I open my eyes slowly. The dim lights shine down on me as my eyes adjust, giving me a headache for a split second. Before I can even comprehend where I am, I feel something soft wrapping around my arms and tilt my head to see someone gently wrapping a bandage around my left arm. Her lavender eyes are fixed on her work, and she doesn't acknowledge my staring. As her pale hands work, I realize I feel completely at ease with her, despite not knowing exactly who she is.

I haven't seen this girl before, have I? Then why does it feel like I've known her a lifetime.

The aching of my muscles suddenly kicks in, and I wince, tilting my head back to take in the room around me. It's a garage. Not my family's, though. I don't recognize it, but the distinct smell of gasoline and the heat are still enlaced with a string of familiarity.

I look back at the girl again, who just finished bandaging my arm and was now smearing a layer of some kind of salve over my right eye, which I realized was bruised. My muscles relaxed as I let the salve provide a cool relief.

"You can't keep picking fights," the girl spoke for the first time. "This is what always happens." She's gentle but firm.

I try to ask her who she is, but instead my voice just squeaks out, "they were picking on you. I couldn't just..."

"Who cares what they think?!" She retorts. Finishing applying the valve, she sits on her knees and looks down at the floor. "I just want you to be safe."

My eyes focus on her for the first time, her red dusted cheeks and porcelain skin give my heart a sense of serenity. There's silence between us until the creak of a door breaks it.

A woman comes walking toward us. She has the same hair and eyes as the girl who bandaged me up, but unlike her, the woman has short hair that hangs loose on her shoulders and a face lined with age.

"How are you feeling, Blair?" The woman hands me a wet cloth. I put it over my eye, feeling grateful for the cold against the swelling.

"Fine." I reply, and try to get up. My knees are a bit wobbly and the sudden rush of blood makes my vision blurry and my head light for a few seconds.

"Woah, careful there," the woman says, grabbing my arm. She gives me a small smile, and it's like a switch clicks on in my brain.

This is Kirigiri~sensei. My jiu-jitsu instructor. But why is she here?

She sees the look on my face, and says, "okay, I can tell you're a little confused. Let's do some stretches to get you feeling physically better, and we can see how you're feeling after that."

"Drink." The girl who banged me suddenly commands, pushing a water bottle in my face. I take it, taking multiple deep swigs. Kirigiri~sensei then leads me outside.

She leads me through some simple stretches on the grass, and when we're done the girl gets me a sandwich. I thank her, realizing how hungry I am as I gobble it up.

"I'm still mad at you," she says, but sits down next to me anyway. "Thank you, though. For standing up for me." Her expression is a mix between irritation and warmth.

"Of course," I reply, and there's an awkward silence between us.

"Well, are you feeling better, Blair?" Kirigiri~sensei cuts the awkward tension between us.

I nod. My only injuries are my arm, eye, and a few other little bruises. I can stand up more easily now, and get to my feet to look out to the setting sun over the neighborhood.

"Want me to walk you home?" she asks.

"I think I'll be okay," I responded.

Wait, where's home? I panic for a minute, but my feet begin moving west, and it feels right.

Kirigiri~san smiles and waves. The girl does the same, but sticks her tongue out at me with a deadpan stare. I copy her, making her roll her eyes.

I turn around, heading on down the sidewalk toward who knows where.

|°•°|•°•|°•°|•°•|°•°|

I wake up to the ding ding bing bong of the morning announcement. The aching in my whole body which I thought was so real is now gone, replaced by stiffness.

Getting a sense of my body now, I take a minute to stretch as I listen to the Monokuma announcement.

"Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. Please make your way to the gymnasium for a quick announcement, ppplllllease and thank you."

Oh God, what does he want now?

I take my time getting ready, as I'm not excited for what the animatronic is about to pester us with, but as I make my way down the hall, I distract myself with thoughts of my dream.

That was weird. I usually don't remember my dreams, so why can I recall this one? Why was Kirigiri~sensei there? And who was that girl? Kirigiri~sensei didn't have a daughter, did she?

The purple hair and pale hands tug at my memories, but I can't put my finger on it. Until yet another string of familiarity brightens in the back of my mind.

Kyoko?!

Why was I dreaming of her? WAS that her?

