Exiting the dorm building, I stopped by a nearby vending machine and bought a can of coffee. Usually, I don't enjoy coffee because I find its texture boring. However, today was different; I found it necessary if I was going to make it through today.
I barely got any sleep the night before after learning that I was technically not Ouma Kokichi but Sakura Airi with his memories and personality. It's an incredibly confusing and mind-boggling revelation, to say the least. However, learning this did give me some relief that I don't have to worry about looking at myself naked without feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
However, I technically have no proof to say that this is the case. It is the only logical explanation for the contradiction of my actual appearance and how I used to remember myself without going into supernatural causes.
Now, what could've altered my memories is something that I'm not sure even exists, but it does in my current memories—the flashback lights. Based on the killing game, the light can imprint false memories into the participants, making them believe the world was destroyed and that they were the last of humanity. Now, relating to my current reality, according to the research I did last night, some sort of government-sponsored technology was used to make the killing games more exciting.
Based on my memories, it wouldn't be surprising if this technology involved some sort of mind manipulation that could alter one's nervous system to replace one's existing memories and personality with new ones.
Though this is only a hypothesis about my current situation, it does help explain how I believe I am Kokichi. Moreover, I still can't rule out the possibility of reincarnation, but I'd prefer it weren't the case.
This only scratches the surface of the abundance of questions I now have about myself and the television series known as Danganronpa. However, as a high school girl who thinks she's a fictional boy with little influence except for some online followers, I can only hypothesize and continue my high school life.
I grabbed the canned iced coffee from the vending machine and cracked it open. As I took a sip of my drink, I couldn't help but wonder why I was unable to taste anything. From Kokichi's memories, he would always complain about never being able to taste anything regardless of what he consumed, and he wasn't lying about it. Thinking about it, do I have the same issue as him? Is it some neurological effect that occurred when my memories were altered?
As I continued to drink my coffee, I heard someone trying to get my attention.
"Good Morning, Sakura."
That monotonous and dull voice couldn't change in the slightest. Sometimes, it would be nice if he could be a bit more enthusiastic when talking to me.
"Mornin', Aya-chan! You look as dull as usual!"
I greeted him with my usual bright smile and cheery voice. However, as usual, he stared at me in return with his dull golden eyes.
"I don't know what to tell you, but this is what I am usually like."
His retort was nothing new and was starting to get boring.
"Fine, I don't feel like arguing about that right now. Instead, I have a few things I want to ask of you."
"Is it about my dull voice?"
Pretending to be shocked, I covered my mouth with my available hand.
"Wow, you know me so well. Though you're absolutely wrong this time!" I pointed towards him.
"So what is that you wanted to ask?"
"Remember how you told Kikyo-chan to talk to me about the plan involving befriending Horikita-chan?"
I brushed into his personal space, as I was still mad at him for involving me in this. He didn't move at all, possibly not really caring or being too terrified to move; it's hard to tell with him.
"You looked to be good at making plans, so I thought you would do a better job than me assisting Kushida."
He slowly nodded in response, without hesitation in his voice. He really wanted to drag me into the whole Horikita Kikyo fiasco. I can be sure his reason for bringing me into this has to be a lie. There should be no reason for him to think I am good at devising plans unless he figured out what happened during the swimming lesson.
I backed off from him and let out a little smirk. Well, it's not like my plan of expelling Yamauchi was completely flawless. I intentionally made a few mistakes that day, and it seems he caught onto one of them. Now, all that leaves me wondering is why he chose to admit this to me when he could've kept it to himself.
It makes sense with Koenji, as he wants to make sure that I don't mess with him in the future, or else he will take action. However, based on what I know of Ayanokoji so far, he shouldn't have the same reasoning as him.
"Fine, I won't bite today. In fact, I need your assistance with a few things to help me succeed in my plan to befriend Horikita-chan."
"Very well then, since I already promised Kushida with my assistance, I'll lend a hand to you as well."
"Nishshi! That's the spirit!"
I pulled out my burner phone from my bag and opened my point balance app. I then sent a message to Ayanokoji along with 6,000 points.
"Did you send me something?"
"Wow, what good observation skills you have. You're absolutely correct!"
I really love to be sarcastic with this expressionless guy.
"Why do I get the feeling that you are mocking me right now?"
"Hmm, I don't know. You're probably imagining it. Anyway, to befriend Horikita-chan! We are going to have a book club picnic!"
I pumped my fists in excitement. However, Ayanokoji did not react similarly to my plan and instead raised his eyebrow out of confusion.
"A book club picnic?"
"Of course, since she absolutely despises being around Kikyo-chan, we need to put her in an environment where she can at least tolerate her presence."
"That makes sense, but why the picnic though? Couldn't we have just met up in the library if you wanted to engage in conversations about books?"
This is a reasonable question: if there is somewhere Horikita would visit on this campus, it would be the library.
"Yeah, we could there, but that's boring. If I am going to befriend Horikita-chan, I want to enjoy myself at least while doing so."
I continued to drink from my capped coffee as I started to walk towards the school building. Ayanokoji decided to walk right next to me.
"I see. Well, I guess it could potentially work. Now, how do you intend to invite Horikita?"
"That's the fun part. I put you on duty for inviting Horikita-chan and picking up the required books!"
Ayanokoji stared at me with an expression, trying to tell me something, but I just could not for the sake of it.
"What."
"You heard me. I also sent you the book I want you to pick up from the library after class today. So, if you could, pick up those books for me if you will."
"Am I just your errand boy?" He asked.
"Of course not, Aya-chan. You shouldn't think of yourself like that unless you want to be my errand boy."
"Don't worry. I have no intention of wanting to work under you. Knowing the type of person you are, you would put me in troublesome situations."
His response took me aback a bit, but he was absolutely correct in his assessment.
"What! I would never do such a thing! I exaggerated my voice to playfully lie to him, "So, just do me a solid and get those books for me and invite Horikita. I'll even assist you!"
"Assist me?"
I nodded aggressively before responding, "Of course, I wouldn't want someone as hopeless as you to scare the ice queen away. So, I'll give you some words of encouragement during lunch and all the advice you need to sweet talk her into joining us."
"What sort of advice would you give me?"
"I know when it comes to talking to people, you are mostly hopeless."
"You didn't need to attack my character like that. I'd like to believe I am doing my best to improve my communication with others."
To be honest, his social skills aren't that bad. He's improved significantly since the first time we talked, but whether that's around me and Kikyo's friend group, he has his moments acting like an incompetent fool.
