"Shooter!"

… I am… Shooter…?

"Don't forget—here—pro—em—"

"WAH!"

I'm not sure if I awakened before or after hearing the sound of my own hoarse scream. I wasn't left with much time to wonder why I screamed, either, since I found myself in a place that I could not recall ever visiting.

The white lights led an assault on my eyes the second I opened them, and the soft white fabric underneath me almost fed into the delusion that I might be in heaven. Which was odd, since I was so certain that I'd be going to hell.

It didn't take too long for me to realize that I was in a hospital of some sort. Maybe in school? Nah, couldn't be, since school hasn't started back yet. Besides, why would I be near enough to NHP that they'd take me to the school's clinic instead of an actual hospital? Although, in light of recent events, I would not put it past the staff.

A shuffling sound startled me out of my internal monologue. I turned to see a small, red-haired figure in the bed next to mine. He seems to be sleeping soundly, considering the situation. If memory serves, this is a similar situation to the beginning of the devastation that happened over 30 years ago at Hope's Peak Academy. Students awoke in various parts of the school and sought an exit, to little avail. However, I've only heard whispers, so I don't know the full details of their situation. I could just be paranoid.

I stepped out of the bed and surveyed this room. Outside the canopy curtains of my bed, I saw the light blue walls of the room. There wasn't much as far as wall decorations, but there was a television with a cracked screen, a large window, and another pair of beds behind another canopy curtain. I tried to find an intercom system, but the only one I noticed was basically unusable. I also noted the fact that there was a new black watch on my right wrist. It didn't turn on despite my best efforts, so I'm assuming it won't explode without me noticing.

The window helped me realize that this is probably not another one of those situations, but the damaged concrete and debris outside the hospital alluded to another possibility.

"Excuse me?"

Another interruption of my monologue presented itself in the light voice of the figure this time.

"Uh… Yes?"

"Where is… this?"

I sighed. "Sorry, but I only know as much as you do, kid. As far as I can tell, this is a hospital. Probably in a really bad neighborhood." I muttered the last sentence. Thankfully, he (she?) didn't ask me to repeat that. It's a petty thing to be annoyed by, but I really don't like repeating myself.

The redhead stepped out of their own bed, dressed in a white button-down shirt, khaki brown pants, and suspenders in a matching color. If this was a uniform, I couldn't guess which school it belonged to. Unexpectedly, the kid stepped toward me and extended their left hand.

"I'm Mitsuru Kokonoe." This was said with a proud smile. I noticed the watch on their left wrist was identical to the one on my wrist.

"… I'm…"

Shutaro Muna.

I shook my head lightly and took their hand in mine. "I'm Shutaro Muna," I continued. That was kinda weird, but I couldn't shake the familiarity of the name Mitsuru Kokonoe.

"Kokonoe… Can I ask which school you attend?" Confirming suspicions without trying to arouse suspicion myself.

"I'll be starting at NHP Academy soon! And just 'Mitsuru' is fine."

That's how I knew the name! I'm still researching, but I'm almost certain Mitsuru Kokonoe is the investigative journalist that managed to solve some pretty popular corruption cases. Kokonoe caught NHP's attention after solving a diamond heist at sea.

"Okay! You're that prodigy journalist, aren't you? The one that solved that diamond case on that cruise?" I asked.

"Oh! Yes, that's me! Although I can't take full credit, since most of it was solved by a young heiress I met there," Kokonoe answered modestly. Either way, just two amateurs solving a case in one night is pretty damn impressive.

"Still, that's pretty cool for two girls to do," I said. Kokonoe giggled.

"I'm a boy," he responded. Oops. I knew it was already too late to hide my embarrassment, but Kokonoe was nice enough to not acknowledge it.

"Besides," he continued, "I wouldn't put anything past any girl."

He has a point. I'm pretty sure most of what happened that led to the founding of NHP was because of a gyaru model…

"Anyway, we still don't know the situation here. I'm somewhat nervous, since I never leave home without my camera or a hat, but I haven't found either yet," he said. Come to think of it, I still don't know exactly how we got there in the first place.

I searched around the room one last time, not finding anything particularly new or interesting. That is, until, I happened upon a blue and white box under my bed. The clasp was in the shape of a cat, so I didn't expect to find a gun on the inside. Maybe something cutesy, like makeup or a set of charms, but I probably shouldn't have set any expectations to begin with.

I decided to take it with me. Anything could be lurking in this building, so it wouldn't be bad to be prepared just in case. I hid the gun in my jacket, for once being able to use the compartment hidden specifically for this purpose. Now that that's settled, we should probably leave here.

