#sannotori

“Holy–”

“Whoa, step back!”

Teruya scrambles away from the Monocrow Machine as it violently shakes. Setsuka, who was doing her own shopping in the gift shop, helps him to his feet and they run to the other side of the store. They keep their distance from the machine as it struggles to function, before it finally spits out the gift. Or rather, gifts as multiple objects spill out from the vending machine. The noises from the Monocrow Machine eventually calmed down and went quiet. Certain that nothing else was going to pop out or explode, Teruya cautiously moved forward to examine the gifts.

“...Books?” Teruya said, dumbfounded as he kneels down to pick one up. The book didn’t have a title on it, but the cover had fancy engravings in black and a symbol that was a triangle with an eyeball in the middle. He can’t help but feel a little bit creeped out as he opens the book to try and read it. But he quickly realizes that he can’t as it was filled with runes he did not understand at all. “What kind of books are these??”

“Let me see…ooo, looks like these books might be about magic!” Setsuka said, picking up a book and scanning through it. Her smile wanes a bit. “...Too bad I can’t understand any of this.”

“Oh…” Teruya blinks. Honestly, with all these symbols and runes, it’d make the most sense that these were spell books. What else could they be just by the aesthetic alone? He starts stacking the books on top of each other and speaks as he thinks. “Where does Monocrow even find this kind of stuff…?”

“Honestly, it’s probably stuff from Hope’s Peak.” Setsuka hands him the book she held. “I mean, they’re a school made to study our talents and help us develop them. So it’d make sense they’d find stuff for someone like Mikado…Even if he’s like, the first wizard I’ve ever heard of.”

“Yeah…” Teruya sets the book on top of the stack and starts to question how he’s going to move all of these books. There’s no way all of them will fit in his backpack and it’ll be too heavy to carry even if he could. “I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever seen magic even before I got amnesia. But even then, it’s weird that they’re able to find all this stuff for a talent that felt so…obscure up to this point. Especially since it’s all about magic, something…something that’s never been real. You know?”

“Hm…that is a good point.” Setsuka frowns…before shrugging her shoulders as she starts to grin again. “Maybe there’s a secret society of magic users no one has heard of until now!”

“Um…” Teruya hesitates. He didn’t want to shoot down Setsuka’s enthusiasm, nor did he want to question her idea if it was actually plausible. He just…didn’t want to come off as incompetent. And yet, the reminder of his journal and the questions he had asked himself last night encouraged him to speak up. After all, Mikado did tell him to get used to asking questions if he wanted to improve his thinking. “...Why, uh, why do you think so?”

“Hm? Oh, well…it is a concept in fiction. And since Mikado seems like the real deal, it would make sense that magic would have to come from somewhere.” Setsuka said, crossing her arms and answering his question head on. “I don’t know where or how he learned his magic, but he had to learn somehow if he were to become the Ultimate Wizard.” Her smile widens as she raises her index finger. “Sooo if a secret society of magic users exists, then Hope’s Peak could’ve found a way to contact them and asked for materials to help nurture his talent!”

“That…I mean, it could be possible.” Teruya admits, even if he had his doubts. Thinking on it harder only strengthened them as Mikado said that he never had a mentor and was completely self-taught through a book he found by chance. And if there was a secret society of magic users, well, that only brought up more questions than answers. “But, um…how do I explain myself…? I don’t think that would make much sense…?” He rubs his forehead. Setsuka doesn’t push him, simply waiting for him to gather his thoughts. Teruya appreciated her patience. “If magic has existed for years, centuries even…why are we only hearing this now? Why haven’t magic users made themselves known before? I mean, I don’t remember our history at all, but I’m pretty sure some people would be interested in using magic to help or hurt others. And if there really is a secret society, uh…how would Hope’s Peak find them?”

“...That I don’t know.” Setsuka admits, scratching the back of her head. She was still smiling but her expression was much more awkward now. “I’ll admit, I was mostly spitballing the first idea that came to mind. And it’s not like Hope’s Peak is able to grab their hands on information that should’ve been hidden. Take Ruko or even Syobai as an example. Neither of them were trying to gain Hope’s Peak’s attention but they were found out anyway and got scouted into the school. I’m just saying, if it did exist and Hope’s Peak Academy somehow got into contact with them, I wouldn’t be surprised.” She then sighs and shrugs her shoulders. “But who knows? The whole magic thing is pretty much new to everyone here and the only one who’s even intimate with that knowledge is Mikado himself…and he ain’t really talking. So all we can really do is speculate!”

