*kicks door down* POKEMON TRAINER ICHIKA.

Shuichi wandered around campus, eventually finding himself at Miu's lab. He opened the door when he noticed a small redhead looking around the lab.

Shuichi blinked. "Ah... Yumeno-san?"

Himiko's head shot up and she stared at Shuichi with wide eyes, calming down when she realised it was just him. "Oh, Saihara. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"Nyeeeh." Himiko let out a deflated sigh. "I'm trying to find a chessboard."

Shuichi blinked. "A... chessboard?"

Himiko nodded. "Yeah. One time, Ichika dragged me here to hang out with Iruma and she showed me how to play chess."

"Aki-san can play chess?"

Himiko nodded quickly with a small smile. "She's actually really good at it too! Every time I played against her, she would always win." She gave a small pout. "I would've used my magic to win... but it would've been unfair to her."

Shuichi just chuckled. "I see... Well, why are you trying to find it now?"

"Well, Ichika seems to like playing chess, so I thought I'd bring the chessboard to her lab and we could play a bit there, to help cheer her up." Himiko rubbed her left arm. "Even if she says she's okay, I'm still worried..."

"You're... a good friend, Yumeno-san." Shuichi said with a small smile.

"Nyeh?" Himiko's eyes widened. "Nyeh! Of course I am. But... I can't seem to find it."

Shuichi hummed. "Monokuma might have cleaned this place after the last trial? Well, even if he got rid of it, I have a chessboard of my own." Shuichi smiled. "Want me to get it for you?"

"You have a chessboard!?" Himiko's eyes lit up. "Thank you Saihara! Do you want to come and play chess with Ichika and I?"

Shuichi blinked and then nodded. "A-Ah... sure."

"Alright! I'll meet you at Ichika's lab later tonight!" Himiko beamed.

"Later tonight?" Shuichi tilted his head.

"I... um..." Himiko pressed her index fingers together. "I don't know where Ichika is right now, so I'll try and find her. I've been trying for a while, so let's meet up at a set time so we don't miss each other."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense." Shuichi nodded with a small smile. "I'll see you there then."

"Mmhm!" Himiko nodded and then rushed out of Miu's lab, presumably to try and find Ichika again.

***

Shuichi found himself at the trunk of Ichika's lab again at dusk, nervously staring up at the ladder leading to the top. He took a deep breath and grabbed a hold of the wooden sticks of the ladder and started climbing up.

Finally reaching the top, he walked into the lab and noticed someone scribbling away on a small notepad in the corner by the beanbag section.

"Aki-san! You're here already." Shuichi blinked at the girl

The small brunette chuckled, not looking up from her notebook. "Yeah, I heard you climbing the ladder." She flipped the small notebook in her hand closed and put it in her jumpers' pocket along with the pen. "Yucchan told me you have a chessboard and wanted to play with me?"

"Yeah, I have them right here." Shuichi nodded and walked over to Ichika and the beanbags, placing the chessboard and its pieces down. "Where's Yumeno-san?"

Ichika paused for a second and then let out a small giggle. "Climbing up as we speak."

"Huh?" Shuichi tilted his head when he hear a small whine come from the entrance of the lab.

"H-Hello? someone help m-me?" It was Himiko. She was nearly at the top, just two more steps. "Ichika, Saihara... please help me... I'm so t-tired..."

"Oh my muffins Yucchan." Ichika rolled her eyes, walking over to the entrance leaving Shuichi to watch with an awkward smile. She grabbed Himiko's arm. She pulled her up and Himiko stumbled into the treehouse, falling to the ground.

Himiko was panting heavily and leaned against Ichika's leg. "That was... so tiring..."

Ichika gently pat Himiko's head. "Haha, you did well, but you should build up your stamina more." She beamed, extending her hand out to the small mage. "C'mon, get up, let's play a game!"

Himiko let out a small huff and grabbed Ichika's hand, who help her up to her feet. Both girls joined Shuichi at the small coffee table surrounded by beanbags.

"Plushies...?" Himiko asked as she flopped down onto a beanbag. "These are cute." She picked up a long cat plush. "What kind of cat is this?"

"I'm... not sure." Shuichi said, setting up the chessboard.

"It's a Norwegian Forest cat!" Ichika grinned. "Adorable, isn't it?" She then clapped her hands together.

"Nyeh... I didn't know you liked cats." Himiko hummed.

"Like cats? I adore them!" Ichika giggled.

"Have you owned many cats in the past?" Shuichi chuckled, finishing setting up the board.

"I wish. I mean I did have one in my childhood but..." Ichika's face fell blank. "It didn't end well."

