Hello again!

So…

Umm…

…

I'll be honest, I don't really have anything to say here this time so…

Chapter!

All was quiet inside Makoto's room.

Disturbing implications aside, the soundproofed walls and doors really did offer the perfect environment to sleep in.

Makoto himself was taking advantage of the silence to catch up on some of the sleep he had missed out on the night before and was tightly secured within the covers of his, thankfully, very comfortable bed. The soft sound of the boys' snores the only sound present in the otherwise silent room.

The snores paused for a moment as the boy stirred slightly and unconsciously began to fidget, the smallest frown forming on his face, before his expression relaxed, as he was now in an even more perfect position to lie in, and he sank back into his pillow with a satisfied sigh.

Were Makoto actually awake to comment it was likely that he would describe the moment as absolutely-

*DING DONG, BING BONG*

With a startled cry Makoto blearily looked up from his new position on the floor at the monitor on the wall in front of him, just in time to see the screen change to an image of the two toned Monokuma. Once the picture had settled the voice began, in what Makoto was sure was at least twice the volume of the announcement the previous night.

"Wakey, wakey everyone! It is now 7am! The sun is shining and it's far too beee-yutiful a day to spend a-wasting away in bed!"

With a final crackle of static the picture faded away, leaving the room silent once more.

Blinking in an attempt to remove the sleep from his eyes, Makoto raised his hand to rub against the new sore spot on his head and his now ringing ears before his gaze moved, first to the bed behind him and then to the covers that were still entangled around his legs.

His confusion lasted a few seconds more before he let out a resigned sigh and fell back against the side of his bed with a groan.

Now firmly on his feet Makoto stood in front of the door he assumed led to the bathroom, but just as Sayaka had mentioned the night before, it seemed completely unwilling to open.

It was confirmed last night that only the female bathrooms should be able to lock so why…?

With both a final hard push and pull yielding no results Makoto sighed. "It really is locked…" He confirmed to himself.

"Not true!"

Spinning round with a yelp Makoto was treated to the image of Monokuma now perched upon the edge of his bed.

"Y-You-"

"Me!" Monokuma shouted, cutting him off with a laugh. "But come now, let's skip the boring overreaction phase shall we? Nobody will pay attention if it's exactly the same as the last time!"

Wait, what?

"Wh-What? La-"

"Your classmates of course!" Monokuma said, paws raised in anger. "They're all the same! They ask a question but when the ever so kind Monokuma comes to answer it's all screams and tears and 'Get out, I'm changing!' I mean how ungrateful can you- "

Unable to keep up with the bear's rapid speech Makoto simply stared, waiting until it stopped talking.

"-own fault I suppose! I was warned about what bastards you teenagers could be!" The bear finished, lowering its head with a sigh.

Makoto waited a moment more before he tried to speak again. "W-"

"But enough about me, your door! For you see-"

What followed was an explanation about how Makoto had somehow ended up with a door too large for it's door frame but, thankfully, the solution was simple to implement, the door just requiring to be lifted as he pulled. In an effort to try and end the 'conversation' as soon as possible Makoto gave the instructions a try and was pleasantly surprised to see that the door did actually open.

As he went to enter the room however, he was forced to turn around again when the bear cleared its throat behind him.

"Now Makoto, what do we say?"

Unwilling to play along with the bears antics any longer Makoto went to turn back round and enter the bathroom.

*Snikt*

He froze. The sight and sound of the incredibly sharp metal claws the bear now sported enough to cause his body to completely lock up.

"What do we say when somebody helps you?" The bear cooed.

"T-Thank you." He replied, speaking through gritted teeth.

"There's a good boy!" Monokuma chortled, claws still extended. "You don't want to forget your manners!"

Spinning on his heel Makoto finally entered the bathroom to find a simple setup consisting of a shower, toilet, sink and mirror, all of which were surrounded by tiles, each coloured a depressingly cold grey.

In an effort to both wake himself up and to lower his new found irritation he stopped in front of the sink and splashed some water on his face, before viewing his tired, and still numberless reflection in the mirror.

Quickly drying himself off he re-entered his room proper to see Monokuma now stood on the desk at the far end of the room, looking back and forth over the area.

"W-What are you-"

The bear turned back, a picture of contemplation painted on its face.

"Oh Makoto it's the darndest thing! There I was last night making sure nothing happened to any of my precious little students when I realised... you weren't there! Now were you just trying to get some privacy as you tugged your little lucky stick? Orrrrr…"

The bear's gaze fell on to the closed pad of paper beside its feet. Makoto choked on his gulp as his rising blush fought for dominance over his rapidly paling face.

Feeling his eyes widen in horror Makoto stumbled forward with his arm outstretched in a vain attempt to stop what was to come. "That's-"

"Maybe you were kept up by something else?!" The bear yelled, proceeding to open the pad and look over its contents.

Makoto didn't dare to speak and instead shut his eyes in preparation. After a moment, the bear started to chuckle, starting small but quickly escalating, the volume increasing in turn. Eventually the bear collapsed, paws held against its stomach as laughter shook its whole frame.