I shake it off. Dreams are weird, I tell myself. It probably means nothing.

But I can't shake the impression that it does mean something. Like Kyoko is a part of my life in some way I can't remember or comprehend. I squeeze the bridge of my nose. All this so early in the morning is giving me a headache.

Opening the gymnasium doors, I see almost everyone standing awkwardly around Taka and Monokuma, who are doing stretches together.

Yeah, there's no way I'm going to pretend to be friends with Monokuma.

I joined the others in standing around until a few others sauntered into the gym, eventually everyone being there.

I continued standing there, finding it very strange that Monokuma actually seemed to be working up a sweat. Seriously, I was beginning to wonder if this robot was actually a robot or some kind of alien.

"Ahh, doesn't this just feel great!? Being stuck inside like this, you gotta make sure to stay healthy!" Monokuma sighed contentedly.

"Y-you're the one keeping us "s-stuck inside,"" Toko retorted.

"Gotta learn not to sweat the small stuff y'know..." As the bear blabbered on more of his nonsense, I casually locked eyes with Kyoko, who was at the back of our group and saw me looking at her.

I offered her a small smile. The other girl looked slightly caught off guard by my gesture, but briefly let a small, friendly smile slip on her face, but it was gone in a second as she quickly whipped back around toward Monokuma. Barely visible, but now that I saw it, it couldn't be erased.

"JUST exercise?" I heard from the bear. "If exercise makes you laugh, exercise will make you cry."

"Finally, one thing you and I can agree on. Still don't like you though." I commented with my arms folded.

Monokuma ignored me. "Anyway, I didn't summon you all here just to lecture you lazy teens on your habits. I would like to inform you that every time you overcome a class trial here at Hope's Peak, a whole new world will open up to you!"

A new world? What does that mean? Surely not anything good.

"It would surely suck if you had to live here forever with nothing new to stimulate you!" The bear continued. "Besides, I know how you kids get these days with your ADD and ADHD. Gotta keep you motivated!"

"I would rather not be motivated by him..." Hina whispered in my ear. I rolled my eyes in his direction to show I agreed.

"So go ahead, look around all you want. Enjoy the brave new post-trial world until you explode!" He then waved us goodbye and disappeared to who-knows-where.

We all looked around our group to see what everyone else thought about this. Hina spoke up first. "Is he talking about... a way to get outside?"

Celeste looked away doubtfully. "That seems... unlikely."

"Well we don't know 'til we look!" Mondo replied.

Sakura chimed in. "Whatever he meant, it seems we'll have to search the school one more time."

"Okay, then let's split up and start investigating." Taka commanded. "When you're done, everyone meet back up at the dining hall and we'll share what we found.

"You're basically a one-trick pony, you know that?" Byakuya scoffed.

"That's big talk coming from you." I muttered under my breath.

"Excuse me?"

I gave him a look before turning around and leaving the gymnasium with everyone else. Curiosity drove us all as we silently went about our separate ways. I was in the hallway when I was stopped, feeling a small hand weighing on my shoulder.

I turned, only to find the slender pop star with metallic blue hair offering me a practiced smile. It looked fake.

I leveled my gaze on her, annoyed. I was hoping I could get right to getting this little treasure hunt Monokuma seemed to have set up for us over with. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, especially this girl, who I had such mixed feelings toward that it gave me a slight headache just to be standing this close to her.

Sayaka broke eye contact for a second before fixing her solid gaze on me once more. "Can I... talk with you for a second?"

"You already are." I observed. [I wasn't good at much, but jiu-jitsu and being a smart-ass were my specialties. I would major in that shit if I could.]

She brushed it off with a turn of her head, somehow making her hair fall even more perfectly over her shoulder. "You see, I... thought about what you said..."

"What I said?"

Sayaka grabbed her shoulders and pulled into herself. "Yeah, about what happened with Leon. You told me I was being selfish, that I'm a murderer who should confess my crimes."

I cringed at my harsh words. I remember that interaction. I could recall the desperate look on Sayaka's face and the feeling of the anger that fueled me then. I wasn't as angry with Sayaka now as I was back then. I still don't agree with what she did, but I can at least somewhat wrap my head around why she did it. And even if she deserved what I said to her, the way her usual collected aura cracked as her shoulders slumped and her gaze fell to the ground made guilt knock at my consciousness's door.

