Hiyoko watched as the weird... cat thing laughed as Roxy bowed continuously, effectively playing onto its already existent ego... Now sure, she was a HUGE fan of cats, but this one just seemed to already cross her line. What was that weird breed that might have came from an accident's purpose in the first place? What role did she even have in her kidnapping and that of the other dummies? And most importantly... What is that feline even going to do with her..?

"Yep. We are MOST DEFINITELY fucked..." Evelyn shrugged.

"So wait.." Haru asked. "Uhm... Monokitty? Monodog mentioned we were playing some sort of game? Is it-a game show?"

"Ohohoho! Does my eyes deceive me or did I receive the little sister of the infamous Riku Sato himself?!" Monokitty asked excitedly as Haru's eyes widened upon hearing that specific part... "Wait, do... DO YOU KNOW WHERE MY BROTHER IS?!"

"Of coooouuuurse! ... Approximately 60 feet underground, just like your parents, HA!" Monokitty went back to laughing maniacally.

"Dude! Not cool!" Aaron scoffed.

"Neither is that act you desperately put on to hide the shame of your nonexistent sex life!" Monokitty laughed harder as Aaron tried to say something back, yet couldn't do much about it...

"... Are you done yet?" Milo asked sternly as
Monokitty put a paw up. "HOLD ON, HOLD ON!! I GOT ONE MORE IN ME!! Hey! Baldi's Basics! Just because you like slapping your own stick doesn't mean I want to!"

Everyone in the room stared on in confusion, or lack of laughter. The sounds of crickets being the literal only ambience...

Monokitty went blank. "Damn, NOTHIN'?! I thought my jokes were PURRfect!"

"This ISN'T any sort of comedy club, you big ash cloud!" Hiyoko yelled at her. "There's more important matters that we gotta know! Like our whole purpose of being drugged into two years of nonexistence and then waking up here?!"

"Meh, not like your opinion matters in the end... You're too small to even make ANY point!" Monokitty mocked, angering Hiyoko. "Besides, we're gettin' behind schedule here! Firstly, no this is NOT a Game Show. Well... I mean, technically it could be? In some Alternate Universe... which oddly gives me some deja-vu in saying that last part... but alas, it won't happen here! The game I have in plan, however... it's one of my all-time favorites!"

"Is it Monopoly? Uno?" Roxy asked. "You seem devious enough to love games that tear families
apart!"

".....No, were not playing those." Monokitty said with a resting bitch face. "Though, they are some of my favorites! So... I'll give you a pass there."

"Just spit it out!" Hiyoko angrily shouted. "We're getting tired AND impatient!"

"A-A Killing Game.." Monodog muttered, as
Monokitty angrily stared at Monodog. "..Who in the unholy- REALLY?! Stealing my thunder like that?!"
"GYAH! I-IM SORRY MONOKITTY I JUST-" Monodog shouted in a panic, as Neku spoke up.
"What... d-do you mean by killing?!"

"...What else would I mean?" Monokitty stared back dumbfounded.

"So-" Ayumu asked with a pale face. "You're saying were gonna... k-kill each other..?!"

"Kill each other?!" Nick shouted in shock.

"Bingo! Someone got the damn picture." Monokitty muttered as everyone in the room looked visibly afraid or disgusted by the circumstances.

'W-We'd have to... k-kill each other?!' Hiyoko thought to herself, her paranoia from before now worsening harshly... Now things just got real serious... She looked around at the others with shivers going out throughout her body... She thought she couldn't trust any of those losers when she first arrived on the island, especially with either how clinically insane, increasingly pathetic, or just plain dumb they were... but now in this kill or be killed situation... She now has a huge dilemma in her hands...

"... Who the fuck spiked my mimosas?!" Evelyn asked confused. "Either theyve been spiked, or I heard that cat confirm we're forced to commit murder!"

"De acuerdo. Contéstame esto, Demon Cat." Dora said.

"I'm sorry... what?" Evelyn looked at Dora in confusion, as she merely rolled her eyes and sighed in defeat...

"Okay... answer me this, Demon Cat... Where is my Familia? Did the Cartel use you as a means to rid of me?!"

"Cartel? I don't think I know anyone of that nature actually." Monokitty spoke in a confused tone, making at least slightly reassured.