"This is-" Cut off by another belly laugh Monokuma tried again, "Y-You actually decided to keep a diary!?"

"Ah… I-"

"Oh this is gold! `Dear Diary, I was so excited today to join Hope's Peak Academy, especially when I got to meet my new classmates. Most of them seem nice, especially Sayaka Maizono who actually still remembers me from middle school! I'm so glad-'"

Feeling himself flush in indignation over the bear's mocking tone, Makoto sharply turned to exit the room, leaving the bear to laugh over it's new entertainment.

Somehow he managed to resist the urge to check on the calculation filled paper he had stored in his pocket as he did so.

Closing the door on the bear's laughter, giving a sigh in relief when it cut it off entirely, Makoto let his mind wander over exactly what he had calculated the night prior.

I know there's a lot of error in the details but… three and a bit days until Sayaka's countdown hits zero, and Leon and Junko's too if I remember correctly… No wait, it was above three days last night but that means it's already below that now…

Coming out of his thoughts he was surprised to find himself in front Sayaka's door, his hand already raised ready to knock. He soon did so, his final thought echoing through his mind.

Three days…

After a moment had passed without a reply Makoto moved to knock the door a second time, slightly firmer this time.

No answer.

A third knock soon echoed as Makoto stood waiting, hoping, that nothing was wrong and that Sayaka was fine and nobody was going to kill anybody and therewasnoway-

"I believe Sayaka already left alongside Leon this morning!" A loud voice boomed from beside him.

"AH!"

And with that Makoto turned into a large, uniform covered chest and a quick glance up revealed-

1,147,733

"T-Taka!"

Looking vaguely sheepish the Moral Compass spoke, "My apologies, I tried to get your attention but it seems you didn't hear me!"

"Ah, no I… Sorry about that..."

Taka merely waved off his apology, speaking with a wide grin, "Not to worry Makoto, I'm just pleased to see you up at this time, a vast improvement from yesterday!"

"That's-" Frowning slightly, Makoto made to object to the statement when Taka's earlier words finally registered. "Wait, Leon and Sayaka?"

"Yes! I am pleased to report that it seems that Leon is in a similar mindset to myself in that we should all come together in this... trying time." A pained grimace arose on Taka's face for a moment before his face reverted back into a smile, "I saw Leon escort Sayaka off towards the dining hall showing a real interest in her ultimate talent!"

Feeling a pang of disappointment over the fact that he had likely missed his chance to spend some more time with Sayaka because of the time he had spent dealing with Monokuma, Makoto slumped in relief over just how stupid he had been. Of course nothing had happened.

Straightening his posture once more (as there was no way he was going to slouch in front of the Ultimate Moral Compass of all people) Makoto readied a smile and proper greeting when he was interrupted, this time by his stomach reminding him about his lack of attention towards it thus far.

*Growl*

"Makoto!" Taka reprimanded. "I trust that you weren't planning on skipping breakfast!"

"Ah, no! I've just got up and-"

"Well that's good at least!" Taka acknowledged, "But don't put it off any longer! Breakfast is well known to be the most important meal of the day as a well balanced one provides the suitable energy requirements in order to put forth your best efforts in the classroom!"

As Taka paused for breath Makoto nodded his assent but anything else he was about to add was lost as Taka continued.

"And without your best efforts in class your grades will surely suffer, which could impact you later in life! It would be downright irresponsible for anyone to-"

*Growl*

As Taka's impromptu lecture paused once more Makoto frowned.

That wasn't me... S-So…

Makoto's eye line lowered, leaving Taka's face until he reached-

"Wait… Have you eaten breakfast yet, Taka?"

"T-That's-" Taka stuttered, his composure lost. "I was just so busy performing my morning duties that I haven't yet had the opportunity!"

"Oh… Then, do you mind if I eat breakfast with you Taka?" Makoto asked.

Taka seemed almost… stunned by his offer, "You wish for me to join you? Why?"

"W-Well it's like you said, we should all try to get along with each other while we're here, right?" Makoto questioned hesitantly.

Taka's eyes lit up as his arm raised up in order to give him a salute, "T-That would be excellent!" In spite of his words however a look of alarm soon formed on his face. "I must apologise Makoto for it seems I have greatly misjudged you as well as treating you so unfairly!"

"Ah, that's okay…" He replied haltingly, but Taka had already bowed down in front of him, perpendicularly to the floor.

"My apologies Makoto!"

"I-It's fine!" Makoto spluttered.

As Taka righted himself once more he spoke, "Shall we be off?" And when Makoto nodded his consent they left at a brisk pace.

Whilst walking the duo passed by both Chihiro (672,552) who hesitantly offered them a shy smile in response to their greetings and Toko (1,813,721,863) who didn't offer any verbal reply but did at least look at him for a moment, which was admittedly more than Taka got, heading back towards the dorms and, just before they entered the dining hall proper, Makoto had a chance to offer a good morning to Mondo (699,710) who gave him a big thumbs up and an enthusiastic "Yo!" in return.

It looked as though Mondo may have said more but upon seeing his current company merely left it at that, offering only a heated glare and a grumble towards Taka.

