*Ding dong, bing bong*
Monokuma: "Ahem! Hope's Peak Academy's school trip executive committee has an announcement to make. It is now 10pm. Please return to your rooms and relax, let the sound of the ocean gently rock you to sleep. Now then, sweet dreams, everyone. Good night..." The hours of the day seem to go by pretty quickly on this island, that's what Hajime thought as he left his cottage after hearing Monokuma's evening announcement.
Hajime: 'Good night... whatever, I have a party to attend.' Hajime walked towards the pathway between the pool area and the cottages, he stopped once he saw Ibuki jumping with joy.
Ibuki: "Oh! Are you also here for the par-tay?"
Hajime: "Why else would I be here? Why are you jumping on the spot like that? Are you really that excited for the party?"
Ibuki: "Of course I am! But I'm also doing a little exercise so I can enjoy all the yummy food we're gonna eat! I'm excited to eat Teruteru's cooking."
Hajime: "Yeah, especially since he's the Ultimate Cook." As he and Ibuki began walking together towards the old building by the hotel, they could see Mikan and Peko doing the same.
Mikan: "It's about time for the party... hehe, I'm really excited. Ah, I'll do my best to not be in your way! So... it's fine if I s-stay here, right?"
Hajime: "Are you really worrying about... something like that?"
Mikan: "Y-Yes!"
Peko: "Just to let you guys know, I let Fuyuhiko know about the party, but... he didn't look too pleased about it."
Ibuki: "Man! Who wouldn't be excited for a party!?" The Ultimate Yakuza apparently, at least she tried to get him involved. Hold on, wasn't Peko the one who invited him to breakfast this morning? Does Fuyuhiko perhaps tolerate Peko more than the others? Meh, maybe I'm just making assumptions. Shouldn't do that until there's more proof to go off.
Hajime walked up the stairs of the old building's porch and opened the door, leaving Ibuki and the other girls behind since they weren't done talking to each other. Once Hajime was inside, the exterior looked like it was made completely out of wood, kinda like a cabin in the woods. There was a glass case with a fire extinguisher in the corner, an office and even a unisex bathroom, and that's not even all the things this building had to offer.
Hajime: 'So this is the old building... compared to the hotel, it definitely looks worse for wear.'
Byakuya: "You're here... now then, stand up straight and raise your arms." Byakuya was standing a short distance away from the entrance, it's like he was the bodyguard you would have to talk to before you could join the party.
Hajime: "Why do I have to do that?"
Byakuya: "Because I need to do a body check."
Hajime: "B-Body check!?"
Byakuya: "Since I'm the one hosting the party, it's necessary for me to take all possible security measures. I already promised that I would not allow even one person to become a victim."
Hajime: "I-I get it..." And so, Hajime reluctantly raised his arms and stood up straight. Byakuya went ahead and thoroughly searched him, starting with his legs and working his way up.
Byakuya: "It appears you haven't brought anything dangerous."
Hajime: "O-Of course I haven't!"
Byakuya: "Very well, I shall allow you to enter."
Hajime: "Hm?" It was at that moment that Hajime noticed a strange item near where Byakuya was standing. "Metal cases?"
Byakuya: "Duralumin actually, I found them at the supermarket. One is used to store any dangerous items I find during body checks. The other one is for... well, let's just say it's for emergencies only."
Hajime: "Emergencies? What do you mean by that?"
Byakuya: "Don't worry about it. Some people are already here, gathered at the dining hall in the back. Go there and wait." As soon as he said that, Byakuya turned his back to him. He's being really cautious, wouldn't expect him to perform a body check. And what did he mean by emergencies only? Hajime didn't want to annoy Byakuya with any more small talk, so he walked past the Ultimate Affluent Progeny and towards the dining hall. While in the hallway, he encountered Nekomaru, who was waiting outside the dining hall for the others to arrive.
Nekomaru: "There's a tantalizing aroma wafting from the kitchen, however, Byakuya will yell at me if I don't go straight to the dining hall. You should head in there as well, I'll join you shortly after."
