Author's Note: I've been reading some Danganronpa fics recently and I've seen some of 'em being OC's that are Junko and Mukoro's sibling. So I thought, what if an OC is evil from the beginning? With the title of Ultimate Schemer, it's the perfect ultimate to cause some mischief between Class 78. And of course he's gonna need a team to work with, so I chose three unique characters that I believe are neat choices. They won't be evil, just manipulated at a later time.
And just to clear some confusion, the OC is a part of the Tragedy. That's why Junko will be a little more lenient towards him. You'll see what I mean as you read on. So yeah… enjoy.
Hisato Sasaki is unknowingly one of sixteen students enrolled in Hope Peak Academy. He only stepped foot into the school until he suddenly fell unconscious.
He awoke inside an empty classroom. His eyes briefly went hazy. His head hurt, like as if he was run over by a truck.
"Fuck…" Hisato cursed his luck. He was supposed to enjoy his new school. He stretched his body, feeling an ounce of pain run through his whole body.
Hisato Sasaki, known as the Ultimate Schemer, got his title by outlasting nine hundred and ninety nine other teens in a competition in order to even be at the academy. It was a simple contest, last one left standing is the winner type of deal.
The contest turned out to be a breeze. First, Hisato formed an alliance with around nine other people. The goal was to eliminate every competitor. Not with killing of course, simply knocking the other out.
Hisato first noticed his team's lack of experience when they mainly went to him for plans on what their next move should be. He realized he was the one carrying his team, so when it came down to the last thirty, he betrayed every last one of his teammates. One by one, they all fell until there was no more.
He later went on to win the competition and secured his spot to Hope Peak Academy. Hisato knew his abilities were what got him to win. He earned his place.
What he didn't expect was to wake up in the middle of a classroom. Hisato looked around the place, taking notice of his surroundings.
The first thing that struck out was the iron plates sealed shut right where the windows were supposed to be. That alone disturbed Hisato greatly. It reminded him of a prison of sorts.
"What's this?" Next to him, laid a piece of paper with some writing on it. It read:
The next semester is about to start. Starting today, this school will be your entire world.
'What? This school will be my entire world?' Hisato instantly knew something was up. Regardless, he couldn't find any clues and had no choice but to head to the main hall to get more answers. It was where everyone was supposed to meet anyway.
Stepping out the classroom, he noted how that the lights were dimmed magenta, and the floor had a checkered pattern. The windows along the way were just like the ones in the classroom, bolted iron plates.
Eventually, he came upon the main hall. It's the place where everyone was originally supposed to meet up. Hisato saw that there was only one other person there.
"Eh? Oh thank god I'm not the only one here!" A girl with blonde hair done in pigtails noticed him walk in. She ran up to him, face filled with panic. Hisato couldn't make it up quite right, but he was pretty damn sure that the unnamed girl was messing with her cleavage, most likely trying to make it look bigger.
'Ugh… be a gentleman and forget about it.'
Hisato was about to greet the newcomer before he suddenly stopped. He eyed her closer, staring her down intently.
"What are you doing?" The girl asked uncomfortably.
"Do I know you?" He said bluntly, getting to the point. "You look familiar… have we met before?"
The girl seemed unfazed by this question. "I don't believe we have. I've been on the cover several magazines. Maybe that's where you've seen me," She said, waving it off.
"Yes. That must be it." Hisato extended his hand forward. "Hisato Sasaki, also known as the Ultimate Schemer, at your service."
The girl took his hand and shook it rapidly, causing his whole body to go up and down. "Ahahaha! I'm Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista! Pleasure to meet you!" Junko introduced herself happily with a wink. Her bubbly demeanor showcased her personality.
"Come to think of it, now I remember my mother reading magazines with you on the cover." Hisato nodded, picturing the magazine in his head.
"Ehehehe~ See? I'm a well-known person after all," Junko replied in a mischievous tone. Her face turned neutral once Hisato glared at her.
"Who are you really?" Hisato didn't buy her little charade anymore. "It took a while to remember. My mother loved those magazines. She bought every issue. I don't remember clearly, but she frequently talked about you to me."
He continued, "I would consider that it's just heavy makeup. But something sticks out clear as day. Call me a pervert if you will, but the magazine Junko has a larger chest. I don't believe a girl your age would even get plastic surgery." Hisato threw the facts at her, one by one.
Junko stood there, staring at him with a unreadable expression on her face.
Then, someone else appeared walking to them, becoming the center of attention.
"O-oh! Um… hello!" A meekly girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes. She smiled nervously. "I thought I might've been the only one here! It's s-so spooky!"
"Hey! I'm Hisato Sasaki, the Ultimate Schemer." Hisato greeted the frail girl. She cautiously approached him.
"My name is Chihiro Fujisaki, th-the Ultimate Programmer!" She squeaked. She turned to Junko next expecting an introduction too. However, Junko ignored her, lost in her own thoughts.
"Ultimate Programmer, huh?" Hisato grinned. "Perhaps there's some computers hanging around somewhere. A library? We can use that to find out why what's going on here." He planned out a scheme in case they didn't get answers.
"Y-yes! I'll do my best!" Chihiro twiddled her small fingers. "Did you wake up in a classroom too?"
Hisato nodded. "I did. All I remember is being accepted to this school and then going unconscious once I stepped foot here." Chihiro's mouth formed an 'O' shape.
"Wow! Me too!" Her bottom lip trembled. "W-what if we were kidnapped? Did you see those iron plates on the windows? The surveillance cameras? Was this all a trick?"
The boy shook his head. "It better not be. I didn't work my ass off just for this to be all a grand scheme that even I couldn't see coming." It'd be hurting his pride. After all, he is the Ultimate Schemer. Seeing through schemes itself was a skill garnered over the years. It may not be one of his own perfected skills, but it's how he saw through Junko's lie with the help of his mother's taste in reading.
"M-maybe this is like an initiation test? To see if we really do have what it takes!" Chihiro guessed.
"I hope so. That's the only logical solution this far." Hisato turned to Junko. "Unless you have any ideas, faker."
"Faker?" Chihiro tilted her head, confused.
"She's pretending to be someone she isn't. You've heard of Junko Enoshima, right?"
"O-oh, yes! She's really popular!" Chihiro eyed the other girl in the room. "Is she not her?"
"Nope. Keep an eye on this one. Us non fakers should stick together." Hisato stood by Chihiro's side. She mumbled something quiet and looked down, guilt present on her face.
"Ehehe~ I'm not pretending to be someone, silly!" Junko regained her joyful attitude. "We have to apply a ton of makeup for photo shoots to look our best! And some parts of me our photoshopped. You're looking at the all natural Junko Enoshima!" She tapped them both on the nose with the tip of her finger.
Chihiro smiled brightly. "Ah, yes! That makes sense! Only models would know that type of information!"
The two girls waited for Hisato to give his response.
"You think I'm buying that? If it was something as simple as that, you should've told me way sooner instead of staying silent. You could've been thinking of that excuse for all I know." Hisato refused to believe Junko, spotting the error in her answer.
Puffing her cheeks, Junko smiled innocently and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Telling people that I'm not as perfect as they believe me to be is rather upsetting once they lose interest in me. You wouldn't want to upset me, would you?" She hid the malice in her voice quite well.
Hisato gulped, "I-I guess you're making sense now." He secretly decided to still keep an eye on her. Just in case. "Can you get off me now?"