"What, so you don't want my assistance? I was just going to advise you on how to invite her, that's all. I need to ensure that she'll stay despite the Kikyo-chan attendant at the picnic; you know that."
However, he decided to just stare at me with his blank eyes for a moment, possibly gauging my intentions before responding.
"Well, if you say you are willing to assist me, then I don't see any reason to refuse your request."
My eyes sparkled after hearing this.
"You're the best, Aya-chan! I'll ensure the picnic food won't disappoint you! Nishishi!"
"I do have one question for you. How will you ensure Horikita won't leave the picnic tomorrow? I can say whatever you want to, but how can I be sure that you'll be correct?"
"Oh, that?" I tilted my head, "Don't worry about that. I'll ensure Horikita-chan won't leave until I allow her to."
I curled my lips ever so much that I let out a playful grin while pointing my finger towards my chin. He seemed to understand my intentions as he just nodded towards my grin. Eventually, the two of us continued our way to the classroom on our own as I wanted to take it slow and wave toward people who were greeting me along the way.
As I continued walking towards class, I eventually finished my canned coffee, which was surprisingly refreshing despite the drink's texture not being one I particularly enjoyed.
As I entered the classroom after disposing of my canned drink in a nearby waste bin, I noticed that I was the center of quite a bit of attention from those already present in the room. In particular, it was from the girls from Kaurizawa's group. After greeting everyone in the room, as usual, I just headed towards my seat today.
As I took my seat, I noticed Hirata entering the room holding the cap. What I noticed was how he made his way to greet everyone as he approached his seat, a big improvement from yesterday. I felt proud of my work so far, but this is just the beginning.
Just talking and having a little fun between the two of us isn't going to improve his ability to handle stressful situations. As the school year continues, there will potentially be more expulsions within this classroom. No, there will be more expulsions, and there will be nothing Hirata can do to prevent them. So, it'll be my goal for when more of my classmates leave, I'll watch over him and ensure that he can toughen up.
He played an important role in this class, and I need him to overcome this trauma, his defect, if I want my plan to succeed. I also need everyone—all thirty-eight of my classmates present here—to overcome their defects. Over these past several days, I've been watching over my classmates during lectures, studying their behavior and actions to satisfy my boredom, and considering each classmate's defects.
So far, I have nearly everyone's defect accounted for, but there are a few individuals that I want to take a closer look into.
For now, I want to start investigating the girls, Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo, before deciding what to do with them for my plans.
The bell rang, classes had started for the day, and I noticed Sudo wasn't present yet. It turns out he didn't need a week to stop paying attention to school rules but rather a day. However, as soon as Chabs-sensei began her lecture for the homeroom period, Sudo finally made his grand entrance and trudged toward his seat. As he took his seat, he started to yawn, signifying that he probably had a poor sleep schedule.
Geez, just looking at him is starting to make me feel sleepy. I let out a quiet yawn, trying to resist the urge to join Sudo in falling asleep during lectures. If he weren't a useful asset to me, I would've gotten rid of him instead of Yamauchi.
Though I'll deal with him when the right time comes.
As lectures progressed, Sudo eventually couldn't keep himself awake any longer and fell asleep on his desk. Right now, I'm the only one who noticed because I was right next to him, but it is only a matter of time before my other classmates notice as well. Once they realize they won't get in direct trouble for their behavior, the fear of punishment will slowly dissipate, erasing the class's progress since Yamauchi's expulsion.
Truly, human psychology is fascinating and frustrating simultaneously, but who knows, maybe I could warn my classmates about the hidden cameras potentially tracking our behavior and preventing future problems. However, I decided that letting my class lose all their points within the first month would be the most entertaining outcome for me.
Though I am incredibly bored right now, one thing about becoming Kokichi is that he is incredibly smart and could be considered a genius to the point where these lectures become tedious to hear. In addition, I find it easy to learn new things, and I am confident about my academic abilities. Now, I am unsure if I was good with my academics. Part of me wants to think I had that potential to do well, but I find it incredibly unlikely.
Feeling a bit bored at the moment, I looked around at some of my classmates I'm keen on eventually observing. One of them is Ike. Surprisingly, he seemed to be paying attention to the lecture, though with his downcast face, he hadn't moved on from Yamauchi's expulsion. He looks absolutely pathetic right now, but it's better than having a perverted guy creeping on the girls.
Then, there is Hasebe Haruka, the girl who sits next to the seat that once belonged to Yamauchi. She looked bored listening to the current English lecture and sometimes sat at her desk, not taking notes. If I had to guess, she probably wanted to browse her phone. From what I've seen from her so far, nothing stands out to me, but I'll find a purpose for her to have within the class. I like her.
Lastly, there was Kaurizawa Kei. Throughout the lectures, I noticed that she would occasionally take brief glances in Hirata's direction, specifically the hat I gifted him not long ago. I am pretty sure she also wants to date Hirata, along with a good portion of the girls in this class and our year. It would be a massive travesty if I allowed her to date him; she would absolutely stunt his growth just to propel herself as the leader of the girls.
However, I am curious how the girls in the class will react to Hirata and me opening up about our fake relationship. I would feel sort of bad for Mii-chan. She has this really cute face when she gushes over Hirata. It's too bad she might not like me as much once I go out with him. However, I won't be able to see their reactions until the 23rd, to be exact.
For now, all I have to do is wait for Ayanokoji to do the tasks I'll assign of him, and the picnic should be able to move smoothly.
♚♘◼◻◼◻-LIARS-◼◻◼◻♞♔
Classes have ended for the day, and the other students have left for their various school activities. Meanwhile, Sakura and I exchanged looks before she departed from the room with Kushida, signaling me to do what she asked me to do in the morning. I didn't really want to be the one who invited Horikita to this picnic, which I have doubts about, but looking at the book Sakura wants us to read, this plan might succeed.
"Hey, Horikita. Do you have some free time tomorrow after class?"
Her head turned in my direction as her crimson-red eyes glared at me passionately. It was a terrifying sight, but I managed.
Eventually, this cold gaze slowly faded as she turned away from me and responded in her usual
"Tomorrow? Where did this sudden invitation come from all of a sudden Ayanokoji-kun?"
Of course, she would be suspicious of my motive, as despite the two of us being seatmates, we rarely interact with each other. In addition, she's the type who is disinterested in forming friendships with others. In fact, she seemed to be the type who holes herself in her room to study for the entire day.