Shuichi blinked. "Huh?"

"So, who wants to play first?" Ichika exclaimed, nearly bouncing up and down in her seat while pointing at the board.

"Umm... How do you play again?" Himiko mumbled, picking up a queen piece.

Ichika rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Yucchan we played this recently." She gently took the piece from her. "This is a queen, the most powerful piece! Alas, she is not the most important, that role belongs to the king, despite the king being the weakest piece."

Himiko blinked. "Nyeh? Isn't getting the king how you win chess?"

Ichika nodded. "Yup yup! Getting the king does win the game indeed. That's why you gotta defend him no matter what, like using the knight to block out anything that could pose a threat."

"There's also the bishop and pawns, which you can use to-"

"Nyeeeh! I forgot how confusing this game was." Himiko whined.

Ichika just laughed. "Hahaha! You played it fine before though. Do you wanna play against me first?"

"I-I'm good... I'll just watch..." Himiko swayed a bit in her beanbag.

Shuichi chuckled lightly. "I'll play against you, Aki-san."

"Alright!" Ichika was black and Shuichi was white. "Prepare to loooooose, pretty boy!" Ichika grinned cheekily.

***

"Ah...!"

"HA! Checkmate!" Ichika giggled and crossed her arms proudly. She had successfully placed her pawn onto Shuichi's king, winning the game

Shuichi laughed. "Geez... Yumeno-san wasn't kidding. You are incredibly good at chess."

"I know right." Ichika placed her hands on her hip and rested her chin between her index finger and thumb with a smug expression. "Chess is my specialty. The key to games like these is thinking ahead and formulating as many plans as you can."

Shuichi hummed. "I see... Then how far ahead do you think?"

Ichika paused and bit her lower lip. "Ummm... 6 to 7 moves, usually."

Shuichi recoiled in shock. "6 or 7 moves!?" He gawked at Ichika. "How do you remember them all!?"

"Great memory of course!" Ichika tapped her head twice. "I've been playing these games since foreeeevvvveeeeeerrrrrrrr! I'm a pro, darling." She grinned.

Shuichi blushed lightly. "Y-Yeah... right..."

"I just wish my nails were a bit longer." Ichika huffed. "Then my hands would look so elegant while playing this game."

"Ah, they are a little short." Shuichi noticed Ichika's nails, which were indeed short but healthy looking. "I'm guessing you keep them short so they don't get in the way of parkour."

"Bingo! Right on the money, darling." Ichika giggled, shooting Shuichi a big grin. "Hehe, but I mean, parkour isn't the only reason I keep my nails short, y'know." She cooed, resting her cheek in her palm.

Shuichi blinked and tilted his head. "Huh? What do you-" Shuichi was cut off by a faint snore coming from beside Ichika. The two ultimates both turned their heads to see Himiko sleeping soundly in her beanbag, hugging the bird plush close to her.

Ichika giggled and clapped her hands together. "Awww, how cute! My precious Yucchan fell asleep." A wide smirk spread across Ichika's face. "Hehe, she's so adorable like this."

Shuichi looked up and his eyes widened. "Ah... It's night already?"

"Well, you guys did come here pretty late." Ichika giggled and looked up as well. "Wow, the stars are really visible."

Shuichi smiled and nodded. "Yeah, they are."

"Hey, Saihara-san." Ichika stood up and signalled Shuichi to follow her.

Shuichi blinked and tilted his head. "Where are you going?"

Ichika pointed up high. "Follow me! I can show you a better view."

"..." Shuichi looked at where Ichika was pointing, which was a ladder that was hanging over the top of a rather high parkour course. I don't know if I can do that...

Ichika rolled her eyes with a teasing smile. "Don't worry, I'll help you through the small bits of parkour, just come on!"

With a reluctant sigh, Shuichi followed behind her. "If I fall, I'm blaming you."

"Fair enough."

After a bit of struggle, Ichika pulled him up to the platform where the ladder reached. Shuichi blinked at Ichika once he got to his feet on the platform. "Wow... you're surprisingly strong."

Ichika pouted. "Of course I'm strong! Do you not know what my talent is?" She grumbled. "It's because I'm small, isn't it."

Shuichi frantically shook his head. "N-No! I didn't mean it in an offensive way I-I mean yeah it was a bit unexpected but-"

Ichika burst out laughing. "Ahahaha! I'm just messing with you." She winked. "Saihara-san being all panicky and flustered is just too adorable."

"S-Stop teasing me..." Shuichi grumbled with a red face and Ichika just snickered.