Hajime: "Okay..." Without saying anything else, Hajime left Nekomaru in the hallway and entered the dining hall. The dining hall had a nice-looking chandelier hanging from the ceiling, Nagito must've cleaned up all the dust that must've covered it before everyone came here. Two long tables were set up very close to the wall in the back of the room, while three tables filled with food were set up in the middle. Like everywhere else, there was a monitor in the corner. An air conditioner was also spotted attached to the wall, and a massive striped carpet nearly covered up the whole floor, but it did leave a few areas exposed.
Nagito: "Ah, Hajime! How do you like it?"
Hajime: "What do you mean?"
Nagito: "See? I decorated the whole hall for the party, I even laid out the carpet too."
Hajime: "Really? Even the carpet?"
Nagito: "Yep, I brought it from the supermarket." That place sure does seem to have everything. "I actually wanted to cover the whole floor, but I guess the carpet wasn't big enough. There was a lot of dust and cobwebs all over the place too, it took me all day to clean the dining hall just because of that." That's still a very impressive job, most people couldn't handle being stuck cleaning for a whole day.
Hajime: "You're commendable, Nagito."
Nagito: "Yeah, thanks."
Chiaki: "...I'm worried about Monokuma showing up."
Hajime: "Yeah, if he finds out we're having a party, there's no way he'll leave us alone."
Chiaki: "We gotta do something about it."
Hajime: "You're right, we should do something."
Chiaki: "I wonder if someone can do something about it."
Hajime: "Hmm, I wonder..."
Chiaki: "I wonder." It looks like they were on the same page, but he still didn't understand. With that conversation going nowhere, Hajime thought it would be best to get everyone else's opinion on how the dining hall looks. Mahiru was seen looking at the exterior, while Akane was staring at one of the food-covered tables, it almost looked like she was drooling.
Mahiru: "This old place sure is run-down, I feel bad Nagito went to all this trouble cleaning it."
Hajime: "Even cleaning has its limits."
Mahiru: "Yeah, I mean, check out the floorboards. Maybe the wood shrank because of deterioration? Don't these openings seem dangerous to you?"
Hajime: "You're right."
Mahiru: "Well, the carpet is spread out enough to cover most of the floor, so I guess it won't be that big of a deal... but it might be best to tell Mikan to be careful."
Hajime: "Yeah... she is the type to trip over nothing."
Hiyoko: "Geez, that creep Byakuya rubbed his ham-hands all over me and called it a body check! More like sexual harassment!"
Hajime: "T-That's not what it is... he did the same thing to the guys too."
Hiyoko: "So? I feel like he was getting frisky while he was frisking me."
Hajime: "Huh?"
Hiyoko: "Hahaha! I'm pretty in demand, you know!" Like Chiaki, this conversation was going nowhere. There was really no point talking to Akane since her attention was only focused on the food, so he decided to get Kazuichi and Gundham's opinions instead.
Kazuichi: "Man, that was so uncomfortable... getting groped so thoroughly by a man, that was my worst nightmare."
Hajime: "Oh, you mean the body check."
Kazuichi: "Plus, he got super pissed and started yelling at me when he noticed I had a wrench with me. Seriously, how fricking annoying."
Hajime: "It's your fault for having a wrench in the first place."
Kazuichi: "I just happened to find it at the airport, carrying it around calms me down. But... Byakuya put it in that duralumin case of his."
Gundham: "Even though that man is a lowly worm, it appears his cooking skills are most impressive indeed. Nevertheless, even his food cannot stand against the gourmet cuisine of the multiverse." In conclusion, they were pretty excited to get this party started, they didn't really like the body check and Chiaki wanted something done about Monokuma. That way, he doesn't end up crashing the party.
Hajime: "Huh?" There was something that didn't blend in with everything else in the dining hall, there were iron plates screwed into the wall, there were three of them at the very back of the dining hall. "Iron plates? That reminds me... I saw some similar-looking iron plates in the hallway too. But why are there iron plates bolted onto the walls?"
