*ding dong bing bong*
"Rise and Shine, Ursine!" The Monokubs shouted cheerfully on the TV screen. I woke with a groan.
"It's 8am! Nighttime is over now!" said Monotaro. "Time to get up, losers!"
"Wonder who's gonna die next?!" Monokid laughed. I tuned their voices out the best I could, blearily staring at the ceiling.
Next...
Who was going to die next...?
Once I'd realized what I was thinking, I quickly shook the thought from my mind. No one was going to be next, not if Sunset and I could help it.
Still, the whole situation felt like a dream. Just a few days ago I was on vacation visiting Sunset... now we were trapped here with others in a sick, twisted killing game, and two of us were already dead. My heart pounded as I recalled the discovery of the first corpse, and the execution of the murderer...
...No. I can't think about that now. If Sunset and I really are going to get everyone else out of here alive, then I need to keep my wits about me. Keep a clear head... stay focused... yea.
My body creaked as I got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I took my time in the shower, letting the hot water warm my bones and soothe my soul. I frowned as I got dressed, resolving to wash my outfit tomorrow... which only reminded me of the fatal clue that led to Button's conviction of murder, and subsequent execution.
I shuddered at the thought. Even going outside would be a horrible reminder of our current reality.
But my stomach growled all the same. I stepped outside and headed for the Dining Hall.
~
As soon as I entered the Main Cabin, I was greeted by a strange situation. "There you are!" Sunset yelled urgently.
"Wha-"
"C'mon," Flash grunted as he grabbed my arm and pulled me along quicker. Together they led me into the dining hall, where everyone else was huddled by the door, whispering amongst themselves furiously. I followed their eyes and soon gasped at the sight of Memento sitting at the main table alone... with Monokuma standing only a few feet away.
"So, what if we all pick someone to sacrifice, and we all stab them at the exact same time? You can't possibly know which of us dealt the killing blow, so that'd make us all the blackened and the spotless, yea?" Memento asked excitedly. "Could we all go free, then?"
"Uh..." Monokuma squirmed uncomfortably.
"What kind of question is that?!" Sunburst hissed under his breath.
"I think she's trying to find a loophole in the rules," Flash mumbled. "She's been doing this ever since I came in to get breakfast."
"Well I wish she'd knock it off, I'm hungry!" Juniper growled. Looking at her made me jump, as her face was covered in a thin layer of pale green clay.
...You're doing beauty treatments at a time like this...?
"Ooh, or what happens if the body disappears for good before anyone discovers it? If there's no body to discover, then there can't be an investigation, therefore no trial and no executions! But then what about the murderer?"
"Uhh..." Monokuma fidgeted again.
"Oh, and I had a thought... if you ever made it so the Kitchen was closed and we had to buy our food from the gift shop and couldn't steal it without getting shot up, then what if we just ate it anyway but never left the gift shop until the food was fully digested and pooped out? The food didn't technically leave the shop-"
"Okay, that's not even a thing in this story! Where are you getting your sources from?!" Monokuma shouted, completely exasperated.
"Memento, what the fuck is wrong with you?" said Indigo, apparently having had enough of this conversation.
"...Wow, you could start with a 'good morning'," Memento glared at being interrupted.
"Good morning. What the fuck is wrong with you?" Sugarcoat deadpanned right back.
"Are you done making yourself suspicious yet?! I'd really like to eat today," Juniper groused.
"What? I just want to understand the rules inside and out," Memento shrugged innocently. "Especially now that if someone kills again, we'll all die if we don't find them."
"What makes you think someone'll kill someone again?!" Soarin' yelled, offended by the mere thought.
"Oh god, please no..." Silver whimpered nervously.
"It could happen again," Juniper shrugged. "Especially since someone already tried."
"T-That was just a fluke, right? N-No one's dumb enough to try it again... right?" Ocean gulped.
"Don't worry... I can't imagine anyone here's stupid enough to try," Mountain droned coolly as she laid her hand on her brother's shoulder.
"You say that now..." Monokuma chuckled to himself ominously.
"Look, can you go away now so we can eat in peace? Why are you even still here encouraging her sick curiosity?" Sugarcoat grumbled, pointing an accusing finger at Memento. Memento said nothing, but her lips thinned in annoyed resignation.
