"Let's get started now, shall we? I've grown impatient and I simply can't BEAR waiting another moment for our first class trial to begin!" Monokuma's voice announced from seemingly everywhere. "Please proceed through the new red door located on the south side of the lodge! See you soon! Puhuhuhu!"

Ruji and I nervously looked at one another, panic filling our very beings. We barely had any time to even investigate. This was not enough information to go off of! We were screwed!

"Oh no," Ruji whispered as his breathing began to quicken. He placed a hand on his chest and heaved faster and faster. Sweat formed on his forehead as he gasped and sputtered for air. I had seen panic attacks before, but not this closely.

"Ruji, listen," I said, grasping both of his shoulders and holding eye contact. "Rantaro went off on his own. He probably found his own clues. Besides, you and I saw the knife on Daiki's bed. Maybe that's all we need to know."

"But what if it's not?!" he cried, his voice trembling just as much as he was. "We can't afford to get this wrong. I deal with the dead too much, if I cross over to the other side, they'll probably tear me apart. I'm not exactly their favorite person. Ghosts love to hold grudges, it's their whole thing-"

"That won't happen," I promised, though I wasn't sure if it was something I actually could promise him. Lying didn't matter at the moment, though. All that mattered was calming him down. It was impossible to think rationally in a state of panic. Besides, if I could somehow manage to calm him down, then maybe, just maybe, I could calm myself down too.

I took a few deep breaths. His eyes were glassy and wet. He reminded me of a baby hampster. Fragile and scared.

"Sometimes, we have to be strong, Ruji," I told him, fighting to keep a steady voice. 

He slowly nodded, then leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me. I could feel his shoulders shake. He was much taller than me, but ever since I met him he had felt so small. I wished I could just take all his fear and hold it in myself so he didn't have to be so afraid. 

My emotions were such a mess. Just a few minutes ago I hated him for investigating Tora's drawers, and now I wanted to protect him. Grief really can drive people mad.

"I want my brother," he whimpered again. 

"And your dog. I know. And you'll see them again soon, I promise," I said as I gently pushed him away and wiped his tears with the back of my index finger. "Now... let's go to the lodge and solve this murder."

I turned and gently grasped his wrist while leading the way back. My heart was racing, but Tora's words kept me grounded.

Sometimes, we have to be strong.

Sometimes, we have to be strong.

By the time we arrived at the lodge, everyone was there waiting. Yuuki's handcuffs were gone, though he was still standing next to Sora. A lot of people were confused as to what happened. When they heard the body discovery announcement, most were too scared to even go looking. 

We stepped through the red door, into what looked to be a large steel box. Ruji stood close behind me as I gravitated toward the front. I took a brief look around at where everyone had placed themselves. Yuuki was standing in the dead center. Maikeru was off in the left corner, glancing at the buttons. They were all dark. Saikoro stood by my left side, opposite Ruji.

"This should be quite the show," the gameshow host whispered to me while softly nudging his elbow into my side. "Right, Dreams?"

"Eheh, right..." I muttered. His bright and warm smile filled me with a sense of discomfort. There was nothing to be smiling about...

I looked behind myself to see Daiki all the way in the back corner with his back pressed to the wall. He was looking right at me, though it almost seemed like he was looking through me. His eyes were wide and observant, as they always were.

What did you do...? I found myself silently asking him.

He didn't answer. Not that I thought he would. He wasn't the ultimate mind-reader.

Although, a small part of me felt like he could hear.

I could just barely see Kichiro standing behind Yuuki, but Yuuki was much larger so I didn't get a good glance at him. Ahmya and Bashira were off to the side, but fairly close to the front. Nori was just behind them and Brittany was next to her, staring at the ceiling absently. Sora and Keiko were together now, quietly chattering with one another. They were just in front of Yuuki, slightly off to the right. Seiko was in front of them.

Then there was Rantaro. He was back in the opposite corner as Daiki, observing as well. I only wished I could tell what was on his mind...

The room began to shake slightly as we all started moving down. It was like we were in a big elevator. I almost expected to hear Twilight Zone music. This vaguely reminded me of The Tower of Terror. Not that I've ever been on the ride, but my parents have. They used to tell me about it and talk about how someday we were going to visit every Disney Park in the world.

I'm not so sure if I'll ever get to ride it now...

A few moments later, there was a loud dinging noise, and the doors opened, revealing what I could only guess was our trial room. There were sixteen spots, all lined up in a circle. Our names were on each of them, so we all knew exactly where to go.