Gundham: "All is not what it appears to be."
Hajime: "Huh?"
Gundham: "One of my Four Devas, Supernova Silver Fox, San-D, has seen what lies shrouded amidst the darkness! Though that iron plate appears to be bolted to the wall, it's actually bolted over what's known as a 'window'."
Hajime: "Hmm."
Gundham: "There are no windows in this dining hall at all, I assume those iron plates are covering them."
Hajime: "But why are iron plates covering the windows?"
Gundham: "Hmph, San-D... it appears your fur is rustling more than usual today. Such a fine day, countless lives gasp their first breath... and countless more go the way of all flesh." Hajime may not be that good at translating the crap that comes out of Gundham's mouth, but it sounds like he doesn't know why those iron plates are covering the windows either. This building is in the middle of renovations, so that might have something to do with it, but this place sure has a creepy atmosphere because of that. Suddenly, everyone heard the voice of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny ring throughout the dining hall.
Byakuya: "Thank you for waiting." As he entered the room, Ibuki, Sonia, Mikan, Nekomaru and Peko joined everyone in the dining room, which means only two people were missing. "Teruteru is in the kitchen, and... it appears Fuyuhiko did not come."
Peko: "I apologize. I did inform him about the party, but..."
Mahiru: "It's not like you need to apologize, Peko. It's his fault for not coming."
Byakuya: "I explicitly stated that attendance was mandatory, but... it's fine... if just one person is absent, that shouldn't pose a problem. He won't be able to do anything."
Peko: "What do you mean by that?"
Byakuya: "More importantly... hm? Hey, what is that!?" An intense expression spread across Byakuya's face as he looked at the table with various food dishes on it. "...Dangerous." As he stomped his way towards the table, he then began chowing down on some food.
Hajime: "H-Hey! What are you doing!?"
Akane: "You're hogging all the food! No fair!"
Byakuya: "No, I'm not!"
Mahiru: "I don't care what you say, you're totally pigging out!"
Byakuya: "I'm telling you, I'm not... look carefully at this dish."
Nekomaru: "It looks like delicious roasted meat."
Byakuya: "And just what is stabbed into this roasted meat?"
Peko: "Hm? It's an iron skewer."
Byakuya: "That's right, this iron skewer is definitely a dangerous item. I must take full responsibility and collect it!"
Teruteru: "Hey! Looks like everyone's here! I should go ahead and bring out the rest of the... huh?" Teruteru arrived in the dining hall to inform everyone about the remaining dishes that were in the kitchen, but he stopped talking once he saw what Byakuya was doing with the skewers. "What!? Some messy eater ruined my arrangement!"
Byakuya: "Who made this dish?" Seriously? What a stupid question.
Teruteru: "T-That would be me, but... um... are you a food critic?"
Byakuya: "What are you plotting? Cooking with such dangerous items."
Teruteru: "D-Dangerous? That's Churrasco, it's a South American meal where you stab meat on an iron skewer to cook it. It felt really tropical and exotic, so I thought it would totally fit the party's atmosphere."
Byakuya: "These iron skewers are a problem."
Teruteru: "Eh!? Iron Skewers aren't allowed either!?"
Byakuya: "If that's how you're acting, then there might be more skewers than just these. Hey, Hajime. Come with me, I need your help."
Hajime: "W-Why me?"
Kazuichi: "It's your fault for standing right in front of him... my condolences." Byakuya's face bore an intense expression as Hajime reluctantly followed him out of the dining hall. Once Byakuya made it to a certain door, located on your left if your back is towards the door to the dining hall, he opened it and walked into the room.
Byakuya: "All right, this is the kitchen. We have to thoroughly inspect it to make sure there are no dangerous items."
Hajime: "Thoroughly, huh?"
Byakuya: "Let's get on with it then, search this place thoroughly." As he issued that order, Byakuya began searching the whole kitchen from one end to the other. "Look, I found these. There are forks and knives on that shelf."
