So… this is the start of my story, huh?
Just the story of another normal high school girl…
Well, sort of.
I guess I should start with my introduction. My name is Maemi Akemi, and I'm a normal high school girl in almost every way. Average height, average weight, average fitness, average appearance – well, I guess I am kind of cute… everything about me is normal.
The only thing abnormal about me is one of my talents, and even then, it's not very useful. I'm… aha, I'm very good at making shadow puppets. That's pretty useless as far as talents go.
And yet, I still got scouted by Hope's Peak Academy for its first influx of students after it was rebuilt and reopened.
Despite my doubts about my talent, to go somewhere as prestigious as this just because I'm good with shadow puppets… It's like a dream.
I stood outside the gates to the rebuilt Hope's Peak Academy, eyes gazed at its massive size. Seeing the prestigious academy in front of me… I felt my chest become all light and fluttery, like my organs had just turned into butterflies and sunshine… I took a deep breath, and with a wide smile on my face, pushed open the gates and walked into Hope's Peak Academy.
I caught the slightest glimpse of someone else inside, heading towards the left. I opened my mouth to greet them, but…
I felt a sudden wave of dizziness.
Before I was aware of what was happening…
… I passed out.
And that was where the dream of Hope's Peak turned into a nightmare.
I groaned as I woke up. I felt a splitting headache inside of my brain… like someone had just struck it with lightning.
"Oh, you're awake!" I heard a voice say, and I jumped back in surprise.
"Eep!" I yelled out, my hands moving in front of me.
"Hey, hey! Easy," The voice said again, and I finally focused on its source. A young boy, with bright red hair in a ponytail, and red eyes. He was dressed… strangely, to say the least. Mostly blue with touches of yellow and black. Was he even wearing a uniform?
"A-Alright, easy, easy," I said, supporting my weight on my hands. I finally took a look at my surroundings… "… Hang on, this isn't Hope's Peak Academy!"
"No, it isn't… I dunno where we are," The boy said, standing up and offering me his hand. "You need help getting up?"
"No, I'm fine," I said, but my actions contradicted my words as I took his hand anyway. He lifted me to my feet with ease and grace.
"Heh, gonna take my help anyway?" The boy grinned at me.
"Yeah… It felt rude not to." I replied. "It's also probably rude to not ask for your name…"
"Right, right. My name is Hisoka Ongakundo," Hisoka said.
"Mine's Maemi Akemi. It's nice to meet you, Hisoka!" I smiled as brightly as I could, holding my hand out for him to shake. Somehow, I think I smiled even brighter when he took it.
"Nice to meet you too, Maemi," Hisoka said. "This is probably a weird question, but… are you an Ultimate?"
"Yeah, though it's not that useful a talent… Why do you ask?"
"I'm an Ultimate too. Ultimate Modern Dancer, to be precise."
My mind finally clicked. Hisoka Ongakundo… He was both a national and international sensation when it came to modern dance performances. I'd seen some of his performances online, and I've never seen anybody move the way he does…
"Oh, I remember! Gosh, I feel so stupid to have not noticed before…" I slapped my forehead.
"Hey, we've just been thrown into some unknown shithole. As much as I love the attention, I think rememberin' I'm a dancing sensation takes a back seat in this sitch." Hisoka folded his arms. "What about you? What's your talent?"
"Ehe, I did say it was pretty useless… I'm the Ultimate Shadow Puppeteer," I said.
"Huh. Not bad," Hisoka said.
"You don't have to pretend it's more impressive than it is…" I pouted.
"Alright, fair enough," Hisoka replied. "Do you remember anything else?"
"Um… I'd just walked in the doors to Hope's Peak Academy. I saw someone else walking past, but before I could get their attention, I felt a wave of dizziness… I think I passed out, but I don't remember passing out. And then I woke up here," I explained.
"G-Geez, aside from someone walking past, the same shit happened to me," Hisoka replied.
"That… can't be a coincidence, can it?" I asked. Hisoka opened his mouth to answer, only for a screen to come to life right next to us.
"Testing, testing," The speakers boomed to life, though the screen remained dark. "Could all 16 of you bastards meet in the courtyard? And make it quick, we don't have all day."
With that, the screen shut off, and I felt nothing but confusion.
"16? Courtyard? Why?" I stammered.
"I've already explored around the place. I can take you to the courtyard, if you want," Hisoka said, giving me a grin.
