Chimon

"Hey, is anyone actually keeping track of the days? How long have we been imprisoned here?" Sayuri asks.

Tozen raises his hand with pride. "I bought a calendar from the store within the first few days!"

"Ah! That was wise. You really are quite a responsible soul. It's reassuring" Azumi compliments. We're all sitting down for breakfast this morning, but Azumi is using this time to practice her acrobatics a bit, so she's standing on the back of the chair (with one foot, may I add). Even though we all know she's okay, it's an incredibly strange sight.

He smiles back at her but covers it with his hand. "Thanks, Azumi."

"Argh, get yer thoughts in gear, laddie, we don't have all day. Not that it matters much ta me what day o' the year it is," Wakumi scolds lightly, picking at her teeth with a toothpick. I look down, nibbling at my zucchini bread.

"Right! Sorry. It's August 6th today."

Oh. Should I bother telling them? ...Meh, there's no harm, I guess. I put on the brightest, most chipper smile I can muster. "That means tomorrow's my birthday!" I exclaim. Everyone passes around their congratulations, some more excitedly than others. But Monterio... he drops his fork and his eyes bug out a little.

When the commotion dies down a bit, Kana pipes up. "Tozen, I'm sorry to say this, but you're not getting the kitchen tomorrow," she announces.

"Huh?"

"Monterio over here is losing his mind about this! His leg's shaking and everything! He's the king of birthdays, when it matters." In response to this, he gives a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

"Oh, I see. Then, of course he can use it!"

Oh shit. I guess we're actually celebrating my birthday tomorrow. Wait, what did she mean, "when it matters"?

Haruto gasps. "Maybe I could try and make homemade birthday candles! Is there any beeswax around here?!"

Azumi nearly falls off the chair from the startle. "Bisque, dear, doesn't that sound a bit dangerous?"

"I know... rationally, I know the potential consequences, but I just really want to," he admits.

"Perhaps I should watch, or assist you, or anything of that regard? I don't want you to burn yourself."

He giggles. "Okay! Thank you! You're like... my second mom!"

"What?!" And then she ACTUALLY falls off the chair. She's fine, I swear.

The next morning, my doorbell rings pretty much as soon as the announcement goes off. I have no idea what the hell to expect out of today, if I'm being honest, so I slink out of bed and open the door, prepared for pretty much any possible outcome I can think of.

It's much simpler than I worried it might be. It's the man, the myth, the legend, the birthday king himself, Monterio, who I still cannot for the life of me figure out. "Happy 15th Birthday!" he greets in a temperate, gentle tone. Despite it, he's smiling wider than I've ever seen him smile.

"Aww! Thank you so much!" I reciprocate. Silently, he pushes a present into my hand. The wrapping paper is plain, but done pretty much pristinely, and it's tied with a twine bow. "Ooh! A new hoodie?" It's navy with light grey sleeves to match my hat.

"I hope you like it. There wasn't a whole lot in your size at the store, unfortunately.

"No, this is perfect," I insist, being fully sincere for once.

He gives a quick little clap of excitement. "I'm glad. Now, come on." He picks me up without warning, holding me in the crook of his arm. I try not to overreact to the suddenness of it all. I'm just trying to figure him out, honestly. His eyes twitch a bit and then he whispers, "Don't tell them I got you something extra." This was an EXTRA present?! What's the other present?! All I can do in response is quietly nod.

He continues to carry me until we reach the kitchen, where he puts me down. "Good morning! I got to help in the kitchen after all," Tozen smiles, "so we have Dashimaki Tamago for breakfast.

"Now it's our turn. We're gonna make your cake!" Kana declares, hands on her hip.

"What flavor?"

"Yuzu!" she answers instantly. My eyes widen a bit and I have to command my mouth not to water just at the word. "Monterio noticed that you seem to enjoy it in tea and snacks, so we assumed it was your favorite."

"Spot on," I admit.