"Ahh... to be honest, I was waiting for the rest of you to show up! I figured I'd give you guys a prize for surviving the class trial," said Monokuma. "Hmm... ya know? It doesn't really make sense to call it a class trial when we're not in a school, it should really be... camp trial!"
"Prize...?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. But before she got an answer...
*Rise and Shine, Ursine!*
The Monokubs burst into the room, cheerful as ever. "The reward, right?" Monotaro asked.
"We unlocked the fence, yep," nodded Monophanie. "So, uh, you guys now have access to another part of the campgrounds!"
"It's a hot springs area!" said Monosuke. "I bet youse guys'll fill our fanservice quota real quick now that it's open!"
"Ooh!" Sonata squealed happily.
"HOT SPRINGS?!" Kotenage shouted with a grin. "OH, I HAVEN'T BEEN TO AN ONSEN IN MONTHS!"
"Ugh, this isn't a fucking vacation..." Sugarcoat slapped her forehead.
"Well, not with that attitude, it's not!" Monotaro chided.
"Besides, for some of you guys, your next soak might be yer last!" Monokid smirked.
"Uh... what do you mean by that?" Flash asked nervously.
"That can wait until later," Monokuma smiled, hiding his teeth behind his paws. "Right now, why don't you guys eat up and then go exploring? After all, that's what you're supposed to do now, isn't it...?"
"...That is part of what Button told us about the killing game," I reasoned.
"Also sounds like a good way to get drowned in a pool of boiling water," Sugarcoat snorted. "I'm not going."
"Y-Yea, I don't know..." Juniper's voice wavered.
"Aw, but at least it'll give us something to do, and take our minds off of what happened yesterday," said Memento. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air after she spoke as everyone considered yesterday's events.
"Go or don't, it's up to you," Monokuma shrugged. "I'll see you kids around at dinner, yea?"
"W-We're not children!" Sunburst argued weakly.
"No no, not you," the bear waved a dismissive paw.
"Yes, Daddy!" Monophanie nodded emphatically.
"We'll be there, Father!" Monotaro added.
"Wonderful," Monokuma grinned, a slight sneer in his voice that made me shiver unconsciously when I heard it. He was planning something we wouldn't like, no doubt about it.
Probably our next motive like Button warned us, if I had to guess...
"Welp, goodbye for now!" Monokuma excused himself and promptly scuttled away out of sight. The Monokubs followed suit.
*So long, bear well!*
"...Man, he didn't tell me anything useful," Memento sighed, breaking the silence as she slumped in her seat. The rest of us proceeded to get our breakfasts and sit down while talking.
"Well of course not, if he's the one doing this to us," Sugarcoat huffed angrily.
"Just how long have you two been talking?" Sunburst asked warily.
"A while... no one was here when I came in, so I thought I'd ask Monokuma if I could at the very least see the two decedents so I could put them back together again. But, turns out he already gave them their final disposition, so-"
"What? Why?!" Silver shrieked, her face turning pink as she realized she'd been louder than she meant to be.
"And what do you mean by... 'final disposition'?" added Juniper.
"Because it's respectful," Memento pursed her lips. "And 'final disposition' is simply the polite term for 'burial' or 'cremation'... or in Monokuma's case, 'yeeted off a cliff to the wolves'."
"HE DID WHAT WITH THE BODIES?!" Kotenage gasped, nearly dropping the pile of breakfast food he'd amassed.
"Oh, that's nice..." Flash muttered sarcastically.
"C-Can we change the subject, p-please?!" Silver grimaced, oatmeal slopping out of her spoon as she tried to control her shaking hands.
"Fine... there's something else I want to go over, anyway," Sugarcoat snorted lightly, taking a moment to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "So, we all know now that each of us has magic of some sort, and somehow Monokuma intends to use that knowledge - along with getting us to kill each other - to 'bring the world together'."
"Yea... I still don't know if I believe that," Ocean mumbled, gazing at his plate.
"Our magic is apparently tied to our Ultimate titles," said Soarin'. "So... I guess my magic is soccer-based?"
"And I'm destined to be the greatest actress of all time!" Juniper smirked, putting on as haughty an expression she could muster underneath her face mask. It had now dried out to the point the edges around her mouth were crumbling onto the table and was making a bit of a mess.