"I was suddenly interested in getting to know you better. So, could I invite you to a little thing tomorrow?"
It's pretty convenient as tomorrow is the last day of the week for classes, so she can't make any excuses for trying to get out of this arrangement, like needing to make some sort of preparation for classes.
"Do you realize this false flattery will get you nowhere? So why not tell me what you are really after?"
With a narrowed gaze, she conveyed her suspicions about my intentions.
"Do you think I am after something just because I wanted to invite you?"
"You never talk to me, so when you suddenly decide to invite me somewhere, I am naturally going to have my doubts about your intentions."
I didn't really have anything to talk about with her, but Kushida and Sakura did. Fortunately, Sakura figured she would have suspicions about me inviting her to this picnic, so she advised me on how to invite others out whenever I felt nervous. Well, despite my lack of nerves, I was able to learn how to invite others without messing up in my head.
"I understand that you have doubts about my intentions, so I'll tell you I wanted to invite you to a picnic?"
She looked at me with an even more hostile glare, suspicious of the idea.
"A picnic? I wonder if you are being serious right now because this sounds like an absolute joke."
"I'm not joking. As the school year blossoms and the pages of our favorite book call out for companionship, I am personally inviting you to our book club picnic tomorrow after class."
Horikita stared at me intently, trying to piece out my words for any hints of the possibility of this being a setup. I have to credit her for being perceptive, probably not at the same level as Sakura, but she was still doing a solid job at trying to find out whether or not.
"Our invantation? So you're not alone in this. Tell me who else will be at this picnic."
"It's just me and Sakura."
For now, I was instructed not to inform her about Kushida's involvement in this picnic, as the most likely outcome would be her refusal to join us.
Horikita turned back towards her desk and started to gather her belongings, letting out a sigh before responding.
"Why are you two even bothering to invite me in the first place? You're clearly not lonely. There has to be someone else with whom you can talk about books in this class."
Her reasoning was valid. A few others in this class probably have reading as a hobby, but I doubt many are interested in the book Sakura wants us to read at this picnic.
"Well, you would be correct, but I think you might be interested in the book the two of us have decided on."
"Go on, tell me then."
Despite her hostile tone, I could sense her interest in the book we planned to read for the picnic.
"So, we planned to read Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov at tomorrow's picnic. We thought you might've been interested in this particular book since I saw you read one of his other works."
"I've been looking into reading that book after I recently finished another of his works. Since you're inviting me, which of you is making the food?"
"Sakura."
"I see. I'll join you at this picnic, but I'm bringing my own food. As usual, I'll let you enjoy her poison."
The snide remark was directed at both of us, but she accepted the invitation, so I somehow succeeded in piquing her interest.
Horikita got up from her seat first and departed before I could say goodbye to her. I should move on to my next task, which was to pick up the books themselves.
According to Sakura, I could rent out certain books at the store with points, and looking at my account balance, I have 6,000 more points than I did in the morning. It was unexpected, but I couldn't help but feel relieved that I didn't have to use my points on the books.
As I walked towards the library, enjoying the pleasant weather outside, I spotted a few classmates gathering near a path that offered a beautiful ocean view. It was Kaurizawa and her group of friends. I hadn't interacted with them much since the second day of class, but I knew they were not well-liked by the majority of the boys within the class due to their abrasive behavior.
However, the situation there looked pretty tense, as Kaurizawa seemed to be venting about something important to her. I was a decent distance from them, so I couldn't get a good read on the discussion, and if I tried to approach closer, they would definitely notice me and probably move elsewhere
Approaching them could be trouble, as I recall Sakura telling me that they didn't have the best opinions of me before. So, I decided to take the path that would cause the least trouble, which would be to ignore them and just head towards the library without acknowledging their presence.
However, as I passed by, I was confident that I overheard Sakura's name being thrown around by those girls, and if I had to speculate, it was probably negative gossip about her.
Eventually, I made my way towards the library, where I noticed it was surprisingly empty despite it being after class. The library's atmosphere had a modern aesthetic, and I could see myself spending time reading there.
"I guess I could check out a book for myself," I muttered to myself.
First, I had to find The Brothers Karamazov, one of Fyodor Doskovesky's most well-known works. Additionally, it is known for being a difficult novel to understand due to its heavy nature of topics dropped at once, with the long tangents made by some of the characters in it.
I can't be too sure why Sakura chose this book; this sort of novel is not a comfortable read that I think is suited for a picnic environment, but I have never been to a picnic before, so my guess could be incorrect.
"Um... Excuse me, but can I ask you for your assistance?"
A sweet and angelic voice called to me as I was busy thinking. As I turned to see whose voice I was hearing, I was greeted by a silver-haired beauty with hair reaching her mid-back and light purple eyes shining beautifully in my direction.
Besides Hashimoto from Class A, this is the first time I have talked to someone from a different class from a different class on my own. I should be prepared for a situation like this.
"Sure, I don't mind. What is it that you need?"
She let out a cute smile in my direction, letting me know she was grateful for my helping her with whatever she needed.
"You see, I was trying to reach the book over there, but I couldn't reach it myself."
She was also looking towards the same shelf that I was looking at the moment. I wasn't sure what book it was, but it appeared to be related to philosophy of some sort.
"I see. If you don't mind, could you point me to which one then?"
"Right, that one over there," She instructed me.
We both reached for the philosophy book, and she guided me to the highest shelf. As I grabbed the book for myself, I noticed the cover page and that the book she grabbed was titled ABC Murders by Agatha Christie. That's an odd book for the philosophical fiction section—it's almost as if it's in the wrong place.
"Here you go," I handed her the book.
"Thank you very much."
She smiled in my direction right when I noticed that there were several copies of the book I was looking for. It seemed that the book wasn't as popular as I thought, but it was convenient for tomorrow's picnic. As I grabbed the books I was requested to pick up, I heard the angelic voice beside me ask me something.
"Are you sure that you need four of the same book?
"Oh, I'm getting it for myself and some friends. We plan to read the book together during a picnic, like a small book club."
Calling Horikita a friend was a massive stretch, no doubt about that. Kushida also, but we've had our interactions, and it feels as if I'm more of an acquaintance to her. If anything, I'm closer to some of her friends in her group rather than Kushida herself. It's hard to explain, but I get the feeling she's only tolerating my existence because Sakura dragged me to have lunch with her friends on the second day of school. I am unsure why I feel that way, but I have no reason to delve into my concerns now.
However, as I was recollecting my thoughts, I noticed that the silver-haired girl had a faint smile, seemingly saddened at what I said.
