Chimon

The last new thing on this floor (aside from more useless meeting rooms) is a pool, so everyone on this side of the schism decided to call dibs for a few hours. It's been a long time since I've been able to go swimming. Too busy with work. The pool came with locker rooms so we could all change into swimsuits. My trunks are pretty plain. Just navy with a stripe of white on either side. Part of me wonders if I would ever feel body conscious if I really had the same spectrum of feelings toward other people. Embarrassment is pretty sparse, and since looking childlike and cute has served me well in life, I've pretty much always viewed it as an advantage. But on that topic... I'm still trying to figure out what happened that first morning we got busted.

Was it a hiccup? A random fluke of feeling? Cause nothing that potent has come up since those two made the choices they did.

"Seriously, are you okay? You've seemed a lot more contemplative than pre-schism," he points out.

"I'm okay, Monterio!" I try to reassure him.

"Can you swim?"

"I can swim just fine. Honestly, man, you're almost a little too doting. Not that I don't appreciate everything you do for me. I value your persistence," I compliment sincerely.

He gives a small chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind."

To my surprise, Monoinu once again establishes his presence with an electronic cough. "I have something important to tell you," he says in a hushed voice. Monterio starts to sign something, a serious expression on his face. Monoinu looks down at his paws. "I understand, but I can't sign back."

"Chimon, quick, give us a fake reason he came in here that'll let us talk to him later," Monterio ushers under his breath.

"You came in to ask us to help you with chores once we're done. Like dusting the library. That way, we can whisper and it won't be out of the ordinary."

"Brilliant!" Monoinu cheers. I understand not wanting to do it here; even if there are no cameras here, Monokuma would get way too suspicious of Monoinu walking in on us in the changing room and sticking around for long. Plus, Gou might come in any minute, and I don't know how many people know about our double agent. So, excuse in our back pockets, Monoinu swiftly leaves. And right on time, because Gou comes in a few seconds later, whooping and cheering about getting a chance to swim.

We all go swimming, and honestly, it's a surprisingly good time. Wakumi doesn't even bother with a swimsuit; she says it's better for training if she swims fully-clothed. And of course, she utterly drenches all of us, and Gou gets way too riled up for his own good, so the pool is essentially their war zone. Fujiko throws herself into the fray, too, so there's just a small corner reserved for the three introverts who wanna relax.

After that, Monterio and I make our way to the library to meet with Monoinu. He hands us rags and some canisters of dusting spray. While he does, he whispers to us. "Monokuma told all of the Monoinu that he's not gonna give a motive for as long as this schism goes on. Says you're all doing his work for him." He gestures around the library, trying to make it seem like he's instructing us.

"Seriously?! That's major!" I whisper back. "But what are we supposed to do? If we don't fix things, someone's eventually gonna die. But if we DO, Monokuma will give us another reason to off each other."

"If we make up with anyone, it'll have to be stealthy and preferably out of the camera's view," Monterio mentions. He then immediately turns around to start dusting shelves, apparently deciding that we're past a reasonable amount of whispering time. I wipe down the tabletops, of which there are many.

I honestly find cleaning to be a bit soothing. I'm not like a neat freak or something, but dusting in particular... or like, cleaning mirrors. There's something about making surfaces shiny. Maybe I just like seeing my adorable face. Ha. As if.

"How does your hive mind even work, Monoinu?" I ask.

"Oh! Well, each unit can feel the most common emotion going on in the hive. For example, I can tell you with certainty that most of the units are feeling pretty content right about now. That makes sense, cause we're natural worker bees and it's harvesting time. But we can also feel any extreme outliers. So like, if someone was scared or incredibly happy, I could feel that. Currently, somebody's sad. If there's anything TOO suspicious going on, like guilt or anxiety, the units tend to go investigate and try to figure out what's going on to cause the disturbance. Cause we're usually all about rules. And then there's me."

"We're happy to have you," I reassure him once again. Can't be letting him on the fence about the alliance.

