Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Danganronpa series. I only own Hikari Seishin and her family.
Chapter One
To Be Alone is Despairing
Hikari Seishin wasn't sure what to think about this. She thought she walked inside Hope's Peak Academy. She thought that walking inside the prestigious school was the first step towards a more hopeful future not just for her, but for her family too. However, the teenage girl stood in front of a classroom door surrounded by darkness. That's all she did for what seemed like an eternity, standing and staring at the door as if it would answer all her questions. Well, it might be able to if she didn't just stand there like an idiot and just open the door! Hikari felt all her thoughts were forming in slow motion.
Stop being moronic and hurry! I need to go in the classroom! I don't want to be the last one!
Hikari's hand reached to the door handle slowly.
Wait…need? I need to…open the door…?
Her hand paused for a brief second.
Either way, I have to hurry in…
Hikari grasped the handle and slowly opened the door. She closed her eyes as a sudden bright light hit her. Once she opened her eyes, she found herself in a classroom of eleven other teenagers. She felt self-conscious as she sensed all their eyes fixed on her.
"Ooooh! Another pretty girl!" a pink-haired boy cried out. "I knew coming here would be awesome!"
"Shut up, Souda-san! Do you have to get excited when any female classmate comes in?" the redhead of the group sighed in exasperation.
A huge intimidating young man quickly ran to the classroom door behind Hikari. Unfortunately for him, the door was closed by the time he reached it. He tried with all his might to open the door. "RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAARRRRGH!" Everyone including Hikari watched silently as the only noise heard from the door was the rattling of the handle, the door seemingly immovable.
"Perhaps the door can only be opened by the outside?" a young woman with a bamboo sword strapped over her shoulder pondered, her crimson red eyes staring at the door. The muscled man walked uncomfortably back to where he was in front of the classroom but still relatively close to the door.
Hikari glanced at him. He seems to be uncomfortable...maybe he needs to use the bathroom? She turned to look at everyone and everything in the room. Seventeen desks…At least I'm not the last one here…it would be embarrassing if I was late… Suddenly, Hikari felt her face redden as everyone looked at her expectantly.
"Well, aren't you going to introduce yourself?" a portly young man asked with an intimidating look.
Hikari blushed more out of embarrassment. H-he seems rich…and bossy…
The girl sitting at the desk next to the redhead smiled gently toward Hikari, as if knowing Hikari needed assurance. "Hello, my name's Nanami Chiaki. I'm the SHSL Gamer," she said gently.
Hikari smiled shyly and bowed slightly, her oval red-rimmed glasses sliding a little down the bridge of her nose. "Nice to meet you all…My name's Seishin Hikari…SHSL Spirit Medium."
An excited gasp escaped the lips of a blonde girl, her eyes lighting up like stars. "A Spirit Medium in our class! This will indeed be an interesting year!"
The gothic-looking boy in the back of the class peered towards Hikari, his scarf covering the lower half of his face. "This female mortal might have some astral powers that I could use in future rituals…"
The girl closest to her smiled nervously, her left arm covered in bandages. "I h-hope we g-get a-along, S-Seishin-san…"
Hikari smiled and nodded, slowly feeling comfortable as the rest of her classmates entered the room, introducing themselves and chatting about what they hope to accomplish during their time here. This gave Hikari some time to center herself and get rid of the lingering nerves.
I came here as the Super High School Level Spirit Medium. The two requirements to be able to enroll into Hope's Peak Academy are to be a high school student and to be extremely skilled in a talent…being the best at what they do…I don't think I am the best…but I have been publicly known throughout Japan as the girl who can communicate with ghosts and can even channel spirits through rituals.
