Himiko Yumeno was extraordinarily ordinary.
In a family of seven sisters, Himiko had nothing to offer that wasn't already offered. The eldest Yumeno was beautiful and graceful, an icon of fashion and elegance that was unmatched by many. The Yumeno following her was a skilled writer, her abilities to pen poetry and stories moving her readers in directions that were unfounded before in literature. The third Yumeno had moves that were peerless on the dancefloor, every rival who challenged her pummeled by her masterful footing. The middle Yumeno's green thumb was unparalleled; she was able to nurture any plant one could touch, every one thriving in her care. The fifth Yumeno's eye for art was profound, every piece of artwork she devised captivating the eyes of millions. The sixth Yumeno could tailor any piece of clothing, any toy, and any trinket that could be made with a single needle and thread.
And then there was Himiko Yumeno.
Himiko's appearance was nothing striking besides the fact that she looked like she was five years old at any given moment. She could craft wonderful ideas and stories, but she didn't have the drive to sit down and write past a single sentence. Watching her dance was like watching a poor fool with dry noodles for arms attempt to move. She couldn't keep a venus flytrap alive even if she threw ten flies in its container. She didn't think blazing hot pink with scorching neon yellow was that bad of a combination. She tried to sew a shirt for herself at one point, but it ended up with four arm holes and no neck hole.
Himiko Yumeno truly didn't have anything going for her...at least not in the wake of her sisters. But, she didn't mind. She didn't mind being the extraordinarily ordinary youngest sister with no talent. She didn't mind not sticking out in the family, being something not worth talking about in excruciating detail. She didn't care, to be quite honest. All it meant - being so dull - was that she had more time to herself. That time she spent to herself while her sisters were being phenomenal in their every right was used in the wisest way Himiko could imagine:
Being a tactical, powerful elemental mage in tabletop Castles and Cults campaigns.
"Facing the orc camp head-on would be a dumb move," she told her party through her microphone as they gazed over the camp lit by torches, hidden by the shadows of night. "If we lure them out one at a time with basic conjurations, we can attack them from the shadows and pick them out like flies." She sucked the insides out of her cherry tomato as her party members mumbled in agreement. She's never met these people face-to-face before, yet they were all like her big, dysfunctional family. On Tuesdays, at least.
She was their guild master, their tactician, their guardian, and even sometimes their final boss. But, in every single campaign she was in, she was a mage; a quirky, intelligent mage that could guide her campaign through every trial and tribulation. Her character - her magesona, as she likes to call it - was famous amongst those who played the tabletop game. Her roleplaying was always spot-on, never wavering or giving into her normal, everyday speech. Her strategies never failed, and her parties knew that they were safe in her hands. Recently, her magesona was recognized as Magician of the Year by the world magic lovers' society known as the Magician's Castle, an organization that recognized the most acclaimed Castles and Cults mages throughout Japan (though, Himiko hated the term "magician", as it never encapsulated the level of talent she possessed as a mage). Tuesday night was game night, and game night was when Himiko truly shined.
Every other night, though, she was simply Himiko Yumeno: High School Student. She had a few friends, though no one was really close enough to hang out with outside of class nor visit their homes. It's not a shocker that Himiko wasn't the most popular or the most pretty, though - she was a little speck floating through the threads of school life. She didn't stick out, and she never made any attempt to do so. Just like with her family, Himiko didn't mind that she wasn't much than a shadow in the corner to her classmates. All it meant was she had more time to herself. She could do more things that she wanted, like play RPGs or read fantasy novels. She didn't feel significant or special in the slightest because she did these things, either. She was simply extraordinarily ordinary.
There was only one person that wanted Himiko to stick out, and that was her mother. Her mother would sometimes walk in on her daughter's campaigns and invite her to watch the newest episode of Danganronpa, which conveniently aired at the same time Himiko's adventures started. She would ask Himiko if she wanted to go out to town with her and her older sisters and try on pretty clothes and eat at nice restaurants. She would encourage Himiko to speak out during dinner or at family reunions. No one else seemed to mind that Himiko stayed in the shadows, spending her time honing her powers; so, why did her mother care so much? It was only then, where her mother urged her to be something else, when her heart felt heavy. It was then when she wondered if being extraordinarily ordinary was, indeed, a bad thing. So, to fight off these terrible demons who deemed to possess her magical heart:
"No, I don't like Danganronpa."
"No, I'd rather stay home."
"No, I don't have anything to say."
"No" was the magical word to fight against the demons who threatened to decimate everything she's built up as a mage. It's what kept her extraordinarily ordinary.
"Himiko!" the eldest Yumeno sister called out to the youngest as Himiko slipped out of the kitchen with a small carton of cherry tomatoes. "The season premiere of Danganronpa is starting! Come on!"
