Gou

"Slow, slow, quick quick. Forward, forward, right right. See, it's not bad at all! Now try looking up at my face. Trust that your feet'll know how far to go."

I tear my eyes off the floor and examine Kana's expression. It's skeptical, studious, as though she's examining every facet of my performance. She's probably one of the scariest to learn from. But for once, she came to ME asking if I wanted a lesson. Honestly, that makes me even more nervous, because I have a feeling that she wants something out of me. Apparently, Monterio is making paper cranes with Chimon. I didn't really expect either of them to be the superstitious sort, but it seems like they wanted to get a wish! Either way, Kana needed a temporary playmate, it seems, and apparently I was chosen.

"So then the grapevine. I need to flip my thinking around, cause I'm used to doing it in the opposite direction. Okay, so for you... take a step to the left with your left foot, and then cross over it with your right leg, like so. And then pull your left leg around and back to the side. Move your right foot behind the left, and then repeat. Like... this!" She demonstrates, hiking her dress up slightly so that I can watch her ankles cross. As I start to get the hang of it, she begins to speed up a little so that I have to work to keep up. "Hey, you're doing solid! I coulda sworn you would've had two left feet, based on our first practice, but you've definitely improved. Now, back to position!"

I grab her hand with my left hand and cup her waist with my right dutifully. "Hey, uh, Kana?" I chime in as we start again.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry if I'm missing the mark... and misjudging your intentions... but is there any particular reason for this? Do you need anything?"

She gasps. "How dare you? I have had nothing but the purest intentions. I'm merely helping a friend with his earnest request to learn dancing, something that happens to be very special to me!"

I furrow my brow. "Okay, really, what do you want?"

She gives a mischievous smirk. "Don't worry, it's nothing strenuous or terrible. I just want you to bend my ear a bit, right?"

"What do you want me to talk about then, exactly?"

"How's your friendship with Wakumi? I haven't exactly been eager to pursue any sort of bond with her, cause we would probably be... volatile together, but I barely know anything about her!"

I grimace, feeling my heart start to quicken in alarm. "We shouldn't gossip, Kana. Nothing good comes of it."

"Really? I've found that venting is really helpful, sometimes! Besides, we're all in a death game. The more we know each other, and the more we bond, the less likely we are to want to hurt each other, right?"

I groan. She always has been very persuasive. "Fine. But if we're doing this, it has to be an information exchange. I tell you about Wakumi, then you tell me your opinions on Chimon."

"Deal! I'm way too curious. Besides, nobody will tell me anything about the fact that those two showed up drenched to the trial, and it's making me very upset!" she pouts.

"About that... she never told me, either. She's been really different since then, though. I'm sure Joanie's death hit her really hard. But the thing about Wakumi is that she's a very angry person. Trust me, I've known a lot of angry people in my life, but normally they try to bury it a little. She seems to flaunt her rage, like she needs it and likes it. I don't know why. I'm trying really hard to get to the point where I can say I understand her, but she fights it so much. It's frustrating."

"I can imagine. I'm sorry if you feel like you're going unrewarded or even hated for your efforts. I'm sure Monterio must've felt the same way about me at first. But I'm sure you'll eventually make some sort of breakthrough! I was really angry, too, but sometimes, people just need to get out of their own heads." Suddenly, she give a light wince.

"Oh, shit. How many times have I stepped on your feet without you saying anything?"

"Pfft. No big deal. I'm a goddamn pro, I can handle this shit," she dismisses.

"Your turn."

"Boy, lemme tell you. I didn't trust Chimon at the beginning. Not at all. I couldn't tell you why, he just gave me bad vibes. I even told Monterio that, cause he seemed charmed by the little dude since pretty much the start. But he said to me, 'Kana, if you can't trust him, then trust that I can handle myself.' And since I love him, I backed off. And now Monterio has another good friend, which is awesome! I've pretty much been hogging him to myself for years, so it's nice that someone else gets to see how fucking fantastic he is! And Chimon seems... relatively harmless. I freaked the fuck out during the schism, because I was worried he did what he did out of malice. But even if something seems wrong about him, it looks like he at least doesn't do immoral shit for the hell of it."