My family isn't exactly rich…sometimes we struggle to put food on the table, especially when we know we have medical bills to pay. My older sister, Kotone, was the SHSL Violinist. She was talented in music, fluent with the piano as well as being vocally adept, but Hope's Peak scouted her for what she most skilled in: playing the violin. However…when I was seven years old…when Kotone was beginning her time at Hope's Peak…she passed away from Leukemia… By then, I was already beginning to hone my talent, being able to see and communicate with ghosts since I was a very young child—my mother believed I just had imaginary friends the whole time until I channeled my first spirit…Kotone. Ever since then, my parents supported my decision to continue to learn about communicating with the dead, my family getting the chance to interact with Kotone from time to time. I have appeared a couple of times on television, but I really only did public appearances for my family's sake. My family's funds, which included money earned from Kotone's musical performances, quickly dried up from my sister's hospital visits, treatments, and eventually funeral services. I wanted to help out; I contributed by making a few public appearances and acted as a liaison between the living and the dead, even spirit channeling a couple of times.
A lot of people make the mistake of believing that I can do other things related to the occult, but that isn't true at all. I don't read tea leaves or read palms. I don't have tarot cards or a crystal ball. I just communicate with spirits…only spirits…
With that thought in mind, Hikari noticed something no one ever could; Hikari was not currently accompanied by any spirits…at all. A wave of panic washed over her as she glanced around frantically, trying to keep her composure at the desk she sat near the back of the classroom. Hikari was never alone for as long as she remembered, she always had at least one or two familial spirits by her side whether it be her sister or even deceased distant relatives. Hikari's heart raced as she felt blood drain from her face, her bangs covering her eyes slightly as she leaned forward. Hikari could have sworn she felt two sets of eyes from opposite sides of the room looking at her. She gripped the hem of her dark magenta suspender dress, the skirt cutting off mid-thigh. Her knuckles turned white, contrasting greatly to her dark purple nails, freshly painted a couple hours before her arrival.
Just when she thought she would have a full-blown panic attack, the sound of a door reached her ears. Looking up, Hikari's heart skipped a beat, her dark blue eyes staring into light brown eyes. A young man wearing a plain white shirt and green tie was standing in the doorway. Compared to almost everyone here, he seemed…normal.
Luckily, the newest arrival broke the panic attack spell on Hikari briefly. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. I'm okay…I'm not hurt or in danger…I just can't sense ghosts for the first time in a while…It must be because of my nerves…I just need to relax…they'll come back.
Hikari blinked as the last student walked by her desk and sat in the empty seat behind her. The young girl looked a bit puzzled, staring at the desk in front of her. What is this feeling? Do I…know him? I don't remember ever seeing him before…but why do I feel this strange feeling in my chest when I see him? Hikari put her arms on the desk and placed her head on top of them, her emotions overwhelming her for the time being. She could hear her classmates starting a group conversation.
"Discuss?" the boy behind her asked the rich young man.
His voice is even comforting… Hikari slowly spaced out, thinking that maybe clearing her head would result in her spiritual companions to return.
"Well…since you were the last student to arrive, let's start the discussion," the blonde young man, Togami Byakuya, responded matter-of-factly.
Mmm…so there are seventeen students in this class… Hikari nodded in agreement, confirming her first thoughts when she noted that there were seventeen desks in the room.
Hikari didn't fully pay attention to the topic of conversation at hand, but knew it had to do with her class being locked inside this room for some reason. She wasn't really in the mood to join the conversation so she just listened to the discussion as background noise.
"It sure is strange," Koizumi Mahiru said thoughtfully. "Nobody actually remembers how they came here…" The redhead blinked and then looked at Byakuya offended, her hands on her hips. "Hey! What do you mean, 'stupid-looking'!?"
Byakuya ignored her question and continued the dialogue. "The moment you stepped foot onto the campus, you felt a strange dizziness, and now you're here but you don't know why…That is what I experienced before I arrived here. Am I correct in assuming that's true of all of you?"
Hikari stared at the blackboard, looking deep in thought. That is true…I really don't remember much after I arrived at the front gate…
The SHSL Spirit Medium felt herself slowly zoning out again when her classmates talked about the locked door and how they were all locked in there until she heard a high-pitched voice come out of nowhere. Everyone looked around the room for the source.
