Kaito, Celeste, Leon, Kaito, and Chihiro had gotten into a big argument in the Group Chat. Well, mostly Kaito and Celeste, with Leon putting his two cents in here and there, and Chihiro and Sayaka panicking.
I scrolled up to the beginning of the argument, which seemed to start with a conversation between Chihiro, Sayaka, and Celeste.
Sayaka Maizono: I'm sure we'll find a way out, Chihiro. We have to defy the odds and never give up!
Chihiro Fujisaki: Yeah, you're right, Sayaka. We all need to calm down. I mean, everyone's really upset about this situation. How can any of us be calm right now?
Sayaka Maizono: Well, we all know the rules here by now. We all just need to stop and think about what to do from here, so we can get out of here together!
Chihiro Fujisaki: Of course! I mean, if I don't do something, nothing's ever going to change, but at the same time, we have to be careful, too.
*Celestia Ludenberg has entered the chat.
Celestia Ludenberg: Is it not crystal clear to the two of you what is going on? It is perfectly obvious that we have been imprisoned here, with no way out. We play by the rules, or we die by the rules.
Sayaka Maizono: No! We can't think about that right now! That's just going to make everyone panic again!
Celestia Ludenberg: And so what if they do? I say we let the weak cull themselves from the herd, and leave those of us willing to adapt to survive. This is a zero-sum game, after all; only one of us can become the Blackened, and to do so, someone else has to die. For one to gain, another must lose.
*Kaito Momota has entered the chat.
Chihiro Fujisaki: But I don't want to kill anybody! I won't! I'd rather die than be forced to kill any of you, just so I could escape by myself.
Celestia Ludenberg: If you cannot stop yourself from showing weakness, especially where everyone can read it, someone may just take you up on that offer...
*Chihiro Fujisaki has left the chat.
Kaito Momota: Stop saying stupid stuff, Celeste! Are you trying to provoke us into killing each other?
Celestia Ludenberg: As someone who comes out on top, time and again, it does not concern me too much what the rest of you attempt to do. I am merely stating things as they are.
Kaito Momota: I said stop saying stupid shit like that, Celeste! Even kids know that killing is bad!
*Leon Kuwata has entered the chat.
Leon Kuwata: You know, I don't even think I'm afraid anymore. Now I'm just pissed off!
Kaito Momota: Leon, we all know we need a way out of here, but it's gonna be pretty hard to find something, if we have no clue what we're looking for in the first place. You have any ideas?
Leon Kuwata: I don't know. But there's gotta be SOMETHING we can do, right?
Celestia Ludenberg: What we can do, boys, is hurry up and adapt to our new lives here. Unless you wish to murder another to escape, that is.
Leon Kuwata: No way in Hell am I letting somebody kill me!
*Leon Kuwata has left the chat.
Kaito Momota: Celeste, I swear, no matter what you say, I'm not going to fall for your poisoned words! I will find a way to protect everyone here, and get everyone out! You hear me?!
*Celestia Ludenberg has left the chat.
*Kaito Momota has left the chat.
My mouth hung open in shock. Celeste was really trying to goad people into killing each other? But why? What was she thinking? Closing the Group Chat, I noticed it was already 11:30am, and I had an idea for some other outfits that I wanted to put to paper before I forgot.
I decided to head back to the Art Room, passing Kenchikka, Sonia, and Kaede chatting amongst themselves along the way. I didn't pay any attention to what they were saying, though, as I was trying to focus on the patterns and lengths.
Arriving at the Art Room, Hifumi was now gone, but Angie was still here, along with Yasuhiro, who seemed to be pestering her about something.
"So, what do you think, Angie? Think you could make mini figurine sculptures of me and you, and we could sell them and split the profits?"
"Hmmmmm...That sounds easy enough to do, with the right materials. That would make both of us happy, right? Right?"
"Of course, Angie. With your sculpting talents and my skills, we'll be bringing in the cash, hand over fist! What do you say, wanna get started on it?"
"Of course not! Atua says I can't do that. But He appreciates your ingenuity."
"Huh? Really? But why? I thought you said Atua was on board with this plan!"
"Atua sees all, Yasuhiro. And He says this will just cause you more hardship. More people coming after you. Atua is just watching out for you, as he watches all of us."
"Ah...ok. Well, that just means I'll eventually come up with a new, better way to wipe all my debts out!"
I decided this would be a good time to interrupt them.
"So how are the two of you doing?" I asked Angie and Yasuhiro.
Angie smiled. "Nyahahaha! How are ya, Bera?"
I took a deep breath. "Honestly, I'm pretty nervous. I mean, we're all trapped in this place, and being told to kill each other to escape..."
Yasuhiro spoke up. "Hey man, let's just stop talking about all this negative stuff. I've already foretold that this is all just a freshman hazing exercise, and even better, Angie and I are getting out of here together!"
Angie looked taken aback. "Atua says he will get back to you on that last part. Meanwhile, He feels the need to work His magic through me! Meanwhile, Yasuhiro, Atua says you should meditate, to remove all worry and doubt from your mind."