"Thanks for your input. Honestly, all I know is that his sense of humor is way less childish than you'd expect. It's kind of hilarious, actually!"

Her face lights up. "WOAH! You know what?! I think maybe he feels like he could've been my little brother in another life. I love my siblings, but you should never trust them," she cackles, quaking so hard that she nearly falls over backward. I have to catch her without making MYSELF die from laughter. "Do you have siblings, Gou?"

"Lots of cousins. LOTS of cousins. Holidays are a riot!" I respond, still trying to recover.

"Oh, tell me about it! And I'm being literal here; actually tell me all about it. I can only imagine what the Kita clan is like, Gou." She stretches and turns off the music, putting her hand on her hip in confident intrigue.

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

Monterio

It's come to my attention that Chimon is far more interested in crafts than I initially thought. And while I am dexterous with my legs, hips, et cetera, I am apparently somewhat clumsy when it comes to making things. Also very slow at it. Chimon is amassing a pile of finished cranes, and I'm still trying to get my fifth done. It's as though he's committed this to pure muscle memory.

"Hm. Maybe you could use a paper creaser to take care of folds that you struggle with," he suggests. I stare down at my wide hands before nodding. He looks down at his own. "I bet yours is twice my size." I offer it for comparison. I can't even see his hand behind mine, I can just feel it. "Well, it's more like four-thirds mine." He stands up to fetch a paper creaser for me.

"Why were you wanting to do this, again?"

"Well, I figured it'd be a good distraction. Besides. I want you to have a wish. Or, if you want, you can give it to Kana." He grabs his knees and starts rocking around, even doing a somersault, before resuming another crane.

"You look like those nesting dolls, swaying like that," I comment softly. He laughs a bit.

It's gonna take us a loooooong time to reach a thousand, but that's alright. Patience is a virtue.

I give him the sign for thank you so that he knows I appreciate the gift, and I smile at him. He gives a big ol' grin back. As I work to fold the planet-patterned origami paper, I start thinking of wishes I could make. I could wish to be with Kana forever. I could wish for my little brother to have good fortune. I could wish that we get out of this alive. And giving the choice to Kana would also be a worthy decision.

"AHEM!"

"Oh God," Chimon sighs, creeping closer to me in anticipation.

"You know what time it is, my duckies! Please report to Meeting Room A pronto!" Monokuma shrieks from the monitor.

"His voice never gets any less grating," Chimon points out. I roll my eyes and nod in agreement before tucking him under my arm and starting off toward that godforsaken meeting room.

That horrible bear, pleased as punch, is sitting back in his chair as we filter in. None of us want to sit in ours— the bolder of us are standing aggressively, and the meeker are too antsy to want to sit down. I make my way to Kana, wrapping my arm around her waist in support even though she doesn't really need it. She uses her other arm to keep mine there.

"Welcome, welcome, my chickadees!"

"What is WITH all these nicknames? You're a bear, not a bird," my partner snarks loudly.

"Could we, perhaps, make this a bit quick? I am assuming that it's motive time, correct? There's simply no need for all the fanfare," Azumi requests.

"Ah, impatient now, are we? Excited to get to the fun? But really, all I want is to give you all a present!"

"Aye, we don't want anythin' ye got ta give us!" Wakumi shouts, slamming her foot on the table once again and spitting. I turn to find Yuu cringing, as expected.

"Are you sure? Not even letters from your loved ones?"

"For serious?! You're not trying to trick us, right?! You're seriously just gonna hand us letters?" Fujiko gasps.

"Yep! There are envelopes set up for each of you! If you don't trust me, just check the handwriting!"

"What's the catch?" I ask.

