Chapter 1
My name is Makoto Naegi. I guess I should start out by telling you a little about myself. Well, there really isn't very much interesting about me. I'm just your average high school student. I go to class, participate in clubs, and hang out with my friends. I don't really have any special talents that make me stand out. That's probably why what happened to me was so abnormal.
It all started with the letter. An acceptance letter from Hope's Peak Academy. Hope's Peak Academy is the most prestigious high school in Japan. They say that if you graduate from it, you are guaranteed success in life. There are only two requirements to attend:
1. You must be a current high school student.
2. You must have a talent that you are the very best at.
Ordinary students can't just enroll at the academy, you have to be scouted by the school itself. That's why the letter I received was so out of the ordinary. It read:
"Mr. Makoto Naegi,
We recently held a lottery to select one ordinary student to attend our school. As a result, you have been selected. We would like to invite you to join us as the Ultimate Lucky Student."
I couldn't believe what I was reading. I had been chosen to attend Hope's Peak Academy, but it was by pure luck. I should've just declined, but it was too great of an offer to pass up. I Immediately got on my computer and began to research Hope's Peak and its students. Since Hope's Peak only invites those who are truly elite in their field, it's a super popular topic online. There are plenty of threads where people talk about who's attending the school that year. I began searching through those threads to see if I could learn anything about my future classmates. I ended up learning a lot about the Ultimate students who were going to be attending with me. There's the Ultimate Pop Sensation. She's the lead singer of a pop group that's famous all over the country. There's also the Ultimate Baseball Star. His team won the national high school championship last year. Pro teams are already scouting him. There's also the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, the Ultimate Martial Artist, the Ultimate Gambler and more. Among all these Ultimates, I seemed pretty insignificant. However, I didn't seem to be the only one. There were a few students that I couldn't find any info on. Maybe they're just normal students like me.
Anyway, orientation day eventually arrived. I stood outside the school in awe. It towered above all the other buildings in the area. As I looked at my new school, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Could a guy like me survive in a school like this? But even with these thoughts lingering in my head, I gathered up my courage and walked into the school. We were supposed to meet at 8 am in the main hall but I was a little early. I went into the main hall and saw that I was the first one there. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 7:10. I still had plenty of time until the meeting started. I decided to go explore the school a little bit. That's when everything went wrong. My vision became warped and everything around me seemed to melt away. Then everything went black. My nightmare had begun.
I woke up with my head resting on a wooden desk. I looked around. I was in a classroom I had never seen before. The desks in the room were arranged to face the front where there was a chalkboard and podium. There was also a surveillance camera in the room as well as a TV monitor on the wall.
A surveillance camera? That's weird. I said to myself.
That's when I noticed something even weirder. The walls had iron plates bolted to them. What the hell is going on here? I thought.
I looked over at the clock. It was 8 am. Has it really been almost an hour since I passed out?
Then I saw the pamphlet on the desk I had been sleeping on. It was cheap looking and handwritten in crayon. It said:
Hey there new kid!
The next semester is about to begin. Starting today, this school will be your entire world.
On the top of the page there was what looked to be a crude drawing of the school, colored in by crayons. This has to be some kind of joke.
I immediately began trying to make sense of my situation. "Ok," I thought. "I must have been so wound up that I passed out in the hallway and someone carried me here. That means that I'm inside Hope's Peak." But then I noticed a hole in my explanation. "If that's true though, then what's with those metal plates?"
Even though I was still confused, I decided to head to the main hall. It was time to meet and everyone else was probably there already. I left the classroom and began walking towards the meeting place. On the way I passed a strange red door, an A/V room, and what looked like a school store.
As I walked into the main hall, I saw that the other students had already gathered there.
"Hey look, there's another new kid" said a tall guy with a huge Afro.
Everyone looked at me.
"So you guys are new here too?" I asked.
"Yeah," said a petite girl with short blond hair. "We're supposed to start class today."
"So that means there are fifteen of us including him," said an obese guy with glasses.
I looked at all the Ultimate Students around me and my feeling of unease returned. However, I decided to push it aside and introduce myself.
"Hey everyone, my name is Makoto Naegi. Sorry I'm late I must've passed out or something. I just woke up in one of the classrooms."
"Really you too?" Said the guy with the Afro.
"Things keep getting weirder and weirder." Said a girl with long dark hair that was curled into two pigtails.
"What are you talking about?" I said. "What's going on?"
"There is something else we must address first." said a guy with short, dark, spiky hair.