Yasuhiro took his leave, saying something that I didn't really catch, and I focused my attention on Angie again. "Did you need me for something?"
Angie nodded. "Atua has blessed me with divine inspiration! He wants me to create a new work of art, with you as the subject matter!"
I cocked my head, confused. "Huh? Are you wanting to do artwork of some sort with me?"
Angie tapped her paintbrush on her lower lip, eyeing me up and down. "Hmmmm...Yes, yes! Your eyes, your face, your figure...perfect for a painting! How about you sit over there, and I can get to work?"
Nodding in agreement, I pulled up a chair and sat down, then rested my elbows on my thighs, folding my hands together and resting them between my knees. I faced Angie at like a 45 degree angle.
Angie pulled up an easel and canvas, and started her work, glancing at me periodically while painting away. I tried to stay still and quiet, not wanting to distract Angie, nor mess up her painting. Angie remained quiet, focusing on her work, and didn't say anything towards me.
After roughly 30 or 40 minutes went by (with minimal movement from me, to my credit), Angie finally put her paintbrush up.
"All done!" Angie nearly sang as she announced. "Come take a look at Atua's work!"
"Wait, don't you mean your work? I mean you're the one who painted me," I asked, confused.
Angie laughed lightheartedly. "Atua's the one who made this painting. I'm just a vessel through which His will is done."
I walked over and looked at Angie's painting. It looked incredible! The folds of my shirt, the chin-length strands of the left side of my hair, the expression she captured...even my blue eyes looked almost lifelike!
"Wow! This...this is...amazing! Thank you!" I was still somewhat dumbstruck by the painting Angie had just completed.
Angie, at the meanwhile, had found a frame in one of the cabinets, along with a nonstick hook for hanging pictures. After I handed the canvas back to Angie, she framed it for me, then handed the framed painting back to me.
"Nyahahahaha! Atua approves of this latest creation! He sees that you like it, too. He gives His blessing to let you take it, and do what you wish with it. As for now, I must return to my room to pray to Atua. Bye-onara!"
Angie then cheerfully left the room, leaving me with the framed painting of myself. Deciding to leave the Art Room, I ended up running into Yasuhiro on my way back to my dorm, as he was leaving the Boys Restroom.
"Hey! Haikubro! My visions were spot-on, as usual!" Yasuhiro seemed unusually happy to see me.
"Huh? What do you mean?" I had no idea what Yasuhiro was talking about.
"You'll be perfect for my latest business idea! I can see it now...with your tailoring skills and my fortune telling abilities, we could travel the road, tell fortunes around the world, and look snazzy doing it! You could even make the outfits we wear, in various sizes, and sell those for an additional profit! What do you say?" Yasuhiro looked at me eagerly, awaiting my answer.
...This seemed like an incredibly stupid idea.
"I'm sorry, Yasuhiro, but I'm...gonna have to pass."
"Wha? But it's such a good idea! Come on, man!" Yasuhiro suddenly reminded me of those door-to-door salesmen you'd sometimes see in older movies. "We'll charge a low, low price of 100,000 yen per reading! And you can sell the outfits for whatever you want, even!"
...Did Yasuhiro just say 100,000 yen for a single reading? Is he insane, or just greedy? My mouth hung slightly open while I processed his words, then I eventually was able to speak again.
"No. Sorry, but I'm not interested. Anyway, I've gotta hang up this painting that Angie made of me, so I gotta get going. I'll see you later, Yasuhiro."
"Sure, see ya later, Bera!" Yasuhiro quickly walked off, a smile still on his face. I imagined he had already come up with another scam to drag someone into.
I entered my dorm room, and used the nonstick hook to hang up the painting above my desk. I smiled, happy that at least some of us were getting along.
I spent the rest of the day working on sketches in my room, from dresses and skirt/blouse outfits for girls, to casualwear for boys. I even made a few sketches for a few types of shoes, though I didn't have much experience in making shoes just yet.
I took a break for dinner at 6:30pm, and headed to the Dining Hall, making some BBQ meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and baked beans for myself. It took a while, but I didn't mind; I learned how to cook for myself from my mom. I ate next to Kaede, Sayaka, and Leon, who were discussing music types. I listened, but chose not to join in their conversation, feeling that I didn't really have anything useful to add to their conversation anyway.
After dinner, I cleaned up my dishes, and returned to my dorm, working on some cargo shorts for boys and cargo capris for girls (because girls need pockets, dammit!).
An announcement went off at 10pm, with Monorakun's face appearing on the monitor.
"Attention everyone! It's now 10pm, which means it's Nighttime. The Dining Hall, Trash Room, and Pool doors are now closed and locked, and the water has been shut off to the facility at this time. Get some rest, and see you all in the morning!"
Having nothing else to do, I put on my PJs and went to bed, which was surprisingly comfortable. Memory foam mattress and pillow, much better than what I had at home. Even in this nightmare school, at least I would be able to sleep soundly.
Or so I thought...