Rantaro's POV:

  "That is something that makes plain sense," Tsumugi told me, "but if you are saying that people already scolded you, then I won't give any of it. The only thing I ask is that you tell me what it is exactly that you want to talk about with me. Is that a deal?"

    To be completely honest, a part of me wasn't expecting those words to leave her mouth. I knew I messed up, and that was prominent information for everyone. I've been scolded, walked in to the Dining Hall as people were talking about me. I was expecting to be scolded, but in terms of Tsumugi, she surprised me. Since I told her that I've already been scolded, she decided that she wouldn't give me any of it. The conditions for this was that I would cut to the chase. I found that to be pretty reasonable at least.
    "It's a deal," I replied with a slight look of shock.
    "Don't think this means that I'm not still upset with you," Tsumugi spoke, putting one hand up, "(y/n) and I are friends, and it's just plain hard to find someone super nice who watches anime, especially in this situation. Usually people were pretty toxic in communities before we were placed here, but not her. My point is that you hurt her, so I'm not going to forgive you easily."
    I kinda figured just because she wasn't going to scold me about it didn't mean that she wasn't angry. It was pretty bold of her to assume I didn't know that, but in this sense, it was just her telling me the truth. Tsumugi kind of went on a small rant about how hard it was to find someone nice who watches anime in this situation, and she ranted about how the former anime communities could be very toxic.
    Her point was exactly what I thought it was. Tsumugi cared about (y/n) like most of us, and she was upset that I hurt her. Tsumugi wanted to remind me that she may not have been scolding me, but her feelings stayed the same.
    "I already knew that," I replied with a nervous chuckle, "don't worry about that. I know that I messed up, but I'm working very hard to fix it."
    "I guess you're going to have to prove that to me using your actions and not your words," Tsumugi replied, "if you make an effort, it will be seen by not only me, but by everyone."
    "I've literally been doing that," I laughed in response, "I'm sure the others will tell you as much. You may not be seeing it right now, but I've been making an effort."
    "Whatever you say," Tsumugi replied, "so what did you even need to talk to me about? I'm still in the process of processing everything because it feels like everything just gets worse. We find out we are the last seventeen survivors of humanity, and then the person who has kept everyone alive has been taken hostage. It's a plainly messy situation..."
I noted how Tsumugi told me she was still trying to process everything. I couldn't exactly blame her when he was also in the process of that as well, but the only difference was the fact that I chose not to wait. After all, life waited for no one, and it would continue on even if something bad happened. With what happened in my life, I knew that that first hand.
"I know everything managed to get worse," I spoke, "but the reality of the situation is that life waits for no one. Even if the reality we know plunged into disarray, time will still go on. That brings me to the answer to your question."
"Go on?" Tsumugi asked in response.
"To put it simply, the reason why I came here today was to request your help," I explained, "with everything that's happened, I know it won't be easy to agree. I have experience to back me up on that one. We can't let Kokichi continue to take advantage of this situation by keeping (y/n) hostage."
    After I said those words, Tsumugi thought for a moment. I noticed her eyes glance downwards as if she was taking the time to think about what I said for a moment. Just like what I did with Himiko and Keebo, I wanted to keep our true plan a secret until I could confirm that they would meet up with us later as well as to keep Kokichi off of our trail.
    "So you feel the same way?" Tsumugi asked, "despite everything that's happened?"
    I looked over at Tsumugi with a questioning look on my face. The way that she worded her questions caught me off guard, and that was surprising for someone who addressed themselves as "plain" all of the time. Her question gave me an answer of sorts, but it also gave me questions. Of course I felt the same way. If I didn't, I wouldn't be going through all of this trouble. Before I could think of a proper response to what she was saying.
    "That makes me more inclined to believe you when you say you learned your lesson," Tsumugi added on with a small, "to be honest, I've been sitting around trying to figure out anything I could do to possibly help (y/n). She's my friend, and yet I'm sitting here, unable to think of anything useful I could do in order to help her out. I so desperately want to help her, but it's plain to see that I just don't know how."
