Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.

AN: No, I'm not dead. Or sick.

Just lazy.

I do appreciate the concern, though. But just so everyone knows, personally, I haven't been affected by the pandemic much. Save for getting laid off and having to deal with online classes, I've been peachy.

Ish.

Also, Skyrim happened. Yes, I know I'm late to the party, so to speak. Like, very late. A very annoying person finally talked me into giving the game a second chance after I dropped it many years ago. But in my defense, I got lost in some mountain somewhere and didn't feel like trying after that.

So many stupid mountains.

So yeah, my time has mostly been occupied by that. Dark Elves for the win. Just gotta finish the Dragonborn DLC and the many many caves I haven't explored yet. And play as the rebels I guess. Yeah, I went with the Empire. The Roman aesthetic got me.

Also, the Stormcloaks aren't very nice to Dark Elves. So what other choice do I have to but to slaughter them all?

Side note, if you decided to kill Paarthurnax, we can't be friends. Seriously, he and Balgruuf are the only true bros you have in this game. I would include Hadvar, but he was willing to kill us even though we weren't on the list. The list is always important dammit!

Extra side note: Serana, Ysolda, and Karliah are best waifus. I'm still salty I can't marry two of them. Come on, Bethesda! Don't get me wrong, it totally makes sense. Karliah has someone waiting for her in the next life, and Serana has practically been scarred from her parents' messed up relationship. But still! Love doesn't need logic!

Alright, I better stop ranting.

On a final note. The Blades suck. There should have been an option to kill them without the need for mods. Seriously. Who are they to give the Dragonborn any orders? They're supposed to serve me, not the other way around. Such disrespect deserves an arrow to the face.

…..okay, I may have become more bloodthirsty during all of this.

Anyway. Enough of my rambling. Here's the extra late chapter.

Enjoy.

Chapter 32:
She grows bold

""WELCOME BACK!""

Naruto heard the sound of party poppers going off before he heard their voices, but it still surprised him nevertheless. It was almost like he was stepping into a surprise birthday party. Actually, it was just like that. Minus the birthday part.

There was also Kurama. The little fox had practically jumped the moment he opened the door, taking his rightful place on his head like he usually did. It was an all-too familiar feeling to the blond now. He could honestly say he had missed having the little fox on him like this.

Had he been expecting this? Not really. Naruto had had a feeling something was going on, why with all of them gathering at Sonia's hotel at this hour. That, and Ibuki couldn't keep a secret to save her life, bless her soul. When she hadn't been bugging him about his arm, she had practically radiated excitement. It was all Naruto needed to know that his friends were planning something.

Naruto was sure his face looked dumbfounded as his friends started to gather around him, looking proud of their success. Or in Sonia's case, running up to him and engulfing him in a hug.

Now that really caught him off guard, but it was still welcomed. Not to be a creep or anything, but Sonia just felt...nice. Soft and clean.

Oh god, he was turning into Teruteru.

"Oh my, oh my!" Of course it was Ibuki who reacted to it first, just barely stopping herself from whistling at what they were seeing. She most certainly grinned like a lecherous old man, though. How she accomplished something like that, Naruto didn't know.

It was probably better he didn't.

It was still a great moment. As surprised as Naruto was, he was about to hug the princess back until he noticed Kazuichi fidgeting and looking on the verge of tears.

"Gotta let it go. I-It doesn't mean anything. I-It's just for tonight. J-Just for tonight!"

Brave words, Kazuichi. They would almost mean something if it weren't for his near tear-stricken face. At least Teruteru was there to console him. The cook gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder while slowly shaking his head.

Teruteru was being the understanding one. Who would have figured?

"It's really good to see you again," Sonia said softly. It was almost as if she was trying to comfort herself that he really was here, with them again.

Naruto had to smile at this. Sure, he didn't fully understand why the girl would be so concerned. He had made a promise to return, hadn't he? No matter what, he wasn't going to die so easily or anything like that. It still made him happy to see that she cared, though.

Kazuichi wasn't the only one with tears. A certain team manager was in a similar predicament, only that he had no problem displaying his emotions.

"FINALLY! OUR TRUSTED COMRADE HAS RETURNED!" Nekomaru shouted to the ceiling. Was he expecting someone to shout back at him?

"Comrade?" Fuyuhiko almost snorted. "Can't you just say friend?"

Comrade sounded a bit too corny for his tastes.

