So this is a new floor, huh? Third floor...

"Nyahaha!" a high pitched voice sounded. "So you haven't been killed!"

"No...I haven't, yet."

"Well, you never know! 'Cause I always see you sneaking around, and you tend to hang out with Kokichi a bit!"

"So...?"

"Atua says that he has some things up his sleeves... But, but we can set that aside for now! My research lab just opened up, and I wanna use somebody as a reference! You just so happen to be around, so I'll use you."

"W-Wha—?" You felt Angie grab your hand start dragging you somewhere.

"Praise be to Atua for granting me such an amazing room..."

"You do know Monokuma designed these places, right?"

"I know, I know. Praise be to Atua for letting Monokuma supply my lab thoroughly! It has all my favorite painting supplies, there's wood and wax for me to carve with, and the doors even have locks... I wonder how Monokuma knew all of this, hm?"

"If Monokuma was able to trap all of us inside a school and manipulate our minds to want to kill, then collecting information about all of us should be a breeze..."

"Uhh, anyway... I wanna test the wax out. I'm gonna carve you, okay?" Her voice was as chipper as always. You waited for a second until you felt her hands on one of your arms.

"Angie, what are you doing?" you questioned, already starting to get nervous.

"I'm feeling your body so I can get the shapes and proportions right! ...Whaaat, is something wrong?"

"Yes, there is something definitely wrong! If you keep going on like this then you might eventually wander over to places that are not supposed to be touched...!!" You involuntarily flushed ever so slightly.

"Don't worry~ Atua would shame me if I ever touched those places...but He is telling me that perhaps I shouldn't do any wax carvings for now. How about I paint you!?"

"...Sure, whatever..."

"Nyahaha! Atua thanks you for your cooperation! Now if you can sit down on this stool that I'm bringing over and stay still then that would be mighty helpful!"

"Uh, okay..." You felt around, feeling the stool that she was talking about and sitting down on it. "Is...this alright?"

"Mmhmm! Absolutely fine!" You heard Angie rush around the room, presumably to gather all her paints and a canvas. You heard her start to paint so you stayed quiet, figuring it would be best for her to work in peaceful silence. "...Hey, Atua would like to ask you a question."

"...Oh yeah?"

"Why are you always acting so suspicious?"

"W...What are you talking about?"

"You're always sneaking around. Like when Shuichi was looking for where to use the new items, you left without much of a warning! So far during our trials, you've managed to make your place on the suspect list! You also tend to be very quiet, too." Angie's tone was a bit unsettling for you.

"I don't do this on purpose...!"

"Hmmm...are you suuuuure?"

"Yes, I'm positive! I'm not up to anything I swear!" Your voice had risen tremendously from its normal cool tone. "You wouldn't understand anything about me!"

"Of course Angie can't, but Atua can! You see, Atua is in Angie's body right now, since the body of Angie is merely His vessel to use when it comes to art. And Atua knows everything!"

...Riiight, you thought incredulously.

"If you keep acting like this, then you might die sometime... Hm, may Atua add something to your painting?"

"Do whatever you want to my painting..."

"Nyahaha! Yipeee! Now, Atua asks for your silence for the remainder of this session, for He can't focus one hundred percent when there are distracting noises."

"Okay, okay, I'll stay silent." For the next hour or two, maybe even three, Angie was concentrated completely on her painting. You had time to cool down your nerves before you could lash out and do anything brash. The silence went from awkward to peaceful in enough time.

You were about to just fall asleep right there on the stool when Angie clapped her hands, snapping you back to consciousness. "Nyahaha! It has finally dried! You can get up now!"

You nodded and stood up. Wait...dried? "I thought that you would have told me if you were finished painting rather than waiting until it was dry..."

"But, but it would have been taunting knowing that the painting was finally done, but you would still need to wait for it to dry in its fullest beauty."

"Ah, um...okay."

"Now, take off that thing from your head and admire Atua's work!" Angie pulled on your scarf, causing it to drop down and hang around your neck. "Huh? When did you acquire that bandage, hmm? Were you hurt?"

"Obviously..."