"... I question what ties you potentially have to outside criminals." Dennis stared down Dora, as Ryu spoke up. "Hey. Whatever backgrounds we have, or whatever?! We quite literally are being told to MURDER. That's obviously illegal, and you should know that!"

"Yes! It is illegal, thank you, Sherlock Obvious! However, once again... Nobody's coming to save you guys! Sooo... allow me to explain the rules before we get anymore sidetracked and I miss my goddamn soap operas." Monokitty grunted. "Rules are simple. Bludgeon, burn, poison, electrocute, stab, dismember, smash, strangle, suffocate, drown, bury someone alive... OVERHEATING THE WARER IN THE FRICKIN SAUNA! Whatever ends the life of one of your fellow islanders? Yep! You win!"

"Hold up a minute... There's a catch, isn't there?" Madison asked directly, as everyone gasped in shock. "Why in the actual HELL are you asking that?!" Hiyoko shouted in anger with an additional worried tone from her voice. "Did you drop your glass head from a bridge while I wasn't paying attention earlier?!"

"Ms. Saionji, it's not that I'm not disgusted as is with this little game, but something tells me our kidnapper knows more than their letting on." Madison narrowed her eyebrow at her, and then at Monokitty, as the latter was seen nervously sweating.

"Ahah... More than I'm-" Monokitty stuttered, as Monodog spoke, interrupting the cat. "Y-You are right actually, Ms. Grace... There... is a catch unfortunately. You... w-will have to kill someone and manage to get away with it."

"...Because im possibly missing my Soap Operas, I will let this one pass Monodog." Monokitty angrily grumbled. "But yes! All you gotta do is kill, but you also have to get away with your crime! How you get away with it? We'll explain once someone murders!"

'This cant be real." Haru shakily spoke. "I- I dont wanna die.."

"We have loved ones back home waiting for us!" Kai shouted. "If you think that-"

"Im gonna stop you there." Monokitty smirked evily.
"Your loved ones? Theyre well within my care, and are being handled as we speak."

Just as she said this, a screen came down from above.
The screen turning to static, before on screen. Video footage of Neku's underground hideout. Bodies everywhere, brutalized members galore, some pinned to walls and completely mutilated.

And from there, the screens kept changing to different loved ones of the different participants... ranging from Kenshiro's pet piggy, to Nick and Ayumu's aunt, to even Dora's last remaining siblings. Everyone else were only captured in cells, aside from Haru's brother, who was passed out in a dorm. Of course, their reactions weren't pleasant...

As for Hiyoko, she thought she'd probably be fine. If they just chose her grandma, she wouldn't have cared less. Sure, she did get her to the academy, but... she still had quite a long way to go for her to finally gain a feeling that was more than respect... Most of her other family, she didn't really care enough for either. Her family's well-known name was the exact reason why she had to experience... unfortunate events involving herself... but that didn't seem to matter now.

However... right as the screen changed from the unknown screen meant for Ryu... Upon seeing what was on the screen meant for her... Hiyoko couldn't believe the loved one that she'd had the horror to witness... the only person who actually gave a bother to care for her with love... Needless to say... she had GREATLY overestimated herself on how she would feel...

What she saw... was the splitting image of a blonde-haired man seemingly double her age, wearing a green male's kimono with a yellow sash. His hair also seemed to be messed up, likely from whatever attack he had faced with. His head seemed to have been dealt with a harsh hit on the head with something...

It was none other than Hiyoko Saionji's own father, lying in that blood... In her head, Hiyoko never felt as horrified nor as much anguish as she ever did in her entire life. She didn't even want to believe that this was his fate...

'D-D-Da... Dad..?!' Hiyoko thought, tears starting to form from the inside of her body... 'N-No, this... this has to be some sort of s-sick and inconsiderate joke! I-It has to b-be!!' Hiyoko didn't want to believe it... She didn't want to see it as real... but reality just had to fuck her over... 'It... c-can't... be... r-real...' She continued to think to herself, standing idly in the outer world and trying not to leak any of those feelings out... 'This... isn't real. It's not real... It's not real... It's not real... It'snotreal... It'snotreal...It'snotrealIt'snotrealIt'snotrealIt'snotrealIt'snotrealIt'snotrealIt'snotreal... I-It's... not...

