A Reason to Care

Chapter 7: The First Cracks

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Once, Chihime read a classified file with some of the deepest secrets involving her stepbrother's workplace. When he found out what she found out, a mixture of emotions flashed across his face. His mouth kept opening and closing in shock like a goldfish, then his cheeks flushed with anger. Right before he started to yell at her, she could see what was undeniably fear in his eyes.

Now, here she was cast into a similar situation, only this time Celeste kept a perfect poker face. The gambler had averted her gaze from Chihime before fixing her face into one of calm composure. It was then that Chihime came back to her senses. She had no time to dread how Celeste was going to handle this.

She needed to find a way to use the information Monokuma had given her. Due to her knowing one extra secret, it would be most likely that she had a target painted on her back. No matter how many times she repeated it, Chihime doubted that Celeste could adapt to the killing game with her secret out in the open like that.

Taeko Yasuhiro.....a common name for an average Japanese girl. Not like the grand Celestia Ludenberg with a German or whatever European ancestry she claimed. If Celeste would lie about something as trivial as her name, how many more lies had she told?

Chihime continued to stare at the said girl, who was trying to shut down Hifumi's attempts to reveal her secret. She eventually lost her patience and yelled at him, telling him to leave her alone. Chihime thought back to when she found Celeste alone in the cafeteria, waiting for Hifumi to deliver her tea. He had done so with a look of terror as if she might bite off his head at any moment. The same expression was evident on his face at this moment.

Yes, Celeste can keep a poker face, but how long can she keep it if someone continues to cross her line? Come to think of it, wasn't it interesting that she lost her temper to the same person twice?

Chihime is brought out of her line of thought as she spotted Celeste approaching her. She paused in front of her wheelchair, before bending down and leaning close to whisper into her ear.

"I would appreciate it if you have the time to meet me in the warehouse just before the nighttime curfew."

Straightening back to her posture, Celeste walked past her without waiting for a reply. A silent conclusion that no secrets would be voiced out had been reached as students followed suit and filed out of the hall, leaving Chihime stewing in inner turmoil. She tapped on the armrest of her wheelchair to ground herself.

Let's think about this from a logical lens and not through glass clouded with smudges of panic and paranoia. Is it possible for Celeste to formulate a murder plot in mere seconds after discovering that Chihime knew her secret, all while bickering with Hifumi? It was more likely that Celeste found it important to confront her, and had to at least initiate a conversation in the future to silence her mouth from revealing her secret.

The true question is whether her method for doing so would involve actions of a lethal nature.

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A dull thud rang out as the knife cleanly made its cut, falling against the chopping board with ease. Nimble fingers picked up the half-sliced strawberries and arranged them carefully onto a layer of cake that had been spread with thick cream.

Chihime plopped a second layer from the cooling rack onto the soft sponge, before adding more cream and strawberries to complete the tasty delicacy. She gave herself a few moments to admire her creation in satisfaction before stashing it away in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. Perhaps choosing to bake a cake to share with everyone for breakfast might prove to be a bad idea in the long run, but her sweet tooth has always gotten the better of her.