Danganronpa: Sisyphean Gambit

7: Bait and Switch

               Somehow, I ended up able to fall asleep for a couple of hours.  My door didn't seem to have a lock on it, so I had shut it tight, and wedged the desk chair under the knob before doing anything else.  It wasn't as if I really thought anyone was out to get me, but fear does funny things to people.  It's always better to be safe than sorry, anyway.

               Waking up from my sorely needed nap, I stretched myself out.  There was a split second where I panicked, not recognizing where I was, but I got my bearings quickly after that.  Standing up, I straightened the sheets, which took me less than a minute considering I had fallen asleep on top of them instead of under them.  I walked into the bathroom on shaky legs, and realized I had fallen asleep in my shoes.  I was normally never that tired in the middle of the afternoon.

               Once I was in the bathroom, I brushed out my hair and changed my bandages.  I studied myself in the mirror for a moment, deciding I looked alright, if a little sleepy.  That was when I remembered I had plans.  Stumbling out of the bathroom, smacking my elbow against the doorframe, I turned to check the wall clock.  It was 6:05.  Shit.

               Nari had said we could show up whenever we wanted, but I had wanted to meet with everyone at 6.  I hated being late.  Silently cursing myself, I spent another ten seconds fussing in the mirror, before throwing the canvas bag over my shoulder and running out to the cafeteria.

               Just as I thought I would be, I was the last person to appear.  Everyone was gathered at one of the cafeteria tables, already settled in and having a lively conversation.  Taking a quick head count, I saw Naozumi, Kana, Aimi, Himari, and Utano.  As I sat down next to Naozumi, she smiled at me, and Utano gave a warm "Good morning!"

               I had just sat down when Nari came out of the kitchen, holding a few trays of food. A couple of the girls shot up from their seats to help her, and as they set the food down I saw Nari had made all sorts of things for the rest of us.  There was rice with tsukudani, some sort of salad, and a plate of hamachi, which surprised me.  She had called the gathering a dinner, but I wasn't expecting her to cook.

               "Gosh, you must have been busy..."  I looked to Nari, who smiled as she sat across the table from me.

               "My traditional skills are more closely related to business," she explained, "but I'm pretty well-versed in the duties of a housekeeper."

               Aimi nodded, surveying the food.  "I can tell.  They had all this in the kitchen?"

               "Yes.  They seem to have enough stocked to make any meal imaginable; the kitchen was optimized for us," Nari mused.

               "Well, thank you for preparing it.  This all looks good."  Kana as seemed to be usual for her, spoke in a tone that was graceful but somehow incredibly bored.

               As we all began dividing the food among ourselves, Nari told us, "Before I forget, Takano-San will not be joining us.  Neither will Miss Phoenix, as she prefers to be called.  They both claimed to be busy."

               Utano scoffed at that, already beginning to eat.  "You're a better girl than me.  I wouldn't've even invited the creep."

               "Oh, be nice," chided Nari.  She tried to laugh, but it sounded forced.  I got the feeling that Morgan actually hadn't been invited.  The story about Briar, on the other hand, I believed.  It was hard to imagine her wanting to have anything to do with the rest of the group.

               I had to stop myself from forgetting my manners, and eating like an animal because of how hungry I was.  The food proved to be just as good as it looked, which meant Nari wasn't lying about her culinary skills.  As I ate, I listened along with the others to Aimi telling a story about her father, who used to steal expensive cuttings to propagate in his greenhouse.  Apparently, he had taught her everything she knows about herbalism.