"I think between the time that happened and now, I've come to a realization," she continued. "The way I acted was extreme and not like me at all!" I'm not sure I bought that last part. "I was running on emotion. And I almost hurt someone because of that. That's why... I've come to the decision..."

As she began to bow her head, I stepped back, startled. This was not what I had expected. "I'm going to apologize to Leon, and tell everyone what happened. They deserve to know. I'm sorry for making you so upset with me."

I could feel some heat rushing to my cheeks. I was prepared for a lot of things, but I had no idea how to handle this.

"Uh... Please stand up."

She did so, giving me a genuine look of guilt and relief, like this was something weighing her down for so long that she had finally gotten off her chest.

I calmed down a bit, collecting my thoughts.

I need to process how I really feel about all this at the moment within just a few moments. Fun.

"You... don't have to do that. Listen, you're right. What you did was completely dementic and the wrong way to handle that situation, but I do understand why you did it. Lots of people do things they regret in desperate situations.

"I would like it if you told everyone what you did. But I'm not going to force you. If you don't want to, I respect that, just make sure to at least try to talk to Leon." I felt like I should say more, but that was all I had, so I tried to give a reassuring smile.

Sayaka looked pretty shocked by my reaction, but eventually smiled too. "Wow Blair, that is... really nice of you. I want to tell everyone eventually, but I think I'll wait a little longer now. It just feels like now is the wrong time. But I will talk to Leon, I promise."

As we faced each other for the first time since the last class trial, a string of tranquility passed between us. And honestly, despite everything the pop star did, it was nice to be on okay terms with her.

"Actually, I'll get to doing that right now. Let me just go find Makoto and tell him where I'm going. Bye, Blair!" She gave an exaggerated wave and walked away with a skip in her step.

Alone now, I had nothing to do but search.

|°•°|•°•|°•°|•°•|°•°|

I was in the kitchen talking to Hina when Hifumi called us to the other side of the school for all of us to see that the gate separating us from the stairs to the next floor wasn't there anymore, opening us up to new space to explore.

Hina and I exchanged excited glances. This was another opportunity for us to try to find a way out of here! We bounded up the steps with everyone else following close behind. The second floor contained a smaller library, more classrooms, and even a pool. Hina being Hina beelined to the pool area.

The pool room was exactly what you would expect of a one, towels on a rack covering one wall, some exercise equipment on the other side, and two doors, one leading to the boys' locker room and the other the girls'.

"OH MY GOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!" Hina screamed. "I've been waiting for this ever since I got here! Oh, hey, Makoto! Guess what? A pool! There's a pool here! A POOL! Pool, pool, pool!"

Makoto, who had just joined us, looked overstimulated already. "Y-you don't have to keep repeating it, I got it..."

"There's a TON of exercise equipment in the locker room! Sakura's gonna go nuts when she finds out!"

"Yeah, you're right about that..."

Celeste stroked her finger against the racks as if inspecting for dust. "The second floor has opened up, the living area has grown, and a number of facilities are now available. Whatever else is going on, I must admit things have been made much more comfortable for us. If things continue like this, the occasional class trial may not be so bad. Hmm..."

Celeste's thought process put me on edge.

"Hey, is that... a real gun?" Makoto asked wearily.

We looked above us to find a massive piece of equipment on the roof of the pool room. It did look like a gun, but it didn't seem to have been used for a while.

"Hm... maybe it's to keep us in line somehow. Or to keep us from going into the other gender's locker room..." Celeste suggested.

"You might be right about that." Hina said. "Oh! And I guess you need your handbook to get into the locker rooms."

"Really?"

"Really, really!"

"If you wanna unlock the locker room... you'll have to swipe your personal e-handbook across the card-reader next door." Monokuma exclaimed from out of nowhere. I jumped back. He needed to stop doing that.

Monokuma didn't notice my reaction. "However, to ensure maximum security within each locker room... only a boy's handbook can open the boys locker room, and the same goes for the girls. And that's the bottom line!"

"Hmm... but what if someone opens the door, and then someone else sneaks in?" Celeste queried.

