Pov: Hanako

When I woke up, I was in a school hallway.

What the-

Oh, it's this place again.

Well then, time to look around.

I walked down the hallway. It seemed to be endless. Until I heard... Voices...

In the classroom.

???: One, two, three...

Sumana.

I started pounding on the door.

Hanako: SUMANA! ARE YOU IN THERE?

The voice stopped.

The door clicked open and I ran in. Sumana was no where to be found.

Hanako: Sumana? Where are you-

All of a sudden, someone bound my neck from behind, pulling me, squeezing me tighter and tighter until I felt my conscious slip away.

I awoke in the corner of the classroom. My eyes were blinded by a piece of cloth, my arms tied by another.

Hanako: Hello?

Sumana: Why are you here to bother me?

Hanako: You were going to get killed! I couldn't let you-

Sumana: This was on my own accord. I helped with the plan.

Hanako: Your own... Accord?

Sumana: Yes...

Hanako: Who's the one helping you? It's the traitor! Isn't it?

Sumana: You think I would tell you?

Hanako: Don't you trust me?

Sumana: Are you really asking me that right now? After so much has happened? I couldn't trust my closest friends, Hanako. And you're really asking me if I trust you? I can't even trust myself.

Hanako: Sumana, what are you planning?

Sumana: Tomorrow morning I will be somewhere far away. Somewhere I might be able to see them again. And hopefully all the burdens I've been carrying will disappear with me.

Hanako: Wait no- You can't- Is this what I think it is???

Sumana: Don't come looking for me, Hanako. Or you might find yourself in situations like these.

I was shocked by a cloth pressed onto my face and the sudden sweet smell which flooded my senses, but just as I breathed in a deep breath...

Chloroform.

My consciousness left as quick as it came.

Pov: Ashlyn

Ashlyn: Hanako??? No no no-

Chloe: Bruh... We told her not to do it!

Rachel: What do we do??? I hope she's okay...

Yu Xuan: We can't check... There's already three people in there.

Chloe: The others will start coming over anytime soon. Should we tell them?

Rachel: I say no. The traitor is among them and they might try something if they know about Hanako.

I looked down at Hanako sleeping soundly on the floor.

Ashlyn: And what do we do with Hanako's body?

Chloe: We can bring her to her room and put her on the bed. At least it'll be more comfortable than the floor.

Ashlyn: Right. I'll help lift her.

Chloe and I picked up Hanako's body rather ungracefully and waddled to her room, looting the room key from her pocket and throwing her onto her bed, making her land face first on the pillow.

Chloe: Is she going to get smothered?

Ashlyn: I'm sure it'll be fine.

We left the room, locking the door behind us and going to the food court once more.

Everyone else had shown up.

Sophie: Another day where I don't want to be here.

Randi: Oh cheer up Sophie, I didn't drag you out here for nothing.

Sophie: I appreciate your... Efforts. But you really didn't have to-

Ashton: So, what's the plan for today? And where's Hanako?

The four of us looked at each other knowingly.

Chloe: She's sick.

Sophie: I see, caught the plague?

Rachel: No, just very bad uh...

Chloe: Diarrhea.

I saw Yu Xuan mouth "what" to Chloe before regaining composure.

Sophie: Hm. That's a shame. Anyway? What're we gonna do?

Ashton: Well there really isn't much to do, we could just go do our own things.

Chloe: Is no one acknowledging how Sumana is missing???

Sophie: Oh, right. I'm sure she's fine.

Ashton: Maybe we should check on the dream world-

Sophie: That won't be necessary.

Ashton: Oh-

Sophie: Let's all do what we'd like today. I'm in the mood for some latte. Randi?

Randi: What?

Sophie: Go brew up some latte for me.

Randi: You're coming with me. Anyone else want to come?

Ashlyn: I'll go. Maybe we can all go, to like chat and stuff.

Chloe: Sure, not like we got anything else to do.

Rachel: Wait guys are you sure we don't need to check on Sumana and Hanako? Maybe one of us should-

Chloe: And end up never waking up again?

Yu Xuan: Hanako's good with words. I'm sure she'll figure something out. I mean she chose to go there, she wouldn't go without something in mind.

Chloe: Pretty sure she would but I'm sure it worked out. Sumana and her are probably having a heart felt conversation right about now.

Rachel: Oh, okay then, let's go.

We headed down to the cafe, where Randi dashed into the kitchen and began to mix up some coffee.

Randi: Ah... Coffee. The sweet smell of friendship. I remember when I was in school and my barista friend told me that to make coffee, always buy fresh coffee beans. I don't know about these ones though. They kind of look like moles.