"You are late Makoto!" he yelled at me. "That is unacceptable! Weren't you aware that we were supposed to be here at 8 am sharp!"
"Lay off man!" Said a guy with spiky orange hair. "He didn't want to be late, he just didn't have control over it."
"Calm down guys!" Interjected another girl with brown hair tied in a bun. "Look, why don't we go around and introduce ourselves? Maybe that will help break the tension?"
Everyone else seemed to agree with this and I decided to go around and introduce myself to everyone individually.
The first person I decided to talk to was the dark haired guy who had yelled at me for being late. I walked up and introduced myself.
"I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru. Let us work together to develop our minds through education." He boldly said to me.
The Ultimate Moral Compass. He had short, black, spiky hair and piercing red eyes. He wore what looked to be a military uniform. I'd read about him on the thread. He's a flawless honors student who went to one of the top private schools. On top of that, he works with the Public Morals Committee in his community.
"You can just call me Taka though. You said your name was Makoto right? That's a great name! A strong name! However, you must work hard every day to make sure that it doesn't lose it's value!"
I could already tell that this guy was going to get on my nerves. I quickly excused myself and went to go talk to someone else. The next person I walked up to was a brown haired girl with glasses.
"Hi I'm Makoto" I said to her. "What's your name?"
"It's not like your going to remember my name anyway," she said shyly "but I'm Toko Fukawa."
The Ultimate writing prodigy. She had long brown hair that she wore in two braids that ran down her back. She wore glasses, a brown sailor uniform, and a skirt. Apparently she wrote a novel when she was ten that got her recognized and launched her literary career. Then she released "So Lingers the Ocean" two years ago. It was a love story that was praised by critics. Even though she's young, she's written many bestsellers and won countless awards. However her shyness surprised me. I figured she'd be a hopeless romantic with all the love story's she's written.
"Stop, staring at me" she said timidly snapping me out of my thoughts. "Don't you know it's rude. Quit staring at me like I'm some disgusting animal!" She yelled.
"A-animal" I stammered "that's not what-"
"Oh I know exactly what you were thinking! You were saying to yourself that I'm an ugly hag!"
"You've got it wrong!" I argued.
"STOP LYING TO ME!" She screamed at me. Then, just like that she calmed down. "Whatever, I'm used to it" she said sadly.
With that she walked off. "Jeez" I thought. "Talk about self confidence issues." I shrugged it off and was about to go introduce myself to someone else when a blue haired girl walked up to me.
"Hi I'm Sayaka Maizono" she said to me smiling. I looked at her, mesmerized. The way she moved was so graceful and she had a really pleasant scent. On top of that she was beautiful. I could feel my heart start to beat faster as she spoke to me.
"I'm M-makoto" I stammered, trying to get ahold of myself.
The Ultimate Pop sensation. She had long blue hair and wore a white sailer uniform. She had on a blue skirt and a large pink bow tied to the front of her outfit. She's the lead singer in a famous pop group. I was surprised to see that someone as famous as her was going to be in my class. That isn't the only reason I was surprised though, but I'll talk more about that later. She was perfect, almost like a doll or something.
"I'm no doll" she said to me. "I'm a human being."
"What? You heard me?"
"Oh yeah, I'm psychic."
"Are you serious!"
"I'm just kidding" she giggled. "I just have really good intuition.
"That's crazy" I thought.
Her expression changed. She looked like she was trying to remember something. After a couple of seconds her eyes lit up as if she'd just realized something important. She turned to me.
"Hey Makoto" she said. "Did you..."
"Jeez, you two" Taka cut in. "How long do you plan to continue this conversation? We're just introducing ourselves. Quit wasting everyone's time with this stupid back and forth!"
Sayaka looked hurt. "Sorry" she said. "We can continue later Makoto." And with that she walked off.
I was pretty mad at Taka. Sayaka looked like she had something to say. But even so I decided to continue my introductions.
The next person I introduced myself to was an orange haired guy.
"What's up? The name's Leon Kuwata."
He held out his hand, and I shook it.
"Makoto Naegi" I said introducing myself.
The Ultimate Baseball Star. I recognized the name from the online threads. He played for the national high school champs. He was even their star player. But honestly he didn't really look like an athlete. He wore a white button down shirt with a T-shirt under it. He also had a chain around his neck. He had long, spiky, orange hair and a goatee. He even had earrings on his right ear. He looked more like some punk teenager going to a concert than a baseball player.
