My name is Oonishi Eiji. I am the son of Oonishi Mahiro and Miho. I want to say that I'm just a normal middle schooler, to be making my way to high school next year, but this isn't quite the case.
It all started when I was six years old. I was watching a television series, but though I shouldn't have cared as much as I did, I began to think the strangest questions. What was with the poor acting? Why were the camera angles so boring? Why was the pacing so slow? Why were the characters so bland and shallow? As questions like this filled my mind, I needed to have an outlet for them. I began to write. I thought that maybe if I could pour my thoughts out, maybe I could get a better grasp on what I was trying to say. But as I wrote, I began to wonder about the history of the medium in the first place, and so I researched.
Soon enough, I was watching TV shows many times older than I was. I wrote my thoughts, eventually starting a little blog where I shared my opinion of what I watched. Then I moved on to other mediums: books, movies, comics, animation. I didn't want to let language barriers stop me either, so I learned English, as many things were translated into English before anything else. Before I knew it, my blog was huge. People agreed with my analyses, and even picked up things I liked based on my review. It was odd, hearing about an older TV show I liked experiencing a revival of a fanbase through me. It was shocking, but it felt nice: after all, wasn't I just a fan too?
My friends at Torimari Boy's Middle School thought it was pretty amazing when they heard, even more so when they heard a number of my better reviews were going to be published in a book. I didn't really know what to say when I heard the offer, but it's selling well, so how can I complain? When talking with my friends about what high school they want to go to, they all think I'm good enough to get scouted for Hope's Peak Academy because of the book. Everyone always talks about wanting the go there anyway, the small chance of being randomly selected as the Super High School Level Luckster being endlessly tantalizing for the average youth, so I don't think they're that serious about me getting scouted. I'll be applying there anyway: with my decent grades and the money I've gotten from my book, I'll have no problem making the tuition fees to enter the Hope's Peak Preparatory School for normal kids like myself, helping to fund the next generation's Hope through my contributions. There's no way I'd be scouted though. Who wouldn't laugh at the idea of a Super High School Level Critic?
Leaning back in his chair, Oonishi took a breath, putting the pen he was using back into the breast pocket of his long sleeved, white dress shirt before taking off his black framed glasses and wiping them. Wanting a break, he moved away from his desk, getting up and stretching. Looking down, he realized he was still wearing his school uniform: the white shirt, long brown pants, and black belt. He only wore socks at the moment: his shoes had been taken off at the door, naturally. He'd taken his tie off as well. He'd have changed, but once he'd gotten home, he just wanted to write. He had an interview with the local paper coming up, so Oonishi wanted to get his thoughts in order. He was considering rereading some of his old reviews and see how his skills and taste evolved, also considering that he might be asked about some of his thoughts, be it on some of his more controversial reviews or the last thing he'd watched.
Looking around, he scanned his cluttered room. His desk, just enough room cleared to write, also had his computer and tower so he could write his blog entries and watch DVDs, a few of them scattered about. Next to his desk were a number of CD towers, two loaded with his backlog of things he still wanted to watch and review. There were also a number of bookshelves, packed with novels, manga, foreign comics, one of them also reserved for his backlog, cluttered and unorganized. Oonishi hadn't realized it until now, but he needed to do more cleaning. The attic already had a number of boxes dedicated to his collection, sorted by medium and genre, then by rewatchable or not worth a rewatch. Looking out his window, it was dark. Oonishi hadn't realized he'd stayed out so long before coming home. He saw his reflection in the dark glass: his face framed with medium length black hair, a pair of black framed glasses in front of his gray eyes. As he failed to see anything in the darkness outside, his stomach started to bother him; when was the last time he'd eaten, he wondered? He thought that maybe he'd be able to write a little easier with a full stomach.
Making a move towards the door, it opened suddenly. Oonishi saw his mother, her black hair reaching to her shoulders. She was wearing her normal evening attire, a long black skirt and short sleeved, dark green blouse, but her expression was anything but normal: worried, anxious. Eiji's first thought was on a certain TV series set to record tonight, but he could tell it was something worse than that. "W-what's wrong? Is it father?" Eiji asked. Unable to speak, his mother waved for him to follow before running off to the living room. Eiji went after her, running through the dark halls. Once in the living room, she pointed at the television screen.