We make the place glisten, occasionally joking about how atrocious some of these books sound. Like, there's one about understanding teenagers. Those books are always pretty delusional. And apparently there's a rom com about people at a construction site? Once we finish, Monterio sets a hand on my head. "Wanna go one more place?"

"Uh, okay? What are you thinking?" In response to my questions, he merely puts his finger to his lips to shush me and walks out. I run after him, and we make our way to the kitchen. Tozen's in there.

"O-Oh. Hey. Dinner should be ready in like... an hour and a half, I guess?" he tells us, avoiding eye contact by looking down at what he's doing.

"Can I have an onion?"

"H-Huh? Sure, why?"

"...I just like eating raw onions. They're healthy."

"I mean, yeah they are. Kinda surprised you like them that way, but that's chill. What kind?"

Monterio blinks a few times, and I absolutely believe he's planning something. I even suspect that I know what he's trying to pull. So I chime in, "Didn't you tell me one time that your favorite is yellow?" He nods vigorously, and Tozen gives us a brief look of suspicion before fetching one from a far countertop and tossing it to Monterio.

We leave as quickly as we came. "Don't you need a knife? Unless you're just gonna bite into it like an apple. But I'm sure it'd be better to have slices," I emphasize, trying to let him know I get it. He puts a weary hand to his head. "Don't worry. The kitchen has to be empty at some point. He doesn't just live in there. Is it for...?"

"When we're ready," he dismisses. Welp. I guess we'll see when he and Kana are ready.

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

Ren

Look, I'm not proud that I conveniently showed up to the pool a little earlier than my half of the group agreed on just so I could catch the other group leaving. I just really like pretty people and I wanted to see them in swimsuits, okay? I've never been to the beach and the only swimming pools I've been to are indoors. And even that was rare.

With that comes the itty bitty problem of not really knowing how to swim, but it's okay! I'll be fine, I swear.

"What on Earth are you up to?" Kana demands as she catches me in the entryway. "Were you trying to spy on them?! What did they say?!"

"I wasn't listening. I just think that almost everyone here is hot, okay? Please don't yell in my ears. I'd much rather you whisper sweet nothings to me," I wink.

"Ugh, you're such a pain. C'mon, the show's over, so now it's OUR turn to get into swimsuits." She pulls on my arm and basically drags me inside. I quickly throw on my trunks— with a neon green and yellow optical illusion pattern, cause if we did middle names in Japan, mine would be "flashy"— and make my way out to the pool. I have to be awfully careful, though; I swear the other group splashed like a quarter of the pool onto the floor, and I don't feel like slipping. I dangle my legs in. The water is nice and warm, which is a happy surprise.

Kana comes out, wearing a strappy white bikini, and I proceed to nearly die on the spot. Shit, she's only the first one in our group. I'm doomed, dooooomed I tell you! "Dude, you're like, bright freaking red. Your face is, at least. The rest of you is hella pasty."

"I can't help it! Albinism makes blushing incredibly obvious!" I explain, voice cracking.

"Oooooh, so that's what's going on! I haven't met anyone with it before, so I didn't even think of that as a possibility!" she gasps.

Just then, Bisque bursts in and almost immediately slips. Azumi dives to catch his head so he doesn't break his damn skull, and then we all dote on him as he assures us that he's perfectly fine. Since he's neutral, he's been bouncing back and forth between groups, because nobody is mad at him or paranoid.

So we have the pleasure of his company today. Tozen insists on grabbing a first aid kit just in case something similar happens later. In that time, Yuu comes in, bug-eyed at the scene before him.

They literally ALL look so good, and I'm practically mortified at how badly I know I'm blushing. My face must look like an actual tomato. But like... Azumi's simple cyan bikini shows off her toned abs... and Yuu's pink trunks make his freckly skin even more apparent... and I get to actually see Tozen's legs for once, and Haruto still looks adorable even without his glasses, and I fucking CAN'T with this!!!

With Haruto's help, I covertly ease myself into swimming without instantaneously drowning. But when I dive, I come back up and my hair is shading my eyes. "Ugh. Can't see," I sputter.