"No catch, no loopholes, no exploitation! Just wholesome sentiments from your friends and family! Would I lie to you, my sweet campers and dear companions?"

"Of course you would," Tozen interjects sharply.

"And anyway, shut the fuck up with the whole 'companion' bullshit. I may wanna be more than friends with several people, but I wanna be WAY less than friends with you, got it?" Ren swaggers, dragging his fingers through his hair.

"Everyone loves the great and wonderful Monokuma. Even if they don't know it yet," he coos.

"Ha! That's bullshit. I've never heard such bullshit!" Kana laughs and points, tilting into me.

Wakumi trembles with rage. Gou grabs her shoulder as she leans a little more forward. "Hit me instead of him. We don't want you dying over something as stupid as this." She basically slams his face onto the table once quickly, but then lets him go without any further fury. I can sympathize. Unfortunately, his helmet protects pretty much every part of his head EXCEPT his face. But he recovers quickly, and at least he isn't bleeding.

"I feel that we should simply take them and leave. Let us not invite him to anymore violence or upsetting statements. We needn't even read the letters, if we do not trust them, but it would be prudent to remove ourselves from this situation," Azumi advises.

Some of the more eager ones rush up to snatch the envelopes and inspect them frantically. Those of us who are feeling more skeptical walk up less enthusiastically. It looks like my brother's handwriting on the envelope. I barely stifle a gasp. I still don't necessarily know if I can trust it, but I suppose I'll probably read it later, in private. I'll be able to tell if it's not really him.

Chimon and I head back to his room to continue our quest, but this time, Fujiko and Kana join up with us. "Hey, darling, are you really okay waiting to read it?" my love murmurs to me gently.

I kiss her head. "It's been this long. I can wait a couple more hours. And honestly... I'm a little worried about what my family might've written," I admit. "I just don't want to find out that something horrible's happened."

"Ugh, I can relate," Chimon mumbles, twisting his key necklace as he reaches for another piece of paper.

"We're gonna read ours together though, right?" Kana asks, squeezing my hand. Her typical brash tone and volume mask her own anxiety over the situation.

"Of course. It'll be good to have you to hold me in case anything really is wrong," I reassure her.

"How about this?" Fujiko proposes, leaning forward. "We all read our letters at, say... eight pm? And if anything bad has happened to ANYONE, we can all gather for squishies and comfort! But of course, we can let the lovebirds take care of each other first and foremost," she coos, giggling.

"Sure," Chimon agrees, dropping his twenty-somethingth crane on the ground and making eye contact with everyone individually.

"Th-Thank you, you guys." I'm taken-aback by how timid I sound. They all hug me tight, and I start to feel a bit more courageous.

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

Azumi

Humility is very important, and in my mind, there are few things as admirable as a skilled and learned person being aware that there is always a multitude of things to improve upon. I've been taught this all the time by my mentors in the circus, and their letter has only reinvigorated my love of the craft and desire to grow.

That being said... showing off can be too much fun at times. "This one is called a chest stand face frame."

"That's sick! And you really don't feel any pain at all?" Ren crouches to examine me, wide-eyed.

"I do not! A friendly word of advice: if you start to feel serious pain from any contortion-based activities, cease immediately. It is far better to accept your limits temporarily than injure yourself. From here, I can show you... a chest stand head sit! Tada!"

He applauds. "Are you always this flexible?"

"I can see where you are going with this, and I am putting a stop to that right this instant," I tease. He cackles. "You've been getting a lot bolder with your physical comments, lately," I point out.

"Circus pick-up lines are rarely chaste, and it's very upsetting."

"You needn't stick solely to my talent! I'd rather they be varied than inappropriate." I shift into the next position. "And this is called cradle."

"This one isn't funny, but it's certainly cheesy enough."

"I'd be pleased to hear it!"

"I would love to hear the music in your soul... I'm sure it would be beautiful, Azumi," he says. His eyes tell me that he's being completely earnest, and it makes me shiver.