Monokuma gasped. "Anyone who commits such an indecency will be punished without mercy for their scandalous sexual depravity! See, there's a gatling gun mounted on the ceiling, right? And it'll be all DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA!" He positioned his arms in a way that mirrors the way you would hold a gun.

"I bet it'd really hurt to get shot by that thing!" Hina whistled.

"But what happens if someone loans their handbook to someone else? A boy could borrow a girl's handbook, and that would get them into the girl's locker room, would it not?" Celeste asked.

"Wha-!?" Monokuma jumped back in an exaggerated manner. "That never even occurred to me! To think someone could be so low, so cowardly, so devilish!" He contemplated this new idea for a minute. "Hmm... okay, then how's this sound? Time for a new rule! As of this moment, loaning your e-handbook to another student is strictly prohibited."

As they were assessing the rules, I was distracted by the weight rack. It had been a while since I'd actually had the time to lift, so why not start now? I grabbed a 25 lb to start with, and was surprised when the whole rack started to sway forward a bit from the difference in weight.

"Oh yeah, by the way, be careful with those." Monokuma turned to me as a side note. "Those things are kinda wonky. I need to get around to fixing it... but my back is just killing me! Maybe one of you lazy teens wants to help an old man out?!"

"Since when were you an old man? And yeah, sure!" I lifted my voice and clapped my hands together sarcastically. "If you let us out of this damn hellhole we'll do whatever chores you want." I glared at him passive aggressively.

"HAHAHAAA!! No can do! But y'know what? I like your optimism, kid! HAHAHA!"

And with that, he vanished once again. I didn't know if that was some kind of illusion or if he was just really fast or something but I didn't want to think about it right now.

Hina huffed. "Maan, the stupid bear really ruined my mood! Maybe I'll go take a dip to cheer myself up. Celeste, Blair, Makoto? You wanna come with me?"

Celeste's face showed a rare display of emotion as she lifted a corner of her lip in distaste. "There is nothing I hate more than getting water on my face."

"I'll have to pass too." Makoto admitted. "I want to explore the whole floor before I do anything else."

"Whaaaattt?"

"I'll join you Hina!" I volunteered, raising my hand and jumping up.

The swimmer brightened. "Okay then! Let's swim then! Just the two of us!"

As the two of us changed into our swimsuits, Hina with a normal navy blue one-piece that complimented her skin, and me with a blue and yellow bikini with ruffles on the straps. If anyone else was in the room with us, I would have been uncomfortable with the amount of skin it showed; I was used to a one-piece and swim shorts, but since it was just Hina and I, I didn't mind.

"Wow, Blair, your arms are really big!" Hina commented as we were done changing.

That caught me off guard, and I hesitated as I wasn't sure if that was a comment on my weight or not, but when she asked me to flex and felt my arms I realized she was talking about my muscles.

I laughed at her weird request. "Yeah... I work out a lot. Let's see... I do jiu-jitsu, I lift weights, bike riding, and I used to do cardio with my brother. One time someone accidentally elbowed him in the gut while we were running and he threw up!" I laughed and relished the sense of nostalgia I got from that memory.

"I bet you're a really strong swimmer!" A shimmer of mischief glimmered in her eyes. "You might even be able to get half my time in a swim race!"

I scoffed playfully. "Half your time? I bet I could even beat you!"

The shorter girl took her hair out of her ponytail and raised an eyebrow at me. "You want to take that bet?'

"Hell yeah!"

So it turns out that challenging the highschool-level ultimate swim pro to a swim race is not the smartest move.

Physically, I was definitely stronger than her, but that meant pretty much nothing compared to the fact that I hadn't been swimming since I was six and had no idea how to do anything other than doggy paddle and stroke. Hina's technique was amazing and she was able to gracefully push through the water like a motorboat. I, on the other hand, could be compared to a drowning cat.

As a result of my lose, I had to endure Hina dunking me under the water three times. I got water in my nose and it stung; it was not fun.

After that we kind of just chilled in the pool. The huge space looked like what you would expect from it: equipment, diving board, bobby red and yellow things. Except it was bigger than any pool room I had ever seen in my life, which made it even more echoey.