"Same! Even if I wasn't blind without my glasses, my hair is covering my eyes right now!" Bisque agrees. He giggles playfully, taking the opportunity to splash me in the face. "Nobody's had access to a barber for like practically two months now!"

"Yo, you boys want haircuts?" Kana offers.

"You can cut hair?" I ask skeptically.

"My brothers were helpless with that sort of thing. I gotcha."

Bisque shudders. "Eek! That reminds me of the time I got in trouble for cutting a girl's hair in first grade. Agh, regret resurfacing! The teacher was furious, and the kid's parents even more so."

"You were THAT kind of kid? That's hilarious!" I laugh a bit.

"Yep. I was the one who caused all kinds of problems! Ate all sorts of stuff I wasn't supposed to... woke everyone up during nap time..." He grimaces. "Cut hair."

"Well, don't worry. I'm gonna make you look so good that no parent could ever complain," Kana declares with the utmost confidence."

"Well then, comb on over," I tease.

"If you enjoy it too much, I might have to end your existence," she fires back. I brush my hair out of my eyes to see her expression. Okay good, it's a lighthearted smile.

"Oh wooooah. I'm getting the weirdest sense of deja vu here," Haruto suddenly points out.

After about an hour of wonderful pool goodness, we all shower to get the chlorine out, and then Haruto and I head to the beautician's so that Kana can give us trims.

We get a rude awakening when we find Fujiko in here. The two women stare at each other intently, as if sizing each other up and trying to figure out what to say. "Hi, Fujiko!" Bisque intervenes. "We were just in here to get a trim! Do you want one, too?"

"Not today, sweetie. Thank you for the offer, though," she responds, a somber edge to her tone.

Kana wordlessly goes searching for some barber's tools. Fujiko swiftly packs up her shimmery pink makeup bag and leaves, patting Haruto's head on her way out. I grimace from the awkwardness.

But Kana seems intent on not at all acknowledging what's happened. She idly shares stories about her siblings and her childhood as she works. She even turns on some music for us to sing to. It's almost paradoxical. Her motions are deft and efficient, like she's trying to go quickly. And yet somehow, it still feels like a haircut should, with that sort of pampering, luxurious vibe. Haruto hums cheerily, a bright smile on his face. I almost can't believe how spirited he still is, even in the midst of this— he's tried so many times to try and mend rifts, with very little success, from what I've seen, and yet he still looks so earnestly happy.

"Y'know... I know the situation we're in is awful, but if it wasn't for this, I'd have never been friends with any of you. I haven't had very many," I point out.

"Love you, Ren!" Haruto responds.

"Love you, too."

"I guess maybe I'm glad I met you guys," Kana smirks.

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

Haruto

A good word to describe me is "tireless!" I've been in a particularly motivated mood lately, so I've been tireless as heck! Tirelessly pumping out pottery whenever I get even a spare minute at my wheel. Tirelessly trying to make my friends make up. Tireless, tireless, tireless! I'm a busy bee!

Joanie peeks her head in. "Still at it? You've been here all day."

"You know me! Can't waste a minute! Unless the times when I can!" I cheer. "What's that called? An oxymoron?"

"An oxymoron is more like... 'stupid genius' or 'icy hot.' I don't know what that's called, but it's entertaining enough," she grins, settling onto the floor beside me. "It truly makes my heart warm to see the Molder of Fate in his element!"

I laugh. "Yes! Tis I, the Molder of Fate! Back at it again!" I cheer victoriously, waving my carving tool in the air.

"Woah, be careful with that. Don't want you poking any eyes out." She then immediately grimaces. "Shit, I didn't mean for that to be in such poor taste. I totally didn't even think of poor Hachi until the words had already left my mouth."

I sigh. "Gosh, we were all throwing a party... we were trying to have fun and grow closer together."

"I should've come. I was so stubborn about not being Aika. I could've just gone to the party as literally anything else. But being around so many other people sounded so tiring. Now I wish everyone was still alive and well so we could have a big ol' party," she reminisces.