Monokuma sat atop his own throne, which seemed to overlook the entire room. There were red curtains around the outside and blue carpeting. This looked much different than the whole woodsy vibe the rest of the outdoor program seemed to have going on. 

"Step in, step in! Find your spots, everyone, so we can let the trial begin!" Monokuma sang. "Hurry up now! Spit-spot!"

We each ran to our spots. The circular design made it so everyone could see everyone else. There was no place to hide. We were each totally and completely exposed. 

The air grew heavy as we each took our place. Located on my right side was Maikeru. On my left side was Sora. Next to Sora was Brittany, then Saikoro, Bashira, Yuuki, Keiko, Ruji, Ahmya, Kichiro, Nori, Daiki, Seiko, and Rantaro.

Between Rantaro and Maikeru was a large photo of Tora. Over her face was a large X, written in what looked to be blood. I shuttered at the sight and placed a hand over my mouth, feeling sick all over again.

"Why... why is that here?" I asked quietly, trying to prevent my voice from shaking.

Sometimes, we need to be strong, Suki. Be strong, Suki.

"Just because she's deceased doesn't mean we should exclude her! That's bullying, Suki, and bullying is bad. Alright! Let's all rise as I give a basic explanation of how these little class trials will work!" Monokuma giggled.

"You mean THIS class trial," Yuuki corrected. "This is the only one we're going to have."

I know he was trying to say we weren't going to keep killing each other, but the way he said it almost made it sound like he was implying that the murderer would win...

Monokuma seemed to shoot him a dirty look then continued. 

"Your votes will determine the results! If you can figure out who dunnit, then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, then everyone besides the blackened will be punished! Puhuhuhu~!"

"And what if we just don't vote?" Maikeru asked, crossing his arms and letting out a strained breath, as if annoyed. He didn't seem afraid in the slightest. Just ticked off.

"You must vote for someone," Monokuma stated. "Otherwise, punishment will await you! Everyone needs to vote!"

"How do we know the killer is one of us?" Sora questioned while raising his hand like an oblivious schoolboy. "I mean... what if it was you?"

"Oh, trust me when I say it was one of you," Monokuma giggled while raising his right hand. (Paw? Bear claw thing...?) "Bear's honor. Now, enough with this! Let the class trial officially.... begin!"

Sometimes, we need to be strong.

Be strong, Suki.

"Hey," Ruji whispered. I looked across the room at him. His eyes were wide, but he no longer looked afraid. Or maybe he did, but he looked far less afraid than I felt. "We got this."

I gave him a small smile, then nodded.

If he could find it within him to be brave, then maybe I could too. 

After all, I was in a room filled with ultimates. Yes, one of those ultimates committed this murder, but that was one against fourteen. We had them outnumbered. The odds were in our favor.

"Stay strong," I whispered, mostly to myself. 

This wasn't just about me now. This wasn't just about finding Tora's killer. Everyone's lives were on the line. I owed it to Tora to find out who did this. I owed it to everyone to make sure we made it past this trial.

We were going to find this killer.

"I got it!" Brittany exclaimed, frantically raising her hand and waving it. "I know what went down! The one who got killed was none other than Sora, the ultimate golfer!"

"Um, I'm Sora," Sora muttered, scratching the back of his head and looking away. "And we already know who died, Brittany..."

"Oh, wait really?" Brittany asked, cocking her head to the side at the pilot. "Oh. Oops."

"Enough of this useless chatting. The murder took place in the room Suki and Tora shared. Suki is the only one who had a key to that room, so she clearly did it," Maikeru explained calmly, picking at his fingernails.

Everyone's eyes turned to me. I felt my heartbeat accelerate.

They were pointing the finger at me?!

"Wait, but I-"

"Let's take a deep breath and discuss all the evidence before we go making any rash decisions," Rantaro breathed.

"Why?" Maikeru asked, his gaze like icy daggers. "That's all the evidence we need. She showed up, used the door, killed her roommate, then left."

"Wait, n-no, that's wrong," Ruji exclaimed, raising his voice slightly. Everyone's gaze turned to him, and I could see his face pale slightly from all the sudden attention.

He nervously swallowed, then looked away and started fidgeting with the straps on his sleeves.

