Chapter 1 – Multiplicity Game
Darkness.
That was the only thing Tenko Chabashira could see. And silence was the only thing she could hear.
She felt like she was in a dream, while being aware that she was definitely awake. It was a strange feeling.
Tenko moved her hands forward, and stumbled due to a sudden light blinding her. She fell to the ground, and blinked to try and recover her sight.
"Are you okay?" She heard a concerned voice.
Looking up, she saw the owner of the voice, A beautiful girl with gray eyes and hair.
"I'm... not hurt." She managed to say.
The girl extended a black gloved hand to Tenko, who took it and got back on her feet.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Tenko reverted to her usual mode of operation, and quickly looked around the room, taking note of every detail she could.
They were inside some sort of classroom, except that it had clearly not been used for a long time, and apparently she had been trapped inside a locker. Having obtained some measure of understanding of her situation, Tenko turned her attention back to the girl.
Every single piece of her seemed to radiate elegance. She was wearing a black and white dress, and had a tiara in her short hair. Her gloves and boots also seemed to be high quality, and even the way she stood gave the same impression. She was certainly not the sort of girl you could see everyday.
Tenko looked back at herself to see if there was anything different about her own appearance, but it didn't appear to be the case. She was still wearing the same overcoat and pants she always did, and her hair was still tied in a ponytail. That done, it was time to address the elephant in the room.
She decided to start by introducing herself:
"Hello. My name is Tenko Chabashira. I'm an Ultimate student, with the talent of Ultimate Detective." She did her introduction exactly like her teacher had always instructed, including even a small bow of the head.
The girl smiled and made her own introduction "My name is Kirumi Toujou. Like you, I am also an Ultimate student. In my case, the Ultimate Entomologist."
Tenko took a moment to marvel at the fact that even her introduction was full of elegance, before something hit her.
"Wait... You're the Ultimate Entomologist?" She asked, incredulous.
"This is a common reaction when I talk about my talent." Kirumi said, with her tone showing that she didn't draw offense "It's a bit of an interesting story. I was raised to be the perfect rich daughter, but I ended up getting interested in the small insects that I could see in the mansion, since I wasn't allowed outside all that often."
She smiled again, this time in fond remembrance "I eventually managed to get my parents to allow me to go out and look for bugs, on the condition that I wouldn't get dirty, my clothes wouldn't get messed up and all that." She shrugged "I guess they were trying to discourage me, but it didn't work. It took a lot of effort, but I slowly learned more and more about bugs, and even found a few new species, which earned me that title."
"That's amazing." Tenko gave her honest opinion "In my case, I was actually helped to become the Ultimate Detective. My teacher found me when I was young, and he taught me everything he knew about observation and deduction." Tenko nodded "He is a famous consultant detective, and eventually he started letting me help in his cases, until I managed to solve a few on my own, and gained my title."
"That's interesting." Kirumi said, then her expression became serious "But I guess that we should talk about the most important point: Where are we, and how have we gotten here?"
Tenko closes her eyes for a moment in order to collect her thoughts, before talking "You saw me come out of this locker, and I imagine that you woke up on the other one." Kirumi nodded "This place appears to be a classroom that hasn't been used for a long time, and the fact that the windows are blocked is strange." Tenko put a finger on her forehead and thought hard "About how I got here... I have no idea. My last memories are of normal days in the office, together with teacher, and I can't think of a way I could have come here..."
"So, it's the same as me." Kirumi said "I also don't remember anything that could indicate how I ended up here... What do you think that means?"
Tenko nodded "If that is the case, there's no way this is a coincidence. Two Ultimates waking up in a strange place without any memory of how they had gotten there? I don't have enough information to create any theories, but this is definitely an important piece of evidence."
"I agree." She said, looking at the door "I think we should leave and investigate the rest of this place. Do you want to come?"
"Thank you." Tenko nodded "Let's go, then."
