A New Floor and Lingering Doubts

“I’m starving… I’m absolutely starving… I need to eat (TL Note: ‘Qiàfàn,’ a colloquial term for ‘to eat’).” Arisumi Momoko wailed softly, her face a picture of misery. Her eyes gradually unfocused, and she slumped weakly onto the dining table, much like a dried fish bereft of water.

“Let’s start eating. If we don’t, Arisumi will surely pass out from hunger any moment now.” Takagi Masahiko could no longer bear to see a girl on the verge of starvation.

“Actually, we could have started eating as soon as Kamimura Anko arrived,” Chisaka Erin said, shaking her head with a wry smile.

“Why didn’t you say so sooner!” Arisumi Momoko immediately began devouring her food, without a word. Even Akino Atsushi silently shielded their own rice bowl with a hand, while Chisaka Erin wore an expression of silent suffering.

****

“Same as usual tomorrow, then? Head to the newly opened area to investigate?” Suzuki Minoru was always the one to unexpectedly throw out the crucial topic, taking the lead.

“I think… it’s never too late to go… The most important thing is for each of us to get our condition back in order first.” Takagi Masahiko proposed a widely acceptable delaying tactic.

“So… what do you all think?” Suzuki Minoru instantly tossed the question to us, clearly curious about our attitudes and opinions.

“Of course we’re going! I’m already tired of the first and third floors!” Katagiri Mimi exclaimed, stars practically sparkling in her eyes from excitement.

“Hehehe… if only there were an art studio~” Akino Atsushi fantasized beautifully, their face filled with anticipation, hands clasped together in a prayer-like gesture.

“Hmm… I don’t really care. If we can go, then let’s go,” Kitajima Kazumitsu replied casually.

“Hmm… my view aligns with Kitajima’s,” Chisaka Erin added from the side.

“I’m fine with whatever. I’m just idling anyway,” Ishii Yoshimi said nonchalantly, crossing her arms.

“Anko, what about you?” Suzuki Minoru turned his head, looking at me with curiosity.

“My body has mostly recovered, so I can go.” I nodded, affirming my readiness.

“Since you’re going… I’ll come along as your caretaker!” Osakabe Nanase declared, hands on her hips, flashing me a playful, cute smile.

“Blech~ Tag-along~” I taunted her, pulling down my eyelid with a finger and sticking out the tip of my pink tongue.

“Anko-chan, you’re not allowed to call yourself a tag-along, okay~?”

“So many people want to go, so I guess I’ll check it out too…?” Habara Kazuhiro also joined the expedition, swayed by our collective desire.

“Yuusuke, what about you? Will you come with us to the new place tomorrow?” Seeing Akahira Yuusuke remain silent, Takagi Masahiko proactively asked him.

“Uh… I’m really sorry… my stomach feels a bit uncomfortable… it seems I ate something bad… You all go ahead tomorrow… I’ll follow shortly…” Akahira Yuusuke clutched his abdomen with a pained expression, visible beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“You ate something bad…? Are you alright?” Takagi Masahiko asked, concerned.

“Ah, it’s… a minor issue… I’m going back to my room to take a dump first… Find me later if anything comes up…” As soon as he finished speaking, he shakily walked out of the restaurant.

“Huh…? As I recall, that guy didn’t eat much at all,” Kitajima Kazumitsu remarked, looking completely bewildered.

“He probably hasn’t pooped in days, right? A man’s gotta go when he’s gotta go (TL Note: ‘Rén yǒu sān jí,’ a common saying referring to the urgent need to relieve oneself).” Akino Atsushi commented casually from the side.

“Hey! I’m eating!” Ishii Yoshimi immediately put down her chopsticks and glared at him, utterly displeased.

“Ah, my apologies.”

“But then again… where exactly is this newly unlocked area? I’m completely in the dark,” Katagiri Mimi, standing nearby, couldn’t help but ask.

