The Eating Contest!

Monokuma's morning alert woke me up, saying the same thing he always says in the morning. At this point, he can take his "Beeee-autiful Day!", and stuff it right up his ass. None of us have found a way out (not that I really bothered to look for one anymore; the mastermind clearly wasn't sloppy with their work), and Byakuya was no closer to discovering the secret of the hidden room. Kokichi was still up to who-knows-what, and I had a VERY bad feeling about the newly-discovered Chemistry Room.

I sat up and leaned forward, resting my forehead in between my pointer finger and thumb. Shuri, get your head on straight! You can't worry about things you can't control. You tell other people this all the time. Quit stressing out so much, and get a grip, alright?

After this pseudo-pep talk, I took a deep breath, then got out of bed and showered. I then got dressed and headed to the Dining Hall. I came across Maki and Peko on they way there, and briefly talked with Peko about the sheath on her back. She sleeps with it at her side, as her training required her to always be ready, sometimes without any notice. She then fell silent, and I figured this conversation was over.

Kirumi made French Toast sandwiches, with egg, cheese, and either ham, bacon, or sausage. I had two sandwiches, of the bacon variety, along with a glass of orange juice.

After I put my dishes up (despite Kirumi's objections, as she saw it as her duty to put all dishes away), I returned from the kitchen to see Kirumi, Kokichi, and Hina arguing with each other. It didn't seem violent, but Kirumi was clearly upset.

"Please, I insist you do not refer to me as your mother. That is insulting to a proper maid." Kirumi admonished the two others.

Hina's shoulders slumped a bit. "I didn't mean you ARE my mom, Kirumi. I just meant you were LIKE a mom to us."

Kirumi shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I am just like the rest of you. As I've said before, please, just think of me as another classmate."

Kokichi grinned. "Whatever you say, Mom! Nee-hee-hee!" and ran out of the room. Kirumi glared at the entrance to the Dining Hall, while Hina just stared at the floor, looking dejected, before she left as well.

Seeing no reason to stick around, I decided to check out the Fourth Floor again. I wanted another look at that Chemistry Room, but I didn't want to be up there alone. That room just felt... ominous, and I couldn't figure out why.

Looking around, the only other person in the room was Nagito. Deciding it couldn't hurt, I decided to approach Nagito, and invite him to the Chemistry Room with me.

Nagito seemed taken aback by my question. "An Ultimate is asking a worthless piece of trash like me to accompany him? Amazing!" Nagito then added, "Yes, I will join you up there, but Kirumi needs me back here before the Eating Contest this afternoon."

Curious about why Kirumi would need Nagito's assistance, he replied that Kirumi wouldn't be able to bake, cook, and serve the food at the same time, so she asked Nagito to serve the food.

He went on about becoming a stepping stone for Kirumi's, Akane's, and Hina's Ultimate talents, but I tuned most of that out. Part of me felt bad about doing that to Nagito, but this wasn't a complex I really wanted to deal with at this time.

Together, we went up the stairs to the second, then third, and finally the fourth floor. Going down the hallway ahead of us, I glanced outside, and saw Peko, Maki, and Kirumi sitting at one of the tables. They appeared to be having a conversation, but obviously I couldn't hear anything being said. We made a left at the end of the hallway, then a right at the Bowling Alley, walking past the Batting Cages (both of which sounded empty, but I didn't look inside them).

Finally, we stood at the entrance to the Chemistry Room. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, and we both walked in together, with Nagito following behind me.

The Chemistry Room had several tables, with various sized glass or metal beakers, funnels, and other containers. There were spots where you could heat compounds up, and other spots where you could chill them instead.

That's not what concerned me, though. Chemistry rooms also, usually, contained compounds toxic to humans. Looking through the shelves, my heart sunk.

This one was no different. Arsenic. Potassium Cyanide. Borax (which is mostly harmful to insects). Also, some acids, like Hydrochloric and Sulfuric, were present here.

Nagito got my attention, pointing at a dry-erase board. Written on it was directions for making Nitrous Oxide. I didn't recognize the handwriting, but Nitrous Oxide has a lot of uses, so I didn't worry too much about it.

After a few moments of silence, Nagito finally asked me, "So, what do you think? Still worried about this room?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I don't like the poisons in here. There's no locks on the cabinets, and it looks like everything here is fully stocked."

Before Nagito could reply, Kirumi showed up in the doorway. "Nagito, your assistance is needed. Can you meet me in the Dining Hall? I was requested by Akane to round everyone up."

Nodding, Nagito eagerly left, with me following him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nagito looking at me funny. Well, not me specifically, but specific parts of my body. His gaze seemed mostly focused around where my thighs and hands were.

Deciding to address him, I asked, "Is something wrong?"

Nagito looked surprised, then answered me. "Ummm, no, nothing's wrong. Sorry if I bothered you, Shurinku."

"It's alright, I was just wondering why you were staring at my shorts." Nagito didn't answer my question, but he didn't seem like he was trying to pull anything on me either, so I decided to let it go.

We continued walking down the stairways without too many words between us. Kirumi caught up with us on the First Floor, so the three of us walked together to the Dining Hall, with Kirumi staying behind me and Nagito.

