Aisho Tatsuo's POV:

I wasn't quite sure where I was. I felt like I was somewhere, and nowhere, all at the same time. The place around me seemed blurry, and it was difficult to make out. I could definitely see shades of green and brown, but everything else was too blurry to see.

I woke up with a jolt. I'd been having some weird dreams after that sickness. I never could really make anything out of them. Oh well. I looked at the Monokuma themed clock I bought in the gift shop that hung on my wall. "Great." I mumbled. "I actually gotta get up."

I pulled open my closet door, once again just grabbing the white shirt, my dark jeans, converse, and ignoring the tie, I got dressed. Mitsuo wanted to meet with me in the Gift Shop around 10, and it was already 9:34.

I yawned as I grabbed a Kuma Koffee. Today was gonna be a long day.

Mitsuo Hamasaki's POV:

I got to prove to them that I'm more mature than they think I am. So, when I had my great idea in the works last night, of course I invited Aisho to plan it with me. That'll show him I'm an adult!

"Heyyyy, Mitsuo-chan!" Kazuko cheered as she walked into the gift shop. I turned and smiled. She's not supposed to show up...

Aisho Tatsuo's POV:

Her door was unlocked. I don't know why, but Reiko's door was unlocked. I came up here just to see if it was, but I didn't expect it to actually be unlocked.

I pushed the door open completely and stepped inside. Her room was completely organized, as if she never was there at all. The only thing that seemed out of place was a black book that sat on the table.

I walked over to it and grabbed it. It had no writing on the cover, or any indication of what it could be. The only thing that stuck out, literally, was a pink bookmark.

I flipped to that page and started reading.

I'm still unsure as to why we are here. However, I do know that whoever locked us up had something to do with the Worst, Most Despair-Inducing Incident in the History of Mankind, an extraordinary form of social unrest, which quickly culminated into uncontrolled, meaningless chaos, violence, and death.

The person behind this was none other than the Ultimate Fashionista herself, Junko Enoshima. However, besides the information I got from a small book in the library, I found no information as to why we're here, or what happened after the Tragedy.

I looked up from the pages. She'd written this herself, as the handwriting matched perfectly. Was this her research? It had to be. But, what did she mean about a tragedy? And who was Junko Enoshima? Her name sounded somewhat familiar, but I didn't know where I recognized it from.

I looked at the clock in Reiko's room. "9:56?" I said. "Shit! I'll be late!" I put her journal in my bag and ran out of the room.

Mitsuo Hamasaki's POV:

I put my last MonoCoin in the machine. Out came a small figurine, a plump little boy with glasses. "Aww, this was the last one I needed!" Kazuko said. "I think his name is Hifumi Ya-something." She smiled.

"Good to know I could help you complete the set!" I smiled. She took the two new ones she got, the plump boy, and a muscular girl, off with her. Me and her were supposed to collect those little figurines together, but that's for little kids.

Just as she disappeared around the corner, Aisho Tatsuo appeared. I smiled. He'd absolutely love my new idea!

Aisho Tatsuo's POV:

I smiled at Mitsuo as I walked in. "Hey, Mistuo." I said. He had a big grin on his face. "Hey Aisho, I have a great idea!" He yelled. I nodded. "What is it?"

"Well, when I was looking for that hammer, I found out that the weird warehouse place had a pool in it!" Mitsuo said. "And I thought it'd be a cool idea if we could have a pool party for everyone!"

"Why a pool party?" I asked. I wasn't against the idea, but it was a little odd.

"Well, everybody here has seemed a little sad, so the perfect way to keep everyone's spirits up would be a party." Mitsuo said.

I nodded. "Well, how good of a condition is the pool in?" I asked.

"I'd have to clean it, and Katashi would probably have to do some work on the cover mechanism." Mitsuo said. "It won't go over the pool, and Monokuma said he won't fix it."

"Well, what did you need me to do?" I asked. He smiled. "I'll clean the pool, and Katashi already agreed to work on the closing mechanism later today, but I need you to tell the others.

I nodded. "Alright. I'll spread the word and come tell you later." Mistuo smiled and walked off. "Remember, it'll be around 11 tomorrow morning!

Hotaru Tsukino's POV:

I can't believe what's happening. I lay on the couch in my room, staring at the ceiling, trailing the grooves along the ceiling.

