Saying the word "Goodbye" tears up my heart in such a horrid way. In this very moment, at sunset, my legs have stopped. Senpai, I'm asking for life consultation. How can I make things easier here from now on? It's not the same...without you...are you just going to leave me here with our friends who have no idea how to get through this either? Look, I don't want to suffer anymore...why couldn't you...just take me with you? We had something...is it selfish that I wanted it to be you and me? Senpai...why is it that we can still tell a lie even if our chest hurts? Why is it that so the bad people in the world are the ones who benefit? Senpai; nothing matters anymore. Just being alive without you hurts. My Ultimate Talent...the thing that I enjoy...The thing that I live for. It cannot fill this hole in my heart like you could. Is it selfish of me that I still cling on to our memories? Dramatic stories of people's deaths sell pretty well don't they? I hate how there's a value even put onto flower petals falling...Senpai remember our dream? Everyone in our Class was supposed to be good friends once we left this place right? There's so few of us left now. You promised me that...we would be together in the end...I still remember when we first met…
"..." I felt quite dazed, "Ugh…" I slowly opened my eyes, observing the room around me. "A hospital room?" There was a rather chilly breeze going through the room; the smell of different kinds of medicine and rubbing alcohol filled the air. Several monitors filled the room, however, they were shut off due to there being no "patients" in the room; well except for me of course. There were plenty of beds, all matching: clean white sheets and guard rails attached to each one. One lone TV hung at the corner of the room, though nothing was on at the time.
"Oh…!" I heard a male voice coming from the restroom, "You finally woke up…!" A young man approached me. He was considerably pale and had raven black hair. His attire consisted of a video game themed sweatshirt and black jeans as well as light blue converses. He looked at me and asked; "Are you alright? You passed out after treating me…I was really worried," He showed me his bandaged hand, "Thank you for that," He smiled.
"W-where are we?" I felt as if I were forgetting something, "And who are you?" I slowly got up from the bed, sitting at the edge trying to regain my bearings.
"I actually have no idea where we are, ahaha…" He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Takumi Wakana's the name, Gaming's my game! I'm the Ultimate Gamer!" He smiled, "Gaming is not just a hobby for me, it's life. There's no game I wouldn't play!" This boy seems to have…a lot of energy; it's kind of cute. "So, who are you?" He held out his hand for a handshake.
"I'm Yuki Asas," I pondered for a moment, recalling my Ultimate Talent, "And my Ultimate Talent is to be the Ultimate Doctor. And as you already know; my specialty is to treat others who are injured." I shook his outstretched hand, "Many apologies if I seem quite out of it at the moment," I looked around seeing if there were others, "Is it just us here? Were there not any other people with us?"
"I actually don't know," Takumi shook his head, "After you saved me from those odd robots and took me here; I stayed with you. I had nowhere else to go and had no one else to see, I haven't explored the rest of this place yet." He frowned, "This is embarrassing...but I actually do not remember how I even got here. I cannot even remember any events before we came to this place."
"Hmmm, you aren't alone with that alright..." I placed my hand over my chin, shutting my eyes and thinking for a moment, "(Alright, so far we are in a bizarre situation where neither of us can recall anything before this except for that one thing he mentioned about robots…)" I sighed, trying to ponder some more...thinking hard on remembering life before this, "(My head hurts now; all these questions swirling around in the psychological vomit I call my mind: What is this place exactly? Why were we brought here? Most importantly...I feel as if a certain part of me is missing; could it JUST be my memories? Or could it be something else?)" I let out a frustrated groan, "How infuriating…" I whispered under my breath.
"Should we look around?" Takumi suggested, "I don't think staying here-" His statement was cut off by the TV which suddenly turned on startling both of us. On the screen appeared a fancy room with a peculiar mono themed feline creature with an evil red eye sitting down on the couch. At first we were expecting for some evil guy to appear before us; however, to our surprise the cat began to talk.
"Attention all seventeen Hope's Peak Academy Students who were lucky enough to win the rights to go on this school trip, please make your way to the main courtyard immediately," The cat let out a chuckle, "Those who refuse to appear or appear late shall suffer a punishment!" She laughed loudly, then came to an abrupt halt, "That'll be all, thanks!" The screen shut off.
"..." I frowned, "Geez, we don't even know where we are yet if we do not listen to that thing we'll end up getting punished?" I folded my arms, "Methinks we've been kidnapped; how in the world could this be a field trip?"