Hajime: "Don't tell me, those too?"
Byakuya: "These are definitely dangerous items. If you're just eating, chopsticks are enough." After he said that, Byakuya threw the forks and knives into the duralumin case, one after the other.
Hajime: "You're being very thorough about this." While watching Byakuya dispose of the dangerous utensils from the shelf, Hajime found a clipboard with important information on it. "This looks interesting."
Byakuya: "I see, it appears to be an equipment list for the kitchen."
Hajime: "Twenty forks, twenty knives, twenty spoons, five iron skewers, three frying pans, twenty wine glasses. There are also iron plates for barbecue and even a portable stove for cooking hotpots."
Byakuya: "Iron plates and a portable stove, I do recall seeing them on the shelf over there. This kitchen seems to be well kept, there should be no problems using it."
Hajime: "Though the building is old, the kitchen is impressive. Compared to a normal restaurant, it's not too shabby."
Byakuya: "But it's strange, one of the items on this list seems to be short by one..."
Hajime: "Hey... is it necessary to go this far?"
Byakuya: "I'm doing this BECAUSE it's necessary. If I'm to fulfil the promise I made to not let anyone become a victim, I must be extra vigilant."
Hajime: "Really... is that all?"
Byakuya: "What do you mean?"
Hajime: "Well, I'm just assuming, but... I think something must've happened to you. After all, you decided to throw a party so suddenly. I can't help but think there's a reason for that."
Byakuya: "That's not it... I've been a distrustful person... for as long as I can remember."
Hajime: "Distrustful person?"
Byakuya: "Hmph, I don't really like to talk about my past, but... it's fine, I'll tell you a little bit of it. I cannot talk to others about my past... I suspect that my sceptical nature is partly to blame."
Hajime: 'Byakuya... has a past he can't talk about?'
Byakuya: "Distrusting others... and being distrusted in turn. For a long time, my life has been a living hell. It was inevitable that I would end up this way. But, in this kind of situation, my sceptical nature might be of good use. If we're to survive here, scepticism is necessary at all costs."
Hajime: "By the way... that past you mentioned..."
Byakuya: "Now is not the time. However, one day... there will definitely be a time when I will be able to tell you about it. If nothing happens and time passes for us peacefully... I will have no choice but to talk." That actually sounded pretty deep, things feel more mysterious now because he hasn't told the whole story. This guy might have a deep mystery hidden within him, deeper than anyone could imagine. "Hey, enough with the unnecessary banter. We'd better hurry and find the rest of those dangerous items."
Hajime: "Y-Yeah... got it." Even so, he sure works them hard. That's probably more in line with his actual personality.
Chinese, Japanese, Italian and French cuisine, seafood dishes too. There's even a huge piece of meat on the bone. That Teruteru sure got fired up, Hajime wasn't even sure if he'd be able to eat that much food.
Byakuya: "It seems there are no dangerous items, like that skewer in the Churrasco earlier inside that pile of food."
Hajime: "That... appears to be the case."
Teruteru: "Huh!? Wha... the kitchen's a mess! What happened here!?"
Byakuya: "Don't raise your annoying voice, I just removed all the dangerous items."
Teruteru: "Ah, there are no knives or forks! Why!? How come!?"
Byakuya: "I literally just said that I removed all of the dangerous items."
Teruteru: "Don't tell me... you're treating cooking utensils like dangerous items? Well, most of the dishes are finished. All I gotta do is arrange the plates, so it's not a problem, but... but... but still! Waaaaaah! Hajime!" This little pervert actually had the guts to cling on to Hajime out of annoyance, hasn't he ever heard of personal space?
Hajime: "S-Stop it! Get off me!"
Teruteru: "Eh? Not into that sort of thing? Well, that's a little depressing."
Hajime: 'Trust me, I'm the one who's depressed here.'
Byakuya: "Hey, before you start getting all flirty, explain this. I checked the equipment list and there seems to be one iron skewer missing."