About ten minutes after we got in, Hina, in her bright yellow duck pool floatie, lapped over to me, where I had made of sort-of-floating bed for myself out of pool noodles.

Hey, you know what we should have right now?"

"What?" I asked, leisurely floating on my blanket of pool noodles I was using as pool floaties.

Hina clapped her hands together. "Girl talk!"

Girl talk?

Another thing I've never done before.

I used to think girl talks were cringey and weird, back during my I'm-not-like-other-girls phase, which is so embarrassing and something I don't want to be reminded of. But since then I hadn't really thought about girl talks, none the less participated in them.

"Um... how do you do that?" I asked more nervously than I probably should have.

Hina laughed. "It's easy! You just talk about crushes and all that!"

"Do you have a crush?" I was curious.

Hina put a finger to her chin and leaned forward on her floatie. "Not really... my parents always wanted me to have a boyfriend, but none of the boys really interested me." She paused. "I kind of want one, though. Y'know, just to see what it feels like. A lot of my friends used to have boyfriends and would always talk about how great it was..."

"You don't have to have a boyfriend if you don't want one," I interjected. "If those girls have boyfriends, good for them, but you shouldn't feel pressured to have that special person just because they do!"

Hina's blue eyes focused on something I couldn't see, but she looked frustrated. "But what if I never have a crush? Ever? Then I'll never get married or have kids, and I'll just be one of those sad old cat ladies."

I snorted. "Sad old cat lady Hina. Kind of has a ring to it."

Hina slapped me on the wrist jokingly. "Anyway, what about you?"

I froze. I was not prepared for that question in the slightest. My senses blurred as stone-cold lavender eyes and ceramic skin forced its way to the front of my mind. My heart skipped a beat, and I abandoned my seat on the floaties, plunging my face into the water.

Seeing the sly raise of the other girl's eyebrow, I swept a small wave of water in her direction.

"I knew it!" She continued. "Who is it? Spill!"

"Nope! It's no one!"

"You suuurrrreeee?"

I made a pouting face and crossed my arms underwater. I stayed silent for a long time before I gave in. "Okay... so maybe there's this person I think about from time to time."

But it's not a cush! I thought to myself. I just have this weird feeling whenever I see her, like I know her from somewhere. And I do want to talk to her, but I don't know how!

"Do tell!" Hina urged me.

"Well... I don't know her all that well. I want to talk to her, but whenever she looks at me, I just freeze up!" I decide not to mention the weird feeling, or the dream I had about that little girl who might have been Kyoko... who might have also been Kirigiri~san's daughter...

Hina whistled. "So it's a girl? That's fruity-"

I threw a pool noodle at her, and it hit her right in-between the eyes. She mock glared at me.

"Well that's no problem," Hina continued. "If you don't know her well, just ask her to hang out! It doesn't even have to be a date. Just ask her to watch a movie with you or something!"

I was fully prepared to throw another noodle at Hina, but I paused to consider her words.

Wait... just ask her to hang out? Could I really do that? Even in this situation we're in?" I put a finger to my chin. But I need answers about why I feel like I know her from somewhere. And I need an explanation for that dream!

"I'm not sure if she would want to..." I begin, but Hina puts a finger to my lips.

"It doesn't matter! Just talk to her! The worst she can do is turn you down. You only live once, Blair!"

It kind of does matter, I thought, but she did have a point. If I wanted to know what these feelings were about, I needed to take initiative.

She suddenly moved away from me and turned around, swimming toward the edge of the pool. "Well, I mean, of course that's when we get out of here."

Oh, that's right. She thinks this girl is somewhere in the outside world right now, not within the same walls that we are.

I chuckled a little too forcefully. "Ha... yeah..."

|°•°|•°•|°•°|•°•|°•°|

My hair curled around my head in a thick wet mess as I entered the halls after changing, still trying to keep my hair under control. Hina and I parted ways after we changed, as Hina wanted to take a nap before she explored more while I wanted to see what more surprises this new floor could offer.

I looked down at my fingers. We had only been swimming for about fifteen minutes, but I still had prunes protruding my fingertips.

"So, in other words, only the mastermind knows the truth right now..." came a familiar voice. I paused, looking over to my left to find the library doors ajar. Byakuya was the one who had just talked, and Makoto and Kyoko were standing by him.