“...Yeah, that’s all we really can do, huh?” Teruya stands up and stares down at the stack of spell books. He was tempted to mention that Mikado learned magic all on his own but decided against it. That was a part of Mikado’s past, and it was something he had opened up to him about. Not anyone else. So he shouldn’t spill it out to others willy-nilly as that was information only he was trusted with so far. “We don’t really have the evidence to speculate in the first place. And it wouldn’t really be a secret society if we knew all about it anyways.” Setsuka nods but doesn’t add anything else. With the topic officially dying out, Teruya looks around to figure out how he’s going to transport all of these books. When his eyes land on some strings, an idea forms in his head and he walks over to the shelf. He had to pay for them from his handbook but he didn’t care as he had an abundance of Crow-Cards at this point. Taking a decent amount of string, he carefully lays them down on the floor before putting the stack of books on top. He then grabs the string and ties them together at the top, keeping the stack together in one piece. “This should work…”

“I’d say so.” Setsuka rubs her right eye, leaning over to stare at his handiwork. “You’re really good at tying knots. I kinda just wing it and then I’m stuck with a big tangle of strings instead.”

“I could teach you next time we hang out.” Teruya offered, testing the weight of the books before deciding to just pick them up from the bottom. With a huff, he manages to carry them with ease.

“Maybe next time! You look like you have places to be right now.” Setsuka said, not denying or accepting the request. Probably something they can talk about next time. “Gonna hang out with Mikado now?”

“Yep.” Teruya said, popping the ‘p.’ “He’s giving me lessons in the library and I don’t want to be late for that.”

“Ooo, lessons! What kind of lessons?” She grins mischievously, nudging her elbow against his side. Teruya blinks at her.

“Uh…Investigation lessons? Cause, you know, I, uh, kinda sucked at the fake class trial. So Mikado offered to help and I don’t want to get left behind.” Teruya explained. He readjusts his grip, completely missing the slightly disappointed look Setsuka sends his way. “I better get going. See ya.”

“Ah, sure. See ya, Teru!” Setsuka smiles back at him and leaves the gift shop first. The nickname made his heart both flutter and tighten. Teruya takes a deep breath. He should focus on what’s important right now.

He walks down the halls of the Monocruise, slowly making his way towards the library. When he finally reached the double doors, he had to use his foot to push it open. Almost immediately, his eyes land on Mikado reading another book. It would’ve been a nice, peaceful sight to witness if he hadn’t noticed that the cover was another psychology book, reminding him of Kokoro's possible motivations again. Mikado’s real eye glances up from the book, looks back down, and then does a double take.

“What are you carrying?” Mikado asked, lifting his face from his book. Teruya simply sends him a smile.

“Spell books, apparently.” He said. Mikado blinks his eyes, both real and mask, as Teruya sets down the stack on the table with a grunt. “Maybe I should spend more time in the gym. My arms are actually sore from carrying all of these.” He stretches, lifting his arms above his head until his spine makes a popping sound.

“I believe that’s a sign you should rest, not over do it.” Mikado closes his book and it disappears into his cape. He then leans over to look at the stack of books. “I’m assuming that these are a gift?”

“Yep!” Teruya’s smile grew a little bit before he undid the tie. He hands Mikado the first book. “I don’t know if you’ve seen these books before, but I remember that you wanted to learn more about magic. And this stuff popped out of the Monocrow Machine earlier. So I thought you’d want something like this.” Mikado stares at the book before taking it. He flips it open and starts scanning the contents, his eyes glowing along with the words. Teruya leans in, wondering what Mikado could be doing with his magic.

“This…This is…” Mikado suddenly shuts the book. Teruya flinched at the sudden sound, but the wizard was already taking the second book to look through it. The same glowing effect takes place and then he closes it. He stares at the cover intently. “Teruya, these books…”

“Uhhh, yeah?” Teruya shifts on the ball of his feet. He hoped he didn’t somehow offend Mikado. Were the books fake somehow? Or something far worse? He certainly starts to fear for the worse when Mikado’s mask suddenly goes blank, just like the times when he would go into shock. His body breaks out in a sweat. “I, uh, I’m-”

“I’ve been looking for these books since…forever.” His voice cuts him off, quiet and restrained. Mikado lifts the book to his face before holding it close to his chest. “And you’re giving these…to me?”

