice pad, so that means that someone here is a thief.

Ninjoy: Why would anyone steal your practice pad in the first place? Nobody else here is a percussionist.

Clover: Wylan B comes close. Do you know anything?

Wylan B: S-Search me! I didn't take it!

Clover: *sigh* Good. It's just stupid ol' Wylan B, not a flustered thief.

Cooper: Then we have to think. Clover was missing her practice pad after Dinner. So that means that someone stole it during Dinner.

Clover: But... everyone was here, right?

Akari: Ninjoy wasn't.

Cooper: ...What...?

Ninjoy: ...You don't seriously think I stole that practice pad, do you?

Akari: You're the only person with a chance to!

Ninjoy: That doesn't mean anything. It may have been stolen before Dinner.

Akari: ...

Ninjoy: Listen, I didn't steal it! I don't want to have to raise my voice-!

Cooper: Allan stood up beside Akari.

Allan: Sounds very convincing coming from the Ultimate Thief.

Cooper: Heads around me nodded. I caught myself nodding... stupid! Why did I nod?! Ninjoy, you didn't take it, right?

Ninjoy: Of course not. Why would I?

Gremmie: Sorry, Ninjoy. Looks like you've been exposed.

Cooper: Ninjoy, I...

Ninjoy: You don't have to believe me. It's okay.

Cooper: Mm... (hangs head)

Ninjoy: You want to test the validity of your claim, then find the practice pad.

Akari: Maybe I will.

Cooper: Akari... what happened to you? Why don't you trust Ninjoy?

Akari: Don't think that you're fooling me for a second. You say that you want to protect us, but then you go and steal something from us.

Ninjoy: ...

Akari: Silence gets you nowhere, Ninjoy! Nowhe-

Allan: Stop.

Cooper: Akari froze. She turned her head and saw that Allan put his hand on her shoulder, holding it with a firm grip.

Akari: L-Let go of me...! I can handle this!

Allan: I said... stop.

Akari: ...Sorry...

Allan: Clover, are we done here?

Clover: Well, I guess. I guess this meeting's dismissed. But I just want to say this... keep a good eye on your stuff. I don't want anything else to get stolen. That'd only break our trust more.

Cooper: Agreed.

Clover: (looks at e-Handbook) Well, I guess Nighttime's about to begin.

Ninjoy: We'd better go on to bed.

Allan: Tch. Who am I to listen to you?

Ninjoy: ...Just because I am under suspicion of theft, doesn't mean you have the right to treat me like a criminal.

Gremmie: But you are a criminal. That's why you're here.

Ninjoy: ...!

Cooper: That caught both Ninjoy and I off-guard. Her hand shot to her heart and she stood there, flabbergasted, for what felt like a minute.

Ninjoy: Okay, wrong choice of words.

Gremmie: Don't expect to receive kindness from us.

Akari: I'm not taking sides or anything, but why should you receive kindness, either?

Gremmie: Like you're one to talk! You and Cooper were besties up until Xandra's trial, and now you're with Allan all the time!

Akari: Wh-?!

Gremmie: Yeah, don't think I don't know what's going on, missy. You left him because you don't trust him anymore!

Akari: Th-That's-

Cooper: Everyone, STOP IT! I felt stupid as Akari and Gremmie looked at me with strange expressions. I bet they expected me to give some sort of speech. Here goes... We don't need to fight, okay? That just makes things worse for us.

Gremmie: ...Go to bed.

Cooper: We shouldn't judge others for their actions! We judge people for who they are, and the reasons for those actions!

Akari: ...That's right. Thanks, Cooper... I got a bit sidetracked.

Gremmie: ...

Cooper: And then Gremmie walked away. He exited the door and turned right to enter the Dorm Hall.

Wylan B: We... we should go to bed now. Nighttime's about to start.

Clover: Yeah... night everyone.

Cooper: As everyone left, I saw Akari. She was the last one to leave. I caught her before she did, though. Wait, Akari...!

Akari: Hey, Cooper. Need something?

Cooper: C-Can we talk?

Akari: Sure... but me first.

Cooper: Okay, go ahead. Akari began to timidly grab her arm, and she looked off to the side. Seriously, something's up.

Akari: I'm sorry... for, y'know, the way I acted this morning, and last night, and...

Cooper: Hey, hey... I forgive you. But why do you feel the need to apologize?

Akari: Well... I'm sure it's no secret that I've been hanging out with Allan.

Cooper: Yeah, I've... noticed it some.

Akari: It's not that I'm trying to avoid you or anything...! He and I... we just became really close friends recently.

Cooper: What happened?

Akari: ...Here.

Cooper: Akari headed towards the Hall of Records.

Akari: Hurry, before the nighttime announcement starts.

Cooper: C-Coming... She held the door open for me, and I noticed something different about the room. Chuck and Xandra had their own mannequins. D-Did you do this?

Akari: No... here's what happened.

(FLASHBACK)

Akari: I was the first person to enter the dining hall this morning. Or so I thought. I saw that the Hall of Records door was open. Nervously, I looked inside, and I found Allan in there all alone, with two mannequins and a pile of familiar clothes.

Allan: G-Good morning, Akari.

Akari: Allan, are you-

Allan: It-It's not what it looks like, trust me...

Akari: Really? Because it looks like you're making memorial mannequins for Chuck and Xandra.

Allan: ...

Akari: Figured he wouldn't want to admit it. Since Utah and Chuck are both dead, no one else was left to create memorial mannequins for the deceased. That's what you're doing, isn't it?

Allan: ...D-Don't tell anyone...

Akari: Mm. I didn't exactly agree, but Allan took that passive noise as an agreement. Now that you know, don't bring it up. I'll never hear the end of it.

(FLASHBACK ENDS)

Cooper: O-Of course not, I'd never.

Akari: And then I started talking to him about my behavior last night, and how I was just so out of it... he calmed me down and invited me for a date earlier today.

Cooper: A date?

Akari: Yeah... not "that" kind of date, though. You know, like a doctor's appointment. You call it a date. He invited me to the theater, but after we investigated the fifth floor, we thought that the planetarium was a better choice.

Cooper: ...Oh.

Akari: And... please don't freak out... he asked me to be his girlfriend... and I said yes.

Cooper: ...Oh...? Really? So my hunch was correct...

Akari: It's not that I choose him over you, it's just that... our friendship is too important to me. You understand, right?

Cooper: It's important to me, too. I'm not offended that you chose him over me; you didn't even do that at all. I'm glad that you two are together. He deserves a great girl like you.

Akari: Thanks. You can stop kissing up to me now.

Cooper: S-Sorry...

Akari: I just want you to know that, no matter where I am, or how long I'm away from you... we're still partners, got it?

Cooper: I... I thought it was a boss-assistant relationship.

Akari: That was just a little joke I made in the past. But... as I got to know you, and as many of our friends died... I learned that all humans have equal worth. Bosses and assistants don't have equal worth, but partners do.

Cooper: Oh... I understand.

Akari: What? Liven up, you just got promoted!

Cooper: Haha, yeah... I'm just a bit nervous about what's to come, though. That's all.

Akari: Hey, don't say that. Gremmie too much of a wuss to commit murder, anyway. He's all bark and no bite. Yours truly, however, is both bark and bite.

Cooper: Now THAT I can agree with.

Akari: Now you're talking!

Ding dong, bing bong...

Monokuma: Ahem... Flip's Peak Academy has an announcement to make. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon, the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then... sweet dreams, everyone!

Cooper: ...We're in the dining hall.

Akari: GO GO GO!

Cooper: Akari sped like a bullet out of the dining hall, all while grabbing the collar of my shirt. Ah-AHH! AHHH! AKARI! She slammed the door behind her and began to pant heavily... but her breathing couldn't rival mine.

Akari: Phew! You were about to be a goner.

Cooper: Haa... haa... you think...?

Akari: Alright, well... uh, good night, then.

Cooper: Yeah. Night! We parted ways and went to bed. I was still trying to comprehend what I just heard. Akari and Allan are dating now? And Gremmie's just bluffing about killing us? Is that really true? Is that... really...

...

...

...

Day #12: Breakfast

Monokuma: ...has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, the class trial...

Cooper: -AH! I sprung up, shivering. W-Was I really hearing a...

Monokuma: ...nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!

Cooper: Oh... I guess I just woke up from a nightmare. Maybe I should fake a dream like yesterday morning... I closed my eyes...

...

Cooper: No, the others would be waiting on me. I got out of bed, got dressed, and went to the dining hall for breakfast. The route from my room to the dining hall door is pretty quick... it'd only take about thirty seconds just to get there, but today... today felt different. I paid attention to every step I took, every tile I stepped over, and I was looking around more than usual. I'm afraid, that's what it is... I'm afraid of what'll happen today. Gremmie's going to kill everyone... he already killed Scooter, and Alberto, and Elle and Deano and Timm and Tohru and Utah and Chuck and Xandra...!

Clover: C-Cooper?