Teruteru: "Ah, that's right... as far as I know, that's been missing from the start. No matter how clean this place gets, stuff is still bound to go missing in an old building, right?"
Byakuya: "..."
Hajime: "If it's been missing all along, we can't really do anything about it, right?"
Byakuya: "You're right... there's no place to hide such a long skewer anyway... very well, all I need to do is keep a watchful eye."
Hajime: "Don't tell me you plan to... keep a watchful eye all night long?"
Byakuya: "All right, let's go back. The others should be waiting for us. You too, Teruteru. Come to the dining hall for now."
Teruteru: "Okay..." Geez, he's such a pushy leader. Byakuya, Hajime and Teruteru left the kitchen and made their way back into the dining hall. Byakuya was right, it looked like they were waiting for them to return before digging in.
Mahiru: "Ah, you're finally back."
Akane: "Hey, let's eat already! I'm starving!"
Byakuya: "There's still an issue we need to address first."
Akane: "Eh? An issue? Who do I gotta beat the crap out of? Just say the word, I'll do it for ya!"
Byakuya: "That won't be necessary, the issue is where to safeguard this duralumin case that has all the confiscated dangerous items."
Kazuichi: "Can't we just leave it here?"
Byakuya: "I've already put a lock on the case, so it shouldn't be a problem, but we should definitely up the security and keep it some place safe."
Sonia: "Some place safe... oh! There is a storage room at the back of this old building."
Byakuya: "A storage room, huh? Even so, we can't leave the case alone in there."
Peko: "Then someone should guard it. That would keep it safe, yes?"
Hiyoko: "Eh? Who? Who?"
Peko: "I'll do it."
Mikan: "Eh, are you sure? I guess... if you insist... just kidding!"
Ibuki: "But it'll be lonely there by yourself."
Peko: "I don't mind... I'm really not that good in situations where I have to be around lots of people anyway."
Ibuki: "Hahaha, if I wrote a song about this, the title would definitely be 'lonely girl in the storage room'."
Peko: "However, Teruteru has gone to the trouble of cooking... is it all right for me to bring some of it with me?"
Teruteru: "Yeah, that's totally fine."
Nagito: "But... if you're going to do guard duty anyway, it might be better if you avoid the storage room."
Hajime: "Why is that?"
Nagito: "Well, not only is the storage room packed with lots of stuff, it's hard to see in there and full of cobwebs. Also, I was busy cleaning the dining hall that I didn't even have time to clean the storage room."
Hajime: "If that's the case, if you stayed in there for a long time... I think it would be bad for your health."
Byakuya: "In that case, why don't you guard it in the office? If I recall correctly, there's also a circuit breaker in there too. It'd be a good idea to guard that as well."
Nagito: "Yeah, the office sounds nice. I'm pretty sure it's not that dirty either."
Peko: "Understood, so I need to be on guard duty at the office. Then, I should get going. Have fun tonight, everyone." Taking with her the duralumin case and a plate piled with food, Peko left the dining hall.
Ibuki: "Mmm, seeing Peko's back as she walks away makes me feel like she's got this super cool, melancholy vibe."
Hiyoko: "But shouldn't she have taken that other case with her too?"
Byakuya: "No, this case is fine."
Hiyoko: "Ah, no fair! You're, like, the only one who got to bring their own stuff."
Byakuya: "When you're as special as me, you get special privileges."
Kazuichi: "When you put it that way, it's hard to argue with you."
Byakuya: "This duralumin case stays with me at all times, I've put the key to the other case in here as well. I will take full responsibility for watching over it, there's no way I can let anyone else handle this matter."
Akane: "M-More importantly... we're all done now, right? Let's start the party-"
Byakuya: "No, there's still more."
Akane: "Ugh, who do ya want me to beat the crap out of!? Hurry up and tell me already!"
Hajime: "Seriously, it has nothing to do with that."
Byakuya: "Actually... if you're volunteering, I do have one particular nuisance in mind."