“Uhhhh, yeah!” Teruya laughs awkwardly. “I mean, as long as you like them! If you don’t-”

“Like them?” Mikado said, almost sounding baffled. And when he turned around, Teruya felt himself freeze. His mask was completely blank, but his face…his real face. It was giving him this big smile, his eye shining bright like gold. “I love them! I could never get my hands on the full set before and you just…You got all of the books! And you’re giving them to me. You’re…You’re really…really giving it to me…right?”

Teruya gulps.

“Y-Yeah, of course I am! You love magic and you’d get the most out of this so…” Teruya rubs his neck, averting his gaze. He tries to fight against the blush rising to his face. “So it’s yours.”

It was then that Mikado got out of seat and took his hand.

“Thank you!” Mikado said, jumping up and down with a squeal. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” And just as quickly as he had held his hand, he lets go and pulls the stack of books closer to his side of the table. “I can’t wait to read all of these! Maybe I can squeeze some time in at night…ah, but…Hm…I need to do some research…But the books…!”

“Heh…” Teruya couldn’t help himself. Even as Mikado’s gaze snaps back to him, he just keeps chuckling. “Sorry, it’s just…It’s, uh, cute. To see you get all excited.” Teruya smiles at the wizard. “You look great with a smile. A real smile.”

“Real…ah!” Mikado’s eye goes wide before turning away. He covers the mask with his hand. “I…didn’t mean to smile like that.” Teruya feels his heart sink a little. But only briefly as Mikado’s ears slowly start to turn red. “But…thank you. For the compliment.”

“Uh, heh, you’re welcome.” Teruya said, unable to keep himself from blushing any longer. He sits down with his hands in his lap. Mikado also sat back down. The two of them weren’t able to look at each other until the blush on Mikado’s ears went down. As soon as that happened, Mikado put his hand down and his mask went back to normal. It blinks its wide eye before going to its normal smile. He turns to him, his real face going back to its usual blank expression.

Teruya wished he could see that smile again.

“Thank you for the books, Otori-san. I will be sure to put them to good use.” Mikado said, setting the two other books back on the stack. He waves his cape over it and just like that, the stack disappears underneath it. He then adjusts his cape behind himself. “I will find you a suitable gift later.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to do something like that.” Teruya raises both of his hands to try and appease him, feeling the blush on his face start to cool. But Mikado was already shaking his head.

“I insist, Otori-san. You’ve been spoiling me with gifts since we’ve been hanging out. It’s only natural that I give you something in return.” Mikado rubs his thumbs together, clearly pleased. “Especially after you gave me a wonderful gift.”

“...You’re not gonna budge, no matter what I say, huh?” Teruya said, caving in with a chuckle. He sets his hands down on the table. “Well…I guess I’ll just look forward to it then.”

“Please do.” Mikado then pulls out his handbook and sets it up on the table. “With that out of the way, let us get into the lesson. Did you do the assignment I asked you to do yesterday?”

“Yeah. It’s all in my journal.” Teruya pulls it out from his coat. Flipping it to the most recent pages, he lays it flat on the table and adjusts it so Mikado can read it better from his side. He had tried his best to brainstorm any and all questions he could think of last night, mostly about himself, the killing game and Kokoro’s role as the mastermind. Most of it was stuff he already knew or discussed with others in the dining room. But it’s good to have it on record so he can reference it later. Honestly, it was something he probably should’ve done from the start. “So, uh, where should we start?”

“How about the first page…which is apparently about yourself.” Mikado said, tapping on the page in question. He scoots his chair closer so he can read it better. On the page, he had written down ‘My Identity’ and circled it. After that, he made a few branching points and tried to keep the questions to one word or as short as possible to save space. He already listed his name since meeting Rei Mekaru and that woman was the closest people to be able to confirm that much. Unless they were lying, but he’d rather not think about that. They acted like they knew him, so they were probably the best people to trust when it comes to his missing identity.

Too bad they’re dead. It would make things so much easier for him if he knew himself. Or at least, his name.

“Hm…there’s little notes about your name.” Mikado points at it. “‘Shining house’...”

“Oh, I was just trying to see what kind of kanji spellings I can use for my name.” Teruya said, leaning closer. “I know my e-handbook already shows how it’s spelled. I just thought it’d be good to cover my bases, you know?”