"Oy, Kokonoe-"

"UWAAH!" Oops. I must have accidentally startled him somehow. It's kinda nice to know he isn't as calm as he's letting on.

Kokonoe just giggled and stepped away from the broken television. He had a hat on his head now.

"Sorry," he apologized while lightly hitting the palm of his left hand against his forehead. "I forgot I wasn't alone for a second."

"Uh-huh," I nodded. That's not something one should forget so carelessly. I decided not to push the issue any further.

"So, wanna get out of this creepy hospital?" I asked, already knowing he'd give an emphatic nod. Cautiously, we both stepped outside of the room, having to adjust our eyes to the almost pitch black hallway. This didn't last long, as the old lights flickered on soon after we stepped out.

"Hey, where did you get that hat?" I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Oh? Uh, it was behind the TV. It looks kinda similar to mine, but I have no idea why it would be here…"

Hm. Interesting coincidence. It didn't seem too significant, though.

I noticed a sign indicating directions to an elevator, a restroom, and a flight of stairs. Stubbornly, I went in the opposite direction. A sign so close to our room didn't look like anything but a trap.

"So, you thought that sign was kinda suspicious as well?" Kokonoe quickened his pace in an attempt to catch up with me.

"Yeah," I confirmed. Bringing so much attention to those led me to believe that there's a safer option on the opposite end of the hallway. It's not like hospitals would only have one set of stairs and elevators, anyway.

We opened the doors of each room we passed and called out to anyone that might hear us. No one else did.

"Aren't there any other people in this hospital?" Kokonoe asked me. Beats me. The pattern dictates that there should be, but we haven't encountered anyone else on this—

"Hi yo yuuuus~" a shrill voice called, causing me and my companion to become very visibly startled. We both turned to see an oddly dressed girl with green hair in an undercut and thick, red eyeglasses. She had a calm, closed-eyed grin on her face.

"You guys seem lost. I found an exit on the other end of the hallway, though," she proclaimed in a lilting voice.

"Uh… We think there might be a trap that way," Kokonoe explained. The girl tilted her head.

"Nah, there's no trap," she claimed confidently. Sure, that's convincing.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think any of us can afford to make assumptions here," I said before continuing down the hallway. Kokonoe didn't follow after me this time, though.

"How can you be so sure there's nothing that way?" He looked her right in the eyes and asked this.

"Oh? Because I just came from down there. I checked down the stairs already, so I wanted to make sure I'd be able to help anyone else down here~" She stated. But we left that way and didn't notice her at all until now.

"Okay, sorry, but I don't believe you," I said, pulling out the gun I had hidden and pointing it at the girl. Kokonoe looked startled, but I tried not to pay too much attention to him.

"Don't worry, I won't shoot you if you tell us the truth," I said. I really don't have time or energy for such an obvious trap. She didn't seem too fazed.

"Okay, first of all, where were you hiding until now? And why?" In case it wasn't obvious, I didn't trust this girl for a second. Even with a gun pointed at her, she didn't flinch once. She didn't even glance at the gun.

"I was asleep in a room on the opposite end of this floor, where you guys were just going. There's no exit that way, and no other people in any of the rooms," she said. "The only other people I saw on this floor were you two, about an hour ago."

"An easy enough answer," I nodded, still holding the gun.

"Uh, Muna," called Kokonoe. "I don't think she's lying. You should probably not be pointing a gun at her."

"Sorry, Kokonoe, but I don't want to take any chances," I said, not looking away from her. "Her story is too suspicious."

"Hmm," the girl hummed. "I think I'm being unfairly targeted here, especially since I'm the only one unarmed."

Only one? I turned to see Kokonoe with a gun in his hand pointed directly at me. The same make as mine.

"Sorry, Muna," he said, "but I don't want any innocent deaths. An intuitive sense is telling me that she's trustworthy. Also, that wasn't actually my hat."

"Not a very convincing thing to say when you're pointing a gun yourself," I said. The girl snorted.

"Anyway, don't worry about me~" the girl sang. "I'm the most trustworthy person I know~ Although, that's probably not very convincing either."

I sighed. What the hell is even happening anymore?

"Fine," I said. "I'll drop the gun on two conditions. Kokonoe, you drop yours. Girl, tell me where your watch is. In that order."

Hesitantly, Kokonoe set his gun down in front of him. I lowered mine, but kept it in my hand. The girl turned around.