Cooper: U-Uh... hi. Good morning. I realized that I slammed the door open and I had caught everyone's attention.

Allan: Please, feel free to open the door a little bit louder. My headache insists.

Cooper: S-Sorry... just got a bit distracted. I took a look around... only Clover, Allan, and Akari were here.

Akari: Here, take a seat.

Cooper: Were you guys talking about something?

Akari: No, we were just having a light-hearted conversation. Nothing serious.

Cooper: Oh, alright. Count me in. Although they said "nothing serious," it involved Monokuma. Everyone was trash-talking him and thinking of roasts for him. I tried making one up, but I didn't get much of a reaction. I guess it was a bit boring. Then, Ninjoy entered, and so did Wylan B.

Ninjoy: Morning.

Akari: ...

Cooper: Even though Akari and I are back on good terms, I can't say the same about her and Ninjoy.

Wylan B: Yo, dawgs! Chicks too, how y'all doin'?

Clover: We both know you're being cringey.

Wylan B: W-Way to start a person's morning, Clover.

Ninjoy: (looks over at Papa Louie's cage) May we eat breakfast now?

Papa Louie: (nods, and begins to prepare cereal)

Wylan B: Cereal? Really...?

Clover: Stop complaining... at least we get something other than pancakes for a change. Get what you get, don't throw a fit. That's what I say.

Cooper: Papa Louie handed us all our bowls of cereal. Looks like it was Tropical Charms. Thanks... We all sat down at the table, but Ninjoy looked like she had something to say. She did ask Papa Louie if we could eat... Hey, Ninjoy... did you want to say something?

Ninjoy: Hm? Yes, I actually wanted to talk to Gremmie.

Allan: That's right... he's the only one not here yet. And I was actually starting to enjoy my morning...

Ninjoy: If he doesn't come soon, I'll call him.

Akari: I guess we can wait a bit. No rush.

Cooper: Agreed. I enjoyed my first bite of cereal. The perfect ratio of crunchy wheat and pastel-colored marshmallows all in one bite. When I thought it was an appropriate time to call Gremmie, he came in.

Gremmie: Cereal? Huh, what a chef.

Allan: (under his breath) Tell me about it.

Gremmie: Make me two bowls, Papa Louie.

Papa Louie: Mm...

Akari: Gremmie. Ninjoy needs to speak to you.

Gremmie: ...No thanks. (walks to door)

Ninjoy: I don't want to talk, either.

Gremmie: Glad we agree on something. (reaches for handle)

Ninjoy: I don't want to take charge here, either.

Gremmie: (turns around) Say what?

Ninjoy: And I don't want to survive, either...

Cooper: N-Ninj...!

Ninjoy: So many of my friends have died... so why should I survive? What do I have to live for?

Gremmie: So you can annoy everyone to death and back.

Ninjoy: But surviving is a must. Or else everyone who died will have died in vain. We all brought each other here, and I intend to keep moving forward.

Gremmie: ...

Ninjoy: So sit down and talk to me.

Gremmie: ...

Clover: (whispers to Wylan B) Oh, she is gooood.

Gremmie: (pretend to hold up small flag) Fine, I surrender. What is it now?

Ninjoy: I was thinking last night before Monokuma's nighttime announcement.

Gremmie: Cool. Me too. Glad we could chat. (stands up)

Ninjoy: Up-up-up! (points down) Sit.

Allan: What is he, a dog?

Akari: He's got the hair for it.

Ninjoy: Remember two nights ago, right before Xandra got executed?

(FLASHBACK)

Xandra: Everyone, don't be sad. Send me off with a smile. There's still hope for the killing games to end! Xolo may still be alive!

Monokuma: Actually, he tried to defy the Remnants of Despair, so we killed him.

Cooper: WHAT?!

Xandra: You killed... my brother...?!

(FLASHBACK)

Ninjoy: Monokuma said that the Remnants of Despair killed Xolo because they tried to defy him. Regarding this, isn't it safe to assume that the Remnants of Despair have control over the outside world?

Gremmie: Dunno.

Ninjoy: This isn't going to cut it, Gremmie, I need answers. What is going on out there?

Akari: Aren't you a Remnant of Despair, Gremmie? You should know.

Gremmie: Yeah, we kinda took over outside.

Wylan B: He... said that pretty nonchalantly, didn't he?

Gremmie: Look, our mission is to spread despair. Just like Junko.

Ninjoy: ...

Gremmie: She inspired so many people with her despair, you know? She's a legend.

Ninjoy: She inspired many people to commit suicide and kill other people! That's no legend, that's a terrorist!

Gremmie: Hm... Monokuma, quick question.

Monokuma: Top of the morning, everyone! What is it, Gremmie?

Gremmie: Would it be okay to show a live feed of the outside world right now?

Monokuma: Sure. Only a few seconds, though. You know me and spoilers don't mix well!

Cooper: Huh? Suddenly, the monitors turned on, and displayed a sickening image. The roads had infinite cracks, the grass was burnt, nearby building were on fire, the sky was crimson, blood was splattered on the camera, and bodies lined the ground.

Clover: Ah... AHH!! B-Blood! P-People are dying...

Cooper: N-No... Suddenly, a girl with her hair burnt out ran up to the camera, picked it up, and we could see her distorted expression of fear and pain.

???: I-Is somebody watching this?! Please... HELP ME!

Cooper: P-P...P...

???: AAAAAAHHH!!!

Cooper: She dodged a bloody knife from the side and fell over. The monitor turned off in an instant. We were left in total silence.

...

Cooper: ...P-Pru...dence...?

Wylan B: No way... that was that Prudence girl?!

Cooper: ...My arms began to shake with pure anger.

Akari: Cooper...

Cooper: I didn't want to hide it anymore. I ferociously walked towards Monokuma, showing him my intent of violence. You... you KILLED...! YOU KILLED HER!

Monokuma: Whaaaat? I didn't kill her, the Remnants of Despair did!

Cooper: *gasp*

Monokuma: Well, I'm not sure if she's actually dead or not. But she's hurt, either way.

Cooper: Ngh...! My head hung, and I didn't move. I was scared... everything was happening faster than I can think.

Gremmie: So, Ninjoy... did that answer your question?

Ninjoy: ...Although I'm not at all satisfied with that answer, yes.

Gremmie: Hm. Good.

Cooper: I didn't look at him, but I heard the door open and close. Gremmie probably left.

Akari: C-Cooper... if you want to talk, we can...

Cooper: N-NO! I pushed Akari aside and ran for the door. No thoughts crossed my mind... I just ran. Not knowing what was to come next, I just ran. I got to my dorm, locked the door, and went back inside my bed. I thought of Prudence, and I began to cry. Not caring how much anyone else would hear me... I just cried. I let all of my emotions out. Then I thought... Is... is this how Alberto felt?

...

Cooper: No, I can't kill...! I can't kill just to see Prudence!

...

Cooper: I suppose the only thing I can do now is hope. Hope that she's still alive, and she'll stay alive. She'll... stay... alive...

...

...

...

(KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK)

Cooper: -Ah! The knocks made me jump, because they were so loud. I wonder who could have knocked that loud... probably someone agressive. I opened the door, and saw Allan standing there; arms crossed and his toe tapping in an impatient rhythm. Did you need something?

Allan: ...Follow me.

Cooper: Wh-? He grabbed my wrist and walked me to my lounge. Shutting the door behind him, he sat down on the couch. I took a seat in the bungee-cord chair across from it. He adjusted himself to get comfortable.

Allan: So... do you want to talk?

Cooper: Wait, THAT'S what you wanted?

Allan: Yeah. Is that a problem?

Cooper: No, it's just that you're not exactly a social person... you're not really the type of person to go to someone's room and invite them to hang out.

Allan: ...You seemed down, and thought you'd want to have a talk, man to man.

Cooper: I was still in a state of confusion, why he would go to such lengths.

Allan: Tch... screw it. Looks like one of my rare kind gestures went to waste. (stands up)

FREE TIME: Allan #2

Cooper: Now I feel kind of bad... Should I invite Allan to hang out? He went to the trouble of trying to make me feel better... the least I can do is thank him. Hey, Allan... wait. Let's talk some.

Allan: Oh, now you want to talk? Fine... there's some Fizzos in the fridge over there, I'll grab a couple and we can talk it out.

Cooper: I spent the day talking with Allan over Fizzo cans. It looks like Allan and I grew a little closer.

Allan: So... Cooper.

Cooper: ...Yeah?

Allan: ...

Cooper: ...?

Allan: Jeez, this is awkward... and here I thought we could have a decent conversation to help you ease your nerves.

Cooper: Hey, it's no biggie. Let's think of something to talk about.

Allan: ...Conversations aren't my fort- ah!

Cooper: What? What happened?

Allan: ...Bit my tongue...

Cooper: Seemed pretty painful for just a measly tounge-bite. His eyes are shut tight... must hurt really bad.

Allan: This tooth... one more time and I'm pulling it out!