"I have no idea, friend," Takumi shook his head, "We have to listen, maybe we'll meet our other classmates at the courtyard." He helped me up from the bed, "So we're students of a place called Hope's Peak Academy, that's one question answered for me," He smiled, "Let'sa go!"
"..." Something about this made me feel uneasy, but what could I possibly lose? Besides...I got Takumi with me so we can work together I guess; he seems like a child but beggars can't be choosers, "Ok, let's head out." Together we both made our way through the castle like halls being led by the lights illuminating the way; after wandering for a bit we found ourselves in front of a large wooden door, "Perhaps this will lead us into the courtyard." In a gentleman like fashion, Takumi opened the door for me, gesturing for me to head in first. For some reason I felt as if he was just being scared and he wanted me to go first but this did lead into the courtyard. Before us stood 15 other students of Hope's Peak Academy, each wearing an attire that displayed that they were Ultimates just like Takumi and I.
"Oh?" A brunette girl with blue eyes noticed our arrival; she wore a light green turtleneck dress underneath a beige apron that was splattered with paint as well as a cute red beret on her head. A rather artsy vibe was emanating from her as she counted us; "One...two...so that's the last of us then..." She seemed to have a hard time expressing herself, "We're here...so where are they?"
"You mean the psycho dat had da balls to kidnap us?" There was a brunette muscular guy leaning against the brick wall; there was a tattered black school coat draped around his shoulders...underneath he just wore an ordinary graphic t-shirt with a skull design as well as tattered blue jeans. He had a mean aura about him, "If that scumbag doesn't show themselves I'm about ta call my gang to blow up this dump!"
"Speak of the devil and she'll appear~ Ehehehe!" Out of nowhere the cat from the announcement screen poofed from the air, "And no one will hear you my dear," She smiled eerily, "Help isn't coming for any of you!"
"W-what…?" Everyone stared at the cat.
"Oof how rude of me, now is my time to shine and I forgot to make my grand introduction! Ehehehe!" She threw confetti in the air; being all extra, "I'm Moneko! The Headmaster of this place! And the Coordinator of what is about to happen for this exciting killing trip!"
"K-Killing?!" A chubby brown eyed girl with honey blonde hair wearing a gray cardigan with a white polo underneath it and a navy blue skirt had a shocked look on her face, "W-we're going to killing each other? Why would we do that?" She started to bite her nails in panic.
"Yes you are!" Moneko giggled, "If you don't, you'll never get out of this place!"
"Ayyy," The mean one smiled, "Well killin' ain't exactly new for me, so all I gotta do is beat these freaks til' they dead right?" Everyone stared at him.
"Ehehe, I love love loooove your enthusiasm young man," Moneko span around throwing odd looking electronic devices at us, "But that will take the excitement out of the game! Now...you're probably wondering; 'what exactly is this killing trip'?" She pointed at the device in my hand, "What you're holding is a Mono-Pad, it contains the map of this castle as well as your student ID! It's basically a Student E-Handbook!"
"..." I booted it up; seeing that what the cat said was true, "So...this list right here," I stroked my fingers through the options observant of the many details, "Are these rules for this game you want us to play?" I glared at the cat, "Why be so specific about how we are to get rid of each other? And what makes you think that we'll just kill each other in such a selfish manner? Life is precious and I am quite sure that most of us in this room as of now are aware of that."
"Because if you don't you'll never escape!" Moneko leapt onto my head, irritating me, "Of course, you could do nothing and live peacefully here until you die but hey, how about some excitement? None of you even know each other so why would you care about each other? Ehehehe!" She seemed so sure that we would turn against each other, "Just as I expected from the Ultimate Doctor, caring for the wellbeing of others and wanting to keep everyone alive. But as soon as that other part of you wakes up...it'll be a lot more fun," She patted my head, "Now, about those rules you all better read them because if you don't and you end up breaking a rule you'll be punished!"
"A-and what is the punishment is that?" The timid girl spoke again.
"Death of course!" Moneko smiled.
"Eeeep!" She immediately began to scroll through the rules reading them over and over again.
"*yawn* Well, I'm getting sleepy now," The cat let out a huge yawn, "Now remember kids; read those rules and happy killing! Time for Moneko to get some shut-eye!" She leapt into the air disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
"..." Everyone stood in the courtyard in silence.