"It must be nice to have friends you can read with. Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to say that."
She must've unconsciously spoken as she blocked her mouth with her book out of a potentially rude comment that she made.
"Don't apologize; your words didn't hurt me. Does that mean no one in your class is also interested in reading?"
"Not particularly. I usually spend my free time here with myself or in my room reading various books. So, I usually keep to myself."
This girl doesn't really have any friends in her class. She seems to be socially awkward, similar to me. Perhaps I would've been in a similar situation as her with no friends if Sakura hadn't reached out to me on the first day. In a way, I'm grateful to Sakura for choosing to befriend me, as it helped me learn a lot about what it means to have friends.
Perhaps it would be intriguing if I did the same thing that helped prevent me from being considered a loner in my class by befriending her. I don't think Sakura would mind if I invited one more person despite her not being from the same class.
"I see. If you don't mind, would you like to join me for our little outing tomorrow?"
As I proposed this question, I noticed that her violet eyes were dazzling in glee—they were absolutely beautiful. However, her gleeful gaze stopped momentarily as she looked concerned about something.
"Are you sure about this? I feel like I would be interfering with your friends?"
"I don't mind, as long as you're interested in this book."
I handed her the book that we plan to read tomorrow. She started to inspect the book by reading the summary on the back.
"Doskovesky, I've never read this work from him before. However, it looks like an intriguing read, to say the least, as I've been a fan of some of his other works. So, if the rest of your friends don't mind, I'd be grateful to join you."
"I see. I can try to make it work."
The two of us exchanged contact information, noting that this was the first time I'd done this alone without Sakura's involvement. I would jump in joy if I could, but that would be embarrassing in a setting like the library.
The two of us went to check out our books. The four books cost me around 6,000 points or 1500 points per book. Sakura seemed to have done her research before requesting this purchase.
As the two of us exited the library, I decided to call Sakura to see if I could invite the person I was with at the moment.
"Oh, Aya-chan! You actually decided to use your phone for once and call me!"
Her sarcastic voice rang through my ears as she asked me if my phone was accidentally on speaker. I looked at the silver-haired girl, and it seemed as if she didn't hear Sakura's voice. Instead, she was staring at me in anticipation.
"Hello. I wanted to ask you something."
"Something? Well, it better be quick. I'm sort of busy preparing food for tomorrow with Kikyo-chan!"
"Kushida is with you?"
"Well, she was so insistent on helping me prepare the food, so where was I to say no to one of my besties," there was a pause in our conversation for a few seconds before she spoke up again, "Kikyo-chan said hello, just to let you know."
"Okay, I wanted to invite someone else to picnic tomorrow."
"What was that? I didn't hear you clearly."
Her voice sounded as if she deadpanned at the fact that I decided to invite someone.
"I said that I wanted to invite someone tomorrow."
"Wow, I didn't expect this from you. I don't mind, to say the least, so who is it?"
I suddenly realized I never bothered to ask for the girl's name. My phone buzzed awkwardly for the next few moments, and neither of us spoke for at least half a minute.
"Wait, don't tell you don't even know the name of the person's name you are inviting. Don't tell you are really stupid."
Crude remark aside, she was correct, as I did forget to ask for the girl's name. However, she never told me hers either.
"Um. About that."
"I can't believe you are actually that stupid, Aya-chan." She initially sounded disappointed before her tone suddenly became more expressionless. "Is this person near you right now?"
"Yes."
"Put the phone on speaker."
She demanded me with an authoritative voice. She was disappointed at my inability to introduce myself properly, so I begrudgingly followed her command and put my phone on speaker with no other choice.
Before I did, I turned my direction toward Shiina, "So, my friend wants to speak to you if that's okay."
"I'm alright with that."
Shiina slightly nodded, giving me the heads-up. We made our way towards a bench, and once we sat down next to each other, I turned on the speaker on my phone.
"Hello, this is Sakura Airi. It's nice to meet you."
Sakura directed towards the silver-haired beauty next to me.
"It's nice to meet you, Sakura-san. My name is Shiina Hiyori," she responded diligently before suddenly widening her eyes, "Oh, I just realized I forgot to introduce myself to you."
"No worries, I forgot as well. It's Ayanokoji Kiyotaka," I introduced myself back as well.
"It's nice to meet you Ayanokoji-kun."
As we introduced myself, I could hear Sakura snickering through the speaker.
"Wow, Aya-chan, you've met a really sweet friend."
This felt embarrassing, as it was obvious that she was mocking me for my earlier mistake, and Shiina let out a light chuckle as well.
"So, Shiina-chan, I've heard you were interested in joining our little book club picnic," Sakura directed towards Shiina.
"Yes, I've wanted to find people with whom I can talk about books, but so far, I haven't had the opportunity. So, despite being from a different class, I would love to join your book club."
"Hmm, I understand. I'll let you in our little club. I can't wait to see you... Kikyo-chan, what are you doing!"
Right as she was about to accept Shiina into the group, Sakura suddenly shouted Kikyo's name into the speaker.
"Sakura, are you okay?" I asked out of concern; however, she didn't answer.
"Um, Ayanokoji-kun. Sorry to interrupt, but there was an accident in the kitchen, so Airi-chan is currently trying to clean up at the moment."
This time, Kushida answered the call. From what I could tell from her voice earlier, the accident must've been severe enough for Sakura to be concerned.
"Um, what are you two cooking?" Shiina asked in confusion.
"Oh, you'll see tomorrow. Oh, Shiina-san, nice to meet you as well. I'm Kushida. I can't wait to see you tomorrow as well. Sakura should message you the details about the meetup later tonight, so I'll talk to you two tomorrow."
She lightly chuckled, brightening the mood, at least for me. It's always nice to hear her angelic voice despite my concerns about her behavior toward me. However, Sakura's cooking deeply concerns me after hearing about the accident in the kitchen.
We both said our farewells to the Kushida and sort of Sakura, leaving them to their well-being and the two of us sitting beside each other.
"You have really lively friends."
Shiina spoke up first between the two of us.
"Yeah, they can be a handful, but they can be fun to spend time with."
One of my goals for attending this school was having friends, and I enjoyed spending time with them and learning about what it's like to have genuine friends. So, I'd like to believe that the words I told Shiina were genuine, but even now, I can't be sure.
"Well, I can't wait for tomorrow. I can't remember the last time I read with others in a large group."
"Same. This is the first time I've done something like this, too, so I guess we're in the same situation."
