The city rose to new heights as the ground seemed to become stable once again. The air was clearer than it had been in fear was pushed back to a manageable amount. The sun shined down on the entire world again as everything returned to its natural balance. Some things were still being pieced together, sure there were towns still slowly rebuilding from the effects of Tragedy, but overall, Despair had lost. Despair sunk back into the cracks it had escaped from like a toxic gas as it was returned to its source. Hope blossomed and created a new world where the old one had been destroyed. It had taken a long time to get this far but now it seemed as if everything had finally worked out. People could finally go back to living normal lives without the fear of Despair wrapping around their throats like a deadly snake.

Makoto sighed as he looked out the window. The day was bright as sun poured down on the entrance to the school. From his headmaster's office Makoto could see the world below. The city around the new Hope's Peak academy had already been rebuilt. The buildings were framed around the new center of hope. A lot of things had changed in the school, to keep despair from festering inside. There was no more experiments, no more reserve course. The teachers were all the grizzled survivors of the killing games, ready to take in the students as the came in, ultimately talented like before.

There they were, walking towards the school as it finally opened. Makoto watched as they headed towards the school, joy spreading over their faces as they headed towards the entrance. It seemed as if there was time to get back to work. It was weird, being in charge of a place like this, he'd never thought it would come to this. But as Makoto slid into his seat behind his desk he knew, at this point in time, it was where he belonged. From here, he could watch over the students and help spread hope to the parts of the world that were still in need of it.

There was a loud creak that filled the room, sending sounds through the large office. The headmaster slowly raised his head, unsure of who might be entering the room. "Oh, Good evening Hinata." Makoto gave a slight wave. Gesturing the man as he came into the room. He was easily recognized by his height and the large calic on the top of his head. Not to mention the dual colored eyes, those were definitely hard to miss.

"Morning Headmaster Naegi." Hajime started as he stepped into the room. "are you ready to go meet the new students?"

Makoto stood up from the desk, maybe he really didn't realize what time it was already. He let out a short chuckle before stretching, giving off a long yawn before reaching to adjust his suit. "Yup, looks like it's time to introduce the new students! I'm so glad we've gotten a whole class!"

Hajime gave a quick nod before walking out the door. "Let's not keep them waiting, Makoto."

Makoto chuckled as he headed to the gymnasium. The halls were all decorated with bright, colorful streamers and balloons. Large greeting signs covered all the walls as they walked down towards the gymnasium. He could already see some of the previous students standing in front of the gymnasium. Barely hearing the words that were coming from their mouth, more of hearing the buzz of their words, not quite able to make them out yet.

"How can you not be excited?" A breathy voice said, Makoto picking it out as he finally grew close enough to hear.

"I hate when you say hope… you make it sound dirty." Said a raspy voice interrupted.

"Today is a truly an exciting event! You mortals are increasing in numbers by the second!"

"You guys, It's almost ti-" The last voice was one of the most familiar to Makoto. He smiled happily as Asahina popped out of the back of the crowd. "Naegi! We were worried you forgot!"

Makoto paused, looking at the group gathered in front of the gym. They all looked excited or nervous, some showing a mix of both. At this point, they were all his friends. People he cared for, people he trusted with every part of his being. He watched they're smiling faces as they got ready for the ceremony. "I wouldn't miss this for the world." he started as he lead them all into the gym.

All those who had accepted roles as teachers took their place around the edges of the gym. Their eye's followed Makoto as he walked up to the stage, taking his place behind the pedestal as he turned just in time to see Hajime lead the students into the room. They all looked so excited to be here, in the opening of the new school. They each took a place in front of the stage. All 16 of them…

16… was that right? Or was it 15… The memory was getting fuzzy. Makoto looked around as everyone's faces started to warp. What was going on? Why did it feel like… feel like everyone was melting around him… The students! What about the students! They were gone, their chairs empty. The Gym looked burned to a crisp… there was the smell of Iron. Everything went dark before…

The tile was cold against Makoto's cheek. Slowly he started to pull himself up, the area around him was dark and musty, like an old room that hadn't been attended to often. Slowly he lifted his head off the ground. It felt like his head was spinning. Had something happened? From his position on the floor it looked as if he had fallen asleep in one of the break rooms. He'd fallen asleep in awkward places before… But in the middle of the floor? No, that seemed wrong . Something felt too familiar about this, the nightmare burning at the back of his head as he slowly pulled himself off the ground. Looking around, he saw another body laid across the ground. It shot even more panic through his chest as he ran over.