"I guess I'll read the rules aloud then…" I felt compelled to do that just in case someone was lazy, "So…" I opened up the list of rules, "1. Violence is absolutely forbidden on these grounds and can only be used during murder…" I was already cringing at that one, "2. Murdering must be done in secret in order to 'graduate'; once a body is discovered by 3 students a 'body discovery announcement' shall be made...an investigation with NO restrictions on who murdered the victim shall be taken then after a certain span of time a 'Class Trial' shall take place where the spotless shall face off against the blackened. If the spotless win, then only the blackened will be punished while the rest continue the school trip. If the blackened win then they shall graduate and everyone else shall be punished. By "graduation"; this refers to the blackened being able to escape from this place for good. If there were to be a case where there are multiple killers...only the FIRST killer will be recognized," Everyone stared at each other in silence once more. "..." I shut my eyes taking a deep breath, "Ok moving on;" I glanced at the other rules, "3. At Night 10PM no one is allowed to head at the outer walls of MonoCastle; guardians will be out at this time so if you leave no responsibility will be taken over your fate with them. 4. You are only allowed to sleep in your own room; sleeping outside or in someone else's room is strictly forbidden."
"So I guess…" The shy one began to talk, "This option here tells us where our rooms are...and this gadget...is our key…"
"That is correct," I nodded then continued to read, "5. Violence is forbidden against everyone including Moneko; as well as the property on these grounds. The only violence that is nullified is the actions performed during murder...it also says that Moneko will not be taking part in any killing. She is simply watching us. 6. The Monopad is limited to only one per student and will only recognize the owner's fingerprint, if lost you will be executed. 7. More rules will be added or deleted depending on the situation…" I finished reading as everyone stared at each other once more.
"Damn, dis trash is real screwed up," The delinquent man frowned, "Why we gotta do dis?"
"Y-You're one to talk," The timid girl spoke up, "You're the one who was all fired up to kill us all!" She frowned folding her arms.
"WHADDYA SAY?" His tone scared the girl.
"Hey, don't yell at her, we're all just as scared of this situation as you Mr. Tough Guy," I glared at him making him back up a bit, "Now, I'm quite sure there is a way out of this place so…"
"We'll have to work together, no?" Takumi finished my statement, "But in order for that to happen; we need to know each other right? Why can't we all just be friends?" He smiled, a look of optimism was on his face, "We're all classmates after all and we're in this together, we should take it even further and become acquaintances. In a despairing situation like this bonds are important are they not?" Takumi looked over at me with a smile on his face, then he looked back at everyone else, "I'll introduce myself first then, I'm Takumi Wakana, the Ultimate Gamer!" His introduction wasn't as flashy as last time.
"..." I sighed shaking my head, I knew he was right so I played along, "And I'm Yuki Asas, the Ultimate Doctor, it is a pleasure to meet you all."
"I'm...Emiri…" The shy girl spoke after me, "Emiri Yuu, the Ultimate Painter...I enjoy...making art that makes people happy…"
"I'm Kokoro Kotone, the Ultimate Author," That timid girl went next, she seemed more confident, perhaps dire situations only made her panic like that, "I enjoy writing stories; you know, those who experience more vivid emotions are able to write better stories with gripping lines than those who aren't able to put their heart and soul into words."
"Ugh...I know I hate the lot of ya but I guess I'll speak, da name's Kenta Tuoma, The Ultimate Delinquent!" The mean guy folded his arms gritting his teeth, "I'm the Leader of the baddest gang in all the world!" His cockiness bothered the heck out of me.
"Ohoho, now it is my time to make my debut!" A man in flashy blue satin clothing wearing a black fedora that smelled of a strong perfume did a ridiculous pose as he introduced himself, "I am Kaoru Izumi! The Ultimate Actor; now you must all know me already I've starred in so many movies! You must be DYING for my autograph right now; I'm that famous!" Everyone frowned at him, "...Bad time, huh?" He chuckled nervously.
"If you speak of death again I'll put you in the time out pen dude," A police woman stepped up to the stage, "The name's Isamu Hoshi, Bringer Of Justice and The Ultimate Officer. I shall be on duty at all times in order to make sure that we all get along, okay?"
"It's my turn now," A little girl in a purple kimono wearing a magatama bounced in front of us, a childish aura emanated from her, "I'm Jun Kazuko; the Ultimate Channeler! You think ghosts are spooky? Well they're not; my mama taught me how to talk to them...and they're our friends! Hehe!" Annnd...that childish aura just escalated to a creepy one.
"Bonjour everyone, I am Belle Dubois, the Ultimate Model," A tan woman that had luxurious looking white hair, a perfect fit figure in a fancy lavender jumper strutted to the center; she gave off quite a fabulous vibe, "Perhaps we can all enjoy some tea and chat later, no? Conversations are a swimming way for us to get to know each other better~"
"When there's a fire you know who to call!" A man in firefighter attire spoke next, "I'm Hotaru Saito; the Ultimate FireFighter! I shall douse the flames that stand in our path out of here!" Hotaru had a very encouraging tone in his voice.