The two left the classroom and started exploring the surroundings. Tenko had just thought that the school indeed looked like it had been abandoned for a long time, when she got blindsided by a completely unexpected event.
A small black and white bear, that looked like a stuffed animal, suddenly slid out from behind a corner at high speed. He opened his mouth and shouted:
"Heloooooooo, new students!"
"Ah! It's a talking stuffed animal!" Was Tenko's reaction.
"My name is Monokuma, thank you very much!" He spoke angrily, before smiling "I am the Headmaster of this Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, and I've come to greet you!"
"Headmaster?" Tenko asked "So you're the one responsible for this? Then where are we? How have we come here? What do you plan to do with us?" She tried to get information out of the self-proclaimed "headmaster".
"Ah, you don't need to be so uptight, little miss Ultimate Detective." He spoke in a teasing tone "Everything will be explained soon. I only came here to greet you two and give you these."
He took out two tablet computers from... somewhere "Ta-Daaa! Those are the Monopads! They are essential tools for a fulfilling school life."
Tenko took one of them while Kirumi took the other. She touched around and on the screen, but failed to find a way to make it activate "Wait, how do I use that?" She asked.
"You don't need to worry." Monokuma spoke "They aren't activated yet, but when they are, the manner of use is pretty easy to understand." He crossed his arms "As for when they will be activated... Well, it won't take long. Soon, I'll send a message to the Monopads for you Ultimates to gather for the opening speech, after which you will have full control. Until then, why don't you explore the rest of the school and meet your classmates?"
Having said his piece, Monokuma proceeded to disappear on the same way he had appeared. Leaving the two girls alone.
"It seems like we are not the only students here." Kirumi said "So it seems like the others are Ultimates too."
"Considering that he called this place 'Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles', I think it would be strange were that not the case." Tenko answered "Which makes this situation even stranger. Because a force capable of gathering a high number of Ultimates in such a way is definitely not something average."
"Then... I guess we should keep exploring." Kirumi said "It's not like it would hurt, right?"
Tenko nodded, and the two returned to their exploration. They checked around the other rooms, initially finding them empty, until at last, they found a room with two other people inside. Though one of them looked a bit strange...
The two got startled upon seeing Tenko and Kirumi appearing, and there was a moment in which neither side could react.
During that moment, Tenko observed the appearances of the two other students. One of them was a boy, and that immediately caused her to worry. Tenko's teacher had taught her that she should always be weary and never let down her guard in front of boys. In terms of appearance, he was white haired with green eyes, and was wearing a blue jacket and pants, along with a white undershirt.
As for the girl, she was the one who had a strange appearance. She was a girl, definitely. That couldn't easily be seen from her figure, that included a big bosom and long blonde hair. She was wearing a tight and short dress, and boots on her feet. That was all relatively normal. The unusual part was that her skin was strange. While the face part was only strangely pale, with weird lines coming down from the eyes, the parts of her body that could be seen were black and shaped like armored plates.
"Who... Who are you?" The boy snapped out of his confusion and asked.
Kirumi took the lead "My name is Kirumi Toujou and she is Tenko Chabashira. We are the Ultimate Entomologist and the Ultimate Detective, respectively. May I inquire about your identities?"
The boy took a deep breath and started talking "My name is Kiibo Idabashi. I am the Ultimate Astronaut. I only just woke up inside a locker in this room and don't know how I got here. Also, a talking stuffed bear appeared and gave me and her those 'Monopads', but he refused to explain anything." He spoke quickly and concisely.
"It's the same thing that happened with us. Also, Tenko thinks that some sort of group is responsible for capturing Ultimates from all around and bringing them together like this. After all, that bear called himself 'the Headmaster of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles'." Kirumi said.
"That is a plausible theory." The recently named Kiibo said.
"Changing subjects..." Tenko thought of something "I never heard of such a young astronaut."
Kiibo nodded "Technically I'm still a trainee. But usually people as young as me would not even be considered for that. I only managed because I already got a doctorate in engineering, fluency in five languages and the required physical fitness."