"Yeah, that'd be great!" I said.
"Alright. Stay close," Hisoka said. "Can't have cute girls getting lost now!"
Geez… maybe he was a bit of a womanizer like his fanbase made him out to be. But still, I didn't have another choice. So, I followed Hisoka to the courtyard. Past a pair of winged hallways, past the bathrooms, into the library just across from the dining hall, and through the door to the left…
"Courtyard" might have been misleading. While the room was full of plant life, there was no sunlight to be seen. Just a bright, overhanging set of lights on the ceiling resembling it. Though it seemed to be moving ever so slightly around the room… I finally lowered my gaze. Staring back at me and Hisoka were 14 other people…
"Finally. I was wondering when the last two would arrive," A boy with greenish-blonde hair and goggles said.
"There's no need to be rude!" A girl in a blue beanie and with white and blue hair yelled back. "They might have just gotten a bit lost!"
"Not lost. That girl was still passed out," A boy with black hair and red eyes said. "I asked Hisoka to keep an eye on her."
"Useless boy, you should've had him just carry her here," A girl with black hair and white eyes said.
"It's useless to debate on what we should've done," A girl with blonde hair and pink eyes said. "At the moment, we need to figure out why we're here. At a café, we'd be ordering a caramel latte frappe. But what about here?"
"Don't say stuff like that, you're gonna make me hungry!" A short boy with a respirator over his face said.
"Oops, sorry!" The blonde girl replied.
"Whatever the case, we should probably get acquainted with the new arrivals," A man with black dreadlocks and glasses said. "My name's Seiryo Yuuma. From what I can see, everyone here has an Ultimate talent but me."
"Right, right! I'm Tae Kawada. I'm the Ultimate Barista," Tae, the blonde girl, said, approaching me, and taking my hand. "If you ever want a nice hot coffee or even a cold one, just hit me up! I'm always available to do so for cute girls like you!"
I felt blood rush to my cheeks at the compliment. "T-Thank you?"
"No problem!" Tae grinned at me. Her smile seemed to radiate sunshine…
"Hey, don't hog all of Maemi's attention!" Hisoka said, but he chuckled as he did so.
"I guess I should do it too…" The boy with goggles said. "Mokichi Hatsu. Ultimate Pilot."
"C'mon, where's your spirit or life?" The girl in the blue beanie said. "Introduce yourself properly, like this! Aeko Kakatto, the Ultimate Aquarium Curator!"
"We're not all as upbeat as you, Aeko. Not to mention this situation is rather unsettling," The boy with black hair and red eyes said. "Anyway. I'm Airou Himura. I'm the Ultimate Model. A pleasure to meet you."
There was an energy about Airou that was somewhat unsettling… but at the same time, there was an undeniable attraction. Maybe because he was a model?
"Are you done standing there like a brainless twit?" The girl with white eyes said. "Goodness, you're half asleep. Anyway, I am Kokuro Shiroko, the Ultimate Acrobat."
"God your voice is annoying…" A girl with lavender hair in twin-tails said. "My name is Kadiri Nakashima. I am the Ultimate Actress."
"Oh, Kadiri Nakashima? I've seen a lot of your movies! I think Painter's Dream was my favourite of yours," I said excitedly.
"Ah, yes. It is always nice to meet a fan," Kadiri chuckled.
"Should I introduce myself now?" The boy with the respirator said. "I'm Hiroshi Ohta, the Ultimate Botanist!"
I couldn't help myself when I blurted out what I said next. "Aaw, you're so cute!"
"Ehe, thank you!" Hiroshi replied.
"… What about you? You haven't introduced yourself yet," said a girl with ginger red hair. She was dressed in brown and black, and stared at me with a gaze that I thought would cut me in half.
"R-Right, right… Um, I'm Maemi Akemi. I'm the Ultimate Shadow Puppeteer." I said. As 'shadow puppeteer' exited my mouth, I felt my cheeks flush with shame.
"… Delawyn Fukui. Ultimate Assassin." Delawyn replied, folding her arms.
"Maybe we should ask those who haven't spoken yet?" Hisoka suggested, before ushering me over to a boy dressed in primarily green and a girl dressed almost entirely in brown. The boy wore glasses, and the girl wore a mask over her mouth and nose.
"Uh…" I trailed off, gazing at the two.
