Your POV:

My head was spinning at all of the confusing things that were going around me. Monokuma was back, and obviously still in control. Despite not having a trial, we still got items to unlock new areas around the school. The item that wasn't going to unlock an area around the school happened to be a motive, and Kokichi stole it.
This resulted in Kokichi running away with the motive as well as Kaito chasing him for that said motive. It was confusing and shocking to me, and it seemed to have the same effect on the others.
"Running in the halls isn't normally allowed, but I suppose boys will be boys," Monokuma said with an angry expression on his features, "also, I forgot to mention this, but I've hidden another Flashback Light somewhere. I wonder what memories you'll uncover next! Happy hunting!"
Monokuma went from angry to cheerful without a second thought when he told us about the second Flashback Light being hidden somewhere in the school. He did what he always did after giving us a piece of information. He always went away, with the Monokubs leaving as well, after saying their slogan.
Something was different though. The Monokubs stayed longer than usual, accompanied with the red cub having said memory issues. Because of this, the blue one decided to try to beat the memories back into his head. It seemed like the others had enough of this when they pulled the two apart and left like nothing happened.
Everyone seemed very confused about what just happened, but we were obviously more concerned about the fact that Kokichi and Kaito were playing cat and mouse throughout the halls of the school. Kaito was the cat, and Kokichi was the mouse. I was concerned about what was going on, but even if I tried to chase after them, I didn't know what way they went. They were long gone.
"Wh-What should we do?" Tsumugi asked, "Kokichi and Kaito are gone."
"We cannot leave Kokichi alone with that card key motive..." Keebo muttered.
"I agree," Rantaro explained, "Kokichi has been acting like this is some game, but it's not."
I nodded slightly, agreeing with Rantaro. I honestly should've saw this coming. From what I've learned from spending time with Kokichi, he does whatever he can so this situation could be more entertaining for him.
"We can't let that degenerate just take important stuff like that!" Tenko shouted.
"But...aren't you all curious about the Flashback Light?" Tsumugi asked.
"I have an idea," Kaede said with a smile, "why don't we all search together! We've been blessed by having no more casualties! It feels amazing that everyone is still here! Why don't we prove that we can do things if we work together!"
Some people gave Kaede an interesting look. It sounded a lot like she was saying the same things she did when we first were trapped here.
"I understand that people almost died because of working together..." Kaede muttered, "I get that. But we have to have hope... if we don't... then what will we have?"
"I agree," Kirumi said with a smile, "we have to hope for a bright future. If we don't, then we don't have anything to make us happy."
Everyone seemed to brighten up at this. Everyone needed hope in order to have the drive to find a better future. I didn't have hope at first, but that changed when I met Rantaro... that changed when I met the others. I was in a relationship despite the bad things that happened, and that's because I hoped that I would be happy.
    "Nyahahaha! I think we should all search together as well as look for Kokichi along the way!" Angie exclaimed.
    "That's a good idea, especially with Kaede and Kirumi's optimism," Keebo told us, "I think that a group of us should try and find Kokichi, while the other group unlocks the new areas of the school. Right now, we need the observant skills of (y/n), Shuichi, Kaede, Kirumi, and Rantaro."
    I smiled lightly at that. Everyone has skills that would help us in our situation right now, whether it was searching for new areas in the school, or it was chasing after a trouble maker who wants to cause mischief for everyone.
    "Alright," I said with a smile, "I'm sure we can find the new areas to unlock without any trouble at all."
    "Nyeeeh, (y/n) is a lot more confident in herself! She's becoming reliable as well as Shuichi!" Himiko said with a smile, "now that you've both become so respectable, I'll let you pet me if you want!"
    Tenko instantly ran over to Himiko with an angry expression on her face. She hugged her tightly as if she were protecting her from some kind of monster.
    "I won't let that degenerate male touch you!" Tenko shouted.
    "Nyeeeh, Tenko, let me go!" Himiko whined, "you're hurting me!"
    "I'm not hurting you!" Tenko exclaimed, "I'm protecting you from a villainous man's touch!"
    I face palmed slightly when Tenko was basically squeezing Himiko to keep her away from Shuichi. It seemed like everything was normal again, aside from the fact that Kaito was chasing Kokichi somewhere in the school as well as the fact that Kiyo was locked in Ryoma's Lab. Everyone else seemed to be more cheerful. It was probably because everyone who was supposed to be dead, was alive and well. It was like a second chance, and to think I was the source of it all.
    I honestly wished we could've had this from the start, without any attempted murderers. I wished that there was no heartbreak or betrayal. Despite how much I wished this to happen, the past is still the past. I couldn't change that even if I wanted to. All we could do was live in the present, and try to make our future bright. That was the only thing we could do, and I was willing to give it my all.