"Nope! I'm going to hug you some more!" Junko kept her arms around his neck, much to his discomfort. Chihiro giggled awkwardly.
Another person entered the fray. It was a pale girl dressed in a gothic lolita outfit. Her appearance and the way she carried herself screamed regal. Her hair consisted of two large twin-drill pigtails. Her blood red eyes scanned over the three curious students.
Hisato coughed, clearly unsettled with her silent staring. Chihiro was as well.
"S-sup?" Hisato greeted anxiously.
"Greetings." The newcomer bowed her head, surprising Hisato and Chihiro. "I am Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance." She focused her attention on the giant vault standing right before them.
"Hisato, the Ultimate Schemer." He scratched his head, wondering why he hasn't paid more attention to the obvious giant metal vault. "Do you think those are real guns? Maybe if I wave in front of it, someone will notice."
"I wouldn't test it if I were you," Celestia warned him with a strange smile. Hisato faltered back, a nervous expression on his face.
"Right… I don't what I was thinking, Celestia. I-hey! Quit it!" Hisato finally had enough and pushed Junko from him. She giggled at this.
"Call me Celeste. I rather much prefer it if you will." Celeste continued staring at the vault door.
"I'm assuming you woke up in a classroom too?" Hisato asked her. She nodded in silence. "Am I going to get much from you?" Celeste shook her head, causing the Ultimate Schemer to sigh.
"Okay, so those two won't be of much help." Hisato referred to Celeste and Junko. "Got any bright ideas, Chihiro?"
"Eh? M-me?" Chihiro blushed, being put on the spotlight like that.
"I have an idea~" Junko cooed. Hisato tuned out her rambling, loathing himself and the people around him.
'It'd be nice if someone normal showed up.'
Speaking of the devil, a large figure made themselves known.
"Uwah! I finally made it!" The figure turned out to be a large guy with glasses panting, most likely from exhaustion. "That hallway gave me the creeps!"
"Oh, hey." Hisato waved at him. The large guy hurried over to them.
"Behold! You're seeing the one and only, Hifumi Yamada in the flesh! For I am the… Ultimate Fanfic Creator!" Hifumi declared proudly, placing his hands on his hips.
"Fanfic Creator?" Hisato deadpanned. He shook it off. After all, this guy was accepted accepted to this school. "A fanfic is just rewriting an already existing story, right?"
Hifumi chuckled arrogantly, "Heh, it's a lot more complicated than that. I don't expect non fanfic writers to understand."
"Then riddle me this. I'll test your knowledge." Hisato randomly thought of two characters from a random show. "I only ever really liked one franchise. From Pokémon, what's the ship name between Red and Yellow from the manga?"
"Specialshipping of course!" Hifumi's glasses shined brightly as he responded.
"I actually don't know if that's right but I'll take your word for it." Hisato pointed at the vault. "We can talk about ultimates later. We have bigger fish to fry. Did you wake up in a classroom?"
Hifumi shivered, seeing the guns attached to the surveillance camera. "Y-yes. I thought I might've fallen asleep finishing up one of my works."
Hisato froze. "Wait… do we still have our phones!?" Panic spread throughout the faces of Junko, Chihiro, and Hifumi. They checked their pockets, finding that their phones were no longer on them.
Hisato felt something when he patted down his pants. Remembering that the guns were behind him, he believed it was best to keep it a secret for now.
Too bad Junko caught him in the act.
"What do you have there?" Junko called him out on it.
"Seriously? Ugh. I don't even know what it is." Forced to do so, Hisato pulled out whatever was in his pockets. "Oh!" It was an old flip phone. Hifumi burst out in a fit of giggles at the device. "Hey! Quit laughing! A phone is a phone, is it not!?" Naturally, he felt embarrassed that someone laughed at his old device.
"Wow!" Chihiro eyed the flip phone with wonderment, now that she was stripped of her devices. Celeste watched on, intrigued.
'How the hell did she miss this one? What the hell, Junko!?' Junko thought angrily. She knew she should've killed him in the first place, when they were alone. Not only was he suspicious of her act, he also was in possession of a phone.
"What should I look at first? Maybe I should see if I can call my mom." Hisato quickly realized an issue. "There's no service here! What a useless piece of junk!" With a small bit of hope, he randomly checked his contacts to find his mother's contact.
The moment he did, he felt his blood run cold.
"W-woah! What the hell!?" Hisato threw the phone across the room. When he did, the guns above them aimed at the cellphone and fired.
"Ah!" Everyone but Celeste screamed. They backed up in a corner while Celeste took her sweet time joining them.
"W-what did you see!?" Chihiro cried out, hiding behind Junko.
"You won't believe me but scrolled through my contacts and found all four of your names on it!" Hisato crouched down in fear when the guns directed their focus at him. "Sh-shit! Don't shoot the students! I'm sorry for having a phone!"
The guns pointed at Hisato for a bit longer before being powered off once more. He collapsed on his knees, feeling a huge wave of relief pass through him.
"I'm in your phone? I don't remember you though." Chihiro didn't recall ever meeting him before.
"Yeah. Are you just messing with us?" Hifumi accused him of lying.
"While it does sound far fetched, I'm willing to hear you out," Celeste added in, looking over the destroyed bits of his phone.
"What's there to tell? I saw all your fucking names on my list! Is this some kind of prank from you guys?" It was Hisato's turn to point the finger at them.
"I assure you we're just as lost as you," Celeste said, Hifumi and Chihiro nodding along to her words.
"I swear on my life that I saw your names. If that's the case, I guess I'll only trust you four. We must have met each other. How else could I have gotten your info?" Hisato concluded. "I don't know what the hell is going on but I believe the best suit of action is to keep this between our little inner circle. What do you all say?"
Chihiro was the first to respond. "I-I agree! I've went through the logs to find out who'll be attending this school before I came here. There's at least ten other students left."
"Hmm? While I do not wish to form a pairing, you might be right." Hifumi placed his hand on his chin, thinking wisely.
"No." Was all Celeste said, rejecting his proposal.
"Fine. Just know you're welcome anytime unless you tell someone about it." Hisato couldn't let her off the hook so easily. He didn't know why, but he and Celestia Ludenberg had formed a friendship in the past… somehow. She was under the name, Celeste, the name she very much preferred being called. It was her choice in the end.
"Okay, so it's just us three." Hisato reluctantly turned to Junko. "And you if you want. We got on the wrong foot. I blame myself for that. You were at the top of my most recent contacts to contact me so… I guess we knew each other too? I don't really know how I have a model's number though."
Junko presented a huge grin. "Who knows? Maybe we were the best of friends~"
'Ugh. Of course we weren't. Why the fuck did Junko not kill him yet? She only used him to plan out this whole damn thing. She better not have grown a soft spot for him.' Junko paused. 'Nah. She'll kill him first.'
"Yeah. Maybe." Hisato and her formally shook hands. "Sorry for calling you out again. The possibility of us being kidnapped has just been making me paranoid."
"Water under the bridge! Hehehe! I look forward to getting to know you!" Junko did a peace sign with one hand.
Chihiro clapped her hands, glad that there wasn't anymore tension between the two.
In the middle of their reconciliation, another person appeared.
"Ah! It's good to see students eager to learn by arriving early!" A guy with short, spiky black hair and red eyes came into view. He wore what appeared to be a uniform colored white. "My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Compass! Please, call me Taka!" Taka boomed, his voice loud and stern. He bowed his head.