    "Not knowing what to do in a situation like this one is completely normal," I explained in response, "I do feel the same way as you put it, and even at first I had no idea what I could do. Seems to be something that is easier to do when you work with others."
    "I guess you're right about that," Tsumugi laughed sheepishly in response, "I'm guessing then that this isn't a solo effort on your part?"
Tsumugi was able to get the general idea that this wasn't something I was planning only. She seemed to know from what I said that I was working with others. I couldn't help but think that she had some pretty good observation skills for someone who insulted themselves a lot.
    "No, it's not," I replied, "I've been working together with mostly every one else. We've managed to come up with a plan too, but in order for it to have the best chance at working, we need as many people as I can convince."
    "So if I meet with you guys, I can help (y/n)?" Tsumugi asked, "I don't really get what a plain person like me could do."
    "I can promise you that everyone will have a task," I replied, "so there will be something you can do that will help us out. I can promise you that."
    With how in depth everything was, it was more or less obvious that we gave tasks to those who were best suited for them. Maki is good with stealth, so she was going to watch over Kokichi, and Miu had her hand in creating a new device. Tsumugi wouldn't learn of this however until she met with us.
    "I'm not going to beat around the bush then," Tsumugi stated, "where and when do you need me to meet with you guys?"
"We will be meeting at the dining hall during dinner time," I explained in response, "I told the same thing to Keebo and Himiko."
"Dinner time is not that far around the corner is it?" Tsumugi asked, "I swear I have a plain hard time keeping track of the time in this place."
"Doesn't everyone?" I asked in response, "so I can count on you coming to the dining hall soon then?"
"Yes you can," Tsumugi replied, "with that out of the way though, I need to clean myself up. Maybe a shower will help rejuvenate my state of mind. I can think about my favorite shows, and try and put a smile on my face."
'Well that took quite a turn...' I thought with a nervous chuckle.
I couldn't help but laugh slightly at that. This conversation was relatively quick, and the subject underwent a brief change to a topic that more or less interested her. It was refreshing, but it was almost out of place here, but to each and their own I suppose.
"You do whatever will amp you up," I laughed, "I'm not one to judge since I can be pretty weird myself."
"You have no right to judge when you judged everyone else," Tsumugi spoke, "but I will see you soon. I hope I won't be getting my hopes up for nothing."
"Alrighty then," I replied, "I will talk to you soon."
Tsumugi nodded in response, going back into her dorm room and shutting the door. Once she was back in her dorm room, I walked away from her door, a small smile on my face. I was able to get a couple of people to join the group today, which was definitely a good start.
    I was already at the bottom of the stairs, so my thought was to give myself at least some down time before dinner. So, that's what I decided to do. I walked to my dorm room, my room not being too far of a distance from Tsumugi's because of its placement on the bottom floor.
As soon as I got to my door, I used my key to open the door before walking inside. I was successful in convincing Keebo and Tsumugi to join us today. Whether Himiko would join us or not depended on her. I knew I couldn't force anyone to help.
"So far, Keebo and Tsumugi have agreed to help," I muttered to myself, "there's still a ways to go until we have all of the help that we need... but it didn't go as badly as I thought it would."
I was pretty content with how things went today. Not content with the situation happening, but I was content with the progress being made. Not only did I have information about the hidden room now, but now some of the others were going to start helping us out too. I was starting to feel more confident about that this could be pulled off.
I however wouldn't know how everyone would work together until we met up for dinner. There had to be at least a half an hour until then. Being able to speak to (y/n) really helped get rid of the impending stress in my mind. It was a lot easier to think, knowing that I was able to explain myself. While that didn't change what had happened before, it was something that I was learning from, and I knew I would become a better person as a result of that. But first this situation had to be dealt with.