"Hello there. Who's your friend?" The boy with the glasses said, fiddling with his tie as he looked at me.
"Er, Hisoka Ongakundo… we introduced ourselves before, Korin. Maemi just introduced herself," Hisoka said, with a mild chuckle.
"Right you are… my apologies. So, my name is Korin Uesaka," Korin said. "This is my sister, Satoko Uesaka."
"Nice to meet you!" I smiled, holding my hand out to Satoko. She backed away from me. "Huh? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, not at all. Satoko isn't comfortable around most others right now, are you, Satoko?" Korin said, and Satoko shook her head.
"S-Sorry, Satoko… I'll give you some space," I said, backing away, before crashing into a woman with brown hair and yellow eyes. "Eek! Sorry!"
The woman laughed slightly, but her face showed no emotions. "Don't worry your head over it. Maemi Akemi, right?"
"Y-Yeah… and you?" I stammered. God, I was a mess today…
"Dai Kamowa. I'm the Ultimate Archer. Nice to meet you," Dai said, giving my hand a firm shake. I smiled as she shook it, before releasing it. As she did, I noticed two guys standing in the corner… one guy had blonde hair and wore an eyepatch over his left eye, while the other had pink hair and was in a wheelchair. I couldn't help but also notice he had no legs…
"Hey!" I called out to the two, practically dragging Hisoka over with me. The two looked up from their conversation.
"Can't wait your turn?" The blonde boy said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Ehe… sorry. I'll wait," I said.
"It's fine. He's just trying to get me to get enthusiastic again…" The boy with pink hair said with a sigh.
"There are basketball leagues played in wheelchairs, there's no reason to give up on your dreams just because you haven't got your legs!" The blonde guy said.
"My dreams ended when that car crushed my legs against a wall. I don't care what basketball leagues play in wheelchairs – how can I be considered an ultimate when I can't move anymore...?" The pink-haired boy replied.
"Swear it's just circles with this guy… My name's Kinzo Takashi. I'm the Ultimate Soccer Player. Nice to meet ya!" Kinzo said. "And I'm not gonna give up on Kenji here!"
"It'd be better for you if you did…" Kenji said. "… I'm Kenji Katayama. I was the Ultimate Basketball Player, but I don't think I've got the right to that title anymore,"
"It's better than my talent, at least…" I said.
"Yeah, see? You've still gotta be great if you're good enough for Hope's Peak!" Kinzo said.
"They scouted me before the accident… who knows. Maybe I'll just get kicked out," Kenji said.
Quickly realising this conversation would go nowhere, I bailed it, moving away from the two.
"We've been here for ten minutes with no sign of a headmaster or an explanation as to what's going on," Seiryo said, folding his arms, and pushing up his glasses.
"I'm sure the headmaster's just running a little late…" Aeko said. "There's no way he'd miss the opening ceremony!"
"Opening ceremony?" Airou frowned.
"Yeah, the opening ceremony! This is obviously just the opening ceremony!" Aeko replied.
"Never mind that the opening ceremony is taking place in a courtyard rather than the school gym, nor that we're the only class here, apparently," Airou said.
"I'm sure it's just one of many weird things about Hope's Peak," Tae said, smiling nervously. "The opening ceremony'll start soon, I'm sure of it!"
And as if cued…
"Are we all ready?" A voice called out from a rock in the garden. In unison, we all frowned and directed our gaze towards it.
I saw a white paw clutch onto the rock, and then a black one… and those paws dragged something odd onto the rock. Attached to those paws was a small plush bear, white on one side, black on the other. As I looked at it, I felt a vague sense of unease, but I didn't know why…
"What the hell is that?" Kinzo yelled, pointing towards the bear.
"It looks like a toy?" Hiroshi said, tilting his head.
"I'm not a toy," the bear replied. "I'm Monokuma!"
"Eek! It talks!" I cried out.
"Of course, I talk," Monokuma said, somehow frowning. "I'm Monokuma!"
"Bears don't talk! I know, I live with a polar bear at my aquarium!" Aeko pointed an accusatory finger at Monokuma.
"I'm not a polar bear!" Monokuma replied. "I'm Monokuma, and I am also your headmaster!"
"… That doesn't sound right." Delawyn said, arms folded. "The principal of Hope's Peak Academy is Makoto Naegi. That's who we were scouted by."