I couldn't help but say "You're the Ultimate Baseball Player? Seriously?"
"What do you mean?" He asked me.
"Sorry, I was just surprised. I figured you would be more..."
"What did you expect a shaved head and nice clothes. Give me a break."
"Kind of, that's how you looked in the picture online."
"Dude I hate that picture! Seriously, I'm super embarrassed right now. You had to shave your head for that tournament. It was a regulation, I had no choice. I'm never cutting my hair again though and I'm sure as hell not gonna dye it back to normal."
He paused for a second. He looked away and asked "Can I be honest with your for a second?"
"Sure" I replied.
"I hate baseball! I've never even gone to a practice before. And now that I'm here I'm done with that stupid sport! I have a different dream!"
"Different dream?" I asked surprised.
"I want to be a rock star! All I need is someone to write my songs and a guitarist and I'm all set. I'm ready to chase my dream baby!"
I walked away a little confused. "He never practiced?" I thought to myself. "He must be some prodigy. And to throw away that natural talent, he must be insane. But I guess he is pursuing his dreams. Whatever." I gave up on figuring out Leon and went to go introduce myself to someone else.
I walked up to the obese guy with glasses. "Hello, I'm Makoto, nice to meet you" I said in greeting.
"I am Hifumi Yamada. I don't mind if you call me by my nickname though, it's The Alpha and the Omega."
The Ultimate Fanfic Creator. He was pretty fat. He wore a gray jacket over a white button down shirt and orange tie. He had short dark hair and round glasses. He also wore an orange backpack.
"Mr. Naegi, can I interest you in the world of 2D?"
"Huh?" I asked.
"That is my domain, and there they call me the Ultimate Fanfic Creator. You do know that I once sold 10,000 copies of one of my comics at a school festival right? Some critics say I tainted the event but how stupid can you be? Their words do not hurt me for I am like Van Gogh, unappreciated by my time. If you saw my work Mr. Naegi you would surely see how truly great it is."
I didn't really want to comprehend his work. But 10,000 copies was pretty impressive.
After leaving Hifumi I was greeted by an extremely outgoing girl.
"Heya!" She said to me. "I'm Aoi Asahina! But my friends just call me Hina. 'Sup?"
The Ultimate Swimming Pro. Ever since elementary school she's been breaking all sorts of records. She was recently chosen as an Olympic cadet. She's also popular online because of her appearance and ability. She wore a white tank top under a red track jacket. She also wore short jean shorts. Her hair was brown and tied in a bun.
She looked lost in thought for a second. "Sorry, what was your name again?"
"Oh yeah, it's Makoto Naegi."
She looked at me and smiled. "Right, that's what it was. It was on the tip of my tongue. Makoto Naegi... Makoto Naegi... Makoto Naegi..." She moved her finger across her palm as she said the words.
"What are you doing?"
"If you want to remember someone's name you've got to write it on your palm three times."
"Seriously."
"Anyway it was good to meet ya!" she said walking away.
"She's practically bursting with energy." I thought to myself. "Still, she was really nice."
I then walked up and introduced myself to a girl with short blond hair.
"Hey!" I said. "My name is Makoto Naegi. What's yours?"
"Nice to meet you." She said shyly. "I'm Chihiro Fujisaki."
The Ultimate Programmer. She was a short girl who wore a green sailer uniform and brown skirt. She also had short blond hair and brown eyes. She seemed incredibly shy as well.
An awkward silence fell on us for a few seconds. She looked away from me and blushed slightly. Finally she began to speak.
"Sorry, I get kind of embarrassed when I meet new people." She smiled and looked back at me. "I hope we can be friends though."
I smiled too. "Same here" I said.
Then she jumped suddenly as if she had just realized something.
"Have we met before?" She asked.
I was surprised. "No, I don't think so. I mean we just introduced ourselves."
"Oh, you're right, sorry." She looked away again and seemed sad. I could even see tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
I tried to comfort her. "It's okay really. You don't have to apologize."
She seemed to perk up again. "Yeah" she said.
Chihiro is known for the programs she's written. She's also extremely shy and timid, giving her a cuteness factor that has attracted many fans.
"Really I am sorry" she said looking sad again. "You look kind of upset, do you not like me?"
This took me by surprise. "No that's not it. I was just lost in thought. I do like you."
She perked up again. "Really? I'm glad."
After reassuring Chihiro I went off to talk to someone else.
I walked over to a white haired girl. "Hey, I'm Makoto" I said greeting her.