"So (y/n) and Shuichi get that honor, huh..." Tsumugi muttered.
"Everyone amazing though..." Gonta said with a smile, "Gonta want to be useful to everyone..."
"Don't worry," Maki said, "when the time comes, we'll use your body as a meat shield."
"Okay! Gonta hope time come soon!" Gonta exclaimed happily.
"Gonta, you really shouldn't hope for that to come soon..." I muttered, "I don't want you to get hurt."
With that said, we had to pinpoint where to use the items that we've just received. There were a few places I could look to find what we could unlock.
Kaede, Kirumi, Shuichi, Rantaro, and I were in a group to look for the new places we could unlock. I knew if Kaito were here, he'd be helping us out as well, but he was still chasing Kokichi around the school.
"Do you guys have some ideas on where we could look?" I asked.
"There are a few places worth checking," Kirumi explained, "I feel like the fourth floor should have some sort of lead."
"I agree," Rantaro said, "we should check the fourth floor first."
"Yeah," Shuichi told us, "it would be more worth our time if we check the school first. If we can't find all of the unlocked areas in the school, out in the courtyard is our next best option."
"Good thinking Shuichi!" Kaede exclaimed, "you really are living up to your detective title!"
Shuichi seemed to nervously blush from what Kaede said. It made me laugh a little. Being an anime fan, I certainly knew of ships and OTPs. I felt like Kaede and Shuichi would be a good ship.
"I-I guess so..." Shuichi muttered.
"So it's settled!" I exclaimed, "we are heading to the fourth floor first!"
"That's what we agreed on," Rantaro told me with a smile, "there's one thing I need you to do though..."
Rantaro seemed to get very close to me while saying that. It caused a blush to form on my face as he got closer to me. He took note of my expression, and he chuckled at it.
"W-What do you need me to do?" I asked with a deep blush on my face.
"I want you to give me your hand," Rantaro replied with a smile.
My blush seemed to get deeper when he said that. Kaede giggled like she was witnessing a romantic tv show live from the studio. This made me even more embarrassed. Despite that, I complied, giving Rantaro my hand.
"Good, now we can go," Rantaro told me, "we are on a relationship, so it's only natural that I'd want to hold your hand while walking down the halls of this school. Don't you agree?"
I nodded nervously in response to what he said. I guess I still wasn't used to the romantic side of Rantaro. I still enjoyed it despite being flustered about it. Being flustered just reminded me about how much I've fallen for him, and I couldn't be happier when I held his hand.
With that, we all made our way to the fourth floor. As we passed through the third floor, I couldn't help but be concerned about Kiyo. He was basically alone in there. I had no idea if anyone would even bring him something to eat. If no one did that for him, I'd make sure to bring him some food after we unlock the new areas of the school. Even though he tried to murder me, I still wanted to make sure he was healthy and alive. It was my goal to make sure everyone got out alive, and he was no exception.
When we got to the fourth floor, I got a sense of fear caused by deja vu. I knew I almost died here by Kiyo's hand. I didn't want it to bother me, but it did. I didn't want to face that feeling of fear ever again. I instinctively clutched Rantaro's hand when we entered this floor.
"(y/n), are you alright?" Rantaro asked, concern laced on his features.
"Y-Yeah..." I muttered in response.
"(y/n), you shouldn't say you're fine when you're clearly not," Kirumi explained, exposing my actual feelings, "you were used as collateral and almost killed up here. It's only natural that you are feeling a bit scared while being up here."
"Yeah..." Kaede muttered, "I know it's hard to be up here, but you have to stay strong, okay?"
I nodded nervously as we started to wander the halls. The twists and turns on this floor was enough to make anyone feel anxious about it. The shades of bright red littering the turns of this hallway proved as much. Once the twists and turns ended, it would reveal the same dull brown wooden boards that kept this floor together.
Throughout the layout of the floor, we found something. On the floor, there was what looked like a shrine gate. It was red, and it resembled a classical looking Japanese shrine gate. I saw some with similar looks in anime that had a shrine in them. Past the shrine gate were three blank hanging scrolls. I had a feeling that one of the items we had would be useful to those scrolls. The shrine gate also seemed to be leading to something, but those scrolls were in the way. I was certain that we found an area that could be unlocked.
I walked up to the scrolls, and the item that seemed to link with it was the Octobrush. Once I used it, ink magically appeared on the scrolls, causing a flight of stairs to come down in one swift motion.
It seemed that we now gained access to another floor. The staircase obviously led upwards. I looked at it with shocked eyes.
"So there's a fifth floor, huh..." I muttered to myself.
"Good job, (y/n)," Kaede told me, "you really are good at spotting areas that are missing something. Shuichi is very good at it too!"
    "Thank you..." I said in response.