"The window was broken," he muttered. "I... we saw it. If Suki did it, why would the window be broken? And another thing, I was with Suki during the time of the murder. According to the Monokuma File, Tora was killed at 9:42 AM. That's when we were having breakfast. Sora and Yuuki can confirm. They were there."

"It's true," Yuuki said with a determined grin. "I saw you guys. So I think the four of us are in the clear."

Maikeru rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, turning his gaze away, clearly embarrassed about being proven wrong so quickly. I didn't blame him for accusing me, though. I mean, if I was in his position, I'd probably accuse me too.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Then who else could it be?"

I put a hand over my mouth and started thinking. I didn't know if it was wise to call out Daiki yet or not. After all, I didn't want to make the mistake of accusing someone too quickly like Maikeru just did. I didn't want to risk losing everyone else's trust-

"It was Rantaro," Kichiro stated.

I frowned and shook my head.

"Sorry, what?"

"It was Rantaro," Kichiro repeated with a laugh. "Check his pockets. He has one of the knives. And where was our ultimate adventurer this morning? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't where Saikoro said he'd be, was it?"

Kichiro looked Ruji dead in the eyes as he spoke. I could practically feel the ultimate ghostbuster's discomfort from across the room.

"Well... w-we shouldn't make any rash decisions yet-" Ruji stuttered.

"Oh? Why not? Do you liiiiike him, Ruji?" Kichiro teased.

"What?! No! I... I mean, he looks alright, but I'm not- it's not- how is this relevant to the case?!" Ruji gasped, his face turning a light rose color. "I mean... how did you know that Saikoro told me he'd be at the training center? And how do you know he has one of the knives?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Maikeru's dagger-like gaze narrow as he shook his head at Ruji's response to Kichiro's comment. He wore a look of disgust which made me want to smack him and tell him to give his roommate a break. Could he just quit judging him for just five seconds?

"I just do," Kichiro shrugged with a mischievous grin as he turned his attention to Rantaro. "You DO have the knife, correct?"

Rantaro shrugged, then pulled one of the bloody knives from the scene out of one of the loops on his belt. 

"See everyone? Proof is right there-"

"It's your blood," Rantaro interrupted.

Kichiro froze for a moment.

Then, he laughed again.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" the ultimate unlucky student asked.

"It's your blood," Rantaro stated. "The monopad offers information on all of us. I went to Seiko to get the blood tested to see if there were any matches. She can confirm. It's your blood. And I bet you have the cuts on your legs to go with it."

My eyes widened slightly.

Kichiro was Daiki's roommate.

"THAT'S why the knife was on Daiki's bed!" I exclaimed.

"Hold up, what?!" Bashira exclaimed.

"The knife! After Ruji and I were done looking over the scene, we briefly checked all the other cabins. Everything looked normal... except there was a bloody knife on Daiki's bed. I didn't want to say anything yet because I didn't want to jump to conclusions... but..."

Daiki seemed to frown, then turned his face to Kichiro.

"Wow. You've ruined the surprise! That was supposed to be a gift to my favorite spy-boy!" he huffed with a childish pout. "So lame, so lame."

"Why would you leave the knife on his bed, if not to try and frame him?" Nori asked while crossing her arms. "That's suspicious-"

"It wasn't him, though," Rantaro stated.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"It wasn't him," Rantaro said, turning to look at me. 

There was no humor in his expression. He wasn't making a joke. He was being serious. 

"Awww, and now you're sticking up for me," Kichiro gushed. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world-"

"Hold up, you're not off the hook just yet," Yuuki stated, holding his hand up and turning his attention to Rantaro. "Explanation, please?"

Rantaro had told Ruji and me that a body discovery announcement can't be triggered until three people other than the killer discover it. 

"The third person..." I whispered under my breath.

He was looking for that third person. That's why he left!

"It was you," I breathed, looking up and grinning, not because I was happy, but because I was proud of myself for figuring it out. "You were the first person to discover her body!"

It made sense. His talent was bad luck. He was the unlucky person to find out what happened.

"You discovered her body... then you must have set off the traps because of your bad luck!" I explained excitedly, remembering how the weapons reacted to him back at the training center earlier. "So you broke the window from the inside to escape! Kichiro, can we see your hands?"

"Aw, but where's the fun in that?" Kichiro asked. "Are you suuuure I'm innocent? I very easily could have-"

"It wasn't you. If it was, then who else discovered the body? Is anyone else willing to confess that they discovered the body?" Ruji asked.

No one in the room raised their hand.