“I see…” Mikado’s finger traces the kanji before him. There weren’t many spellings to his name, to be honest. His e-handbook spelled his name ‘Teruya Otori’ with the ‘teru’ kanji meaning ‘to illuminate’ or ‘to shine’ and the ‘ya’ kanji meaning ‘shop’, while ‘Otori’ straight up meant ‘large bird'. Any other spellings were pretty similar if not the same. Teruya can also be written as ‘shining house’ and some spellings with Otori can be spelled ‘Phoenix’ or something similar to ‘big bird.’ Not a lot of spellings when it comes to his name. But that clues him in that his parents had chosen a very specific name for him at least. “What is a ‘Fenghuang?’ Feels foreign.”

“Ah…I think it’s a bird from Chinese mythology.” Teruya scratches his cheek with his finger. The information was once again flowing through his head, like it was the most natural thing for him to know. “An immortal bird, like a phoenix, is an omen of good luck…I think. It’s just another way to spell ‘Otori,’ if I’m doing this correctly.”

“Your kanji spelling makes sense, if that’s what you’re asking.” Mikado lifts his hand up to mouth with a chuckle. “A phoenix…it would certainly explain the little drawing you made, huh?” Teruya glances at the drawing in question. It was of a bird, made of circles and swirls, three feathers on top of its head, two tails and its wing was in front of its body like it was in the middle of flying. He licks his lips before shrugging.

“It just came to me, to be honest.” Teruya admits. The moment he had written down Fenghuang, the image just flowed into his brain and he couldn’t help but draw it right that instant. Upon looking at the little doodle, his heart had started to ache. But of course, no memories came back to him. Just a vague feeling that simply made his chest hurt. He almost wanted to shut his journal then and there, but he pushed on. He wanted to explore every question he could think of, for the sake of completing Mikado’s assignment. “...It’s a cute drawing. I think the design made an impression on me, but I don’t know where…”

“...Actually, I think I do recognize that specific doodle from somewhere.” Mikado speaks up and Teruya instantly straightens his posture.

“You do?!” He gapes at him with wide eyes. “Where??”

“Calm down.” Mikado puts his hand up to soothe him. Teruya shifts in his seat but calms his excitement. He probably shouldn’t get his hopes up too much. That would only be setting himself up for disappointment. “...I believe it’s part of a logo. A business that dabbled in almost anything you could think of.”

“Anything you could think of…” Teruya felt his brain throb, a familiarity surfacing in his memory. But it doesn’t break through, much to his disappointment. “...Do you remember what it’s called? If I’m drawing the logo, it must be important…or something.”

“...Don’t freak out. But, well…” Mikado pauses before his real eye looks away. His words are blunt and straight to the point. “It’s called the ‘Otori Mart.’”

“...Huh?” He stares at him, processing his words. “The…Otori Mart…” His jaw was hanging before the pieces finally clicked in his head and he snapped his mouth shut. He stands from his seat and slams his hands against the table. Mikado jolts. “Why didn’t you mention this sooner?! That’s…That’s my name! It has my name!”

“My apologies…I simply didn’t want to confuse you.” Mikado said, cringing at his shrill voice. Teruya made his displeasure clear on his face by frowning deeply. The wizard gestures for him to sit down. “Allow me to explain, at least.” Teruya narrows his eyebrows but he slowly sits back down. Once he did, Mikado continued. “...I was not aware that you and the Otori Mart were possibly related. Just because you share a name with a business doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a connection. The possibility of a coincidence is always there and nothing more. And because I lacked the evidence to connect you and the Otori Mart beyond just your name, I didn’t want to bring it up as it would confuse you. Reality does not always coincide with imagination, and it’d be easy to build up an expectation of your past self when it could be farther from the truth. At best, you’d be disappointed. At worst…you may end up trying to reject your past self. And I don’t want you to do that to yourself. Regardless of what the truth is, that past is still a part of you. Even if you never remember it.”

“...So, in other words…you were keeping quiet because you didn’t want me to believe in something that might not be true.” Teruya slowly summed up. Mikado nods his head. “I…see.” He looks away. Now he felt a little shameful. “That, um, makes sense actually…”

“I’m sorry I have kept quiet up till now. I just didn’t want to make assumptions without the evidence to back it up.” Mikado said, looking back at the doodle of the bird. “It’s…a bit circumstantial as evidence. But if the logo made such a strong impression on you, perhaps there is a deeper connection.”