"Atua will watch more carefully over you, then! He always watches over everyone, but He will ensure that you don't get hurt again!" Angie clasped her hands cheerfully. "Oh yeah. To reach this rank of protection, you must give a divine sacrifice!"

"Huh!? What!?" You took a step back, as the girl in front of you gave you a creepy smile. "What do you mean, I have to sacrifice something...? What would I even give and...why??"

"Why? Why?" she repeated, tilting her head to the side and acting innocent. "Nyahaha! Why, giving up something important of yours appeases those who watch from afar!" She took a step closer to you. "Would you like to give up your life?"

"...Yes," you replied, only half-jokingly. Your eyes being uncovered shown a beautiful mix of purple and blue. Angie probably didn't notice, though, due to the state she was in at the moment. "No one would car—" You cut yourself off. Maybe someone does care...as long as they weren't lying. "...Actually... If I have to sacrifice something, could it perhaps be something different?"

"Fine, fine! If you die, then Atua will just lose a precious devotee... How about your blood instead?"

"Sure, but, uh...how much?"

"Probably not much! Atua appreciates how easily you agreed, for most people just push the idea away!" Angie then looked away, index finger on her chin. "Just a few drops should do... Hmm... There should be a golden katana in Kiyo's lab, which is on this same floor. We could ask him if we can use it to prick your finger?"

Your eyes widened at what the artist what suggesting. There is no way in hell am I going to let her wield a katana...! You looked around the lab, checking to see if she had anything sharp. There was nothing...but that was most likely for the best. "I got this," you spoke aloud. You picked at your finger until some of the skin had weakened. You bit at it, and continued this process before you tasted iron. You pulled your finger away from your mouth to see that you managed to make a small cut, pink blood starting to show on the surface.

"Oh me, oh my... How determined," Angie commented casually. "How divine! You hurt yourself just to provide a sacrifice for Atua? You are definitely one of His favorites now!"

You chuckled. Why did I do that, though? Do I really need some god to be looking over me? Oh well...no turning back now. "Is...this enough?"

"Mhm! Mhm!"

"How do I give it to you, now?"

"You can just rub off the blood on the painting!"

You realized that through the entire time that Angie had been finished, you didn't even look at the final product yet. You turned to the canvas. It was a picture of you, from the shoulders up. It looked...just like you, with every detail painted to perfection. In a way, you believed the you in the painting was better than your actual self. You noticed that the person on the canvas had an unsure look as if they were nervous about something, even though the eyes were covered up by a checkered scarf. The background was one solid color, a mix between a dark blue and a grey. It gave off of a mysterious aura.

"This... This is absolutely gorgeous..." you mumbled in pure awe.

"No need to praise or thank me!" the girl responded. "It was all Atua's work!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever... How can I ruin this after how much time and effort was put into it?"

"It's Atua's work. By leaving your blood there, that's how you can contribute your sacrifice!" Angie was beaming. She really is persistent about this, huh?

"...Fine."

"Nyahaha! I can hear Atua speaking to me now... Mhm, mhm, I see! He is telling me that is very thankful for contribution, and that He will make sure that you won't ever get hurt again!"

Despite how childish the current situation was, you still found it a bit comforting. Perhaps a god really was watching you and helping you from behind the scenes, who could tell? You shook your head, clearing away your thoughts after seeing Angie giving you a 'hurry up' motion. You pressed your finger underneath the checkered scarf, lining up to where your eye would be. It was only one drop of blood. The vibrant, almost neon pink definitely stood out against the other dulled colors that had been used, giving a surprisingly nice touch to the painting.

"It is yours to keep now!" Angie hastily picked up the canvas and shoved it into your arms.

"...Huh? Oh, uh...thank you so much."

"It's no problem! Atua says that you're very fun to paint...perhaps we can do this again sometime? Nyahaha!" Angie said her piece before starting to clean up. Figuring that you were done there and that the artist wanted you to leave, you headed over to the door. "Oh! Wait!" You turned around in confusion.

"What?" Your head was tilted.

"I'm making a student council for the academy, and we're having a meeting tonight. Everyone in the council will maintain peace among the school grounds and work together to help stop the killing game. I am the head of the council, since I have contact with the almighty Atua... Atua has told me that you would be welcomed into the group! So, how about it? Hmmm?"