"Sup? I'm Hisato, the Ultimate Schemer," Hisato awkwardly introduced himself.
Taka's brows furrowed. "The Ultimate Schemer? I hope you're not planning anything devious! I'll have to report you to the principal if you do!" He warned him.
"Geez. Relax." Hisato winced.
"I do not relax! I'm here for educational purposes only!" Taka saluted to no one in particular.
"Don't mind him. We should talk more about this… group we're forming," Junko whispered in his ear so that Taka couldn't eavesdrop.
'I have to get on his good side. Then, when the time is right, I'll strike and take matters into my own hand.' Junko already had everything planned out, without informing her sister.
"You should always look someone in the eye when you speak to them!" Taka barked at Chihiro, causing her to cower back. "And you! Stop shoving your finger up your nose! That is completely inappropriate!" Hifumi jumped in fright now that he was caught in the act.
"It's not looking so good so far. I hate dead weight." Hisato frowned. "I should start planning ahead in case I see no use in them anymore."
Junko smiled, clasping her hands together. "Ooh! That won't happen to little 'ol me, will it?"
"Depends. Do you want to drop that peppy attitude and get serious?" Hisato narrowed his eyes. "I did it all the time. As one schemer to another, don't try to psych me out. You'll regret it. I'll always be one step ahead of you."
The arrogance in his voice pissed Junko off. She had the urge to strangle him then and there, but held it off. Now she can see why the real Junko had so much interest in him. He was a damn Schemer for pete's sake. He can pull things off secretly. Plus, he talked about potentially breaking off the alliance so quick. Underhanded tactics at its best.
"Fine~ You caught me~" Junko hugged him close. She dug her fingernails deep within his shoulders. "One word out of you and I'll have you gone before you know it."
"Knew it." Hisato smiled, despite the pain Junko's fingernails were inflicting on him. "So who are you really?"
"I'm still the same person."
"Thought so. I can help you if you want, for a price." He laid out his suggestion, turning serious. He wasn't the Ultimate Schemer for nothing. "I feel like spreading something, I don't know why. I can't think of the word either and that's bothering me."
'He wants to spread despair. Damn Junko, you really did turn him into a loyal pawn. He still has traces of his past actions even with the memory wipe.'
"What makes you think I need something?" Junko asked.
"Someone doesn't pretend to be someone else without having a plan. The one thing I ask is to leave those three out of it." He pointed back at Chihiro, Hifumi, and Celeste. "I'm not afraid of admitting that I might have some sort of amnesia. It's the only logical explanation. I highly doubt that this is a prank now. They're my friends somehow, so I want them safe. I'm only making this deal with you because you're my friend too."
Before Junko could respond, another person came by. He had orange spiked hair, a goatee, and pale blue eyes. He wore a white blazer jacket with a white shirt.
"Greetings!" Taka yelled at his face. The newcomer smiled awkwardly as he introduced himself.
"Yo! The name's Leon Kuwata, Ultimate Baseball Player!" Leon introduced himself to everyone. He was forced to spark up a conversation with Taka.
"I'm calling a meeting now." Hisato beckoned Chihiro and Hifumi over. "Since we're going to be here for a while. We should stick together and scout any potential danger."
"Y-yes! That sounds ideal!" Chihiro agreed.
"Hmm… while I was thinking of my next piece of work, I suppose I can do that since you're begging." Hifumi grinned cockily, knowing that his services were needed.
Junko giggled, "We'll all be the best of friends." Everyone in the small group liked the idea.
"Right. I'm trusting all of you because of the list I found on my phone. I don't know how I got them but I hope we'll figure it out together," Hisato said.
Leon approached them, eying them suspiciously. "What's going on here?"
Hifumi was the one who answered. "We're discussing the cute pairing of Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga!" His quick response impressed Hisato. "I'm the Ultimate Fanfic Creator after all. I must not lose focus!"
Leon looked at them oddly. "Right… well I was just curious."
"Yes, yes. If you don't mind, we'll continuing discussing the world of Narudo." Junko dismissed the nosy Ultimate Baseball Player.
A tick mark appeared on Hifumi's forehead. "It's Naruto, not Narudo!" Junko hid behind Hisato, sticking her tongue out at the Ultimate Fanfic Creator.
A pair of heavy footsteps could be felt from the floor. The heavy footsteps were coming their way. Everyone braced themselves for the intimidating newcomer.
A tall, muscular girl with long white hair stepped into the main hall. Her large muscles easily intimidated some of the students present.
"I'm Sakura Ogami." Her deep voice could mistaken her as a man. None were brave enough to ask what gender Sakura was, fearing that they'd be beat severely. "Hmph. None of you look like an appropriate sparring partner."
Leon bravely stepped up. "Why would you need a sparring partner at school?"
"School?" Sakura crossed her arms. "This is far from school. If you twigs are smart, you'd of figured that out already. And, I'm the Ultimate Martial Artist. I need to find a sparring partner to maintain my skill."
Taka angrily clenched his fist. "You better take that back! This is school whether you like it or not. Don't speak ill of Hope's Peak Academy!" One look from Sakura caused Taka to take it back. "B-but, you are allowed to have your own opinions. Just don't let the principal hear you."
Sakura glanced at the guns planted on the surveillance cameras. She compared the size of the guns with her own fist, wondering if she could crush it. She ultimately shook her head.
"Damn, she's big." Hisato examined Sakura carefully. One would be foolish to even cross her.
"Aye! She's scary looking!" Hifumi yelped.
"I bet you know of a way to handle her, Ultimate Schemer~" Junko said to Hisato, referring to him by his title.
"Honestly, I've already thought of eleven different ways to handle her," Hisato revealed, shocking both Hifumi and Chihiro. Junko only nodded, expecting this from him. "But I don't know what supplies are here, so it shortens it down to six."
"Wow… you really are the Ultimate Schemer…" Chihiro said in amazement.
"Yeah. By the way. Does anyone know who the hell Taeko Yasuhiro is?" As soon as the name slipped out of his mouth, Hisato felt himself being push against the wall. A hand with sharp fingernails were hovering near his throat.
The culprit was none other than the mysterious Celestia Ludenberg. Unlike her relatively calm nature, her face was filled with rage.
"Where did you hear that name!?" She demanded. Junko and Chihiro tried to pull her off of him but to no avail, even with Hifumi's help.
'Ah. Well at least I know they're here for me.' Hisato thought, liking that the alliance were there for him.
"I saw it on my phone! Honest! I just thought one of you would know since you four were on my contacts!" Hisato replied truthfully. "The name is on the bottom of the list. I-I think I don't speak to them anymore maybe."
"Were there any dates on that piece of scrap?" Hifumi asked.
"I didn't have any time to check. The only thing that caught my eye first were your names." Hisato gulped. "Can you let go of me now? Geez. I didn't think you'd be this mad over a name. Did you know Taeko?"
Celeste let go after staring at his eyes for a few seconds. Looking deep into her blood red eyes was not a pleasant experience, especially when she's mad.
"No." Celeste left it at that, not explaining her reasoning for attacking Hisato anyway. His back skidded down the wall, landing on the ground after the dangerous encounter.
Hifumi offered him a hand.
"Thanks." Hisato accepted it, getting back to his feet. "Remind me not to say that name again."
"Bet you didn't have a plan for that one, did you?" Junko said cheekily.