"Are you okay?"

The body didn't move at first, and Makoto began to think the worst. He gently walked over the the body, dressed in the large jumpsuit that was painfully yellow, pink hair coming from underneath the dark grey hat and spilling all over the floor. Makoto swallowed hard. "Souda? H-"

Suddenly the other by shot up, screaming at the top of his lungs and scampering to his feet. Then, after a few moments of the belching scream, he looked around again. Looking puzzled before his eyes settled on Makoto with a large, goofy grin. "Naegi! Sorry, I had the worst nightmare ever." He paused as he looked around the classroom, laughing as he rubbed the back of his head. "Shoot! Did I fall asleep in class again?"

Makoto pauses before he'd just get more confused. How often did Souda fall asleep in class to think it was normal? Plus on the floor. Kazuichi was a teacher, he really shouldn't be falling asleep on the floor. He shook his head before chuckling awkwardly. He'd never talked too much to the Ultimate Mechanic and there was probably a good reason for that. "Souda, do you remember falling asleep in here?"

Souda paused, as if thinking was a new concept to him. He moved to scratch his jaw as he thought about it for a moment, moving to scratch his neck in thought. "Well, now that I think about it, the last thing I remember was working on a really big project. This super sick robo-"

"So you don't remember being in class?" Makoto injected, not really interested in what else the mechanic had to say, "you don't remember how you got here?"

Kazuichi paused again rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced around. "Well… No, but is that really a big deal?"

Makoto felt his heart race for a moment as panic began to boil in his gut. He felt like he needed to run. Looking around, he could see that they were on the floor. He could easily recall the classroom. Balloons and ribbons were strung all over the walls, but they looked old and broken, appearing as if someone had turned down the saturation from his previous dream. It was almost too surreal for Makoto to really comprehend. With another deep breath, Makoto slowly started to walk towards the only visible door. Turning the handle with a quite, relieved sigh. The door wasn't locked, maybe he was just overreacting, maybe he really had just passed out on the floor.

Kazuichi leaned over Makoto's shoulder as they both peered into the hall. Kazuichi carrying a dumbfounded look on his face as he glanced around. Makoto kind of wished he wouldn't get so close… the smell of gasoline seemed to be his only fragrance. "It's pretty eerie how dark the hallway is? Maybe they all broke? Guess I gotta fix them later, huh? Still creepy as hell, ya know?"

Makoto felt his heart drop at those words. The thought maybe this was just a coincidence was killed by Souda's clumsy phrasing. How could he ever be so empty minded. Makoto went to open his mouth to tell him to back up when movement caught the corner of his eye and before Makoto could turn to see who it was, Kazuichi pushed his way into the hallway.

"Hey! Gundham! Did you turn the lights off?"

Makoto could see the other teacher about to pass the hall. Unfortunately, Makoto caught the look of confusion on the otherwise dark expression of the other man's face, so things were still not looking to good for the current situation.

"Hmph, why would I ever use my abilities to do something as meaningless as that?"

Kazuichi huffed, as if annoyed by the answer. "Because you're extra? I don't know? Who else would turn off all the lights in the school? Like they wouldn't just dim like this the-"

"Where did you just come from, Tanaka?" Makoto interrupted Souda's ramblings, knowing the pink haired man could go on forever with this kind of stuff and that it was best to get to the point while he could, "and what was the last thing you remember?"

Gundham paused before giving a thin smirk. "A mere mortal like you asking of my dark appearance? Can you not comprehend the idea of my sudden emergence with that weak, mortal brain?"

"Sorry Tanaka but please just get to the point, I need to know." Makoto injected, nerves still writhing in his gut as memories boiled in the back of his head. "Please…"

"Of course, I awoke back at the end of the hall. I was in one of the classrooms. The last memory that resides in my dark mind is…" He paused, taking a moment as his complexion pale. This only made Naegi tense up more. "But my last memory does not reside in the classroom. I had been tending to the animals in the greenhouse on the second floor."

