Our New Life

*Kiyoko Sasaki's POV*

//June 13, 2040//Wednesday//

A month has passed since we went to Saitei University, and everybody has gotten along well after the first incident.

Ichi has been pushing us to kill each other, but we have decided that we will just find a way to escape this place without killing anyone.

As time passed by, Ichi has not shown himself to us for a while now. After Kanade, and Raku helped me at the gym a month ago, I also stopped having nightmares every night.

Trusting them was quite hard for me at first, but as time passed by, that changed, and I got along with the five of them.

"Oh, Sasaki! Are you going to the library again?"

Megumin has been cooking for us since our first day here. She is in the kitchen all day experimenting with different kinds of delicious dishes, and she is still the brightest one among us.

"Yeah. Thanks for the lunch, Megumin. I can see that you are still cooking for Hyakuzawa."

"It's my job as a chef to cook for everyone after all. Even if he has not been eating my food for the past month, I am still hoping that one day he will."

As for Hyakuzawa, after Ichika, Megumin, and Asahi encountered him inside the library, we have no idea where he has been, or what he is doing in this past month.

One time, Megumin told us that there was some food missing that was good for two people. An athletic guy like Hyakuzawa might be the one getting all of it. I can assume that he has been staying in his room for the past month.

But even if he doesn't want to show himself to us, I am glad that he is doing fine.

"I'm off, Megumin."

"Take care, Sasaki!"

After lunch, I usually go to the library to study more about Psychology. From learning how the human mind works to their attitudes in different situations, they were really useful, especially in this condition we are in.

In my opinion, studying in a library is way better than in my room. A large space where you can study is more comfortable and relaxing.

*BOOOOM!*

While I was climbing up the stairs to the library, I heard a really loud explosion at the laboratory where Kanade always stays when she has some free time. I ran into the laboratory to check what happened inside.

"KANADE!! Are you all right?!"

A lot of black smoke was coming from the inside, and it smelled like there were a lot of burnt chemicals coming from everywhere.

*COUGH* *COUGH*

I saw Kanade standing at a station with a lot of black stuff on her face, and on the lab coat that she is wearing. That might be because of the explosion earlier that she made with her experiments.

"Aah… Another failure."

"Kanade, are you alright?" I asked.

"Big sister, sorry for causing you trouble… I'm just mixing different chemicals that I have not yet tested, and this one caused a huge explosion…"

Kanade has been close to the five of us ever since we came here. At first, she was a shy person, and she struggled to communicate with everyone.

I am the first one who Kanade befriended, and this whole sibling relationship between the both of us had grown. I am also starting to treat her like my little sister.

On this day, she has a really good time communicating with the others. She treats our injuries, and she makes sure that we are always in good condition. But, when she is doing her experiments… It can be wild sometimes.

"Sigh… Kanade, be more careful with your experiments. What will happen if something bad happens to you?"

"I'm sorry big sister…"

I smiled at Kanade and patted her head. She blushed and jumped a little bit because of what I did to her.

This was one of the things Kanade never changed in herself. It's not really a big deal though. In fact, it was really kind of cute.

"I'm going to head into the library."

"See you later Big sister!!"

"Don't do anything dangerous, okay?"

"Hehe, I promise, big sister!"

I left the room and walked towards the stairs.

Then right away, I heard a loud explosion again inside the laboratory.

*BOOOOM!*

"Sigh... She never learns, does she? Well, at least she is having fun."

I entered the library and saw both Ichika and Asahi arguing with each other.

"ASAHI YOU IDIOT!!!"

"WHAT?! I AM JUST TELLING YOU THE BEST WAY TO LEARN THIS KIND OF STUFF!!!"

"WELL!!! IT'S NOT WORKING YOU IDIOT!!!"

The first time I went inside this library, I did not expect them to be together in this kind of place.

They look like the kind of people who will do other things rather than reading books in the library. I observed them for quite a while before and noticed that Asahi has been teaching Ichika a lot of things about cinematography, and filmmaking.

Their bond keeps on getting stronger as time passes by.

"Oh, it's Sasaki." Asahi said.

"Oi! Don't change the topic! I can't understand this part!"

Well, they still argue a lot though. Sometimes I wonder if they are already a couple because of how they act like one.

I went to the aisle where Psychology books are placed, and picked this book about "How to read a person's emotion". It really piqued my interest since this can be good practice for me in checking what people think, and feel when looking at them.

I went into the huge desk at a corner far from where Asahi and Ichika are and started reading the book.

"So people tend to read a person's emotions more accurately by listening to them?"

I don't quite understand how you can accurately read a person's emotions by hearing them, and not by looking at them.

It should be the other way around, right? You should always look first at their body movements, and their eyes to know what they are feeling while you are talking to them, right? And how can you tell what a person feels by just listening to how they talk?

Hmm… I should try this on someone else, but who can I try it on-.

"Guess who this is."

Someone covered my eyes and mockingly asked me who he was. From his voice, and the way he speaks alone, of course, I knew right away who he was. I punched him straight to the belly right when this person asked me who he is.

*SMACK*

"Owwww... Geez, Sasaki. You don't have to do that to me."

"Well, who else will do that? That will only be you, Raku."

Raku has been teasing me from the very first day I met him. He still is the same Raku who has been fooling around for the past month. Always flirting with the other girls, and always looked like his mind was flying off somewhere.

At least, he is on good terms with the others, and they are really comfortable when he is around. I can't even find any hostility from him at all.

"So... What are you reading there?"

Raku looked at the page where I was reading, and he looked amazed by the things that he read, but it looks like he is just trying to show that he is interested in the book that I am reading even if it doesn't make any sense to him.

I am not comfortable reading a book with someone else and shut the book close.

"Oh, you are reading how to read someone's emotions? That's cool, Sasaki…"

"Yes, I am. What do you want, Raku?"

"Nothing. I'm just checking on what you guys have been doing."

What Raku told me was the truth, but for some reason, I am the only one who he keeps on bothering all the time.

If I can explain it more clearly, Raku is checking the others only once, but for me, he is checking at me not only twice, but a lot of times every day.

"I have an idea, Sasaki. How about you try telling me what I am feeling right now?"

"Ehh? Are you sure, Raku?"

"Yep. I bet you would not guess it either way. Hahaha."

This guy is teasing me again. I looked at him closely and applied the things I learned from the book.

From how he usually talks to me, to how he speaks every day, there is only one answer I can think of.

"You are happy and satisfied with the things happening right now, am I right?"

"Is that all??"

"But there is more, and I am sorry to say this. Despite being happy, and satisfied, I can also feel that you are fondly thinking of the past. Not with something… But with someone…"

Raku stared at me in the eye and stayed silent. Did I get it wrong? Or did I go overboard with the things I just said? I think I offended him in some way.

"Sasaki… You guessed it wrong! I think you still need more practice with that. Hahahahaha!"

Figures, I guess reading someone's emotion takes more practice and observation from people.

"Well, I'm off to my room. See you later!"

Raku walked away and left the library. Thinking about it, he is the person I am closest with, but I do not have any idea what he is thinking about.

Maybe every time I am with him, the only thing he has done is to fool around in front of me. I always forget to ask him how he is doing despite everything that happened inside here for the past month.

"Sigh… I can never understand that guy."

******** TO BE CONTINUED ********