"I SUPPOSE THAT COULD EXPLAIN WHY I'VE NEVER HAD ANY TROUBLE LIFTING AND THROWING MY OPPONENTS," Kotenage shrugged, staring at his hands with a frown. "ALTHOUGH, IF IT'S BECAUSE OF SOME INNATE MAGICAL ABILITY... I WONDER IF THAT'S CONSIDERED CHEATING."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Silver groaned, slumping over and hiding her head under her arms. "If my magic does things with reactions and the perception of time, then no wonder I had such a hard time learning not to jump the start of all my races. And if this is getting out into the world... ooh, I'm gonna have a looooot to explain to the FIA..."
"It appears to not be based on solely physical attributes, if my Ultimate title is anything to consider," said Sunburst.
"Not to mention... I kind of sound like a potato when I sing," Sonata shrugged.
"...How does one sound like a potato? They don't even make noise," Indigo raised an eyebrow.
"Sure they do! You just gotta be hiding in a sack of them when someone kicks it!" she replied, grinning as she held up a potato and pressed it lovingly to her cheek.
...Uh...
"Oh god, what if I get banned from Formula One for this?! I didn't even know I had racing magic until yesterday!" Silver panicked in a keening voice, as well as she could from smushing her face into the table.
"Uh-huh... pretty much what I expected from this lot... there's no point in discussing anything intelligent now," Sugarcoat muttered disapprovingly to herself, then tried her hardest to put on a kind and understanding smile. "...Look, I see we've all got a whole bunch of fresh issues to deal with here, but what's more important is that we all now take this shit seriously."
"I am being serious! Can't you tell?!" Juniper pointed to her crackling, clay-covered face. When Sugarcoat failed to change her dour expression, she sighed in annoyance. "Ugh, I wish my face could show emotions through this shit."
"Of course. You're all panicking like a bunch of poorly-coping dipshits. No wonder we have to rely on Starlight to figure everything out," Sugarcoat glowered as she dropped her smile.
"Wha, m-me?!" I snapped to attention, feeling sweat beading on my forehead as everyone looked my way.
"Why not? You're apparently the 'Ultimate Leader', and you did figure most of the details out during the trial," she replied coolly. "Clearly you're much smarter than you look."
"I... but..."
No... I-I'd rather not... the last time I lead anything...
"Hey, that's uncalled for," Sunset glared.
"It's her title, isn't it? So it's only natural for her to take charge and be good at it. Besides, what have you done to help? Other than bring us all into this fucking mess," Sugarcoat sneered.
"I already told you I would never do something like this! I don't even have my magic!"
"Sure you don't... because it'd just be far too convenient for you, huh?" I shivered as Sugarcoat stared Sunset down. "You simply can't bring our memories back, especially if those memories show that you're the one who brought us here."
"We've already been over this," Flash growled. "If Sunset was behind this, then why is she also a part of the killing game? That makes no sense!"
"...No," Sugarcoat conceded, although never taking her eyes off of Sunset. "Not yet, anyway. I'm sure there's more to this than meets the eye... I just haven't figured out what yet." There was an uncomfortable silence as Sugarcoat and Sunset glared at each other sullenly, unblinking.
No, Sugarcoat... Sunset isn't behind this! But there's no way I can think of to prove her innocence now... there's gotta be something around here that can!
"...So!" Memento clapped loudly and shouted in an overly-cheerful manner. "Who wants to check out the hot springs with me, eh?" It was enough to change the subject and get the staring match to end.
"What do you think, oh fearless leader?" Sugarcoat smirked at me. I tried not to bring too much attention to the knot in my throat I swallowed down.
"Uh, yea... we should definitely look around," I nodded anxiously. "Who knows? Maybe we'll even find something that'll help us escape."
"It's best to know our surroundings well, especially in a survival situation," nodded Mountain.
"THEN LET'S GO!" Kotenage beamed. "I AM PERSONALLY EXCITED TO SEE THESE HOT SPRINGS." Everyone chatted happily as they finished their meals and left to explore, but it still bothered me slightly to see Sugarcoat glare one last time at Sunset before heading off herself.
Flash and Sunset joined me as I grabbed my backpack from the cottage, and we made our way to the outer boundaries of the campgrounds. Sure enough, along the northeastern path that led into the forest, the heavily-armed fencing was gone. A gravel trail led deep into the forest, winding around trees so we couldn't see the end. Wondering what we would find, we set off together, side by side.