Hajime: "Wait... are you talking about-"
Byakuya: "Monokuma? Yes, I am. He's the one thing that could obviously disrupt this party."
Akane: "All right! So you'll let me eat if I beat the crap out of Monokuma, right!?"
Nekomaru: "Wait a second, if you actually pick a fight with that thing, you're just going to end up perforated."
Akane: "Are you telling me to wait until I starve to death!?"
Mahiru: "S-Starve to death? That's a little extreme."
Byakuya: "Our opponent isn't someone we can just fight. Rather, it's better if we use our heads and think of a plan."
Chiaki: "...I'll do something about it."
Byakuya: "Do something? You?"
Kazuichi: "Hey now... what can a girl like you do? You're just gonna put yourself in danger." Okay, that definitely sounded sexist.
Chiaki: "I won't, it's not like I'll personally do something."
Gundham: "Do you intend to utilize Monomi?"
Chiaki: "Yeah, if I can talk her into helping us, she might be able to keep Monokuma at bay. At least, that's what I think."
Mahiru: "Ah, that's probably a good idea! She looks like the type that's easily manipulated!"
Ibuki: "Plus, Monomi and Monokuma totally have a rivalry going on!"
Hiyoko: "Well, it's a pretty one-sided rivalry."
Nagito: "But will you really be okay, Chiaki? I still think it's dangerous."
Chiaki: "I'll be fine. If things get dangerous, I'll just run away as fast as I can. Well then, I'll be going." Chiaki left the dining room and most likely went off to find Monomi, let's hope her plan doesn't actually involve putting herself in danger.
Hajime: '...What is this feeling? I feel somewhat uneasy... it's not like I have a bad feeling about this, but... something feels off...'
Akane: "S-So, it's all settled, right? Then can we..."
Byakuya: "You're right, let's begin."
Akane: "ALL RIGHT!!!"
Gundham: "Kehehe... so, the banquet had finally commenced. Fuhahaha! You better keep me entertained!" And with that, the party started. Hajime still didn't understand why they're even having a party in the first place. But whatever the reason, everyone seems to be having fun.
Akane: "Hey, are we good? Can I finally eat?"
Kazuichi: "You're already eating!"
Akane: "Haha... hahaha... I-I can't stop. Hahaha! I can't stop from shoving food in my face!"
Teruteru: "Well, of course you can't stop. These are the world's tastiest party dishes after all. No matter how full you feel, you can't help but continue eating such exquisite delicacies. That is what I cook, the world's tastiest dishes!"
Mikan: "T-That's rather scary."
Akane: "You're not eating? Then I'm gonna eat all this by myself!"
Teruteru: "I'll make lots more in the kitchen, and then I'll bring it all out here, okay?"
Mahiru: "Hey, everyone! While we're at it, why don't I take pictures for you guys?"
Sonia: "Wow, that sounds wonderful! Please do!"
Hajime: 'This... feels weird... when I first came to this island, watching everyone have fun was so frustrating. But now, it feels reassuring. We're actually friends who fight together... friends who've developed a sense of unity...'
Nekomaru: "Mmm!"
Hajime: "Hm, Nekomaru? Did something happen?"
Nekomaru: "T-The party just started, but... I... must... return to my cottage!"
Byakuya: "Don't be foolish, I won't allow such selfish actions."
Nekomaru: "Don't stop me, Byakuya. There comes a time when a man knows he's gotta go! If I don't go now... it would shame me as a man. Shitting my pants would totally shame me as a MAN!!!"
Hajime: "So you WERE talking about the toilet."
Byakuya: "If you need to use the bathroom, there's one in this old building. Why do you need to go to your cottage?"
Nekomaru: "I-I've been trying to use it many times... but the door just won't open at all!"
Gundham: "W-What is this blasphemy!?"
Byakuya: "What now?"
Gundham: "M-My Hell Hound Earring has disappeared! Did it vanish into subspace!?"
Byakuya: "Calm down, you probably just dropped it somewhere."