"Oh, Makoto's the headmaster of Hope's Peak, alright," Monokuma said. "But I thought it was pretty obvious that you're not in Hope's Peak!"
"We're not…?" Kenji said.
"No, you're not! Welcome to Kibou-Rehabiri Institute for Gifted Mental Patients!" Monokuma announced.
"Gifted mental patients? But we're not insane, I don't think," Korin said.
"Of course not! You're all perfectly normal high school students with Ultimate talents. This isn't a reassignment from Makoto Naegi," Monokuma said. Somehow, his eyes took on a sinister gleam. "It's a kidnapping."
"Kidnapping?" Hisoka frowned as his voice wavered, as he stood in front of me defensively. "What do you mean by that?"
"Easy. You sixteen have been kidnapped and taken to Kibou-Rehabiri Institute for such and such," Monokuma said.
"But wouldn't the nurses and psychiatrists notice I'm in the wrong place?" Kokuro said. "Of course, everyone else here is right at home."
"Don't be ridiculous, this facility has been abandoned for months! Nobody knows you're even here!" Monokuma said. "The walls are all soundproof and the doors are super-duper-double secure, and even the courtyard is blocked off! You bastards aren't leaving any time soon, unless…"
Monokuma stood there for a few moments, waiting for one of us to ask the obvious. We all stared at each other nervously in the uncomfortable silence. Monokuma laid down on the rock, tapping his claws. Finally, I broke, unable to take it anymore.
"Unless what?" I asked, little realising that what I'd just asked would damn us.
"Unless, you kill someone." Monokuma pushed himself to his feet.
For a moment, there was silence between us all. We stood, stupefied in shock at Monokuma's proposition.
"… Can you elaborate, Monokuma?" A voice behind me said, and I whipped my head around to face its source – Kadiri.
"I said what I mean! If you kill somebody and don't get caught, you get to leave. Stabbing, bludgeoning, burning, poisoning, drowning, impaling, decapitating, strangling, anything goes! Just kill somebody and don't get caught!" Monokuma said, before erupting into maniacal laughter.
I felt my blood run cold as I turned back to the rest of the class with distrust in my heart. From the sceptical looks that everyone was giving each other… I could tell that we all felt the same. I not only felt distrust and fear… I felt shame. If I'd just kept my mouth shut, maybe he would've never spoken about this…
"Anyway, if you look in your pockets, you'll see your student phones. When you log on, it'll show your name. Though I did call them phones, they have no connection to the outside world. Only the internal network of this system. You'll be able to call each other from across the academy with these, as well as review our rules and info about your fellow students. The phone will show you who's calling you, but won't keep that information," Monokuma explained. "Anyway, I think that covers everything I want to talk about!"
"Wait, one more thing," Mokichi said. "What do you mean by 'don't get caught'?"
"Geez, it explains that in the rules of your life in this place. Anyway, see you later!" Monokuma said, before disappearing behind the rock.
"Wait a minute!" Hisoka called out, before taking off at breakneck pace towards the rock…
But he was still too slow to catch Monokuma.
"Damnit! Fuck, what's happening to us?" Hisoka yelled, his fist coming down on the rock where Monokuma had been standing moments before.
"For now, we really don't have much of a choice but to check out the rules," Kadiri said, taking her phone out of her pocket.
"We've got options, though. We can explore for a way out, can't we? There's gotta be something that Monokuma missed," Kinzo said.
"It wouldn't be that easy, you dolt," Kokuro said, holding up her student phone. "Rule 3: Students are free to explore the institute as they like, but trying to leave is strictly prohibited. Transgressions will be punished."
"Okay, and the rest of the rules?" Aeko asked.
"Check them yourself, you blue bitch." Kokuro retorted.
"Blue bitch?!" Aeko shouted.
"Calm down!" I interjected, pulling out my phone and beginning to read through the rules.
Students are to live in Kibou-Rehabiri Institute for Gifted Mental Patients indefinitely.
Food, water, and other amenities will be provided to the students.
Students are free to explore the institute as they like, but trying to leave is strictly prohibited. Transgressions will be punished.
When a body is discovered for the first time, an announcement will play once 3 or more people have discovered it.
Following a period of investigation after the body discovery announcement, a school trial will commence. Students will attempt to find the culprit.
If the students correctly identify the culprit, then only the culprit will face punishment.
If the students incorrectly identify the culprit, then the culprit will graduate and be permitted to leave, and all other students will be punished.