......

I-I... I-It's... I-It's R-REEEEAAAAAAAAAAALLL..!!'

In the end, though, reality just had to fuck her over... Her father was gone... and that was final... and she wasn't the only one grieving, the others were... albeit from the outside, too.

"CASSIE!" Evelyn shouted, tears and anger visible in her eyes. Kai looked in horror, as he aimed his anger at Monokitty. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY FAMILY?!"

"Apple!" Kenshiro shouted in sadness, trying to stop his tears. "Why you hurt Apple?! What did she ever do to you?!"

".... Oh, you little SHIT!" Toshiro angrily shouted.
"Frankly, if it was my parents, I'd give no fucks, but YOU TOOK GERALD INSTEAD OF THOSE GOOD-FOR-NOTHINGS?!"

"A-Auntie Elizabeth!" Ayumu screamed in horror, tears in her eyes as Nick tried desperately to calm Ayumu down.

"N-No... S-Senpai." Neku spoke in horror, feeling a tear run down his face. "My... my entire family... Senpai. T-They're..."

"GABRIELLA! MIGUEL! PEDRO!" Dora shouted in horror.

"DAD!" Roxy shouted in unison as Madison gasped, staring at her hostage. "F-Father?!"

"F-FRITZ?!" Ichigo asked in shock.

"... No." Dennis spoke in shock. "My Youth Group?!
May god have mercy on your damned soul, you demonic cat!"

"...Damn, I guess I really am forever alone." Aaron noted, making a duck face in the process. "YIKES.
Real harsh reminder."

"Who the hell even is that in my frame?!" Ryu asked confused.

As for Hiyoko, she KNEW she couldn't show her giant pile of grief and anguish to the others... What if that made her too vulnerable and a target to the others?! Besides, she couldn't just immediately trust those strangers with her own personal information and their lousy attempts on cheering her up... Still trying to repress her inner feelings from being let out, she simply said...

"Whatever... I-It's not like I ACTUALLY cared about that dumbass of a relative!" She said, though slipping out a tiny part of her grieving within her uncaring and nonchalant tone.

The most effected one in that room? It ended up being Milo, who had a deadpan vengeance filled stare in those eyes.

In what felt like a Flash of an eye, Milo was gone as Monokitty laughed maniacally. "I hope it's all really sinking in for you all that— GAHHH!"

Milo had grabbed Monokitty from behind, placing a knife directly to her throat as he began whispering in her ear. "You have exactly 3 damn seconds to tell me where the hell you took my boy, otherwise..? I'm gonna force every last answer out of you first, and especially whoever's behind you."

"Technically? You're behind me AND attacking me... which is perfect! Monodog!" Monokitty shouted, as Monodog began shaking. Opening his chest cavity, he pulled out a device with a big red button and without a second thought, pushed it.

"MILO, LOOK OUT!" Haru shouted, as Milo looked to his side and jumped away. Getting stabbed in the upper arm however by what looked like a large arrow. Staring with a look of horror, Milo grunted out in pain, falling over, and attempting to compose himself.

"MR SMITH!" Roger shouted, rushing over to Milo and attempting to help him up.

"Wha?! What was that?!" Nick asked in shock, with the color draining from him.

Monokitty began to glitch, as her teeth became sharper and her eyes far more menacing then ever.

"Do you see now what will happen if you attempt to cross me or defy my rules in this game?! I truly hope the message got along well!"

Turning back to normal, Monokitty smiled. "Now then! Have fun, and Happy killings! There will be a tablet in each of your rooms containing your Student Info, and little tidbits of info of all your classmates, along with a set of rules... and no, we do not provide Cocomelon in this damn establishment."

As Monokitty disappeared with Monodog slowly trailing behind in silence and guilt, the group was amongst themselves, realizing their situation. Hiyoko stood there idly, her thoughts swiveled in complete panic and entanglement as the entire mess collapsed on her as if those minutes of revelations felt like seconds...