"Friend?" Chiaki tilted her head. "Ah. So you're being honest for once, Kuzuryu-kun. I'm glad."

This was definitely going to be a good night then.

"N-No-!"

It was too late to deny it, Fuyuhiko. The flustered look that appeared on his face only further cemented Chiaki's point.

Ryota smiled. "Well, it is a special occasion. So I guess being honest is fine, right?"

"When did you become so understanding, huh!?"

"Oh." Ryota raised an eyebrow at the yakuza heir. "I've always been understanding, Kuzuryu-san."

No, he wasn't!

Next to them, Gundham was smirking with his arms crossed. His Four Dark Devas of Destruction seemed to be having a little celebration of their own on his shoulders. It was almost as if they were happy for Kurama, now that his faithful companion was back.

"H'mph, so the fateful reunion has come at last. My servant has finally taken his rightful place. Truly, this was inevitable. My All-Seeing Eye has already shown me the path!"

If it weren't for the fact that Sonia was hugging him and that he was so happy, Naruto would have slugged him.

"Ahahaha! Who cares about that!" Akane sure didn't! "Let's just party!"

For some reason, she no longer felt all that hungry either. Which normally would make her concerned, but tonight she was just feeling relieved. For whatever reason. Akane wasn't going to worry about the small details, though. Nope. They didn't matter.

"Stupid princess." Hiyoko shot a sour look at Sonia who was still hogging all the spotlight, at least in her mind. Really, she should have been the one to do that. Why hadn't she?

"There, there." Ibuki appeared behind her with an understanding look. "You can't be honest with yourself. Ibuki understands."

"Shut up!"

Ah, the way she was blushing made Ibuki feel so giddy.

"At least you're not suffering on your own."

Hiyoko didn't know what Ibuki was referring to, but if she had looked closer she would have noticed that Mahiru and Mikan had sour looks of their own. Mikan in particular who had wanted to be the one to greet Naruto in such a fashion but had been beaten to the punch by Sonia.

Curse her indecisiveness.

The only ones keeping to themselves were Peko and Nagito. Peko because she was content with just observing everyone. Seeing them all this happy and excited was what made her happy. Especially her young master who was still looking flustered as he tried to explain himself to Chiaki who wasn't having any of his excuses.

At first, Nagito had similar reasons. Someone like him had no right to intrude in such a special moment. Even though deep in his heart he wanted nothing more than to greet Naruto with warm words, he had to know his place and wait for the others to have their turn. But observant as he was, it didn't take him long to notice the cast on Naruto's arm.

'Hmm.'

How very curious. Naruto was injured? How? By whom? Someone would dare to hurt one of the beacons of hope?

Nagito didn't have the full details, but that didn't stop him from feeling a sense of anger. It wasn't a common emotion for him. There were only a few things that could set him off so quickly like this. But someone daring to hurt one of the chosen, one of the Ultimates, was enough of a trigger for him. Especially in this case, since he considered Naruto to be ultimate hope he had searched for so long.

No, wait. Perhaps he was being far too hasty in his assumptions. Yes, that was it. There was no way anyone could have hurt Naruto. The only ones who had a remote chance of accomplishing a feat like that were all at Hope's Peak Academy. But Naruto had been somewhere else entirely. So by that process of elimination, Nagito knew his first guess was incorrect. This was only an accident and nothing else.

Yes, yes. An accident. Nothing more.

It only took Mikan a few more seconds to notice the cast as well. She probably would have seen the it first, had she not been so preoccupied with Sonia hugging Naruto.

"Y-You're injured!"

Unlike Nagito, Mikan didn't hesitate to blurt out her observation.

Her words cut through everyone's mood like a knife cutting through butter.

Their eyes were immediately drawn to the cast that now stuck out like a sore thumb, with Sonia having to take a step back to look at said cast. Only Ibuki and Hiyoko didn't react right away, as they had already been pestering the blond about it.

For his part, Naruto grew sheepish. Having been lost in the moment, he kind of forgot about his arm.

"Uh. It's a long story?"

That it was.

There were few things that could set Mikan off from her usual meek and shy persona. Some of which were better not spoken of at this moment. However, one trigger she could speak about was seeing someone injured. That went double if it was one of her new friends. Tripe if it was Naruto.

So you can imagine the intensity that grew in her when she took notice of Naruto's arm. She needed to make sure everything was okay. All of her focus was now centered on this one task.