"I'll pass," Himiko responded, plucking a tomato out of the carton and sucking the insides out.
"Aw, come on, Himiko!" another Yumeno sister said. "You can finally get into it!"
"Don't even bother," a third Yumeno sister said, nudging the other. "Himiko doesn't like Danganronpa."
"Look, look! It's Rantarou Amami!"
"They brought him back?!"
"That's so cool! Maybe he'll survive again!"
"No way! They let him live once already; he's probably gonna be a victim this time around."
"Yeah, seriously, sis! They'll probably pull a motive that'll get him killed."
"Oh look, oh look! They're showing reels from the previous season!"
All Himiko could see flashing on the screen were flashes of bright red, blood splattering onto the screen as children pummeled, stabbed, crushed, punctured, skewered, pierced, murdered other children. The executions played side by side, each one uniquely grotesque in their own aspects. At each scene, each Yumeno had her own comment to give.
"She totally deserved to die. A total bitch!"
"Oh no! Don't remind me about his death! I still cry about it!"
"I miss him sooo much! He was so dreamy!"
"I still can't believe she was the mastermind!"
"God, that case reminded me so much of season 46 when..."
"Look, there's Amami! Look at how terrified he is!"
All six Yumenos laughed at Rantarou Amami's horrified face as he left the arena. As their parents tried to shush them so they wouldn't miss the new contestant's introductions, Himiko took this opportunity to slip out of the room and back into her profession.
The entire school was in a buzz, and there were two reasons for that. Rantarou Amami won yet another season of Danganronpa, making him the lone survivor of both season 50 and 51, an unprecedented even in Danganronpa history. But, people seemed less excited at the prospect of a two-crown wielding champion who managed to live than they were at the fact that the end of one season meant the beginning of auditions for the next. Fliers were already strewn about every inch of the city, and Himiko's school was no exception. Her classmates ripped the fliers off the walls and chattered mindlessly to each other about them. Every single person who held one talked about how much they wanted to audition...or that they were going to.
"I've already got my killing all planned out!"
"I kinda hope I get murdered. The victims are always the most sympathetic."
"Not always, you doofus!"
"I just hope I don't get something stupid, like self-defense."
"Same. Talk about a let-down!"
Himiko eavesdropped on some of these conversations (mostly since teenagers didn't know what an inside voice was), but she didn't take part. She just sat against the wall, playing on her 3BS, occasionally eyeing different groups who chatted eagerly about the killing games and how great they would be and how famous it would make them and how extravagant their murders will be. It was odd to Himiko: most of the time, people seemed to stray away from the idea of death, but if it meant that death made you something that stands out and loved, people took it in with open arms.
That didn't mean Himiko wanted to die, though. In her campaigns, there would be several instances where her death would lead her to all-time fame, her legacy lasting throughout generations within her fictional world. That was just how amazing of a mage she was, you see. She could do anything and die, and she would be remembered forever. It was similar to these people who fantasized their own deaths within a killing game: they could do anything and die, and they would be remembered forever, as they thought. The difference was that they wouldn't; they were one of many who would die, just as there was one of many previous to them who died, and as there would be one of many after them who would die.
Himiko was not like these people. If she died, she would be an icon, and she would be remembered forever...within her campaign. That's why she didn't flaunt the prospect of her death; it was something special, something that needed time...within her campaign.
...Someone as extraordinarily ordinary as her could be remembered forever, right?
Each Yumeno sister swiped their coats from the coat rack except for Himiko, who sat firmly on the couch with her 3BS in hand. Their mother had her own coat on; she dug through her purse for her keys while the six sisters got ready to leave. Once all the coats were taken and worn, the only coat left hanging was a tiny one fit for a small child with various trinkets sticking out of the pockets.
"Are you sure you don't wanna come, Himiko?" the eldest Yumeno sister pouted.
"I'll pass," Himiko replied, vanquishing the final boss with one last fire spell.
"Of course Himiko doesn't wanna come, sis!" the middle Yumeno sister said. "She'd never want to audition for Danganronpa."
"What a shame, really. We'd have more power on our side to get our family famous!"
"Four of the six of us are already auditioning, sis. We have more than enough fire power!"
"Even though only two of us are high school students."
"Eh, as long as you look the part, they don't care!"
While her sisters chatted excitedly at the prospects of auditioning and even possibly taking part in the most popular reality show on television, Himiko shut her game device and leaned back into the couch. She already finished this particular game twice, so she didn't feel much now after finishing it a third time. It was Saturday, so she didn't have her campaign to retreat to tonight. She already returned her books to the library on Thursday; when she searched for new ones, however, nothing caught her eye, so she returned home empty-handed. All Himiko could do in that moment, then, was listen to her sisters' conversation. They seemed so excited, so happy to walk into an interview that could kill them.