"How can I like these people?" I asked myself. "I've never liked anyone I've been around, yet these people seem... bearable."

I shouldn't like them. I shouldn't want to be around them. I was always told I was toxic and trash... so why did anyone stay around me? For once, I didn't hate my very existence.

I sat up as I heard a sharp knock at my door. I pulled it open and looked out into the hallway. "Ah, Tatsuo-kun." I said.

Aisho Tatsuo's POV:

"Hey, Hotaru. There's this big pool party on Second Street that Mitsuo wanted to host. Would you be interested in going?" I asked.

He smiled. "Of course I'll go. What time is it?" Hotaru asked. I was a little surprised. Hotaru didn't seem like the kind of person who would like a pool party.

"It'll probably be tomorrow, around eleven." I told him. Hotaru gave a creepy smile and shut the door. I shook of the weirdness and walked off.

Hotaru Tsukino's POV:

Just perfect! A pool party... Why did I agree to go? I hate pools. I hate swimming in general. I took my spot back on the couch and stared at the grooves of the ceiling.

It's not like I have to go. Besides, none of them will ever have to find out I can't swim.

Maya Shinohara's POV:

"Hey, do you think the pink one or the black one looks better?" I asked Akira. She smiled. "I'm getting a black one." She said. "Ooh. You should get the black so we can match!" Akira smiled.

I giggled. "Alright." Earlier, Aisho had asked us to join him for some pool party tomorrow, and I was excited. I'd never been to a pool party before.

Kazuko Hachimitsu's POV:

I walked into the clothing store. Alone. I sighed. Monomi and Mitsuo weren't with me. I can't blame Monomi, for obvious reasons, and Mitsuo was more or less ignoring me. He said he has to be more "mature," but I like him the way he is.

I let out another sigh. "Well, I'm sure I can find a cute swimsuit." I said, trying to make myself feel better.

Aisho Tatsuo's POV:

I had almost told everyone about the party by this point. The only people left was Katashi, who was with Mitsuo, Kumiko, and Akiko.

I knocked on Kumiko's door. I heard a faint "Come in." I opened the door slowly and peeked inside.

"Hey, Kumiko, I need to as-" I stopped as I saw her sitting on the couch, crying. "H-Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, stepping inside the apartment.

"O-Oh nothing." She lied. Kumiko wiped the tears from under her eyes. "I was just thinking about home, and my brothers and sisters."

"You had siblings?" I asked. She nodded. "I had two brothers and three sisters." Kumiko smiled and patted the spot beside her. I sat down.

"That's cool. How did you parents deal with that many kids?" I asked. She frowned. "They didn't." She said.

"W-What do you mean?" I asked. Kumiko gave a small smile.

"I raised them. My dad left my mom when I was ten. He took none of the kids, but he took most of our money." She said. "My mom had to get three jobs."

"One at a gas station, one at the school, and one cleaning a local bank at night. From eight A.M. to four P.M. she was at the school, from four-thirty P.M. to eleven P.M. she'd be working at the gas station. Then she went and cleaned the bank late at night. She'd come home and immediately go to sleep." Kumiko said.

I stayed quiet and listened. "So, I raised my siblings on my own. My brothers wanted to play baseball, so I would walk them to practice every day. Their games were on the weekend, so my mom could take them to the games, but she'd be too worried about work to care." Kumiko said. "Once I got old enough to drive, mom wouldn't even take them."

"Then, around the time I was thirteen, one of my sisters wanted to play basketball." Kumiko said. "She was incredible at it. She basically carried her team, at least in my opinion, she did."

"Around sixteen, and when I could drive, I got a job at the school. I was a student helper. One of those students who help teachers grade stuff and print stuff out." Kumiko said. She smiled and adjusted her glasses. "I wasn't being paid much, but I loved every second of my job. Of course that meant I'd work, come home, cook, clean, and take my siblings to practice."

"That's when I was accepted into Hope's Peak Academy." She said. "I knew it would help my family in so many ways. So, despite how much I'd miss them, I still left."

"I miss them." Kumiko sighed. "I wonder if they're okay. I hope they're taking care of themselves. I know if mom knew I wasn't coming home, she'd take care of them the best she could."