Which is what led her to almost literally ripping Naruto apart from the others and guiding him to the bedroom in Sonia's suite. Naruto had tried to protest at first of course. In his mind, there was no need to worry about a thing. Kirumi had done a good enough job in his opinion. And while he did want to get Mikan's opinion on it, there was no reason to do it now when he was just about to catch up with everyone.

There was no escaping Mikan's clutches, though. His protests went unheard of, with Fuyuhiko pushing him to the other room with something of a smirk on his face. Why was the yakuza smirking?

No particular reason. Really. He had no ulterior motives here. He definitely wasn't trying to help Mikan win the idiot over. Definitely not!

But wait. Was treating someone's injury a romantic setting to begin with? Fuyuhiko knew an idiot like Kazuichi would probably fall head over heels for a development like that. But would it work with an idiot like Naruto? Fuyuhiko knew both boys were idiots, but different breeds. So while one thing might work for one idiot, it might not work for the other.

Hmm. He lacked the experience to come to a conclusive answer.

Speaking of Kazuichi.

"I don't believe this!" The mechanic was on his knees. Tears of frustration were now streaming down his cheeks. He might have been able to hold it together before, but now? Not a chance. He wasn't strong enough. "First Miss Sonia, and now this? Just how lucky is that bastard!"

"Lucky?" Chiaki was confused. "But isn't Uzumaki-kun injured? How do you call that lucky?"

And what did Sonia have to do with this? Because she hugged him? She hugged Chiaki all the time, so the Ultimate Gamer couldn't understand the plight that Kazuichi was in.

"It hasn't even been five minutes, and you're already making me tired," Mahiru said. Her words carried a little more ice to them than usual.

Kazuichi was too depressed to even try to defend himself. Good thing too, or he might have turned to dust if he caught wind of the fiery stare Mahiru now sported.

"I do hope everything is alright." Sonia was just worried about her friend.

"But an injury like that." Nekomaru crossed his arms over his massive chest, his face thoughtful. "I wonder. What exactly was Uzumaki doing while he was away?"

He didn't give them any concrete answers, so they were totally in the dark here.

"Truly perplexing." For once, Gundham would admit to sharing the same curiosity as his classmates. "As always, that fiend isn't easy to decipher."

"T'ch, ain't that the truth." And Fuyuhiko wasn't too happy about that.

Peko looked at Ibuki and Hiyoko. "Did he not tell you anything? You two were with him for some time."

Hiyoko huffed. "I tried, but the idiot wouldn't say. So annoying."

Making her worry like this. He should get on his knees and feel grateful that she even cared.

"So like, he wouldn't answer Ibuki either. Which totally sucks! But what surprised Ibuki was that he wouldn't tell Hiyoko-chan anything. Because she was in a cute little maid outfit and Naruto-chan totally swooned!"

Ibuki's words were met with silence from the others. Then, almost like on cue, they slowly turned their heads toward Hiyoko whose face was now full on red. But whether from anger or embarrassment, it was anyone's guess.

"What the hell did you just say, you stupid little-!" Hiyoko would have surely tried to strangle Ibuki to death at that very moment, but she had to stop and shudder when she heard Teruteru whistle.

That was never a good sign.

"Oh, I totally see now." The cook looked very amused. "So that's why you wanted my outfits. You totally went through with my idea! Marvelous!" He couldn't be happier! If only he had been there to witness it himself! His buddy would have exploded in joy!

Mahiru didn't know what to think about this. "Is that really true….?"

Hiyoko doing something like that...Mahiru couldn't even begin to picture it.

"T-That's not it!" Hiyoko went on full defensive mode. "It was this idiot who forced me into it! I was tricked! I swear!"

"Tricked?" Ryota didn't look convinced. "How could you be tricked into something like that….?"

"Shut it! Y-You…you…..ham hands!"

Ryota didn't look offended in the slightest. "Is that supposed to be a nickname?"

Because if so, then he wouldn't mind.

"Fucking idiot." Fuyuhiko sighed. "You're not supposed to accept a nickname like that."

Anyone with common sense could see that.

"My friends, my friends! You're all forgetting the most important part here!" Clapping a couple of times to get everyone's attention, Teruteru looked positively giddy. "Let's not gloss over what Miss Ibuki shared with us."

"Huh?" Akane looked bored again. Just when things were getting to the interesting part, Mikan had to drag Naruto off. That wasn't fun at all. "What are you saying?"