"...Why ask me?"

"Your selfless devotion really stands out. It could be a helpful trait for you if you decided to join."

If it will help protected everyone, then... "Maybe."

"Hmm... I'll give you some time to think about it. Until next time. Byeonara!" Angie happily waved and smiled.

"See you later." You turned back around, facing the door once more. You started walking, all the way out of the lab. You heard the door close soon after you left. That was fine. Soon you had made your way outside. Nighttime already, huh? Time flies by pretty quickly... I wonder if that's even a good thing. When you heard the nighttime announcement start, you rushed over to get to the dorms.
***

Ding dong! Bing Bong!

"This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. It is now 8:00 a.m.."

"THIS-IS-AN-EMERGENCY-ANNOUNCEMENT. PLEASE-ASSEMBLE-IN-THE-GYM. REFUSAL-TO-GET-ALONG...IS-GROUNDS-FOR-PUNISHMENT."

"Oh, Monodam, you're really obsessed with this whole getting-along thing!"

"'Friends' is the only show he watches now!"

"IF-YOU-DON'T-GET-ALONG...I-WON'T-FORGIVE-YOU. I-WILL-USE-THE-EXISALS-TO-PEEL-YOUR-FACES-OFF-LIKE-MANDARIN-ORANGES."

"Ughhhh! That's so gory! P-Please get along everyo--BLRGHBLRGHBLRGHBLRGH!"

"Ah! She puked again! Ooh, it's blue this time! How rare! They say anyone who sees Monophanie's blue puke will have good luck."

"...So long, bear-well!"

You sighed as the monitor's screen flickered off. Geez, how annoying. Oh well, I guess I have to come to the gym now. I really have no choice, huh? You sat up, dusting yourself off and placing your book down. Yes, you had woken up early again and secluded yourself in the library. It was nice and quiet, and also rather peaceful until you remembered Rnataro's dead corpse... Oh, how long ago it felt.

You headed over to the gym. It might have just been you, but...you could swear that the floors were slowly being cleaned. As in, you started seeing actual tile rather than just grass and plants. Shaking those thoughts off, you placed your hand on the gym's door to enter. Upon walking inside...everything was normal. The mess from Ryoma's death had all been cleared away, without a single trace of it left. Your heart ached a bit.

And then everyone came in, as directed by the Monokubs. It wasn't long before all of the remaining students were there. You quickly hid your eyes while slinking away to a darkened corner.

"Ugh, man... I'm tired as f*ck," groaned Miu. "I was up all night fixing that computer."

"Ah, you took a look at the computer on the fourth floor? What do you think?" Shuichi questioned her.

"Yeah...I only just started working on it so I don't know the full specs, but... That thing...is pretty good. I mean, it's so intense it just won't let me sleep."

"Hey guys," Kokichi piped up, "am I sleepwalking or something? What's she doing here?" Ah...he must be talking about Maki, you reasoned in your head. "Oh, I see! I'm hallucinating! After what Maki said before, there's no way she'd be here!"

"Don't say something so stupid," Kaito grumbled. "You'll never get to know her better if you never talk to her!"

"Maybe everyone would prefer that! Maybe everyone would prefer that this dangerous killer stay far away from us! Of course, I wouldn't prefer that at all!"

"You better cut it out!"

"He's right," Angie spoke up. "Murder and death have no place in a peaceful academy life."

"Nyeeeh...it's just like Angie said."

"Yeah...it's just like Angie said," Tsumugi agreed.

Hm? Is this what Angie meant when she was talking about gathering a group together?

The sound of the gym doors busting open shot throughout the gym. "Everyone!" Gonta boomed. "It serious!"

"Oh, no... The Colossal Insect is on the other side of the wall, isn't it!?" Kokichi wondered, faking the worry in his tone.

"No, not that. Gonta went to courtyard before coming here and--"

"Rise and shine, ursine! Thanks for bearing with us!"

"C'monnnnn, what is it?" Monotaro whined. "Why'd you call us out all of a sudden!?"

"We're the ones who called them out! Did you forget that, too?" Monophanie spoke.