They play music from the stereo that was previously in the parlor. The two of them work practically in-sync, even occasionally twirling or dipping each other in the middle of the steps. I don't understand what the hell is going on. I don't know if I'm supposed to stay in here, help, or what. I don't know what everyone else is doing, and maybe that's the point. And I don't get why this guy in particular is being so nice to me in general. He can't want money— for three reasons: one, we don't have real money right now, two, he actively spent money ON me, and three... it just doesn't feel that way. He might want another ally in the killing game— one fewer person who'd consider offing him. But then why not just ask for a pact with me? I would've gained a lot more out of a deal like that; the size difference between us is ridiculous. And as for friendship, of all things... well, I really don't know him well enough to be sure. Maybe I'll look into changing that.

Once the cake is done, the dancers take me to the parlor, which has been decorated lavishly by Fujiko and Sayuri. Haruto is bouncing around in thrill because apparently the candle-making operation was successful. They all sing to me with varying levels of skill, aside from Keiji, who's here by force; they bound him with crappy toy handcuffs. My second present turns out to be an awesome drone that they all split the cost of— the idea was apparently Wakumi's, of all people, with the help of Joanie, since Wakumi somehow made it her whole life without knowing how to multiply and divide. They all put in so much effort without any benefit coming to themselves.

And there's the smallest seed of guilt in my stomach. Because, if this is caring, I can't return those feelings to them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gou

Race car! Race car, Race car, Race car!! After the last class trial, one of the new places for us to indulge in is an outdoor sporting area type thing. Domed, of course, but it hardly matters to me! Azumi has a good place to practice, we have a semi-outdoors place not tainted by death, and, most relevantly to me in particular, there's a freaking race course!

And I've been going around for like, actual hours to make up for the basically three weeks I haven't been able to drive. Weirdly enough, the car they provided for me is exactly like mine. Now that I think about it, I may have specified my model in the forms I wrote out when I got invited to this event. But it makes it significantly easier to readjust to the drift and grip of a real race car as opposed to the little RC car!

Plus... oh my GOSH, fucking g force! I'm so happy to be back in motion! The world's felt like it's gone on in slow-mo, and I'm finally back to form! Vroom, vroom!

"Gou! You look like you're gonna jump out of your own skin!" Bisque calls out. "I totally get it. I think, when we can put aside all our differences and have fun together, this isn't even all that bad. It really IS like a camp, as long as we let it be," he smiles.

"Bisque. Do you want to ride a race car?" I ask softly, nervous that one of the more responsible of us will overhear and chew me out for offering. I mean, I understand protecting him, but you've gotta let a guy have fun sometimes, right? And I know how to keep him safe and sound, so this really is the best shot for it.

He seems to agree. His eyes light up instantly. "Uh, YES!"

"Shush! You've gotta be a little more quiet," I instruct. He nods eagerly. "Let's go find Wakumi. I'm gonna need someone's help, and she's the least likely to say we're being reckless." He once again nods, giggling to himself. So we walk around, somewhat aimlessly, pretending like we've got nowhere to be, occasionally sharing in a bit of conversation. But most of the time he just looks off into the distance, lost in thought.

"What are you troublemakers up to?" Ren asks, smirking.

Bisque turns to me and grins. "Let's tell him. I think he'll want in on the action."

"If you say so," I agree. So, in a hushed voice, I chime in, "Ren, I'm gonna take Bisque for a spin in the race car. After him, do you want a turn?"

His hand settles on Nari's earring, which he got to keep because the group didn't find anything pressing in there. He replaced his own simple black earring with it, which makes his outfit even crazier. He seems to think to himself for a moment. "Umm... if you don't mind picking me up and giving me a go once the sun's down, I'll try it out."

I quirk a curious eyebrow. "Sure, works for me! Would you be able to help strap us in right now?"

He grimaces. "Can't. Sorry."

"No problem!" We part then, with him giving a playful wink and a "lips are sealed" sign. Eventually, we find Wakumi as she frustratedly tries to learn basic multiplication tables. "Hey, Wakumi. Mind helping Bisque and me get strapped into the race car? You're quite strong, so I know you'll pull it tight enough."