"Man, that sounds hard." I said. I wasn't sure what I could say... "Hey, I'm sorry life was hard for you."

"Why are you sorry?" Kumiko asked. "It's not your fault. Besides, I love my life. My siblings are the best. They always listened, and they always thanked me for what I'd do for them." She grabbed her scarf and wiped around her eyes. "You know, it's great to get to talk to someone about it. I'd hate to bother Toshio with this kind of stuff." She sighed.

"He's your boyfriend." I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. "If anyone will listen, it's him." She nodded and wiped the tears off her face. "Thanks Aisho..."

"No problem." I said, standing. "Oh, I should probably tell you. Mitsuo is hosting a pool party at eleven tomorrow." She smiled. "I shall do my best to go."

Akiko Akiyama's POV:

I stuck my trowel into the dirt and carefully scooped about a handful of dirt out. Just as I was about to stick the trowel back in, I heard a voice call out.

"Hey, Akiko!" Aisho said, walking around to my garden. "Mitsuo is hosting a pool party around eleven tomorrow, wanna go?" He asked.

Well, a pool party could be fun.

"Sure." I said, dusting my hands off on my pants.

Aisho Tatsuo's POV:

I went to check on Mitsuo. He hasn't left the pool since I talked to him this morning. The way in was kinda weird. The way you entered led through the back room, which had the closing button for the pool itself, along with a bunch of other machines.

Mitsuo was in the pool itself, swimming around. "Oh, hey Aisho." He said. "I was making sure it was safe for everyone else..." He smiled.

"Where's Katashi?" I asked. Mitsuo swam to the edge of the pool. "He went to his apartment to grab some kind of tool to fix the button for the pool." I nodded.

"Hey, you should go get some sleep." Mitsuo said. "It's getting kinda late..." He said.

"Hey, you should probably get out yourself..." I said. Mitsuo nodded. "I was. Can you do me a favor? On your way out, press the button and see if it works. I'm getting out anyways." He said. I nodded. "I'll do it. See you tomorrow, Mitsuo." He smiled.

"Bye, Aisho." He waved. I walked through the metal door and pressed the button. I waited for a few seconds....

Nothing.

"I guess it really is broken..." I shrugged.

That night, back in my apartment, I felt awful. I felt hot under my blanket, and cold without it. My head felt like it was cracking open. I wasn't sure what was even going on...

That was until I fell asleep.

"Aisho!" A voice called out. It seemed so familiar to me. It looked like I was in some library. I walked up each aisle, the brown and green colors so clear to me. I glanced down the Romance aisle and gasped.

"AISHO!"

I sat up and gasped. I wasn't sure what I saw, but everything was getting clearer. I recognized the place. It was my library. I wasn't sure who was yelling for me though...

I quickly sprung out of bed and gasped. "No! I overslept! I grabbed my swimming trunks and shirt. "How did I sleep until 10:47?!" I asked myself, changing into my clothes.

I grabbed my sandals and raced down the stairs. I ran into Maya and Akira. "Hey, you two late too?" I asked. They nodded. "Let's go together..." Akira suggested.

When we finally arrived, something felt off. I wasn't sure what, but the air felt heavier. Maybe it was just me...

As we entered the pool room, I noticed the cover was still on the pool. "I guess nobody else is here yet..." Maya said. That was really strange, but I ignored it. "I'll go and uncover the pool." I said, walking back to the room.

I slammed my hand on the red button. "DING DONG DING DONG! A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!" Monokuma's voice rang out over the intercom. I gasped and ran out to the pool. "No! No!" I yelled. I saw Akira and Maya, who looked shocked. I glanced into the pool, and I felt the color drain from my body.

Mitsuo Hamasaki was staring up out of the pool with glazed over eyes. He was wearing the same shorts as last night. I gasped and fell back. Akira had ran away from the pool, refusing to look, while Maya tried to comfort her, with no success.

"Oh... there's another..." Hotaru sighed, walking out of the shadows. "Such a shame that one so young died in such a terrible way..." I turned and looked at him.

"You?!" I asked. "What are you doing here?" He smiled. "I only just arrived moments before you and the two ladies." Hotaru said. "I swear. Unfortunately, it's time to investigate again, so let's get to it, shall we?"

I didn't want to... but I had to.