Himiko, the super powerful mage with so much to live for, didn't feel very happy herself in that moment.
"Are you sure you don't want to come, Himiko?" her mother asked, rubbing her back as Himiko curled around one of the couch's pillows like a cat. "You don't even have to audition. You can sit with me and your eldest sisters while we wait for your other ones to finish."
Himiko weighed her options. She didn't care for Danganronpa, not by a long shot. The only time she ever showed a shred of interest in the show was when she played the original games - the ones that started it all. It was more out of curiousity than anything; she wanted to see what was so amazing about something that created a show that's now seeing its 52nd season. Nothing really stuck out to her about it, really: there were teenagers, teenagers who murdered, teenagers who died because they murdered, the revelation of the mastermind who was a teenager, and then the survivors - surprise! All teenagers - escaped. There was only one thing about both games that ever struck out to her…
The protagonists of both games were extraordinarily ordinary people. There was nothing special about either of them...yet, without them, the games would've never functioned, the stories would've never moved, and their idiot classmates might've gotten themselves killed come first trial. The fact that two ordinary, typical, dull, boring boys could be such important aspects of not only their respective stories but for the franchise as a whole - they being the reason Danganronpa is now seeing its 52nd season - was...unfathomable. How could such extraordinarily ordinary people make such a mark on history like that?
...Himiko thought that, but she believed herself to be that sort of mark.
"Okay," Himiko said, causing her mother to smile and her sisters to nearly die from shock. "I'll go."
The convention center was filled to the brim. Immediately upon entering the massive double doors, there were tables that blocked further entry, papers upon papers stacked upon them which people were required to fill out and sign before being allowed to proceed further. The lines to fill out applications stretched out the door, into and down the street, even reaching the next block. Himiko was so tired of standing that her sisters took turns letting her ride on their backs. People pushed and shoved, but all were in the same general cheerful mood - they were all jittering with excitement over auditioning for Danganronpa.
After a few hours of standing and waiting and chattering, the Yumeno family finally reached the application stations. Himiko, her mother, and her two eldest sisters stood by as the rest of her siblings nervously, anxiously, eagerly snatched an application and started filling out. Himiko glanced over her six-eldest sister's shoulder, eyeing the application for all it was worth. It was just the basics: Name. Age. Birthdate. High school of attendance (or, in two of her sister's cases, attended). Contact email. Do you have a Super High School Level title for yourself? How long have you been watching Danganronpa? Do you have a plan for murder? Do you have a preference for your own murder? Every question was either answered "yes" or "no"; all details would be discussed in the interviews.
Suddenly, something was shoved near Himiko's eye, and she turned her head to see that her eldest sister was handing her an application.
"Come on, Himiko," her sister said. "It wouldn't hurt to apply, right?"
"Himiko? Apply?" her second-eldest sister said. "I can think of a million other people that they'd pick over Himiko."
"Aw, don't be rude, sis!" her eldest sister scolded, but her eyes said otherwise. "As I said, it wouldn't hurt!"
Himiko languidly blinked a few times before pinching the corner of the application and taking it from her sister. She gazed down at it for a few moments, eyeing each individual word on it with great discretion, before finally grabbing a pen and sloppily filling out portions of the application.
How long have you been watching Danganronpa? "Not applicable."
Do you have a plan for murder? "No."
Do you have a preference for your own murder? "No."
There was only one option where Himiko wasn't completely vague.
Do you have a Super High School Level title for yourself?
"Yes."
"Himiko Yumeno."
Himiko sat in a dark room. She was sitting on a lone wooden chair in the middle of a spotlight. She was facing the wall where three silhouettes loomed over her. She couldn't distinguish any of the silhouettes from each other; they were all simply shadow people, lingering and waiting for Himiko to lower her guard. She kicked her feet nonchalantly.
"Yeah."
"You're a high school student, yes?" This was a different voice. It came from the right, Himiko figured, using a charm that heightened her ability to distinguish sounds.
"Yeah."
"You state in your application that you haven't watched a single episode of Danganronpa…" The voice on the left said. Himiko could hear someone tapping something. A pencil. "Why are you auditioning, then?"
Himiko shrugged. "I dunno."
"You don't know?"
"I dunno," Himiko repeated herself, sympathetic of the interviewer's hard of hearing. There was a silence, interrupted at points by shuffling papers.
"What would you like your Super High School Level talent to be?" the middle shadow asked.
Himiko pressed her finger against her chin and hummed. She stopped kicking and twirled her feet around the legs of the chair. "A mage," Himiko responded after a moment of humming to herself.
"A magician?"
"No," Himiko said, holding up her finger. "A mage. A mage is powerful and special."
