It is early afternoon when the storyteller arrives .He stops at the entrance to the large grounds where that year's Summer Fayre will soon take place , and he surveys the busy people rushing around setting things up . He is just about to go in when a young man with neat blond hair and green eyes behind thick rimmed glasses spots him , and comes over.
"Good afternoon! Are you looking for something ?" this man is about 30 , a couple of years younger than the story teller , who smiles and pushes some floppy black hair out of his eyes.
"Actually , I'm supposed to be running a stall here tonight. Storytelling,.."
"Oh ! You must be Asakura-san!" the man exclaims. "Nice to meet you. I'm Tetsuyo Hiiragi." Hiiragi finds a crumpled piece of paper and a pen , and proceeds to tick off what Asakura assumes is his name.
"Come , I'll show you where we've got you set up.." As Hiiragi takes Asakura there , he keeps up a string of cheerful chatter.
"So what brings you here?"
"I suffered a close call a year ago. Difficult circumstances. I'm taking a year out of my job."
"Cool. What job is that then?"
"I'm a school counsellor."
"Neat. What brings you to the Summer Fayre in our little town then?"
"I'm raising money for a children's charity by going around , doing storytelling at libraries and what not. I thought doing one at a festival like this would be interesting. And I am perfectly happy in small towns. I grew up in one."
"Oh?" but Asakura wouldn't give any more personal information. They were soon at his stall, located in a grassy corner. It was simple, with a box for the money on the stall and a chair in front of it. Asakura thanked Hiiragi, and then went about rearranging his stall and preparing himself for later.
…
In the midst of the cloud of loud music, lights chatter and laughter , a clear and calm voice could be heard drifting, pulling people towards it , inviting them to listen to a story.
"You must not leave this place. Well, you can , if you want , but I have a story to tell. Won't you stop and listen a while? It is a special story , a very , very special one , and I'd like you all to hear it out.
It takes place in a school. A high school. But not any high school. Oh no . This high school , in the heart of Japan , was one that housed only the very best students. Each of these students had their own skill , which ranged from being a bookworm to a singer in an idol group , but whatever it was , they were the best at it.
But don't go thinking this is a boring old school story . Oh no. It is so much more than that . You see , for starters , the principal of this high school was a bear , of all things. A funny little stuffed toy known as Monokuma-a stuffed bear with a penchant for pancakes. But I digress. This story is more than the antics of high school teenagers. This story has blood, violence and murder in it. It is also full of despair-not for the faint hearted, I warn you.
For these students, the elites, best of the best, have found themselves in a dangerous game , one where they must fight to their deaths. Many of them will not survive-they wll fall victim to stabbings or peculiar executions.
But some survive, against all odds, some do. And it is these survivors that the story focuses on. For although there is evil and terror throughout, there is also hope. There are jokes shared, friendships formed, true loves found. Eventually, hope will triumph. And that is also what this story is about. The survival of hope."
Until a relatively permanent crowd forms around him , Asakura continues repeating this speech , with all its variations. Eventually , he quietens , scans the gathered crowd with his almond shaped,pale- purple eyes.
"So now , now you know what you are in for-"
"Is this a true story , mister?" a young boy's voice calls out from somewhere in the small crowd. Another young voice shushes him angrily.
"It is fine." Asakura nods calmly although he cannot see the boy. "This story happens to be one passed down my family from my great grandparents, and they claim these things really happened…I'm sorry I can't give you a better answer."
"It's cool!" the boy-or his friend-replies. Asakura recomposes himself and continues.
"Now you know , would you still like to hear the story?"
The crowd nods , spell bound. A few shouts of 'yeah' can be heard. The rest of the Fayre is still buzzing , but the group of children , parents , teenagers and young couples are now in a bubble , along with Asakura and the promise of an epic tale.
Asakura takes a breath ,flashes a quick smile at a teenage girl who is videoing him on her phone, then says
"Well then. Let me begin."
I'm guessing this isn't quite what you were expecting with a title like 'Introducing Dangan Ronpa' , huh?I hope you enjoyed it. And if you were wondering what Asakura's full name was….it is 'Naegi Asakura." If you take that , along with various other hints in the story , you'll probably be able to guess who his great-grandparents are ^^
Anyway , I hope you enjoyed this , and please leave feedback.