Part 58: Chapter 3 Daily Life, Part 4

Meanwhile, we heard the buzzing of busy voices growing louder. The girls had finished their baths, and joined us in the dining hall.



: Ahhh, man what a nice bath!
: Getting a chance to stretch out and relax after all this time was a true pleasure.
: Indeed.
: Normally, after a long bath I like to make myself a nice protein coffee, but...





: Sorry, no time for that!
: That's what I figured...
: ...Huh?
: We were just saying in the bath how it was about time for you to get up to something.
: After seeing how happy we were, an evil little monster like you would never let that last for long.



: Y-You're all so terrible to me...
: *Sniffle sniffle* Everyone's so cold and mean! Even after I got presents for you all!
: ...Presents!?
: Hmmm? Oh, have I got your attention? Puhuhu. Then let's head to the gym, where your presents await!
: No questions, no dilly-dallying! Get a move on, and everything will become clear! *leaves*





: Wh-What is it...? What are you scheming this time!?
: He's probably going to repeat the same thing again. Providing us with a motive to get things moving...
: ...Again?



: I don't want to... I don't want to do this anymore...
: Me either. I'm, like, totally traumatized...
: It's okay. We have Alter Ego. I'm sure he'll find something that'll help us. So for now...
: ...we just have to endure it, come what may.





With heavy feet, we made our way to the gym. But when we arrived, there was already someone waiting for us.



: To be kept waiting by the likes of you. Rest assured, if we had access to firearms, you'd all be dead.
: Byakuya...? Did you get here early?
: Did you forget how to walk? Is that why you're late? It's simple--right foot, left foot. Right foot...
: Hmhmhm. The same as always, I see. Her, on the other hand...



: ...
: Oh, she's back to her Debbie Downer self, huh?
: I heard what sounded like a sneeze, and she was back to her old self.
: So now she does from manic to depressive whenever she sneezes? Seems kinda late to add that into the mix...
: Why does e-everyone keep making fun of me...? I hope you all win the l-lottery and get hit by a b-bus...
: So when you wanna say something mean, *then* you can talk, huh?



: Anyway. It looks like everyone's here.
: Which means...









: It looks like everyone's here! So then, let's get started!
: Come on, out with it. What kind of motive have you prepared for us this time?
: Whatever you subject us to, we will not break.
: Yeah, that's right! We're not gonna lose to you ever again!
: Puhuhu... You don't have to get so defensive. Calm down! I've decided to change things up a bit this time. Up till now, I've been using the WOOSH of the North Wind to get you all moving.
: But sometimes you gotta use the Sun to light a fire under someone's butt! Ahh-hahaha!





: So without further ado, I give you...THIS!





: Ten million dollars! I've prepared this graduation present for whichever lucky student makes it out of here alive! Whaddya think? It's ten million bucks! Ten million smackaroos! It's like totally wowie wow wow, am I right!?



So that's the motive you've prepared, is it?

: Ten million dollars is...
: It's not nearly enough.
: ...



: When it comes to motives, money certainly is the gold standard, so to speak. Whether it's in a mystery novel, or the real world...
: B-But... There's no way we'd kill each other for money!
: She's right. You can't simply purchase a person's life.
: You can say ten million or however much, I don't give a crap! For serious!
: Yeah...they're all right... Whether it's ten million, or any other amount of money... No, not even just money. From now on, no matter what you do, we won't kill our friends!



: C'mon, stop trying to act tough.
: The most important thing is to live a pure and moral communal life! *leaves*

Monokuma disappeared, leaving his words onstage along with the massive sum of money...





: Th-There's nothing to worry about, right? Nobody would kill a friend...for money, right?
: Have you so quickly forgotten the lesson from last time? You can't judge others by your own standard.
: Y-Yeah, there might be someone here who's having m-money problems!
: Personally, I've earned over one million dollars from my gambling efforts. My life is...comfortable.
: H-Hifumi? What about y-you!?
: I'm a super popular content creator! I don't have any problem making enough to buy my comics and DVDs!
: Th-Th-Then...!



: Just stop. Pressing others about their personal finances is...ugly.
: U-U-U-Ugly!?
: Don't worry. Either way, whatever's going to happen will happen without warning. That is the nature of this game.