Byakuya looked a bit annoyed. "What was that just now?"
The SHSL Yakuza sneered at the other blonde male. "Hey fatass…Why did you make that cutesy sounding voice all of a sudden?"
"I won't dispute your blunt remark about my weight, but I can assure you what you heard wasn't from me."
Akane raised an eyebrow. "Then…who was it?"
The high-pitched voice chimed in. "Um…it's mine!"
Nekomaru spun around, taking a defensive stance and bellowed, "Who's there!? Where are you!?"
Chiaki looked towards the front of the classroom and pointed towards the teacher's podium. "Perhaps…it came from behind the teacher's podium…" Slowly, everyone's eyes turned towards the podium in the front of the classroom.
"Hello!" the unknown voice chirped. "It seems everyone is present! Let's begin!"
Suddenly, there was a flash of purple light above the podium and when it disappeared, a white chubby stuffed rabbit appeared. It was dressed in a pink ruffled skirt, what looked to be a pink bib, a gold necklace adorned with a red jewel and gold wings, and a pink bow tie in front of one of its ears. It also had white wings on its back and in one hand was a fancy pink scepter-like wand. Everyone stood still and stared at it, some students' mouths were agape at this…phenomenon.
Eventually, Sonia managed to utter a few words. "What…is that…?"
Hikari finally spoke to the class in general, answering Sonia's question hesitantly. "Um…it looks like a stuffed animal…"
The rabbit answered happily, "That's right! I'm a squeezable soft stuffed animal." The rabbit took a pose, standing on one foot. "Magical Miracle Girl Usami...a.k.a. Usami! I may not look like it, but I'm your squeezable soft teacher! Nice to meet you all!"
Hikari leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and nodded, her eyes closed. "I see, I see…wait…what?" She snapped her eyes open and looked at the stuffed toy. Teacher!?
Some of the students talked among themselves about this new "teacher."
"Its mannerisms and appearance aren't the issue," Byakuya stated, his arms crossed. "Based on what it said…" he turned to the stuffed bunny. "It seems you know something about our current situation."
The bunny hopped a couple of times, smiling. "Of course I do! I'm the lead teacher of this school trip!"
Byakuya looked a bit taken back by the response given. "School trip?"
Usami placed her paws on her belly and smiled towards the ceiling wistfully. "A large group of students go on a chaperoned trip with a lead teacher! It's the biggest event of the school year!"
The boy behind Hikari mumbled, "We're not looking for such a literal answer…"
Hikari furrowed her eyebrows. "B-but wait…why a school trip now…? This is only our first day here…Don't we have an entrance ceremony…?"
Apparently, either she didn't hear Hikari or just blatantly ignored her questions, Usami lifted a paw and exclaimed excitedly, "Let's depart for the fun school trip!" The rabbit started waving her wand, which emitted white sparkles and a pink light, filling the room for a few seconds. Then, all of the walls and ceiling started to fold out as if someone was opening a box and flattening the sides around the bottom. The next thing the freshmen saw was a beach. The sun was shining, the sands were white, the palm trees swayed with the gentle breeze. No one could believe what their eyes were seeing. Everyone started to panic.
Usami stood calmly and waves her paws nonchalantly. "There's no reason to panic!" She had a wistful gaze towards the ocean. "Just look at this beautiful ocean! Doesn't your heart feel like it's being washed clean? It washes everything away…even the bad things…"
Bad things…? Hikari looked at Usami, still not understanding what's going on. She could hear bits and pieces of her classmates' comments and questions around her.
"Where are we…?"
"Out by the sea!?"
"Why are we on a school trip all of a sudden!?"
"Yeah…we're supposed to be attending Hope's Peak Academy."
"Hope's Peak Academy…I see, you don't say…" Usami blinked at her towering students. "You guys aren't feeling sure about Hope's Peak Academy. So, in that case…" she raises both paws in the air enthusiastically. "Please forget about Hope's Peak Academy! That is why we're having a school trip in the first place!"