"LET'S-WORRY-ABOUT-MONOTARO...LATER, AND-PRESENT-THE-MOTIVE-NOW."

"So it is a motive after all," Shuichi said.

You simply sighed to yourself. "Like we need another one of those..."

"Nyahaha!" Angie laughed cheerfully. "It doesn't matter what the motive is, we will not do the killing game anymore."

"Th-That's right!" Tenko stuttered in agreement. "We aren't afraid of anything anymore!"

"...Because we have Atua," Kiibo remarked.

"But it's no ordinary motive," Monophanie refuted. "This motibe will inspire fear like never before."

"Fear like never before?" Korekiyo repeated.

"IF-YOU-FACE-A-FEAR-LIKE-NEVER-BEFORE, YOU'LL-HAVE-NO-CHOICE...BUT-TO-UNITE. NOW, FOR-THE-MOTIVE-THAT-WILL-CAST-YOU-DOWN-INTO-THE-DEPTHS-OF-TERROR..."

"We'll present it together!" all of the Monokubs announced at once.

"This time, the motive is a transfer student! Yep! A new student is transferring! And not just any transfer student..."

"You get to resurrect one of the four people who've died so far...and welcome them back to the academy as a transfer student!"

"...Welllll?" Monotaro and Monophanie asked enthusiastically.

"A t-transfer student...?"

"We can...resurrect someone?"

"The instructions for the resurrection ritual are written in the Necronomicon. By performing the ritual as written, you can resurrect one deceased victim," Monotaro explained.

"But only one of the four who have died so far can become the transfer student," the pink Monokub added. "Whoever you choose, that person will be considered part of the killing game semester."

"So technically, you can kill 'em again as soon as they're resurrected. Y'know...if you wanted to use it like that."

"THIS-MOTIVE...IS-SUPPOSED-TO-BRING-THEM-CLOSER-TOGETHER."

"O-Oh...s-sorry! Old habits and such..."

"Monodam...let's forgive Monotaro. Forgiving is what friends do, y'know."

"MONOPHANIE...YOU'RE-NICE. BUT...THERE-IS-MORE-TO-FRIENDSHIP-THAN-BEING-NICE. FRIENDS-ALSO-PUNISH-EACH-OTHER-WHEN-THEY-DO-SOMETHING-WRONG. THAT'S-WHY...I'LL-HAVE-YOU-PUNISH-MONOTARO."

"...What!? Me!?"

"Please, no! Not Monophanie! I'm always mocking her when she's not looking! I don't wanna be punished by her!"

"Fine, I'll do it!"

"So long, bear-well!" The Monokubs left. Everyone was dumbfounded.

"T-Transfer student...? R-Resurrecting the dead...?" Kiibo questioned uneasily.

"D-Don't say such a stupid thing! There's no way resurrecting the dead is possible!" Kaito objected. "I-It just can't happen..."

Miu huffed. "Sh-Sheesh... Wh-Who the f*ck would believe that load of unscientific bullsh*t?"

"Disbelief due to a lack of scientific merit...is simply the hubris of a scientific society," Korekiyo remarked. "This ritual...or rather, resurrection ceremony, stems from funeral ceremonies the world over. See? They are similar, yes? The act of sending the dead to the next world is sort a of ritual. Through rumors and legends, that ritual twisted into a way to return the dead to this world."

A ritual, huh? I doubt that it would work for us, though. The one behind this killing game probably wouldn't allow for a student to be brought back...would they? You slowly shook your head.

"Since you keep rambling about it, I'm guessing you really believe all that stuff, huh, Kiyo?" Kokichi asked the anthropologist.

"Kehehe... What are you saying? There is no way the dead can be resurrected. Without a doubt, the souls of the dead exist, but they cannot be brought back to life. Dead flesh cannot be restored, just as broken glass cannot be mended."

"So you believe in souls, but you don't believe those souls can be resurrected?"

"That seems confusing, but I know if we ask, this conversation will just go on forever..." Tsumugi commented.

"I-If not even Kiyo believes it, then...there's no such thing as resurrecting the dead," Kaito spoke anxiously.

"And if this idealistic degenerate can't believe it, no reasonable girl would believe it, either!"