Cooper: Whoa, chill! What's so bad about that tooth?

Allan: I keep biting my tongue with it... hurts like the devil.

Cooper: It's just a tooth, though. What's the matter with it?

Allan: It's, uh... it's none of your business! It's just a touchy subject is all.

Cooper: Do you mind if I see it?

Allan: ...

Cooper: He let out a loud sigh, and opened his lips for me to see his teeth. I noticed that one of his teeth was more yellow than the rest. It was chipped at the bottom, resembling a shark tooth. And the tooth to the right of it was completely missing.

Allan: Happy?

Cooper: O-Of course not! I knew you had a chipped tooth, but seeing it up close...

Allan: Yeah... I never really believed in the tooth fairy as a kid, I like to think of it as some sort of karmic irony or something like that... haha... *cough cough COUGH*

Cooper: ...? He let out what could be identified as a chuckle, although right after that he tried to mask it as coughing.

Allan: Anyway... I don't suppose you want to know why I got this?

Cooper: Didn't you say it was a touchy subject?

Allan: Yeah, but... I say that to everyone.

Cooper: Really?

Allan: Think about it. You're at high school, your tooth fresh from a good beating.

Cooper: ...What?

Allan: Chipped like a shark tooth, tender to the touch. You're not going to go through an entire day without a million people asking about it. I only catch a break when about ten or so people ask me.

Cooper: Wow... I feel like I should bring back up the part about the beating, but maybe I should keep quiet. But Allan, is this really a touchy subject for you? Or do you just not want to tell everybody?

Allan: ...Pick whichever one you want. I'm still choosing...

Cooper: Well, I think it looks cool.

Allan: ...That's a lie.

Cooper: No, it's not. I don't know how to go into detail without sounding offensive, but trust me when I say this. Nobody here would think of you the same way if you still had all of your teeth.

Allan: I guess you're right. It just shows how tough I can be.

Cooper: Exactly.

Allan: Hey, can I... *ahem*... show you something?

Cooper: His gaze was dead serious. G-Go ahead.

Allan: One second, please.

Cooper: Allan flipped the collar of his shirt, stuck his hand inside, and pulled out a small brown string. Looks like a necklace. And on the front of that necklace was... a tooth? Yours, I'm guessing?

Allan: No, I found it on the street back home. It's my most prized possession now.

Cooper: ...?

Allan: Of course it's mine! Who else's would it be?

Cooper: S-Sorry... so why did you put it on a necklace?

Allan: ...Just a memento of the day I changed.

Cooper: The day you changed?

Allan: I started to roughen up, speak my mind, become more brave... and picking my bloody tooth off the ground made me realize that I had to change. In time, I found out that it was for the better. If it wasn't for that day... Elle would've probably been more brave than me. Not to disrespect the dead, I'm just making a point.

Cooper: No, I get it. Wait, he said "bloody tooth?" He didn't get into a fight, did he?

Allan: Well, I'm surprised. This conversation actually made me feel better, and it was intended for you to feel better.

Cooper: Glad we could chat.

Allan: But this secret stays between us, yeah? If someone found out, like, say Clover, I'd never hear the end of it.

Cooper: I agreed politely. We shook hands and parted ways. Honestly, I felt like thanking Allan again, but we had already left each other. I feel like I'm getting to know Allan a little better.

FREE TIME: Akari #4

Cooper: Before I opened my door, Akari had just left her room and she caught me.

Akari: Cooper, how are you?

Cooper: I'm getting better, you?

Akari: I'm... okay? There wasn't really a reason to ask me that but okay.

Cooper: Darn it! Me and my polite reflexes. Should I invite Akari to hang out? That sounds good.

Akari: Awesome. Let's meet in the gym, and continue our training!

Cooper: I spent the day training for sparring with Akari, and honestly, it wore me out. It looks like Akari and I grew a little closer.

Akari: C'MON!

Cooper: She was wearing two boxing pads, and she held them up for me to punch with my bare fists.

Akari: Listen, if you wanna be tough, you've gotta start punching harder or you'll be negatively compared to a peashooter!

Cooper: L-Look, I'm trying... I looked at my knuckles, which were bubblegum pink.

Akari: H-Hey, I saw that!

Cooper: What?

Akari: You looked at your knuckles!

Cooper: So what? I can do that.

Akari: No you can't. In a fight, you must always pay attention to the other person. If you get hurt, so be it!

Cooper: They hurt... so bad!

Akari: Just keep pushing through! Don't let your thoughts control your actions, just do it! It's in the bag!

Cooper: Okay, now you're just spouting out motivational nonsense.

Akari: Is it working?

Cooper: Okay, I'm done.

Akari: Wha-?

Cooper: I was panting so hard... I threw my shirt off and went to sit on the bleachers.

Akari: Was, that uh... really necessary?

Cooper: I'm tired, okay? Give me a minute to breathe. I just took off my shirt in front of Akari... I can't believe it...

Akari: Do you just wanna talk some?

Cooper: That'd be nice. She threw her boxing pads on the floor and sat beside me. A-A little bit of space, please...

Akari: Gee, you're THAT sensitive about taking your shirt off? It's okay, I don't even care.

Cooper: *sigh* Thanks.

Akari: Anything in mind?

Cooper: Just... one thing, I've been thinking about it for some time. Why are you a biker?

Akari: That's a deep question. Hm... I don't really know off the top of my head. The best answer I can give you is that it makes me feel alive.

Cooper: Makes you feel alive?

Akari: Yeah! Especially the feeling whenever you let your hair flap in the wind while you're going 10 over the speed limit... man, there's nothing like it.

Cooper: I kinda get that feeling when I'm on a roller coaster. N-Nothing too extreme, just mild rollercoasters.

Akari: I mean, you're a guy with short hair, so you wouldn't understand.

Cooper: Guess not... wait, back up! Speeding?

Akari: Don't worry. I outrun the cops.

Cooper: Outrun the cops.

Akari: I'm just messing with you. I haven't gotten in trouble with the police... at least not with anything involving Violet.

Cooper: Now you have to tell me about the time you got involved!

Akari: It was only one time, don't get any ideas. I'm pretty bad, but I'm no criminal.

Cooper: Were you speeding more than you usually do? Did you wreck?

Akari: Relax, it has nothing to do with motorcycles. Except for the fact that I drove one to get to my destination.

Cooper: What was it?

Akari: The supermarket.

Cooper: I... could tell where this was going. You shoplifted, didn't you?

Akari: L-Look! I had to...

Cooper: You had to? I highly doubt that.

Akari: You haven't heard my story yet. I did it for one of the other bikers.

Cooper: Okay. Tell me what happened.

Akari: So you remember the love story between Rico and Rhonda, right?

Cooper: Yeah. Rhoco.

Akari: When I first joined the gang of bikers, Rico was the one I connected with the most. Of course, he told me about Rhonda, and how they were dating. I was only 14, so I was pretty uninterested in the boring romance of two adults.

Cooper: Relatable. Have you met my parents?

Akari: I guess we can wait until after we escape.

Cooper: Uh, what? That was rhetorical.

Akari: Of course it was... dang it, that was a really awkward answer, wasn't it?

Cooper: C-Continue...

Akari: Sure, sure. I didn't care too much about their relationship until I found out that Rico and Rhonda hadn't seen each other for a year and a half.

Cooper: Wait, why?

Akari: Rhonda was in Europe for some sort of exchange program. From what I remember, she got a job for driving people... I don't remember what that business was called...

Cooper: I... think I might know what it was. Was it...

Uber
Cooper: Was it called Uber?
Akari: Yeah, that's it! That's the pretty popular one nowadays.

Zhu
Cooper: Was it called Zhu?
Akari: What kind of name is Zhu? That sounds more like a line of robotic hamster toys.
Cooper: Whoops, looks like that wasn't the right answer. I better try again.

Tyers
Cooper: Was it called Tyers?
Xandra: Tyers... like, the tires on a car? That's a worse name for a company than McDonald's. They just stole two Disney characters and smushed their names together! Like, where's the creativity?
Cooper: Whoops, looks like that wasn't the right answer. I better try again. But now I have a sudden craving for Mulan Szechaun sauce.

Cooper: But I don't get it. Why didn't Rico go visit her?

Akari: He had a business to run in Tacodale serving chili. He doesn't exactly trust anyone to take over for him. He says he'll die with his business if he has to.

Cooper: Now that's committment. But I'm still not hearing about the shoplifting thing.

Akari: One day, Rhonda video-chatted Rico and told him that she was coming home. That's when I realized how much they meant to each other. Now my family was going through some... financial problems, and I didn't have a lot of money. But I knew that Rico wanted to make Rhonda's return special.

Cooper: You stole something for them, didn't you?

Akari: I went to the supermarket and stole $100 worth of red and white roses.

Cooper: Is that right...?

Akari: I got caught about a day later, and I had to pay it in full, but it took a few weeks to save up for it all.

Cooper: Did Rhonda enjoy the roses?