“Do you…know if the Otori Mart has an heir? Someone to inherit the business?” Teruya asked. It felt natural to ask such a question. Mikado, however, was already shaking his head.

“I’m afraid that’s…beyond me. I wouldn’t know how a business works behind the scenes.” Mikado scratches the back of his head, almost as if he was disappointed in himself. “Unless it was on the news, I don’t know if the Otori Mart is a business that runs on family inheritance. And even then, I barely paid any attention to the news unless I noticed something very concerning.”

“Ah…Well, I guess I shouldn’t expect it to be that easy.” Teruya sighs and pulls out a pen. He adds the Otori Mart under a bubble labeled ‘past’ with a question mark on the end. “But it’s something. Thank you for speaking up on this…and, um, I’m sorry for snapping earlier.”

“Do not apologize for that. It’s understandable that you would be upset as it’s a possible connection to your past.” Mikado waves his hand placatingly before setting it down on the table. “Keyword possible. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

“I understand.” Teruya then looks back at the page. “I think we should move on from my name. It’s one of the few things I know for certain about myself.”

“Very well. Hmm…” Mikado points to another bubble. “I see you put your own age and talent in question marks. Your lack of an idea for a talent makes sense, as we could only speculate on it based on the skills and interests you’ve shown so far.” His finger circles the talents he had listed out, some of which were the ones Mikado suggested in the past. Others were ones he came up with on his own, like bank teller, financier or advertiser to list a few. But none of them really clicked in his head so they all had question marks around them. “But why are you questioning your age?”

“Uh…I mean, I know I’m a Hope’s Peak Student. I wouldn’t be here as your classmate if I wasn’t.” Teruya runs his fingers through his hair. “But, I don’t know. When I saw Rei Mekaru and that woman, I felt…strangely attached to them? I don’t know, I just…I feel a bit more closer to Shinji’s age…or something.”

“I see.” Mikado was quiet for a while. He then shrugs. “It’s not unheard of for there to be older Hope’s Peak Students. Shinji is a living example of that. And we should keep in mind that height does not necessarily equate to one’s age.”

“Yeah, I know.” Teruya props his hand on his chin. “Yuri is short as hell but he’s the same age as everyone else. I guess I just feel a little weird about my age since I don’t even remember the specific number. Let alone my own birthday.”

“If we ever come across any evidence about yourself or get out of here, you will find out eventually.” Mikado assured, staring down at the journal. Teruya slowly nods his head. He supposed he’ll just have to wait and see. Assuming he survives long enough to find out. If only Rei Mekaru and that woman were still around, they probably would’ve given him the answers he seeks.

Speaking of which…

“Do you have any guesses about my relation to the Kisaragi Foundation?” Teruya points at the ‘past’ bubble with the name of the organization written underneath. “Like, maybe I worked and developed my talent there?”

“Perhaps.” Mikado puts his finger up to his lips. “It would certainly be an explanation for how they knew you. But it’s possible that there are other ways you’ve gotten to know them. Ms. Mekaru was the Former Ultimate Professor, correct? Perhaps she tutored you.”

“Haha, maybe.” Teruya said with a chuckle. While it was an on the fly suggestion, it feels as though something like that had happened in the past. He couldn’t remember it, but he definitely had that feeling. He looks down at the list again. The Kisaragi Foundation, the Otori Mart, his familiarity with Yuki Maeda and that guy from the portrait, his family…He clicks his tongue. “Yuki isn’t much help. If he doesn’t remember me, there’s no point in asking. The guy from the portrait is dead, according to Kokoro and as much as I don’t trust her, I don’t see why she would lie. She seemed…genuine in her grief. And my family…” Teruya puts his hand over his chest. “When I try to think about my mother, I don’t feel much. Maybe I’m a little sad but it’s nothing I can’t deal with. But when I…think about my father…” He swallows, trying to get rid of this lump in his throat.

But it doesn’t go away.

Even as he tried not to think about it, it felt hard to breathe.

Like something was choking him, drowning him in a sea of sorrow.

He can see someone in his head, his back turned to him as he sits at his desk. Warm and comforting.

But no matter how he tries to reach out to him, he feels the memory sink deeper into the abyss. Never to be found again.

Like the days of being held were gone, gone, gone–

“Otori-san. Otori-san.”