'A k-killing g-game... my two years gone to smithereens... and that b-bastardly cat had to r-reveal that h-he's... n-ngh..! Of course I-I'd get fucked right on m-my ass here..! Everyone's gonna know h-how small and puny I am and t-take me down first... M-Maybe I should just find a room around here and wait to...
.........
N-No... I can't... I can't just l-let myself go like that! If I j-just get distracted by even one millisecond, I'm sure ANY of those guys could axe me! Especially with how easy of a target I look..! I'm not gonna listen to any single one of those snotted idiots!!'

Hiyoko's thoughts swirled with paranoia and worst possibilities, but even with her shattering mental state from her father's demise and her wasted two years of life, she tried to keep herself and her determination to live together, especially her outer one.... 'S-Sure, there's probably zero chance of even trying to escape from this trashy h-hellhole-disguised-as-a-heaven, but I'm not gonna let those dumbasses see me as a pathetic w-weakling... E-Especially not that army giant nor that nasty, ugly pigbarf's brother! know that m-my attitude makes m-me a force to be reckoned with! It worked for all of those past stinking bullies before... I can do it again! I'm gonna do it for myself... a-and for my dad..!! I'm gonna make sure I live this dumb game and show t-the world that I'm not defenseless as I look! I just... I just hope h-he... rests well...'

Hiyoko, with some new determination in spite of still trying to repress the many negative thoughts within her head, looked around to hear what the others seemed to be chattering about.

"We're... being forced to kill each other?" Haru asked nervously and frightened. "A-And that... that video. My brother was..."

"As was mine." Kai spoke, turning his head to the side in rage. "However, if we manifest this anger any further, one of us may snap and begin that cat's demonic game."

"I agree." Madison spoke up. "I believe for now, we should at least try to form a plan of sorts to fight back against that cat without... potentially any future deaths."

"What do we do about Milo's-" Dora asked, as Milo sighed. "I've had worse, you dont need to worry about me. If anything, id be worried about Osaka over there."

Neku was completely shocked. Broken down, and staring forward trying to find the right words.

"N-Neku?" Haru asked carefully, reaching her arm out as Neku pulled away.

"Get away from me." Neku coldly spoke.

"W-What?" Haru asked worriedly. "Did I—"

"Just. Haru. Please. Get away from me. Nobody follow me." Neku spoke, sounding like he was on the brink of crying, yet holding back.

"Mr. Osaka, y-y'know we're here for you if you need it!
After all, it's better we stick together, right?" Ichigo asked nervously.

"Dude. Look, if you need to cry or get some steam out?" Ryu encouraged. "We ain't gonna-"

"Please, just... help Milo while you guys can, and leave me be. I'll be fine." Neku said.

Hiyoko, trying to act as 'natural' as she could in the crowd, yelled out to him as he left. "Have fun crying to yourself in your lonely corner for low-key dummies!"

Neku, as a result, gave one last cold glare at her for the comment before he ascended upstairs.

"Was that REALLY necessary, Hiyoko..?" Haru commented with a not-so-happy look on her face.

"Well, at least I tried ENCOURAGING him to go..!" She faked a yawn sarcastically.

Everyone else was silent for a moment afterwards due to the rising tension from Monokitty. Though, it was quickly broken off by someone.

"I suggest we should go over to the dining hall and get something to eat for dinner." Madison suggested to the remaining group of seventeen. "Perhaps that could help get our minds off of what happened back there for a bit?"

"Well, on hindsight, I suppose that could be a good idea..." Haru commented.

Roxy simply shrugged at the thought of that, before bolting off to the dining hall on her own. "Eh. I was starting to starve in the first place. Let's get some munchies going!"

The rest of the group followed along with Roxy over to the dining hall. Some of them looked fine with the idea, whilst others like Hiyoko were still very hesitant due to the situation that they waltzed themselves into.

Heading to the Dining Hall, Hiyoko took a moment before the sudden aroma hit him. 'Is it just me, or does this place smells like five star rated food that my picky ass self probably wouldn't even try..?!' Looking around, she took note of her surroundings.