Makoto swallowed and took a step out of the room. "This isn't good." He felt the panic boil up more, his chest tense as fear swelled over him. He must have looked horrible, because when Kazuichi spoke behind him, his voice cracked a bit.

"Hey, maybe this is just a weird prank, Naegi, don't get to uptight about it! Let's go find everyone else!" Kazuichi started as he started walking down the hall. "Besides, there's no way that-"

"Good Morning Everyone! I see everyone has finally woken up!" The voice… no… It felt like Makoto was being stabbed a million times as he listened to that voice. "Will all teacher's report to the gymnasium for the Entrance Ceremony? Please hurry, your students are waiting for you!" That last section sounded like a threat. The playful high pitched voice dropping down to a menacing scold.

Makoto felt like he was going to drop to the ground. This had to be another nightmare. There was no other possibility, right? Nightmares of that voice plagued him daily, yelling in his ear. Images of dead friends flashed in front of his eyes, he couldn't move, he felt like he was going to collapse on the ground. It was like he wasn't in this school anymore, but somewhere very different. The world around him began to spin. Someone called his name, and for a moment, he thought it was her…

"Naegi, are you going to throw up? L-Listen it's gotta be some kind of joke." The image of the old school vanished from his mind as Souda put a tight hand on his shoulder, his pink eyes wide with obvious fears. The words spilling out of his mouth were obviously meant more for himself than for anyone else. "Let's just go to the gym. It's probably just Komaeda, we all know that guy has a sick sense of humor, right?"

Tanaka started walking, the bottom of his jaw just obscured by his scarf. Makoto couldn't read his face, it was just the normal, dismal look he always carried. Kazuichi quickly followed after Gundham as he started his ramblings of fear towards him. That must be why he didn't talk, he knew the others would follow him, that the best thing to do right now is to push forward. With a deep inhale, Makoto quickly jogged to catch up. Following the two until they reached the gym.

Makoto took it all in. everything looked like the school he had rebuilt. There were a lot of things he had to change, He just couldn't handle having the school look just like the one from the first killing game. If he had to walk through this school every day, he couldn't handle constant reminders. As the three walked through the walkway before the actual gym, Makoto looked over the trophy case. He could see the few trophies that had been placed inside… all hand picked by Asahina and Kyoko… Quickly he snapped his head forward as Tanaka pushed the door open to the gym, his heavy boots sounding across the smooth floor as he took the first step in .

Inside were the banners he had seen in his dream. Large welcome signs, inviting the new students to the school. Half deflated balloons and popped ones littered the floor. Makoto had to take a few steps forward before everything sunk in. His eyes tried to locate something important when suddenly-

Bang!

Before anyone could really react to the loud, jarring sound, Kazuichi let out another earsplitting scream. Makoto covered his ears as a reaction. A moment after the scream sounded through the gym, a breathy laugh could be heard, followed by an oops .

Makoto turned to see Komaeda off to the side of the gymnasium, closer to the wall. The bright plastic scraps of a balloon crushed underneath one of his feet. Once everyone was looking at him, he shrugged. "Didn't mean to startle you, I just got bored waiting."

"You asshole!" Souda sniffled as he wiped his eyes. "You did this didn't you?"

Now Komaeda paused, a slightly puzzled look crossing his face as his eyebrows raised slightly, his mouth lying slightly open as his metal pointer finger went to tap his bottom lip. "What do you mean?"

"Fuck off! You know what I'm talking about! The damn announcement! Don't play dumb!"

"Oh! That? That wasn't me! I just woke up in here."

"Liar! You're lying!"

"It's amazing that an ultimate like you would think that a lowly cockroach such as myself would be able to orchestrate such an event. I'm so happy."

"Ugh, Yes you are! Who else would do something so fu-" Kazuichi stopped speaking himself as he turned to the door behind them. They all turned to see the new arrival in the gymnasium. Muscles stiff as they feared who could arrive in the gymnasium next.