Upon our arrival, Akane and Hina were sitting at the table, with Peko and Maki sitting across from each of them, holding something small and round in their hands. Maki was sitting across from Hina, while Peko sat across from Akane. Kirumi and Nagito headed for the Kitchen, while

Kokichi and Mikan sat away from the tables to watch. I didn't see Byakuya anywhere, but this didn't surprise me at all.

Reluctantly, I pulled up a chair and sat next to Kokichi, thoroughly disinterested in conversation with him. Thankfully, Kokichi was mostly focused on Kirumi, as she had just started giving instructions.

"Alright, here are the rules. Akane and Hina will be the contestants. Maki and Peko will be the timekeepers. Peko will be in charge of Akane's timekeeping, and Maki will be in charge of Hina's timekeeping. I shall be in charge of food preparation, and Nagito will be the server."

Kirumi paused for a moment, then continued. "Akane and Hina will start eating at the same time. When Akane finishes her plate. Peko will stop her timer, and when Hina finishes her plate, Maki will stop her timer. There will be three stages; appetizer, main course, and dessert. The appetizer will be croissant rolls, the main course is 16 ounce sirloin steak, and dessert shall be almond pie. The fastest overall time wins, and the loser will be doing dishes for each meal, for the next week."

After another pause, Kirumi resumed. "Now, are there any questions from anyone?"

No one spoke up. Hina and Akane looked determined, but merely shot glances at each other.

Kirumi then disappeared into the kitchen with Nagito, presumably to prepare and serve the food. Sure enough, Nagito appeared shortly afterwards with ten croissants, five on each plate.

The plates were placed in front of each contestant.

Nagito now spoke. "Alright, contestants. Here goes Round One: Croissants. On your mark...get set...GO!"

Two consecutive beeps were heard as Peko and Maki started their timers. Akane and Hina started eating the croissants. After each contestant finished their plate, and opened her mouth to show it was empty, another beep was heard to stop that contestant's timer.

To my eye, it seemed like Hina beat Akane at the Croissants. Considering Hina's favorite food is donuts, I wasn't entirely surprised. However, no one could declare victory yet, as there were still the Main Course and Dessert rounds to go.

Nagito left the Dining Hall, and returned to the Kitchen. He returned shortly later with two sirloin steaks, both about the same size. Both plates were placed in front of Akane and Hina. Akane looked like she was drooling at the sight of the meat placed before her.

Nagito spoke up again. "Alright, here is Round Two: Sirloin Steak. Remember, there's still one more round after this one, so don't fall to despair if you-" Akane cut off Nagito, impatiently. "Can we eat yet?"

Nagito winced a little bit, leaning backwards as if dodging a swing. "Oh, sorry. Ok, ready, set, go!"

Two beeps went off simultaneously again, and Akane and Hina went to work on the sirloin steaks. Akane definitely won this one, wolfing hers down as if she was rabid. Hina took a bit longer on hers, and the look on Hina's face showed that any lead she might have had, she felt was gone.

Nagito left once more, and returned with two almond pies, topped with powdered sugar. He slid each plate in front of Akane and Hina. Nagito then stepped back and addressed everyone.

"Alright everyone, final round! Almond Pie! Whoever has the lowest overall time, after finishing their pie, is the winner! Alright, contestants. One...two...three...GO!"

Akane and Hina quickly started devouring their almond pies. Akane got about halfway through her pie, and Hina about a quarter of the way, before they started groaning and holding their stomachs. They each took several more quick bites, and then they both started breathing rapidly and clenching their jaws and eyes shut tightly. Akane took one more bite, then they both started vomiting, all over the remainder of their pies.

Suddenly alarmed, I shouted, "Mikan!"

Mikan sprang up from her chair, and stammered, "I-I-I'm getting my medical supplies!" and ran out of the room, presumably to her room to get her kit. Nagito and Kokichi had already ran to the Kitchen to get Kirumi. That left me to attend to Akane and Hina, who I laid down on the floor, on their backs, heads tilted to the side.

At this point, both Akane and Hina were breathing slowly, and their pupils were dilating. This was looking bad, really bad. I tried speaking to both of them, but I was only getting mumbled, incoherent responses. I still kept trying to speak to them anyway, to try to keep them conscious and focused on the sound of my voice.

Mikan finally returned with her medical kit, so I stepped back and let Mikan do her thing. At this point, the two of them had very shallow, slow breathing, and their eyes didn't seem focused on anything. Hearing footsteps behind me, I saw Nagito and Kokichi running back into the Dining Hall. I didn't recall seeing either one leave, but I was too focused on Akane and Hina, most likely.

Kirumi followed the two boys a few moments later, shaking her head sadly at the two of them. Nagito's shoulders slumped, but I couldn't see Kokichi's reaction, as his back was fully to me.

Returning my attention to Mikan, I saw her on her knees, softly crying. Alarmed, I quickly draw my attention to Akane and Hina, who now had bluish discoloration around their lips and fingertips. Neither one appeared to be breathing anymore.

Suddenly, an alert went off on the monitor in the room. Monokuma's face showed up on the screen. "Alright, we've got a buy-one, get-one-free deal on dead bodies! Come to the Dining Hall to take advantage of this offer!"

Oh, no. Akane and Hina went toe-to-toe in an eating contest, and it ended in a draw. Both contestants were dead, and we had a double murder mystery to solve.