"I think I know what you're talking about," she said as she lifted the thick-looking hoodie she was wearing. I noticed the black collar around her neck, but I didn't expect the watch's face to be on the back side of it.

"It seems like it stretches, but not enough for me to take it off," she added, the hoodie still around her arms. "I don't know when it was put on me."

I sighed again. I guess she was correct in saying that she wasn't armed at all. Her undershirt, skirt, and leggings were all too short and too thin to hide anything substantially dangerous.

"Fine," I said, sliding my gun across the hallway. Kokonoe decided to do the same thing once he saw what I did.

"Okay, so, can we go?" Kokonoe asked a bit nervously.

"Sure thing! I'll lead the way~" the girl sang as she readjusted her hoodie. She's probably trying to garner more trust by going ahead. Then again, I may just be overthinking this.

"So, we forgot to ask what your name was," said Kokonoe. The girl spun to face us.

"I'm Nishikata Bell~ Oop, I mean Bell Nishikata, hehe," the girl giggled. "You guys can just call me Bell! Or Nishibe! Or Tabell! I may not be super well-known, but soon I'll be starting at NHP Academy!"

Aaaaand there's the pattern. Three NHP students unconscious in a building around the same time?

"Oh? I was also invited to attend NHP," Kokonoe added excitedly. "I'm Mitsuru Kokonoe!"

"I know that name! You're a journalist, right? That seems so cool~" Nishikata chimed.

"In any case, I'm not finished with my questions," I interrupted. "Nishikata, how did you know we were in here?"

"I thought I explained that? But I looked in all the rooms and saw you guys sleeping," she said. "I didn't want to disturb you guys. A proper rest is important to living a proper life!"

"I don't think getting our 8 hours in would really have helped in this situation," I said.

"Still, I wonder why you were on the opposite end of the hall in a different room," Kokonoe pondered. Nishikata seemed to be thinking about the same thing.

"Maybe since I'm a girl?" What a stupid reason.

We approached the flight of stairs Nishikata claimed to have inspected.

"Hey, Nishikata," I began, "how did you come back to this floor without us seeing or hearing you?"

"Oh? I just took the elevator," she said. "I don't know how you didn't notice me, though. I heard you guys as I was coming back upstairs. It goes up, but it didn't let me go down. It was kinda odd~"

That is very odd. In fact, it oddly seems like something that would become a crucial detail in the future. Almost like it's a setup for a problem we'll need to solve. Geez, this place is becoming more suspicious by the minute.

Slowly, we each stepped single file down the stairs. We were on the third floor, so it wouldn't take long for us to get to the main floor. None of us wanted to take visits to the other floors. Nishikata claims she inspected them and didn't find anything that wasn't in ruins, which doesn't lend her any more credibility. Kokonoe seems to trust her, though, so if I end up in danger, at least I can take comfort in the fact that it's not my fault.

"Anyway, Nishibe, how did you get invited to NHP?" Kokonoe decided to ask as we approached the door to the first floor. A question that was arbitrary enough, considering she didn't look like the type to have a useful talent.

"Awah? Hm… It's probably because I'm a competitive eater!" As I expected. Although she wasn't exactly skinny, I would not have pegged her as a championship eater, honestly.

"Oh! I think I might have heard of you before," Kokonoe said as we walked through the lobby. "I read a story online about a girl that ate nearly 150 rice balls in 30 minutes! I thought it was a hoax."

"Nope! That was me~" Nishikata stated. "I only got to 148 before time ran out though. I was kinda sad, since I was going for a record, but I can always try again!"

Ugh.

We finally reached an exit. It didn't let us leave as easily as I expected, but again, it's my fault for setting expectations. The door was locked by an electronic security system, complete with a keypad and a pad just large enough for a slightly above-average-sized hand. This seems exactly like an escape game, but nothing here would indicate what we'd need to find out. Besides the fact that they were dirty, the walls and floors were bare. This place didn't even have a front desk.

"So, Nishikata," I began, "you wouldn't happen to know how we'd get out of here, would you?"

"Unnn… nope." Figures.

"To exit this checkpoint, you must insert a four-digit code." A soft yet robotic voice explained. "Although the code is the same for all three of you, you each must enter it once and place your hand on the pad before exiting. Should you fail to do so, you will not leave this checkpoint. Despite your differences, you all have one thing in common. Figure it out."

"Something we all have in common…" The most obvious thing is that we are all NHP students. But there isn't a four-digit code that directly connects to NHP…

"Oh! I got it," Nishikata exclaimed loudly. "Mittsun, when's your birthday?"

