Chapter 4: Burning Questions with No Answer Part 7

Who did I want to hang with next?

. . .

After thinking for a short while, I decided to go over to the random duo of people, mainly to focus on Joseph.

"Hey, do you guys mind if I eat here?" I asked, prompting both Joseph and Akira to turn to me and give a smile, giving me different variations of a yes. I felt welcomed, and sat down next to Joseph as they continued talking.

"My point is, humans would probably taste better if they were completely vegan, like pigs or chickens." Akira finished some kind of statement, catching me by surprise. Thankfully, they moved away from that subject immediately after.

"That reminds me, how do you think all of the food we have available is provided for us?" Joseph asked, pointing back to the row of food options. Akira and I responded with a shrug.

"I never really thought to question it." I said, starting to eat my mysterious food.

"Well, I'm only asking because it brings up two possibilities that I think are interesting." Joseph started, beginning to show his intellect, "Either whoever is behind this is an incredible cook… Or they have some helpers."

"Helpers? You're trying to say that they could have other people helping run this crazy game?!" Akira proclaimed, her jaw dropping. Joseph nodded in response, resting his head in his arms as he continued,

"I'm fully convinced that the latter is what's going on here. How else would they be able to manage and control an entire prison like this?" He asked, sounding genuinely curious about this prison's placement in this situation.

"That's a good point. There's also the big question of who would be willing to follow this sick, twisted game?" I asked, glancing at the Loudspeaker, "It's not like there's a ton of crazy people in the area that just so happen to be chefs."

"You have a point. There's really no easy way to explain this game." Joseph said, leaning back in his chair, "Just trying to apply some of my smarts to this."

"You have a specialty in crazy murderers?" Akira asked, half mockingly, half scared.

"Well, my study group has multiple sections that we study for each month, and we always have the best time on the parts about historical serial killers." Joseph explained, "Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahlmer, that one guy who killed with scissors. We studied those the best since it was actually interesting for the kids and people I studied with."

"Well, maybe it'll come in handy at figuring out this psycho." I said, catching onto his skills.

"I mean, most serial killers have a group, or cult that follow them blindly without care, which is why I assume the same for this situation. However, to be fair, this is a must different scenario compared to Ted Bundy."

"It's the closest bet we've got, so it's a good start." Akira said, leaning back in her chair, almost falling a couple of times. "How big's that study group you keep mentioning anyways?"

"Ah well, it varies on the months, and who I get assigned to. Schools take me all over the place and to different grades, so I could be teaching fifteen kids in middle school one month, and fifty kids in high school the next. It's stressful, but I get to meet all kinds of people." Joseph explained, ending with a trademark awkward laugh,

"How long have you been doing this?" I asked.

"Ever since I started high school. The school was notified of my study talents, and created a club for me to help lacking students to be better. Around my Junior year though, they took me out of high school entirely, and started moving me around grades and states." He continued to explain.

"Then you got recognized by Hope's Peak?" I prompted, to which Joseph again nodded.

"Though as a lot of you are too, I can't remember anything past my talent registration." Joseph finished, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, it's nice to know that you have plenty of historical experience. Might come in handy later." I reaffirmed, patting him on the back. "Why don't you tell us about some of your favorite topics to talk about. I have a few fuzzy spots in terms of history, so it'll be good to re-learn."

"Oh yeah, I'm kinda dumb in that field, so it would be great to learn too!" Akira backed me up, which made Joseph form a warm smile, before straightening up and taking a breath in.

For the rest of the afternoon, leading up to dinner, we re-learned history in a much more fun way with Joseph. He made every important event seem like a climactic movie, and took time to explain finer details for more interesting topics. Akira and I both stared in awe at his memory, and his teaching skills, as we learned and took in all of it.

By the time we had reached the current year, Joseph was tired out from teaching, and Akira and I were tired out from learning. Luckily, we were just in time, as it was around dinner time. We grabbed ourselves dinner and watched everyone else slowly make their way in. Once we had all arrived and sat down, we started to speak.

"So, what's the game plan Lass?" Jambo asked, looking at Mia for her guidance.

"Well, Ikana and I have been discussing the possibilities, and we have landed on one of them." She explained, leaving us in anticipation.

"Well? What is it?" Poppy asked, anxious and inpatient.

"We have decided that we are going to share our motives tomorrow morning." Liam started, catching everyone by surprise with his statement, "We are allowing everyone here to view their motive video, however we insist that if you do view the contents, you will be willing to share it tomorrow."

"Why would we do that?!" Akira announced, sounding flabbergasted by the idea.

"The reasoning I came up with is the fact that if we all know each other's motives, then we don't have to worry about someone snapping, since we can help each other stay calm and collected." Mia explained, "If you can remember, the last murder happened because the one behind it was alone and couldn't tell anyone what he had done. We are trying to break that possibility here."

"That would make me feel more safe, knowing that everyone is here to help in a similar situation." Urkstin said, "I like the plan!"

"I like it too, good job Hunnie." Risa added in, "My own question is where are we going to share these?"

"We could try the showers," Joseph chimed in, "There aren't any cameras there, I checked earlier. It would be the perfect place for us."

"Top job lad. We'll meet at the showers then. Do you have a time set?" Jambo complimented, before questioning Mia.

"8:30 AM. We eat breakfast, then head over to the showers then. Afterwards, we move on with our days." Mia explained the plan, and we all nodded in agreement. Although, that feeling of dread and uneasiness was still lingering in the air. I couldn't tell why even then, but the feeling was even worse now.

"Will that be all?" Liam asked, looking around. After a few rotations, he nodded, and stood up. "We should get ourselves some recreational rest then."

"Ya got a point, I'm pooped." Poppy said, stretching, before exiting alongside most everyone else. Mia and I were left last, both for the same reason apparently.

"You have something to ask Nishinzu?" She said, her legs crossed, drinking something.

"Yeah, I do." I started, trying to stay confident and in control, "You and Liam already looked at your videos didn't you?"

"..." She didn't respond to me, but her eyes opened and stared at me, drinking more.

"You could've just told us what was on them instead of making us watch them out of curiosity." I said, leaning forward and looking her dead in the eyes. She set down her glass and sighed.

"Ikana and I had different things on our videos, which is exactly what the person on the speakers said. If we told everyone what was on ours, that wouldn't change their curiosity." She explained, standing up and throwing out her food, "Honestly, it would have fueled them more to watch their own. So, instead, we are letting them look for themselves and learn there and then. Just as the speakers said, learn for yourself Nishinzu."