~
After maybe ten minutes of walking, the forest gave way to a clearing, the mountain cliffs just behind another couple hundred feet of trees. My breath left my throat as I took in the beauty of the new area. In the large clearing was a gradual hill the color of yellow sand with three tiers of blue-green hot spring pools bordered by gentle ridges. To the right beside the lowest tier of pools was a simple building with steam lazily billowing from the open windows, and to the left beside the highest tier were a number of tall, black rocks. Red flagstone tiles bordered the pools and made a trail leading away from the building and the rocks and all the way to the gravel path I was on.
"Gotta hand it to those bears," Flash shrugged, "...they sure have a nice place here."
"Yea, I'm okay with this so far," Sunset nodded. "So should we check out that building there?"
We went inside. The building turned out to be a large communal shower room, with the front of the building split into two separate locker rooms - the left side for the men and the right side for the women. Inside the shower area were a number of wooden stools and buckets, with hot spring water being continuously pumped through spigots located about halfway up the walls, with four open windows at the very top. The locker rooms were each stocked with plenty of towels, plastic slippers, shampoos and soaps, and the keys for said eight lockers per room were sticking out of each lock, with an orange, coiled plastic bracelet attached to each one. Despite the heavy presence of sulfur from the hot spring steam, the building smelled strongly of cedar and fresh linens.
After looking around, we decided to walk up the hill to see what was at the top. As we passed the pools we tested the water temperatures: the lowest pools were tepid at best, just barely comfortable enough to submerge yourself in and stay warm. The pool on the middle tier was the largest; it was a perfect temperature, just like a bathtub. The pools on the top tier were steaming and bubbling softly like jacuzzis, and equally as hot. I figured I would maybe be able to sit in there for ten minutes before wanting to get out. There were simple wooden benches to relax on around every pool, and small streams of water cascaded from the top pools into the middle pool, then from the middle pool into the lowest pools like a fancy fountain.
Then we reached the top of the hill, finding yet more features. The black rocks turned out to be sitting in the middle of a large patch of manicured white sand... a Zen garden. An assortment of bamboo rakes and other tools leaned against the tall bamboo fence that bordered the sand, along with another pair of wooden benches to sit on, separated by a black stone lantern. Just to the right of it was another hot spring, but this one was very different from the others. It was quite small, maybe only six feet across, and it was bordered by a ring of bright orange and yellow mud, tapering off into sea green and electric blue water that was bubbling violently. A wooden sign was hammered into the mud, its letters bold and bright red.
"Warning: water temperatures in excess of 200 degrees Fahrenheit... Do Not Enter," I read aloud. "Geez, that's hot!"
"Why is that even here?!" Flash took a few steps back just to be safe. "It should be filled in, or at least put a fence around it!"
*boing!*
"What, and ruin the natural beauty of the wilderness?!" Monokuma sprang out from behind one of the rocks in the Zen garden. "Don't you know that only a bear should shit in the woods?! This is why you humans are terrible, you just wanna reject nature and bulldoze it into an air-conditioned parking lot!"
"What? When did I say that?!" Flash scowled.
"There's nothing wrong with the sonorous buzzing of mosquitoes, or the slugs oozing along the ground eating dead vegetation, or the fungus growing from a dead possum! Everything has its place in nature, and has every right to live out its life. A dangerously-hot hot spring is no exception!" And with a huff, Monokuma dashed behind a tree and disappeared, leaving us in stunned silence.
"...Well. That was a thing that happened," I muttered. We gave the spring a wide berth and scanned the top of the hill, finding it bordered by more thick forest and the same tall, spike-and-gun-covered fencing as the campground. There was, however, fencing around something across from the Zen garden. Walking closer, we discovered the fence surrounded a large hole in the ground, with stairs descending deep inside. A small solar panel was set up on a nearby tree, with a thick wire bolted to its trunk and sinking into the ground, which was presumably what was powering a string of small, dim lights that ran along the ceiling of the tunnel.
"You don't think...?" Flash breathed.
"Something tells me this cave doesn't lead to a way out of here," I frowned. "This looks way too obvious for that."
"True, but I wonder what's down there?" said Sunset. We carefully made our way down the stairs and into the cave. It snaked around in a counterclockwise fashion as we descended, the air growing increasingly hot and humid. The darkness was only barely banished by the lights above, but as we reached the end of the cave, we found that we didn't need them.