Akari: She started to tear up. Those two hugged for a good two minutes!

Cooper: Wow... that's a really uplifting story.

Akari: Right?

Cooper: I stood up and grabbed my shirt off the ground, shook the dust off of it, and slipped it back on.

Akari: I just hope you don't think I'm some sort of criminal now or anything. That'd be pretty awkward.

Cooper: Akari's a really delicate person... a self-conscious soul shelled by a rough exterior. No.

Akari: No?

Cooper: You, sitting beside me, telling me a story about your life, while I have no shirt on. That's awkward. If you can handle that, I think you can handle whatever anyone thinks of you.

Akari: I never thought of it like that...

Cooper: The two of us exchanged a smile, then we returned to our dorms. I'm glad Akari's opening up to me. I feel like I'm getting to know Akari a little better.

...

Cooper: As I shut my dorm door behind me, I noticed the time. In about twenty minutes, Dinner will start. I flopped down on my bed like usual, and looked at my beginning-to-become-familiar ceiling. I let out a huge sigh, reflecting on everything that's happened so far. They got Prudence... I don't even know if she's alive... when I get out of here, I'll definitely-!

Bzzt... bzzt...

Cooper: Hm? It was my e-Hand Plus. It's the same group text from Clover, but Wylan B texted this time.

WYLANB: My keyboard got stolen!!!

COOPER: Another thing got stolen?

NINJOY: Where r u?

WYLANB: My study center.

CLOVER: Srsly?! When I find out who's doing this...

AKARI: Should we meet up there?

WYLANB: I guess...

ALLAN: K, I'm coming.

COOPER: Me too.

Cooper: Keeping in mind that only one person didn't participate in this group chat, nobody can convince me now that Gremmie isn't the thief. I left the dorm hall with Akari and Allan, and we all took the elevator up to the fourth floor. I looked at Akari and Allan; he was gripping her hand tight, but only Akari was looking at Allan. The door opened and we saw an all-too familiar environment.

Akari: It sure feels weird coming up here now that the Hunt's over.

Allan: Weird? More like depressing. I don't need to be reminded of all the crap that went down in these past couple days.

Cooper: Speaking of which, we haven't brought up Wylan B's cut recently. We should ask him about it.

Allan: You came up with the idea. Do us the honors.

Cooper: O-Okay. I peeked through Wylan B's study center door. Everyone else was already in there, waiting for the three of us.

Akari: Hey, isn't there supposed to be a room right here?

Allan: What? The room with Alter Ego?

Akari: Yeah, where did that go?

Monokuma: (appears) You wanna know how I did that magic trick?

Akari: You removed it?

Monokuma: It was only for the Hunt anyways. There's no need for Alter Ego anymore!

Cooper: But he was so nice!

Allan: You're defending a computer program, Cooper.

Cooper: *ahem* Good point. He still could have been helpful though.

Monokuma: You know what they say, "Help yourself!"

Cooper: Grr... but how did you remove that room?

Monokuma: A magician never reveals his secrets~!

Akari: You're not a magician... besides, it's not important anyway. The others are waiting on us.

Cooper: Right. I turned the knob and held the door for Akari and Allan. I expected to walk into a dark metal-plated room. I knew that that room had been removed, but a part of me still expected it. You know, like how you walk into a bright room and your hand reaches for the light switch to turn on the lights, but they're already on?

Wylan B: Great, that's everyone.

Allan: Did you find out who stole the keyboard?

Clover: And my practice pad, too?

Akari: ...

Cooper: Akari was giving Ninjoy a cold glare. Ninjoy did her best to ignore it.

Wylan B: (points to duct tape in the shape of an elongated letter H) Exhibit A. The victim.

Gremmie: You're calling your keyboard... a victim?

Wylan B: All men are created equal! ...and keyboards... nevermind! The point is, who could have stolen it?

Akari: Obviously it was Ninjoy. She stole the practice pad and now she stole your keyboard!

Ninjoy: And why would I do that?

Akari: M-Motives have nothing to do with this right now. Just like a trial, facts are everything!

Ninjoy: Hm. I see.

Gremmie: What? You suspect someone now, Ninjoy?

Ninjoy: It's funny you're the one who said it, Gremmie. I believe you did it.

Cooper: I second that.

Allan: Hey, why him?

Ninjoy: He's the most suspicious out of all of us.

Akari: *cough cough* Hypocrite *cough cough*

Ninjoy: ...

Cooper: Ninjoy flipped down her mask to show the entire upper half of her face. She didn't move a muscle, she just stared at Akari. Her cold, purple-eyed stare was enough to shut Akari up.

Akari: S-Sorry.

Ninjoy: (flips mask back up)

Wylan B: That... gave me chills.

Clover: Hey, can I say something?

Allan: Go for it.

Clover: I mean, why is stuff getting stolen in the first place?

Ninjoy: You do make a good point. Why would somebody need to steal a practice pad and a keyboard... it makes no sense.

Akari: Probably just for the sake of stealing. Maybe somebody wants to cause some trouble.

Cooper: Is this going to keep going then?

Clover: There's no way of knowing...

Wylan B: I sure hope it doesn't. Any time I'm in the same room as Gremmie makes me uncomfortable.

Gremmie: There's no way this would go on.

Akari: What do you mean?

Gremmie: Every time something gets stolen, the number of suspects decreases.

Wylan B: I don't think I follow...

Gremmie: Don't worry, I expected as much.

Wylan B: (gives Gremmie an angry stare)

Gremmie: Anyway, let's say that... Cooper's the culprit.

Cooper: Wait, why me?

Gremmie: Just as an example. Yesterday, you stole Clover's practice pad. Today, you stole Wylan B's keyboard. Then if the trend continues, he'll continue to steal something from everyone, until he's the only person left who hasn't gotten robbed. Wouldn't we all find that suspicious?

Cooper: Then that settles it; this can't go on.

Allan: Exactly. If the thief stole from everyone, then they'd only be digging their grave.

Ninjoy: ...Perhaps this is a mystery that can only be solved in time. Maybe we should let the thief continue to do their thing.

Akari: What good would that do? That's like a police officer refusing to chase after a bad guy!

Ninjoy: This is different. That police officer knew who the bad guy was... but we don't know who the thief is. We don't have any clues other than the fact that Clover and Wylan B are innocent. The only thing we can do is wait.

Akari: When you put it like that, I guess it sounds reasonable.

Clover: Speaking of reasonable, Dinner starts in a couple minutes. Last one to the dining hall is a rotten egg! (runs off)

Cooper: C-Clover, what did that have to do with "speaking of reasonable?"

Clover: Food is ALWAYS reasonable, DUH!

Cooper: She giggled herself off as she entered the elevator. We all joined her as Ninjoy, Akari, and Allan continued to discuss about the thief and the stolen items. Guys, cut it out...

Akari: Is there a problem?

Cooper: Arguing's not going to get us anywhere. Plus, I have a headache.

Ninjoy: ...Alright. I'll stay quiet.

Allan: Same here.

Akari: Okay...

Cooper: The elevator opened, we exited, and I held the dining hall door for everyone. The only "thank you" I received was from Ninjoy. We sat at our spots at the table and waited for Papa Louie's cage to appear.

Day #12: Dinner

Allan: So, babe, what do you think we're gonna have?

Cooper: ...Allan's calling her "babe" now?

Akari: Hm... maybe burgers. Or tacos. Wait, have we had sushi yet?

Wylan B: Uhh... when did THAT start? (wiggles finger at the two)

Akari: Yesterday. He asked we could start dating, and I said sure.

Wylan B: So... you're a lovey-dovey couple now?

Allan: No way, that's not how I do things.

Akari: Besides, I'm more of a love-'em and leave-'em type.

Allan: That makes me feel so much better.

Akari: H-Hey!

Cooper: Allan punched Akari on the shoulder and they started laughing. I tried... not to cringe.

Monokuma: Okay, good evening everyone!

Clover: C'mon, Monokuma! I'm starving!

Monokuma: Hey, did I miss something?

Cooper: Monokuma put his paw below his mouth and looked at all of us.

Monokuma: Those two. You're flirting with Allan, aren't you?

Akari: Uh... yeah...

Monokuma: Oh, this is just perfect! Here, I'll grab some candles from Izuru's shrine room, put them on the table, and let the moonlight illuminate the room! The mood is going to be set tonight!

Cooper: Monokuma ran off to the doors, swung them open, and scurried to the elevator. Maybe we shouldn't remind him that we can't see moonlight...

Akari: Agreed. Like, I hope everyone's fine with Allan and me dating, but I don't need Monokuma shipping it like Fed-Ex 24/7.

Allan: That would be a pain in the butt.

Akari: Tell me about it.

Clover: Monokuma didn't lower Papa Louie's CAGE!

Cooper: Clover slammed her hands on the table, stood up, and panted really loud. I could see a strand of drool forming at her lips.

Ninjoy: Clover... please calm down.