"That's really impressive." Kirumi said "It seems like you planned things well."
"Actually, it was my father who planned my path towards becoming an astronaut. I only had to follow it." He said.
After that, the strange girl started to speak, in a cheerful voice "I don't understand much about that, but it's pretty much like Kiibo said for me as well. Ah, my names are Miu Iruma and also M01000, and I am the Ultimate Robot!" Her gestures were flamboyant.
"Wait, you're a robot?" Tenko couldn't help but ask.
"Yes!" Was the answer "I am the most advanced robot in the world, equipped with all sorts of functions, including the capability for intercourse with both males and females!"
Tenko blushed heavily, almost not believing what she had just heard. Kiibo also blushed a bit, though it seemed like he had already expected something like that. Kirumi, on the other hand, managed to keep her cool and elegant manner.
"Tenko and I will be taking a look at the school and talking with the other students." She said "Monokuma said something about gathering all the Ultimates in one place to explain things, so we should see each other again at that time. Unless you have something else to talk about?"
The answer was negative, so Kirumi did a small bow and left the classroom together with Tenko.
The two of them went back to their search, and it didn't take long for them to find another person, this time someone who was walking through the corridor.
It was a girl. She was wearing a pink vest over a white shirt with short sleeves, as well as a checkered purple skirt. She had blonde hair and pink eyes, and was wearing a blue beret on her head, and shoes and knee socks on her feet.
The two introduced themselves, and the girl did the same:
"My name is Kaede Akamatsu. I don't like my title much because it sounds too villainous, but I am officially the Ultimate Supreme Leader." She spoke, looking slightly embarrassed.
"How did you get that title?" Tenko couldn't help but ask.
"Well, you see..." She started recounting things "Ever since I was small, I had always been fascinated by the ability to talk with people all over the world without even leaving home, to the point where I learned a lot of languages just to be able to communicate without issue." She smiled "I made a lot of good friends over the years, but one of my friends ended up in a bad situation one day. I decided to help them, and discovered that I was good at organizing stuff and putting the right people in contact with each other."
She adopted a thoughtful expression, with her arms crossed and the eyes closed "I still don't understand exactly how it happened, but things kept escalating, and eventually that resulted in the Russian Revolution." She finished in a tone that was far too light for what she had just said.
"That was you?" Even Kirumi couldn't completely keep her composure "That's the kind of thing people will learn about in textbooks in the future." She spoke, impressed.
"I just did what I had to do." She waved it off "I wonder what is going to happen here?" She was thoughtful again "Do you have any theories?" She asked Tenko.
"I have a few ideas, but I think it would be best if I waited until Monokuma's 'explanation', before making any actual theories." Tenko said.
"I understand."
After that, they parted ways and the duo of girls kept exploring. They went down a flight of stairs and quickly found a place that seemed to be an entrance hall, and there were two boys who were talking to each other next to the door.
One of the boys was very short, and he had black eyes and a pointy hat that covered his hair. He was wearing a black jacket with a blue and black jumpsuit underneath. He also had a cuff with a bit of chain attached to his leg.
The other boy was tall and had long black hair tied up in braids. He was wearing a cap on his head and had a mask covering his mouth. He was wearing something that looked like a cross between a school uniform and a military one, with a dark green button jacket with short sleeves and matching pants and boots. He was wearing sports gloves and his arms were covered in bandages.
Kirumi took the initiative to introduce herself and Tenko to the boys, who did the same.
The tall boy spoke first "My name is Korekiyo Shinguuji, and my title is the Ultimate Tennis Pro." His voice was calm and unhurried, but it turned excited on his next words "I try to honor the memory of my elder sister every time I step in court." He did a small bow.
"I think I know who you are..." Tenko tried to remember "There was something about a middle school freshman who founded a tennis club in a school without one and managed to lead that club to national victory."