She stayed silent.
"Um... So what's your name?" I asked.
"Kyoko Kirigiri" she said bluntly.
She had long white hair that she let freely flow down her back except for one part next to her left ear that she had braided. She wore a white button down shirt and orange tie under a black jacket. She also wore black gloves and a black skirt. That's when I noticed something weird. I hadn't seen her name on the Hope's Peak Academy thread. Maybe she's another normal student like me? I thought to myself.
"So what's your Ultimate talent?" I asked.
She seemed to think for a second.
"Why should I tell you?" She said coldly.
"What?" I was shocked by her harsh answer. "I mean I guess you don't have to tell me."
"No I don't have to tell you. So I won't."
"Jeez" I thought. "She's pretty cold."
I moved on hoping that the next person I met would be a little more open.
Next I walked up to a tough looking guy. "Hey" I said to him. "My name's Makoto Naegi."
He turned to look at me and I felt my blood freeze. The way he eyed me made me feel like an ant that he was deciding whether to squish or not.
"Name's Mondo Owada" he growled. "Nice to fuckin' meetcha."
The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. He was one scary guy. He was extremely muscular and wore a dark green biker jacket over a white tank top. He left the jacket open to expose his chest muscles and the tank top. He also had short brown hair and seemed to wear some kind of eyeliner. I read online that he's the current leader of the largest biker gang in Japan. He's respected by every gang in the country.
"Um... It's nice to meet you too." I said cautiously. I knew that one wrong word could land me in the hospital.
"Hell yeah" he said.
I decided to leave it at that and go meet someone else.
I then walked up to an extremely muscular girl. Before I could speak she said "I am Sakura Ogami."
The Ultimate Martial Artist. I almost asked her if she was a guy. She sure looked like one. She was extremely muscular, like one of those male body builders who takes lots of steroids. She had long white hair and wore a white sailer uniform that was torn at the sleeves because of her unnatural muscle size. She also wore a black skirt. Even though she was a girl, she competed in a huge martial arts tournament and won. She's never lost a single match. Some people on the thread warned me to stay away from her.
"I'm Makoto Naegi."
A few seconds passed without a word from her, then...
"Hey" she said.
"Yes?" I asked, snapping to attention without realizing it. She began poking my body. Then she frowned.
"Muscular quality and quantity are that of a normal high school student. You are not fit to be my training partner."
I was pretty happy about that. She turned away, indicating that our conversation was over.
After Sakura I saw an official looking guy with glasses. I went over to him.
"Hi, I'm Makoto" I said to him.
He looked at me, and when he did, it felt like he wasn't just looking at me, he was looking down on me.
"My name is Byakuya Togami" he said sounding extremely uninterested.
"It's nice to meet you" I said to him.
He remained silent.
The Ultimate Affluent Progeny. He really is special. He's the heir to his family's massive financial conglomerate. He already manages businesses. He is the embodiment of exceptional.
"How much longer do you plan to stand there" he said coldly. "Go away."
He didn't need to tell me twice. I left without another word.
I was looking to see who else was left when I heard a voice behind me.
"'Sup man."
I turned around to see a guy with an afro smiling at me. He extended his hand.
"I'm Yasuhiro Hagakure - Hiro for short!" he said to me.
I shook his hand. "I'm Makoto Naegi."
The Ultimate Clairvoyant. Also known as "Supernova" by the psychic community. I didn't understand anything about fortune telling so his ability was beyond me. I wondered though, if there could possibly be any truth to it. He wore an orange polo underneath an unbuttoned, white, button down shirt. He wore a jacket over his two shirts that he just draped over his shoulders, not bothering to put his arms through the sleeves. He also wore baggy green pants, flip flops, and had a huge afro.
I noticed that Hiro seemed to be thinking. Finally, with a disappointed look, he said "Okay, I give up."
"Huh" I said. "What are you talking about."
"I saw it. I looked right at it... I totally saw it!"
"Saw what?" I asked puzzled.
"A guardian angel with a crazy perm chasing after Bigfoot with a skyfish in it's mouth. And it just so happened to be your guardian angel." He looked completely serious as he said all this. Then he started laughing. "I'm just messing with you man" he said. "Seriously though, we should grab some beers sometime and talk about Atlantis and it's society."
"We can't drink!" I yelled, ignoring the Atlantis part. "We're still in High School!"
"Oh sorry" he said. "I'm 21 actually. I may have been held back a few times" he said sheepishly.