"You all heard it too! Miss Hiyoko was able to make our Uzumaki-kun blush! You all know what that means, don't you?"

There was more silence. No one really wanted to think about what the short cook was getting at, least of all Hiyoko.

Well, none except Kazuichi who suddenly sprung up looking all rejuvenated all of a sudden.

"I totally get it now! Hanamura, you're a genius! No wonder Uzumaki hasn't done anything yet! He's totally into little girls!"

Many would say Kazuichi was dense when it came to reading social cues, and that he often blurted out unnecessary things. This…..was one such moment.

For you see, while Hiyoko was slowly feeling more and more embarrassed by the route this conversation was taking, her mood did a total one-eighty after she heard Kazuichi's outburst.

"Little girl….?"

She was a little girl?

How dare he. How dare this stupid, no-good mechanic….

The aura that enveloped the Ultimate Dancer was dangerous enough to make the others all back away. All except Kazuichi who was still basking in what he felt was his ultimate epiphany.

"This power." Gundham visibly recoiled. "She was hiding this kind of skill…..!?"

No one felt like correcting him at this moment.

Kazuichi never saw the danger descending upon him until it was too late.

In the other room, a certain ninja and nurse were in the middle of their own "conversation." Which was Naruto just trying to avoid getting any needles in his arm.

"Y-You know, Mikan. You don't have to look so serious. This is a party, right? There's no need for this kind of reaction-"

"You're taking things too lightly, Naruto-san!"

Oh boy. No stuttering. No hesitation. She actually sounded stern.

This was a side to the Ultimate Nurse that Naruto had never seen before. The closest would be back when they first found Kurama and she had to treat him. But even then, Naruto hadn't seen her work firsthand, just the end result.

Tonight was different. Not only had she taken charge earlier and practically shoved him in here, she also made him sit down on the bed like a child being tended by their physician. He continued to protest obviously, but it did little good.

Mikan was in control right now. Her face said it all as she knelt in front of him.

Kurama happily observed them from one of the sofa chairs. Yes, the bedroom was that big. Naruto was sure this one room was bigger than his whole apartment back in the Leaf. Such was the luxury Sonia was provided with.

The little fox didn't fully understand what was going on, but he was intuitive enough to realize it wasn't anything bad.

Naruto had to grimace a little as Mikan examined his arm. She wasn't being rough by any means, but just moving his arm around was still enough to make him flinch. It's why he had been extra careful to avoid any extraneous movement up to this point.

"I knew I should have been more prepared," Mikan muttered as she continued with her examination. Sadly she had nothing to cut the cast with. And even if she did, she didn't have a replacement. No, removing it would be too risky right now. She would have to be more "well-equipped," for a lack of a better word, before she attempted it. She had everything she needed back at Hope's Peak, but that would have to wait until tomorrow.

This really didn't make her happy. Without a closer look, she couldn't fully asses the damage. At the very least she could tell that none of the nerves were damaged. This was good, which meant that Naruto would definitely heal in time.

'No, I can't be sure of that either. It could be a delayed reaction. Or…..'

Really, there were too many variables here. Mikan was not happy. Not at all.

"Why did this happen?" She said this softly, but Naruto was still able to hear it.

A frown settled over the Uzumaki. Mikan not only looked frustrated, but she sounded worried and guilty too. Almost like she was blaming herself for what had happened.

"Hey. Don't look so down, Mikan. This isn't your fault."

Why she would ever think something like that was beyond him. She had nothing to do with his mission, so thinking that she could have done something to prevent his injury was not a healthy mindset to have. Or even feasible.

Mikan wasn't satisfied. "I-I should have been there! O-Or…..or I don't know!"

She didn't even know what to say. Her mind was too jumbled to formulate any words. It had been a while since her mind was this rattled.

"Hey, hey. Calm down." Naruto placed his other hand on her head as a sign of reassurance. "Believe it or not, I've been in worse situations before." Only then he could recover more quickly, but that was neither here nor there.

Fidgeting, Mikan poked her fingers together while looking to the side.

"W-What were you doing out there, Naruto-san? Y-Your mission….w-what did you do?"

His mission, huh. There really wasn't any reason to keep it hidden anymore. The headmaster probably wouldn't care. And besides, there was a larger truth he wanted to reveal tonight. Compared to that, this was nothing.

"The headmaster asked me for a favor. But to keep it short, I got involved with a murder."