"Indeed." Korekiyo nodded "I could have gone to another school, but that had been the school of my older sister, and she really wanted their tennis club to be restarted." Then he motioned for the other boy to speak.
"I..." He seemed to be slightly reluctant to talk "I am Ryoma Hoshi, and I was once called the Ultimate Magician. But that is all in the past." His voice was deep, unsuited for his appearance.
"And why is that?" Kirumi asked.
"Because I used my talent to kill people and was imprisoned." Ryoma said "The Ultimate Magician doesn't exist anymore, I am just his shadow."
Understanding that he didn't want to talk anymore, Kirumi addressed Korekiyo "Is that door locked?" She pointed to the front door.
"No." Was Korekiyo's response "But even though that is an exit from the school, it's not an exit from this place." He said cryptically "It's easier for you two to see for yourselves instead of me explaining."
Taking the cue, the two girls opened the door and stepped out. And what awaited them... was something beyond imagination.
The whole school and the territory around it were surrounded by a massive dome. And looking through the dome they could see... Planet Earth.
"We... We're in space...?!" Tenko barely managed to vocalize her feelings.
"That's exactly right!" Came Monokuma's voice from her side.
Both she and Kirumi were startled by Monokuma's sudden appearance "You are now in space, which means you have no chance of escaping!" He bragged.
"What do you mean by that?!" Tenko demanded.
"You don't need to worry." His voice was suddenly conciliatory "You will all have a chance of getting back home, as long as you follow the rules. I promise." And yet, his delivery still managed to have a small note of hidden threat underneath.
Then he disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared, once again. Leaving Tenko and Kirumi to try and adjust to this new situation.
"So..." Tenko forced herself to remain cheerful "I guess we should go back to exploring the academy and meeting the others."
Kirumi nodded, recovering her elegant manner "Yes we should. But where do you think we should explore first?"
"Let's finish looking through the school before going outside." Was Tenko's answer.
The two did so, entering back from where they had left and passing by Korekiyo and Ryoma, who were back in conversation.
The two walked together, and Tenko felt happy for not having to do everything alone.
They found a library, which was a place that Tenko immediately took a liking to. It was full of books to the point of being overstuffed, and it was messy to a point where she had to stop herself from immediately trying to rearrange things... But the very atmosphere of the place spoke to the girl, but she knew her priorities, so she immediately focused on the two students who were inside.
They were a girl and a boy. The boy was green haired with green eyes. He had long eyelashes and was wearing a blue and gray sweater along with white pants and shoes. He had a necklace and a bracelet on his left arm.
The girl had long cerulean hair that came down to her waist, teal eyes and glasses. She was wearing a stylish school uniform, with a blazer over a white shirt who had an orange bow, a knee-length pleated skirt, and black socks and shoes.
Both of them were looking at the books, but turned upon hearing Tenko and Kirumi entering the library. The Ultimate Entomologist took the lead in introducing herself, with Tenko following her, and then it was the boy's turn:
"My name is Rantaro Amami." He spoke with a clear and unhurried voice "My title is the Ultimate Cosplayer, and I hope that my sisters are still doing well."
"How do you become an Ultimate Cosplayer?" Kirumi asked, interested.
"How do you become an Ultimate anything?" Rantaro shrugged "My younger sisters were interested in Cosplay, so I started making costumes for her, and I got better and better at it until my creations started winning prizes."
"It's nice that you wanted to help your sisters..." Tenko admitted.
"Yeah, and since I had twelve of them, I got a lot of practice." He laughed.
"Twelve?!" Tenko was surprised.
"Yeah..." Rantaro looked a bit embarrassed "Actually they're half-sisters. My father was kind of a playboy..."
"I understand." Kirumi said, before addressing the girl "And how about you?"
"My name is Tsumugi Shirogane and I am the Ultimate Child Caregiver." She said.
"Child Caregiver?" Tenko asked.
