The Talent Show
Monorakun had everyone meet up at the Gym at 4pm, so he could explain what the security breach was about. While not going into full details, he did say there ended up being no breach, and that there was no outside threat within the building. I backed Monorakun up when Hiyoko, Fuyuhiko, and Mondo expressed their doubts about his claims, since I had accompanied him.
After all students were reasonably satisfied, Monorakun made another announcement. "To make up for our little interruption today, I want to hold a Talent Show tomorrow! Everyone can either show off their talents, or assist another with their talent. I'll figure out a worthwhile reward for you all tomorrow, and besides, it'll be fun, right? We'll meet here tomorrow at 4pm for the Talent Show, then!"
Everyone glanced around at one another, a look of curiosity in each other's eyes.
Monorakun finished up. "Alright, I'm done here. Go do whatever you want, but mind the rules here." Monorakun then disappeared, leaving us to our own devices.
The rest of us left the gym to do our own things. I spent the rest of the day playing Roulette, where I walked away with 1500 Monocoins, before going to bed.
The next morning, I got up and got ready for the day. I decided I wanted to show how to build a proper cairn. I had no way to demonstrate a burial, I had no materials to make a coffin, a pyre or cremation would be too dangerous inside, and going over the details of mummification would probably bore most of the students. However, I needed someone small, that would trust me, to assist me with the cairn, which consists of burying the body above ground, usually with large stones or the like. Maybe I could use deflated basketballs or something else from Monorakun for the stones, instead.
I decided I would try to speak with a few others after breakfast, and see who would trust me enough to do this. I would also need someone short, ideally.
Against my better judgement, I decided to reach out to Fuyuhiko, which went about as well as I expected it to go.
"What? Are you fuckin' kidding me? Bury me in rubble in the Gym? Fuck off with that!"
Wisely choosing not to pursue him any further, I decided, begrudgingly, to seek out Hiyoko next. While she was more polite than I expected, she was still a no.
"As much as I would like to lay down and do nothing, I'm actually performing one of my dances for the Talent Show! Mahiru is going to take pictures while I dance, so we're gonna be working together! Maybe you should bury that stinky gutter girl instead!"
I was certain she was referring to Toko, but I couldn't risk her changing personalities while buried, so that was out. Maybe Himiko would assist?
"Nyeh. Sorry, but I've got a Magic Show to perform! Korekiyo and Gundham are going to help me perform an escape act!"
Well, there went that idea, though I was looking forward to seeing her act.
Finally, I reached Kyoko, who was pondering how to utilize her talent for a Talent Show. I went over my idea with her, and after suggesting she lay down while angled away from the audience, to avoid a "free show" for the males, she somewhat reluctantly agreed. While she was a bit taller than I was looking for, I was willing to take any volunteer at this point, as it was nearly 11am at this point.
Next, I needed to speak to Monorakun, to see if I could get some supplies for the cairn. Monorakun agreed to get me some stuff from the Gym that I could use for the cairn. It would not be stones and rocks, but more likely deflated basketballs and whatever else he could find.
Satisfied with this, I relayed this information with Kyoko. She seemed skeptical, but said she would go along with it. I went over what I needed her to do (which was mostly to lie still), and basically stated that I would cover her with deflated basketballs while discussing the history behind cairns, dating back to ancient times in Europe. Boring or not, I was not about to try to mummify, cremate, or bury someone alive in the gym. Also, I did not have the means to build a coffin in this school, though I did possess the knowledge to do so.
All I needed to do now was wait for the Talent Show to start, at 4pm, with everyone else. I spent the remainder of my time playing more Roulette, moving up to 2,000 Monocoins, but did not really speak to anyone else.
When the time came, everyone made their way to the Gym for the Talent Show. As it turned out, there would be five Talent Shows events, for everyone to judge Everyone would be given roughly 10 minutes for their act, give or take. Tenko and Teruteru (an odd pairing, to be sure) would go first, with Tenko showing off her Neo-Aikido martial arts. This would be followed by Sakura and Nekomaru sparring. Next, Hiyoko would perform one of her dances, while Mahiru took pictures. Then, Himiko would perform a Magic Show. Finally, I would bring up the rear, discussing the history of cairns while burying Kyoko in one made of basketballs.