The two went out onto the balcony that had a roof with vines falling down around it and Shuichi lightly gasped. Wow... Aki-san wasn't kidding about a better view... He reached the thin, cylinder, wooden railing and looked down, only to immediately back away from the railing.

"Oh wow... We're up... very, very high." Shuichi breathed out, raising his hands up to his torso.

"Yeah, but it's nice out here!" Ichika looked up at the sky and frowned.

Shuichi noticed her frown and tilted his head. "Is something wrong, Aki-san?"

"It's so strange... None of the stars align with what I've learnt about astronomy." Ichika mumbled. "I don't recognize any constellations in the sky, nor do the stars match what should be shown at this time at night."

"Y-You leaned astronomy!?" Shuichi exclaimed. "That's surprising, especially from you..."

Ichika giggled. "Not formally per se, I just researched about the stars and stuff. I simply find the stars fascinating. Black holes, nebulas, comets, meteoroids..."

"Huh..."

Ichika turned to Shuichi and narrowed her eyes with a pout. "You tell no one of this, or else I'll kick your knees in. I don't want them thinking I'm a geek."

"O-Okay...?" Shuichi muttered. Is she embarrassed by this interest of hers?

Ichika's face fell blank as she directed her gaze back up to the sky. "Hey, speaking of such... Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to be a meteoroid?"

Shuichi looked down at the ground. "To be a meteoroid?" He hummed. "Well, I mean- Ah! Aki-san!"

While Shuichi was staring at the ground, Ichika walked up to the railing and climbed on it, perfectly balancing on it. She stood on the railing, holding onto one of the green vines near her.

Shuichi's eyes widened in shock. "H-Hey! Be careful!" He yelled. "What if you fall!?"

Ichika looked at Shuichi who was by her side and gave him a big grin, him blinking up at her in confusion. "Pfft- Ahaha!" She burst out laughing. "You worried about me?"

Shuichi frowned. "Of course I am! Do you have any idea how high we are right now-"

"I'm fine." Ichika smiled softly. "I'm the Ultimate Parkourist. This is a baby trick to me." She then sat down on the railing and faced Shuichi. "Back on the question I asked... Wouldn't it be awesome to be a meteoroid!?" She asked with sparkling eyes.

"Well... meteoroids are the things that travel through space, right?" Shuichi asked.

Ichika nodded energetically. "Mmhm! They're 'space rocks'" She quoted with her fingers. "They're very small and travel aaaaaallll over space! I'm pretty jealous of them."

"Jealous..." Shuichi raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Of a... 'space rock'?"

Ichika pouted. "Hey! It's not like that!"

Shuichi just laughed lightly. "Ah-haha! Sorry, it is a bit funny."

"You are so lucky that I think you're pretty." Ichika huffed and crossed her arms. "They get to go to all the corners of space and see everything it has to offer! All the nebulas and star clusters it can pass, and the galaxies it can visit." She looked back up at the sky with a small smile. "Doesn't that sound nice? Sounds like it'd *rock*, huh?" She grinned widely.

"You really adore those puns of yours huh?" Shuichi chuckled softly.

"But of course darling!" Ichika smirked. "If I had a set of drums with me at all times I'd totally do a *ba dum tss* every time I made such an amazing joke." She winked at Shuichi.

Shuichi tilted his head. "Do you know how to play the drums?"

"I've dabbled in it a bit." Ichika smiled widely. "But like I said, being a meteorite means travelling an endless mystery! Isn't that incredible?"

Shuichi looked up at the sky. "Yeah... I guess it does. Space is quite beautiful."

"Y'know, if I had to choose another ultimate talent from parkour, I would totally wanna be the Ultimate Astronomer." Ichika said, not tearing her gaze away from the sky.

"Really?" Shuichi gawked at Ichika. "I never pinned you like that type."

Ichika brought a knee up to her chest. "Space and stargazing have always been a way of escape for me. Imagine being able to do something where you're always on the hunt for new material. Always learning and discovering new things! Sounds just as fun, no?" She looked at Shuichi with an innocent smile.

"I guess..." Shuichi stared down at the ground over the railing and sighed.

Ichika let out a small chuckle. "Sorry... is this talk reminding you of him?"

"Ah-!" Shuichi shook his head. "No, don't worry. It's nice to hear someone ramble about space again..." He clenched the railing he was leaning over, not looking at Ichika, attempting to hide his pained expression.

"Well, just know, nothing is your fault." Ichika patted Shuichi's arm. "You did what you had to, so we could all survive. Momota-san is honestly behaving like such a damn child... That stupid chicken nugget." She grumbled.