"Hajime!" Komaeda was the first to respond to the new arrival. The dual eyed boy blinking at the sight in front of him and unfortunately appeared to be just as confused as Makoto.

"Great!" Souda's lip trembled as he turned to the other boy. "You can talk sense into Komaeda! Tell him to cut it out! He only listens to you! Tell him this joke isn't funny!"

Hajime glanced around before looking at Komaeda, raising a brow for a moment his eyes questioning the lanky boy. Komaeda had already started to walk back over to the group, ignoring Souda's obvious glaring. "I have no idea what they're talking about."

Hajime sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He opened his mouth to talk, but that's when the voice sang through the gym, bouncing off the walls and surrounding them like a cage.

"Took you geezers long enough to gather here!"

Makoto was too afraid to turn around, the sound game from the gym's stage behind him. He didn't hear anyone turn to face it right away, but the look on Hajime's face, the only person who was turned towards the back of the gym, was enough to tell the whole story. Eyes wide, pupils dilated, shaking as they stared ahead, paralyzed with obvious fear. Makoto could feel his body stiffen. His world was spinning again as everyone else turned to face it. Makoto couldn't bring himself to do it. His whole body was stiffened with fear.

"Aaaw, Naegi! You won't even look at an old friend? How insulting!"

Slowly he turned, his whole world shaking even more as he saw the monochrome bear sitting up on the pedestal, giving a slight wave at the five guests in the of his paws raised up, waving as the brunette finally looked at him. "Long time, no see Makoto Naegi."

Makoto couldn't hold it back, tears filled his eyes as he started to shake his head. This wasn't real, it couldn't be real! Not again! No he couldn't do this again! It was another nightmare! I-It wasn't real! Makoto was already sobbing by the time Monokuma spoke again.

"Aw, Naegi, you must have really missed me!"

Makoto screamed. He screamed so loud he was surprised it was him. He couldn't hold it back, his entire body was shaking at this point. The edges of his vision began to darken until he was completely out. The last thing he remembered was collapsing onto the ground, feeling the cold floor hit his head on the way down.

Hajime almost couldn't believe it, he watched Makoto collapse on the ground. Mouth dry as everyone slowly brought their gaze back up to look at the bear on the stage.

"I missed you all so much 3 3!" Monokuma started as he looked over the five scared people in front of him. "Makoto was so excited he passed out on the ground! Puhuhuhu! And look at you all! You've all grown up so big and strong!"

"What the hell is going on?" Hajime called out, taking a few steps closer to the bear at the stage, his face stern and cold. Sweat dripping down his forehead as he closed the distance between him and the bear. "You're dead!"

"Oh, am I?" Monokuma pretended to be confused by his words, gently tapping his bottom lip with his hand. "If I'm dead, how could I be here right now?' Monokuma hopped down from the stage, walking towards them across the gymnasium. "I've missed you all so much, but you've all given me the cold shoulder! It's almost like you guys aren't happy to see me. I went through all this trouble to give you this nice, warm welcome and here you guys are, completely ungrateful!"

"Shut the hell up!" Hajime yelled back at Monokuma. His fists tightening as he watched the enemy he thought he'd left in his past. The very thing he thought he'd never have to lay witness to again while he was still alive. "We're sick of your shit! Leave us alone!"

"Oooh, Hajime. Why would I ever leave you alone?" His voice turned outright cold, sending shivers through Hajime's entire body as he looked up at the monster. "Besides, I created such big plans for you guys! Hmm, maybe if you asked nicely I'll go away."

Hajime went to open his mouth but he was cut off by the sob of Souda. "Pleaaase, go away." He turned to see his friend shaking, tears and snot running down his face. "Please, Leave us alone!"

Monokuma paused, staring blankly at them for a moment as if he'd returned to being some kind of toy. That was until he burst into laughter once more. "Just Kidding! But seeing you grovel like that really made my day. Pull yourself together, you look pathetic!" Monokuma laughed even harder than before, ringing around the room like a bullet. Hajime glanced over to Kazuichi, who was quickly trying to remove all the tears from his face. "Now, how about we get started with this new Killing Game, okay?"