"My name is Suki Takara," A sweet looking red headed freckled girl went next; she wore a light blue dress underneath a white apron that was tied together by a large brown ribbon. There was a pastel blue gingham bandana tied to her head. With a soft tone in her voice she introduced herself, "I'm the Ultimate Baker; I love making sweets. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people enjoy the food I make." Suki smiled; doing a slight bow.
"Eyyyy y'all!" A loud voice boomed through the courtyard, "Meet the Queen of the Digital World, no one else is more Tech Savvy than I! I'm Raijin Yuuna; the Ultimate Tech Geek!" Raijin leapt forward pointing to the sky. She had lightning green hair and yellow eyes; she wore a black and green jumpsuit that had tools attached to it. She...seems to give off a fiery personality off the bat; it seems annoying but she will probably be of a lot of use in this situation.
"Yuuto Yua is Ultimate Animal Caretaker," A blonde boy in blue overalls in the corner holding a cute bunny went next, "Yuuto love all animals big and small, he see all beauty of them." He held up the bunny; "And this is Min Min, she is Yuuto's best friend."
"Teehee! I'm Rin! Rin Hibiki the Ultimate Clown!" A red haired girl wearing a pink dress and a tiny red top hat cartwheeled to the center, "I hope that my tricks and jokes will turn any frown upside down~!" She seemed abnormally cheerful for this situation, but she's a clown so I guess that's normal.
"I'm Yoshie Aki! And this is my sister, Shizuke!" A navy blue haired boy and his twin sister were sitting at the fountain, "I am the Ultimate Rapper while she is the Ultimate Traditional Singer! We'll suit your musical needs fo'sho!" He smiled. His sister nodded in agreement. Both wore matching white school uniforms that had a musical note pattern on them; however the differences were that Yoshie was wearing a blue backwards cap while Shizuki had her hair tied up by pink polka dot scrunchie. We all looked over at the last black haired pink eyed person who seemed reluctant on introducing himself. He looked extremely serious; he wears a white lab coat just like I do with a green cardigan underneath it. There was a white polo shirt underneath that and a dark green tie on it; he also wore black jeans and brown loafers.
"*sigh* How annoying..." He groaned, "You can call me Sato Suzu, the Ultimate Psychologist. I study the minds of people...and judging by all of you being able to trust everyone so easily in a dire situation like this says that you are all not very bright…" He frowned folding his arms, "I don't care that we're classmates, I know that humans are selfish and no matter how much you guys think we'll all get along...someone will be selfish enough to kill someone just to get out of here, I already see several potential suspects."
"Wow, way to rain on our parade," I shook my head at him, "Some attitude you have."
"Now now, just by looking at you, you've got an attitude yourself," Sato barked back at me, "You may be acting placid right now; but I know you will show your true colors soon...I just can't pinpoint it yet."
"I have no idea what you're talking about but this conversation is over," I didn't feel like arguing with him any longer.
"Well then, that's everyone then!" Takumi clasped his hands together with a grin on his face, "It's nice to meet you all, I hope we all become good friends!"
"..." I already knew that two out of the seventeen of us wouldn't be on board with the plan. But Takumi seems very motivated on all of us getting along. His...optimism is actually quite admirable, "Well tiger, what's our game plan then?" I glanced over at him.
"W-well…" I noticed him blushing at me while he began, he shook his head quickly regaining his composure, "Since it's already late, we'll have to retreat for now. Tomorrow we should all meet up at the dining hall for breakfast then we can talk about investigation plans then," He suggested.
"Sounds ok to me," I nodded in agreement. After a finishing our conversations, everyone disbanded heading to their rooms following the directions on the map. Once I finally found my room I swiped my Monopad against the monitor that would open my room, "..." I heard a click; slowly I turned the knob opening the door revealing an actually comfortable looking room, "This looks like a hotel room," I shut my eyes sighing, "(Why are they concerned with our comfort even if they set us up to kill each other?) ...I probably shouldn't think about this; afterall we won't be here long so I won't be using this room forever." I shut the door behind me; making my way to the bed slumping down. "This...this situation...perhaps it's just a dream, but then again, why would I be falling asleep in a dream? Ahaha...this is insane…*yawn* I guess...I should just go to sleep now and not think about it...I'll have to meet up with everyone tomorrow so we can get the heck out of here soon…"
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