"M-Murder!?" Mikan's eyes widened. This was worse than what she had imagined. "Why would the headmaster ask you to do something like that!"

It was so irresponsible! Naruto was still only a student.

"Eh." Naruto closed his eyes for a moment. He still didn't have the full story there, of why the headmaster had approached him specifically, save for what the old gramps had told him. "He probably thought I was reliable?"

That was a good enough answer for now.

Mikan looked down. "Y-You could have said no, Naruto-san. And then your arm would still be-"

"It's fine, I say." Naruto chuckled. "Compared to some of my other missions, this was a piece of cake!"

This was his first lie. Or more like a half-truth. Because he hadn't succeeded in the end. So saying it was a "piece of cake" was definitely not true.

Seeing Naruto chuckle made Mikan realize something. The boy was used to this. Putting his life on the line, that is. The Ultimate Nurse had never met someone like that before, someone who didn't seem to mind risking their lives and think nothing of it.

"Y-You're going to go on more missions, aren't you?"

Naruto looked at the girl who stared right back at him. He could see many emotions mashed together in those eyes of hers. He sort of understood what she wanted him to say. It was just like with Sonia earlier. He felt happy that she was worried about him, but that didn't change his answer or his feelings.

"If I have to."

Like it or not, his goal was going to invite conflict in the future. One way or another. It couldn't be avoided. There were going to be obstacles. People who would fight him and what he was trying to create. It was just a sad truth. If Naruto had it his way, things would be different. Unfortunately, things were never that simple.

And this was exactly what Mikan expected to hear. Mind you, it's not what she wanted to hear. However, in the back of her mind, Mikan understood perfectly. This was just the kind of person Naruto was. It's what she liked the most about him.

But it also troubled her greatly.

"P-Putting yourself in danger all the time…..i-it makes me worry." Mikan's mood shifted. Her eyes darkened as she looked up to the ceiling. There was a certain intensity to them that would make anyone uneasy. Her voice also changed, taking a more dangerous and desperate edge to it. For Naruto, it was like he was staring at a different person. "That's why. I-It makes me think. About what I should do to keep you safe. Like….keeping you in bed tied up, where you need to be looked after for the rest of your life. That way, you're definitely safe. And I can look after you. Maybe that is the best course of action. Maybe I should do it, after all."

She was talking about needles, wasn't she!?

"You really don't have to do something like that, Mikan." Naruto almost shuddered at the thought. "Because you're always gonna be there to patch me up, right?"

In a second, the dark mood that had overtaken the girl disappeared. She looked a bit lost, like she herself couldn't believe what she had just said. But at the same time, there was more relief flooding through her.

"A-Ah! Wait, it's not like I would do something like that. It's wrong! I know that! And. And…..can you really trust me with something like that….?" By the end, Mikan sounded unsure and confused. She didn't believe she was good enough for a role like that, despite being the one who offered to be his personal nurse in the first place.

But this was different. Naruto was the one saying it this time. To the girl, it carried a lot more weight.

"Yeah? You are my nurse, right?"

Once again, Naruto's oblivious nature kicked in at the wrong time. Or was it the right time?

It was up for debate, but there was no denying the effect it had on Mikan. Her face brightened while her cheeks colored.

"Y-Your nurse. Hehehe…..no one has said that before to me. Ehehehe….this is the first time that….."

She trailed off as she practically disappeared into her own little world.

Hmm. Naruto felt like the girl was misunderstanding somewhere here. Or was it him?

'Eh, who cares. Mikan is happy.'

And that's what mattered in the end. Naruto didn't know if he would always be able to put a smile on the girl's face, but he was willing to try. It was the same for the rest of his friends.

They were always going to be there for one another, no matter what.

It took a few more minutes before Naruto and Mikan rejoined the others, with Kurama in tow. The blond had to do a little bit more coaxing before Mikan was fully satisfied. Well, not "fully." A part of her still wanted to head back to Hope's Peak and get all the supplies she needed to do a full check up, but Naruto convinced her that could wait.

They had a party to enjoy, among other things.

"Did we miss something?"

Naruto and Mikan looked confused when they stepped out of the bedroom. Why? Because they were greeted by Kazuichi's mushed remains sagging on the floor. Naruto was sure he saw smoke coming out of the boy's body too, like he had been on the receiving end of a powerful explosion.

What the hell had happened out here while they were gone?

"Oh, you know. This and that." Ibuki waved it off like it was no big deal.

