I hurriedly pulled Mukuro and Harukawa apart before their icy glare match could escalate, then headed elsewhere with everyone else.
But... why was Mukuro so wary of Harukawa? Harukawa was supposed to be the [Ultimate Child Caregiver], wasn't she? Had dealing with children somehow raised her combat power to Mukuro's level?
I had no idea, but... one thing was clear. I probably shouldn't mess with Harukawa, either.
"That's... a 'casino' and a 'love apartment'...?"
"Why would a 'school' have entertainment facilities like those...?"
"Seriously. They don't fit at all..."
The newly opened area outside the school had, of all things, a casino and a love apartment. And to sell the atmosphere, the whole place was dim and murky even in broad daylight.
I had no clue why an educational institution would have something like that, but we couldn't exactly skip investigating it, so we trudged forward despite ourselves.
"Upupupu... Here, you can insert Monokuma Medals and gamble..."
"Alright, we've seen enough. Let's go."
"Yep, yep."
"I agree."
"Gambling is the express lane to total ruin, sir."
"...If K says so."
After giving the place a cursory glance and immediately losing interest, we turned to leave. That was when Monokuma started talking in a panic.
"...Hey, kids? This is seriously fun, though."
"We're not buying what you're selling."
"No, no, it's different from a normal casino! This one is actually super genero—"
"...K said he doesn't want to."
"Upupupu..."
When Mukuro shot him a frigid glare, Monokuma shrank in on himself and clamped his mouth shut. In a lot of ways... she really was a useful familiar.
...Setting aside the minor issue that I sometimes felt like she might devour me by accident.
"Um... then what about the love apartment? You're not gonna use it?"
"...Obviously not."
"Still... you should at least hear how it works—"
"Not interested, sir."
Monokuma started pitching it like some sleazy street salesman, but Amami sliced him down in one stroke. I guess Amami was enough of a social butterfly that he didn't need to cling to something like that.
"Saihara-kun? Why is your face all red...?"
"W-wha—?! N-no, it's not like that...! You're misunderstanding, Akamatsu-san...!"
"I was joking... Wait, don't tell me you were serious?"
"Th-that's..."
'...Ah, youth. I had a phase like that too... Hm?'
I was watching the couple lay it on thick again when something important brushed past my mind.
'What... did I just say to myself...?'
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember, so I gave up and started to leave the casino—only to realize Mukuro was nowhere in sight.
"Mukuro...? Where did you— huh...?"
"...Tell me how to use it."
"R-right... so... if you use a Love Key won in the casino... the person invited to the love apartment will see the key user as their ideal partner... and fall into their own 'romantic delusion'!"
".....What?"
"And... after spending one night together... that person forgets everything!"
".....!"
"But there is one thing you need to be careful abou—"
"K, wait here for a moment."
Ikusaba, who had been talking with Monokuma from a distance, suddenly went glassy-eyed, then charged at the machines and started gambling like a woman possessed.
"...The person who comes to the love apartment is random, though... Well, not my fault you didn't listen."
She didn't even wait to hear the rest of Monokuma's explanation.
"This is... a chance. A chance... my last chance in life..."
And so Ikusaba kept gambling like a madwoman for quite a while.
"Gambling is the express lane to total ruin, sir. So please stop now."
"Yeah! Seriously... let's just go already!"
"Ugh... why is she so strong...?"
"Mukuro! Stop already! It's been an hour!"
Eventually, exhausted from waiting, we had no choice but to drag Mukuro bodily out of the casino while she kept gambling with bloodshot obsession.
"There are still... plenty of chances left... I definitely... definitely..."
But why did that send a chill crawling over my entire body?
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"Hey! You guys! Get over here for a sec!"
"Hm? Iruma...? What's up?"
As we were heading back to the school, Iruma suddenly called out and stopped us in our tracks.
"I, in my boundless generosity, shall grant you the chance to become test subjects for one of my inventions!!"
"...Is that supposed to be a good thing?"
"Of course it is! Out in the real world, people would've lined up for the privilege of testing my inventions, got it? So shut up and follow me!"
"..."
"U-um... you're not coming...?"
When we didn't react, Iruma shrank back and started nervously reading our faces.
"...Should we go? We can check on how Shirogane's doing while we're at it."
"Good point. I've got a few things I want to ask Shirogane, too."
"Well... as long as it's not dangerous when she uses it on us, sir."
"Alright!! Then let's move out!!"
She looked so pitiful that we reluctantly agreed. The instant we did, Iruma perked right back up and marched energetically toward her research lab.
We watched her for a moment, then sighed and followed after her.
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"Hyahha! You made it! Welcome to the research lab of the great Iruma Miu-sama!!"