"I'm pretty plain, but I'm good at taking care of kids, to the point where I was asked to deal with all sorts of problem children." She nodded "But since there are no children around, I guess I'm no different from a normal person."
They talked a bit more, with Tenko asking about the contents of the library (it was pretty comprehensive, having all sorts of things), before she and Kirumi left to explore the rest of the school.
Soon, they found the dining hall, which had only a single table and was overgrown with plants. Sitting at the table were another boy and girl pair, and the boy was talking earnestly about something, while the girl listened with a smile on her face.
Saying that the boy was "heavily built" would be an understatement. He was the kind of person who was often described as "a mountain of a man". He was wearing a brown school blazer with a multicolored tie and brown pants. He had red eyes and wore glasses, and his hair was brown, long and messy. He wore no shoes and carried a bag on his right arm.
The girl was nearly the total opposite. She was short and had dark skin and nearly-white platinum blonde hair that was tied in two wavy ponytails. Her eyes were ocean blue and she wore a white lab cloth without the buttons being done. Under that, she wore a white, frilly bikini top and a blue short. She also wore heavy duty work gloves and heavy white boots.
When the two girls approached, the dark skinned girl noticed them first. She stopped the boy from talking with a small gesture and waved to the two, greeting them cheerfully:
"Yo-hooo! Nice to meet you!"
The boy looked at them and also did his greeting. Tenko and Kirumi approached the table and introduced themselves. And then the girl did the same:
"My name is Angie Yonaga. I am called the Ultimate Inventor!" She put a hand on her chin "Though actually it's Atua who invents things, I only serve as a channel for him." She smiled "As the voice of Atua, I took the responsibility of bringing his creations to life in order to better the life of the people in my island."
"That's cool. What kinds of things did you, or rather Atua, invent?" Tenko asked.
"I think the most important thing were the technologies behind the creation of the fish farms." Angie said, putting her hands forward in a gesture like framing a picture "With that, we could be sure to have a constant supply of food no matter the situation." She put her hands together in prayer "Atua is truly a wonderful god who takes care of his people..."
Seeing that Angie had finished, Kirumi took the liberty of looking at the boy and asking "How about you?"
"Me? I'm Gonta. Gonta Gokuhara." He spoke with a kind voice "Gonta is the Ultimate Artist, and his dream is to become a true gentleman." He said, full of conviction.
"Ultimate Artist? Then what kind of art do you make?" Kirumi asked.
"Gonta makes all kinds. Painting, sculpting, drawing... Gonta has lots of supplies on his bag." He showed the bag on his arm "Gonta grew up in forest, so when Gonta get into society, he didn't know how to communicate well with words, so Gonta started using art to do it, and that's how Gonta become Ultimate Artist."
"That's nice. I hope you can show me some of your art later."
"Gonta will do it. But for now, Angie wanted to hear about Gonta's life, so Gonta can't do anything yet."
"Then I'll leave you two to it." Kirumi said with a smile.
"Oh, before you leave..." Angie attracted their attention "I already took a look at the kitchen, and it is really well-stocked, so we will be able to make all kinds of yummy food while we're here."
"Right, understood." Tenko nodded to her, and then the two girls left.
After that, they keep looking through the school, and found the storage, which was much less run down than the rest of the place. It contained all sorts of things, from drones to high jump bars, it also contained another boy.
That boy was short, though not as short as Ryoma, whom they had met before. He was purple haired and eyed, and his hair was messy. He was wearing a white suit and pants, with white belts strapped to them, giving an appearance similar to that of a straightjacket. He also had a scarf with a black and white chessboard pattern.
He noticed the two entering the storage, and waved at them "Hello! Welcome to my personal playground!"
The two approached and introduced themselves, and then it was time for the boy to do the same.
"My name is Kokichi Ouma... And it is a little embarrassing, but I actually don't remember what my talent is." He rubbed his head "I mean, I must have one, since everyone else here is an Ultimate, but I don't know what it is."