Maki's POV:

Rantaro left not too long ago, leaving me to do my job. It was annoying that he decided to come down, but I knew it was important for the two to speak. Even so, as I kept an eye on the hanger I couldn't help but think to myself.
'That idiot...' I thought, 'is he trying to piss Kokichi off or something?'
I knew very well that wasn't the case, but I knew that Rantaro seeing (y/n) would have a negative impact on her. Kokichi was probably watching now, and I knew that he could very well know that this happened. I was worried about that, and it was such a pain to only be able to watch from a distance.
That was why I was going to come up with my own plan. I couldn't just watch this bastard continue to act cocky. I had to do something to confuse him more. As I thought about it more, I knew the layout to the hanger area, and that I factored that into what I was planning.
'I have a crossbow from my lab in my room right now,' I thought, 'but in order to end this, I will need poison.'
There was only one place that I previously thought of before that held poison. It was Shuichi's Ultimate Lab. When I went in there during the time that lab was unlocked, I noticed many different poisons, but I was able to only recall some of them.
'I will need a poison that will show the bastard a slow and painful death...' I thought, 'I need to get some some information out of the cocky bastard as well.'
Rantaro had his way of doing things, and so did I. I didn't really care what he thought at this point. There was a good chance Kokichi was going to find out about the second plan sooner or later. If anyone was going to have to prepare for that, it would be me.
Thoughts were going through my head as I silently checked the perimeter of the hanger area. I could still see Exisals guarding the electromagnetic barrier that led inside of the true hanger. I knew there would also be Exisals inside of the hanger as well.
'In order for my plan to work, I need to ensure a safe way to break into the hanger...' I thought as I sent a glare towards the Exisals guarding the barrier.
From what I could think of, I couldn't beat the Exisals in strength. Those machines were nothing but large scraps of metal, so of course I couldn't do much damage to that physically. If I tried to attack them, the others would follow suit as well.
'What can I do to get into the shutter?' I thought, 'there has to be a way to get past those Exisals. After all, they are just machines...'
Almost as soon as that thought hit my mind, it was almost as if a realization hit me. I felt like there was a way for me to get into the shutter safely. The Exisals were just machines, and something about the explanation Miu gave previously.
'Maybe the Electrohammer can work...' I thought, 'but from what I recall, Miu mentioned that the Electrohammer would be drained in one bit if it were to be used on an Exisal.'
If that was the case, I could probably make it work. Miu's Electrohammers can be used on any sort of machinery. The Exisals were in that category, however the drawback was the fact that one swing against one would instantly kill off the battery in the hammer. I would only have one shot to use on an Exisal. If that didn't work, then I would be out of options until the hammer recharged fully again.
I was more than confident that I could complete the plan I was thinking of. As an assassin, the skills I had could be used to complete this plan. I would only have one shot at it, but that was better than having no shot at all.
    'I need to plug in my Electrohammer once I stop by my room,' I thought, 'and I will check Shuichi's Lab later tonight for what poisons are being kept there.'
    I had a general idea for what I was going to do. I would have to prepare for this , and part of the process was finding the correct type of poison to use. Playing dirty like this was one of the skills of an assassin.
    I had no issue with that considering that was the way Kokichi was playing.  Kokichi was using (y/n) as the motive, and that was a cheap tactic from the beginning. I had no qualms against giving that cocky son of a bitch what he deserved. In fact, I was hoping to give him exactly what he deserved.
    I was frustrated and pissed off at the situation, and now I had a plan. Killing Kokichi with poison after making him talk was the perfect method for me. If it weren't for (y/n), we would've lost over half of our classmates from painful deaths. I had no issues giving this bastard that same treatment, especially with what was going on.
    I traveled back around to where the Exisal bathroom window was, making sure to keep myself out of sight as I did so. I knew what I was planning. I knew what how I was going to proceed. There wasn't a way to be *too* under prepared, especially when it came to Kokichi.
If things went south with what was being planned here, someone did need to pick up the slack. Hopefully Rantaro knew what he was doing when he was speaking to (y/n) because things would probably get worse as a result of that. However it was good for both of them to speak together, so I would allow that,
'If it weren't for Rantaro telling (y/n) the fake plan, I would've beat his ass...' I thought, 'I swear that guy can be a mystery on what his next move is.'
I guess the only thing I could do now was keep an eye out. If Kokichi plans on doing anything to hurt her more, I was going to plan on making him suffer more. He can't just expect to cause this much damage without facing the consequences. I wasn't the only angry party, so I knew a lot of us shared the same opinion.
With a plan thought up of, I knew what I was going to do. I knew I had to meet with everyone else in the dining hall for dinner at some point soon. Once lights were out however, I would go to Shuichi's Lab to take a glance at the varieties of poison there. There was something there I could use to tip the crossbow arrows.
    Once I would be able to get the rest of what I needed, I would be able to proceed with a more clearer understanding of how this might play out. Even with acquiring the poison, I would still need a charged Electrohammer to even bypass the barrier.
    I was still confident in my abilities. I was forced to train my body until I was physically sick. My physical and mental abilities were constantly tested by the ones who trained me. Even if I was miserable when this happened, I couldn't excuse the skills that I've learned.
    Kokichi was going to see first hand what happens when he underestimated us. I was going to make sure he regretted his actions. It's not like someone who was going to die soon could have much to regret at that point. I wasn't even truly sure if Kokichi was the type to regret his actions, but even so. Karma is a big force to deal with, and it always comes to collect eventually.

Kokichi's POV:

    'Interesting things sure do have a tendency to show up while I'm here~!' I thought.