"Uh… August 31st," he stated. Nishikata's face immediately twisted into a frown.

"Aww. That's not the same as mine," she mumbled. Did she really expect all of us to have the same birthday?

"Uh… Maybe we were all born in the same year?" Kokonoe asked.

Unlikely. I've already been enrolled in high school, so that can't be it.

"Nope," I stated fla—

"To exit this checkpoint, you must enter a four-digit code," the soft robotic voice restated. It didn't have to continue its ultimatum before we realized that it was password-operated. Interesting.

We all waited for it to finish before we began our discussion.

"… Anyway, we need to think about what we all have in common. It's probably got nothing to do with when we were born," I said. Kokonoe didn't seem too convinced, but he didn't protest.

"Hmm… Nope." Nishikata stated for no reason.

"To exit this checkpoint..."

"Aha! It starts over every time!" Nishikata said over the detached voice. She seemed excited at a revelation that wasn't really noteworthy.

"Nope!"

"To exit this check—"

"Nope!"

"To exit this—"

"Nope!"

"To exi—"

"Nope!"

"To—"

"Nope!"

"T—"

"RAAAAAAAGH!" I yelled. "Nishikata, please help us figure this out instead of breaking our concentration."

"Hm…" Nishikata didn't seem too fazed by my outburst. She didn't even show a bit of remorse.

"Hey, you never introduced yourself to me," Nishikata said as she turned to face me. "Name and occupation, please."

I didn't think this was anything close to an appropriate time to mention this, but she had an uncharacteristically serious look in her eyes as she made the observation known. I didn't hesitate to comply, oddly enough.

"Shutaro Muna," I introduced myself with a hand outstretched. "I'm a student at New Hope's Peak Academy."

Nishikata nodded slowly as she took my hand. "Nice to meet you, Shutaro Muna. I know what the passcode is."

"Really? When did you figure it out, Nishibe?" Kokonoe inquired.

"Actually… I think it was around when Shutaro Muna said it didn't have to do with our birthdays," Nishikata stated. Why is she using my full name?

"Anyway, I'm not certain, but I'll try it out first," she sang. Kokonoe and I looked closely as she used her thumbs to input her guess. 0904. The day New Hope's Peak Academy reopens for the new school year.

She gave a confused look to her hands, as if she were deciding which one to use. What a weirdo. In the end, she placed her left hand on the larger pad.

It didn't open. No lights, no sounds, no sign of confirmation. She was just as bothered by this as me. What else would we have in common? She inspected the pad closely before it gave some sort of response.

"Bell Nishikata. Gifted Competitive Eater. Exit." Taken aback by the robotic voice, Nishikata nervously looked at the both of us, then walked through the now opened sliding door.

"You guys know what to do, right?" Nishikata asked as if we weren't scrutinizing her closely as she typed in the code.

"Yes! Thank you, Nishibe!" Kokonoe said before the door closed. He turned to look at me.

"Rock paper scissors?" Kokonoe asked half-jokingly.

"Heh, you can just go ahead. It's not like something bad's gonna happen to the last person out." I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. Kokonoe gave a nervous half-smile and a small "hah," then typed in the code. He placed his hand on the pad, "Mitsuru Kokonoe. Gifted Investigative Journalist. Exit," and the door immediately opened. He gave me a smile and a thumbs up before walking out. Cute.

"My turn," I exhaled when the door closed. My fingers shook as I typed in the numbers. 0904. It didn't stop trembling when I touched the pad, either. Weird.

"Shutaro Muna. Future Foundation Trainee. Exit."

I was never so relieved to feel the rush of air that comes with an opening automatic door. A few more steps would prove that relief short-lived.

Geez, that Shutaro guy is a bit of an ass XD

Hello~

If you read far enough to see this note, thank you!

This story ties in with another story that I wrote for this series, and while I'm not exactly proud of that story, before it was finished, I wound up coming up with new OCs and a different setting that I wanted to put in a different story lol. I'd feel bad if I didn't use them .

There may be an SYOC component to this story, so look out for that! However, it will be highly selective, since I'm not sure how many spots I want to leave free. There will be more than 16 characters, so there's a decent chance they'll get in. Please don't post about that until I get full details out though.

One last thing! There is no set update schedule for this. After everyone is introduced, I'm not sure when this will update. I hope the format that I'm planning for this will be at least a bit interesting. But it will be finished, even if it takes years. I hope you'll keep up with the story if you decide at some point that you like it :D