"I do now."
Taka began to scold Celeste for harming another student. She ignored him of course, setting her eyes on Hisato, now more cautious and interested in his little group.
"So you can barely stand a chance against a girl?" Sakura mused, shaking her head.
"For the record, I didn't even see it coming! That's totally not fair!" Hisato defended himself.
"One should always be prepared in case of a surprise attack." Sakura smirked. Hisato knew he couldn't really fire back against someone of her build, so he bit back his retort.
"Hey!" A new person ran up to the growing group of students. This time, it was a tanned brunette with blue eyes. She wore a red track suit over a white tank top along with a pair of blue athletic shorts.
"Woah!" Hifumi's nose began to bleed. He eyed her chest perversely.
"Dude!" Hisato nudged Hifumi's shoulder, gesturing him to quit looking.
"Hi! It's wonderful to see that a lot of us are safe! Though, I do feel this is a bit too surreal." The newcomer stared at the vault and guns nervously. "Anyway. I'm Aoi Asahina! I prefer if you all called me Hina if you don't mind."
"I most certainly don't!" Hifumi gushed over the new girl. Junko slapped the back of his head, breaking his perverted thoughts.
To everyone surprise, Hina went towards Sakura and started to talk to her.
"Brave girl." Hisato thought about something. "You know. After orientation, we should establish some rules for our group."
Junko yawned, "We have another Kiyotaka among us." She punched his arm. "Lighten up."
"I will not lighten up. I'm establishing rules for those that betray our group," He revealed darkly. "If you decide to double cross us, you'll automatically get kicked out and face… consequences. If you expose any of our plans, you will be exposed too. And if you even so much as pin something on one of your own, well… let's just say you should sleep with one eye open."
Hisato observed each other their reactions. Chihiro looked nervous, Hifumi nodded, understanding the rules. Junko smiled strangely, but he didn't really focus on her too much.
"Oh, and before I forget. Our group is going to be kept a secret. The less people know about us, the less suspicion we draw towards each other. You will not tell anyone that you're in a group nor can you invite anyone without my word. The only person you can talk into joining us is Celeste, but give it some time before you ask."
Laying down the rules, everyone was willing to accept the rules. Though, there were some questions.
"You know, you make it sound like being in this group is everything. What do we get out of it? Why should we join?" Hifumi questioned.
"For one, you get back up. Power in numbers and all that. I believe that's more than sufficient until we find out what's going on here. Besides, we need someone of your caliber," Hisato responded.
A shiny glint appeared on the lenses of Hifumi's glasses. He adjusted them, chuckling arrogantly. "Why, yes! Someone of my amazing skills is needed for this group. Yes. You have my full attention now."
Junko leaned close to Hisato. "You're just going to use him as a body shield, aren't you?"
"That's only a small part of the reason. I have two other reasons. He seems like a loyal type of person and we're friends in a way. All of us. I don't really trust anyone else."
"Should I be glad that I'm being included in this group of yours?" Junko remarked.
Hisato turned around, his back facing Junko. "Obviously. Wouldn't want an enemy this early, would you?" He didn't forget about earlier. "No questions from you, Chihiro?"
"N-none I can think of right now," Chihiro said bashfully.
"Great. Now we must disperse. We've already been getting enough stares as it is." Knowing he was right, Hifumi and Chihiro left to a different area of the main hall. "That goes for you too, Junko."
"Aww. You don't want me with you?" Junko stood by Hisato, not leaving. "That's fine, Sato-chan. I'm not leaving no matter what you tell me. Ehehe~"
Hisato froze. "What… what did you just call me?"
Junko soon realized her mistake and quickly tried to save it. "I said that's fine Hisato. I'm not leaving no matter what you tell me?" She said in a questioning tone, to sound more believable.
"R-right…" Hisato rubbed his temples. "I really do think this situation we're in is fucking with my brain."
While he was talking to Junko, they didn't notice that two more students were already amongst them.
"Hehe! It's fine! It's surely just a test. Nothing to worry about. It's already been foretold by me, the Ultimate Clairvoyant!" The thing that stood out the most was his hair, which seemed to be mysteriously floating. He held a crystal ball in his hand.
"Clairvoyant? Can you predict what I'll do next, Yasuhiro?" Hina asked excitedly.
"Please. Call me Hiro. And yes! I can!" Hiro closed his eyes, shaking the crystal ball in his hands. "You're going to blink right… now!"
Aoi blinked. Her face lit up like a christmas tree. "Wow! So cool!"
"Don't spit on the floor! The school works hard to maintain such sanitary conditions!" Taka scolded the other newcomer, whom was a tall, slightly tanned skin guy with a pair of purple eyes. He wore a long black overcoat, adding to his intimidating appearance.
"You're worried about sanitation?! Look at where we are! There's fucking guns up there!"
"Security precautions, Mondo. Of course an academy of such prestige will make sure to get rid of any threats!" Taka gritted his teeth, Mondo doing the same. It seemed that they were the first two students to be arguing.
"Hmph. Seems like people are already acting like rambunctious apes." A new voice spoke up. He was a tall, blonde guy with blue eyes and wore white framed glasses. His formal attire earned him quite a few stares of curiosity.
"What the hell did you just call me!?" Mondo snapped.
Taka ignored the newcomer's remark. "Good morning to you too! I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru and I formally welcome you to the main hall!"
The blond took a peek at the giant metal vault. "Right. I'm Byakuya Togami." Taka expected him to say more, but he merely stared at him. "We're done with introductions now, right?"
Taka snapped out of it. "If that's all you have to say then yes! I wouldn't want you to-" Byakuya brushed past Taka, eliciting the Ultimate Moral Compass to shut up.
"Oh man. I didn't know a Togami was going to be here." Hisato muttered. Everyone knew the Togami family. It was impossible not to be familiar with one of the most successful and richest families.
Hisato saw someone else peeking at Byakuya from behind a corner. "Hey! Who are you?"
The figure let out a yelp as everyone now had their eyes on them. The figure slowly emerged from the corner, revealing themselves as a girl with long two braided purple hair and large round glasses.
"What?! I can tell you're already judging my face!" The girl yelled at Hisato. "You think I'm ugly, don't you!?"
Taken aback, Hisato backed up some. "Well… I wouldn't call you ugly by any means… not at all."
"You're trying to seduce me now aren't you?! You want to have your way with me! Well, it won't work!"
"Uh…" Hisato sweatdropped. "Okay…?" Deciding it be best to avoid the girl, Hisato didn't bother asking for a name, finding it much easier to find out from someone else.
"Way to go Romeo." Junko rolled her eyes.
"Shut it!" Junko giggled at his temper. "There should be three of us left if I'm correct. Let just sneak to the gym early. We can scout for some clues before orientation," He proposed.
Junko tilted her head to the side. "If you're trying to seduce me now…"
"I swear you girls and your seducing accusations." Hisato shook his head. "I'll just go on my own then." He ventured off into the unknown, leaving Junko secretly smirking.
'Alright sis. Now's your time to kill him.'
Hisato wandered around the halls before eventually finding a tall pair of double doors in his path. He knew it was the gym so he opened the doors.
Not surprisingly, all of the openings and windows were guarded by an iron plates. There was a stage at the very front end of the gym with red curtains. On the stage was a podium with seats in front of the stage. Enough seats for everyone.
'Huh. So we are really having an orientation.' Hisato walked around the gym, scouting for any potential threats like the guns at the main hall.