    My eyes gazed at the monitor that displayed the multiple different cameras in the school. I managed to get a glimpse of something that managed to get my attention. I couldn't figure out at the moment what that playboy and the group he was with or doing at the time. All I was able to comprehend of the situation so far was all of them appearing somewhere on the second floor of the school. It had to be connected somehow.
    That however wasn't what my mind was focusing on at this moment. I could see the playboy make his way outside. It took me a moment to realize that he was going to the hanger. The thing that I didn't want to happen was going to happen sooner than I thought it would.
    'It looks like I spent too much time goofing off with her...' I thought as my eyes narrowed slightly.
    I silently watched the screen as if it happened in real time. I saw the playboy walk into the hanger. There were always eyes on everyone if there wasn't much disturbance. I knew he was going to speak to (y/n). He couldn't just continue to avoid her, and I guess I was partially to blame for that.
    "I guess I make some mistakes after all," I said with a sigh, "I guess toying with her cost me having to deal with that playboy seeing her."
    I laughed slightly to myself in disappointment as I watched what happened. Rantaro made it to the shutter area where I had Exisals keeping guard. Maki was quick to see him there, and she confronted him about that. The way he was acting so nonchalant about the fact that he was going there in the first place.
"Nee-heehee, I wonder how you can still act so calm after everything you've found out," I asked aloud, "the more and more I see you, the more it pisses me off."
I stared at the screen as I saw Rantaro walk over to the window. Surprisingly, the monitors for those places were next to each other, so I not only saw Rantaro, but I saw my beloved (y/n) as well. While she was surely going to be happy by the fact that he was going to see her. Why wouldn't she be? She was way too kind for her own good, and that's what caused her to land herself in my grasp.
They started to speak to each other. I could see the emotions my beloved showed. Tears forming in her eyes, shock adorning her face. It all started as a casual and greetings as if the situation wasn't bad for Rantaro at the very least.
Parts of the beginning of the conversation buzzed past me. I was annoyed that I had to watch my beloved and Rantaro speak to each other once more. The worst part was I had to watch it so I knew what information my beloved would give. I knew she couldn't keep her mouth shut, even if it would sabotage herself.
In order to plan around whatever Rantaro could be doing, I had to keep an eye on as much of his actions as possible. Seeing him in the same area as (y/n) infuriated me though.
'Why don't we think this through a bit...' I thought.
(y/n) will be happy and hopeful at the end of this conversation of hers. I'm sure there will be some form of relief after the past couple of days have been spent with me playing around with her. As I think about it more, if she has something to give her hope... come tomorrow that would all shatter.
"Nee-heehee~!" I laughed, "as much as it irritates me to see you talking to him, even if the conversation the two of you are having us not over. I will allow it depending on the information given. It's not going to matter when everyone turns against you tomorrow."
I smirked slightly as I witnessed the two make up. Rantaro obviously knew he was in the wrong, but (y/n) was waaaay too forgiving to let that stop her. My eyes were focused on the screen where (y/n) was being recorded. She explained herself, and Rantaro did so too in a vague sense. I could see the glimmer of light in her eyes as she looked up at my green haired rival.

    "So indulge yourself my darling~!" I exclaimed, "nee-heehee~! Because when tomorrow comes, no one will see you the same way again."

Hey all! Guess what! I'm not dead! I have just spent two weeks half way across the country. Word of advice, don't be a first time flyer taking American Airlines. Let's just say I faced many delays on the way there, got trapped in Dallas for a night, and then was delayed again. To add insult to injury, I was delayed on the way home as well. It was my canon event, so no one could interfere.

I had a lot of fun seeing my significant other! I miss them a lot. The trip was good aside from the flight. I apologize that I didn't update after I got back. I've been having more of an art streak as of late, and I've pumped out like 3 or 4 tiktok meme videos in like a week. So I've just been trying to improve my artistic talents.

That's basically what I've been up to for the past few weeks. And obviously stress about America in general, but I'm sure most of you know what's going on soooo... yeah! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Had to write in Maki's POV because she also has a plan. I have three plans to keep track of, and it's probably getting annoying with how much I repeat this is what these characters have to do, and yadda yadda.

Hopefully I did well this week, and there will still be more to come. If I don't forget to write my 1000 words a day because I'm too busy creating a laughing meme about how I'm ripping on Akaza for looking like a basketball. My brain is hot wired by Demon Slayer and Spider-Man rn. I saw the new movie and I was like "yes".

I'm sure not a lot of you guys read the authors note, so don't mind me and my rambling. Might make a burnt sugar cake tonight because Tiktok decided to make hungry me want to bake a cake. Luckily I have a degree in baking, so I will bake the holy hell out of this cake. I'll see you all later! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Ciao for now! -yuki_no_fuyu