"I guess the two of us are sort of similar then. Forgetting to tell each other our names, our passion for reading, and our desire to have friends with a similar passion."
I silently nodded, agreeing with her statement. A few days ago, Kushida asked me for assistance in befriending Horikita, which I reluctantly accepted, mostly out of my endless curiosity. She mentioned that almost every person you meet could lead to a potential relationship, whether it be simple friends, a significant other, or even family. It led me to ponder whether what Kushida told me was true or not.
For example, with Sakura, if I hadn't witnessed what I saw on the bus that day from her, I probably would not have approached her all of a sudden. Just by interacting with her, we somehow ended up as two friends who bicker non-stop, and I say despite the endless possibilities that come from her existence, I enjoy spending time with her despite my issues with her.
In addition, now with Shiina, I would've never met someone like her if I had never accepted Kushida's request or Sakura's request to do her tasks. In a way, it is possible that this coincidence of Shiina and I running into each other today in the library might lead to something greater in the future. Potentially even lovers.
For the remainder of our time together, we continued to chat about several authors of books we've read, such as Agatha Christie and Fyodor Doskovesky. I felt accomplished today, the first friend I made without the assistance of Sakura or Kushida.
♚♘◼◻◼◻-LIARS-◼◻◼◻♞♔
It's another day and another set of boring classes, with close calls from Sudo nearly falling asleep during lectures and early signs of my classmates not paying attention to classes, with a few briefly checking their phones before putting them away right after.
As classes ended for the day, I departed immediately from the classroom to stop by my dorm to pick up the food for the picnic the prior day. I felt good about how it turned out, though Kikyo also assisted. However, it was completely unnecessary, and I probably could've done a better job working alone. However, despite knowing her persona is a massive lie, I enjoy spending time with her. If I learn more about how she truly is and open up to me, I may start a true friendship with a fellow liar.
I had a gleeful grin while walking towards the dorms, thinking about the possibilities. As I arrived near the dorm entrance, I was stopped by someone calling out to me.
"Idol queen, hold up for a moment!"
That voice is irritable yet seductive and belongs to my one and only stalker. My cheerful mood disappeared as I had to talk to this guy once again. I turned around him, scrunching my face in disgust.
"You know, I was in a good mood until you decided to show up. So what gives."
I stared at my hands, trying to appear disinterested in his sudden appearance.
"Oh, you're not interested in my charm anymore?"
"When was I ever?"
Hashimoto had some intention of approaching me suddenly, but that obviously didn't stop him from being disappointed in my rejection.
"Well, I sort of expected this response. Though, we still haven't settled our deal yet."
"Oh, that? I completely forgot that you had some sort of request. My bad."
I exaggerated my voice and shrugged off my concerns to state an obvious lie to him, b
"Come on, don't tell me you forgot about me. Or is that the rumors are true?"
"Rumors?"
I tilted my head to look confused. I knew that some girls from presumably Class C were watching us, and perhaps the guys from Class B had also told the girls from their class about the two of us being together. So, for Hashimoto to know about it, he must already have some connection with one of those two classes.
"Oh, are you playing dumb, or are you genuinely confused? It's hard to tell with you, but you should know what I'm talking about very well."
There was a bit of agitation with his response here; I guess he has detected that I wasn't being completely honest, but he isn't too fully sure.
"I can rest assured that I am clueless about these rumors. So if you wouldn't mind, could you explain to me what this rumor could be about?"
Without faltering my words, I continued to play dumb about being unaware of the rumors that I wanted to start spreading. However, he didn't fall for my ploy. He started to chuckle for a moment before responding to my question.
"Hmm, you're really good at playing dumb, aren't you? Not that I came to discuss those rumors; instead, I want to discuss the payment for that translation."
"You're not going to tell me about the rumor then? What a shame, but I understand you're only loyal to that elementary school kid in your class."
He did not like my response, "You really think I'm after her like that?"
I can't be too sure since the only thing I've gotten from looking at her that one time was that she was creepy, but I think it's more likely that she's setting herself up to be the leader of her class and using him and maybe others to gather information about this school.
"Hmm, probably not. So what do you want as payment? Hashimoto-chan."
"Fine. Since requesting any advancement in our relationship is pointless, I'll ask you to help me gather information."
"Oh, wow. I thought you would've requested something else. It almost sounds like that white-haired child made you request this."
She must have one hell of a charisma to get him to be a loyal follower this early in the school year, especially someone as scummy as this guy. He couldn't even follow my instructions about not getting her assistance like I requested. However, that leaves me questioning why that girl is so interested in prying into my life by sending him to keep bothering me.
"Guilty as charged. Now, idol-queen, what do you say."
Despite my disappointment in him, this would be a good opportunity for me to learn more about Class A's internal dynamics, so I'll assist her.
"Give me that child's contact information, and I'll agree to your proposition."
"Very well then, though I can't say if the princess will respond to you though."
"She'll want to if she wants to guarantee my cooperation, though."
Hashimoto finally gave in and gave me that girl's number. I also learned the girl's name: Sakayanagi Arisu. Well, I'll give her a call on a later date, as I don't want to deal with them at this current time.
I departed shortly afterward, quickly making my way toward the elevator before I could hear anything else he had to say. As I was entering the elevator, I looked at my point balance, which was sitting at a little under 27,000 points at this current moment. It was disappointing that it had reached this low despite not even being two weeks into the semester, but it was necessary for it to be this low.
After the elevator arrived at my floor, I headed straight to the kitchen in my room. Once there, I grabbed the bento boxes I had prepared with Kikyo the previous day and placed them into a picnic basket. In total, there are five bentos inside this basket, which is a decent serving for each person attending. In addition, I grabbed a picnic blanket I bought yesterday evening and intend to use.
After gathering the necessary belongings for the picnic, I left my room and the dormitory building. Eventually, I made my way toward the park with my belongings in hand; I noticed a spot near a cherry grove that looked perfect for a book club picnic.
As I was preparing, I noticed someone approaching me. It was a silver-haired girl holding the book I requested from Ayanokoji in one of her hands. If I'm not mistaken, I am pretty sure she is from Class C, but that's just a guess on my end.
"Excuse me, Sakura-san. Is this where the picnic is?"
She looked puzzled as she spoke to me. I turned towards her, trying to look closer at the girl Ayanokoji had invited.
Shiina Hiyori looks much nicer than the green-haired girl from Class C, I passed by with Hirata a few days ago. From appearance alone, I can see why Ayanokoji has taken an interest in wanting to befriend her.