Kyoko and Byakuya together looked like they were both only there to talk about something important, as if they were both busy adults who didn't have time to waste on trivial things. Makoto, however, looked a little out of place. He sauntered over to a laptop on a short countertop and examined it.

"It's broken." Kyoko told him. "I tried pressing the power button earlier, but nothing happened."

Makoto scratched his head. "It's broken, huh? Too bad... anyway, now I have a pretty good idea about what's on the second floor." He briefly waved at Kyoko and Byakuya and left the room suddenly, which caused Byakuya to roll his eyes for no reason at all and stuff his face back into a book.

"Hey. Makoto." I stopped him.

Makoto looked surprised to see me. "Oh, hi Blair. Were you swimming? What's up?"

"What were you guys talking about in there? I heard Byakuya say something about the mastermind..."

"O-oh, yeah! We found a kind of suspicious letter that seems to be from some important people who work at Hope's Peak. It said some stuff about issues with the school and stuff? It sounds more suspicious if you read it."

I glanced over at Kyoko reading what must have been the letter. Byakuya glanced at her like she was some mosquito he was thinking about slamming against the wall. All of a sudden, Kyoko caught me looking at her and her eyes shot over to me. I smile awkwardly and wave at her.

Maybe Hina's right. I should just talk to her. Probably shouldn't start with the fact I have dreams with her in them and think about her so often, though...

"Oh, that's weird. Think it can help us get out of here?"

"Maybe. It seems like Monokuma might have put that there for a reason, like he wants us to figure out what's going on."

"He wants us to?"

"Anyway," Makoto told me, "I'm going to take more if a look around. Talk to you later!"

I wave to him and leave, but pause in the middle of the hallway and feel a hallow, uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I should probably get something to eat, I think.

Going back downstairs and traveling through the much more familiar downstairs area, I pass the dorms and enter the cafeteria.

"You're so awesome, bro." A brisk voice echoes.

Another voice replies. "Haha. It's all because of you, bro." Taka pushes Mondo in a playful wat. I don't know what they were talking about, but apparently it's funny enough to cause Taka to break his perfect posture and bend down to clutch his stomach.

I roll my eyes. Oh god, I forgot they're friends now.

"Good evening, Blair!" Taka waves me over. "Have you made the most out of today yet?!"

"I need a sandwich," I tell him, pushing past him to the kitchen.

Taka spreads his hands out in a welcoming gesture. "Well, of course! You need your nutrients in order to be productive!"

Mondo gives his buddy a thumbs up. "That's my Taka! All responsible and shit!"

I'm a little surprised when Taka laughs along with that. I lower my eyebrows and give him a curious look. "I thought you hated it when people sweared."

Taka hesitates at being called out about his own ideologies. "Well... it's alright if my bro does it. It's not the worst thing in the world after all! Also, it's "swore," not "swear.""

I try not to show how annoyed I am by that last comment. Instead, I compare Taka's perfectly prim white suit and pants with Mondo's gangster-looking black robe with gold-enlaced fabric. They seem completely different in every way. "How did you guys actually become friends? Didn't you have a huge argument in the sauna or something not too long ago?"

Mondo exchanges a look with Taka and chuckles. "Of course you don't get it. You're a girl. You don't understand the connection we guys have!"

I stare at the two taller boys incredulously. "Seriously? Literally all boys do is beat each other up."

"You can learn a lot about a person from getting into a fight with them, actually," Mondo claimed.

"Oh, really? What could you learn about me if I demolished you?" I stepped forward with a challenging glare.

He returned the look. "I don't fight girls. But I'm sure you would surpass me in a contest of how much makeup we can put on. Very pretty by the way," he added sarcastically.

I blush, instinctively dragging my fingertips to my face. It washed up in the pool, but this morning I was wearing green eyeshadow and eyeliner. Makeup and jewelry were a hobby of mine. [Which I did because it made me feel confident, not for the attention of guys like him.]

Taka assessed the situation. He gently but assertively stuck an arm in-between the two of us. "How about we deescalate the situation a little bit," he suggested. "With tea!" He made jazz hands for some reason. "I can make really delicious tea! Any kind too, so how about we don't turn this into anything rash and just sit down and relax!