These rules will remain in place and will continue until either a student graduates, there are two students left, or the Final Punishment takes place.
Any student caught breaking these rules will be punished by the Mononurses.
"Okay, two questions. One, what are the Mononurses, and two, what does 'punishment' mean?" Mokichi asked.
And again, as if on cue…
Monokuma popped up in front of us again.
Standing behind him were two people, a male and female nurse wearing a mask in the style of Monokuma's head over their faces. I could also see wires sticking out of the male nurses' hip and the female nurses' arm…
"I knew I'd forgotten something!" Monokuma announced. "Wait, what was the question again?"
"You mentioned punishment for students who break the rules, get found out as the culprit of a murder, or incorrectly identify the culprit," Mokichi said. "The Mononurses are self-explanatory, but what does 'punishment' mean in the context of this situation?" Mokichi repeated.
"Well, simply put," Monokuma said. "Execution."
"E-Execution?!" Aeko shouted, her face paling.
"You heard me right. Execution. You break the rules, get caught, or don't identify the culprit correctly, and you're executed!"
"You can't be serious!" Kinzo shouted. "You can't just execute us!"
"I'm not gonna execute you unfairly. Just follow the rules, don't kill anybody, and identify the culprits correctly, and you ain't gonna get executed. You got it?" Monokuma said. And then, without waiting for a response… he disappeared again, along with the nurses.
I felt my knees suddenly buckle from underneath me, and I fell to the floor, supporting myself on my hands.
"Maemi?" Hisoka said, crouching down next to me, and I felt his hands on my back and shoulder.
"You already trying to make your move, Hisoka?" Airou chuckled. "The rules say you can't be caught."
Something about Airou's tone snapped me out of my reverie. "H-Hey, Hisoka would never do something like that!"
"Do you have proof he wouldn't?" Delawyn said, and I could feel her gaze on me even when I wasn't facing her. "Did you know each other before the situation?"
"N-No, but I've got faith that he wouldn't do something li-" I was cut off.
"Then you have no way of knowing his true intentions," Delawyn said, before heading towards the door.
"Hey, where are you going?" Dai asked.
"Away. There were some rooms on the way in. I'm going to figure out which room is mine and take a rest," Delawyn replied, before she disappeared through the door.
"But… Gosh, how can somebody be so calm in this situation? We've been locked into a killing game…" Kadiri said, folding her arms.
"But she does have a point," Korin said. "We're free to explore the institute as we choose, provided we don't make any attempt to escape. Perhaps that is our next best course of action."
"Alright, then… I'll stay here and explore the courtyard. Does anyone want to stay with me?" Hiroshi said, raising his hand.
"I'll stay here and look with you… Maybe we'll find a koi pond with fish!" Aeko said, a wide smile on her face.
"We probably shouldn't explore in groups of any less than 3… Can't exactly go 4, since Delawyn went AWOL," Kinzo said. "So, me and Kenji'll stay with you two."
"… I'm gonna go to my room," Kenji said.
"Huh? Not you too!" Kinzo said.
"Yes, me too," Kenji said, before wheeling himself out.
"Well, I'll go explore the dining area. Maybe I can make us some coffee to help us out!" Tae said with a wide smile.
"Doesn't coffee just give you more energy?" Seiryo asked. "I mean, the caffeine in it would stimulate our current state, which isn't exactly great…"
"You're right… But doesn't it taste good? I can make coffee so great we'll forget all about this situation!" Tae said with determination, before taking off towards the kitchen.
"Hey, hold on a moment, Tae!" Seiryo said, before following her out.
"I guess I will follow them… I would not mind a strawberry frappe myself," Airou said, heading off towards the dining hall as well.
"You fools do what you want. I'm going to my room," Kokuro said, lowering her head, and leaving through the door.
"… I'm going to go investigate the library," Mokichi said, and without another word, left the room.
"I think I will decide what is most in need of my attention on the way out," Kadiri said.
One by one, the others filed out of the room, until… only me, Hisoka, Hiroshi, Aeko, and Kinzo remained.
"… So, what do you want to do, Maemi?" Hisoka asked. And once again, he held his hand out to me to help me up. Lowering my head, I took it and stood back up.
"I… really don't know," I replied. "I think I'll be happy with whatever you want to explore."