Nekomaru: "Oh shit! I'm gonna SHIT!!!"
Byakuya: "Shut up! Don't you dare!"
Akane: "Hey, is it really all right if I eat all of this?"
Byakuya: "Don't be an idiot! Make sure you leave some for me!"
Mahiru: "Hey, Byakuya! Everyone, come on! I'm gonna take a picture! All right, say cheese!"
Byakuya: "Hey! Why can't you all act a little more mature?"
*Beep beep!*
Byakuya: "Hm? What was that sound just now?" All of a sudden, all the lights in the entire building turned off at the same time, shrouding every room in darkness.
????: "Uwah! It's a blackout!"
Hajime: 'B-Blackout... eh!? A blackout!?'
????: "Hey, I can't see anything!" In that instant, as they stumbled around in the darkness, their fear swallowed them up like a flood.
????: "I-It's pitch black! My future is pitch black!" The sounds of screams and frantic footsteps rang throughout the dark dining hall and were immediately swallowed up by another sound.
????: "E-Everyone, calm down! We gotta stay calm in a situation like this!"
????: "Waaah! Don't step on my feet!"
????: "What the hell!? What's going on here!?" Because the windows were entirely covered, the blackout surrounded them with complete darkness. Therefore, no matter how long they wait, there's no way their eyes will adjust. "T-This is..."
????: "Ow!"
????: "Turn the damn lights on! I can't eat like this, you know!"
????: "You guys? Where are you? W-Wasn't the blackout... just in the kitchen?"
????: "Perhaps the breaker overloaded?"
????: "Hold on a second! I'll go along the wall and... do something about it!" Within the darkness, they fervently waited to be released from their fear. They anxiously waited, and after a while... it finally happened.
Hajime: "Ah!" At that moment, when the lights in the dining hall finally turned back on... a shocking scene unfolded before their eyes.
Sonia: "T-That is..." Mikan's appearance had been... compromised.
Mikan: "I-I'm sorry! I tripped again!" Mikan was in an embarrassing position again, similar to what happened in the restaurant. This time however, there was a string of sausages tied around her leg and wrists, one of the beverages was knocked off a table and it drenched her midsection, and her panties were exposed again. But unlike last time, a plate of food fell where her panties would be exposed to the others, preventing them from seeing her underwear again... thankfully.
Hajime: "Seriously? How do you trip and land like THAT!!!?"
Hiyoko: "Yaaay, an erotic pose! That's obviously a fanservice moment!"
Mikan: "Eek... nooo... p-please don't! Please don't look at me!"
Ibuki: "Hehehehe! I can't take this at all! Mahiru! It's time to snatch some shots!"
Mahiru: "T-There's no way I can do that!"
Mikan: "Please forgive me... just forgive me already!"
Sonia: "E-Everyone... I think it would be best if we help her already." Once Mahiru and Sonia helped Mikan back to her feet, all she could do was cry.
Mikan: "I'm terribly sorry for all this trouble... so sorry!"
Mahiru: "Yeah, from now on... just be careful."
Kazuichi: "Oh, I'm glad! The lights are back on here too!"
Hiyoko: "So you were the one who fixed the breaker, Kazuichi? You were unusually useful this time!"
Kazuichi: "Well, no... I couldn't find my way to the office with the circuit breaker..." Based on what the last person said during the blackout, it would seem that Kazuichi was the one who left the room by moving along the wall in order to get to the door.
Mahiru: "Huh? Then why are the lights back on?"
Kazuichi: "Who knows..."
Mahiru: "Don't 'who knows' me! You're so useless!"
Kazuichi: "Argh! It's not my fault, you know! There's no way I could've found my way to the office in that darkness!"
Sonia: "Oh my."
Nagito: "Sonia, did something happen?"
Sonia: "No, Byakuya is missing. Did he go somewhere?"
Nagito: "Eh? Byakuya?" Everyone immediately looked around the dining hall. Sure enough, Byakuya, who promised he would lead them in situations like this, was nowhere to be found.