Hajime could hear Souda vehemently in denial from the back, this can't be happening. Not again. But his voice was ultimately drowned out my Monokuma's words. He took steps closer, standing in the center of the group as he spoke. His ursine voice, nails on a chalkboard to all of them.

"So, this time, the game will be played a little differently. You're all wonderful teachers now, who care so deeply about your students! It really brings a tear to my eye. Well, now we'll really see how much you care! In this Killing Game, you guys get to watch as your wonderful students kill each other on your behalf!" Monokuma cheered as if he was announcing the big prize at the end of a game show, not another murdering event. "But don't worry about feeling left out, You get to participate too. well, I already know none of you old squares will kill each other. Which is boooooooring. Instead, you get to be the people who can truly end this game! All you have to do is prevent any killings for a whole week! You are all such inspirational teachers, so I doubt it'll be too hard ;)."

Hajime didn't even realize how tightly clenched his fist was until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Nagito had closed the gap between the two. At first he thought it was to comfort him until he noticed the desperate look in komaeda's eyes. No, Komaeda's touch was to steady himself

"We'll get to the rules after all the introductions have taken place. We all know how boring those are, so we'll have a little bit of excitement waiting for us at the end of it. But let's cut to the chase! Let's get the student's in here! Everyone step away from the door!"

the teachers took a few steps back away from the door as they heard footsteps approaching the gym. Kazuichi was the only one to take a step forward, scooping the unconscious Makoto off the ground and backing up with him. The hum of voices slowly filled the area behind it, all their eyes were drawn on the door,.

Suddenly the door was pushed open as the aforementioned students walked in, Confusion seemed to fill each and every one of their faces. They all looked around the gymnasium, eyes focusing on the teachers ahead of them. For some reason, for some reason his eyes automatically focused on three students in particular

The students nervously cluttered around the entrance, . Some of them stared at the teachers on the other side of the gym, as if waiting for them to explain why they were here. Unfortunately, Hajime was just as informed as they were.

There was a weird moment of silence before Komaeda stepped forward, an awe filled grin crossing his thin, cracked lips. "There they are! The newest symbols of hope! I remember all of you!"

Hajime glanced over at Komaeda and gave a short sigh. He was a bit worried to have him in a situation like this… He was finally getting… better. "Then why don't you introduce them all for us, Nagito?" Hajime asked before turning his gaze back to the students.

"With Pleasure, Hajime!" Komaeda said as he glanced over to the first student. The girl gave a quick glance around before taking a few steps forward. Her long, dark hair was worked into extremely elaborate braids, going down slightly past her shoulder. Her skin was only a few shades lighter than her dark locks. Her eyes a soft, light honey color. She was more heavy set with a rounder face. Her clothes resembled that of elaborate, antique t, Spanish style dress. Elaborately stitched and woven together. It looked as if she had jumped out of an old black and white photo. Weirdly enough, she was one of the students who stuck out the most to Hinata."This here is Isadora Luna. The Ultimate 's famous for coming up with the biggest line of plus size wear, she stitches everything by hand, plus she can make an outfit out of almost nothing!"

Luna gave a quick bow, the cloth of her dress moving with her. She glanced around before clearing her throat. "It's a pleasure, my dear. Your words flatter me." She started before giving a curtsey and taking a step aside for the next student. This one wasn't one of the four that really dug at the back of Hajime's head. It was another girl, her hair was dark and thick, falling down to the back of her knees. Her dark hair scooped over her face, almost covering over her left, red eye. She was as pale as a ghost, almost as if all the color had been sucked from her body. She wore a black jacket, one that you'd expect to be in a normal school uniform. A white sweater visible underneath. Her lower half was covered in a long, floor length, gothic style skirt. She gently put her hand over her mouth as Komaeda went to introduce her. Hajime swore he heard Gundham make a noise behind him. Maybe it was because she looked around as extra as he did.

"This is Akumu Kusonoki, the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator." Komaeda said, giving an excited clap as he went on. "She's videotaped more ghosts than any other investigator! Plus she has solved countless murders with her investigations."

Hajime gave a nod before she spoke, her loud voice taking him off guard. "All spirits cry in fear when they hear me enter! I can find any ghost or spirit! They cannot hide from me!" She said, her shy look dissolving as she took an aggressive stance, fists bunching up in determination.