Clover: I... need... food...

Cooper: We listened to Clover panting before Monokuma came back with a candle.

Monokuma: Here you go, for the happy couple.

Allan: ...Your kindness is too much.

Monokuma: Something's missing... what is it, what indeed...?

Clover: FOOD!!!

Cooper: She raised her fist high into the air and slammed it down onto the table, looking at Monokuma with fire in her eyes... or stomach. I could see her hand turn pink from the pain.

Monokuma: Oh, that's right. You can't have a table for two without food.

Clover: H-Hurry up... I may starve in six seconds!

Monokuma: Take a chill pill, Clover! Your Ultimate Gymnast is beginning to show!

Clover: My huh?

Ninjoy: ...!

Cooper: After that strange comment, Monokuma clapped his hands twice, as Papa Louie's cage descended from the ceiling.

Allan: So what's it tonight?

Monokuma: Steak and shrimp!

Clover: Steak! (runs up to Papa Louie) Two of them! Medium rare!

Papa Louie: ...?

Clover: With extra love! Thank you so much!

Papa Louie: Mm...

Cooper: Papa Louie's left eyebrow was raised the entire time he bent down to grab a medium rare steak from behind the counter. It looks like they were already made beforehand. Clover was handed her steak, shrimp, and an iced tea.

Gremmie: Quick question, real quick.

Monokuma: The chair recognizes Gremmie.

Gremmie: Why steak and shrimp? That's not from one of his restaurants, is it?

Monokuma: I figured you all were getting tired of the same food over and over. That's why I served cereal this morning.

Ninjoy: You didn't serve cereal this morning, Papa Louie served cereal this morning.

Monokuma: Potato potahto.

Gremmie: Yeah, what's your problem, anyway?

Ninjoy: That's it! You need to start appreciating what Papa Louie is doing for us. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be alive right now. Suffering.

Monokuma: You make a good point. How many times are you guys going to play that card? It's repetitive and annoying... (disappears)

Cooper: We all stood in line for steak and shrimp. I was last in line by chance. Once everyone got their food and I was next, I told Papa Louie what I wanted. Regular steak, please... no shrimp.

Papa Louie: Hmm...

Cooper: He ducked down to get the steak. But he popped back up and shrugged at me. No more regular steak?

Papa Louie: (shakes head)

Cooper: Well, I'll take whatever's left, then...

Papa Louie: Mhm.

Cooper: This time he came back up with a rare steak. That's fine, I guess. Thank you. And I really meant it that time, I wasn't just being polite. What Ninjoy said really touched me. "If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be alive right now." Wow... he's really an amazing man. He handed me my iced tea and I sat back down at the table.

Akari: Gremmie, I've been thinking.

Gremmie: I'm not telling you the survivors of the third killing game, OKAY?!

Akari: That... wasn't what I was trying to do... is it important?

Gremmie: No, not really...

Akari: Then that checks out. I wanted to ask about Izuru Kamukura.

Gremmie: That's a bit of a random topic. Go ahead.

Cooper: Now that I think about, something's not right about that guy and the fact that he appears all around the school.

Ninjoy: (opens e-Handbook) He has a painting on the first floor, a statue on the second floor, a collage mural on the third, a fountain on the fourth, and then... that shrine on the fifth floor.

Akari: About that shrine... why does he have one?

Cooper: That is true... we don't know why it's even there.

(FLASHBACK)

Cooper: She dragged me out of the shrine room, slammed the door shut, and held her arms, shaking. That was... insanely freaky.

Ninjoy: And freakishly insane.

Cooper: Right. But what was the purpose of that, anyways?! To creep us out?

Ninjoy: I don't know... why does the founder of Flip's Peak have a shrine... that's crying blood?

Cooper: The students must have really respected him.

Ninjoy: No, Monokuma and Gremmie must have really respected him. They remodeled Flip's Peak... they must have been the ones to build this!

Cooper: Was Izuru looked at as a god of some kind?

Ninjoy: He couldn't be that amazing, now could he? He's just some... some dumb person who founded a school.

(FLASHBACK ENDS)

Cooper: Monokuma and Gremmie remodeled Flip's Peak, right? They destroyed old rooms to create new ones, specifically for the killing game.

Gremmie: That I did.

Monokuma: D-Did I just get forgotten?!

Ninjoy: They're the reason why structures like the Abyss and the Layer Cake are here.

Clover: Not to mention the movie theater and the planetarium. I KNOW Flip's Peak didn't have either of those.

Wylan B: Don't forget the elephant in the room... that freaky morphing courtroom in the Earth's freaking mantle! And that blocky Debate Scrum room too...

Allan: So, out with it, Gremmie. Why did you build the Izuru Shrine?

Cooper: Is he looked at as some sort of god? That's what I thought when I first saw it.

Clover: And why is he crying blood? There's too many questions!!!

Gremmie: G-Guys...

Monokuma: HOLD IT!

Cooper: All heads turned to Monokuma.

Monokuma: Everyone, stop talking at the same time! Gremmie, I think you can explain this.

Gremmie: Sure, sure. You guys know that Izuru Kamukura is the founder of Flip's Peak, correct?

Akari: Wait... the old guy Izuru or the young guy Izuru?

Gremmie: The young guy Izuru.

Wylan B: There's two? I'm lost already.

Cooper: What was his name again...? Harvey...? Ukelele? Hijab?

Gremmie: Hajime Hinata...

Cooper: Oh.

Akari: (looks at Cooper in disgust) Ukelele?

Cooper: I'm not good at remembering foreign names, okay? It occured to me that the word "ukulele" is a foreign word, but I decided not to bring it up.

Gremmie: I look up to Hajime/Izuru. He found so much love for Hope's Peak Academy that he was inspired to create his own school for Ultimates. Isn't that just great?

Cooper: Sure... so you just made that shrine because you look up to him?

Gremmie: That's exactly it.

Cooper: And... the bloody tears were just because?

Gremmie: Yep, pretty much.

Ninjoy: Doesn't make the shrine any less creepy, though.

Cooper: I finished my steak in about five to ten minutes, threw away my trash, and went back to my room. Then I started to think. Gremmie was a little less threatening today... yesterday he threatened me with a knife to get out of his way. Today... he's just worried about who the thief is. Will a murder really happen again? ...Will the stolen items cause a murder to occur...?!

Rumble rumble rumble...

Cooper: Huh? No, it's all in your head... it's just your fear talking...

Rumble rumble rumble...

Cooper: Okay, I know that's not in my head! Quietly but angrily, I opened my dorm door to look down Dorm Hall. Ninjoy's door was open, and that's where the sound was coming from. She must be going through her stuff. But what if that stuff was... the stolen items... Ninjoy, are you okay in there?

...

Cooper: No response. Slowly, I walked up to her door and knocked on the wall outside of her door. Ninjoy? I didn't see Ninjoy in there. What I saw was Gremmie, throwing Ninjoy's clothes onto the floor. Must not have noticed I was here, he looks so determined. The cabinet was shaking from how fast he was working. Gremmie? H-Hey, this is an invasion of Ninjoy's privacy!

Gremmie: You don't say. (continues)

Cooper: What are you doing?! Then it hit me. G-Gremmie, are you the thief?

Gremmie: No, of course not. I'm just giving Ninjoy a taste of her own medicine.

Cooper: You're... stealing from Ninjoy?

Gremmie: ...Temporarily. Just as revenge for stealing those two items.

Cooper: !

Gremmie: (stops) *sigh* Ninjoy's the thief, alright?

Cooper: Where's your proof?

Gremmie: I'm the mastermind. I know everything that happens in this school.

Cooper: I wanted to tell him that the last part was a lie, but I decided to stay quiet.

Gremmie: Since nobody was smart enough to think of this idea, I'm looking through Ninjoy's stuff to find the practice pad and keyboard.

Cooper: Look, I know you have... I know how this was going to sound but oh well. You have... somewhat good intentions. But that doesn't mean you can trash Ninjoy's room like this.

Gremmie: C'mon, it'll only take, like, five minutes to clean up.

Cooper: So what? Get out of here!

Gremmie: Fine. I'll look somewhere else.

Cooper: Thanks.

Gremmie: (pulls out knife) But don't tell Ninjoy I was in here. The last thing I need is her breathing down my neck.

Cooper: I left without another word. As soon as I got to my room, I opened my e-Hand Plus and texted Ninjoy.

COOPER: Ninjoy, where r u?

NINJOY: I'm in Deano's study center. Y?

COOPER: Gremmie's trashing up ur room.

NINJOY: Is that so? I'm coming.

COOPER: Don't let him know that I told u this. Make it look like you showed up by chance.

NINJOY: Got it.

Cooper: With a sigh, I flopped onto my bed and waited for the yelling to begin. Making sure my door was closed, I listened eagerly to the sounds in Dorm Hall. I heard pretty fast footsteps; those must belong to Ninjoy. I looked through the tiny crack in my door, and watched her go by, as she flipped her hair confidently. Something inside me wanted to see Gremmie get scolded... and possibly have his own butt served to him on a silver platter. As Ninjoy left my range of vision, I placed my ear to the door.