    I looked at the staircase that had just appeared. It made me think about something. Each floor in this school had some sort of difference when it came to the layout of the floor. The first, second, and third floors had a similar layout and look, while the basement had its differences. It was strange, but I felt like the fifth floor would be different.
    "It seems like each floor has a different type of theme with the layout..." I explained, "the first, second, and third floors had similar themes, but the fourth floor had a creepy and unsettling ambiance to it. I wonder if the next floor will have something different about it. I hope it's not like this floor..."
    The fourth floor being creepy and unsettling was very well justified in my opinion. I was almost killed on this floor, and it always has an unsettling feeling about it. It was like someone was killed on this floor already. It was giving a feeling that someone was murdered before all of us had access to this floor.
    There were many places that people seemed to die, but I brought the back. The first floor, the basement, and the fourth floor. It seemed that if I wasn't here, those places would be marked as unsettling places. Places where classmates died... I didn't want that to happen.
    I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Rantaro. He looked concerned about me, but despite that, he smiled gently at me.
    "You don't need to worry. I'm sure that the fifth floor will be different," Rantaro told me, "don't let what happened get to you. You are stronger than that. I know you can conquer what you're feeling for the safety of everyone else."
    I looked up at Rantaro, and a small smile formed on my face. I knew I had to get past what happened. If I didn't get past that, then I wouldn't get stronger. I'm more dependable than I was at the beginning, but I knew I had a long way to go. I had to keep moving forward, so everyone would see me as someone who's worthy of being dependable. I couldn't let myself die for the sake of this killing game.
    With my head held high, I took the first step on the staircase that leads to the fifth floor. I had to make sure to do my part for everyone. They believed in me, and I couldn't fail them.
    With each step I took, I got closer with everyone to the fifth floor. Once we got there, I noticed that the floor seemed to have a different feel. It was like going to a renaissance church with the look of the floor and stained glass looking windows on the floor. I looked around with a shocked look in my eyes.
    "This has I totally different vibe than the fourth floor!" I exclaimed in shock.
    "That's what I was about to say!" a female voice exclaimed from the top of the staircase.
    I looked behind me to see Tsumugi standing there with a smile on her face.
    "Tsumugi, how did you get here?" I asked.
    "Well I wanted to see what I could do to help you all, but I never expected this new floor to be so elegant," Tsumugi replied while looking around.
    I wondered if this was the last floor of the school. I wouldn't be surprised if it was. It seemed like a floor like this one would defiantly be a last floor. Monokuma really put a lot of hard work into this floor. It was shocking.
    "It seems like this floor has a couple of rooms," Tsumugi explained, "that door over there is just plain suspicious. Could it be..."
    I looked over at the door Tsumugi was staring at. The door was a pastel purple color, and the sides of the area next to the door seemed to have mannequin paintings, seeming to wear different clothing styles. One side of the door area had a mannequin wearing what seemed lit be a bikini. The other side had what looked like an item used for carrying needles for sewing.
    I knew instantly what this door was. It was another Ultimate Lab. It had to be the Ultimate Cosplayer's Ultimate Lab. It definitely wasn't my lab, because my lab had a Fullmetal Alchemist symbol on the door.
"Tsumugi, that looks like your lab!" I exclaimed with a smile.
"I think so too!" Kaede exclaimed, "we should check inside!"
I nodded with a small smile on my face. I always wanted to see cosplay being made. When I cosplayed, I'd always find a way to buy the outfits. It was either buying the outfit, or making modifications to articles of clothing from stores to make into outfits. I wanted to know how one could be made and sold in an anime shop or online.
We all decided that we should check inside of the Ultimate Lab. Tsumugi seemed to be the most excited about it, I mean why wouldn't she be? This is her lab. It's where she can do things no one else can do. It was always exciting to look at the talents and attributes of the other people here. It still made me feel like my talent was nothing special.
When we opened the door, I was shocked at how the lab looked. There were outfits that seemed to be in the making in there, as well as a stage. This could very well be classified as some sort of studio. Cosplayers always take pictures of them in their outfits. It fit the room very well. There was also what seemed like a bar set in the lab too. It had many scene backdrops. Anyone who models would defiantly be jealous of all of the stuff in this lab.
    With the camera sets and everything in this room, this could defiantly be like a picture studio at an anime convention. Most anime conventions have certain events where they invite cosplayers from the same fandom go take pictures together. It was always a lot of fun to do.
    I went up to the studio if the lab. I was shocked at how big it was up close. I smiled lightly as I saw it.
    "This is defiantly for photo shoots!" I exclaimed.
    The backdrops were amazing, showing different scenery every few seconds. It was defiantly a sight to behold. There was another set for photo shoots near by, but it had more of a gothic feel to it. It would be perfect if there were vampires involved.
    I also observed a workshop area. I noticed a sewing machine as well as a work table. This little room within the lab must be the place where cosplay costumes are made or repaired. It defiantly has enough space to fix the costumes or to make new ones.