The first thing he checked was the floor. As someone who knew their way around the ropes, hiding something in the floor is the number one thing to look out for. It could be a trap waiting for someone to walk on.
As expected, one of the planks of wood was loose. His first course of action was to pry the wood off and see what was under there.
With all his strength, Hisato pulled back the loose plank of wood as hard as he could. People like Mondo and Sakura would have no trouble doing this. Unfortunately, Hisato didn't have monster strength.
"Haaa!" Letting out a cry, he yanked the wood plank back. He managed to do so, falling on his hack with the plank of wood in his arms.
Setting the wood to the side, Hisato peeked inside the small opening.
"What the fuck?" Under the floor was a well built room barricaded with steel plates on the walls, except for the ceiling of course. In the middle of the room, laid several items of possessions, ranging from some comics, a microphone, a laptop, a baseball, books, a dumbbell, a crystal ball, and a tea set. Those were the only things he could detect from the dark room. The gym lights brightened only a portion of it.
What shocked him even more was the fact that there was a knife taped right behind the plank of wood that he detached. An army knife to be exact.
Peeling off the knife, Hisato gently grazed his fingers along the edge, testing its sharpness.
'What the hell is all of this? The school shouldn't allow any of this here. Why is this here in the first place?'
Hisato knew he couldn't dwell on the matter much longer. The principal could catch him, or his classmates. He attacked the army knife to his chest with the tape that came along with it. Concealing the weapon is the best choice of action. Who knew when he'd need it.
He quickly boarded the plank of wood back on the ground. While not perfect, the wood fitted the hole just right to make it undetectable from the human eye. But, if someone were to step on it, then that's a different story. Luckily, it was far off to the side, so no one should step on it unless they absolutely had to.
The doors of the gym opened. Hisato jumped to his feet and acted as if he stood there the entire time.
"See? He's right there," Junko said, alerting him. Hisato turned around to see all the students from the main hall, including two brand new faces. A girl with blue hair and another one with lavender hair. He paid them little attention, more focused on getting to the bottom of the secret room that he discovered.
"Hey, do I know you from somewhere?" Much to his annoyance, the blue haired girl walked up to him.
"Nope. Don't know you."
"Are you sure? You look really familiar…"
"Yes I'm sure. Buzz off." Hisato waved his hand at her, gesturing her to move it along.
The girl puffed out her cheeks. "I was only asking…"
"Yes, and I'm asking you to leave. Good day." In truth, Hisato wanted her to back off because she was nearing the area where the secret room was located.
"You heard what the guy said. Beat it!" Hifumi and Chihiro rushed over to assist Hisato.
"Y-yes! Our lord wishes to be left alone!" Chihiro added in.
Hisato sweatdropped. "Lord?"
The small girl's face reddened. "Did I say that out loud? Ehehehe…" Chihiro slowly hid behind Hifumi.
"Are you two his lap dogs? You shouldn't have him order you around." The blue haired girl frowned. "My name is Sayaka Maizono. As the Ultimate Pop Sensation, I think it's only right to tell you this."
Hisato chuckled, "Order them around? I didn't even tell them anything. They're my equals, not my lap dogs." He stood among his two allies. "So, Ultimate Pop Sensation, your words mean nothing to them!"
Sayaka glanced at Hifumi and Chihiro. Both bore apologetic faces. Huffing, Sayaka returned back to the others.
"Yeesh. You're making a lot of enemies Hisato. It's only the first day." Junko snorted, joining the three.
Hisato scanned the students, finding them minding their own business. He huddled everyone up.
"Listen guys. I found something incredible in here. Like seriously, you won't believe it." Hisato whispered, catching their interests. "I found a-"
The doors of the gym burst wide open. Standing out the doorway was a short boy with spiky brown hair and hazel eyes. This boy is the last student of the class, counting all sixteen of them now present in the gym.
Almost everyone tensed up, but after they saw him, they relaxed.
"Uhh… excuse me!" The newcomer nervously said.
"Cool. This will make sixteen of us." Hiro smiled. He scratched his head. "What can I predict now?"
Hifumi discreetly returned back into the fray. "Yo! This everyone? Maybe now we'll get some answers."
"I'll tell you all later. Let's just blend in with the others." Hisato, Junko, and Chihiro did just that, following Hifumi's lead.
"Aha!" Taka pointed a finger at the newcomer. "Instructions says eight-o'clock sharp! You have no excuse for your tardiness!" The newcomer flinched at the tone of Taka's voice.
"Yeah. Can you just not?" Junko rolled her eyes, glaring at the Ultimate Moral Compass. "Who gives a flying flip about being on time? None of us even know why we're here."
"Yeah Taka. Lighten up." Hisato chimed in. For some reason, he felt like he was being scanned by the newcomer. "I think you're the crazy one for still thinking that this is a safe environment."
"I don't want to hear anything from another troublemaker!" Hisato received the wrath of Taka's pointer finger. "You sneaked off and came here on your own!"
"Showing up early is a good thing…?" Hisato's words did nothing to calm Taka down.
"Sato-kun!" The newcomer's eyes widened, as if recognizing Hisato.
Junko sweated a bit, slightly nervous if the plan really did work.
"The hell did you call me?" Hisato responded back, irritated. "How do you know my name?"
"I-It's me, Makoto Naegi! You don't remember me? We went to the same middle school. We had tons of classes together, all three years!" Makoto informed him, looking a little hurt by his comment.
"Middle school…" Hisato's face twisted in anger. "I don't know you! Stop pretending already! I've never seen you in my life!"
Junko smirked. 'Hmph. So it did work. Of course, we had to wipe someone's memory first. Poor Sato had to be the first one after everything he's done to bring Despair into the world. We wiped the memories of his closest friends completely, not just his school memories. We implanted some far better memories into his head. Ones to grant him such despair, like he asked for.'
"Question." Chihiro spoke up after seeing the distress Makoto was causing on Hisato. "Did you happen to wake up in a classroom by yourself?"
"I did. No idea how I got there," Makoto replied, getting over his failed reunion with Hisato.
"That's what I thought. That's exactly what happened to us."
"Sudden unconsciousness, only to converge upon the gym upon awakening." Celeste smiled, amused. "Fabulously peculiar."
Mondo gritted his teeth. "Yeah. That's the word. Reminds me of the days we had back at juvie."
"Except this time we got kidnapped." Leon frowned. His frown shifted into an awkward smile. "Hey! Maybe they'll auction off our organs!" He chuckled dryly, not helping the situation whatsoever.
Hina jumped forward, pumped her fists back and forth. "Think positive! It's a motivational program! This is supposed to be a special school, right?"
Sakura folded her arms. "It's difficult to say. I suggest that we first assess our situation."
Makoto hesitantly inclined his head. "Okay…"
Hisato noticed that Makoto had his eyes on the girl he learned is named Toko.
"He's going to make a fool of himself like I did." Hisato wandered off from his classmates. Junko followed him, planning to mess with him for a while.
After some much awkward introductions, Makoto settled on talking to Sayaka, whom he was familiar with too. He hoped things with her didn't end up like with Hisato.
She seemed to recognize him, so maybe it'll turn up good.
"Wait… you actually remember me?" Makoto's cheeks flushed brightly.
Sayaka giggled, "Of course I do silly! After all, we did go to the same school for three years." She held up three fingers.