The cave widened into a small cavern at its end. Signs of mining activity were present, with visible vertical gouges in the rock walls and a rusty, broken pickaxe left behind on the ground. Studding the walls were small, red crystals that glowed faintly. Although they weren't enough to light the entire cavern, Sonata and Soarin' - who had a flashlight - were also inside.
"Huh? What's this?" I asked out loud as I touched one of the crystals. Nothing happened, the crystal wasn't even unnaturally warm. But I could feel a subtle, pulsing energy lurking deep inside.
"Not sure... never seen a garnet or ruby that glows like this," commented Soarin'.
"Hmm... it looks... familiar," Sunset mused, touching a crystal as well. "...But if I've seen it before, then I don't know where."
"Very pretty, though," said Flash. "And it looks like someone's been digging for them... maybe that's how the mastermind paid for the campgrounds."
"Pretty..." Sonata droned, totally lost in thought as she cradled one of the gems in her hand. Soarin' glanced over to her, his lips pulled back in resignation.
"Unless we get out of here, though, pretty gems aren't gonna help us out," he sighed.
True... I can tell there's some magic in this crystal, but if there's a way to draw it out, then I don't know it... I frowned deeply as I considered whether or not to keep the small stone. Glancing around the cave, I did see quite a number of them lodged in the earthen walls... they certainly weren't rare here. Perhaps there were even bigger ones deeper down. In the end, I left it where it sat. For all I knew, it could've been the reason why Sunset's magic was gone, and the exposure might start affecting my own magic.
~
Having explored every inch of our new surroundings, Flash, Sunset and I made our way back to the Dining Hall. The sun was already beginning to set, and it had begun to lightly snow again. The previous inch of snow from last night had mostly turned to slush, making the journey unpleasant.
But after a few slips and slides, we made it inside. Kotenage was already hard at work inside the Kitchen, chopping vegetables as a pot of fragrant liquid simmered away. We helped ourselves to some hot cocoa and sat down at the main table, chatting until the others eventually returned. It took about an hour for the last of us to gather around the table.
"Alright, first thing's first... absolutely no one is going near that hot spring on the top of the hill," Sugarcoat ordered. "That is an accident just waiting to happen."
"The Zen garden is lovely, though," said Silver. "It might not be very productive, I admit, but raking the sand is good for anxiety."
Memento nodded. "Yep, it'll definitely calm some nerves."
"All of those pools, though!" Sonata purred. "The water feels so nice! So bubbly and mineral-y!"
"There is nothing quite like soaking in a natural spring, surrounded by the beauty of nature," Mountain nodded in agreement.
"Kind of hard to believe we're being made to kill each other, with such a relaxing area like that," Sunburst sighed, tilting his head slightly. Any smiles that had blossomed on our faces withered and fell.
"Aw, man... way to be a fuckin' buzzkill," Indigo grunted.
"Maybe we can all de-stress so much, we can all forget about that," Juniper hummed, her smile returning. "Ahh, I can't wait to slather myself in mineral mud later."
"You chicks and your weird beauty shit," Ocean shook his head. "Didn't you guys see there's a cave we might be able to escape through?!"
"And didn't you see that it didn't lead anywhere?" Sugarcoat groused. "It was a dead end into a cave."
"Not to mention, I'm sure there's nothing but granite or basalt or some other hard rock we'd have to dig through, and there's only the one busted pickaxe. But maybe we've found out how the mastermind paid for all of this, with those glowing rubies. Odd, though... rubies don't glow unless they're in ultraviolet light," Memento shrugged, her eyes closed until she felt everyone else staring at her.
"...How do you know so much about rocks?" Soarin' asked.
"What? Mortician can't have a hobby?" she raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't say this is a ruby," Sunset frowned as she pulled out one of the gems from her pocket and set it on the table. I blinked in surprise, suddenly worried about what kind of magic the gem could hold - it was a good deal larger than the one I had examined, about the size of my thumb. "I dunno if any of you guys noticed, but there's definitely something magical about these crystals."
"Magical?" asked Flash, leaning in.
"Yea... it's faint, but there's definitely some kind of energy in there," I agreed.
"Too bad I don't know what kind, or how to draw it out," Sunset's lips thinned. Across the table, Sugarcoat snorted indignantly.
"Oh, really... how convenient."
"How so?" Sunset turned her head, already sighing in frustration.
"A bunch of magical crystals in a place like this... and you don't know how to use them," she scoffed. "Some magical girl you are."