Ashlyn: Damn, you're real picky with your beans.

Randi: Only the finest over here.

Randi came out of the kitchen with a tray of coffee mugs. Everyone took a cup and thanked her as she retreated back in to make something else.

I don't have much to do now, maybe I should find someone to hang out with while i drink my coffee.

- - - FREE TIME START - - -

I sat down next to Sophie, who shifted away a little. I began drinking my coffee.

Ashlyn: Sophie, I don't think we've talked much like this.

Sophie: Right. We haven't. What do you want?

Ashlyn: Well I was thinking, maybe we could tell each other about ourselves. We haven't done that.

Sophie: I guess we could do that. But tell me about yourself first.

Ashlyn: Well what do you want to know?

Sophie: I don't know, tell me about your family I guess.

Ashlyn: I live with my parents and siblings. I live a normal life. That's basically it.

Sophie: I've never had coffee before the killing game.

Ashlyn: You never had coffee??? Jeez, were your parents against it or something?

Sophie: I was adopted.

Ashlyn: Oh... So was I. And all of us. I think.

Sophie: I was raised by the man I call my father. He's an amazing person, I regret not being able to spend much time with him. I was always busy with some project.

Ashlyn: How about your mother?

Sophie: My mother... I prefer not to talk about her. Her and my father never had anything between them, I was more of a... Group project they were forced into. My father was the one who carried the project, fixing every problem, thinking of the ideas, making it seem perfect. My mother was that group leader who did nothing but supervise. But somehow, I've still managed to look up to her the most. Sometimes I wish I was her biological daughter.

Ashlyn: Hm. So uncaring, ruthless Sophie does have a soft side.

Sophie: You wish. There's a reason I looked up to my mother.

Ashlyn: What was it?

Sophie: She was a little shit.

Looks like I grew a little closer to Sophie today!

I took the last sip of my coffee and stood up.

Ashlyn: I'm going to go back to my room now.

Chloe: Okay! Bye Ash!

I headed back to my dorm.

Hm. I don't have anything to do right now, I guess I'll go find someone to hang out with.

- - - FREE TIME START - - -

Rachel: Oh hey Ashlyn!

Ashlyn: Rachel, are you done with your coffee already?

Rachel: Yea, and I'm going to the arcade to play some games. Wanna come with me?

Ashlyn: Yea! What're you thinking of playing?

Rachel: Since you're here now, how about some air hockey?

Ashlyn: Sure.

Rachel and I headed to the arcade. And played air hockey for quite a while.

Rachel: This reminds me of that time when I was at the arcade with my online friend.

Ashlyn: You had online friends?

Rachel: Tons of them. I love going online and meeting new people. Funny though, every time I talked to someone completely new, they always knew so many things about me.

Ashlyn: What? That's weird. Did you tell someone.

Rachel: I told my friends and my mother but they all said that it was just because all the information was already there. I don't believe it though, I barely have any information about my life on public accounts. That's why I stopped talking to more and more of my online friends. It creeps me out.

Ashlyn: How about the person you went to the arcade with?

Rachel: Well, it was fine until they revealed that they knew my ID number. I don't know how they got that one.

Ashlyn: Oh that's just stalker behavior. What did you do after that?

Rachel: Like most of the time I just stopped talking to them. But it was scary to the point where I told my parents, but they brushed it off as me revealing it on accident.

Ashlyn: They just feel suspicious at this point.

Rachel: At this point, I don't know how many online friends I've lost just because I felt they were stalking me. It makes me sad sometimes but... It's better to be careful I guess.

Ashlyn: Right. I think it's getting late. I should head back to my room.

Rachel: Okay. Thanks for hanging out with me today!

Ashlyn: No problem. Goodnight!

I headed back to my dorm.

Speakers: Attention students, it is now 10pm. Therefore, it is now night time. Please note that the auditorium is off-limits during night time, so please exercise caution. Also note that sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly. Sweet dreams, puhuhuhuhu!

I feel like it's been ages since I heard that announcement. I should get to bed now, not like I have anything better to do.

I lay on my bed and tried to sleep, but I couldn't fall asleep just yet.

I guess I'm just not tired yet. God, what do I do? I already said goodnight to Rachel, it would be pretty rude if I left to go hang out with someone again-

There was a knock on the door.

Who's here so late?

I cautiously opened the door a crack and saw...

Chloe, Rachel, Yu Xuan, Randi, and a very displeased Sophie.

Hanako and Sumana weren't there. Expected.

Chloe: Hey Ash, I know these few weeks have been hard, and the past attempts at unwinding resulted in disaster, but we were thinking if you wanted to have a sleepover?