A boy strode forward next, a decided arrogance to his walk as he headed to push the other girl out of the way. Looking at the student he was almost compulsively embarrassed for him, though he didn't know why. He gave off the feeling that he thought he was better than everyone else. A wave of excellence in his tight fit school jacket and smoothed out dress pants. His hair was pulled into a gross looking bun on the top of his head. He really looked like he didn't… wash his hair often. Komaeda chuckled and spoke up as the student pushed Kusonoki out of the way, the small girl stumbling to the side. "That's Tomonori Kentaro, The Ultimate Vegan. He's created cruelty-free products of almost anything you can imagine. Creating new foods indiscernible to it's corpulent cousin! Apparently he's been a Vegan since he was born!"

"I pride myself in my wonderful, all natural lifestyle," Kentaro said as he laid his fingers gently against his chest, "I am truly superior to these other fools." He stood there for a moment before a tall girl shoved him out of the way, a giant, wild grin covering her face.

"Me next!" She called, her voice was a bit raspy. She was dressed in a baggy jumpsuit. Her suit was a sky blue with lime green race stripes down the sides that did a good job of covering up her tanned freckled skin. She would tower over the rest of the students except she seemed to favor slouching her shoulders. Her hair was a streak of red color. Obviously dyed. . Her piercing blue gaze seemed to go right through Hajime, Hajime thought to himself that she needed to zip her suit up a little higher than she had it at the moment. She pointed her thumb into her chest with a large shit eating grin as Komaeda went to introduce her.

"This is the Ultimate Racer, Umeko Sato. She's won every race she's ever been in, plus she was the youngest person to ever participate in Race Car driving." Hajime couldn't help but think of how that was extremely illegal.

Umeko stepped aside as the next person walked up. He walked with a measured sway to his hips, his tan skin was covered in freckles, but it was as if each one had been placed with intention. His jawline, body posture, and the way he walked all seemed to read perfection. His hair was shoulder length and layered, framing his face in perfect curls. His lashes were long and clearly finely cared for. He buttoned up his shirt only halfway, showing off his muscled chest underneath. Hajime changed his mind, this guy is the one who needs to learn about modesty, not Sato. He had clean, black dress pants up just higher than his waist. His pants slim fitting and his shirt loose and open. Honestly the guy looked like he was pulled out of a cheesy romance novel, not that hajime would know anything about that.

"This is Ryunosuke Kaito, he's the Ultimate Actor. He's been starring in movies since he was a baby. His fan clubs are more like cults, religiously following his movies. He's most famous for his very appearance in the new action movie , "The Great Escape! You've probably heard of it."

Kaito gave a nod and with a flourish pulled a rose out of his sleeve, gazing at it as if it holds the key to his own heart. "I am truly a master performer. I promise to give you quite the show." With a wink he stepped aside. "Um, hello"The next Student was very small with fuller hips. She came off as adorable as she strolled forward in pastel blue overalls and a cute, pink tee shirt underneath, covered in the prints of succulents. Her puffy, blond hair bloomed out from underneath her sun hat. Her tanned skin gave away the long hours she must toil away under the hot sun her innocent blue eyes were surrounded by two pairs of blond eyelashes. She gave a warm smile as Nagito went on to describe her more.

"This is Carol Iris, the Ultimate Botanist. She's won countless fairs with delicious and sometimes monstrous creations. She can grow and care for any kind of plant imaginable!"

Carol smiled and gave a slight giggle. "I just want to make people happy with my plants!" She stepped aside for the next girl. Her yellow sweater had a tall collar which she was using to hide half of her face inside Her hair was a pale, almost white,pink, She had on a short, pink skirt that barely tucked out from underneath her long sweater. her simple, black dress shoes housed a pair of tall, knee high socks. A- cute, music note design danced on the top of her socks. She pulled her face out of her sweater as Komaeda began to introduce her. As she shifted back and forth, Hajime noticed her right hand was a robotic prosthetic.