“There are no stairs leading up from the third floor, so the newly unlocked area must be the second floor, which has been sealed off until now, right?” Arisumi Momoko mused slowly, leaning back comfortably in her chair after satisfying her hunger.

Thinking about it… there really weren’t any stairs leading up from the third floor. At first glance, the third floor appeared to be the highest level of this school building…

But… was that truly the case? Did this school building genuinely only encompass three floors?

Katagiri Mimi’s brief question ignited a host of doubts within me.

“That’s… hard to say. Even though there are no stairs leading up from the third floor, we can take the elevator to go higher, right?”

As the word ‘elevator’ suddenly popped into my mind, I took the opportunity to propose my idea to everyone.

“That’s right! Can’t we just take the elevator up? Tomorrow, let’s try to see if we can reach the fourth floor!” Ishii Yoshimi exclaimed excitedly upon hearing my idea.

“Although the elevator buttons show ten floors, I’ve tried every single one,” Suzuki Minoru added.

“And… what was the result?” Takagi Masahiko inquired out of curiosity.

“Apart from the already unlocked floors, the other elevator buttons didn’t respond at all.”

“Hey! Maybe now there’s an additional floor button that responds, besides the second floor!” Habara Kazuhiro suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

“That’s a possibility… We’ll know for sure once we try every button again then,” Chisaka Erin mused slowly, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“No need for such troublesome methods~ The unlocked area is indeed the second floor! You’ve guessed correctly~”

Monokuma suddenly interjected into our conversation, its unpredictable appearances something everyone had long grown accustomed to.

“Alright! We’ll head to the second floor tomorrow!” Ishii Yoshimi declared, pumping her fist in the air, looking incredibly enthusiastic.

Yet, a persistent knot of unease remained deep within my heart…

“Monokuma, does this school building really only have three floors?”

To better understand the structure of this school building, I directly questioned the knowledgeable bear.

“Well… that’s indeed the case, but rest assured~ this place is definitely not as cramped as you might imagine, okay~?”

“So, it was just the tip of the iceberg, then…” Suzuki Minoru muttered to himself, propping his chin with his hand.

“Could it be that the second floor is a really vast area…?” Kitajima Kazumitsu murmured softly, a hint of surprise in his tone.

“In that case, there must be something fun there! Suddenly, I can’t wait for tomorrow to arrive!” The energetic girl clapped her hands together spiritedly, her eyes shining with sparkling stars.

“Puhuhu~ As long as you’re happy~ I’ll be taking my leave now!”

“Well, that’s enough for today, isn’t it? Everyone must be tired. It’s about time I returned to my room to rest…”

Having endured a strenuous journey today, coupled with Chisaka Erin’s gentle words, a miraculous wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over me.

****

The first thing upon entering the room: collapse onto the bed!

I immediately collapsed onto the soft, comfortable bed, and the physical exhaustion I felt suddenly dissipated considerably.

There’s truly nothing more blissful in life than resting on a bed after a long day of toil!

Of course, sharing a bed with a beautiful girl wouldn’t be bad either.

Damn it!! Why can’t I have two bodies with one soul?! That way, I could both turn back into a man and cuddle with beautiful girls!

I stared at the ceiling with an air of utter resignation, and then, quite by chance, remembered something.

I hadn’t showered in a day!!

Pulling open the collar of my clothes, I sniffed inside. To my surprise, there was no unpleasant odor; instead, it smelled rather fragrant!

No wonder someone once said, beautiful girls never poop!

Compared to my former self, a single day without a shower would leave my body reeking of sweat! Not only did my family complain about the smell, but even I couldn’t stand it!

Is this the advantage of being a girl? Does this mean I could go a whole week without showering?!

Just kidding… now, if I don’t shower for even a day, it genuinely makes me feel uncomfortable!

I couldn’t tell if this body was influencing me…

I carefully untied the bandage on my head and gently touched the wound with my hand; it didn’t seem as painful as before…

Showering shouldn’t be a problem…

I placed the bandage, stained with a small amount of blood, on the bedside table and slowly walked into the bathroom.