He feels a hand wrap around his. Teruya flinches as it’s pulled away from his neck, letting go of the scarf he held so tightly. He felt sweat cling to his skin, his chest felt like it was tight and in pain, and his heart kept rapidly pounding against his ribs. But Mikado uses his other hand to make Teruya face him, staring right into his eyes.

“It’s okay. You can get through this.” Mikado said gently, rubbing his thumb along his hand. “Just slow your breathing. Count to ten. I will help you so watch me.”

Mikado takes in a slow deep breath, holds, and then lets it out. Teruya focuses on him and follows his example. The wizard counts out loud for him, repeating with each breath he takes, stops, and lets out. They do this a couple of times until the pain in his chest slowly alleviates. He can feel himself calming down and once he does, his grip on Mikado starts to loosen.

“Do you need anything, Otori-san? I can go grab it right now.” Mikado asked, still rubbing his thumb along his hand. Teruya stares at their conjoined hands, quiet.

“What…What about our lesson…?” Teruya looks up. Mikado’s mask forms a small frown.

“You can’t learn if your body is shutting down on you. If you’re not up for it, we can always skip today’s lesson and relax.” Mikado said, holding his hand tightly. When Teruya starts to frown, he slowly shakes his head. “I know you’re concerned about getting left behind. But you shouldn’t push yourself. You’ll only get frustrated.”

“...Okay…” He finally caves in. He just felt so tired right now that he can’t bring himself to argue. “Can you…grab me some water?”

“Right away.” Mikado lets go of his hand and in the blink of an eye, he disappears in a flash of fire. Teruya barely had to sit there for a minute before the wizard came back with a water bottle in hand. He twists the cap without him asking to. “Here you go, Otori-san.”

“Thanks…” Teruya murmured before lifting the drink to his lips. The cool water made him close his eyes at the refreshing taste. After downing a few gulps, he finally starts to relax a little and smacks his lips once he’s done. Teruya sets the water bottle on the table and leans against it with a sigh. “Ah, that feels good.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Mikado said, sitting back down on the chair. He pulls the journal over to his side of the table. “Moving on from yourself…it seems you’ve written down questions about our situation and Kokoro, although it’s stuff we’ve already speculated about. Including her strange motivations about brains and memories…although I see you’ve written down ‘Remnants of Despair’ as well.”

“I mean…Rei Mekaru mentioned it before. Which means this group of people are very dangerous, not unlike Kokoro.” Teruya explains his thoughts. He rubs his forehead with a sigh. “I don’t know…or rather, I don’t remember what they are. All I know is that they’re bad. Bad enough that Rei Mekaru called Kokoro that on the day we all woke up in this killing game.”

“Yes…she has.” Mikado said slowly. His mask slowly smiles. “You’re putting all of this together very nicely, Otori-san.”

“I-I am?” Teruya lifts his head, staring at him with wide eyes. Mikado nods his head.

“Yes. While the answers aren’t concrete, you’re speculating, which means you’re using your brain. That’s good.” Mikado slides his journal back over to him. “It means you’re being curious and that means this assignment went very well. Keep it up, Otori-san.”

“Uh, hehehe…” Teruya feels a smile grow on his face from the praise. He still wasn’t feeling well, but the compliment cheered him up. If only a little bit.

“...Do you wish to continue the lesson, Otori-san?” Mikado tilts his head at him. “If you feel like we can continue, we can go ahead with the plan.”

“Um…” Teruya hesitates. He wanted to continue their lesson. He knows they should. He needed this if he wanted to be useful in a class trial. If there ever is another class trial. But…his brain felt completely fried right now. And his gut was telling him that there was no way he'd be absorbing any sort of knowledge tonight. Not after what just happened with his body just moments ago. “...To be honest, I don’t think I can do this today. But I still want to learn something. Otherwise, I feel like we just wasted an entire day.”

“...How about this then?” Mikado starts putting away his handbook. “We spend the rest of our time working on that jigsaw puzzle we haven’t finished, and I give you an assignment to work on for later. Does this compromise work for you?”

“Yeah…Yeah, I think I like that idea.” Teruya smiles a little bit as he lifts his head. “Although I can’t promise I’ll be able to finish it tonight.”

“That’s fine. The best plans are the ones that are flexible, so I don’t mind changing things up. Even if it is only our second day of starting these lessons.” Mikado said, pulling the jigsaw puzzle box out of his cape. “And even if you don’t finish the assignment tonight, just think about it. Okay?”