"Graaagh. Math can eat me dungbie, I got on along wi'out it just peachy. These rapscallions be shark bait," she complains. And then it seems to sink in what we said. "What's in it fer me?"

"A break from math?" Bisque asks questioningly.

She scrunches up her face for half a second. "One other condition: ye gotta let me try after ye."

"Of course!"

"Ye got yerself a deal." She chucks her workbook at the wall and comes with us to the track. We get into the cage of the car, hugged by the perfectly padded seats, and Wakumi tugs and tugs until we're so secure that it's hard to breath (which is to say she does it perfectly).

"I'm starting to get nervous," Bisque admits. His helmet makes him look adorable.

"Don't worry. I'll keep you safe," I assure.

"Okay. I trust you. I'm ready!"

"It's gonna get loud. Be prepared!" He nods, and I turn on the car. The familiar rumble sounds out, and then the roar bursts to life as I start the engine and we start to fly. Bisque starts off screaming, which I can barely hear over the noise, but I can hear it turn to laughter and celebratory whoops. When his ride is over, he (after a brief tussle with the seat belt, which he forgot the steps to) gives his spot to Wakumi immediately, doing his best to tighten it as much as she did. She spends the time cackling and yelling excitedly. She forces me to take her around a few times, but I'm not complaining. I get to drive a bunch. She even calls me, "Me heartie!" I'm promoted to friend now! When I point this out, she tells me to not get full of myself and threatens to stop, but I'm happy nonetheless.

When the hour grows late, I find Ren. On the way, Sayuri sees us and grows curious, like always. So she takes over the seatbelt duty with the promise that she'll also get a turn. At this rate, I should start charging!

"I'm about to take you on a wild ride," I tell Ren as soon as he opens his mouth.

"D-Did you just beat me to the punch?" he asks, bewildered. I rev the engine and zoom off as he screams. But he beams after a while, still yelling, as though he's on a roller coaster for the first time.

When it's Sayuri's turn, she squeals and giggles, and I'm almost surprised at how normally she's taking it. I doubt she's done it before, but if she's an adrenaline junkie like me, that'd be interesting as heck. They both keep me up long into the night riding. She immediately starts writing a poem afterwards with a wild expression on her face.

It makes me realize just how much I missed this. I missed making friends happy by sharing my passion with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fujiko

Y'know, I'm usually a fan of stuffed animals. They're like, mega-cute. And they're soft and squidgy and warm. But Monokuma is none of those things and I wish he'd just go away. He summoned us over right now. The morning announcement JUST happened. We haven't even had breakfast yet. I kinda hate all of this.

"I've summoned you here today to announce that we've got a nice little game here! Cause hey, a game within a game! Gameception! What else is better for distracting you from the inevitable failure of your dreams? So here's how it'll go. Each of you will have a No-Go Action— something you can't do— on these specialized bracelets! If you do your No-Go Action, your bracelet will deactivate. The last person standing gets a helpful reward!" Monokuma presents us with black bracelets. On each one, one of our names cycles through in red lights.

"Ew. Sorry, Monokuma, but I don't do clunky accessories like that. They're just not the look I'm going for," I cringe, kind of folding in on myself.

"Whaaaaaat? They're the latest fashion! I'm a trendsetter!" Monokuma rants, slapping the bracelet onto my wrist. I glare. Gross.

No-Go Code: Compliment Someone's Appearance

"What is this reward? Wouldn't it be more enticing if we knew?" Sayuri inquires, taking the bracelet into her palm but not putting it on yet.

"Part of the reward is finding out! And trust me, I know that's plenty enough reward for someone like you!" he calls her out, smiling sadistically again. Sayuri shrugs nonchalantly and puts the bracelet on.

"They won't hurt us if we fail, right? Cause I'm not gonna let anyone else wear them if they hurt us!" Kana demands, snagging Monterio's wrist as though to prevent him from putting one on.