"Hmmm, you think so? I don't think it's strange for the dead to come back to life," Angie hummed.

"Hah-hahaha! The kooky b*tch is finally talkin'!" Miu exclaimed. "But too bad! No one's interested in your bullsh*t cult!"

"No...wait," Kiibo stopped the inventor. "Let's hear what Angie has to say."

"Yes, Angie is free to speak."

"Nyahahaha, can I say it? Yaaaaay! Okay, I'm gonna say it. 'Cause...that's what Atua desires."

"So...you believe you can...revive the dead, Angie?" Shuichi asked.

"Umm...I don't think the resurrection ritual can really bring the dead back to life. It's probably more like...returning the dead to us."

"...What do you mean?" Maki inquired.

"Y'know how the bodies of all the victims have been cleaned up? So clean, it's like there was never a dead body to begin with? So maybe... They were never dead to begin with?"

"No, that's not possible," Shuichi tried to reason. "We inspected all of the bodies ourselves--"

"But, but it might've been a very accurate imitation!"

"An imitation?"

"Monokuma and the Exisals are evidence of ridiculous scientific advancements..." Kiibo remarked. "So it maybe be possible to create extremely convincing imitations."

"If that's what Angie says... Then I'm starting to plainly agree."

"I've always supported Angie..." Himiko joined in.

What's up with Angie getting all of this support seemingly out of nowhere...? you wondered.

"Yayyy! Thank you, everyone!"

"What? No, wait a minute! I saw them with my own eyes--"

"Graaahhh! Don't raise your voice to Angie, you rude degenerate!"

"Hey, you don't want them to be alive, Shuichi? You don't want the dead to be alive?"

"I-I do! I do want that! I wish they were still alive... Even now I think that. But no matter how much we want that..."

"Oh, wait!" Gonta piped up. "If everyone alive, that mean they're somewhere in school, right? So...maybe one of them write message in courtyard? Letters in courtyard are sorta different now. On way here, Gonta go see writing in courtyard... And it have more writing this time."

"More writing?"

"Gonta no could understand what writing mean, but maybe... Maybe it message from dead? Maybe everyone leave message for us that say, 'Hey! We alive!'"

"A message...from everyone who died?"

"'Cause no one else here write it, did they? So someone else musta write it, right?"

"Are you saying a dead person hiding in the school wrote that message?" Tsumugi asked. "In other words...it's a message from the dead?"

That...shouldn't be possible, you thought.

"W-Wait...a message from the dead!? What the actual f*ck...!?" Miu squealed.

"Either way, there's nothing more divine than being reunited with a friend."

"Angie...whatever are you planning to do with that?" Korekiyo asked. She must have picked up the Nerconomicon. You wouldn't know, though, since you couldn't see. "Are you...actually planning to perform the ritual? You do know it's a motive, yes?"

"But perhaps it's a motive that's dangerous to ignore, rather than dangerous to use," Kiibo pointed out. "For example, maybe the people who've died are actually alive... And if we don't perform the ritual, maybe they will be killed for certain this time?"

"Hm, it would be a problem if we allowed four potential survivors to die," Angie said casually. "Nyahaha. You're so smart for telling us, Gonta. You're a savior to those four people."

"...Huh?"

You pulled down your scarf a bit to look around. Angie was approaching Gonta with her usual smile on her face, and then she had the male in her arms. "Hmmmm... You work so hard, Gonta. You're always trying to keep everyone safe. Even when you go berserk, you're still considerate of everyone else, aren't you? I know this...because Atua is always watching you."

"A-Always...watching...Gonta?"

"...Don't worry. You're not alone, Gonta. Atua is like a gentle grandmother, watching over you and keeping you safe."

"Grandmas...are nice..." Angie let him go.

"Oh yeah. Why don't you join our student council, Gonta?"

"Yeah! It'd be really reassuring if you were part of the student council, Gonta!" Tsumugi joined in.

"Mhm...you will use your power for the peace of the academy," Himiko said.

"Nyahaha! See how much everyone needs you, Gonta? You should definitely join."

"...You need Gonta? Okay! Gonta join student council too!"