"You're the only person who would ever discover a body and NOT tell anyone," I explained.

"Okay, wow. Rude much?" Kichiro huffed.

"Oh, don't pretend it isn't true," Seiko huffed, crossing her arms. "Rantaro and I identified your blood. We know it was you. You're not being accused of murder or anything, so quit being so difficult. This is actually important. It's not just some kind of game."

"Oh, but it is a game," Kichiro replied, turning his gaze to Monokuma. "That's exactly what all of this is, right? Just some silly game. Games are supposed to be fun, yes? So why aren't any of you having fun with this?"

"Because our lives are on the line!" Keiko cried. "Can you just... explain what you found."

"Hmmm... nah. I don't want to give you any hope. That's exactly what he wants, right?" Kichiro laughed. "For us to cling onto hope in order to combat despair, right? Because what's more entertaining than a battle between two opposites? I think maybe... just maybe... we should let despair win for once. Mix things up!"

I shook my head. Why couldn't he see that this was serious?

"Despair has already won," I breathed. "It won the second Tora was killed. But... sometimes we have to be strong. We have to be strong now and keep fighting."

"Or we can give up," Kichiro yawned while stretching his arms. "Say, I'm a little tired. Why don't we all just vote randomly and take a biiiiig nap together?"

As he stretched his arms, I could see the cuts lining his knuckles from where he must have punched in the glass window. A part of me felt sorry for him, but I didn't feel too bad on account of how he was acting in the face of death. I understood that people coped in all kinds of ways, but this was a little much.

Daiki seemed to roll his eyes, then held up a small slip of paper between his gloved fingers. 

Kichiro looked up at him, then paled slightly.

"Wait, how did you get-"

"What's that?" Rantaro asked.

Daiki shrugged, then passed the small slip of paper to Seiko, who passed it to Rantaro. The ultimate adventurer quickly unfolded it, then read.

He stilled, then re-folded the paper and asked Maikeru to pass it to me. The ultimate security guard seemed tempted to read it but did as Rantaro said and handed me the paper.

Inside it was sloppy handwriting. It was clearly rushed, but the message was clear as day.

Today at nine O'Clock I will be waiting outside your door. We need to talk about your daydreamer friend. Don't be late.

It wasn't signed.

"Daiki... how did you get this?" I muttered, looking up at the ultimate spy.

He nodded at Kichiro.

The ultimate unlucky student shrugged casually. "Found it with Tora," he stated. 

"So... the killer must have given her this note earlier... then when she met with them, maybe they got in a fight!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Interesting..." Saikoro trailed off. "But that doesn't exactly tell us who did it..."

"No, but it does explain what happened..." Rantaro breathed. "I think... the killer was going to hurt Suki. Then, Tora got defensive and fought back in hopes of preventing that from happening. The fight must have led into the room, where the traps Tora and Suki set were used against her, hence the cut across Tora's throat. Then, the killer fled, leaving the murder weapon behind and the door open. Later, Kichiro showed up, closing the door behind him. He took the murder weapon and accidentally set off the traps. Desperate to escape, he broke the window from the inside and ran off, taking the knives that had stabbed his legs out and dropping them on the ground before fleeing through the forest and back to his cabin to rid himself of the bloody trail. Then, he set the knife on Daiki's pillow and left to do something. I don't know what, but maybe-"

"He came to me," Brittany said, raising her hand and waving it excitedly. "I remember now! Not long before this trial, he came to me and told me he tripped on some sticks! So, I helped patch up his leg using a spare shirt. It's not super effective, but I think it works just fine!"

Spare outfits...

"Brittany, how many outfits do you have now?" I asked.

"Um, two extras now that one of mine is being used as an artificial bandage," the blue-haired girl said proudly, placing her hands on her hips as if she were just happy to be part of the conversation.

Tora only had two spare outfits left. And there were parts of one caught in the beartrap when we arrived. Yet the outfit she was wearing was all in one piece. Kichiro didn't seem to be hurt by the beartraps either, otherwise, there'd be some of his clothes caught in it as well. 

"There was a girl's school uniform partially caught in one of the beartraps set inside Suki's cabin," Ruji explained, seeming to follow my train of thought. "But it was only part of an outfit."

"There were also crossbow arrows in the walls," I pointed out. "But... no crossbow. And Tora and I for sure didn't bring back a crossbow. She wasn't covered in any wounds from arrows either. So... I think someone tried to attack her with a crossbow but missed. A lot. Then they used one of the knives from our traps."