"He's really been held back that much?" I thought to myself as I went to introduce myself to another girl.
I walked up to her. "Hey, I'm Makoto Naegi" I said in greeting.
"I am Celestia Ludenberg" she said while smiling at me. But it wasn't a friendly smile. It was more like she was faking it in an attempt to gain my trust so that later she could stab me in the back when it suited her fancy. At least that's how I perceived it.
"Celestia Ludenberg?" I questioned.
"That is my name" she said. "But I would prefer you call me Celeste."
I was a little confused. "Just to clarify, you are Japanese right?"
She looked a little annoyed. "Of course I am. Why do you ask?"
"Then could you tell me your real name?"
She giggled. "What are you talking about? Celestia Ludenberg is my real name."
The Ultimate Gambler. She's never lost a bet in her life. Apparently everything about her is wrapped in a veil of lies, other than her love of gothic lolita clothes. She was nicknamed "Queen of Liars" after she won an underground gambling tournament. She simply laughed as she took the life savings of every other participant. She had pale white skin and wore an all black dress with white lace as well as a red tie. Her hair was jet black. She wore it in two pig tails. Each pig tail was curled into a spiral that ran down each side of her body. They almost looked like springs.
"I look forward to getting to know you better" she said with a smile. I wasn't fooled though. I could hear the malevolence in her voice. "Heh-heh-heh..." she giggled. I decided to be careful around her.
After excusing myself I went to see if there was anyone else to introduce myself to. I almost thought I was finished, until I spotted a dark haired girl standing in the corner. She looked as if she was trying not to be noticed. Even though we were supposed to be doing introductions, it didn't seem like anyone had gone over to talk to her. It was probably because of the unpleasant aura she gave off. People like Byakuya and Mondo weren't exactly fun to talk to, but even they were at least approachable. This girl was different. It seemed like she would rather kill you than talk to you. Even so, I found myself walking over to talk to her.
She looked over at me as I approached her. Then I saw her expression change. It was as if her unpleasant aura disappeared. Not only that but I saw her face brighten a little bit as I walked up. She seemed like she wanted to talk to me, but didn't want to show it.
"Hello, I'm Makoto Naegi" I said to her, smiling. "Nice to meet you."
She hesitated for a second, then said "I'm Mukuro Ikusaba."
Mukuro Ikusaba. I didn't recognize the name from the online thread. Just like that other girl, Kyoko. Maybe she's normal like me.
"If you don't mind me asking, what's your Ultimate talent?" I asked her.
"I'm the Ultimate Soldier" she said.
The Ultimate Soldier. I could only wonder what she did to earn that title. She was dressed simply. She had on a plain white button down shirt and black skirt. She also wore a red ribbon around her neck, like a tie, that ended in a bow on her chest. She had short, jet black hair and had a tattoo of what looked like a wolf on her right hand.
"Is that a wolf tattoo?" I asked pointing to her hand.
She thought for a second. "It's not important right now." She paused. "But maybe I can tell you some other time." I wasn't sure, but I could swear I saw her blush ever so slightly as she said that. Was she implying that she wanted me to talk to her again? What was this girl's deal. Why does she act so different around me? We just met.
As I was asking myself these questions, Taka walked up to us. "Are you to done yet!" he yelled. "Everyone else has finished their introductions. Please rejoin the group immediately!" As soon as Taka's first word was out, Mukuro's unpleasant aura returned. She gave him an angry look.
"You interrupted us" she growled. "We were having a conversation."
Taka straightened up. "S-sorry" he quivered. "J-just rejoin the group when you're ready." He immediately turned and walked away.
"Wow" I thought. "She can even scare a forceful guy like him."
I thought about saying something else, but she had already returned to her cold self. She seemed to no longer be the girl I had just talked to. Honestly, when she was in this "killing" mode, I was pretty scared of her. I decided to just rejoin the group. I told her that we'd talk later and walked away.
It seemed like everyone was done with introductions including me, but I still felt like someone was missing. I swear I remembered there being another Ultimate on that thread, but I figured I was just imagining it. This was everyone. Anyway, at that point I finally had a chance to look at my surroundings. There was a giant metal door where the exit should be. That's definitely weird I thought to myself. The door was round, like a safe, and had a control panel in the middle. It looked really sci-fi. There were also two guns mounted above it, one on either side. They each had a camera on them.
"What is with all this" I thought. "Why would they need something like this in a school."