"W-Wait, before all of that, what exactly is this 'student council'?" Shuichi stuttered. "Is that why you've been acting weird--"

"Last night, Angie summoned us to discuss how we can eradicate the killing game."

"Me, Kiibo...Tenko, and Tsumugi," Himiko spoke.

"And we arrived to a conclusion!" Tenko exclaimed. "This is the Ultimate Academy Student Council, with Angie Yonaga as our president!"

"...Ultimate Academy Student Council?"

"We've all been banded together under the leadership of President Angie!" Tsumugi added.

"Our platform...is the wholesale eradication of the killing game," Kiibo chimed in.

"Nyeh... Our student council promises a killing-free Ultimate Academy."

"There can be no harmony between us if we keep saying different things."

"Oh, shut up!" Kokichi yelled angrily.

"What!?"

"Well, it's called the student council, but all the decision-making is done by Atua."

"But since Angie can speak with Atua, she's the only one worthy of leading the council."

"Nyeh... That's right."

"Yeah, I'm going to follow Angie, too," Tsumugi cheered.

"Nyahahaha! Thanks, everyone! Atua is happy, too!" You suddenly felt a tug at your sleeve. "What about you? You said that you would think about joining."

"I-I, uhh..." You felt the girl's arms wrap around you.

"Hmmm... You're so selfless and quiet. You always act tough and cool, but on the inside, I bet you are actually paranoid and feel as though you can't trust anyone. Maybe that's why you don't speak up a lot... But if you join us, you can help bring peace so that you won't have to be afraid anymore. Atua is really hoping that you'll help by joining the council." Angie let go of you.

"The more the better," Kiibo commented.

Would I really be able to help? I really want to help...and maybe this could work out. "...I...think I'll...--"

"Aw geez. Don't let them brainwash you, too, (Y/N)," a voice stopped you.

"Kehehe... Angie spread her influence before we'd even realized. But it makes sense if you think about it. This place has all the conditions for a cult to form. The fear of death that cannot be avoided... Cults are born from a desire to escape that."

"So she's using this situation to take over the school and makes us dependent on 'Atua,'" Kokichi spoke.

"'Using' is a rude way to describe it!" Kiibo refuted. "The president wants peace for this school, and we all agree with her noble wisdom."

"Yeah! Gonta not let anyone talk bad about student council!"

"You literally just f*ckin' joined them, you brainwashed idiot!" Miu snapped.

...Ah, that's right... I was almost tricked into joining a cult, and I hate being tricked... Besides, joining probably wouldn't have done much anyway. If the council does happen to help keep the killing away then it's not like anything is going to go wrong without an extra person. "I'll pass, Angie."

"Yeah, that's right." Someone held onto your arm, jerking you away from the girl. "Besides, (Y/N)'s already going to join my secret evil organization...!" You looked around with what limited eyesight you had. Of course, it just had to be Kokichi.

"Is is true that the two of you have became friends, (Y/N)? Since when?" Korekiyo questioned, seeming to be genuinely curious and surprised.

You let out a small breath before shakily responding, "...Yes, I suppose you can say we became friends. Now don't look into it much, alright...!?" An embarrassed blush barely became visible on your cheeks.

"Awww, either way, it's too bad that you don't wanna join. Well, the offer is still up if you change your mind later, okay? Now what were we talking about again? Ohhhh, that resurrection ritual, right? Just leave this to the student council. It's less burdensome if Atua makes the decision."

"That's a relief..." Himiko spoke. "If it's Atua's decision, then it's definitely the right one."

"Yeah, there's no way Atua could be wrong."

"Yep, yep. Atua is always right."

"Are you guys serious?" Maki inquired. "The resurrection ritual is clearly a trap."

"Nyahaha, it'll be fine. As long as everyone puts aside their desire to leave."

"Kehehe... I doubt they'd listen to anything we'd have to say."

Everyone who wasn't in the council agreed, so they all left it at that and exited the gym.

Word Count: 4521
~~~

I can't write Angie for all my life's worth. T~T By the way, sorry if there are some weird spacing things going on from one paragraph to the next and I didn't see them to change it.

((Edit: Ehhh, this is just like chapter 9–I hate ittt... But the next chapter is already mostly written so I can't change something...))