"Agh, this is making my brain hurt," Brittany complained, grasping her head.

"Same," Nori huffed. "I mean... this doesn't even make sense anymore! Why would one of her outfits just disappear? It sounds like you're making stuff up now."

I suddenly looked up at Nori. 

I hadn't said anything about her outfit disappearing. Not out loud, at least.

"Wait... how did you know one of her outfits disappeared?"

The ultimate DJ shrugged.

"Um, it's what we were talking about, right?" she stated sarcastically. "You were talking about how her outfit got caught in one of the traps and-"

"Yeah, but we didn't tell you that one of her outfits was missing," Ruji said, his eyes widening.

For the first time, I noticed that the outfit Nori always wore matched the outfit Tora would wear almost exactly.

"Oh. Well, I guess I got a little confused," Nori shrugged.

I could hear the tension in her voice though.

"You were training earlier," I whispered. "With the crossbows. At the training center. I saw you!"

"What are you implying-"

"I remember! Your aim was TERRIBLE!" Kichiro laughed. 

"I-"

"It was you!" I exclaimed, half excited and half horrified. "You did this! You sent her that note! You tried to kill her using a crossbow, but couldn't do it, so you used one of our knives, then fled the scene! But not before getting part of your uniform caught in the beartrap! So, to avoid looking suspicious, you took one of her spare uniforms and changed into it! You're both the same size, you wear the same thing, it all makes sense!"

"Oh please, you're accusing me?!" Nori exclaimed, seeming much more panicked now. "Why would I do this?!"

For that wish. 

And the note...

"You wanted to kill me," I breathed. "You wanted to kill me so you could get that wish. You were going to approach Tora about it to get her on your side. But she turned on you and you decided to kill her to prevent her from talking about your plan. But why... why would you go to her?"

The ultimate DJ shook her head as her body started to tremble from the pressure. "You... you're talking crazy! Guys, it's not me! Let's not forget that Kichiro literally had his blood at the scene! And Daiki! Daiki's got suspicious written all over him! And... and..."

She shook her head, then covered her face. With each word she spoke, she lost more and more of her grasp on the situation.

"It's not... I didn't..." she whimpered between sobs which had slowly started to form. "I... didn't want... I didn't know..."

I shook my head, unsure of what to feel. On the one hand, I was furious. She killed Tora. She killed my closest friend in this place.

On the other hand... I almost felt pity for her. 

"Sometimes, we have to be strong, Nori," I whispered.

She shook her head, then started crying harder. 

"I wanted to get us all out," she whimpered. "I... nothing was happening. So... I came to her. I was going to tell her that we should work together to kill you, Suki... because... I don't know, out of everyone here... the ultimate daydreamer seemed.... seemed... I don't know, like the easiest option. But she said no and I got scared... I was going to wish to set us all free. I was going to save us all. I didn't know the trials would be run like this. I didn't know everyone would die. I... I didn't want any of this! I promise! I just wanted to go home. I wanted to be with my people again, making music. That's all I ever wanted!"

"Aaaand, that's enough of this little sob fest! It looks like you've reached your verdict! Now, are we ready to cast our votes?!" Monokuma chimed.

"NO!" Nori shouted. Every inch of her was trembling. "Please, no! G-Give me a chance to explain more! Please! It can't end like this! I can't... I just want to go home! Please, let me go home!"

"You each have a lever in front of you! Use it to select who you vote for! Remember, anyone who doesn't vote will be punished! Puhuhuhu!" the demonic bear laughed.

I looked down at the lever before me. Each student's name was listed.

"Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice? Or the dreadfully wrong one?"

I found myself nervously swallowing as I voted for Nori Ishioka, the ultimate DJ.

After a few moments, we all looked up at a large screen. The votes were counted. 

We had chosen Nori.

It was done.

"Coooooorrect!" Monokuma beamed. "The person who killed the lovely Tora Aikawa was none other than NORI ISHIOKA!"

Nori shook her head. She was staring forward absently. All the fear had seemed to melt away from her, leaving a completely empty shell.

Everyone looked at the Ultimate DJ with different expressions. Maikeru looked furious. Ahmya was ticked. Yuuki was disappointed. Bashira looked annoyed. Sora was shocked. Ruji, terrified. 

Me? I didn't even know what I looked like. Probably heartbroken, if anything. 

"Sometimes, we have to be strong," I whispered under my breath. "Sometimes, we have to be strong."

