Part 119: Chapter 5 Daily Life, Part 6

: One more Free Time, one more conversation with Hiro.



: A certain organization is behind all of this, I'm finally sure of it...! But I can't say their name, cuz as soon as you do, they come and...get rid of you. Kurt Cobain said their name. John Lennon said their name!
: They're bad...so bad...really really bad!

Hmm... Should I spend time with Hiro while he's in this kind of mood?



> Spend some time with Hiro



: Well then, why don't we have a heated discussion about cosmogony!

I learned all about Hiro's theories on the origin of the universe... Hiro and I grew a little closer today.



> Yes, definitely



Meteorite Arrowhead: An arrowhead discovered in some ancient ruins. Fashioned from a meteorite, they say that getting pierced by it will give you the power to see demons.

: Guwaaah! Such mysterious power... This is a true-blue OOPart!
: Makoto! The dawn of a new era draws near!

Seeing Hiro so pleased with something I gave him makes me happy!





: I'm surprised how well you and me get along, Makoto! Seems like we hang out all the time these days.
: Is...that a bad thing?
: Oh, no, not at all! And since we're such good friends, can I ask you something...?



: Wait! I totally realized something just now, completely out of nowhere!

I feel like I'm about to see the performance of a lifetime...

: Say, Makoto... Have you been feeling down in the dumps? No energy, no spark?
: Huh? You think so...?
: Oh, you don't have to hide it from me. I know what it's like, I've been there! And you know what I'd recommend?



: This!
: What is it...?
: A crystal ball!
: Okay...and?
: Just hold on to it for a second! Here, here!

Completely against my will, Hiro shoved the crystal ball into my hands.

: Whaddya think? Nice and cool to the touch. Feels good, doesn't it?
: A-Actually...yeah.
: You can feel it's power, can't you?
: Hmm...*do* I feel it...?



: It's the ancient power of our timeless Mother Earth!
: ...
: You see, that crystal ball has quite the history... It was found in the ruins of Atlantis! It is literally a priceless one-of-a-kind artifact! This precious item grants enormous power to whoever holds it, bringing prosperity and peace of mind! This very ball has known the touch of Napoleon, George Washington, even Genghis Khan!

I think that's probably the single most unbelievably unbelievable thing I've ever heard...



: Well, I'd like to give it to you as a present! In return, I'd like you to come with me to a little seminar when we get out of here. And don't worry! I'll see about getting a discount on your entry fee. Cuz that's what friends so!
: Th-That's really nice of you and all, but I'm not sure I'm really interested...
: Sorry! The crystal ball has already acknowledged you as its proper owner! It wants to stay with you. It NEEDS to stay with you! It has given itself to you! So now you gotta keep your promise! You don't wanna know what that thing does to oath breakers...
: Okay, I'm countin' on ya, pal! *leaves*





Refusing to take back the crystal ball, Hiro hurried away... But I could hear him mumbling to himself, and caught something about "finally made my quota"...

: I really hope I heard him wrong...
: This unlocks the skill Crystal Prediction.



I decided to go back to my room for a while...

-----

: Before we continue, I need to bring something up. Normally, I wouldn't do this, but the following scene is pretty weird and I don't believe there's a good way for me to get it across with pictures alone. Because of that, I'm going to provide a video of the scene up to but not including the Monokuma Theater. That's not the end of the update so please come back to read the rest of it when you finish watching.
: A quick apology though, this footage is from my recording raws and as such contains all my screenshot gathering. This means you'll see the text and HUD turn off multiple times through it since those are the cues I give myself to take screenshots later. If you don't mind that and are curious to see what the scene looks like ingame, please give it a watch because this is gonna get strange.

Click here for the video





: Grh...I'm getting the chills...

I feel kinda...dizzy...

: ...I can't help it... I need sleep...

Nighttime wasn't for a while, but...I felt like my body had reached its limit... As I dropped onto my bed, I felt like I was falling into a bottomless pit.



I was unconscious before my head hit the pillow. Well, that's not quite true. I didn't pass out completely. It was more like...my consciousness went dim. I weaved back and forth between sleep and wakefulness. Which is all to say...



...I was restless.

: Gh...nn... Nnngg...

At some point, I found myself wandering through a strange dream.



And within the dream, a voice echoed across the walls of my mind.

???: ...

???: I under...

???: Understand...

That voice... It's so familiar... Ah--! It's...!

???: I...understand...

It's...me...





: I...understand... I should...understand everything. My goal isn't to get out of here... It's...to stay here.

...Huh? What am I trying to say...?

: Hope... This is all...for hope. And that's why... I have to stay... I have...to stay here.

♪ Music cuts out. ♪





: Ah--grh! My dream just now... What...? So strange... ...Huh?







: ...! Gh--! Gwaaaaaaahh!



*whish*

*smash*

*footsteps running away*

*Pant...*

*Pant...pant...*

*Pant...pant...pant...*





: Nn...? Kyoko...?
: ... ... ...
: ... ... ...
: What the...? What did you...?
: ...
: ... ... ...
: What did you...say?
: ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
: ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...









: Every day is peaceful. Every day is joyful. Happy days from the time you take up to the time you go to sleep. Wishing only for those unchanging, unending happy days, day of boredom repeating forever and ever. No abnormalities as far as the eye can see. Life without the tiniest speck of abnormality... If the world were like that, I'd consider *that* pretty damn abnormal.



*Ding dong, bing bong*







: Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!



: ... ...Grn...





It took longer than usual for me to open my eyes.

: ... Haa...

I let out a deep sigh to bring myself up the rest of the way. The chills, the aches, the unfathomable lethargy--they had all disappeared in the night. All that was left was me, drenched in sweat... It wasn't just because of whatever bug I'd caught, either. It was also...

: ...the dream I'd had.

What the hell was that...? I mean...was it ever really a dream? I was desperate to recall it. I scrambled to grab onto fragments of the dream and reel them up from the depths of my memory. That's right. I remember last night...



...I came down with a fever, and couldn't quite get to sleep.



And I...I heard a voice... I didn't really understand... And then...



All of a sudden, I was awake.



And there was a strange person standing next to my bed, wearing a...mask. And...they were holding a knife.



I want to say I fought them off, but...I don't actually remember. I felt like my mind had been detached from my body, burning up with fever. I was somewhere far away, watching my body move on its own. And because of that...I don't remember what really happened. But still... I feel like I resisted them desperately, feverishly.... After that, things go black again. The next thing I remember...



...Kyoko was there. But...what would she have been doing in my room?



: What a strange dream.

No... Was it really a dream? How can I possibly find out either way...?



: That knife looked familiar...



I opened the desk drawer, and...





: Huh...?

It's empty. There's nothing inside...

: Wait, nothing inside? That's...strange.

Because it definitely wasn't before. I'm positive I put the knife I got from Toko in here.

: Wait, that means...



The knife they told me to keep safe...!



I knew it... I just had a feeling... It wasn't a dream, after all! But if that's true, this all makes even less sense... Why would someone have wanted to attack me? And who was that behind the mask? And why was Kyoko...?

: What the hell is going on...? ...

Well, I don't think I'm gonna figure it out on my own.

: I should head to the dining hall. Then I can talk to everyone else about it...



: See you next time.