"But I should've been more considerate of his feelings. I had to side with Ouma-kun which would've undoubtedly hurt him-"

"And yet, in the very end, Ouma-san led us to the truth." Ichika sighed. "Look, I get where you're coming from, but feelings and emotions have no place in this game unless you're looking for death. It's important to remain as logical as you can here."

"I-I know..." Shuichi sighed and rubbed his forehead. "But... completely ignoring our feelings aren't good at all. We can't compress them, that's just unhealthy."

"..." Ichika smiled softly and patted Shuichi's head. "True but you have to realize that we're all stuck in a life or death situation and that we have no choice." She gave Shuichi a dark look, making him flinch slightly. "I'm saying this for your sake. Too many people here rely on you too much, and by allowing emotions to overcome your judgement, that might just lead to all of us dying here."

"..." Shuichi gave Ichika a nervous look.

"I know that may be harsh, but I... I know that you're strong, and you can do this." Ichika smiled again and clapped her hands together. "Anyway! Enough of this talk. It's getting pretty late, and I think we should all get some rest."

"Ah... yeah." Shuichi nodded.

The two went back down the ladder and into the lab, walking over to where Himiko still lay, sound asleep.

Ichika poked at Himiko's cheek. "Yuuuuucccchhhaaannnnnnnn."

Himiko started to stir. She lazily propped herself up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked at Ichika and Shuichi with tired eyes. "Oh... have you guys finished playing chess?"

"Mm-hm!" Ichika nodded. "We're all going to head back now. It's pretty late, and I'm sure we're all tired."

Himiko shot up suddenly, shocking both Shuichi and Ichika. "Nyeh? But I didn't get to play chess with you!"

Ichika chuckled. "We can play tomorrow, don't worry."

"Okay..." Himiko blinked. "How are we supposed to get back down from here?"

"We go back down the way we came up. We climb the ladder!" Ichika grinned with her hands on her hips.

Himiko groaned and pouted. "Really...?"

Ichika rolled her eyes. "If you really don't want to climb down yourself, I'll carry you down."

"Nyeh!? Really!?"

"Yeah, c'mon! Let's go."

"I thought you wanted her to build up her stamina." Shuichi chuckled.

The three students went to the ladder that leads to the ground. Ichika put Himiko on her back and Himiko wrapped her arms around Ichika's neck and her legs around Ichika's waist. Ichika started to climb down the ladder with Himiko on her back and Shuichi above them. They eventually made it down to the solid ground again.

"Nyeh... I'm tired. I'm gonna go to bed now."

"You didn't even do much," Shuichi commented nervously with a small smile.

"She's right." Ichika sighed. "Let's go to bed, it's pretty late right now." She looked around the bottom of the tree with an almost sad expression. "..."

"Ichika, are you okay?" Himiko wove her hand in front of Ichika's face. "You kinda spaced out there."

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Ichika smiled brightly. "I'm just remembering that the last time I was here during night time, I was with Micchan, Ouma-san, and Gokuhara-san."

"You were?" Shuichi asked.

Ichika nodded. "Gokuhara-san... offered to bring some fireflies out here and let them out. It was really pretty, and he was completely covered in the bugs. It was so funny!" Ichika giggled. Ichika then looked at the ground and sighed sadly. "I really do wish... everyone could come back. I miss them."

"We all do..." Shuichi looked at the ground sadly.

Ichika clapped her hands together. "Anyway, let's stop mourning now. We have a responsibility to move forward. So, let's move forward! To our dorms so we can get a good night's rest." Ichika grinned.

Himiko put her hands on her hips and pointed forwards. "Yeah! Onwards to a good nights rest!"

"Yeah, of course." Shuichi laughed.

***

Everyone except Kokichi had gathered in the dining hall. Maki turned to look at Shuichi. "What are you thinking of?"

"Huh?"

"You're worried about Ouma, right? We're all worried, too..."

"I searched everywhere for him, but I couldn't find him at all." Kiibo added.

"He couldn't have... escaped by himself, right?" Tsumugi asked nervously.

Kiibo shook his head. "No, as long as Monokuma is here, I do not think that is possible..."

Himiko pouted. "But he's a traitor! He's on Monokuma's side, so-"

"Like I said, just forget about him." Kaito interrupted. "Anyway, listen up, everyone. I gotta tell you guys something."

"What's your idea, Momota-kun?" Shuichi asked.

"..." Kaito averted his eyes away from Shuichi. He fell silent for a period of time.

"Geeeez, stop being a child, would you?" Ichika pouted. "Hurry up and tell us."