"Huh? Oh, no, no, no! The pain here will be mostly what you guys inflict on each other! Though I can't assure there won't be exceptions, these bracelets are perfectly harmless! They'll just deactivate and open up. We can't overload our camp infirmary!"

"Are we sure we can trust that?" Gou asks, still skeptical.

"We could, perhaps, test the bracelets. Fujiko, play rock-paper-scissors with me. Whoever loses will forfeit and perform their no-go action," Sayuri decides. I can already tell what her action is just by her phrasing. And if that's the case... she's going to practically be in agony.

"Monokuma, is that really okay?" Keiji asks, as though trying to goad him into something. He's even smirking. What a bitch.

"Well, sure! If they don't care about the reward, then they can feel free to quit. Doesn't matter how much work I put into making those, just feel free to ditch it on the spot because you can't believe my words."

"You've kidnapped us and are forcing us to kill each other. Excuse us for not exactly seeing you as the epitome of trustworthiness," Joanie snarks.

I take a breath and face Sayuri. They play a round, and Sayuri comes out victorious. I sigh disappointedly. "Your hair looks really nice today! Super soft and silky!"

My bracelet beeps a couple of times before opening and falling off my wrist. Totally harmless. But I'm kinda annoyed I lost my chance.

"Nothing hurt, right? It didn't look like it hurt," Bisque points out.

"Nope, I'm in tip-top shape" I admit.

"See?! You wasted a perfectly good opportunity," Monokuma hisses.

"But now we have no reservations about wearing the bracelets," Tozen smiles as he fetches his and fastens it to his wrist. Kana, seeing this, relaxes her grip on Monterio. He gives her a reassuring rub on the shoulder before grabbing his own, and people gradually follow suit. The instructions make more than one person groan in annoyance.

Monterio of all people speaks. "Oh, boy, this might change people's opinions of me." Almost everyone turns to face him with a variety of expressions. "I can't stay silent for more than 20 seconds at a time. Does that include when I'm trying to sleep?"

"Nope!"

"Sorry in advance, everyone. You're going to get sick of my voice as fast as I will."

"Does this mean I can actually learn about you? You'll share your opinions on things?" Chimon asks, his tone filled with pure glee.

He laughs a little. "For all you know, I could just fill empty space with 'hm's and 'huh's. But sure, buddy. I'll do my best to contribute." Kana is staring off into space, pokerfaced and cold. "Kana... you're not allowed to acknowledge me. Is that it?" She continues to fixate her gaze straight ahead. "If you're thinking of throwing, don't. We'll be okay for a while."

What?! They can't interact with each other?! How long is that gonna last?! My heart starts pounding in a weird mixture of emotions that I wish I could ignore.

"Fujiko! Wanna play some dress-up?" she calls. It's already uncanny. I swear, my heartbeat is in my stomach.

"Everything will be fine," he vocalizes softly to himself as I approach her.

"Obviously! I'm always prepared to get a little dolled-up! And now my code isn't in the way. Speaking of your code," I mention, casting a glance his way, "how do you feel about that?"

He idly whistles, trying to not interfere in the conversation and trigger her code. Chimon waits with him as people start to drain out of the room.

"You should know by now: I'm extremely competitive. And I am secure about... all of this. If I had any thoughts of throwing, they're gone now. It might feel a bit strange, since I'm so used to... the alternative situation. I don't know how close I can get to discussing it. But I'm resilient. And I look forward to winning and being free of the code." Her confidence and pure faith in what they have are so real that I could hold them.

"You're really good at this. Not that I expected any less of you, but your wording is incredibly precise," he compliments. He's smiling at her so purely. It's honestly adorable.

"SO! Fujiko, let's go raid each other's closets!" Kana demands, grabbing my hand and taking off running. She covers her mouth with her other hand to stop a grin. I don't think she knows if that would count as acknowledgement. It's literally the cutest thing I've ever seen.

I hate this. I wanna stop.