As Mondo stomped away Taka turned to face him, "Makoto I must ask, how is it that you are on such good terms with that delinquent?"

"De- Ah! No, Mondo isn't anyone bad!"

"Isn't he the leader of the biggest biker gang in Japan?" Taka asked, raising a singular large eyebrow at him.

"That's- Ah, yeah..." He conceded before he blanched, waving his hands in front of himself, "But Mondo's not a bad person!"

Taka's expression didn't change and instead he merely looked down at Makoto's jaw for a second before returning to look Makoto in the eye.

Suppressing a wince at the reminder, Makoto kept up an earnest smile. "Really, he's not so bad once you give him a chance!"

Taka frowned slightly before turning off to the side in contemplation. "I… I suppose if I had the wrong impression of you…" As his words trailed off he turned back to face his companion and gave a firm nod, though whether in response to Makoto's words or his own he was unsure, before continuing his strides and entering the dining hall, Makoto quick on his heels.

1,168,068

1,159,548

"What do you think we should discuss as we dine Makoto, the economy or politics?"

Turning his gaze away from whatever Celeste and Hifumi were doing at the opposite end of the table (or more accurately whatever Hifumi was doing as Celeste tried to not so subtly move away from the Fanfic Creator) Makoto looked back at his 'seat buddy' with a confused "Huh?"

"Our topic of conversation!" Taka clarified. "The economy or politics? Or would you prefer international affairs?"

"Can't we just have a normal conversation?" Makoto asked hesitantly.

Taka blinked in confusion. "A normal conversation? What would that entail?"

"Well, we already introduced ourselves right? So why don't we get to know each other more by telling each other things like our likes, or our hobbies?"

"I see! This will surely help us forge a stronger relationship! I shall begin!" Taka announced with a grin. Lowering his utensils (and in fact the whole fist) with a *thud* he began, "As you know I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru the Ultimate Moral Compass, but you may be surprised to learn that my likes include studying, while my hobbies also consists of studying!"

"I… see…" Makoto responded, hoping his baffled thoughts weren't showing too much on his face.

Taka continued, pausing just long enough to raise his chopsticks once more, this time pointed at Makoto instead. "I take my studies extremely dillegantly and am always looking for new ways to test myself! As such, please ask me any question you can think of!"

Makoto opened his mouth to respond with the first thing that popped into his head.

"..."

So this is what it means for your mind to go blank…

Knowing that Taka was still patiently waiting for a reply Makoto briefly turned back around to the other people in the dining hall before his eyes flicked up to Taka's own numbers.

Maybe… I know I have a vague idea about Sayaka's numbers but...

"Do you... know how long one million seconds is?"

Taka's expression lit up, "Aha! A brain teaser, splendid! What sort of units do you prefer?"

Pausing to think over the (actually quite reasonable now that he thought about it) request Makoto gave a reply, "Ah... Days please."

Makoto watched as Taka's eyes closed as he thought over the problem, his gaze returning to Taka's countdown as he waited.

1,147,097

1,147,096

1,147,09-

"It comes out to… 625 over 54! So 11.5740 recurring or 11.6 to three significant figures!" Taka declared with a laugh.

He calculated that all in his head?!

As Makoto congratulated Taka on his (almost certainly) correct answer he made a mental note to write down that answer as soon as he was in a camera blindspot.

"Ha! This is fun!" Taka said with another laugh. "Okay my turn! Makoto what is the second derivative of-"

"Ah! That's okay!" Makoto intejected. I'm not sure I could manage the first derivative of anything Taka could give me, let alone the second! "Besides I should do my introduction first right?"

"Of course! How presumptuous of me… It seems you deserve my apologies once again Makoto!"

Smiling weakly at Taka's continued enthusiasm Makoto began. "W-Well I guess that I like many things such as curry or being with my friends and I suppose my hobbies are watching TV or reading manga, especially if I get to talk to my friends or my sister Komaru about them…"

*Clatter*

Looking up at the noise Makoto saw that Taka was now stood, his chair left forgotten on the floor behind him.

"Did… I say something wrong?"

It was at this point that Makoto realised that Taka was staring at him as though he had just become the new president of Japan (which for a high school student, even one at Hope's Peak Academy would be pretty unlikely).

"So… that's how it is…" Taka mumbled to himself.

"Ah… Taka?"

"How could I have been so blind?! Studying these frivolous activities is what would actually allow me to converse with people! Please, you must teach me all about how to study these things like you do!" And with a fast reach across the table Makoto found his shoulder in a tight grip, Taka's fierce expression now barely a foot away from him. "Please teach me, Mako- No! Professor!"

And with that Makoto's breakfast had somehow expanded into teaching Taka all about the joys of procrasti- Urm, having fun…

At the very least Taka seemed to enjoy it, if his proclamation that he was going to study video games, TV shows and manga were any indication.

I like maths.

Taka is pretty fun to write too.

On that note though, please let me know who you would like Makoto to spend some 'FTEs' with and I'll do my best to try and include them in the coming chapters before… well you know.

And leave any other thoughts you have too, please let me know what you like and what you think completely sucks!

Until the next time!