"You're the one who invited us... More importantly, where's Shirogane? I wanna check on her fir—"
"Shut it, you gloomy counselor!! Anyway, my first invention is this!!"
The first invention Iruma proudly pulled from a box looked like some futuristic ray gun straight out of an SF movie.
"This bad boy is a panty teleportation device! Its name is... [That Bastard Isn't Wearing Any!]!!"
"...What?"
"If you hit someone with the beam this gun fires, you can freely teleport the underwear they're wearing—"
"I think we should move on to the next one, sir."
"Yep, yep. This is definitely violating some standards."
"The technology is incredible... but isn't the application way too pathetic?"
"Ugh... y-you dare mock my invention..."
As the others piled on the criticism, Iruma made a tearful face, stuffed the ray gun away, then brightened again and pulled out her second invention.
"What the... that's just a mechanical arm with a boxing glove on it...?"
"This is... the [Automatic Gut-Punch Machine for Lame Sex Jokes]!!"
"Why do you only make stuff like this, Iruma...?"
"Hah? You don't understand this machine's greatness? Fine, then I'll show you firsthand!"
As she said that, Iruma slammed the red button on the desk, and something began rising up from the floor.
"Sh-Shirogane...?"
"No! That's not Shirogane! This is Guinea Pig Mk.1! A test robot I personally trai— I mean, developed!"
"S-save meee..."
"That's obviously Shirogane!"
Completely fired up, Iruma ignored my shout and barked an order at the tightly bound Shirogane.
"Now then, Guinea Pig! Tell a lame sex joke!!"
"Wh-which villain has the biggest... down there...?"
"Hah? Who is it? Hurry up and say it!"
"Th-the Joker..."
After that, silence settled over the room for a moment.
"So... what exactly is that supposed to mean, sir?"
"...It means absolutely nothing."
"Um, Iruma? This thing isn't working."
"W-what? Why isn't it working? That's weird...?"
Iruma looked flustered, then suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Why was the lawmaker giving a campaign speech arrested for public indecency?"
"...Why?"
"Because he kept begging and begging people to let him fini— GYAAAGH!!"
The instant Iruma proudly spat out her own lame sex joke, the machine drove a savage punch into her stomach and sent her flying across the room.
"Looks like it was malfunctioning for a bit, sir."
"Yeah, looks that way."
"...Iruma, are you okay?"
"Good grief... 'begging and begging people,' seriously? Even kindergarteners wouldn't laugh at a joke that lame..."
Whoosh!!
"H-huh?!"
I was mocking Iruma's sense of humor while she groaned in the distance after being launched away, when the [Automatic Gut-Punch Machine for Lame Sex Jokes] suddenly swung at me. Apparently it had mistaken my ridicule for a sex joke.
Bam! Bam-bam-bam!!
Sensing the pain that was about to arrive, I squeezed my eyes shut and swore I'd never set foot in Iruma's lab again. But strangely, even after several seconds passed, nothing happened.
"...How dare you."
When I opened my eyes, Mukuro was there—one arm wrapped around me, the other fully extended as she blocked the machine's punch with her bare hand.
"S-stop! Emergency stop!!"
At Iruma's frantic scream, the punching machine went limp and clattered to the floor.
"...Mukuro, thanks."
"Mm..."
When I thanked her for saving me from a gut punch, Mukuro blushed and answered shyly.
...Without letting go of me, incidentally.
"Y-you've gotta be kidding me... I made that thing so fast even a boxing champion couldn't react to it... How the hell did you stop it...?"
"...Looks like K-kun will be safe for a while."
"I agree."
"I think so too, sir."
This felt like... I'd somehow become a rookie animal trainer who'd accidentally domesticated a dragon.
"Ah, right! There's still one last thing left, isn't there?"
"Th-there's more...?"
"That's right! This machine is the whole reason I graciously allowed pathetic worms like you into this sacred space in the first place!"
"I-is it really that amazing...?"
"Obviously! And besides... I've really wanted to test it on you guys at least once...!"
At those words, all of us swallowed hard and stared tensely at Iruma's box, waiting to see what nightmare would pop out next.
"Hmm... it should be around here somewhere... Oh! Found it!!"
What Iruma pulled out with a radiant grin was some kind of mysterious sensor.
"That's... a sensor?"
"Yep! But not just any sensor! This is my masterpiece, the [Experience Count Sensor]!!"
"E-experience count...? What does that even..."
"Hah? Quit playing dumb! It's an invention that measures how many times you've done it! And of course, it counts how many times you've been done, too!"
At that, everyone froze solid.
"W-wait...! Don't point that thing at me...!"