Ninjoy: Looks like I've unmasked the real thief.

Gremmie: On the contrary. I've unmasked the real thief.

Cooper: What?

Ninjoy: What are you talking about? I'm not the thief.

Gremmie: Then what is Clover's practice pad doing in your closet?

Ninjoy: ...!

Cooper: H-Hey, what's...? I shut myself up, hoping Gremmie didn't hear me.

...

Ninjoy: Listen, I didn't...!

Gremmie: Shh... I heard someone.

Ninjoy: Th-That wasn't a voice. I just rubbed my shoes together...

Gremmie: I know a voice when I hear one.

Cooper: Crap! He heard me! I expected him to search Dorm Hall, but I heard no footsteps.

Gremmie: ...Who told you I was here?

Ninjoy: Nobody.

Gremmie: Let me see your e-Handbook. I want to see your latest texts. Unless you're lying, there won't be anyone telling you to come to your room.

Ninjoy: ...

Gremmie: I knew it... you're a liar, and a thief. I'm impressed that you lived up to your talent.

Cooper: I couldn't believe what I was hearing... Ninjoy's really the thief?

Ninjoy: ...Here.

Cooper: N-No...!

...

...

...

Step step step step...

Cooper: He's coming...! Without thinking, I dashed out of my room, running out of Dorm Hall at top speed. I took a look back; Gremmie was chasing me, knife in hand. The elevator would take too long, so I headed towards the Abyss. As soon as I reached it, I realized that the platform wasn't out. Gremmie caught up and blocked the Abyss entrance and the secret passageway at once. I was standing on the edge of a metal cliff, with no escape. He was creeping closer with his knife as Ninjoy found us.

Ninjoy: Gremmie! Stay away from him!

Cooper: I had tears in my eyes as I saw Ninjoy's sympathetic expression. Ninjoy... you betrayed me! You betrayed me! YOU'RE A THIEF!

Ninjoy: I'm not the thief! Gremmie must be the real thief!

Gremmie: Zip it, you two. Cooper...

Cooper: He's getting closer... the shiny, jagged edge of his knife was getting closer. I slowly backed up until my heel reached the edge of the Abyss. I was about to fall in...!

Gremmie: If anything, you... betrayed me.

Cooper: ...For a good cause...

Gremmie: Now, I'd say, "Any last words," but... I feel like "no words at all" sounds more despair filling.

Cooper: ...! He raised his knife and swung it at me hard. I thankfully dodged... but I fell... I fell... I fell down all the way to the bottom of the Abyss. The last sound I heard was my blood-curdling scream. Then I hit the rolled up red velvet carpet, feeling like a water balloon being dropped on a bed of concrete...

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Day #13: Breakfast

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Cooper: I opened my eyes but I couldn't see... Hngh...! Ouch... What am I doing...? Then I remembered. Gremmie attacked me and I fell down the Abyss. I thought I was a goner! But I hit this red velvet carpet... it's odd that Monokuma kept it here ever since the luau. It was Elle's idea to put the red carpet down, so I have her to thank. She saved my life! I don't even know how long I've been out for... I reached my hand in my pocket expecting to feel my e-Hand Plus, but I just felt denim. I don't have my e-Hand Plus? I was starting to get nervous. I looked up and saw that the Abyss Platform was out, blocking any vision outside of the Abyss. HELLO!!! IS ANYONE THERE?!

...

Cooper: Perfect... just perfect... wait! The elevator! I stood up much quicker than I needed to; it made my legs and bones ache from the fall. Ah-ahhh... owww!!! I had to sit back down for a minute. Then my stomach rumbled. I'm... so hungry... Nope, not walking. I crawled over to the elevator, reached up as far as my arm would allow, then pressed the up button. My hand was a bit shaky, so I may have pressed it three times by accident. I waited... and waited... but nothing happened. I had no way to contact the outside world, and I had no way to escape the Abyss by myself. Then I understood that I was trapped here. I panted heavily, and held my hand to my stomach. As bad as it sounds in an environment like this, I would KILL for food right now. This Abyss is inescapable when you only have one person...

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Cooper: What if that's what its purpose is?

CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...

Cooper: Wh-Who's there?! Help!

CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...

Cooper: I looked up at the platform above me. Light was peeking through a small crack on the wall. The platform was slowly closing itself!

???: I'm coming to get you, don't worry!

Cooper: That familiar voice... it's been too long since I've heard it. I looked at the figure belonging to the voice bathed in faint golden light.

Akari: Almost... THERE!

Cooper: Then I could see the full picture. Akari was using a crowbar to create a large dent in the Abyss Platform.

Akari: HRRRRRNGH!!! Ah... got it!

Cooper: She threw the crowbar to the side, and dropped two items down.

Akari: Catch!

Cooper: I only caught one of them due to the dim light. It was noisy, and felt like plastic. I looked at it closely; it was a large water bottle. I didn't even care about the other item she dropped! I threw the cap off and drank the entire bottle in one swig! Then I threw the plastic bottle away, and grabbed the other item, which turned out to be a bag of pretzels. I ate the first one, then looked at Akari with a strange expression.

Akari: What's the face for?

Cooper: You HAD to get pretzels?

Akari: What? You want me to get pretzel rods?

Cooper: It's just that waters and pretzels were the food we had during the Hunt! And you decided to jog those memories again?

Akari: Sorry, wasn't thinking! (grabs rope ladder from the side) Just eat it and try not to think about the Hunt!

Cooper: Will do... (pops pretzel in mouth) but I wish I had eaten my pretzels first... again.

Akari: Stop looking at me like it's my fault. (laughs)

Cooper: Hahaha! She was working with that rope ladder, doing something with it. Then she threw one end of it down the Abyss. I caught the last wooden step of it and began to climb it while Akari held the other end.

Akari: Uh, Cooper? You do realize how stupid you look, right?

Cooper: What? Yeah, I was carrying the bag of pretzels in my mouth. I tried talking while keeping my teeth clenched. I have to use BOFE my hands for climbing!

Akari: Fine, I'll stop judging.

Cooper: F-Fanks... hold on tight, I'm trusting you!

Akari: You don't have to worry about a thing.

Cooper: Fank goodness... I reached the top of the ladder, and I had to squeeze myself through the large dent Akari made in the Abyss Platform with the crowbar. I spat my pretzel bag onto the metal floor, and Akari helped me onto my feet.

Akari: Hey, hey! Easy... don't strain yourself.

Cooper: *pant* *pant*

Akari: (pulls rope ladder up) Here, sit down.

Cooper: M-My legs hurt a bit too much...

Akari: I'll help again...

Cooper: She held my hand as I slowly bent my knees until I was in a kneeling position. Then I rotated my legs around to the front.

Akari: Legs out, legs behind, criss-cross-applesauce-fish-in-the-pond, whatever's comfortable.

Cooper: Th-This is fine...

Akari: So... what exactly happened here?

Cooper: ...I can ask you the same thing. I still didn't know why the platform was out, or why the elevator wasn't working. I don't even know what I missed while I was blacked out...

Akari: But... you go first.

Cooper: Okay... I found Gremmie going through Ninjoy's stuff, looking for the items. He told me not to tell Ninjoy that he was in there, but I texted her as soon as I left. When the two met, I heard some things.

Akari: Really?

Cooper: Yeah. It turns out Ninjoy had the two items in her room after all! I still don't believe it... that she's the thief...

Akari: ...I'm not accusing her anymore. But... I should mention that something else has gone missing...

Cooper: Oh...

Akari: But please continue! Sorry, didn't mean to go off-track there.

Cooper: Gremmie found out that I told Ninjoy that he was in her room and he chased me... I ran to the Abyss, hoping to go to the Garden Side, but the platform wasn't out... I was stuck at the edge, then he threatened me with a knife. He attacked me, and I fell down.

Akari: Nngh...

Cooper: Ninjoy saw the whole thing. She probably told you guys, right?

Akari: She did. We've been doing everything we can to try and get you out.

Cooper: Okay... so tell me what happened. How long have I been out?

Akari: You fell... let's see, two nights ago? A whole day passed, and we just finished Lunch.

Cooper: So I was out for a day and a half...

Akari: Well, there's still some issues right now... only four of us were down here after Ninjoy told us you fell. We don't know where Allan and Clover are...

Cooper: What? What do you mean only "four of us" were down here?

Akari: The elevator stopped working two nights ago, Gremmie may have cut the power for it... we've been texting those two, and they're up in their study centers. They can't change floors unless the elevator gets fixed.

Cooper: That's a shame... I hope they've been getting food and water.

Akari: They have. I made sure of it; I've been sending it to them using the dumbwaiter.

Cooper: Wow... thanks, Akari. I bet they're really thankful.

Akari: Hehe, yeah...

Cooper: One more thing, though... why was the platform out? Was Gremmie responsible for that, too?