The dining hall looked as if it was suited for the luxurious. Buffet tables lied in the center of the room, housed with many different meals to select from.
There were differing utensils to take food out within some of their trays. On the corners of the tables were clean plates to take, with forks, spoons, and knives being located near the end of the room. Around the buffet tables were many tables covered with elegant tablecloth. There seemed to be different types of tables, ranging from rounded tables with three chairs surrounding it, to square tables ranging from four to six chairs around it. There were even tables at the back of some of the walls or counters with cushioned chairs to sit on. On the top of some of the counters and the buffet tables were vases with many different elegant flowers inside, some of them being roses and tulips, and even rare flowers such as the chocolate cosmos and the ghost orchid. The windows of the room were wide, showing the sights that Bakatto Island itself has in store.

"Whoo-wee!" Roxy yelled off. "Just looking at this place is making my head drool!" The arachnologist wasted no time on grabbing a plate and looking for anything that she'd probably chow down on.

Hiyoko, though still shaken on earlier slightly, rolled her eyes at Roxy's joyous attitude even at times like these and went off to grab a plate. Everyone silently started to look for things that they might have liked from the options, but someone eventually broke the silence.

"... Soooooooo, since nobody's really able to find the right questions... I'll start." Aaron quickly piped up. "What are your favorite colors?"

"...How the fuck is that gonna help us, you absolute colorful walking disaster?!" Toshiro yelled at him.

"Hmmmmmmm... Maybe because getting to know my fellow islanders can get me to finally find my special someone before I die?" The matchmaker tried to reason with him. "Well, that and maybe it can lead to more conversation that prevents murder!"

"I... kinda see your point? But would that really help any especially after what we saw?" Haru asked. "Our families are all in danger, and honestly... I'm worried about Neku, too."

"I'm inclined to agree with both sides." Madison stated. "It's silly to ask such questions especially now, but I can understand that getting acquainted with one another can help ease tension in our group."

"I... suppose that's a fair enough point..." Dora thought to herself, noticeably still shaken from earlier.

'God, this idea's stupid...' Hiyoko thought to herself. Why would anyone try to bud up with others during a giant killing game? Everyone would know not to trust one another! It's like they're dancing towards a lingering rope of a stage-light that they wouldn't notice!

"You dummies can help yourselves, I'm gonna go find something that I LIKE..." Hiyoko said, placing heavy emphasis on the last word. She was a pretty picky eater, and by very picky, she would mean it. The dancer walked over to the kitchen, though she did not notice that someone concerned about her silently followed her over while the others were starting to converse with one another...

Hiyoko went over to the refrigerator to look for something that she could have liked. Unfortunately, there were only all sorts of ingredients inside... No sign of actual food at all.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me..." Hiyoko muttered frustratingly. "Why are there only ingredients in here?!" As if finding out about her father's fate wasn't bad already, there not being much to her liking only worsened her mood... "Now what am I supposed to do, starve?!"

As Hiyoko struggled to look for anything, the person who followed her tapped her from behind. Of course, her paranoid instincts came to fruit once she felt it. "W-Who the hell?! I-If any shoddy slime here's trying to distract me for their own murderous purposes, then you can gladly screw your pig-ass off before I'll make you regret it!!" She looked across her surroundings once again in a swift manner.

"H-Hey! Calm down!" The voice, belonging to the ice skater, Haru said in alarm. "I-It's only me! You know, the blonde girl you saw at the bar? Haru?"

Hiyoko backed away, adrenaline still in place and her trust issues rampaging around. "How would you know if you're not just trying to give myself some false sense of security and let my guard down?!"

The ice princess sighed. "Look, would someone really try to murder someone right after an entire killing game's been announced?" She asked, trying to convince her with logical reasoning. "I know none of us really want to stay around here and suffer through this, and I'd never be able to bring myself to do something so sickening. Then again, I... can't deny the fact that others could be plotting as well."

The traditional dancer, though still skeptical about trusting someone like her, she did see the points that the taller girl was trying to raise. Though very reluctantly, she slightly calmed down as her breath slowed from her frenzy. "... Fine..." She huffed. "But if you're lying to me, I'm gonna squish you like the many Mr. Ants that I've squashed previously! So, what do you even want?"

"Well, I wanted to just ensure you werent being reckless!" Haru answered. "I could tell you haven't been feeling... great after seeing what all happened, kind of like you were on edge... And, well... I also came here to check up on the food situation so we can plan around that."

"... Even if I can't cook..." Haru pouted slightly whilst giving an annoyed side-eye.