Oonishi tried to take in what he was seeing but his senses twisted. He didn't understand what was happening, his mind was in a haze, and he felt a pressure on his whole body. He briefly wondered if this was what fainting felt like. Then, there was darkness.
The next thing he knew, Oonishi Eiji was sitting down, eyes closed, leaning against a hard wall. The first thing that jarred him to consciousness was an unfamiliar male voice, suggesting, "Maybe we should shake them awake! Someone's got to know something."
Oonishi's eyes fluttered as another, deeper male voice responded, "We should be careful! This is an emergency, shaking him could lead to dire consequences: for example, a concussion if he were to hit his head."
"How hard were you gonna shake him!?" the first voice responded, shocked.
He stirred as a female voice was heard, "I agree, however. Be calm. I am certain we can wait a few more minutes."
Oonishi felt that he was very stiff. How long had he been out? He could only wonder. Groaning, he looked up, vision cloudy. As he rubbed his eyes, feeling that his glasses were still on, he heard the female voice again, saying, "See? He is awake. That just leaves the two girls." Vision finally clearing, he looked up, taking in his location. It was a dim room, like a hallway, but one thing caught his eye: a light, in the form of a monitor, hanging above a set of double doors. It only displayed a symbol that the boy was unfamiliar with, resembling a coat of arms, complete with a crown on top, depicting a pen and something jagged crossed underneath, with wings or feathers on the side, 'High School' written underneath, colored only in black and white. Glancing around again, another light caught his eye, but the various colors were displayed on something that could hardly be called a door at all. It was large, round, and metal, like a massive seal. Taking a breath, he noticed that it was a bit stuffy in here too. In the corners, there were security cameras, a small number of them, one even a bit above where he sat against the wall; he might have hit his head on it had he stood suddenly.
Looking at the rest of the people in the room, it was a wonder that it was the monitor and emblem that caught his eye first. Many of them looked downright strange, be it their outfits or hair, some quite flamboyant, though a few of them more subdued. Oonishi was feeling quite plain and boring as he looked the others over. There was a small group near him, watching him, and there were two other groups surrounding what looked like two other prone figures, sleeping, most likely. A couple stragglers, shuffled about, minding their own business as well, looking around alone, or just waiting. Oonishi took in the appearances of the three looking at him. The boy who'd unintentionally woken him greeted, "Mornin'! Maybe. Could be evening, who knows?" Oonishi blinked as he looked over him: he wasn't just bald, he had no hair on his person whatsoever, even on the arm he'd outstretched to help Oonishi up. As Oonishi stood, grateful for the assistance, he saw the boy's white labcoat, sleeves rolled up; giving the implication of a scientist, but the tan shorts, crimson shirt, and sandals failed to give the same impression.
"Th-thank you," Oonishi said, brushing his slightly wrinkled clothes down. He noticed he was wearing shoes now, but he hadn't been when he last remembered, and that fact only served to confuse him more.
The taller, bald boy nodded, before holding his hand away from his person, a bit noticeably. Oonishi looked at him quizzically, before the boy in the labcoat winked one of his orange eyes and explained, "Oh, no offense meant. I just don't want to touch my nose or mouth or anything. I misplaced my antibacterial wipes."
Oonishi decided it best to leave him be for a moment, looking over at the other two. The other boy, about Oonishi's own slightly-above-average height, looked straight out of a national park from the set of some American movie. Oonishi would have wondered whether or not he was foreign if his Japanese weren't so good. He wore a dark green dress shirt and a tan, broad brimmed campaign hat. He also had brown pants and a tie. Under his hat, his hair was short and black, and his eyebrows bushy and square over their dark green eyes. He had something of stubble and sun tanned skin. Oonishi spotted the nametag with his last name, 'Shikishima'. Noticing he was being observed Shikishima nodded, "Good day. Well, perhaps not. It might be storming out there; we really have no clue, as Urushibara-san said. We woke up in much the same situation as you: all of us did. Or at least, those of those that are awake."