"Too late! Now then... let's see how much gloomy virgin boy over here has gotten, huh...?"
Iruma aimed the sensor at Saihara, then burst into laughter.
"Pwahaha! Knew it! Then next up... Cliffside-matsu over there..."
"W-wait, Iruma!"
"What? So you're a virgin too, just like gloomy virgin boy? Then what about that host-club-looking pretty boy over there...? Huh? You're a virgin too?"
"...Are you sure that thing actually works, sir?"
"Of course it does! What do you take my masterpiece for!? Then... the soldier over there... Pwahaha! Just as I thought!! I mean, she totally looks like a virgi—"
"......."
"I-I'm... I'm so sorryyy..."
When Mukuro glared at her like she was about to kill her, Iruma shrank back and apologized for a while. Then she looked at me and opened her mouth again.
"Well... I don't expect much, but last up, the gloomy counselor— huh? W-wait... this is..."
"W-what is it...?"
".....No way."
".....?"
Iruma stared at the sensor, then went completely rigid.
"...K-kun. What the hell were you doing before you came here?"
"This is... uh... well... I'll just pretend I didn't see that."
"What kind of counseling were you even giving people, K-kun, sir?"
"You bitchyou bitchyou bitchyou bitchyou bitch"
Before long, the others crowded around with naked curiosity, peered at the sensor, and then started grilling me with expressions of utter shock.
'...Seriously, what kind of life was I living?'
This was the first time I'd ever felt so bitterly resentful of my missing memories.
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"Haaah... I'm exhausted..."
Before I knew it, it was already 10 p.m.
After escaping Iruma's lab, I went to the pool with the others, turned bright red when I saw the girls receiving Tojo's massage service, and then, in the evening, got dragged into doing push-ups by Momota right up until 10 o'clock.
For the record, Saihara happened to walk by and got roped into it too, and he was dozens of times better at push-ups than I was. Just how physically weak am I?
"Phew... Starting tomorrow... I guess I need to keep a serious eye on Tojo...?"
According to the memory I saw this time, Tojo was going to murder Hoshi soon. I had no idea why, but still.
When I first learned that Tojo—someone I'd thought belonged firmly on the side of sanity—was fated to commit murder, I was badly shaken. But now, I'd managed to regain at least some composure.
There had to be some unavoidable reason behind it. Tojo, who devoted herself so earnestly to everyone, wouldn't kill without one.
Just today alone, she'd worked herself to the bone serving the girls at the pool, and every morning she prepared meals for all of us.
So starting tomorrow, my top priority would be to find out why Tojo was driven to murder—and then use that reason to persuade her not to do it.
That aside... what exactly were those scenes I kept seeing in the black space?
Thinking back to the trick Akamatsu came up with when we caught Shirogane... if I hadn't intervened, then the trial I saw in that black space probably would have happened for real.
If that's true, then by what mechanism am I able to know the future? And what exactly is [Survivor Privilege]? And on top of that, why am I the only one who forgot everything?
'...Ugh, whatever. I should just sleep.'
I'd already spent days agonizing over questions I couldn't answer, so in the end I just sighed and decided to go to bed.
'Anyway... the important thing... is stopping Tojo... If I want to stop her... I need to find the reason for the murder...'
After all the exercise Momota put me through, I was utterly drained. The moment I closed my eyes, I sank into sleep almost instantly.
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"Upupupu... already asleep, huh..."
Several hours later, deep in the dead of night, after K had fallen into a heavy sleep, Monokuma quietly appeared in his room.
"Then... here's my gift to you...! A very special motive... your very own motive, in fact...?"
Monokuma placed a brightly colored tablet on the desk in the dorm room, then slowly sank into the floor as he muttered to himself.
"...Let's see if you can stay calm after watching this."
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Morning came.
I rubbed my eyes for a moment, remembered that I had to start moving in earnest from today onward, and got out of bed with a yawn.
"Alright... first, I'll head to the dining hall and—"
"...What?"
At the Monokubs' words, I looked around—and sure enough, there really was some tablet-like thing on the desk that I hadn't seen before.
"What is this... a Monopad...?"
The moment I picked up the tablet, which had 'Monokubs Pad' written on the back, a video suddenly began playing on its own.
In the video, Monokuma announced the start of the motive video in that grating voice of his. So this was the 'motive' he'd prepared for us this time.
'Important person? If we're talking about someone important to me... that's Kyoko Kirigiri, isn't it?'
Then again, if it's a motive video about 'important people'... is he planning to use them as hostages or something? Well, my important person, 'Kirigiri,' is here with me right now, so for the moment I can at least relax—
...Wait, what is this?
"...What?"
"....."
"No..."
"...Good God. I have kids?"
I was... married?
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