"How is a mage different from a magician?" the right shadow asked. Himiko was used to people condescendingly challenging her on the difference between the mage and the magician - however, the curious tone of the shadow's voice told Himiko that they seemed interested and engrossed in what she had to say.
"A magician can't do what a mage does," Himiko explained. "A mage is always respected… And there's a reason for their magic. As such, there's a reason for them."
"Is that so?"
"Also, 'mage' is easier to say than 'magician'," Himiko continued. The three shadows chuckled, which simultaneously puzzled and insulted her.
"Would you say that's why you're here today?" The left shadow said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the way you talk about how mages have a reason for existing, and how you want to be one," the left one clarified. Himiko scratched her chin, heavily contemplating what the shadow was trying to say.
"...But I already am a mage."
"You are?"
"Yes. In a way…" Himiko trailed off, trying to find the right words to say. "I, a mage, have a reason in some ways. But… I guess not in the ways that are important."
"What would you say is important?"
Himiko traced her foot across the floor a few times. "...Important...is being something before you die, I guess."
The shadows didn't say a single word in response to that. More papers were shuffled as Himiko grasped onto the seat of the chair, quizzically eyeing the empty, gray room. Then, the three shadows nodded.
"That will be all, Ms. Yumeno," the middle shadow said. "You'll hear from us in two weeks."
"Okay," Himiko replied, hopping off the chair and skipping out of the room.
"The emails are here! The emails are here!" one of the Yumeno sisters shouted as the others gathered around the computer she was at. The Yumenos all gazed in awe as there were now five new emails in the family email account, all from Team Danganronpa. All the Yumeno sisters were shaking from excitement, all jabbering between each other…
...Except for Himiko, who was flipping through television channels in a bored stupor as she plopped cherry tomatoes into her mouth.
The sisters shouted for their parents to come into the living room. Once they arrived, the entire family - except for Himiko, who stayed firmly in her spot on the couch - hovered over the monitor, opening one email after another. They opened them in order of seniority…
...and the first four emails were duds.
"What?! I didn't get in?!"
"How could they not pick me! I spent months on my murder plan!"
"God, it's rigged! They probably have the contestants planned before auditions!"
"This isn't fair! I deserve to be on TV!"
Four of the Yumeno sisters were completely enraged, claiming this show they loved so dearly was a giant hoax in their angered states...just as they did the previous years they and their other sisters audition. But the real reaction had yet to come, for when one of the sisters clicked on Himiko's email…
"...Himiko got in?!"
"What?!"
Every single sister shouted in unison, and there was a long period of silence as each sister read and re-read the email before them. But, the more they read the email, the more it was proven that their eyes weren't being deceived - Himiko Yumeno, their younger sister, their extraordinarily ordinary sister, their boring sister…
...got into Danganronpa.
"This isn't fair! Himiko's, like, totally boring!"
"How did she get in, anyway?!"
Himiko flipped through a few more channels, even the channel that was playing her favorite fantasy movie on, before landing on a channel that was playing the 34th season of Danganronpa. The final episode, in fact, in which a completely boring looking brown-haired girl managed to get the last person standing in her way to freedom executed. Himiko left it at that channel.
"Did you hear that, Himiko?" her mom cooed, sitting down next to her youngest daughter and petting her hair. "You got into Danganronpa! I'm so proud of you."
"I guess it's not so bad," one of the sister's drawled. "I mean, now that she's on TV means we'll get famous!"
"Oh, yeah!" another sister shouted. "The interviews during and after the game always includes the family! We'll be famous because of Himiko!"
"Do you think Himiko will survive?"
"Psssh! No! Of course not!"
"I hope not! The families of victims are always overly-broadcasted - no one cares about the survivor's families!"
"How do you think Himiko will die?"
"Who cares! She'll probably be the first one to die, though."
"Oh, most definitely. She's so weak, someone will pick her out easily!"
"Then they'll turn the cameras to us and we'll get fame and fortune!"
The sisters' anger turned into absolute, undeniable glee. How would she die? Who would murder her? Would it be really bloody? The bloodier, the better! That's all that was coming out of their mouths: how much they'll benefit from their little sister's death.
Himiko tuned them out by this point, however - her entire attention was absorbed by the television as she watched the brown-haired girl's tears pour down her cheeks as the door blocking her from freedom slowly opened. As light peered in from the slowly edging door, it transcended the television screen and encompassed Himiko's entire being. She absorbed the light, taking in the mana that it provided her, and she could feel herself becoming more powerful. As her mother continued to pet her, she knew that she was going to become something greater, something more powerful than she ever could've imagined with her magesona in something as insignificant as Castles and Cults. She plucked one last cherry tomato from its container and sucked out the insides.
From this point forward, Himiko Yumeno was no longer extraordinarily ordinary.