I wish those words could keep giving me strength. But I didn't feel strong anymore.

I felt tired.

"Well, now that this lovely first trial is all wrapped up, it's time for the lovely Nori Ishioka to receive her punishment!"

Nori simply stayed silent, staring forward absently.

She had accepted her fate now. I could see it in her eyes. She wasn't going to run. She wasn't going to argue.

She was going to die.

And we were going to have to watch.

Looks like she just got unlucky...

Yeah. Unlucky...

She wasn't the one to blame. Yes, she did an awful, terrible thing, but this wasn't her fault. Tora's blood wasn't on her hands. It was Monokuma's fault. All of this was Monokuma's fault. This feeling deep within me... this despair... it was all because of him!

"Now, then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Nori Ishioka, the ultimate DJ!" Monokuma sang. "Let's give it everything we've got! It's... PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

Before any of us could even move, a silver chain seemed to appear from nowhere, wrapping around Nori's neck. She looked up at me, giving me one last helpless glance.

I felt my eyes grow teary.

"Sometimes, we have to stay strong," I whispered, more so to myself than her. 

Still, she nodded as she was dragged away into a large glass box, where we could all watch. There was a small light over it that began to flash, telling us that the execution had started. Next to the light were the words, "BATTLE RECORD."

Inside, Nori had been surrounded by what looked to be dozens of CDs, each spinning quickly. They quickly flew past her, cutting her skin one after another. They kept cutting and cutting as she winced and covered her head. More and more flew until thousands were upon her, and we no longer could see.

We could hear her, though. Her cries of agony. The terrified silence she was displaying before was gone and replaced with complete and utter fear until it was done and she was lying on the ground, cut into thousands of small pieces as the last record flew past us, streaked with blood.

I covered my mouth, absolutely horrified.

I felt sick all over again.

It's one thing finding a body... but watching life leave someone was a whole other kind of messed up experience. Just a few short moments ago, Nori was alive. And now, she was gone. It had happened so quickly.

Yet her cries, her screams of anguish would haunt me for the rest of my life. 

Everyone was silent except for Monokuma, who was clapping and shouting. We couldn't speak, we couldn't move.

This... this was true horror. This was true despair.

None of us were strong enough to combat it. It didn't matter what I told myself, I couldn't be strong anymore. Not after this. 

This was all so horrible. 

Why was this happening to us?!

. . .

We all were released back to our cabins. The walk was cold and lonely.

The lonely feeling only grew when I returned to the place Tora and I once shared, and her body was gone. Everything had been cleaned up. The arrows, the traps we made together, the blood... it was all gone. Even her bed had vanished. It was like she was never even there.

I sat down on my singular bed and rested my hands on my lap.

"Sometimes we have to be strong," I whispered to myself. "Please, Suki, just be strong... just be strong."

I kept chanting that phrase over and over as memories of Tora and I working on our traps together resurfaced. I thought of all the times she spoke of her aunt and cousins, and could only hope that now they were playing golf together somewhere on the other side. The thought didn't bring me comfort like I thought it would, though. I just wanted her back. I wanted my best friend back. The best friend who refused to help kill me. The best friend who lost her life protecting me.

I couldn't die now. I had to survive this. I owed it to Tora. I owed it to her family. I owed it to everything she stood for.

Sometimes, we have to be strong, Suki.

Sometimes, we have to be-

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking on my door. 

I shook my head, then carefully stood up and opened it, expecting to see Ruji or something. I wouldn't say we were close, but with Tora gone, he was the closest thing to a friend I had left.

I didn't see him, though. Instead, I saw Daiki, standing alone.

There were five more minutes until curfew, so I was confused as to what he was doing alone outside my cabin...

He seemed to let out a sigh, then he looked into my eyes. I could sense no fear. 

No... there was something else.

"Sometimes..." he whispered. "We have to be strong."

My breath hitched.

His voice was soft, like Ruji's but more stable. It was gentle and kind. Far different than I would have expected from the ultimate spy.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would form. 

He held up his hand as if telling me to wait. His gaze seemed to soften slightly.

"But... sometimes, it's okay to be weak, Suki."

He held his arms out.

Tears prickled in the corners of my eyes and I immediately broke down. I leaned forward and hugged him tightly, allowing myself to cry, and I mean truly cry. Not like before when I discovered her body. Back then, I was still trying to stay strong.

Now, I was letting myself be weak.