Makoto nervously put his hands above his head. "Oh believe me, I know." He looked over at Hisato. "It's just that Sato-kun doesn't remember me, so I thought you wouldn't either."
"Sato! Yes! That's his name!" Sayaka's face brightened. "Now I remember where I knew him from. We three went to the same middle school. He tried to pull a prank on the music club that one time." She remembered the prank all too well because she was at the receiving end of it.
"Weren't you two friends?" She asked.
"That's the thing. He's acting like he's never seen me before. At least, I hope he's acting." Makoto's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"That's not right. I may have not known him as much as you did, but I know for certain that he's just playing one of his pranks on you. He has to be!" Sayaka reassured him with determination in her eyes.
"Maybe." Makato shyly rubbed the back of his head, feeling quite shy from being around Sayaka.
"If you two are quite done flirting, we can move on to more pressing matters." Togami interrupted the two in the middle if their conversation.
"Such as?"
Byakuya sighed, "Such as our current situation. Someone has collected us here for a reason."
Toko pulled on her hair, panicking. "We're all essentially prisoners!"
"You think the least they can do is give me back my cellphone. It's like totally barbaric." Junko groaned, a look of boredom present on her face.
Those who weren't present during the phone situation back at the main hall gasped and checked their pockets. True to Junko's words, their cellphones were no longer with them.
"Well, I had my cell phone until someone had to call me out on it! Then it got blasted by the guns at the main hall!" Hisato glared at Junko, still angry that his phone got destroyed because of her and her big mouth.
"Your f-fliphone!" Hifumi snickered. Hearing that, others joined in.
Hisato's cheeks flushed. "A phone is a phone! I still had mine so shut up!" He decided not to tell anyone else about what he found just because of that.
"My phone is missing as well. Does this mean that they're confiscated?" Sakura asked aloud.
Hiro placed a hand on his chin, thinking. "Yeah… no. There's no way. They'll give us our stuff back after orientation. I'm sure of it." He pulled out his crystal ball and showed it to everyone. "In fact, it's already been foretold!"
Leon sneered, "Dude, please. A crystal ball?"
"I'm dead on thirty percent of the time!" Hiro bragged, wearing a cocky smirk.
Toko laughed, "Isn't that impressive?" Before Hiro could retort, the sound of a microphone dropping blared through their ears.
"Testing! Mic check! Mic check! One two! Everyone hear me okay on this thing?" The voice came from the large speaker on the stage. "Hiyah kiddos! It's time to roll out the welcome wagon! Not literally of course. Not even sure what that means. But you get it!"
Hiro was the first to get over his initial shock. "See? We're not prisoners. This is just how they do things here at Hope's Peak!"
"Well, you're half right," Kirigiri said. Not everyone caught it. They were too engrossed by the new voice that could answer their questions.
Music began to play. A bear suddenly sprang out from the stage. One side of it was white while the other side was black. It's left eye was red and somewhat closed. The bear landed on the podium.
"What the fuck?" Hisato couldn't believe his eyes. Their principal was a fucking bear. A talking one to be more exact.
"I know what you all are thinking and no! I am not a high tech Build-a-bear reject." The bear pointed at himself. "I am the principal of this illustrious institution. Monokuma! Please to meet ya!" Monokuma introduced himself to his students.
Naturally, Hifumi freaked out. "I had a nightmare just like this once!" He blurted out, receiving a few strange looks.
"Young man. Have some respect if you please. Monokuma, your principal!" Monokuma repeated. "Yes yes! Like nothing like you have ever seen before. Uncanny. Unsettling even! Yadda yadda, moving right along! Give your principal your snappiest good morning!"
Being the model student that he is, Taka bowed his head. "Good morning, principal sir!"
"Please don't encourage it!" Toko shrieked.
"That will have to do I suppose. Anyway, welcome bright young things to your new living quarters! Now before you get all up to me, rest assured it's for your own good. Mustn't let the outside world throw that dazzling in your spark! We got this place sealed in."
Monokuma continued his lecture, "So now you're wondering how long you'll be guests for the rest of our program. Approximately… the rest of your lives! Oh yeah, by new living quarters I meant permanent living quarters!"
"Wait, so you mean we're stuck here forever now!? What the fuck?" Hisato put a hand over his chest, feeling the army knife resting safely there. He… may have to use it.
"You can't be serious."
"We'll be here forever?" Leon and Chihiro shared Hisato's confusion.
"Aw. Don't fret. We have an astronomical budget. Your needs will be satisfied," Monokuma reassured them kindly.
"That's not the issue! What if we have families?" Sayaka cried out, none too pleased with this new arrangement.
"No! Just no!" Junko protested.
Hisato scratched his head. "I mean… he did say our needs will be satisfied. I don't know about you guys but my life was pretty shitty. Hehe. I'm kinda glad we're sealed off in here now," He chuckled, knowing his own reasoning as to why he didn't want to be outside.
Junko slapped his arm. "You can't be serious! Don't you have family waiting for you!?"
"Erm… my parents and I aren't on speaking terms right now. I don't think we'll ever be." Hisato coughed, focusing back at Monokuma. "So the iron plates on the windows all around the school is so we can't make any outside interaction with the outside world?"
"Bingo! You're in here for keepsies! You can scream all you want, no one outside will hear you." Hisato nodded, much to everyone else's discomfort because of how well he was taking in the situation.
"Forgive me if I suggest this to be less than ideal but to spend the rest of our natural lives confined like this?" Even Celeste opposed the conditions, leaving only Hisato as the one unopposed.
"Natural lives? Oh, that's rich. Actually, for those who wish to leave. There is a loophole," Monokuma said cheekily.
"Enlighten us," Byakuya requested.
"Good old fashioned murder!" Monokuma jumped down to the floor, doing flips as he descended down. "Yes! The student that kills a classmate… and gets away with it will be permitted to walk out of here scott free!"
Hisato let out an elated laugh, spooking everyone out.
"So you say we can kill? Any way we want?" Hisato asked excitedly.
"Is he actually serious!?" Hiro exclaimed, frightened. He, along with most of the other students distanced themselves from Hisato and his grinning face.
"Yes!" Monokuma nodded.
"Poison? Bludgeon? Lethal injection? Point blank shot? Stabbing?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Monokuma got more happy at the suggestions that Hisato was putting out there.
"I knew he was trouble!" Leon gulped.
"Crucifixion? Hanging? Strangling? Cannibalism?" The last one earned horrified looks from his classmates.
"Yes! Yes! All of the above! What a great student you are!" Monokuma praised the Ultimate Schemer.
'Fuck that! This bear is trouble! I must dispose of it as once!' Hisato faked his excitement in order to lower Monokuma's guard down.
Hisato walked towards his principal, bowing down. "Great. Great… because my first victim is you!" He lunged at the bear, grabbing the knife he secretly hid under his shirt.
"Ah! Wait! Attacking the principal is strictly against the rules under no circumstances!" Monokuma cried out but it was too late. Hisato sliced his head off cleanly.
The head plopped on the floor, much to the students' horror.
"Phew. Now that that's all taken care of…" Hisato turned back to his classmates. All of their eyes were fixated on the army knife in his hands. None more curious than Junko herself. "I say we go find the real principal and get the hell out of here."
A strange beeping sound came from Monokuma's corpse. Not taking any chances, Hisato chucked the bear far. The body would later explode mid-flight, shocking the ultimates.