"I wasn't really super duper close to any of them. Not like you were. But I feel like I could've been really good friends with Hachi. I think Nari found me annoyingly optimistic, and Keiji definitely hated my guts, but Hachi... and maybe Sayuri... could've been super cool."

"The thing about Keiji is that he was probably kind of jealous of you," she clarifies, taking off her wig and scratching at the wooden floor.

"What? Jealous of me? Why? He was so freaking smart! Compared to him, my brain's the size of a pea," I point out, continuing to slash the sharp tool through open air.

Yuu, who'd been walking by, stops dead in his tracks. "Dude, did you seriously just ask why people would be jealous of you? That should be super freaking obvious. I'm not even someone who's very good with words, but I can tell you EXACTLY why Keiji would've been jealous of you."

My heart starts to quicken in anticipation of compliments. "Why?"

"It's just like I said that one time! Everyone freaking loves you! Because you're just way too nice, and it never comes across as phony! That plus the fact that you're like, some sort of creative genius!" he rants, as though it's the clearest thing in the world.

Joanie makes a sound of agreement. "Exactly. I don't even have to say this, but Keiji was extremely rough around the edges. Even came across as demented at times. He had his own reasons, but you're pretty much his opposite in every way."

"Come on in, Yuu! Chill with us!" I invite.

He suddenly goes stick-straight. "Oh, nonononono. Nuh-uh."

"Pleaaaaaaase?" I beg.

"I can leave the staff outside," Joanie rolls her eyes.

He clenches his fist and looks up, as if trying to figure out what to do. "Fine. But this doesn't make you hiding important shit like that okay. And Bisque, you had better not leave, okay?"

"I'm not going anywhere while I'm coning and centering porcelain clay," I point out. Having already slapped the clay onto the wheel so that it's secure, I turn on the wheel to full speed, dump a handful of water onto the clay, and begin to center, bracing my elbow on my thigh and forming it into a dome. I also wheel wedge it to make sure it's homogenized. Porcelain is finicky; a tiny bump or imperfection can force you to start all over. "Hey, Yuu? If you were a piece of pottery, what would you look like?" I ask.

"What's this for?" he inquired warily.

"Gosh, it's a gift, relax!" I tease. I'd punch him in the shoulder playfully if both my hands weren't covered in clay.

"Fine, but you have to let me make you new sneakers. Yours are practically falling apart from use!"

I giggle. "Yeaaaaah, my parents kept asking me when I was gonna get a new pair, but these ones are my trusty shoes! I guess I'll let you make me something, though. Do you need my shoe for measurements?"

"Yep, I do." I raise up my foot, unable to take my sneaker off. Because once again, my hands are covered in clay! Yuu takes it off my foot and pulls a measuring tape off of his tool belt. He grabs a pen off of one of the counters and begins to write measurements on some construction paper; the printer paper's in the warehouse. "As for me as pottery... um. Something tall, kind of gangly and awkward, but still stylish. Maybe some sort of weird water pitcher?"

"Gotcha! Joanie, how about you?"

"Probably a bowl. The outside would look really sleek and mature, but the inside would be a really wild pattern or something," she describes.

"I would've figured it'd be the other way around," Yuu casually mentions. "From what I've seen, which, granted, isn't much, you seem really adult-like despite the costume."

She gives a half-hearted laugh. "Thanks."

After a while, I hear Yuu give a sound of mild confusion. "That giant vase. Did you make that? It's been here for a long time," he points out.

"Nope! It was there when we got here! Sure is big, right? I tried to check and see if there was something good in there, but it's boring. It's just barely too small for me to fit inside!"

"White daisy pattern. Weird thing to be here the whole time. Gosh, I remember playing hide and seek all the time when I was around eight. Did you know that there's a World Hide and Seek Championship? I used to want to participate so badly," Joanie rambles, seeming more at peace than normal.

"Wait, really?! I wanna know all about that," he responds eagerly.

She explains the whole establishment and the rules as he makes a paper shoe to assure that the measurements are right. Even if I know that once we're done here, the schism will be right back into full swing, it makes my heart warm. Because I'm tireless. I won't give up.