Sadly for Kazuichi, he had no way of explaining what really happened. And it totally was a big deal! To him anyway.

Fuyuhiko ignored it altogether and focused on the matter at hand.

"What about you? And that arm. What the hell happened?"

Sonia's face was stern. She wasn't all that happy that Mikan had left them out of the loop.

"I believe it is necessary you explain what is going on, Naruto!"

"And we won't take no for an answer!" Ibuki added with her hands on her hips.

Sheesh. Was it really that big of a deal?

"Your face says it all." Mahiru didn't look pleased. "You don't think it matters, do you?"

"To sustain that kind of injury. You must have faced a great danger." Gundham's red eye started to glow. "You must share your knowledge, or be destroyed!"

"Ah." Chiaki slowly nodded. "Yes. Except you won't be destroyed."

There was no need to play "the straight man" for Gundham at this point, Chiaki.

Nagito took a few steps closer to the blond, his face hard to read. "You've heard them, Uzumaki-kun. Everyone is worried."

Naruto had to stop himself from groaning. "This was supposed to be a party, right?"

"It was." Crossing her arms, Peko fixed him with a hard stare. "However, we cannot enjoy ourselves without knowing what you have been up to."

Naruto knew that. He was just sort of stalling really. Because this wasn't just about his arm or his mission.

'No. I already promised myself that I would do this. I can't chicken out now.'

None of the others understood the reason behind his hesitation. No one except for Ryota.

'So that's it.'

Ryota understood the expression Naruto now wore, because it was one he often sported when he was alone. The feeling he got when he thought he was betraying those around him. The people he now called friends.

The Ultimate Animator knew exactly what this was about. What Naruto said before he left, about sharing something with them. It was now time. He had probably thought more about it than anyone else, and he was all too eager to hear what Naruto had to say.

"I think it's better if we got comfortable first." Taking charge, which was totally out of character for him, Ryota pointed everyone to the living room of the suite. It was usually cluttered, but for tonight Sonia had moved everything to give them space. "Uzumaki-san just has to collect his thoughts, right?"

A small unspoken message was sent between them, with Naruto offering him a small grateful smile.

The others looked unsure for a moment before following Ryota's suggestion. It was almost subconsciously, but they sat together in a circle in the same spots they had during their camping trip.

They gave Naruto their undivided attention. He could start talking at any time, but no words were coming out.

It gave Kazuichi the goosebumps. "Why are you acting so weird?"

He wasn't used to seeing the blond so...vulnerable, for a lack of a better word. It was eerie.

"H'mph, for once I gotta agree with Soda." Fuyuhiko narrowed his eyes. "What's going on with you?"

Naruto forced a chuckle. Finally, he was able to speak again. "It's just not easy to say. I don't even know where to begin."

Nekomaru grunted. "Was your mission really that problematic?"

"It's not that. That's the least important thing here."

"I-I disagree," Mikan said softly while glancing at his arm.

Akane groaned. "This is stupid. Just say whatever you want to say already."

She never liked it when people got like this.

"I don't mean to be so blunt, but Owari is not wrong," Peko said. "You have never been one to shy away from speaking your mind."

She had experienced that firsthand. They all had.

Naruto took in a deep breath. He might no longer have Sage Mode, but the training he went to master it was helpful during times like this, when he needed to collect his thoughts and relax. Meditation could do wonders.

"I don't know where to begin," he repeated himself.

Next to him, Nagito smiled. "The beginning is usually a good start."

Was that a joke?

Even if it wasn't, it did make Naruto more comfortable, if only slightly.

"That might not be easier than you think." He took in another deep breath. "Because. Well. As hard as it is to understand, I'm not actually from this world."

And that was only the beginning.

Short chapter, I know. But I felt it better to fully set things up before getting to the heart of the matter. Mostly because I still don't know how this is going to play out.

To be more specific, there are many ways this could go. And by that I mean how some characters are going to react. Some are easy to predict, but others…..well, it can go in many different ways. I have different drafts, but like I said I still don't know what I'm going to go with. Like always, I'll decide when I'm putting it all together. I find that being in that mindset is what helps me the most.

Next chapter is going to be heavy, and I expect some disagreement from some of you. But that's fine. That's one of the best parts. The discussion.

But yeah, I'm still around and still writing. My lazy phase should be wearing off soon.

Hope it was enjoyable, for what it is.

Till next time.