*Ding dong, bing bong*





: Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite...



: It's that time already, huh...?
: Before we separate, let me remind you... Starting tonight, I'll be leaving my room door open to make sure nothing happens to Alter Ego. But just because my door is open, don't assume that will make me an easy target.
: Or the predator may suddenly find itself the prey...

Her voice was calm and composed, but it was clear she meant what she said.



: Okay, okay, let's everyone just head back to our rooms! And don't think about that whole money thing! Got it? Good! Then let's break!
: ...How was that? Pretty good, right Taka?
: ...
: ...Right.



As soon as I was back in my room, I crawled into bed. Money... There's no way that's gonna get anyone to kill anyone else... I told myself that, but deep in my heart, I was still troubled. After all, I thought the same thing last time, about having our secrets revealed... Even if the reason for it seems completely nonsensical, a murder can still happen. That's the lesson we learned. But this time... This time, it's different. I'm sure of it... Because of the program Chihiro left behind--Alter Ego... We finally have some small hope to grasp onto. As long as we have that, then I'm sure...







: Little kids have it so easy... Cuz they can put Li'l in front of their name, and right off the bat everyone thinks they're cute! Well fine then! I want everyone to start calling me Li'l Monokuma! See? Just by adding that, my cuteness goes up by at least like, 10%. Right? Yeah, the world doesn't have nearly enough "Li'l's"! More "Li'l's" would lead to the salvation of the world! Just imagine... "Li'l Arsonist," "Li'l War Criminal," "Li'l Destruction of the Environment"...! "Li'l Hit and Run," "Li'l Death Tax," "Li'l Great Depression"! Even the darkest subjects can suddenly become brighter! Our dreams are expanding-ding-ding!





*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!



Well then...I guess I should head to the dining hall.





: There are a few people out in the halls this morning.



: Good morning, Sakura.
: Did you just wake up?
: Yeah...
: Waking up for our breakfast meeting is fine, of course. But getting up a little early is better... You can exercise in your room till nighttime ends. A big meal after working up a sweat is...divine.





: Hey! Mornin', Makoto!
: Good morning. You're...kinda sweaty. Have you been exercising?
: Yup! Me and Sakura were doing our morning workout! Oh, but I didn't break our nighttime promise! I just ran around my room till it ended... Why don't you come with us next time?
: I don't think I could keep up with you and Sakura...



: Ahh, seriously? Okay, then we can do something in the rec room! I'm not good at much, but I do know how to play Othello!
: I'm not very good at that either, though. I don't like to think when I'm playing, so...





: Ah, good morning!
: Morning...
: Actually, it's a GREAT morning! A morning that has blessed my entire future!
: Really? It feels like any other morning to me...
: Fwehehe! Maybe you can't tell, but my soul is positively overflowing with strawberries today!
: Well, I'm off! *leaves*

That was...bizarre. I mean, even for him...





: So, the people here today are the same as yesterday. Just us seven.
: Byakuya and Toko are a lost cause, but...
: It looks like Mr. Ishimaru's decided to stop coming for good, too...
: It's like he's just...given up.
: For people wound as tight as he is, when you snap, you snap hard.
: I wish there was some way to make him better...



: On another topic... Kyoko, did everything go alright last night?
: Yeah, I didn't have any problems.
: I went and checked on the laptop a little while ago, and there weren't any problems there, either. But...

Kyoko seemed to hesitate, but...

: It's related to this case, so I suppose I should be blunt.



: I have to make a new rule. Using Alter Ego without permission is prohibited. Someone going in and out of the dressing room would draw unwanted attention from the mastermind.
: I would have thought that would be obvious. Why do we need to make a rule about it?
: That's a good question. Do you have any thoughts on that, Hifumi?



: N-No... It's just like you said. We all need to be...very careful... *Pant pant*
: ...Huh?
: Whatever, let's just hurry up and eat! We don't have time to stand around flappin' our lips!
: Jeez! Why're you talkin' like a pissed-off drill sergeant all of a sudden!?



We ate breakfast in a rush, then headed back to our rooms...



What should I do today...?