The owner of the female voice asked politely, "If I may ask, what was the last thing you recall before waking up? Excuse me for rushing, but we're all quite confused. Anything you know may help..." As he pondered, Oonishi couldn't help but notice that this girl looked like she had been going somewhere important. Aside from her short, light red hair which only barely touched her ears, she wore a kimono, colored gold decorated with a light purple flower pattern, the sash hidden by a hakama covering her lower torso, the color eerily reminding him of blood. He couldn't help but notice she was a little shorter than him as well.
Looking away from her light blue eyes and adjusting his glasses, he took a moment to think. Keeping it simple, Eiji replied, "I was working, and my mother wanted me to see something on TV. I looked and..."
"You don't remember either do you?" The scientist, Urushibara sighed, scratching his head. He looked at his hand before saying, "Oh crap. When was the last time you washed your hands, man? You weren't near anyone sick, were you? Doorknobs? Keyboards? Writing utensils!? Those keypads at stores for PIN numbers!?"
Shikishima interjected, "Calm yourself. We will have to find our bearings before we worry about such luxuries as cleanliness."
The scientist scoffed, "Luxury!? More like necessity. Catch the wrong bug and it's curtains!"
Interrupting, Oonishi asked, "Excuse me, but how did you know what I saw? Or what I didn't see, rather."
As the girl with pale red hair answered him, stating, "Yes, it was much the same for all of us. We were in a situation where we were about to learn something or see something in particular, and then awoke in this place. Where 'this place' is, we do not know, however." She seemed to be holding back a bit of distress: she was worried, but putting on a strong front. Oonishi couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be the only of the three with her head screwed on all the way, and he didn't even know her name yet.
Oonishi tried to go over everything in his head. What had they all been about to see? What was that emblem? Why them in the first place? Studying the emblem again, he took particular attention to the words 'High School'. Opening his mouth, he asked the three, "Hey, you guys are all Middle School students like me, right?"
They nodded, Shikishima adding, "Yet the emblem says 'High School'. I see what you're getting at, but high school is still a few months off for me." Oonishi nodded, and it seemed the other two were on the same train of thought. Understanding, Shikishima continued, "So, you're thinking this is some kind of entrance exam or ceremony? No, that couldn't be... Quickly, what high schools have you considered applying for? Fujitora doesn't have this stringent of a requirement; I'm sure, but what about Obushiba High?"
Thinking back to before he passed out, Oonishi wondered aloud, "No, it couldn't be...Hope's Peak Academy?"
The others looked at him, realization on their faces. Urushibara's shocked face turned to glee the quickest, "Hah! I knew I wasn't the only one to think about it! You've got a Super High School Level Talent too, right? I bet we all do." Turn aside, he gave a quick pump of his fist, his excitement clear.
Shikishima seemed skeptical, however, noting, "I believed high school enrollment was key, and even so, I've heard that there is no entrance exam for Hope's Peak."
Oonishi scratched his head, nodding, "Yeah, that's what I thought. I mean, the Preparatory portion has some, but nothing too difficult."
Getting excited, Urushibara glanced at Shikishima, saying, "Hmm, I bet I could guess your Talent..." Turning to Oonishi, he asked, "What about you?"
Oonishi's eyes widened, and he shook his head, "Er, I don't do anything worthwhile, but they do accept one random student though, right? The Super High School Level Luckster?" As the words left his mouth, he began to realize how unlikely it really was for him to be so lucky.
"Luckster?" The girl in the kimono repeated, curious.
Shikishima nodded, "Yes, I've heard of such a thing. Do you think that you are this lucky student?"
Interjecting, the hakama-clad girl said, "One moment please. Excuse my rudeness for interrupting, but even if this is related to Hope's Peak or some kind of entrance exam, the situation is still a little strange. No, more than a little strange, much more."