Byakuya's voice cut through my thoughts. "Okay, looks like everyone is finished. Time to get down to business. We've got to address the real problem."
"Problem?" I asked.
"Um Makoto?" Sayaka said timidly. "You see, you aren't the only one who passed out earlier."
"Wait, you all too" I said.
Everyone nodded.
Leon spoke up. "Just after each of us walked into the main hall, we passed out just like you."
"And woke up here" Sayaka finished.
I was starting to get a little nervous. This was just too weird. "All of us getting knocked out... that's really strange, right?"
"And you all saw the metal plates over the windows? Those are definitely not normal" Taka pondered.
"All my stuff's gone too!" Hina pointed out. "Even my cellphone."
"There's also this huge metal door here." Mondo said pointing to the front of the hall.
"Yes, it's strange indeed" Taka agreed. "I didn't see anything like it earlier when I arrived."
"What the hell is going on here!" Mondo yelled.
"Maybe we got kidnapped?" Leon said bluntly, pointing out what we were all probably thinking.
"What the hell! Don't even joke about that!" Mondo yelled.
"S-sorry" Leon said cautiously.
"Cheer up guys!" Hiro cut in. "It's probably just part of our orientation."
"Oh that makes sense" Chihiro said sounding relieved. "They're probably just trying to scare us."
And with that, everyone seemed to calm down. But that calm would only last a short time. Right at that moment, we heard a school bell. Then the monitor in the main hall clicked on. At first all we could see was static. Then, slowly, we started to see a silhouette come into focus. I couldn't really make out what it was. Then a voice came over the intercom.
"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two. This is a test of the school broadcast system!" The voice sounded incredibly cheerful, even playful, like the person was talking to a bunch of little kids. Something about it just seemed to fill me with concern. "Can everyone hear me? Good! Okay then... To all new students, I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at... right now! Please head to the gymnasium as soon as possible. Thank you!"
I looked around. Everyone seemed to be looking nervous again.
"Please excuse me" Byakuya said as he left.
Everyone else started to follow him, heading to the gym. I however stayed in place. I just couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong.
"This... doesn't seem right." Sayaka said looking scared. It seemed she felt the same as me.
"Something about that announcement seemed off" said Kyoko looking puzzled. "However, I am curious to find out what is going on here."
We didn't have a choice. We had to keep moving forward. And with that I put aside my uneasiness and began walking towards the gym.
Between the school as the gym, there was a short, indoor hallway. As you walked in, you could see a trophy case on your left. There were a ton of trophies and plaques in it which didn't surprise me. All the students were Ultimates after all.
Next to me, Sayaka spoke up. "Um... guys" she said. "Why isn't there anyone here but us? I didn't see a single person when we were walking through the halls."
"I'm sure it's fine" Taka said trying to reassure her. He was probably trying to reassure himself as well. "This is all just a game. I'm sure they'll take down those metal plates too."
"Whatever, I'm not scared. I'm going to face whoever put us here head on!" Mondo yelled. With that he ran into the gym.
"Mondo wait!" Taka yelled after him. "No running!" He followed Mondo into the gym. The rest of us followed them in.
As I entered the gym, I noticed that it was set up for an entrance ceremony. There were chairs set up for all of us, facing the stage. The stage had a podium set up on it with a large picture of the school crest behind it.
"See guys" Hiro said. "It's just a normal entrance ceremony. Nothing to be nervous about."
And then I heard that voice again. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but it's cheerful tone filled me with dread. "Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Great! Then let's get started!"
I looked towards the stage, and a black and white teddy bear jumped onto the podium from out of nowhere. His right half was white and looked like a normal toy bear. But, the left half was black and looked almost menacing. It had a red eye and the left side of his smile was frozen in a permanent sneer. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was moving on its own. Everyone stared in complete shock for a few seconds. Finally Chihiro spoke up.
"Is that a teddy bear?" She asked.
Then it began to speak. "I'm not a teddy bear. I am Monokuma! I'm the headmaster of this school!" I recognized the playful voice from earlier.
"What the hell?" was all I could think. What I saw was simply incomprehensible. And that anxiety I felt turned to fear as I looked at it.
"It's good to meet you all!" Monokuma said cheerfully.
"Whaaaaaah! The teddy bear can talk!" Hifumi cried out in utter shock.
Monokuma looked angry. "I told you I'm not a teddy bear. I'm Monokuma, your headmaster!" it yelled.
Hifumi cried out again.