"Really?" Kirumi asked, surprised.
"Actually, that's a lie." He smirked "Why would I forget my own talent? I am the Ultimate Anthropologist!"
"Why would you lie about forgetting your talent?" Tenko asked.
"I was actually afraid that people would get suspicious of my talent." Kokichi said.
"Really?" Tenko asked.
"Nope, that's another lie." He smirked again.
"Are you sure you're the Ultimate Anthropologist and not the Ultimate Liar?" Kirumi asked.
"Of course I'm sure. After all, an Anthropologist is interested in the essence of humanity, which means I'm interested in lies, and why the humans tell them."
Those words were spoken in the most serious voice he had shown up until then.
Kirumi smiled "I wanted to ask you how you became the Ultimate Anthropologist, but I think you would just lie again."
"Oh? You really get me." He smiled "It's really nice to have someone smart like you around."
The two took a look at the rest of the storage and then left to continue exploring the school.
The last place of note they found inside the school was the game room, which featured a Foosball and billiard tables, as well as a bunch of arcades. Inside were, once again, both a boy and a girl.
The boy had spiky purple hair and lilac eyes, as well as a beard stubble. He was dressed in an elegant black and white waistcoat and suit, along with pants and shoes to form a perfect butlery ensemble. His expression was warm and excited.
The girl was pretty, with long black hair tied up in pigtails, she had red eyes and was wearing a red sailor shirt with a small black pleated skirt with white musical note patterns. She was also wearing brown boots and thigh-high scarlet socks, and had delicate white gloves on her hands. Her expression was unfriendly, the type that didn't draw in people.
Again, the two girls introduced themselves to those new people, and again, the boy was the first to do his own introduction:
"I'm Kaito Momota, the Ultimate Butler!" He declared "I serve only the greatest of people, to allow them to reach their full potential. That is my oath as the greatest butler in the world!" His manners really weren't butlery, but Tenko reasoned that he wouldn't have obtained his title if he didn't have real skills.
"Now it's your turn, Maki!" He spoke to the girl "Show them what you have!"
The girl looked at him like she couldn't believe he had actually said that, before sighing, looking at Tenko and starting to speak "My name is Maki Harukawa, and I am the Ultimate Pianist."
"That means you must like piano a lot." Kirumi said "What kind of music do you like to play?"
"I don't actually like piano that much." Maki denied coldly "I just started playing to try and entertain the other children on the orphanage, and I kept playing once I discovered that I could make money with it."
"So you actually became an Ultimate to help your fellow orphans." Tenko pointed out "That is also pretty nice."
Maki didn't respond to that, and her expression also didn't change, but her small reaction showed that she liked the compliment.
"You can take the compliment, Maki." Kaito said, having realized the same "This is what you deserve, so you don't have to be embarrassed." He gave her a thumbs up.
"Shut up." Maki said, but without any real heat behind her words.
Soon, Tenko and Kirumi left the game room, and checked the rest of the school before leaving through the door. They started exploring the school grounds, and soon found themselves on the dormitory. It was a small two story building, composed entirely out of sixteen rooms (which was probably the number of Ultimates), with each room's occupant being represented by a small chibi avatar on top of the door. They found a girl there.
She was a cute girl, who was small enough to merit the moniker of "little", and had a child-like appearance. Her hair was red, and her eyes were reddish brown. She was wearing an outfit that looked like the top part of a white karategi combined with a red hakama, except that it seemed like a slightly casual version of those clothes, with some floral details decorating both parts. She was wearing sandals and socks on her feet.
She looked on sleepily as Tenko and Kirumi introduced themselves, and then she started talking in a voice completely lacking in energy:
"I am Himiko Yumeno, and you should watch and be amazed, for I am the Ultimate Aikido Master!"