Oonishi certainly didn't disagree. Wanting to get a bit more information, he looked around, seeing a few more faces, before suddenly hearing a loud scream. Oonishi jumped, but his surprise was for nothing as he realized that the cry was one of glee, not horror. Turning their attention, Shikishima led the way, heading over to a group of four standing around a girl sitting up, likely having just awoken. Oonishi saw that she was wearing a school uniform: a white skirt, a white, long sleeved winter coat left open over a blue shirt, all the buttons black. Her hair was long, straight and brown, a bit of it sticking up on the middle of her head and arcing over, a green and teal flower shaped hair pin holding some of her hair away from her face. Her dark blue eyes were lit up like stars, hands caressing her face, smiling with a level of happiness no one else here could imagine on their face at this dire time.
"I can't believe it! You're all awesomely Talented students, right? And that's Hope's Peak Academy's emblem on the monitor! My wildest dreams have come true!" She fawned.
Another girl spoke up first, her skin well-tanned by the sun, wavy dark brown hair covering her ears as it reached her shoulders, her frame buxom despite her being shorter than average, dressed in a white tank top, yellow short shorts, and a light blue raincoat tied around her waist like a sash. Her angry expression was plain, and she scowled at the girl through her blue eyes, "Calm down already! Unless you have any idea what's going on, then tell us!"
The sitting girl titled her head, "What's going on?" Looking around, she asked, "Huh, where am I?" The girl with the raincoat massaged her forehead, groaning quietly.
Scratching his head, Oonishi turned and headed away as the others dealt with her. He wondered if she was just naturally dense or if the presence of some Super Students was just getting to her first. He wanted to ask if she recognized him, wondering if he really had been scouted or selected randomly. From what she said, it seemed like she'd been chosen randomly. Did that mean Oonishi was indeed Super High School Level? He pondered it for a few moments before noticing the other door again. Curious, he went over, looking at the metal portal. Most of the lights didn't seem to have much meaning, but there were some words lit up on a panel on the side. 'Lockdown: Active.' Oonishi couldn't help but seize up a bit, not liking the sound of that at all.
"I overheard you, you know." Oonishi stopped, looking around, seeing the owner of the voice addressing him. He was short, but he was thick, being a bit chubby. He wore a dark silver gakuran school uniform, and his golden hair was parted in the center, fanning out at the sides of his head like three jagged frills on each side. The boy's black, beady eyes were narrowed, his lips curled in a mocking smile as he continued, "But if the thought that you were 'Super High School Level' didn't come to you immediately, you may not be particularly Talented after all. Or are you? How do you deny Talent? Are you holding out?"
Oonishi let out a sigh, finally came to the conclusion of the matter he'd been thinking about moments ago, "You know, maybe it isn't worth worrying about. We should be focused on getting out of here, right? Has anyone tried to open the other door?"
Disgruntled at the subject change, the boy narrowed his eyes even closer, "So you are just nobody, good to know."
Oonishi sighed, "I'd rather you not make such quick judgments of people." The boy looked hard at him, before scratching his chin. With a nod of farewell, he went off, mumbling something or other.
Oonishi watched him go, before looking around a bit more. Over by the other door, he saw someone leaning against the wall next to it, arms crossed, wearing a black suit with white pinstripes, hands in black gloves, his eyes closed, a stern expression on his face. He was tall too, and decently broad, Oonishi could tell. His dark purple hair was tied back into a long ponytail, though a few loose strands hung over his forehead. Oonishi considered seeing what he was up too, before hearing a voice from the last group, "Oh, she's up now. I told you we should have just shaken her." Oonishi craned his head, trying to see what was going on, when he felt a light draft in the previously stuffy room. Looking at the metal door, it still remained quite shut. Looking over at the other one, it hadn't changed either. That was when Oonishi noticed the tall guy with dark purple hair had gone. He blinked his eyes in confusion, wondering if he'd imagined him.
Before he could say something, he heard a feminine voice from behind him, "You felt it too? That small gust?" Oonishi turned to see a girl with yellow eyes addressing him, a bit taller than he. She wore a navy blue cap over her blonde hair, which was packed into a small bun above her neck. She wore a black tank top under a white sweatjacket, navy blue shorts, and white sneakers.
Oonishi answered, "Yeah, like a draft."
The girl in the cap nodded, "I noticed it after the last girl woke up. Could you tell where it came from?"