"Calm down man! It's probably just a remote controlled toy or something. There's also probably a speaker in it or something!" Mondo said trying to calm Hifumi down.
"I'm no toy!" Monokuma yelled. "My system is so complex, NASA probably can't even comprehend it! But enough of this. It's time to move on to the main event!"
His expression seemed to get more serious. "Good morning everyone! Let us begin our entrance ceremony. First I'll tell you about your school life here. Remember everyone, you represent the hope of the world. And to protect that hope..." He paused for a second. Then with a menacing smile, he sprung the horrible truth on us. "...You will live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school!"
"What?" I thought.
"And by the way" Monokuma added. "This communal life is permanent. You will live out the rest of your lives here at this school" he said, still smiling as if there was some joke that we didn't get.
"The rest of our lives..." Toko said in shock.
"Oh but don't worry!" Monokuma said. "We have plenty of money so we'll take care of all your needs!"
"That's not the problem!" Sayaka said to him.
"Yeah!" Hina cut in. "You're telling us we have to live out our lives here! I don't believe you!"
Monokuma seemed to get angry. "I'm not a liar! You can be sure of that!" And then just to add insult to injury he added "Oh and by the way, you're cut off from the outside world. Isn't it great! You don't ever have to worry about that filthy land again!"
"Cut off..." I said. "So those metal plates are to keep us trapped here!"
"Exactly" Monokuma said with a smirk. "There's no one to hear you scream. Help will not come no matter how much you yell!
"What the hell is this?" Leon asked nervously. It looked like all of this was really getting to him. He was sweating profusely. "Is this some kind of practical joke? If so, it's really not cool!"
"Cut the crap!" Mondo yelled. "No one's laughing!"
Monokuma's anger returned. "I told you before I'M NOT LYING!" He calmed down a bit. "I guess it doesn't matter though, you'll have plenty of time to find out for yourself. You'll eventually realize that I'm telling the truth."
"Having to live here forever would be... a problem" Celeste said keeping her calm demeanor.
Monokuma looked confused. "What's with you guys? You chose with your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy right? And now you already want to leave?" His expression changed again. This time he seemed to be trying to hide his smile, like a kid right before they play a prank on their parents. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention. There is one way for you to leave this school."
Hearing that, a little hope returned to me. There was a way out! I could leave! But at the same time, I couldn't help but think that there was no way Monokuma would let us go that easily.
"Tell us then you bastard!" Leon yelled impatiently.
Monokuma continued. "I've made a special rule for those who wish to leave." He seemed proud of himself. "I call it graduation! Let me explain. In order to maintain harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. But if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they alone would be allowed to leave. And that students is graduation!" He finished triumphantly.
"What do you mean 'disrupt the harmony'?" Byakuya said angrily.
Monokuma gave an innocent smile. "Puhuhu... you know... If someone were to murder another student."
It took a couple of seconds for this to sink in. "M-murder?" I asked, my hope dashed by his words.
"Yes indeed!" Monokuma said happily. "Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter. It's simple. You have to kill someone if you want to leave." He gave us a smug smile. "I expect you to give it your all to achieve the worst possible outcome."
I felt a chill run down my spine. We had to kill each other? That was just too messed up.
Monokuma laughed again. "Puhuhu, I bet that got you all excited! Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But taking that hope and seeing it get murdered creates a shadow of despair." He laughed cruelly. "I just find that so damn exciting!"
Leon was the first to speak up. "What the hell. Killing each other it's..." He trailed off.
Hina looked angry. "Why?" she yelled.
"Why?" Monokuma asked puzzled.
"Why would you make us kill each other! Just let us go home already!"
Monokuma's anger returned with full force. "You guys just don't get it!" he yelled. "This school is your home now so go ahead, kill to your heart's content. Go on a kill-kill-killing spree!"
And then Hiro started laughing. He shocked all of us. How could someone laugh in the face of such horror!
"How long to you plan to keep this up?" he said.
"Huh?" Monokuma asked.
"This little act!" He continued to smile. "It's entertaining but seriously, we can see right through it."
"Shut up and get outta my way!" Mondo yelled at Hiro, shoving him aside.
"Listen asshole!" he yelled at Monokuma. "You've taken this too far! What kind of screwed up joke is this?!"
"Joke" Monokuma said innocently. "Like your hair?"
Mondo turned red with anger. "FUCK YOU!" He yelled as he ran towards Monokuma at full speed. He grabbed the stuffed bear and lifted him into the air.