“Alright.” Teruya replied, straightening his posture. “...Thank you, Mikado.”

Mikado’s mask smiles at him before scooting his chair closer to him. He then sets the box down and carefully sets up their jigsaw puzzle. With his magic, it was very easy to keep the half completed puzzle together and set it down on the table, along with the piles of puzzle pieces they made last time. Both of them were quiet as they started picking up pieces and putting them together. But eventually, Mikado speaks up.

“Did you remember something?” He asks, his voice low but gentle. Teruya lifts his head just as he attaches another puzzle piece to the jigsaw. “About your father, I mean.”

“Ah…not really.” Teruya admits. He can feel the disappointment weighing down on his shoulders. “I saw him sitting at a desk, but I couldn’t even remember what he looked like. But I did feel…happy and comforted when I saw him. And yet…I feel as though my heart is broken in two.”

“Sounds like something complicated happened between you and your father.” Mikado points out. Teruya shifts in his seat, staring at the puzzle apprehensively. “...Would you like to talk about something else?”

“Please.” Teruya nods and he quickly thinks of a topic. “...What’s it like using magic? You seem to love it a lot.”

“Using magic is exhilarating.” Mikado’s answer was almost instantaneous. He can feel the excitement radiating off of him. “Being able to change nature itself, create objects out of thin air, seeing things that the naked eye cannot…It's a whole different world. Not to mention I get to fly through the air! I wasn’t able to do that back in Japan.”

“Because you would’ve gotten into trouble if people saw you using magic, right?” Teruya said, remembering their conversation yesterday. Mikado nods his head with a sigh, connecting another puzzle piece.

“Yes…As I’ve said before, using magic is not only taxing but also dangerous to reveal. Back in Japan, I had to be careful when and how I should use my magic. But here…I have so much freedom.” Mikado stares at his hand, a giant smile forming on his mask. “There’s no one else around but our classmates and as the Ultimate Wizard, I’m allowed to use my magic to my heart’s content. I was so excited to study more about magic…” He then hangs his head with a sigh. “But alas…Well, I don’t have to explain any further, now do I?”

“Nope. I imagine the killing game put a stop to almost everyone’s plans for Hope’s Peak…” Teruya picks up a few puzzle pieces. A frown slowly forms on his face. “Unless…someone decides to murder…”

“Hopefully not. You’ve been checking on everyone since we got here…No one has been doing anything suspicious, yes?” Mikado tilts his head at him. But Teruya shakes his head.

“Not that I noticed. Nothing has been taken or restocked in the gift shop. At least, nothing suspicious like the tasers. I, uh, check every day.” Teruya clears his throat awkwardly. He can’t help but feel embarrassed for doing something that’s probably considered weird. Even if it felt natural to do so. “It seems Monocrow restocks everything in the gift shop after twenty-four hours.”

“Which means, if someone takes something from the gift shop, you’ll only have until the night time announcement to notice…” Mikado sighs, rubbing his forehead as he picks up another puzzle piece. “Not very useful since people can take things and use them for later. Perhaps if you keep an active record of who takes what, you could bypass that. But getting people to cooperate with that would be impossible, let alone put any sort of surveillance on the gift shop. And then there’s the U-Mart…”

“Yeah, anyone could go in there, too.” Teruya scratches his head. “I don’t think there’s a good way of keeping an eye on the stores, especially by myself. And even if there was only one store, I’d have to camp out there almost twenty-four seven just to catch people coming in and out and make a record of what they buy. Which means I wouldn’t be able to investigate or do anything else the whole day.”

“Hm…” Mikado’s mask frowns as he lifts his finger to his lips. “...I might have an idea, actually.”

“You do?” Teruya raised an eyebrow at that. He puts down a few puzzle pieces, staring at the picture that was slowly coming together.

“I’ll talk to you about it later. I need to make sure I won’t be breaking any rules before committing to my idea.” Mikado said, attaching another puzzle piece to the jigsaw. “If it goes through, I’ll update you during our lesson tomorrow. Alright?”

“Okay.” Teruya’s fingers brush against his goggles. Its cool, worn surface made his heart calm down, even when there’s a pang of hurt behind it as well. He then huffs upon realizing something. “...Geez, how did we get to talking about preventing possible murders when we’re supposed to be relaxing?”