Oonishi shook his head, "I wonder...that guy." Oonishi looked around, but the boy in the suit was nowhere to be seen. He counted fifteen students visible, and the missing one meant sixteen. Thinking logically, if he vanished so quickly, there was only one thing that could have happened. The others so distracted by their conversations with the girl gushing about the others or with the girl who just woke up...perhaps they hadn't noticed? Oonishi approached the door, noticing the girl in the cap and sweatjacket was following him. Not bothering to ask, he reached the double doors, looking up at Hope's Peak Academy's emblem on the monitor.
As Oonishi reached the door, he grabbed the handle. A few others noticed him, watching. To his surprise, the handle turned. Swinging the door open, the pressure change made a similar air movement to the one he felt moments ago, though not as strong. As he opened to door, everyone noticed, and soon began to push towards the exit, clamoring excitedly. Not wanting to get trampled, Oonishi quickly headed through, eyes barely needing to adjust in the fairly dim room.
As Oonishi took in the scene of the room with a grimace: it had an almost unpleasant air to it. In the middle of the room was a set of stairs, over top a floor of large, white tiles. A red set of double doors could be seen at the top, and two more staircases splitting from the landing in opposite directions. There were a couple doors on opposite sides of the room. The walls were black, however, painted to look like brick, and the ceiling was covered in the same white tiles. There were a few light fixtures, but they didn't light the whole room. Standing in the middle of the room, near the bottom of the stairs, looking around, was the same boy in the suit he'd seen before, already there. He was no doubt responsible for the first draft of air. The fact that he managed to sneak out with no one noticing immediately was a bit impressive, Oonishi felt: was he Talented too?
Some of the others were less impressed however. The tanned, buxom girl, who'd spoke out at the excited lass earlier, pointed at him with an outstretched finger, growling with even more anger than before, "Hey! Who the hell are you and what are we doing here?"
He didn't answer, looking at the others with a stony look. As they silently waited for an answer, he sighed, voice somewhat deep, "I was standing by the door, and I heard a 'click'. I found that it was unlocked, and left. Satisfied?" The girl looked away with a huff, arms crossed, apparently not realizing that he'd been there with them in the other room the whole time.
One of the others was not so happy with him, however. Much like the girl in the hakama from earlier, he was also dressed in more traditional style clothes, though he wore a black yukata and wooden geta sandals. His black hair was tied into a topknot. Oonishi cringed when he saw what might have been a burn scar on the side of his forehead, the spot of skin colored dark red. He spoke roughly,"If you heard the door unlock, you should have alerted us. Show some respect. That goes for you too, glasses."
Oonishi replied, "Eh? Me?" He was ignored by both the guy with the burn scar and the guy in the suit, whom glared at each other for a moment, before the purple haired boy turned away.
A few continued to look around the room. Some began to fan out, a few moving to the doors on opposite sides, but a voice echoed throughout the room, light and playful. Oonishi found it strangely chilling too. "Ahem, Aaaaahem! Mic check, miiiic check. Attention please, your attention please. Would the 80th Class Applicants please wait at the bottom of the stairs in the Entrance Hall?"
There was dead silence for a moment, before the excitable girl giggled loudly, trying (and failing) to contain herself. Another girl, standing next to Oonishi with a disgruntled expression, asked, "Will he be long?" Oonishi recognized her as the last person to wake up. She was short, thin, and her posture a little hunched. Her eyelids drooped over her green eyes from boredom. Her mouth was curled into a light frown, her straight, medium length blue hair hanging to her shoulders, bangs hanging close to her eyes. She wore light clothing, a baggy, long sleeved pink top and comfortable looking lime green and pink polka dotted pants. She didn't have shoes, and her hair was partially covered in a green and pink sleeping cap, topped with a white ball of fluff. She did wear a black coat, at least, so it didn't entirely look like she'd just gotten out of bed.
Oonishi tried to ignore her for a moment, before hearing the voice of Shikishima repeat, "80th Class Applicants?"
The excitable girl with long brown hair nodded, answering, "Gotta be us! The 78th Class is in their second year, the 79th Class was probably scouted! Maybe there's something else we have to do first? Like an exam? I've never heard anything like that though. Hmm...wait, shouldn't we be the 79th Class?"