Akari: I guess so... if he's the mastermind, then he should have control over Monokuma, right? And Monokuma's in charge of the platform... so yeah, it was probably Gremmie's fault.

Cooper: ...I hope I don't have to see him anytime soon... that'd be extremely awkward.

Akari: Hope that doesn't happen either. But, maybe we should go ahead and see the others, y'know, excluding Gremmie.

Cooper: ...I don't exactly want to see Ninjoy either...

Akari: Why not?

Cooper: She told Gremmie that I told her about it... if it wasn't for that, Gremmie wouldn't have pushed me down the Abyss...!

Akari: Hey, hey... I'm sure she just panicked. Even someone as strong as Ninjoy has a breaking point, y'know?

Cooper: That's true, I guess...

Akari: But still, we've been talking for too long. Let's go see the others.

Cooper: A-Alright... We began to walk towards Dorm Hall. Akari was taking slower steps than normal so she could keep up with me. I'm glad she kept my injuries in mind; I don't think I can walk much faster. Jeez, is this how Wylan B felt after he cut himself?

Akari: So, I haven't told you about that other missing item, have I?

Cooper: N-No, you haven't.

Akari: It was actually something none of us were expecting... Gremmie's surfing trophy.

Cooper: Really...?

Akari: Yeah... his surfing trophy disappeared from his room yesterday, and he doesn't know where it is.

Cooper: Tch, like he'll ever need it. I guess that eliminates Gremmie from the list of suspects, then...

Akari: But still, we can't ignore this. Ninjoy's our main suspect right now... she could have stolen it.

Cooper: I thought you said you weren't accusing her anymore.

Akari: I did. I'm not accusing her, I'm just saying that she's our main suspect. Even so, I believe that Ninjoy was framed.

Cooper: Hm. We had entered Dorm Hall. Akari ran down the hall and back knocking on specific doors, very loudly. She did Wylan B's, then Ninjoy's. She made sure to skip Gremmie's door. The two eventually left their rooms and were pretty pleased to see me.

Wylan B: C-Cooper? No way! We thought you died!

Ninjoy: Cooper... I'm very glad you're okay.

Cooper: H-Hey, Ninjoy...

Akari: Look here, Ninjoy... Cooper's been telling me some stuff about you lately, and-

Cooper: Akari, thanks, but I've got this.

Ninjoy: ...Is this about two nights ago?

Cooper: You told Gremmie that I told you he was in your room... you betrayed me!

Ninjoy: I'm sorry, Cooper... it caught me off guard...

Cooper: What about protecting us? Isn't that what you said you'd do? So why did you do that?!

Wylan B: D-Did you guys invite me out here to witness an argument or something...?

Ninjoy: I did say that I'd protect you! However, that doesn't mean that I'm perfect. I'm still a human.

Cooper: ...I never really thought that Ninjoy would have trouble staying strong...

Ninjoy: ...Do you accept my apology?

Cooper: *sigh* I accept your apology. I'm... really sorry for lashing out on you.

Ninjoy: Don't be.

Cooper: We shared amiable smiles with each other. Now I feel better, but I still couldn't get Gremmie off my mind. I'll never forgive him...

Wylan B: I'm glad you guys are good now. But... I wanna know how Monokuma's doing on the elevator.

Cooper: Huh?

Wylan B: Didn't you know? Clover and Allan-

Cooper: -are upstairs and can't get down. Akari told me.

Wylan B: Can't I be important for just ONE TIME, people?!

Cooper: But she didn't say anything about Monokuma fixing it... funny, I didn't see him by the elevator either walking past it.

Ninjoy: Oh, right. Monokuma has been taking several "breaks." As in, he stops working when we're not looking.

Monokuma: (appears) Oh, Cooper's back! We're so happy!

Cooper: I'm glad you're glad, but how'd you like to be even more glad when two more of our classmates can come back? Can you just fix the elevator already?

Monokuma: Ugh, fine... it's breaking my bones to the bone, though.

Cooper: Wylan B raised his hand to say something, but Ninjoy took his wrist and pulled it down, shaking her head at him.

Ninjoy: Everyone, don't take your eyes off him for a second.

Cooper: We sat down as Monokuma's ball-shaped hand fell off and out came a swiss army knife. He started using its tools to fix the elevator. We got bored watching him, but thankfully there was a distraction. Unfortunately, that distraction was Gremmie.

Gremmie: Oh. He's back.

Cooper: I'm not in the mood, Gremmie.

Gremmie: Sorry to hear that.

Cooper: And he just turned away and left. I guess that was less awkward than I thought it'd be. Thank goodness...

Monokuma: (a couple minutes later) All finished! The elevator is... *ahem* *ahem* *AHEM*... wait a minute. (disappears)

Cooper: Wha-? Then the monitors came on.

Monokuma: (on the monitor) This is an official announcement from myself... the elevators are now working again, and you may travel to any floor in the academy now.

Cooper: The monitors turned off, then on again.

Monokuma: (on the monitor) Dang it! Not ANY floor, just the ones you've seen already. Okay?!

Ninjoy: Oh... I honestly had hopes that we would be able to see more floors.

Wylan B: Same. So let's go get Clover and Allan!

Akari: (grabs Wylan B's shoulder) Easy there. Let them come to us. I'm not a big fan of elevators, anyway.

Wylan B: ...Fine.

Cooper: We waited about a minute or so for Allan and Clover to arrive.

Clover: G-Guys! It's been forever!

Allan: It's been a while, good to see-

Cooper: Allan was cut off by Clover, who pushed him to the side to give us all a big hug. She pulled us all in and squeezed our shoulders tight. C-Clover, ow...

Clover: I missed you guys SO MUCH! I got so bored up there!

Allan: I got so bored, that I chose to ride the Mono-Go-Round for fun.

Akari: You know, I always knew that a part of you liked that merry-go-round.

Allan: S-See here, if I hadn't been stuck up there for two days, then I wouldn't have ridden it.

Akari: Sure. Let's go with that.

Allan: *groan*

Cooper: I'm glad you're all here... but I'm starving.

Akari: You're still hungry?

Cooper: I haven't eaten in days, except for that small bag of pretzels and a water bottle. I need a full meal! I'm going to get Lunch.

Akari: I'll come with you. You guys wanna come?

Wylan B: We're eating another meal?

Ninjoy: Who said you have to? We're just going in there to keep Cooper's company.

Wylan B: ...That too.

Allan: Count me in.

Clover: Yeah, I'll join.

Cooper: (opens dining hall door) That reminds me... what have you two had to eat in the past two days?

Clover: Same as you; bags of pretzels and waters.

Allan: That's all you guys decided to send me, too. The only food that was on the third floor was from that candy kiosk, and I can't tell you how fast I get sick of candy.

Cooper: Well, I'm glad the three of us are finally able to have a decent meal.

Day #14: Late Lunch

Allan: Hm... looks like Papa Louie's cage isn't here.

Ninjoy: We could call him back.

Cooper: I don't want to put too much on Papa Louie's shoulders. Besides, I have... a better idea.

Clover: You said that with a hint of evil in your voice... I already like what you're thinking.

Cooper: MONOKUUUMAAA!!!

Monokuma: (appears) WHAAAAAAAT?!

Cooper: Can you make us lunch?

Monokuma: H-Hey, that's not my job, bucko!

Cooper: But Papa Louie's only supposed to cook at the three meals, and sometimes dessert! But this isn't technically a meal, it's a late meal. Papa Louie isn't supposed to cook for those... so why don't you fix us lunch?

Monokuma: Wh-What is this? ...I'm no cook! I can get a certain someone in here from the outside world, but there's some issues with that... like there being access to the outside world, and the fact that there will be nonstop flirting...

Allan: ...Hurry up, I'm starving.

Cooper: Sounds like Allan's getting a kick out of this. I can hear him holding back a laugh.

Clover: We haven't eaten a meal in days, Monokuma! Be a dear, would you?

Monokuma: ...

Clover: Be... a... dear. Would... you?!

Monokuma: Ugh... only this one time!

Cooper: Yes! We all sat at the table and had a hearty conversation about food while Monokuma was in the kitchen, baking pizza. It took about ten minutes for him to finish, but we didn't mind. Monokuma getting his just desserts (fixing us a meal for once) was worth it.

Monokuma: Pizza's ready... yo dawg, I heard you like pepperoni, so I put pepperoni on yo' pizza!

Wylan B: I... don't think that's how that meme works.

Monokuma: Look, I'm a mascot, not a memer! Gosh... (disappears)

Cooper: Hey, look at this! He even cut the pizza into nine slices...

Clover: So that the three of us could have three pieces each? I'm impressed. I'd expect him to cut it into eight slices just to be lazy.

Ninjoy: At times he's considerate. Key words being, "at times."

Akari: True that!

Cooper: I took a bite of the pizza. The melted cheese gushed on my teeth, and it warmed my entire body from the cold temperature of the Abyss. This pizza is so amazing! I've gotta ask Monokuma to make another one!