"Just because I have magic doesn't mean I automatically know how to use any magical thing I come across," Sunset groaned.
"And you have a big one in your possession... Hmm, maybe that's how our memories were erased?" Sugarcoat stared down her nose. "Maybe the energy you claim to feel inside is actually all our memories."
No... it didn't feel like a memory... though I suppose I wouldn't know what a memory trapped inside a crystal would feel like...
Sunset scrunched her face in thought. "...No... I'm pretty sure I've never come across crystals like these related to memory magic before... There was a plain ol' rock once that could erase memories, but I destroyed that years ago."
"Oh, yea, I kinda remember hearing about that," Flash spoke up. "Some girl had it... oh, what the hell was her name..."
"A likely story... of course you won't tell us anything if these are where our stolen memories wound up," Sugarcoat stared accusingly. Sunset's face grew dark.
"Fucking... not this again," she muttered angrily.
"Ah, look... if she doesn't know, then she doesn't know," Silver broke in, earning a grateful glance from Sunset. "I mean... we're all apparently magic, so why don't we all take turns trying to... uh..."
"Touch it?" I finished. "Er... I think it'd be okay."
"But what if it reacts poorly with one of us?" Sunburst shrank back cautiously. "We have no idea what it could do!"
"It's bad enough you brought it here," Sugarcoat glared at Sunset. "If we're going to do science with it, however, then we should quarantine it for at least a little while, so we can be sure it won't mutate us or something overnight."
"Mutate?! You're suggesting it's radioactive?!" Sunburst paled.
"I really don't think-"
"Ya think there's a lead box in the shed we can chuck it in?" asked Indigo, cutting Sunset off.
"I dunno about lead, but there's tackle boxes in there," suggested Ocean. "And there's lead weights in those, that might work."
"Alright, then that's what we're gonna do," Sugarcoat nodded once, then snapped her fingers. "Grab the crystal and let's go, Sunset." Growling wordlessly, Sunset picked up the crystal and followed Ocean, Sunburst and Sugarcoat out of the dining hall. Out of curiosity, most of us jogged after them to watch as they made their way to the Storage Shed and selected a tackle box, dug out a bag of lead weights, buried the crystal in the center of the bag, then placed the bag in the chosen box and clasped it shut.
"Now, someone impartial, yet trustworthy should look after it," she mused as Sunburst carefully carried it out of the shed. "...Ah, I know." She clicked her fingers and walked back to the dining hall, everyone following her until we had all returned inside. She stood just outside the kitchen and motioned for Sunburst to follow.
"DID YOU FIND A FISH FOR ME TO COOK?" Kotenage asked as he noticed the tackle box being set down on a counter.
"No, it's not food," Sugarcoat grunted. "Did you hear any of our conversation just now?"
"SOMETHING ABOUT A MAGIC CRYSTAL... I SAW THEM MYSELF IN THAT CAVE. WHY?"
"Look after it until at least tomorrow morning, okay? Don't let anyone touch it... including you."
"I SEE... I WILL GIVE YOU MY WORD," he bowed slightly. "PLEASE, SIT DOWN, THE FOOD IS JUST ABOUT READY!"
"Ah, good," Mountain sighed. "Now, let's all try to be civil to one another... I've had enough wild speculations for today."
Everyone seemed to agree, as conversation was light as we ate. Afterwards we all went our separate ways for the evening. I elected to take some snacks and tea back to my cottage and read one of the books I'd won from the MonoMono Machine... something about pictures of black rabbits.
...It was terrible. Fortunately, I'd also won a DVD called "Adorable Reactions Collection", so I watched that instead. By the time it was over I felt much more at ease. Another short shower loosened up my muscles and put me in the mood for a good night's sleep.
But I couldn't help but sigh as I settled into bed... despite having a new area to explore and do as we wished, we still weren't any closer to finding a way out. And we were still expected to kill each other... for what the mastermind claimed would bring the world together.
I shuddered at the thought. How could the broadcasting of our being forced to participate in this killing game do such a thing? And what about those strange gems? I knew I felt magic within them... if only I knew how to draw it out, maybe then I could... do... something.
I wasn't sure what, though. Our every move was being monitored, our every conversation recorded. Even if Sunset and I figured how to harness the power of the crystals, who knows what Monokuma and the Kubs would do in response.
I shook my head and forced my eyes closed. Maybe something would come to me in my dreams.