There was a moment of silence, before Himiko continued speaking "Normal martial arts are too much work, but Master Kushinada taught me her special Kushinada-style Aikido." Himiko raised a finger, calling for attention "This Aikido is based entirely on using the strength of the opponent, without any of your own strength. So that even the weakest person in the world can defeat the strongest, as long as they use it."
"That seems quite impressive." Kirumi said "And when exactly did you get your title?"
"Ah, that's easy." Himiko said "Master took me to fight the strongest disciples of the strongest martial artists in the world, all in a row." She sighed "I ended up beating twelve of them. I could have beaten more, but standing for that long was already too much of a pain, so I lay down to take a nap."
"Wow. That means you are super strong, Himiko!" Tenko spoke, impressed.
"Yeah, yeah... Do you have anything you want with me? If not, I'm gonna go into my room and take another nap." She said, already yawning.
Tenko and Kirumi said no, so she left with slow steps. Tenko looked at her partner and shrugged with an expression of 'I don't understand, either'.
They went back to exploring and finally found the last of their fellow students. Completing the circle, it was a boy. He was in a strange part of the academy grounds, having a fountain in the center and arena style steps on the north, which were covered in plants.
The boy was dressed in a black school uniform and black pants, and was wearing a black cap with a white strap that made his gray eyes difficult to see. His build was thin and his hair was black and short.
He was sitting on one of the steps, and he looked nervous when the two girls approached to introduce themselves. He held the brim of his hat as he spoke.
"My name is Shuuichi Saihara." His voice was quiet and his manner was withdrawn "I... I actually don't know what my Ultimate Talent is."
Tenko and Kirumi were surprised, remembering the fact that Kokichi had said the same thing.
"I only know that I have one because Monokuma told me that I should meet the 'other Ultimates', which implied that I was one, but I have no idea what kind of talent I could have."
"Have you forgotten about your daily life?" Tenko asked.
"No. I still remember going to school, helping my uncle, traveling around... But I can't remember anything that could have anything to do with a talent."
"Perhaps..." Tenko began talking, but was interrupted by a sudden beep of her Monopad.
She took it out and saw that the screen was turned on, and it was showing a map of the school, with the position she was in being highlighted by a blinking dot. She also saw that there was a blinking X in the middle of one of the buildings. And then Monokuma's voice came out of the pad:
"The preparations are complete. All Ultimates, please report to the gym, which is marked on your Monopad. Your questions will be answered there."
Tenko looked at the map and realized that the marked place was a building that they had not been able to enter because the door was locked.
"We should probably go there." Kirumi said.
The other two agreed with her, and they went to the gym, which soon filled up with all sixteen students.
The gym had a stage with a speaker platform, and Monokuma appeared on that platform as soon as all the students had gathered together.
"Helloooo, my beautiful students! Here is your Headmaster Monokuma speaking!" He started "I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions, so first I will clarify the situation here."
None of the students spoke, waiting to see what Monokuma would say.
"You guys should be proud of yourselves, because you were all chosen to participate in the most important event in the world... The Multiplicity Game!" He spoke grandly.
"And what is this Multiplicity Game, you ask?" He laughed "Puhuhu... It's the greatest game in the world, that tests your wits, smarts and courage. It's a game created specifically to be played by Ultimates!
"In this game, your most important tool will be your Monopads. They have all sorts of functions that will be useful for the game, but the most important part is that they will keep track of your individual Monokuma Points, or Monopoints.
"These Monopoints shall serve as currency to be used in the game. Every one of you will be given 500 Monopoints to start with, and you will be able to earn more of them by completing certain tasks or games, or by betting against other players, and there is a special function in the Monopads to call me to serve as a fair judge for any of those bets."
By that point, the students were already getting curious about where this could end, but Monokuma was giving out so many details as he talked that none of them dared to lose concentration.
"Those tasks or games that I speak of are varied and each of them have their own rules and rewards. You will be able to find them by looking for special locked safes and doors all around the campus. To open them, you will have to use your Monopads, and some of them will also need you guys to pay a certain amount of Monopoints in order to open." He stopped for a moment "Ah, and the areas of the school that you couldn't go into before are now open."