Ninjoy: Is it "Better Than Papa"?

Cooper: H-Heck, no... but this is incredible. Don't you two think so?

Clover: Definitely! Yuuuummy!

Allan: (sarcastically) Yuuummy...!

Cooper: Admit it, Allan, it's good.

Allan: Okay, fine... it's good.

Cooper: We continued to talk for a while, until the three of us finished our pizza slices. Thanks for staying with us. It'd be pretty lonely and awkward if you three didn't come.

Ninjoy: Don't mention it. I had fun.

Wylan B: Me too! Even though I couldn't eat more slices of pizza, the smell was good enough!

Akari: Yeah, I had a good time.

Cooper: Well, I'm going to go take a long nap. I know I had no sense of touch while I was out, but I can tell you that that red carpet was not comfortable.

Akari: Here, I'll walk you back to your room.

Cooper: Thanks.

Akari: See you, babe. (kisses Allan on the cheek)

Allan: Uh-huh... later, babe.

Cooper: And we headed towards my room. Akari held the door for me, and I walked inside.

Akari: Take a good, long nap, okay? I can't imagine how you must feel right now...

Cooper: Thanks, Akari.

Akari: Oh, hey... take your time and all, but... after you wake up, can we get together?

Cooper: Get together? Like, to hang out?

Akari: No, not to hang out. I was planning to try to find Gremmie's trophy today.

Cooper: Uh-huh. Uh-huh... why?

Akari: I-It's not like I care about Gremmie... I do, but I don't... you get what I mean?

Cooper: ...Not really.

Akari: Right. Uh... well, I was thinking that finding the trophy may give us another clue as to who the thief is.

Cooper: Sure, sure... I wasn't exactly listening, cuz the only thing on my mind was sleep. I stumbled onto my bed and slept in almost an instant. I don't know what Akari did after that. She must have just left then...

...

...

...

Day #14: Search

Cooper: *YAAAWN* Ah... how long was I out for? I looked at the clock. Oh, good... not long. Just a couple hours. I skipped Dinner, but that's okay. Those pizza slices and those extremely dry pretzels were filling enough. I texted Akari and told her that I was ready to begin searching for the missing trophy.

COOPER: I'm ready.

AKARI: Finally! U took forever.

COOPER: It's not like I could control it! I was asleep.

AKARI: Meet me by the elevator.

COOPER: Coming.

Cooper: Just like she said, Akari was right by the elevator when I left Dorm Hall.

Akari: Hey, Coop!

Cooper: C-Cooper's fine...

Akari: Got it.

Cooper: So... you told me to come, so you're calling the shots.

Akari: I would have called the shots anyway. You know good and well I would have. Ha ha!

Cooper: Yep, you would've... so where should we search?

Akari: I've been looking around the first floor for a while now, and I found nothing. That just leaves the four floors above us.

Cooper: Great! So we search two floors each, then.

Akari: Exactly.

Cooper: Which ones do I search?

Akari: Don't think about it too much, just search the second and third floor. I've got the fourth and fifth.

Cooper: Alright. We opened the elevator and entered it together. I pressed the "2" button while she pressed the "5" button.

Akari: Oh, whoops... I meant to press the "4" button.

Cooper: H-How do you mess something up like that?

Akari: Your hand was in the way, dummy!

Cooper: Sorry...

Akari: Aw, don't be so hard on yourself. I'm joking. It really was an accident.

Cooper: Oh, okay... We took a minute to look at the water sections around the elevator.

Akari: If it wasn't for the class trials, I'd really appreciate these water sections more.

Cooper: Yeah, same. And we continued to look. Hey, did you see something?

Akari: What? Where?

Cooper: In the water! Look! I pointed to the wall of the elevator, and sure enough, I saw something in the water. It was a small guppy, about the size of a chunk of cookie dough. He was a mix of tan and orange, and he kind of looked like a small potato.

Akari: ...So there's fish in that water, huh?

Cooper: It's weird, yeah...

Akari: There better not be any fish in our drinking water either...

Cooper: ...I don't think I'll be drinking water normally for a day or so. Okay, here's my floor. I stepped off and waved to Akari.

Akari: Good luck, Cooper! You've got this, I believe in you!

Cooper: S-Stop spouting motivational nonsense again...

Akari: Hey, it works, doesn't it?

Cooper: True...

Akari: See ya!

Cooper: See ya. And the door closed. I was all alone on the second floor. It's been a while since I've been here. Fountain Hall was more beautiful than I remembered. I looked at my reflection on the oceanic glossy tiles, and brushed my hair to the side with my hand. My first place to look was in the fountains. No luck. I opened my e-Handbook to see all the rooms on the second floor. There was: the biology lab, the band room, Elle's study center, Tohru's study center, Alberto's study center, the pool, the locker rooms, the movie theater, and the projectionist's booth.

...

...

...

Cooper: Yeah, I don't feel like describing all of that searching. It took me a good twenty minutes to look through all of it. But let me just say that I ended my search of the second floor at the pool. Well, not ENDED... I just searched all I can. And then there's the female locker room. The male locker room was empty, but I can't check the female locker room without breaking the rules. Then I got out my e-Hand Plus and texted Akari.

COOPER: Akari, can u come to the 2nd floor?

...

COOPER: Akari?

...

COOPER: Akari

COOPER: Akari

COOPER: Akari

COOPER: Akari

COOPER: Akari

...

Cooper: Ugh... she's not one to usually ignore her e-Handbook. To wait for her to answer, I entered the poolhouse and stuck my legs in the water. Thankfully, I was wearing short jeans, so they wouldn't get wet. After a few minutes, I began to get bored. I made ripples in the water by raising my feet to the surface and wiggling my toes. Yep, this is even more boring. I sat up and was about to leave, but then...

WYLANB: Where r u?

COOPER: ??? Looking for Gremmie trophy in the pool. Y?

WYLANB: Come up here! Hurry!

COOPER: Where are you?

WYLANB: Floor 5! GET UP HERE!

COOPER: I'm coming!

Cooper: What was Wylan B doing up there?! I had to get up there! I almost tripped over myself pushing the pool door open, and I almost tripped over myself running as fast as I could to the elevator. Just like when my hand was shaky this afternoon, I pressed the up button about five times due to the shakiness of my hand. It finally opened. Then I rode the elevator up to the fifth floor.

...

Cooper: What's wrong with me? I feel... cold... I'm so cold... and then the door opened, and I became even colder. What? It's... it's f-f-freezing up here!

Wylan B: C-Cooper! G-Get in here...

Cooper: He was with Clover in the teacher's lounge, which seemed to be the source of the painfully cold temperature.

Clover: Hurry up! I'm... so cold...

Cooper: I finally made it! Where's Akari?! Where is she?! But Akari's whereabouts were the least of my problems now. I-I looked down... in the middle of the f-freezing cold room, was a frozen dead body, with a life-drained face... belonging to...

...

...

...

Cooper: B-Belonging to...

...

...

...

Cooper: N-N... N-N-N...

...

...

...

Cooper: ...No way... A-Akari...?

Name	Talent	Status	Fate	Cause of Death
Cooper	Ultimate Lucky Student Ultimate ???	Alive	TBA	N/A
Ninjoy	Ultimate Thief	Alive	TBA	N/A
Wylan B	Ultimate Rapper	Alive	TBA	N/A
Akari	Ultimate Biker	Deceased	Killed by TBA	Died from hypothermia
Alberto	Ultimate Soccer Star	Deceased	Executed by Monokuma in GOOOOOAL!!!	Cut all over body by wires
Xandra	Ultimate Guardian	Deceased	Executed by Monokuma in Sword of Damocles	Impaled through the skull with a sword
Allan	Ultimate Hockey Player	Alive	TBA	N/A
Utah	Ultimate Tour Guide	Deceased	Executed by Monokuma in Beat the Heat	Crushed by a metal robot
Timm	Ultimate Competitive Dancer	Deceased	Killed by Utah	Bludgeoned with a ceramic pot
Elle	Ultimate Scientist	Deceased	Killed by Deano	Triggered an allergic reaction from rubbing alcohol
Chuck	Ultimate Model	Deceased	Killed by Xandra	Stabbed in the chest with an arrow
Clover	Ultimate Percussionist	Alive	TBA	N/A
Deano	Ultimate Gondolier	Deceased	Executed by Monokuma in Deano's Wet & Wild Canal Ride!	Fell to death on sharp rocks
Scooter	Ultimate Skateboarder	Deceased	Killed by Alberto	Sliced in face with switchblade knife
Gremmie	Ultimate Surfer Ultimate Despair	Alive	TBA	N/A
Tohru	Ultimate Youtuber	Deceased	Killed by Utah	Strangled with rope

Danganflipa: Chapter 5 - Crimson Resolve (Deadly Life) coming soon!

Vote below for who you think will survive! Unfortunately, Chapter 6 will have no Free Time Events.