"Tut tut. You should learn to respect your principal!" A brand new Monokuma bounced off the stage. Hisato carefully got into stance, ready to defend himself. "But since it's you Sato-chan, I'll let you off with a verbal warning. Next time you'll have to face punishment for breaking the rules!"
Hisato's left eye twitched. "The hell did you just call me?!"
"What the hell man?! Why do you have a knife on you?!" Mondo demanded an answer, giving him a menacing glare.
"That is a complete violation of the rules and should be confiscated immediately for potentially being a threat to the school!" Taka growled, still convinced that this was a school despite everything that Monokuma has told them.
"Nope! It is allowed!" Monokuma revealed. "I don't know where you got that but have fun swinging that puppy at your classmates, Sato-chan!"
"Dammit! Stop calling me that!" Monokuma cackled like a maniac. "Plus, it's not like I'm going to kill anyone with it. I'd never kill anyone in my life." Monokuma only laughed harder at his comment, rolling on the floor.
"Dude." Leon put his hand out. A good chunk of the students stood with him. "Hand that kitchen knife over. We don't want you hurting people."
Hisato clenched his fists. "First off, it's not a kitchen knife. It's obviously an army knife. Secondly, I'm not hurting anyone with it. Thirdly, I'm not handing it over. One of you shits might kill me first!"
"No one is going to kill anyone but you if you still have that knife! So fork it over!" Leon approached him dangerously.
"How am I supposed to know that? I haven't been doing anything and you all have been accusing me for no reason! Just because I'm the Ultimate Schemer doesn't mean I'm the Darth Vader of this school." Hisato clenched onto the knife in his hand tighter.
"All we're asking is to hand over the knife and we won't be so wary around you anymore," Hiro said, trying to defuse the situation.
"This knife is staying with me whether you all like it or not." Hisato placed the knife right back under his shirt. "Don't lie. You all have been scouting at least one person in this gym to go out for!"
Everyone remained quiet.
"I know who I'm being careful of. I have the right to keep this knife to myself." Monokuma whined, sad to not see any murders happen after all.
"Just let him have the stupid knife. You all can get your own weapons later anywho." Junko backed him up. She recognized the knife he had all too well.
"I don't think you're understanding it either. We don't want weapons!" Leon cried out. "None of us will kill each other. It's not something we'll resort to just because the bear says it."
"That's principal to you!" Monokuma corrected.
Hifumi spoke up, "You're only saying that because you two are buddies!" He threw Junko and Hisato under the bus in order to draw suspicion away from himself. Hisato couldn't even be mad. He would've done the same thing too.
"Yeah! That's right!" Mondo agreed.
"Don't be a bunch of sour apples! I think forming friendships already is a wonderful thing!" Hina argued, smiling at the two.
"Until one of them backstabs the other… literally…" Leon muttered under his breath.
"Ugh! Fine! I'll get rid of the knife!" Hisato threw the knife right at Chihiro, who screamed and ducked. "Catch." He said all too late. "Keep that knife for me."
"Don't throw the knife at her!" Sayaka gasped. Chihiro curled up in a ball, her life flashing before her eyes. The knife was lodged right beside her.
"It'll be better off with me." Celeste went over and picked up the knife. "That won't be a problem, will it?" She asked Hisato.
While Hisato shook his head, everyone else disapproved.
"That knife is mine! I'll make sure to keep it in good hands!" Taka promised.
"No way! It belongs to someone familiar with it like me!" Mondo roared.
"I don't want something as hideous as that." Byakuya shook his head.
Sakura cracked her large knuckles. "I got all that I need naturally."
Monokuma rubbed his paws together, enjoying the atmosphere. Everyone was fighting over a simple knife.
"Guys!" Makoto garnered everyone's attention. "Don't you see what's happening? We're already playing his game! He wants us to fight. Look how happy he is!" He pointed at the giggling Monokuma.
"Whaaat? Little 'ol me? Why, I would never plan something like this!"
"Just let Celeste keep the knife. I trust it'll be good in her possession," Kirigiri said aloud. Celeste smiled, placing a hand over her lips.
Hearing out Makoto, the students stopped arguing.
"I shouldn't have given it up." Hisato eyed the army knife. He had no form of self defense now.
Junko pulled him to the side and hugged him. "Not to worry~" She secretly handed him another army knife that she kept in pockets.
What no one knew is that she disappeared too shortly after Hisato. She had an interesting talk with the principal. It all summed up to her next goal.
'Keep Sato-chan alive! I have a plan to spread despair to everyone, and it involves him! Do it you fat ugly cow!'
Of course, the principal wasn't so nice with her. She didn't mind, she dealt with it long enough that the insults don't hurt her anymore.
Hisato's eyes widened. "You're the one with the knives? A dangerous supermodel indeed." He took the army knife from Junko and slid it under his shirt. "Thanks. I can already tell those bastards are going to single me out. Now I'm kinda glad we're friends."
"Friends? You're still on that?"
"Of course! First the thing on my phone, and now you're giving me your knife for protection. Hehe. You care about me!" Instead of Junko doing the hug, Hisato initiated it first.
'He definitely should've died by now. Dammit Junko, just kill him!'
"Put me down!" Junko raked her nails on his neck.
"Ow! Fine!" Hisato let go of her and inspected his neck. "Geez. I thought you were all about being friends, Junko. By the way, when did you hide that knife? I found it underneath a wood plank while investigating the gym."
"Wood plank? Now I know you actually did lose your…" Junko paused. A moment of realization struck her like a bullet. She quickly glanced at the general area where the knife originally was.
Hisato missed this.
'I completely forgot about that!' Junko cursed herself for forgetting something so crucial. 'That stupid underground bunker that I was forced to partake in.'
"This now concludes the introductory portion of your orientation, boys and girls." Monokuma, sad not to see anyone meet their doom, decided it was best to leave. "Here's to you all enjoying a fun filling and not exactly long life here at Hope's Peak Academy!" Monokuma disappeared by going down the podium, ending the orientation.
Everyone shared their thoughts on the situation. No one was on board with the idea of killing. It was preposterous. They obviously weren't going to kill a soul for freedom. Yet, they all felt anxious as to who would actually take it seriously.
"No… it's a joke." Chihiro tried to convince herself that it was all some big joke. Though, by now, everyone knew that this was serious.
"Ha! A joke it may very well be. That doesn't alleviate my concern as to whether one of you takes it at face value." Byakuya said, eying Hisato suspiciously. Doing so, other people followed his lead.
"Aw, what the hell?! I don't even have the knife anymore!" Hisato grew frustrated over his classmates insistence that he'd be the killer. "Screw all of you people. I'm going to the room to take a nap."
Leon shook his head. "No way! You could be scheming on which one of us to kill!"
"Fuck you." Hisato flipped him off as he made his way to the doors. "Aye! You three! I got something to tell you so you best follow me. There's no way out of here. Face the facts already. As someone who excels at this type of stuff, I don't see any form of escape here."
"That's not true! If we band together and-" Taka started but he was interrupted when Junko exposed herself as one of Hisato's buddies. She silently walked towards the doors too.
"Coming, Mr. Sasaki!" Hifumi hurriedly rushed over to the forming alliance they made.
The students looked at each other, wondering who the third person could be.
"V-very well!" Chihiro nodded, but to her surprise, Celeste also stepped forward.
"I am merely interested in your findings." Celeste explained.
