Toko's Discovery

After my laundry was done (and my bras not negatively impacted by the dryer, to my relief), I hung up my dresses, put my underclothes away, and then opened up the Group Chat.

*Shishano Kantoku has entered the chat.

Shishano Kantoku: Any word on what Toko discovered?

Sakura Ogami: No. Kyoko thinks it unwise to type it in this chat, in case Monorakun is monitoring it, and Toko is not one to openly engage in conversation.

Shishano Kantoku: I see. It makes sense, I suppose. Do you know where I could find Kyoko?

Sakura Ogami: As I recall, I think she went upstairs with Korekiyo, to one of the classrooms. Perhaps she is still there.

Gundham Tanaka: I can confirm the Masked One still resides with the Purple Gauntlet Lady, inside the Second Alpha classroom.

So Korekiyo and Kyoko are in Classroom 2-A. Having dealt with both the police and the military on occasion, I knew their shorthand, but was surprised to see Gundham using it.

Shishano Kantoku: Alright, thank you, Gundham and Sakura.

*Shishano Kantoku has left the chat.

I walked alone up the stairs to the second floor, and headed to Classroom 2-A. Indeed, Kyoko and Korekiyo were in there, speaking quietly to one another.

I approached the two cautiously, putting my back to the security camera, and softly asked, "Any luck in the Library or the Biology Room?"

Kyoko's eyes narrowed, but Korekiyo answered me. "Kehehehehe... You seek the forbidden knowledge of this floor? I would prefer not to speak of it."

I nodded in understanding, and quickly left. I would have to go to Toko, myself.

I looked out into the Courtyard, where Hiyoko, Mahiru, and Himiko were gathered. Himiko and Hiyoko appeared to be arguing, but of course, I could not hear anything. Mahiru appeared to be trying to keep the peace between the two, and seems to be mostly upset with Hiyoko. However, it did not appear to be a violent matter, just an argument of some sort.

I moved on to the Library, where Toko was sitting at the table, reading some sort of book. Toko glanced up at me, clearly annoyed, as I entered the room, and as I headed towards her, she figured out that I was wanting to speak with her. She sighed and put a bookmark in the book she was reading.

"Wh-what? What do you w-want?" Toko asked.

I smiled sadly, realizing this was going to be a tough task, speaking with Toko. "I understand you found something of interest in here?"

Toko took a defensive posture, looking away from me. "Wh-what does it matter to you?"

I relaxed my posture, realizing my shoulders were stiffening. "Kyoko and Korekiyo mentioned you discovered something in the Library. I was hoping you would share what it was, and was hoping it would be something that could help us in here."

Toko scoffed at me. "The girl who h-hangs out with the dead, now wants help f-f-from the living? Or do you w-want to kill me and st-study my brain instead?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. Instead of being helpful, Toko was insulting me instead. I needed to figure out a way to get through to her, somehow, but she was proving to be difficult to deal with.

"Well, I know there is something in this room that you found. I would greatly prefer that you could trust me enough to relay this information, as it could help all of us in here. However, if you do not wish to, then I may not have any choice but to attempt to discover it myself, which would waste our time. So, please Toko, would you share your knowledge with me, and save us both the trouble?"

Toko looked at me, pure disgust on her face. "Wh-what? I d-didn't find a way out, if that's w-what you're after. As for Kyoko and that masked w-weirdo, they keep talking about working together, but we all kn-know someone may betray us. Who's to s-say it won't b-b-be you? No, if you want to know so bad, f-f-f-figure it out yourself, and l-l-leave me alone!"

Toko then sat back down and resumed reading her book, to my complete dismay. I was truly hoping I could get more cooperation out of Toko, but it seemed that was not going to happen.

 Leaving me no choice, I started looking around the library. I started by looking under the table. Toko shot a remark at me about not being perverted under the table, but I naturally had no inclination of the sort. I found nothing underneath the table, nor any of the chairs surrounding it.

I then turned my attention towards the bookshelves. Books of all different heights, thicknesses, and even colors lined the shelves. Titles of every genre imaginable, fiction and nonfiction alike, covered the shelves in organized sections. Most of them were in English, though there were a few titles in other languages as well.

As I approached the "Foreign Languages" sections, along the right side of the room, I noticed Toko start to tense up slightly. Figuring I had to be close, I started paying closer attention.

One particular book caught my eye. It was a black book with gold letters. "Sora no Heya", or "The Empty Room". It looked like it had been disturbed more recently than the others. Intrigued, I grabbed the book and tried to pull it out.

To my surprise, it only came halfway out, then snapped back into place. The entire bookcase then started scooting backwards a bit, then slid into the wall on the right side.

As I stared into the dark hallway that stood before, a growling voice came from behind me, sounding low to the floor. An all-to-familiar voice, and the last one I wanted to hear at this particular moment. A feeling of pure dread flowed through me.

"What...did...you...just do?"