"Upupupu, is that so?"
There was silence from the Applicants, whom looked around, trying to spot the source of the voice, the same silly sounding one from earlier. There was a noise from the top of the stairs, where red set of double doors cracked open. From the dark space beyond, there was an explosion of black, white, and red confetti. Then, as if things weren't odd enough already, a small thing hopped out, landing at the top of the stairs. It's right half was colored white, its left half black, with a jagged red eye and wide smile. It was like a teddy bear, but...
"Good day everyone! I hope you studied hard, today's the big day! The day you find out whether or not you're made of the stuff it takes to get into Hope's Peak Academy! Or something like that, maybe, upupupu," It spoke, chuckling again, the applicants staring in stunned silence. "I am the Headmaster, Monokuma!"
After a moment, the excitable girl in the school uniform asked, "So...where is this? It doesn't look like I thought Hope's Peak Academy would."
"H-hey! Shouldn't you be more worried about the fact that it's a teddy bear!?" the bald Urushibara stammered.
"Course not, stupid boring girl! You have to Pass first. Then you'll be admitted into the True 80th Class properly. And so what if I'm a bear? You got a problem with bears?" Monokuma answered, bearing his claws. The scientist shook his head nervously.
The Park Ranger, Shikishima nodded, "I happen to be quite fond of them. Nice to meet you Monokuma-san!"
Monokuma somehow blushed, "A fan! That makes me beary happy!" Oonishi was starting to loosen up; maybe the Headmaster was just quirky, even if he was being more than a bit rude to the brown haired girl.
The next question came from the girl in the hakama, who asked, "I seem to bit...fuzzy, on a number of matters. Pardon the pun, Monokuma-san. In particular, how did we get here?"
Monokuma waved his hand in front of his face, "Detail, details! Who cares! I bet you're all beary excited about getting a chance to see Hope's Peak Academy in all its glory."
The short haired girl continued, still eager to pry, "Excuse me, but, what was 'that thing' we all seemed to be about to learn before passing out? Please, any sort of answer would be wonderful."
"What thing?" Oonishi heard the girl in pajamas next to him ask.
"What thing?" Monokuma mimed.
The girl in the hakama bowed slightly, sighing forlornly, "Pardon me, it was nothing."
"Quiet down with all the nonsense. How do we get out?" The boy with the purple ponytail asked. Oonishi could see the length of his ponytail from here: his hair was longer than the hair of most of the girls here.
Monokuma laughed, "Why, you have to Pass the Exam, of course! Then you get to leave."
"Then how do we Pass?" the guy in the suit asked again, growing less and less patient.
"Upupu. That's the beary interesting part. Just kill someone!"
It felt like the temperature dropped in the room several degrees. Any hope that Oonishi had that this was just the Headmaster's quirkiness winked out of existence, just like that.
"Ehehe," the excitable girl in the skirt laughed awkwardly.
"What's the matter? Don't believe me, dummy? I don't lie! Maybe a few white lies here or there, but certainly no black lies! My white half is truth, the other half is probably related to the feeling I get when I see someone die! Yeah, that glorious, delicious Despair...There's nothing like it! I revel in it." Monokuma twirled, "Wanna get out? You just need to Pass! Kill one of your other would be classmates, get away with it, and freedom is yours!"
The short, chubby boy with gold hair asked, seemingly unfazed, "So, hypothetically, there can only be 8 who Pass?"
"Nope. Only one person may Pass. The victims stay dead, and then everyone else Fails! And the only thing that awaits Failures is death!" Monokuma laughed. "Don't you understand, this is an Exam! An Entrance Exam of Mutual Killing!"
Losing composure, the uniformed ranger Shikishima pointed a finger at the monochrome teddy, yelling, "I take it back, you are no bear; you're a monster!"
Monokuma looked down at his feet, groaning, "Awwww..." But in less than a second, he hopped up as giddily as ever, laughing, "Oh well! I still have fans! All around the world! Who cares if you all hate me, most of you could be dead within the next couple weeks! One by one or all at once, who cares."