"Well, I at least feel less alone on the unable to cook part..." Hiyoko rolled her eyes, before looking annoyingly puzzled. "But if neither of us are able to do so, who the hell can?!"

"Well..." Haru thought to herself, but didn't seem to come up with much ideas. "Huh... That's... actually a good question..."

As the two thought about the situation, someone else seemed to have wandered inside, that being Ryu. "Ah shit, there's no food, huh? Premade meals or anything of the like?" He asked the two gals, both nodding at the fact that there wasn't any.

"As if that wasn't OBVIOUS already..!" Hiyoko remarked. "Doesn't help that neither of us can cook..."

"No worries, the both of ya!" Ryu reassured. "This type of stuff is my forte, aside from what I usually do!"

"Aside from bumbling around like one huge dummy..?" Hiyoko said with an unamused look.

"Well, you could watch 'n learn!" The detective offered. "Though, personally while I prefer to work alone, granted the current circumstances, I'm willing to let someone observe, or well in this case, someTWOs!"

Hiyoko simply reacted with a resting bitch face towards the joke.

"Yeah... Puns like these aren't exactly one of my own fortes..." He rubbed his back sheepishly, which Aaron spoke up from the distance about it. "They're MY forte, though!"

"Anywho, what do you say about the offer?"

"That'd be great!" Haru said, liking the idea. Hiyoko seemed more skeptical, though. "Fine... but I'm hoping you at least make something of Japanese descent!"

"Well... I can try my best on them!" Ryu claimed. "Now tell me what you'd like, and perhaps I could make something for you!"

Hiyoko thought about what specific thing she wanted. Damn, there were a good amount of choices she could have chosen from... Even her still-longing grief was preventing her from properly thinking about her options. This might be hard to narrow down to...

"I don't know... Steamed Pork Buns, maybe..?" Hiyoko asked with a bit of doubt from her voice. "Don't know if you're even capable of making THAT..."

"Welp, wouldn't hurt to try!" Ryu nodded. "Lemme just find what we need, and we'll get started!"

After Ryu gathered all of the ingredients for the pork buns, he proceeded to show the duo the steps of making them, piece-by-piece.

"Alright, first things first! If I remember right, we need to place all of the ingredients needed for the dough and add in warm water and oil! Then, we'll just have to mix it all together until it becomes dough-like." Ryu explained.

"When do we get to the interesting parts..?" Hiyoko yawned. "Both of us know how dough works... We're not STUPID!"

"Relax, Hiyoko." Ryu persuaded. "Things like this take patience, y'know."

"Patience smatience..." Hiyoko mocked.

"It's probably best if you listen to his advice though..." Haru advised Hiyoko. "Learning new things like an open book's always good for a person!"

"Well try telling that to my younger self back in middle school..!" She remarked back as she watched Ryu continue.

"Next up, you gotta mix up the ingredients that are needed for the filling." Ryu taught as he demonstrated the mixing, before proceeding to the next step. "You then have to separate them into small balls right after."

"You know, I didn't think you'd be the type to be that much of an expert on cooking." Haru complimented. "Especially considering you're the Ultimate Private Detective and not the Ultimate Baker."

"Yeah, well... If you end up bein' single and alone most of your life, you could most likely learn to be independent and fend for yourself, y'know?"

"Forever alone, huh?" Hiyoko asked with a sly smirk.

"Well, it's moreso like... there's one person outsideo of this place that I love, but they don't know that I love 'em back because..." Ryu pasued before shrugging his thought away. "Eh, it doesn't matter too much. Let's just focus on the pork buns, alright?"

"Whateeeveeeer..." The short dancer moaned as she lied her head on the counter.

Overtime, the cooking process for the pork buns advanced on. Haru payed attention the most out of the two, even writing the instructions down herself for later. Hiyoko, on the other hand, was nearly dozing off from the boredom of watching among other circumstances that made her less interested in listening on.

Eventually though, the pork buns seemed ready to serve.

"Aaaand voilà! They're ready for the pickings!" Ryu said, presenting the pork buns to the two blondies.

"Finally..." Hiyoko moaned a bit tiredly.

"They look really good!" Haru complimented. "And knowing how you went through with everything, I won't doubt that it could taste equally as good!"