"You'd be correct! You're the one he mentioned to me yesterday. It's nice to meet you, Shiina-chan."
With a bright smile, I politely introduced myself to her as I placed the blanket on the park's grass.
"Nice to meet you, too. I've heard plenty about you before."
"You have?"
"Well, not you but your online persona, Shizuku. You posted a review of a certain book that I am certainly fond of on one of your platforms."
I did? I've done plenty of research on myself, so I know everything I've ever posted on my social media platforms. I do not recall ever witnessing any content about novels. Maybe I removed that video before arriving at this school.
If that's the case, what book did I review that got her interested in me?
"I'm glad you appreciate my work, but you would be correct. I am passionate about reading in my spare time, so I'm glad you enjoyed the review."
"No, I must thank you for inviting me to this outing today. I never thought I would have the opportunity to discuss my passion for reading."
"Is it really true that there is no one in your class who is interested in reading?"
"I can't be too sure, as I tend to keep to myself for the most part. They are an active bunch if I had to give my take."
At first glance, she looks like someone who should be popular for her cuteness, but then you realize she is a massive book nerd. From the sound of it, a class that doesn't have many nerds has made her a loner for the most part.
According to Shiina's words, Class C has more athletically competent individuals in their class compared to what I've witnessed in Classes A and B. Perhaps the idea of each class having strengths and weaknesses isn't too farfetched.
"Well, I'm glad you can join us today."
The two of us continued to talk briefly about books while I finished setting up the picnic area. She was genuinely passionate about books, especially her current read, Agatha Christie's ABC Murders. I doubt I ever read the book, but in my memories, Kokichi did. So, I could delve into a serious conversation about the various murder cases that occurred in the book and the psychology that delved into it.
Eventually, I noticed that Horikita and Ayanokoji finally arrived together. I noticed that Ayanokoji was holding four books in his hands.
"Yo! Aya-chan! Horikita-chan!"
I enthusiastically waved at the two of them, with Shiina joining in. Ayanokoji waved back while Horikita rudely glared at me with hostility. She's really scary.
"Hello, Sakura, Shiina." Ayanokoji greeted us with very little enthusiasm.
"Who is this?"
Right, we never bothered to tell Horikita about Shiina's sudden appearance, as she glared at me and wanted answers. Fortunately, Shiina understood the confusion well, so she responded before I could open my mouth.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but I was invited by Ayanokoji-kun yesterday."
"I didn't expect this either, but we're all here for the same reason, so it shouldn't be a problem, right Horikita-chan?" I replied, trying to ease the tension.
"Fine, but I brought my own food. I don't trust your cooking." Horikita rudely commented.
Geez, she's an even bigger bitch than Harukawa. However, she seems more open to interacting with others if she is interested in something. In particular, the book I selected. Now, I wonder if this will change once Kushida makes her appearance.
"How rude!"
I countered, taking massive offense after all the seats I had to go through to prepare this dish. She made fun of it despite feeling grateful that she decided to stay. For now, I don't have to use my alternative method to keep her here.
The two of them made their way to their seats, where we sat in a semi-circle, with me sitting next to Shiina and Horikita and Ayanokoji sitting directly across from me.
"Say, Sakura-san, what did you make for the picnic?" Shiina looked directly at the basket placed in the center of the blanket.
"Well, I guess, since we're doing well, there's no harm in showing what I made." I grabbed the basket and handed each person currently present a bento present, "Go on, open it, I insist."
While Horikita stayed true to her words and ignored my gift and was instead already reading the book, Ayanokoji, and Shiina opened the bento with a bit of concern on their face. Perhaps they are still concerned about the sudden cut-off from yesterday's call.
The bentos they opened revealed a chicken karaage, rolled omelet, a little spinach salad, and onigiri rice balls. Ayanokoji's eyes widened, and the bentos I made looked normal, while Shiina looked impressed.
"Wow, you are such an amazing cook, Sakura-san; thank you so much."
Shiina was the first to compliment my cooking abilities. I could even see Horikita taking a glance inside after realizing what was inside.
"It's no problem. I just wanted to have a good picnic while we enjoyed reading together."
See that, Horikita, I can cook exceptionally well when I want to. It's just really fun to mess with Ayanokoji with my cooking on a daily basis and witness his non-reaction to whatever nonsense I decide to cook for him.
"Though, if I may ask, what happened yesterday?" Ayanokoji asked about the sudden interruption during our call.
"Oh, that? It was just an oven issue at my place, and it's all resolved now, Nishishi!"
It was a catastrophe. I was also planning to bring a dessert, but that never happened as Kikyo forgot to check the oven when the timer hit, and it burned. I am ninety percent sure that she sabotaged me intentionally, but she did say she was planning to bring a dessert of her own after causing that mistake, so that's possibly why she's running late.
For now, that simple explanation resolved Shiina and Ayanokoji as we started to read The Brothers Karamazov.
While skimming the first few pages of the book, I was reminded of how time-consuming it can be to finish this particular novel. It has lengthy monologues that often veer into religious discussions, and the pacing can sometimes be slow. However, despite these aspects, I chose this book to read today for a reason.
"This book isn't really like Crimes and Punishment, just from what I've read so far.."
Horikita spoke up first after lifting her head up from the book. From what I can tell about her tone, she seems more neutral about the book. She is somewhat correct in her reasoning, but not completely.
"Hmm, I guess so. Crimes and Punishment could be considered a study of objective morality. The murder presented makes you wonder if the protagonist's actions could be justified or not."
Shiina replied to Horikita's comment about her take on the one of Doeskevesky's work. I also wonder about that question: in the case that I am Kokichi, can I forgive myself for my actions? Or, if I am Airi, do Kokichi's actions matter to me now, I mean, since it wouldn't be real after all?
"Yet this book feels similar yet is different. I think I will need more time to understand this novel fully."
Shiina seems interested in this novel; perhaps she can answer my questions about it once she finishes it.
We continued to read, discussing the book's first chapter for a while until I suddenly noticed that Kushida had finally appeared.
"Hello, everyone! It's nice seeing you all today."
She greeted us with her usual fake radiant smile, holding a bag, presumably the dessert she had made to make up for the night prior.
"Kushida? Hello..." Ayanokoji greeted her with his normal blank face while waving to the captivating girl.
Shiina and I also greeted her, but as she settled in, I noticed that Horikita got up from the blanket, gathered her belongings, and prepared to leave.