"Well, I saw a staircase to our left on the way in… maybe we could head upstairs?" Hisoka suggested.
"Sure, that sounds alright," I replied. I released my hand from Hisoka's grip, and the two of us went outside.
We both left the courtyard, venturing through the library. Mokichi was sitting at the top of one of the shelves, investigating some of the books, and Kadiri had decided the library was the place that concerned her attention the most. The bookshelves didn't quite reach the ceiling – they had about a metre of space before doing so. Piled on top were even more books, and Mokichi had created a space to sit in.
"Yo, Mokichi. What have you found so far?" Hisoka asked, stopping us momentarily.
"Books. Lots of books. Surprisingly, a place called a library has a lot of books," Mokichi replied.
"You don't need to be sarcastic about it…" I said.
"That's true, but I don't know what else to tell you. There are a lot of books. That's it, nothing else," Mokichi replied.
"Now, that's not true! There are some maps and manuscripts and documents and-" Kadiri said, before being cut off.
"All variations of a book. Are you done?" Mokichi said.
"Well, we are," Hisoka said.
"Yeah, you guys have fun with this…" I added.
"Huh… wonder if I could get a drag in here," Kadiri said as we left. Curiosity got me halfway to the door, and I turned around.
"Get a drag…?" I asked.
"Ugh. Have a smoke," Kadiri said. "In ways your brain can understand, I want to have a smoke."
"That can't be good for you, not as a high school student," Mokichi said.
"Nicotine keeps you up, and I need all the energy I can get…" Kadiri continued as Hisoka dragged me out of the library and into the hallway to check the stairs.
"… Huh?" I said, once I finally got a good look at them.
"Were the shutters always there?" Hisoka asked.
"I really don't know…" I said, lowering my head, and biting my lip.
"Hey, are you holding up alright?" Hisoka gently held onto my shoulder.
"Y-…" I opened my mouth to give a general response… and found myself instead beginning to bawl my eyes out. "Y… No, Hisoka! I don't know what's happening, or where we really are, or if I'll see my friends and family again, or if I'll even live! And now I can't even remember whether the shutters were always here!"
I felt both of Hisoka's hands on my shoulders… they felt nice and warm.
"Hey, eyes on me. Alright? You're gonna be alright. I know we ain't known each other for a very long time, but you're gonna be alright, Maemi," Hisoka said, giving me a reassuring smile.
And whether I wanted it or not… I felt myself fall forward, sinking my face into Hisoka's shoulder and sobbing straight into it. Everything… just felt so odd, that crying into the shoulder of a guy that I'd only known for about an hour seemed normal by comparison.
"Easy… You're gonna be alright. Even if we ain't able to escape, someone's bound to come lookin' for us. It'll be OK." I felt Hisoka's arms close around my shoulders, and… I did feel safer in his arms. I felt like I could stop crying and still be alright.
"Hah… already there's some blossoming lovebirds?" I lifted my head up at the sound of someone else's voice – Seiryo's.
"N-No, it's not like that at all! I just…" I began.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. Just make sure to use a condom," Seiryo chuckled, and I watched Hisoka's face flush almost as red as his hair.
"H-Hey, I don't need one! Because I'm not planning on doing anything to her!" Hisoka said.
"I was joking. Too much?" Seiryo smiled. "Though if it's nervousness you're still feeling, I'd get Tae to make to a decaf. Her talent speaks for itself. Well… I'm going to head to my room for the time being." With that, Seiryo walked past us.
An uncomfortable silence hung between me and Hisoka for a couple of moments… I was certain that he wasn't the only one embarrassed by those sorts of statements.
"… You should probably take Tae up on her offer," Hisoka suggested, after a few moments.
"… Yeah. Are you gonna come with me?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'll do that," Hisoka said. I reached out to grab the handle…
… and the door swung open, and I felt a hand wrap around my wrist. I didn't even have time to scream before I was pulled through the door.
"Maemi!" Hisoka called out, following me inside.
"… Too abrupt?" Tae said, tilting her head.
"Do you usually do that to your customers?" I asked, eyes wide.
"W-Well, no…" Tae pushed her fingertips together as Hisoka entered the dining room.
"Maemi, are you alright?" Hisoka said.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. No worries!" I gave a smile, gently wiping my eye with my sleeve.
"Have you been crying? I know just the thing that'll help your mood!" Tae said, sitting me down. "Wait here, both of you!"