"Why don't you two give it a little whirl then." Ryu offered. "Must warn you though, they're fresh off the stove, so expect it to be pretty hot."

"Well, might as well bite my tongue if it ends up tasting like pigshit..." Hiyoko mumbled.

"Maybe there's another word you could use?" Haru asked with disgust showing on her face. "Mostly because... how would you even know how pigshit tastes? It'd seem pretty gross in my eyes..."

Hiyoko, realizing that to herself, thought... 'GOD, I hate it when people raise good points... BLECH! Just thinking about that and the food in front of me makes me wanna hurl! Okay, think of something cute, Hiyoko! Like... maybe... cute kitties! Preferably ones that aren't MONOTONE! Or, um... little butterflies flapping around!'

The dancer gulped to herself nervously, eyeing at what was plated by Ryu in front of her. 'Well... might as well suck up what that other dancer just told me and try it... If it tastes bad, it's basically gonna be my funeral...'

She carefully took the bun and slowly moved it over to her small mouth, carefully taking a small bite out of it. It was by then that she felt something inside her. It felt as if her own father was still around, cooking up dinner for his favorite daughter. Its taste was just exactly how she remembered tasting the pork buns that he made for her. The thought of this led her to let out a single tear. 'It's... just like as if... I was still home...'

Of course, she snapped out of the trance quickly knowing the circumstances and the environment surrounding her, and tried to regain her composure. "It... was fine, I guess... The soy sauce practically made it taste as if my tongue was going into a sauna. I practically had to hold back any eye sweat I was holding!" She told Ryu, trying to make an obvious attempt to mask what she had truly felt in the inside.

Ryu, however, stared her down with a side-eyed smirk.

"Hmmmmmm, so you say that, but... judging from your speech and lack of eye contact? I'm gonna say that's a lie!"

"W-What?! That's just bullshit! I'm obviously being TRUTHFUL!"

"Truthful you say, but my detective instinct says. Press X to doubt! Of course, I'm a private detective. I can easily tell if a lie's lingering by!" Ryu told her. "You loved every bite of it, so that's score 1 for me!"

Hiyoko merely pouted to herself grumpily, whilst Haru eyed at the pork buns, seemingly thinking about an idea.

"You know..." The taller blonde thought aloud, tapping her finger on her chin. "I do kind of wonder how wasabi would taste with these kind of things..."

"I..." Hiyoko stammered dumbfoundedly. "You CANNOT be serious about this..!"

The ice princess shrugged as she slathered some wasabi onto her bun. "Eh, I've tried wasabi gummies and they didn't taste that bad. What harm could it be if I did the same for these?"

Haru went in for the bite on the steamed pork bun with the wasabi plastered on it. The spice of the wasabi and the bitter taste Haru's tongue as her head suddenly went green. Immediately, she rushed over to the nearest trash bin and vomited.

"I TRIED to warn her..." Hiyoko facepalmed. Haru went back over to the two after she finished barfing, wiping some of it off of her face.

"I've got a question... is wasabi made to make everything good taste WAY worse..?!"

"Eyup! Just about any Sushi Chef could tell ya!" The detective affirmed. "You gotta have the right amount of balance with your ingredients to make the perfect dish. Can't just combine any flavors you'd like and somehow expect a masterpiece, right?"

"Hmmm... You might be onto something, Ryu. Let's try with the Soy Sauce, or... how about the Sweet Tai Chili Sauce?"

"Daring today, aren't we?" Ryu said with a smirk.

"Is your brain seriously as dense as the fucking iceberg the Titanic crashed into..?!" Hiyoko said irritatedly. "Have you not learned immediately after what you went through with the wasabi?!"

"...Maybe? I mean, don't get me wrong." Haru defended. "I figured, wasabi with something else could be delicious... and how wrong I ended up being." She sighed as she pouted the chili sauce onto her bun. "But maybe with this sauce, it could make this taste... I dunno... sweeter?"

Haru went in for another bite, and thankfully she was proven right. She nodded her head as she did like the more sweet taste the bun with the chili sauce gave out. "Well, it's not as spicy as the wasabi, thankfully. More so like... a sweet and tangy flavor, if you catch my drift!"