I reluctantly break eye contact with Mondo. "Fine. But only if I can have peppermint."

Turns out Monokuma had everything from pumpkin bread, croissants, deluxe pastas, and even wine in his little makeshift kitchen, but apparently he didn't even have peppermint tea. So I settled with honey lavender. I stared into it's delicate purple tinted reflection and watched the tea bag gently dance in the liquid as I manipulated it with a spoon. Taka, who had plain black tea, drank sufficiently and with good manners. [Everything always needed to be perfect with him apparently.] Mondo curled his lip up at his green tea, reluctant to try it. But after it touched his lips, he slowly welcomed the taste.

There was something about having tea in your hands while sitting in a semicircle with two talkative people around you. Really, the tea must have had something in it because it didn't take long for the three of us to get into some life stories.

Taka explained that he grew up as an only child in a wealthy neighborhood living with his grandparents. He went to a small prestigious school that did not tolerate any form of disobedience and thinking outside of the rules. However, he was often seen as a black sheep because of sketchy and illegal things his grandfather got into in his youth that everyone in the neighborhood knew about. So, he began acting on his absolute best behavior in order to absolve the rumors and judgment about his grandfather. He rose to the top of his classes and eventually got accepted into Hope's Peak, which is how he landed here.

I put a hand on top of his and gave him a comforting smile. "You don't always have to be perfect. Who cares what people think about your grandfather?"

Taka nodded in response with a warm look. "Mondo made me realize that. But... acting like this got me to the top. I'm not exactly the happiest this way, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for the changes that will come with acting differently." He looked over at Mondo and smiled.

Mondo gave him a weirded-out stare. It didn't take a genius to know that he wasn't familiar nor comfortable with what was going on here. "Why are we talkin' about feelings and shit? What are we, girls?"

I gave him a deadpan stare and made a mental note to take some time to force those sexist ideals out of him.

"Why don't you go next, Mondo?" I suggested.

He looked at me in annoyance. "Hell no."

"Oh come on. You might feel better afterwards!"

"What the hell are ya talkin' about? I feel completely fine."

I shrugged. "I don't know, maybe you can explain why you're always so irritable all the time?"

His face tightened up and a vein appeared by his temple. "WHAT?! NO I'M NOT!"

"Careful. You'll give yourself wrinkles."

He crossed his arms and turned his head the other way, giving me a new perspective on that weird curled hair of his. I wonder how much hairspray he uses everyday.

"Fine," he gave in. "If I tell you a bit about my life will you shut the hell up for once?"

"You bet!" I agreed, taking another sip of the sweet honey lavender tea.

He huffed out an irritated sigh, then took in a moment of silence before speaking. "I never actually knew my parents. Well, not all that well at least. My dad was a drug dealer who left when I was a few years old, and my mom was a run away fashion model or somethin'. Apparently her career went off the rails and she gave up custody of us. My brother and I, I mean.

"We were in an orphanage for a while but my brother became an adult quickly after that and we got a place to ourselves. My brother was the leader of a biker gang of thugs and thieves who stole money and rioted in the streets. I saw my brother as a hero back then, and always wanted to be like him. And now I am. There. That's it. Ya happy?"

Taka gave his friend a significant look. "I never knew any of that... but why did you admire your brother so much if he did all that?"

"I mean, I was a kid and couldn't really decipher right from wrong. Not that I think my lifestyle is bad, mind you. Besides, he was the only close person I had in my life at the time." Mondo finished his thought and nudged Taka playfully. "But now I've got you, bro."

Taka looked touched. "Bro..."

I guess they're brosexual, I joked to myself

The gang leader's face transformed from one of contentment to realization. "Oh god, I'm being all sappy, ain't I?"

"And I love it!" Taka cried, wrapping Mondo in an exaggerated hug. Mondo looked a bit uncomfortable, but patted Taka on the head regardless.

I laughed at their antics. Despite how annoying they were, these guys were alright.

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Word Count: 6,225

Happy New Year!! 🎊Is this chapter a day late? Yes. But it's still a chapter, so I consider this a win. Hope y'all have a good one! 💜