"Or perhaps, we could bypass your demands...by ending you!" the boy in the topknot snarled, leaping into action. Pushing past some of the others, he took to the stairs, finding no trouble ascending, his wooden sandals loudly announcing his steps. In response, the stairs changed shape, folding down and turning into a slide. His face faltered as he slipped, landing on his front and sliding down in about the most uncool way possible, arms outstretched and feet above, knees bent. Standing up, he adjusted his yukata and brushed himself off.
Monokuma giggled, "Upupu, nice try. Won't work though, because hurting me would break the rules! And those who break the rules will be thoroughly punished! What an unbearable thought. Oh, and speaking of rules, take these!" The bear jumped onto the slide, coming down neatly, landing roughly in the center of the kids. He began passing out what seemed to be grayish blue cards. Oonishi took his, noticing the power button. "These are your Applicant ElectroIDs. They contain lots of beary helpful information, like everyone's report cards, a school map, and the school rules!" Oonishi was afraid to turn it on, as if it would explode if handled improperly. Seeing some of the others switch it on, he did so himself, seeing his full name, Oonishi Eiji. He flipped through the rules, and there it was, plain as day, just as Monokuma was saying. 'In order to Pass the Entrance Exam of Mutual Killing, an Applicant must murder another.'
"No, this is insane," he found himself muttering. "I was just going to enroll in the Preparatory School anyway. This is...this is...this can't be what Hope's Peak Academy really is!" He cried out, hand starting to shake as the pace of his breath quickened.
Defiantly, the excitable girl cried out, "I agree! This is...someone would have told the world if the Academy was ruled by such a madman!"
Monokuma laughed, "Is that so? Well then, humor me for a minute. Who's the Prime Minister of Japan?"
She answered after a moment, "Hope's Peak Academy 45th Class, Sanada Shinzo, former Super High School Level Debater."
Monokuma nodded, "A murderer! And who's the Minister of Defense?"
Another moment passed, and she answered, "49th Class, Hatoyama Tarou, former Super High School Level Reserve Officer Trainee."
"A murderer! Wanna keep going? See where I'm going with this? Of course you don't, because you're so dense! In order to become the World's Hope, you must first experience Despair! You don't become a doctor without knowing a lot about injuries and sickness, right? But for Despair, the only way to really learn is to experience it yourself! Of course, if something like that were really going on, would people mouth off about it? No! And with Hope's Peak having had so many figures in power, it wouldn't be hard to get everyone to keep quiet about it," Monokuma explained.
No one said a word, except the exceedingly stubborn girl who could only be described as Super High School Level Hope's Peak Otaku after that display of knowledge. She insisted, "That can't be right, there are 16 of us, and usually 16 students at the Academy in every class, and there's been a Luckster every year except the first six! It's too consistent!"
Monokuma, getting mad, growled, "Detail, shmeetails. Who said this is the only Entrance Exam? Who's to say there aren't 15 games just like this one starting? When you meet the rest of the True 80th Class, you'll know they have blood on their hands too. Then you can work towards all that Hopey Hope and stuff while you study or whatever."
The girl stammered, "But...but, there's-"
Monokuma growled again, "Quiet! I'm done with you. You're so annoying, gosh. You know what? The person who kills her gets a bonus! Inquire inside. But for now, I'll leave you too your own business. Follow School Rules. Revel in the bloodbath you silly little kids." With that, Monokuma vanished, bounding out of sight.
There was a dour mood. The kids looked at each other, all thinking the same thing. Who would die first? Who would cast the first stone and commit murder? As Oonishi looked over the others, one horrible thought rang out in his head.
Am I...going to die?
PROLOGUE END
SURVIVORS: 16
Over the course of the Fanfic, I will be supplying Author's Notes for those curious about various things. It might be a pain to type out the link, but I'd still recommend giving them a look if you have time! I feel as though there's some interesting information contained within, especially the ones in between Chapters. For now though, I'm just going to explain some things you may or may not be aware of:
Terminology (if you're curious or confused about some of the words I used): pastebin(.com)/MGe6Mrt6
Terminology 1.5 (Contains spoilers for Super Dangan Ronpa 2): pastebin(.com)/5exJEHej