"I think I've spent enough time here. I'm leaving."
Horikita shot me and Ayanokoji a cold glare, realizing we'd set her up. Meanwhile, Shiina looked concerned at the current atmosphere and stayed silent, hoping nothing bad would break out.
"Come on, Horikita-chan, we are all here for a reason, and don't you want to continue to discuss the book."
I tried to make a plea, trying to convince Horikita to stay up, to no avail, not that it truly mattered to me. I wasn't dumb enough to think that this picnic idea would work as long as Kushida was involved in the slightest.
"Please, Horikita-san, I didn't know you would show up. I just wanted to enjoy this book, so please, I won't bug you. So stay, please."
Kushida followed my lead and decided not to state her intentions of trying to befriend her but rather be interested in the book we were reading, hoping that Horikita would change her mind.
"Fine, just don't talk to me. I have no intention of being your friend."
Perhaps due to her interest in the book itself, she decided to stay at this picnic despite Kushida's appearance. She still looked annoyed, but she sat back down and opened the book, ignoring the rest of us. This was ultimately a decent alternative; Kushida achieved her opportunity to potentially 'befriend' Horikita while I had an opportunity to observe their behavior in a more casual setting.
However, what ultimately prevented Horikita from leaving is that she doesn't have sufficient evidence to show that this picnic was ultimately a setup. She probably still believes that, but
Kushida decided to sit between Horikita and me in an attempt to get closer to her while Horikita tried to ignore her.
"I'm sorry if this might sound rude, but was this picnic a setup to befriend her? It seemed pretty obvious"
Shiina whispered to my ears to ensure the others didn't hear. She was correct in her deduction, but she doesn't seem mad that she got involved in this situation.
"Yeah, she's a loner who likes to read, similar to you in a way, so we wanted her to open up, and you see how that turned out. So, sorry that you got caught up in this."
That was a half-truth, but Shiina was satisfied with my answer.
"Well, it's fine. It wasn't anything violent, though. Are you sure this was the right method of befriending her?"
Not anything violent? That could just mean she's not the type of person who enjoys violence.
"You're right, but as you can see, she isn't the most willing to open up, so I guess I deceived her. But this was for her sake to open up potentially, though that isn't the case. I'm sorry if you were expecting something else."
She slightly nodded, understanding everything about the picnic; she didn't look mad about being caught up in this, though I could sense some sadness that this picnic was not entirely about reading books.
"Oh, no worries. I understand that this book club was never meant to include me initially, but I'm just happy that I could talk about books with others."
She let out a really bright smile that could rival Kikyo's. However, unlike Kikyo and even mine, her smile was genuine and could be described as angelic if one were to witness it. It's a shame that very few in her class will witness this side of her.
As we continued with the book club, I noticed that our group sort of split into two. On one hand, Shiina was passionate about understanding this book and conversing enthusiastically with Ayanokoji. On the other hand, Kikyo keeps trying to ask Horikita questions about the book, but she usually ignores her outbursts of questions. I would jump in between the two groups to observe both their behaviors.
However, from Kikyo and Horikita, I didn't learn anything significant about their relationship or any evidence of any past connections. So, for the time being, I'll leave the two of them to their own devices.
So despite all the shenanigans, for the remainder of the book club's time, we continued to feast on the bentos that I made and the Miso butter cookies that Kikyo brought with her, as well as continued to talk about various books from Doeskevsky. Still, I did enjoy my time at this picnic and felt as if I got closer to Shiina today.
♚♘◼◻◼◻-LIARS-◼◻◼◻♞♔
"Are you sure you don't want our assistance?"
Kikyo asked to help me clean up the picnic area once we started wrapping up for the day. Shiina also looked the same, but I decided to brush them off.
"Thanks for the assistance, but Aya-chan and I got this!"
Horikita left with her stoic expression, ignoring us once she felt there was no reason to stay. Though Ayanokoji seemed confused, I would only ask for his assistance.
"What do you mean by us?" Ayanokoji asked me in confusion.
"Don't be silly, Aya-chan. You told me earlier today that you wanted to help me clean up today."
I lied once more; he never said that to me. I just wanted to talk with him. However, he did catch on to my lie. He could only sigh before reluctantly nodding to agree with me, signifying that he would help me clean up.
"You're so nice, Ayanokoji-kun; I'll leave it to you both then. Thank you two very much for today. I had a lot of fun today. It was nice meeting you, Shiina-san."
"It was nice talking to you all, too; I've enjoyed meeting you all today, too," Shiina replied to Kushida with a bright smile.
We each started to say our farewells to each other before Shiina and Kushida departed, leaving me and Ayanokoji behind to clean up our area.
The sun started to set slowly during this time, and the wind started to get stronger while we were cleaning. Despite the sudden coldness that I felt, we eventually finished cleaning the picnic area when my brown-haired friend spoke to me for the first time since the picnic had ended.
"Remember how you needed to get your phone fixed sometime a few weeks ago?"
I felt a cold shudder running through my body. Just thinking about that repair place creeps me out because of that worker.
"I guess I do. This burner phone can be a slog to use. I can't even play games on it!"
"During the picnic, I got a message from him saying that your phone will be ready on the twenty-third of this month and that he wants to set up a place to pick it up."
"Really, the twenty-third? Why that late?"
"Apparently, according to the repair guy, the damage to the phone was severe to the point where they needed to order supplies from outside the school facilities to use your phone again."
That's a nuisance; that's the same date as the time when my mysterious lover wanted to confess to me, as well as the date I planned to start going out with Hirata in our fake relationship.
"They really want me to use the school-approved phones, don't they?"
Perhaps the phones we were gifted when we were accepted into this school were specifically designed for each student to use for three years, with intentions not to replace them. I figured this out once I was given the warrant for my phone, which allowed me to get it repaired without any cost due to the circumstances. According to the warranty, I am instructed to return my current burner phone to the school once I get my original phone back.
It's almost as if the school doesn't want the students to possess more than the one phone we were gifted for a particular reason. Something else that is a fact is that I wanted to buy a second phone for my plans, but I just couldn't as I couldn't find a phone in any of the stores I visited. Or any phones that would be useful. It was mostly toys or flip phones that could only call certain numbers.
"I don't see the difference on why that matters," Ayanokoji replied.
"Yeah, I guess it doesn't, but you would think that for a school of this magnitude, they would just allow me to use some other phone."
"Never thought of that. Right, though, going back to the clerk, do you want me to pick up the phone for you?"