"Gotcha you little bastard!" He screamed at Monokuma. "I'm gonna rip you to fucking shreds!"
Monokuma screamed. "Violence against the headmaster is a violation of school regulations!"
"Shut the hell up! Let me out of here or I swear to God..."
And that's when I heard it. A beeping sound began emanating from Monokuma's body.
"Stop beeping and say something!" Mondo yelled enraged.
I heard a voice call out from beside me. "Look out!" it yelled. It was Kyoko, she had appeared next to me and was yelling at Mondo. "Get rid of it!"
"What?" Mondo said confused.
"Throw it!" she screamed.
I don't know if her fierceness shocked him but Mondo listened to her. He threw the bear across the room. And as it was sailing through the air it exploded.
"What the hell!" Mondo yelled. "It just blew the hell up!"
It was so surreal. I had seen explosions in movies and stuff but when it was real life...
Chihiro spoke up. "Is the teddy bear gone? I mean it was destroyed right?"
And then that voice, that damned voice that I never wanted to hear again was back. "I'm no teddy bear! I'm Monokuma!"
Just like that he was back, good as new. However it seemed to be a different one. I guessed that whoever was controlling him must have had many bears hidden away somewhere.
"You son of a bitch! You tried to kill me!" Mondo said in fear.
"You violated a school regulation. I had to punish you!" Monokuma said.
"I'll let it slide this time, but it had better not happen again! Remember the surveillance cameras? With them I can see everything you do so don't think I won't notice if you try breaking another rule! Next time I won't be so merciful!"
Hina looked terrified. "You can't just kill us for breaking the rules!"
Monokuma ignored her and continued. "Moving on to the last thing on our agenda..." He seemed to think for a second. "Ah yes! I've prepared a special gift for you all!" He pulled out a piece of metal about the size and shape of a smartphone. The front was a screen that took up all of the space on that side. It was blue and in the middle, it displayed the school crest. "We call this an e-Handbook. It's fully digital." He handed one out to everyone. "This handbook is very important so don't lose it." he said to us. "It will display your name when you start it up. Remember to make sure you always have the right one! It also has many more uses than an ordinary handbook. It's even waterproof and can withstand up to ten tons of force! It has the school regulations as well so make sure to read it carefully."
He paused for a second. "And with that everyone, the entrance ceremony is complete. Enjoy your dreary school life! See ya!"
And with that, he was gone, leaving us in shock.
Taka spoke up. "What do you all make of this?"
"We have to live here forever or k-kill?" Toko asked. "I can't deal with this!"
"Calm down!" Kyoko said to her. Toko stopped panicking and looked at her. "Everyone, I think we should summarize everything we just heard." She paused, looking deep in thought. "We essentially have two choices." she finally said. "We can either stay here and live a communal life, or..."
"We can kill someone and escape" Celeste said calmly.
"But... Killing someone is..." Chihiro said on the verge of tears.
"This can't be real!" Taka said nervously.
"It doesn't matter if it's real or not" Byakuya said. "What we should worry about is if there is anyone here who is seriously considering this."
And with that, everyone fell silent. I looked around at the faces of my fellow students. They were all staring at each other, trying to gauge each other's thoughts. I could feel the hostility. And that's when I realized the awful truth. "You must kill someone if you want to leave." Those words had placed vicious thoughts inside our heads. Everyone became suspicious of everyone else, wondering "Is someone going to betray me."
And that's how it all began. We had come to this school, which was supposed to be a school of hope. But no, it was now something different entirely. A school of despair. In less than an hour, my life had changed drastically. I went from a normal high school student, to a participant in this screwed up game. I didn't know who to trust. I didn't know what to do. And on top of all of it, I was scared as hell.
The killing school life had begun.
Author's Notes: So here's the first chapter of my fanfiction. I know, I didn't really change much from the prologue of the game. That's because I didn't just want to say "insert Danganronpa prologue here" or something like that. But fear not, I have big plans for this story. I've pretty much decided to change every murder in the game, keeping the characters alive that I liked and just generally taking the story in a different direction. This is basically how I would have written the original story if I had created it. Also, I'm going to write this story in a way that you don't have to know anything about the game to enjoy it. So even if you haven't played the game, you can still read my fanfic. Anyway I'll have the next chapter posted soon so look out for that. Before I go, I'll leave you with a question. Why is Mukuro not disguised in this version of the story? Keep that in mind, it'll become important later on. Take it easy guys.
-DCpegasus