Gonta looked like he was about to open his mouth to ask something, but Angie touched his arm and shook her head to dissuade him from it.
"Besides Monopoints, you will also be able to get other rewards from those challenges, most of which will be important for your game objectives.
"This game is both individual and team based at the same time. It is divided in rounds, which each will last a week. Each one of you will receive a new individual objective each round, along with a group objective that you will have to work together in order to complete.
"But you can't be careless, for there is a special contestant among you. You can call them 'the wolf', 'the mole', or whatever you like, but this student will act indirectly to try and hinder your objectives, so be sure to take note.
"One last thing." And his tone turned threatening "Participation in this game is non-voluntary. Failing to complete your individual objective before the end of the round will result in being punished, and if the group objective is not completed, then every single student, minus the wolf, will be punished. Do you have any questions?"
There was a bit of silence before someone spoke, that person was Kaede:
"You mentioned that we would be punished, but what is this punishment that you speak of?"
"Puhuhuhuhu!" Monokuma laughed "Of course, there is only one possible punishment for children who would disobey..." He clapped his paws.
And suddenly, five monsters fell from the ceiling. Or at least, that's how it seemed at first.
The five figures were actually robots, but they were so ominous looking that most of the students retreated a step when the robots reached the ground. They were huge like moose, and their sharp metallic design left no doubt as to their purpose as weapons of war.
"Death!" Monokuma declared, as the robots waved their arms menacingly in the direction of the students "All those who disobey the rules or fail shall face the fury of the Exisals! PUHUHUHUHUHUHU!" He laughed loudly for a bit before suddenly calming down "Any more questions?"
This time, Kokichi (who was one of the students who didn't take a step back) was the one to talk.
"You said that we were 'chosen', but who chose us, why were we chosen, and what is the purpose of all this?"
"Ohh?" Monokuma seemed impressed "Those are some really good questions! The process of your choosing is complex and not relevant at the moment. You only need to know that every single member of the Ultimate Initiative is a candidate and you were very lucky to be chosen." He waved his arms "Who choose you is also not important, you just need to know that it is an influence who has a vested interest in the results of this game and enough power to make it a reality.
"And the purpose of the game? Figure it out for yourselves! That is one of the objectives and one of the most important parts of the Multiplicity Game."
Kokichi didn't seem to be disheartened because of that response, and Tenko decided that there was something she needed to know:
"How have we gotten here, and why doesn't any of us remember anything about it?"
"You have gotten here via some very technological means that I am not allowed to disclose. And your memories were altered via other technological means that I am also not allowed to disclose in order to preserve the fairness of the game." Monokuma said, obviously enjoying the fact that his answers didn't say much at all.
"Does that mean...?!" Shuuichi started, then flinched when he noticed everyone looking at him, but continued "Does that mean that the reason why I can't remember my talent is also because of that? And why would that be done to me?"
"Yes. That is the reason. The Multiplicity Game requires one student to be in that situation for reasons I cannot disclose. You will have both specific advantages and disadvantages because of it. And why it is specifically you? You can just blame your bad luck!"
Shuuichi looked down, obviously depressed. And one last person asked something. It was Angie.
"You said that we would 'have a chance' to go back home. Does this mean that if we complete all the rounds and finish the game, we will be freed?"
"Puhuhu... Bears never tell lies. That's exactly the case. If you guys manage to finish the game, all the survivors will be allowed to return home." Monokuma said.
The mention of 'survivors' caused the mood in the gym to darken. Monokuma waited a little more and then said:
"If there are no more questions, then allow me to officially declare the beginning of the First Round of the Multiplicity Game!" He raised his arm to the air and the Exisals did the same.
Then, every single Monopad on the gym beeped all at once. Tenko looked at the screen of her and saw a message saying "Game Start".
She touched the screen.