"Wow, I didn't think you could be a gentleman, Aya-chan! Though, I must refuse your request."
"Is that so?"
He was confused that I would willingly decide to face that creepy worker alone. T
"Yep, in fact, I have someone who can come with me on that day, so thank you for the service you provided that day. It was really convenient not having to give that guy my number, so you don't have to worry about it anymore."
"Are you sure? Don't you remember how he acted around you?"
"Hmm, I'll be fine. I have a prince in shining armor who says he will protect me no matter the cost. Nishishi!"
I was confident in Hirata; no matter what happened to me, he would protect me no matter what, but Ayanokoji seemed curious about what I meant as I noticed that he raised his brow.
"A prince charming?"
"Yep, you know, like a beloved of some sort."
"You have a lover?"
"Hmm, I can't say who Aya-chan is, but someone asked me a few days ago, and I couldn't say no. I'm sorry if you were interested in me that way, but I'm taken."
I grinned in his direction, but with his non-existent facial expression, it's hard to tell if he's mad or not.
"Well, I don't see you that way, though I am curious about who this individual is."
"Nishishi! I can't tell you yet! You'll have to find out along with everyone else."
I pointed my index finger towards my lips, giggling, trying to answer his curiosity. Now, I am curious about who he might be interested in. If I take his words as true, and he is not interested in me romantically, maybe Shiina is the one he's interested in.
"Say, Aya-chan. Is there a reason why you brought Shiina-chan today?"
I decided to ask him while making my face show childish curiosity. I had wanted to ask him this question for a while, and perhaps he knew that this question would be directed at him.
"I wanted to see if I could make a friend without your assistance. It turns out we get along really well."
During the picnic, I witnessed Shiina and Ayanokoji mostly keeping to themselves, leaving me to talk with Kushida and Horikita. So, the two of them are compatible as decent friends. I can't be sure whether something blossoms between them; I'm just basing it off the picnic earlier.
The two of you have good compatibility. I'll give you that!" Before messing with him, I pointed that out. "So if you decide to pursue her in a relationship, let me know. I'll help your hopeless self actually get pegged by her!"
I nefariously grinned in his direction, trying to provoke him into blushing or something, but I didn't get that. Instead, he was staring at me, confused.
"What?"
"Well, you don't know what it means to get pegged? Come on. I thought it was the latest trend with you guys. You should look it up. It's a fun activity I think you'll enjoy!"
"I don't like the sound of it. Though, I guess it wouldn't hurt to look into this pegging thing that you insist is enjoyable."
"Now that's the spirit, Aya-chan!"
After calming down, we conversed for a little longer before Ayanokoji prepared to depart for the day.
"I think I'm going to head back to the dorms, so I'll talk to you tomorrow, Sakura."
"Bye! Aya-chan!"
Our conversation ended, and as he left me behind to return to his dormitory, I finished gathering the stuff from the picnic earlier. I decided to scour the school facilities to see if I could observe any classmates. In particular, I wanted to see if I could potentially find Ike as I wanted to check on his state. However, after half an hour of searching, I got bored of looking for him and decided to change my priorities to something else.
Why is this school so big? Personally, 600,000 square meters is a bit overboard for a school facility. It is extremely tiring to traverse with this mediocre body of mines that is forced to carry all my picnic supplies on me without stopping.
Ultimately, I decided to stop by a bookstore that I passed by while looking for Ike. It might have a book, or should I say a light novel, that I wanted to look into. Danganronpa 0. According to some online searches, it follows an amnesiac girl named Otonashi Ryoko, the Ultimate Analysis, trying to solve the mystery about herself and some sort of incident called the tragedy that ravaged the world if I got my lore correctly. The protagonist sounded like someone who was in a similar situation as me, so I thought this would be a good place to start.
After checking out the light novel from the bookstore, I returned to my dormitory. After putting away all my belongings, I changed into something more comfortable, like a black hoodie and some sweats, before hopping onto my bed, preparing to read this light novel.
I think I heard my phone buzz on my desk. I checked, and it was a message from Ayanokoji. This is a first. He never messages me first, so it must be urgent.
[7:30:33 PM] [Aya-chan <3] [What did you make me look up?]
What a shame—it wasn't anything important. I put my phone away and threw it to the other end of my bed so I wouldn't be distracted.
As I read the novel, the plot was fine, but there was one character that I was more invested in than the rest: the main character, Ryoko herself. In an unsurprising twist, Ryoko herself was, in fact, the renowned despair villainess Ultimate Fashionista Junko Enoshima—the one woman in the fictional world of Danganronpa who somehow brought the world into despair.
The plot twist wasn't surprising, as it was easily foreshadowed for several chapters, but learning about Junko's character was interesting. A girl so inhumanely intelligent she was bored of the world, and because of said boredom, she plunged the world into despair as that was the only way to keep herself entertained.
Now, thinking about Kokichi or myself, I find some similarities between him and Junko. Though he might not be as intelligent as her, he is undoubtedly a near-inhuman genius. As I've experienced countless times, he tends to get bored quickly, but instead of resorting to despair like Junko, he entertains himself by playing harmless pranks to relieve his inner boredom.
Strangely enough, the situation Junko put herself into is eerily similar to mine, with a few differences. Junko had retrograde amnesia, I have anterograde amnesia. Junko didn't know who she was during her time as Ryoko. I currently think that I am Kokichi, but I don't actually know who I truly am. Lastly, both Junko and I are known for their status as celebrities. However, Junko is a renowned name across the Dangarnonapa verse. At the same time, Shizuku, the persona I created, is a respectable-sized influencer on several platforms that definitely has the potential to go bigger if I didn't enter this school. However, I probably won't reach international success as Junko did.
I am not sure if the similarities between my current situation and the events in Danganronpa are just coincidences or actual hints about who I am. Since I don't have sufficient information about the creators of this series, I cannot say for sure. It seems unlikely that I will be able to find out the truth about myself anytime soon.
For now, all I can do is continue attending this abnormal school and wait for the day when I finally find an answer that will give me the answers to my identity. Maybe then, I'll truly understand if I am free or not.
___________
Authors Note:
Fun Trivia about this chapter's title: Translate the title words into Japanese, and you'll understand from there. >:) Puhuhuhuhuhuhu!
Also, here's a calendar of the month of April in this fanfic. The dates just happen to coincide with April of this year or 2024. I didn't plan this at all in the slightest, it just happened to match. Coincidences are rather freaky.
Thx for reading! :D
[Word Count: 10507]