“Oops. Well, it happens when you get carried away onto another topic.” Mikado rubs the back of his head with an awkward frown. But the mask quickly cheers back up. “How about we move onto a lighter topic…like, what did you do this morning? You and Iroha seemed to have hit it off well.”

“Oh, we have! She’s been trying to teach me how to draw and we’ve also been talking about rainbows…”

“Hahaha, what is with your obsession with rainbows? It's a strange interest.” Mikado chuckles and Teruya huffs, swatting his shoulder.

“Because rainbows are awesome.” Teruya then points at the sun emblem clasp that keeps Mikado’s cape together. “It’s not like you don’t have a motif either. You seem to really like the sun.”

“Oh ho, on the contrary, I love all sorts of celestial symbols. Moons, suns, stars…They’re connected to the wonders of magic.” Mikado smiles gleefully and Teruya feels himself smile back.

The two of them spent the rest of their time together, talking, teasing each other and putting together the puzzle before them. Teruya talked about his time with Iroha and the other students, his exploration of the island with those students, and the strange gifts he would find in the stores. Mikado would add in his own commentary, but he didn’t have many stories to share himself. Despite working hard in researching ways to get out of the killing game, he hasn’t interacted with the other students unless he absolutely had to. Teruya wanted him to make a few connections with his fellow students. But he also didn’t want to force him to socialize when he didn’t want to.

He’ll just have to come up with a plan later.

Teruya sets the final puzzle piece into place, completing the image of the jigsaw puzzle.

It was a beautiful image, made of blue and black. Pretty lights washed the forest with a glow, and trees without leaves pointed towards the dark sky. The flow of stars reached the ground and further and further up until it can no longer be seen on the jigsaw puzzle.

“It’s a really lovely picture.” Teruya said, if only because he couldn’t think of anything else to say. Mikado nods his head.

“I’ll be sure to give you another jigsaw puzzle to solve on your own later.” Mikado replied. His hand carefully runs over the picture. Teruya can’t help but take out his handbook so he can take a picture of it. Once he did, the wizard pulled the box over and moved the completed picture back to where it belonged with the help of his magic. “So, about your assignment…”

“Right. What is it?” Teruya gets up from his seat. Mikado puts the box away in his cape and stands up as well.

“Well, I came up with a ‘case’ for you to solve on your own.” Mikado starts and Teruya tenses a little. He gently pats his shoulder. “Like I said, you don’t have to start it tonight. But if you do decide to take a look, just open the document I will send over via the e-handbook.”

“Alright…I’ll see if I’m in a better mood later, then.” Teruya still felt a little stressed, despite taking a break with Mikado. Maybe he should relax in his room for a while. It would help with his fatigue. “I’ll be going then.”

“Wait.” Mikado raises his hand. Teruya stops in his tracks. “Let me go grab your gift. It might help you relax.”

“Oh, sure.” Teruya nods his head and the wizard disappears in a flash of fire. After only a minute of waiting, Mikado returns with a small object. He barely had to take a look at it to realize that it was a candle with a black cap over it and was purple to match the scent labeled on it. “A…lavender scented candle?”

“I used to come across these candles a lot while working. A…friend used to use these a lot.” Mikado admits, staring down at the candle in his hand. His mask even looked a little…sad. And not in its exaggerated teary expression. But he keeps talking before Teruya could ask if he’s okay. “The scent is quite comforting and has a calming and relaxing effect. If you light it by your bedside, it will help reduce anxiety, manage insomnia…and even help those with memory issues.”

“Wow, how thoughtful.” The tease was light, but the words were genuine. Teruya wasn’t expecting the candle to fix all of his memories. That would be one hell of a miracle if it did. But highly unlikely. Still, he appreciated the gift as Mikado clearly wanted to help him with his health. “I’ll be sure to use it tonight…But, a friend?”

“...We’re no longer friends.” Mikado said, looking away. Teruya mutters a small ‘oh’ before the wizard shakes his head. “But it’s alright. As long as you enjoy the aromatic smell, I will be happy with that.” 

“Okay…Thank you.” Teruya carefully puts the candle away in his bag. Maybe he should use it while he relaxes for the afternoon. “I’ll see you later then?”

“Yes. I’ll see you at dinner.” Mikado then disappears from the library.

Teruya yawns, his fatigue weighing down on him.

He’s been working very hard or socializing a lot these past few days.

Maybe he deserves to have a break in his room for a while.

Your relationship rank with Mikado Sannoji has risen from 3 to 4!