    "This place is amazing!" I exclaimed happily.
    "I know!" Tsumugi exclaimed, "I was wondering if I'd even survive long enough to see my lab! And the good thing is that I did! Now I can make cosplay outfits and wear them with pride!"
    "You should make one for me sometime!" I exclaimed, "I always wondered the processes in making cosplay outfits!"
    "If you want me to make you one, I'm going to need your measurements first," Tsumugi explained, "in order for me to make a cosplay outfit suit the body type of each wearer, I have to take their measurements. It's very important to get everything right."
    "I understand," I replied with a smile, "it has to fit me as if I'm the character I'm cosplaying!"
    Tsumugi smiled at me with a happy glint in her eyes. Cosplaying really made her happy, and I'm sure she was happier to find out someone has the same type of interest as her.
    "How about we cosplay together!" Tsumugi exclaimed as she pointed at a certain set.
    This set was a setup of a bar. There seemed to be many drink items in it, as well as glasses. It had everything needed to simulate a real bar. It looked really nice.
    "Yes please!" I exclaimed.
    "If you are going to cosplay, I will too," Rantaro told me, "besides I have an idea."
    Tsumugi led all of the group to the bar set. It was even more amazing up close. The items on the bar area seemed to look very real.
    "Cosplaying alone is no fun. It's always more fun to do it with others," Tsumugi explained, "to become a completely different person and feel like you're part of a different world...doesn't that sound interesting guys? Don't you all want to try being in a fictional world?"
    "We are supposed to be investigating right now..." Shuichi muttered.
    "Well why don't we have a little investigation of this bar set then," Kaede said with a smile.
Shuichi let out a sigh in response to that. He nodded his head and proceeded to walk to the bar set with the rest of us.
Tsumugi seemed to prance over to the bar set, and she sat in front of the counter. It reminded me of someone who wanted to order an alcoholic beverage. I see those types of things in some animes. An adult would have a hard day, so they'd order a nice drink at a bar.
The rest of us decided to take a seat in front of the counter as well. Everything in this set seemed real. I wondered if there were actual drinks in this bar set. Would the beverages even still be good?
"Hey, are you guys thirsty?" Tsumugi asked, "I can make one of my signature cocktails if you like."
"A signature cocktail?" Shuichi asked in response.
"Yeah, it seems like all of the drinks here are top-quality stuff," Tsumugi explained in response.
It seemed as if my theory was right at that point. All of the bottles in this set contained top of the line drinks, and alcohol. If she made us anything, I hoped it would be alcohol free. I didn't want to end up like Nanami in the second season of Kamisama Kiss.
"I used to make these drinks a lot at my part-time job. Don't worry, it'll be nonalcoholic, of course," Tsumugi explained, reassuring all of us.
"Then I'll have one," I said with a smile.
Everyone else seemed to agree. Even Kirumi agreed to have one too. Tsumugi went into the part of the alcohol counter where bartenders would work. She brought out five cocktail glasses and placed ice into the cups.
She brought out a cocktail shaker, and she placed some drinks from some of the bottles in the area. She started to shake the cocktail shaker.
"Would you guys like it a little stronger?" Tsumugi asked.
"Uh... sure," Shuichi replied.
In response to this, Tsumugi placed more of a certain liquid into the shaker, and she shook it like she was a professional bartender. After shaking it, she poured the contents into the five glasses before garnishing the drinks with a cherry on top. She slid one to everyone who was at the counter.
"You're really good at this, aren't you?" I asked with a small smile.
"Yeah, before I got sponsors for my cosplaying, I worked a bunch of jobs," Tsumugi explained, "I used to say to my customers... "I'm in a bit of a financial trouble. If only someone could help me out.".."
I was a little embarrassed by this. Rantaro seemed to sense that so he grabbed my hand. He was next to me, eyeing his beverage before taking a sip. His eyes seemed to widen at the taste of the beverage. He soon took another sip with a smile on his face. I could tell he liked the taste of the beverage Tsumugi gave him.
    I took a sip of mine in response to his actions, and it was a very good drink. I smiled as everyone talked and drank their drinks, saving the cherry for last.
    As soon as we were done, there was nothing left to discover in the lab. We left with our heads held high and happy from the drinks that were made. There was still more to discover on this new floor, and we were all ready for what our next destination was.

Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! I'm sorry for the three weeks I was gone, but now school is finished, and now I'm an official alumni!
I highly encourage you all to do the fan art competition for this story! I will be able to do drawing prizes again since I finally have another drawing tablet.
One more thing! Check out my TikTok! I have art videos on it, and I think you all will like it. It's @crusifixdroid
I hope you all follow me and watch my content! Ciao- CRUSIFIXdroid