… We didn't really have much of a choice. Hisoka and I sat and waited for Tae to return. In complete silence.
Tae eventually came back, two cups in her hands.
"Tada!" Tae placed the two cups on the table, one in front of me and the other in front of Hisoka. "Cinnamon-Vanilla Decaf! I used a different sweetener, too, so there's no excess energy to be found from sugar or caffeine!"
"That seems like a lot of effort to go through…!" I said, taking the cup in my hands.
"Nonsense! Nothing's too much effort for a cute girl like you!" Tae said. "Now, drink up!"
I did as Tae asked… and as soon as the coffee entered my mouth, I felt flavours I never had before. I felt myself relax almost instantly, and I sunk slightly in my chair.
"See? I told you it would help!" Tae said. "Go ahead Hisoka, you drink up too!"
"Alright, alright," Hisoka said, before taking a sip. And then another sip. And then… despite the fact the coffee was still hot, he guzzled the whole thing.
"I thought it was supposed to help him relax?" I said.
"It is, I think that's just his way of relaxing… At least, that's my guess." Tae replied, her hands on her hips. "Are you feeling alright now?"
"Yeah… much better, actually. Thank you, Tae." Hisoka said, and I felt an alarm as I realised I hadn't thanked Tae yet.
"Y-Yeah, thank you!" I quickly stammered out.
"No problem! Oh! I should probably get around to telling this to the others, but I'll tell you first," Tae said. "Okay, so there's sugar, there's sweetener, and then… on the same shelf, for some reason, there was rat poison. I moved the rat poison to a lower shelf, though, but just be careful."
"I don't think too many people here can't read rat poison labels…" I said.
"I know, I just thought it was important to know." Tae said.
"That could be dangerous information, Tae…" Hisoka pointed out. "Maybe we shouldn't tell anybody else?"
"But it doesn't feel fair to not tell anybody else… If we all know about the rat poison, it won't be a surprise if someone…" Tae began, before shaking her head. "Here, Hisoka, I'll clean out your cup!"
"A-Actually, I feel kind of sleepy… can you clean mine, too? Or at least put it in the fridge – er, if there is one?" I said.
"There is a fridge, thankfully… I'll stick it inside, no worries!" Tae said, taking my cup.
"You feel alright, Maemi?" Hisoka asked.
"Yeah, just sleepy… I think I'll go to my room, if that's alright," I said.
"Alright. I'll keep looking around. Be safe," Hisoka said, waving to me as I left.
I wandered through the hallways into the western wing of the institute… I found photographs of us on all of the doors to indicate whose room was whose. I soon found my photograph… my room was between Tae and Kokuro's room. I pushed at the door, only to find it wouldn't open.
"… Huh?" I said, tilting my head. "How do I-"
And, once again, Monokuma appeared in front of me.
"Ah, geez! What do you want now?" I asked.
"Geez, the youth today is pretty defiant to authority," Monokuma replied, before placing something hard and metal in my hand. "Can't even show a bit of gratefulness for your room key!"
"My room key?" I asked.
"Yep! You can unlock and lock your door with it! Isn't it wonderful? Oh, but don't lose it. I won't make replacements. Got it?" Monokuma said.
"Y-Yes, I've got it… Thank you?" I said.
"Finally, some manners! Everyone else just took the key and entered," Monokuma said, before disappearing once again.
I shrugged, before placing my new key into the lock, and giving it a turn, hearing a "click!" that indicated the door was unlocked. Turning the handle, I pushed open the door…
… and I saw a normal bedroom on the other side. There was a bed, a closet, a bedside table, a mirror, a desk, a notepad, and a small bathroom at the back of the room. Despite the tiredness in my body, I decided to at least check the closet and bedside table. Opening the closet revealed several sets of clothing exactly like what I was wearing. Shrugging, I opened the bedside table and its drawers. Inside, I found a… sewing kit? I didn't really have any clothes I needed to repair at that moment, so I shut the drawers.
I laid back on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. I felt like I shouldn't be able to get to sleep. That sleeping here was wrong. That I shouldn't do it.
And yet, falling asleep was exactly what I did…
… That concluded my first day in the Kibou-Rehabiri Institute for Gifted Mental Patients.
What should've been a wonderful first day at Hope's Peak, became a horrible first day in an abandoned mental institute.
And today... it was only the beginning of this horrible, despairing experience.