"Sure. As long as you don't go crazy on me again. Hehehe…" Hisato chuckled awkwardly.
"Seriously?! That's about a third of us willing to follow a potential killer!" Leon exclaimed worriedly.
"I don't think he's a killer," Makoto said, much to Leon's dismay.
"Same here. Even if he is a bit rude," Sayaka chimed in.
Sakura nodded. "We shouldn't be quick to point fingers. We haven't even seen him do anything except trying to kill the principal."
"That's a good thing! The bear is evil!" Hina agreed.
Meanwhile, Hisato, Junko, Hifumi, Chihiro, and Celeste were walking along the hallway where the rooms were located.
"Any reason why you decided to join us now? It can't certainly not be because you're interested," Hisato said to Celeste while he looked over his student handbook.
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed then." Celeste walked in such a formal manner that it made Hisato wonder how she was raised.
"I guess. Say, this thing is pretty neat. It has just about everything you'd want to know about me." Hisato looked at his electronic handbook. It consisted of his full name, his title, age, height, weight, to name a few.
"It certainly is." Hifumi showed him his own electronic handbook. Once done, Hisato glanced at the three girls.
"You're not looking at mine." Celeste's icy glare sent chills up his spine.
"M-mine too!" Chihiro squeaked, hiding her own handbook with a fearful expression on her face.
Junko flaunted her hair around. "There's no point in looking at each other's stupid handbooks. Look, there's your room right there." She pointed at the incoming door with Hisato's name plate on it.
"Sweet." Hisato dismissed the girls' failure to comply, seeing it as a girl thing or something. He opened the door and was greeted by the sight of a basic looking room with a few average posters. His room even had its own bathroom.
"Anyway, I came here to discuss what I found in the gym."
"The gym? Shouldn't we have stayed behind then?" Chihiro inquired.
"No. Those people are against me. It's safer to relocate in my room," He responded. He never planned for anyone to actually go against him because of his talent. That and he did try to kill the principal. But that was totally justified in his eyes. "That reminds me. Do you still have the knife?"
Celeste unsheathed the army knife from her clothes and tossed it on the ground. Hifumi and Chihiro eyed it with caution.
"Good. For us four, we should keep it somewhere secure. In case someone tries to out us when we're alone, this knife can be tracked down and used as self defense." He excluded Celeste from the group because of her earlier wishes.
"Wouldn't self defense count as murder?" Hifumi scratched his head. He remembered reading a fanfiction where one of the characters got busted from the cops because of said reason.
"Damn. I never thought about that," He admitted, somewhat relieved that Hifumi was on his side. It would've been a close call.
"That's delightful, is it not? We're free if we kill. In self defense, we won't feel as guilty." Celeste spoke her thoughts aloud. Her reasoning did make sense.
"Yeah, but this stupid bear is the one behind this. I don't know if you heard him clearly but he stated that you're free 'if' you can actually get away with it." Hisato recalled Monokuma saying that tidbit a little more quieter in his speech. "Meaning there must be some type of secret he's withholding."
Hifumi raised a finger. "I found it! There are the school rules in our e-handbooks!" He began to read the first rule. "Rule number one: students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time."
"Well it's not like we can leave anyway," Hisato huffed, looking at his own e-handbook. "Rule number two: Nighttime is from ten pm to seven am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution."
"Going out at night is the stupidest thing anyone can do." Junko turned on her e-handbook. "Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly."
Chihiro read the next rule. "With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion. So we can scout for clues then!"
"That's good. I can only wonder what those restrictions are though." Hisato saw the next rule and felt sick to his stomach. It's the rule he broke earlier. "Shit. Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited... as is destruction of surveillance cameras?" He looked back, ultimately finding a surveillance camera pointing directly at him.
'Shit! That bear is watching us!' Hisato, Hifumi, and Chihiro naturally panicked over the invasion of their privacy. Junko and Celeste traded unfazed glances.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you broke another rule. Question is, why did Monokuma decided to give you a verbal warning instead of the punishment that you deserved." Junko frowned deeply, truly wondering why he didn't receive proper punishment.
Celeste placed both of her hands under her chin, smiling. "It's like Monokuma said: Since it's you, Sato-chan!" She recited the exact reasoning Monokuma gave for his actions.
"The hell did you just call me?!"
"It appears that I'm not the only one with issues over a name." The smug smirk on Celeste's face pissed him off. "Rule number six: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes 'blackened' will graduate, unless they are discovered."
Hisato's words were correct. The only way to officially escape is to get away from murder. So basically, it was like a murder plot. You can't be caught or else you'll be sent to prison. In this case, the course of action to those who were caught aren't specified.
"Additional school regulations may be added if necessary." Hisato finished off the last rule. His eyes lingered on the surveillance camera spying on them. "Yeah… I just gathered you all here to tell you that I found the knife hidden in the gym."
Celeste and Junko easily saw through his charade. He had his back turned at the camera, his face telling them that he was pretending.
"Huh? But I thought you said…" Hifumi realized the situation too. "...that we were gathered to talk about one of my works."
"Obviously not. They were ready to maul him apart." Junko smiled sinisterly.
Chihiro caught on too. "Uh… well we're all safe here, right?"
"No. Someone can easily barge in our dorms. I advise everyone here to lock it tight." Hisato took a seat on a chair near a desk. "I call this meeting to an end. If you need to see me personally, please do. If it's during nighttime, please be super aware of your surroundings. I'm going to be busy for the remainder of the day." Finding a pencil and an empty journal inside the desk, he got straight to work.
"Yes, Mr. Sasaki! Stay safe!" Hifumi bid them farewell and left the room.
"R-right! I'll be sure to be extra careful!" Chihiro exited the room as well.
"While I may have not received the type of information that I was hoping for, this meeting wasn't a total waste of time." Celeste bowed slightly. "Until we meet again, Sasaki-san."
Without another word, Celeste went off.
"Bye… Celeste." He didn't take it personally. Hell, he considered it a success that he managed to even get Celeste to temporarily join them at all.
"There a reason you don't use honorifics?" Junko asked, taking note of his use of names. He referred to everyone by their first name.
Hisato shrugged. "I don't see the point. I can call anyone whatever I want. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to start on this. The others will get more suspicious of you if you're still here with me." He dismissed her politely. There was no need to cause shift distrust onto his fellow alliance members.
Junko noticed that the knife Celeste brought was still on the floor. "She forgot her weapon."
Hisato grabbed it and slipped it inside his desk. "I'll give it to her when she comes back for it. Now shoo."
Junko stayed in position. "I think I like it in here. It's better if we stay in pairs isn't it?" She collapsed on his bed, resting her arms behind her head. She noticed the camera being pointed at her now. Junko grinned and did a peace sign, to which the surveillance camera shook left and right as if shaking its head.
"Well yeah but there's really no point in staying here… unless you'll tell me why you have so many knives?" He was met with silence, as expected. He didn't really mind Junko being in his room as long as she was quiet.
So with that, he grabbed his pencil and began writing down his first words.
Students of Hope's Peak Academy.
Second Author's Note: Yeah, so Junko being lenient towards Hiasto comes in the form of leaving his phone with him and not giving him punishment for breaking the rules. There's a reason why he still has a phone, to create a bond between him the his new teammates. That way; the false hope will soon turn to… despair.
Anyway, this is going to be my main focus for a bit. It'll speed by quick, like the anime adaptation of it. With that said, stay tuned.