Hikari blinked for the fiftieth time today. "Forget about Hope's Peak?"
Fuyuhiko clenched a fist and glared at the stuffed rabbit. "What the hell do you mean!?"
Byakuya appeared troubled but still having an authoritative air about him and asked forcefully. "What are you? What are you scheming!?"
For the first time, Usami looked nervous, cowering a little. "I'm not scheming a-anything! I'm doing this for everyone's sake!" She started to slowly recover. "I'm praying from the bottom of my heart that everyone grows hope inside their hearts." Usami smiled happily as if nothing fazed her a few moments ago. "There's nothing dangerous on this island whatsoever so there is no need to worry about anything at all!"
Nagito looked curious. "'Island'? So we're on an island?"
Usami twirled and clasped her wand with both paws. "Ta-da! Yup, and it certainly is a beautiful island! It was prepared just for us…away from danger and other people!"
The unintroduced boy looked at Usami with a raised eyebrow. "It's uninhabited?"
Nagito took a step back, looking worried. "Could it be…that you brought us to an uninhabited island to make us kill each other!?"
Usami jumped in surprise, looking horrified. "Hwa-wa!? K-kill each other!?" She vehemently shook her head. "Not-uh! No way! Causing violence or inflicting pain is a big no-no on this island! Even the word 'kill' just upsets me!" She cowered again, her paws on top her head, tears appearing in her eyes. "Kyaah! So scary…!"
Byakuya clenched a fist, feeling frustrated. "Well, what do you intend for us to do during this 'school trip'?"
Once again, Usami jumped up with a paw in the air in her usual bubbly manner. "Ta-da! I shall announce it to everyone right now! While you are relaxing on this island, you must get along and strengthen your bonds together! That is the main rule of this heart-throbbing school trip!"
And, once again, everyone looked at Usami in shock.
"What did you just say!?" Byakuya asked, stunned. "…'Heart-throbbing school trip'?" There were a few students who had pink dusting their cheeks, Hikari included.
"That's right!" Usami nodded in affirmation. "Spend these relaxing days nourishing hope, free from pain and suffering…This lovey-dovey heart-throbbing school trip is…everyone's homework!"
The normal-looking boy still had a pale color to his skin since he arrived in the classroom. Hikari could have sworn he turned even paler once they all realized they're on an island. "What the hell does that even mean!?" he shouted.
Usami brushed off any unwanted questions yet again. "Let the school trip begin!"
Hikari then heard an abrupt thud. She turned around and some students looked worried as they see the mystery student on the ground unconscious. Mikan rushed over to him and checked all his vitals.
"H-he's okay…he j-just fainted…p-probably from shock…" Mikan smiled weakly. "This is all p-pretty overwhelming…"
Hiyoko blew a raspberry, grinning. "Maybe just for you and a couple of losers, pig barf."
Mikan whimpered apologetically. "I-I'm s-s-sorry!"
Hikari went to the fallen boy and grabbed his arms. She looked around and stared at Nagito, the closest boy nearby. "Hey, can you help me move him to some shade?"
The Luckster blinked. "Sure." He went to the boy's feet and gripped his ankles. The two slowly lifted him up and moved him under the partial shade of a palm tree.
Mikan smiled gratefully toward them. "Thank you, H-Hikari and Nagito! T-That was a good idea to avoid him g-getting sunstroke."
Hikari plopped down next to the sleeping boy, starting to feel overwhelmed herself as Usami was passing out electronic handbooks to everyone. The bunny carefully placed one in the boy's pocket before starting to explain the school trip rules and what was contained in the handbook. Hikari barely processed the new information Usami was giving. She grasped her thin silver necklace chain, feeling a weight in her chest. Hikari never was away from her family, living or dead. She felt stranded, surrounded by strangers on an uninhabited island. This was the first time she ever felt true loneliness, and she did not like it one bit.