"See? Some things do go well when mixed with other food!" Ryu chuckled. "Others like the wasabi though? Not particularly much..."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you've never took up a cooking job!" The skater told him. "From my tastes, you would've been qualified for one."

"Oh, I've tried. Albeit, many times. However... It never really worked out if I'm being honest." Ryu sighed as he looked away slightly. "Plus, living on my own in my car for years of my life, I've learned how to be self sufficient, so I didn't exactly need more money than I needed to supply for myself."

"Oh. Now that you've mentioned it, that does seem to make sense..."

'For a moment during that entire sauce stuff, I thought her spice senses would've wanted her body to jump off a damn building...' Hiyoko thought to herself without a care. 'And so is my own mental state after hearing those two blabber on over and over.' Hiyoko got up from the counter, taking her pork bun, along with two extras with her and started to leave the kitchen.

"Hiyoko?" Haru asked, noticing the petite woman taking her leave. "Where are you heading off to? Don't you want to hang out with the rest of us?"

"Just leave me be, I'll be fiiine..!" Hiyoko said, mocking Neku and his voice with her tone, officially taking her leave. Haru could only face her with a look of concern while Ryu merely raised an eyebrow.

Hiyoko went out of the kitchen and back into the dining hall, eyeing at the others sitting in their seats. She didn't want to engage in any more conversation for the day. Haru and Ryu's bantering already drove her nuts already, as if they were heavily distracting her during a dancing routine. Plus, she didn't really care much for MOST of the others that were around. With her decision made, she left the others as is and went to find her hotel room, which was located in between Ayumu's and Evelyn's.

The room seemed to be tailored around her own interests. Her hotel room seemed to be based upon a traditional Japanese bedroom complete with a little cushions and a table right around in the middle of the room, with paintings looking as if it came from ancient Japanese times being hung up on some of the walls. There was also a small potted tree at the corner of the room, with a small clock being right above it. Near those two was a small dresser with a queen-sized bed was over at the end of the room next to it. It seemed to have some candles and a few books about Japanese history and culture lying on it. A full-sized mirror was also to the right of it, likely so that Hiyoko could handle untying or tying her kimono... if she ever could be able to do so anyway. A closet west of the bed, and there was a small stage over at the east wall, likely being used if Hiyoko was ever in the mood to practice her traditional dancing.

Entering inside, Hiyoko placed her plated steamed pork buns on the table next to her bed as she continued to nibble on them, with each bite on the buns making her think back to the good times with her father more and more... She couldn't help but shed out a few tears thinking about his fate. Did that dastardly cat stain seriously have to go through all of that trouble to do such a thing, and for what reason?! Was the person controlling that cat and pup one of those no-good jealous stalkers that she used to have as a kid..?! Hiyoko's mind was practically overwhelmed again. The thought of her potentially sharing the same fate as the only person who truly cared for her... Does the world really hate her THAT much..?!

'F-Fuck... W-Why did he have to go like that..?! H-He... he was the one person who truly and actually cared for me, and... and...' Hiyoko thought, trying to wipe her tears away as the repressed thoughts came back to bite hard. '... he's gone... just like that... All because I managed to get my own ass kidnapped by a stupid robotic cat and her dumb puppy servant and now I'm stuck in this.. mindless game made for psychos! What kind of foul luck do I even have..?!'

Just as she finished the final pork bun, the dancer placed her plate over to the side, looking towards the window.

'So... this is my hellhole of a life now. Trapped in some twisted game with rando-strangers, the majority of those pigs already making me wish my eardrums exploded... I wish I was d-dreaming, but... apparently it's r-reality that wants to screw with my mind...'

Hiyoko probably would've taken a shower at this point, but knowing that she couldn't even untie her own kimono, that was already out of the question. She even tried to untie her obi right then and there, but... no luck, of course.

'And even in these conditions, I STILL can't untie nor tie anything! T-This is practically the definition of me, myself, and I being against the w-world...'

The traditional dancer pouted as she decided to give up, close up the curtains, and lie down in her bed as she looked up at the ceiling, waiting to doze off.

'I may not know a whole damn lot about what the fuck occurred for this situation to even h-happen, but... I... do know what thing... is practically only the beginning of one giant nightmare-turned-reality that I need to survive out of... f-for my father's sake...'