"My, you do take me by surprise, Ren Enomoto. Take this as a purely platonic compliment, but your voice is ever so pleasant when you get serious."

"Ah, damn, I'm friendzoned," he plays. This time, it's very obvious that he's kidding, but his lightheartedness only lasts for a few moments. "I am very grateful for that, though. Do you wanna go look at some stars together? They'll be super fuzzy cause of the dome, but—"

"But of course! I can hardly think of anything that sounds more lovely."

"I can think of a couple," he winks. But then he takes my hand and gently kisses it. "Then I'll walk you, milady."

Goodness. He might be genuinely attempting to woo me.

We make our way to the garden, hand-in-hand, though our fingers are not interlocked and I don't intend for that to change. He takes me a few steps short of the pagoda, close enough to it where we can duck for cover if somehow the sun spontaneously attacks in the dead of night, but far enough that the roof won't inhibit our sight. "I do not see stars very often. There is a lot of light pollution near my circus," I mention.

"I'll sneak out to see them sometimes," he responds, as though that is the most casual assertion in the universe.

"You have to sneak out?"

"Oh, right. Sometimes I forget that sneaking out of the house isn't an obvious thing to do." He props his head up under his hands and looks up at the sky.

"W-Well, elaborate, then! Um, if it is not too personal, that is."

"Honestly, Mom would probably be okay if I told her I was leaving, but I don't wanna worry her. My mom is... a lot, sometimes."

"At the start of the schism... you said you would have understood hypnosis if the situation was more desperate," I quietly bring up.

"Wow! You have a really good memory AND you're exceptionally observant. You're just the whole package, aren't you?"

"I was remarkably curious, but I felt too nervous to try and ask what you meant," I admit sheepishly.

"Well, your guess just now was at least somewhat accurate. But let's not dwell on it. Do you have any crushes, Azumi? Not even necessarily here, maybe just at home."

I shift my gaze away. "Ah... you already know. What about you? Which ones of us do you have actual feelings for, as opposed to just play-flirting?"

"I get crushes really easily. I definitely had a thing for Nari. Kana, just a little, but I think I like her more as a big sister, so that saves me from Monterio's wrath." I can't help but giggle a little at his assessment. "Yuu has potential, I think, but it's not quite there, and he's already indicated that he's uncomfortable with the flirting. You, Azumi, but again, I'm totally content being in the friend zone." He pauses yet again.

"And?"

He sighs. "You already know."

I take a deep, shuddering breath. "You are both dear to me. I can... back off, if it would make you happy."

"No! Nuh-uh!" he suddenly insists, raising his voice ever so slightly. "If you like him, you can't give up for my sake, okay? We can... have a friendly competition! If you win, I'll be honestly proud of you and glad for you both. All I ask is for the same to be true if I win."

"I will gladly extend you that courtesy. I vow to be a fair, polite, and joyous loser in the event that this occurs. If I am being honest, though, I fear you have an advantage. You are rather charming, and though I have social graces, I do not truly know what he likes in a person. Romance is certainly intimidating, and I feel as though your lack of fear regarding it is your strength."

"Oh, I'm totally scared! Don't get me wrong. For all my flirtations and shit, I've never actually been with anyone before."

"I see! Well you certainly do an excellent job masking it!"

"I have no fucking idea what could happen. He could reject us both, for all I know. Ha. That would suck. He'd be valid, but he'd be missing out."

"If that were to occur... we might console one another with funnel cake and sad music," I offer.

"Agh! Woman, you're underestimating yourself! You know exactly what to say to worm your cute little way into a guy's heart. I'm shot by Cupid's arrow, I swear."

We both laugh, and it's a heartier laugh than we've had in a long while, I think. "You are incredibly entertaining, Ren! I'm quite pleased that I've gotten the chance to meet you!"

"Same. Thanks for doing this, Azumi."

"Thank you for inviting me."