Mahiru: "T-That's weird, he was here earlier... right?"
Ibuki: "Did he run off somewhere... during the blackout?"
Hajime: "In that pitch blackness?"
Nagito: "I'm a little worried, we should split up and go look for him. I'll go check the storage room. Hajime, you go check the entrance."
Hajime: "Y-Yeah, got it."
Kazuichi: "Then I guess I'll go look in the office."
Sonia: "I shall go look around the hallway."
Akane: "I'll wait here, since I'm kinda in the middle of eating anyway." She's still gonna eat while this is going on?
Nekomaru: "I-I must... bathroom... I must man up and check the bathroom!" He immediately left the dining hall and went straight for the bathroom. Well, when you gotta go, you gotta go.
Hiyoko: "Geez, Mr Ham Hands ran away just because there was an itty-bitty blackout. Hehe, such a shameful leader. If I find him, I'm gonna finger-flick him in the face as punishment."
Even so, where did Byakuya go? All Hajime had to do was check the entrance, Chiaki should be out there too. As he left the old building through the main entrance, he saw two figures watching over the entrance, Chiaki... and Monomi.
Chiaki: "Huh, Hajime... what about the party?"
Monomi: "Ha-wa-wa! It's not done yet, right!? I haven't even joined in yet!"
Hajime: "Hey, Chiaki... did you happen to see Byakuya pass by here?"
Chiaki: "Byakuya? Nope, I didn't. Did something happen?"
Hajime: "There was a sudden blackout inside the old building and... Byakuya vanished during that time. So, we thought he might've gone outside, but..."
Chiaki: "Nope, nobody came out." If nobody came out, doesn't that mean he's still inside?
Hajime: "If that's the case, we might've missed each other."
Chiaki: "...That's what I think."
Monomi: "..." Byakuya didn't go through the entrance, which means he must still be inside the old building. With no leads left to follow, Hajime decided to go back to the dining hall and tell the others about what Chiaki told him.
Nagito: "Ah, Hajime! How did it go?"
Hajime: "Well, when I talked to Chiaki, she said he didn't go outside."
Nagito: "T-That's weird... no one was inside the storage room either."
Teruteru: "He wasn't in the kitchen either."
Kazuichi: "No one was in the office."
Sonia: "Nobody was in the office?"
Hiyoko: "Huh? What about Peko? I thought she was supposed to be guarding that area."
Kazuichi: "Well... actually, not even Peko was there."
Mahiru: "Eh? Peko's gone too?"
Teruteru: "Maybe those two took advantage of the blackout to have themselves a major make out session in the bathroom? Truly, truly outrageous!"
Akane: "Hm? Hmmm..."
Sonia: "Did something happen, Akane?"
Akane: "Well... do any of you... smell something?"
Mikan: "W-When partially digested food is absorbed by the small intestine, it's decomposed by bacteria, releasing gas... which is mostly absorbed in the intestinal tract, but whatever cannot be absorbed is excreted from the anus. T-Those are the mechanics of farting... but... farting isn't something to be embarrassed about!"
Akane: "No, I'm not talking about that... it smells like blood."
Hajime: "Blood!?" As Akane's nose twitched like a beast's, she suddenly pointed.
Akane: "It's coming from over there!" A table at the very back of the dining hall.
Hajime: 'The smell of blood... what in the world... is at that table?'
Akane: "It's... under there."
Hajime: "Under... the table?" Hajime dashed towards the table at the back, reached out towards the tablecloth... and then stopped. Was this nervousness? Fear? Why was he nervous all of a sudden? Akane walked over to where Hajime was and waited for him to make a move, ready for whatever came next. "It can't be... there's no way that's gonna happen!" With a shout, he grabbed the tablecloth and flipped it back in one go.
And there... laid the body of Byakuya Togami. Dead and beyond recognition. For the rest of his life, Hajime will never forget what he saw.
Daily Life: Determination, Free Time, Stolen Memories, Cleaning Duty, and Party Foul... END