Tenko and Teruteru took the stage, and the next ten minutes consisted of Tenko tossing Teruteru to the ground, or throwing him across the gym like a rag doll. However, Teruteru did not really seem to mind one bit, and in fact, almost seemed to be enjoying himself.
After that was over, Sakura and Nekomaru faced off against each other, trading punches, kicks, throws, and parries. Sakura seemed to have the edge on Nekomaru, but Nekomaru was holding his ground well, able to block most of Sakura's attacks despite having trouble landing most of his own. After their ten minutes were up, they bowed to each other, then took a seat together on the bleachers together.
Next was Hiyoko's dance and Mahiru's pictures. Hiyoko's was a slow dance, which gave Mahiru plenty of opportunities to take some great pictures of Hiyoko's poses. While her dance style was not really to my liking, I could tell that she had spent years practicing this particular dance, and that she took pride in it. Mahiru was also enjoying herself with her photography, as well.
Next was Himiko's Magic Show. Gundham and Korekiyo wheeled two glass boxes, each about two meters tall and one meter wide. The glass boxes were connected by a metal tube, from the bottom of the water-filled one to the bottom of the empty one. Korekiyo was pushing the water-filled box, while Gundham pulled on the empty box, which appeared to have a sparkly purple curtain on top of it.
Himiko addressed. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Ultimate Mage, Himiko Yumeno, will now perform magic! Before your very eyes, I shall step into this empty, soundproof glass box on the right, which will then be filled with water after one minute. At the eight minute mark, the water shall be drained from this box, back into the box on the left. Finally, at the ten minute mark, the curtain on the box on the right shall be lifted, and you shall see me, completely dry, and in a completely new outfit! Prepare to be amazed!"
Himiko then made her way to the back of the box on the right side, where Gundham stood, as Korekiyo watched carefully beside the left box. She stepped into the glass box, and on a signal, Gundham closed the back of the box, appeared to lock it, and threw the curtain over the box, obscuring everyone's view of her. Korekiyo then produced a digital timer, and started it from zero.
About 15 seconds in, Gundham appeared to give a sideways glance behind the curtain at something, but I couldn't tell what. Korekiyo continued to stare out at us, blankly.
At the one minute mark, Korekiyo walked silently behind the left box and appeared to do something at the bottom of the box, which started emptying that box of water. I presumed he turned a lever or activated some sort of siphon.
We continued to watch the show, with the timer counting the minutes upwards. Korekiyo and Gundham switched sides once a minute, walking in front of the two boxes, but not conversing with one another before standing on the other side of the box, facing us.
At the seven minute mark, both Gundham and Korekiyo switched back to their respective spots, with Korekiyo on the left and Gundham on the right. Not a sound had been heard from either glass box the entire time.
When the timer hit eight minutes, Korekiyo fiddled with something behind the left side box, and it appeared to be siphoning the water back into the left tank. Again, neither one said a word.
Finally, when the ten minute mark hit, Korekiyo stopped the timer, then nodded towards Gundham. Gundham nodded back, then threw off the curtain to reveal Himiko...
Who was laying, motionless, inside the right glass box.
Gundham took a step back, surprised, then got the door open after a few moments. He pulled Himiko out of the glass box, soaking wet, and laid her out before the glass boxes.
Suddenly, the last thing I wanted to hear came out over the monitors.
"May I have your attention, please? The rest of this Talent Show is cancelled. We have three sets of eyes on a dead body. Everyone's already in the Gym, so wait for me there!"
Oh, no. Himiko's Magic Show ended on a very tragic note. But what exactly happened?
Did Himiko mess her routine up, causing her to die?
Or did one of her "assistants" end up killing her instead?