"This is Moeko Niijima, The Ultimate DJ. celebrities, the one percent, and even high ranking government officials come from all over to attend her raves. Her parties can be heard from 100 kilometers away but she still manages to keep them under her thumb the whole time. She has amazing composure and can mix almost any music together into a great beat."

The girl gave a short nod before her cheeks flushed slightly. "I do love parties… the louder the better… I always say…" She sure didn't look like she enjoyed loud things, hajime thought to himself. She stepped aside as the next person walked up. A clean, white apron was wrapped around the boy's waist. Stitched carefully into the upper half of the apron was a coffee cup with steam pouring out of it. He had on a grey hoodie with a matching beanie on top of his head. Mocha waves poured from the beanie onto his neck. He gave a slight, nervous nod, his hair splashing around with the movement. His skin tone was close to Akane's. His legs were wrapped in worn jeans, patches sewn haphazardly over the knees of the pants and elbows of his clothes.

"This is Kazuki Himura, The Ultimate Barista. He's inspired millions with his coffee flavors and designs! He's well known for finding the perfect coffee for everyone who comes into his store and has inspired millions with his latte art"

Himura gave a nod and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Talking about coffee just makes me want coffee! I really hope we can get some after this!" what a fucker

The next student came up next, he sported, windbreaker three sizes too big. The colors all seemed to clash with everything in the room. Bold, geometric shapes flashed on the nylon. He wore impossibly tiny jean shorts with it, intentionally ripped on the edges. His electric blue thigh high socks had yellow lightning bolts jolting down the side. His shoes were equally bright skater shoes, matching the windbreaker in design. Flipped back on his head was a radical green flat bill hat. His bleach blond hair was pushed back and looked like a mullet as splayed out from underneath his hat in a mullet like shape. Long, thick eyelashes surrounded his deep brown eyes. A skateboard covered in a random assortment of gaudy stickers was rested in the crook of his left arm

"This is Fumio Kobayashi, the Ultimate Cytologist. He's been researching cancerous cells since the beginning of grade school! By the time he was accepted to hope's peak, he had already cured thousands-"

"Hey dude, They totally messed up my talent on the way here. I'm supposed to be the Ultimate Sk8tr… emphasis on the 8. curing cancer is just a hobby, honestly I'm a ton better at skating. Tony hawk asks for my autograph dude, i swear." He tossed his skateboard on the ground as he went to skate away. "Also, call me Koba, sounds a lot cooler, ya know." he confidently flips down his board and starts to jump on it , but he only barely gets a foot before slipping off and landing on the ground face first. Everyone decided it was better to ignore him and continue with the introductions.

Next stepped up an innocent looking kid who happened to be one of the shorter students in the class. skull pinned to his sweater vest caught Hajime's eye first. Underneath was a clean, white dress shirt and a sweater vest. dress pants stained his legs black as he gave a smile, showing off the gap in the center of his teeth. He had very round glasses perched on his nose with long lashed eyes. Bangs colored his forehead with a silvery gray color as a bowl cut wrapped around the rest of his head. "I'm Beagan Sweeney, The Ultimate Tattoo Artist. I once tattooed someone's entire body in 24 hours. It was quite meditative if I do say so myself." Well, Hajime appreciated his forwardness as the boy stepped to the side, allowing the next to step forward.

A girl with a crop top and tight hot pants stepped up, a blazer was tossed over her shoulders a ponytail made its home high on the side of her head. She had on small, square glasses and painted nails flashed as she nervously rubbed her hands together. She blinked her dolled lashes around her bright blue eyes before swallowing hard. Hajime noted how nervous she looked. She was definitely the shortest person here. She bit her thumb instinctively as Komaeda went to speak for her.

"This is Masako Kagabu, the Ultimate Stock Trader. She's made millions buying and selling stocks! She has almost clairvoyant precision when it comes to her work. She has gotten a lot of her clients rich without leaving her own home."

Kagabu went to open her mouth but quickly shut it. Whimpering as she ran back to her place next to the other introduced students. She was soon replaced by a more confident looking girl. She had a high, ponytail pulled tight at the top of her head. She had on a fancy dress up shirt, buttoned up with purpose to go with the perfect wrinkle free nature of her outfit. She had a ostentatious cravat rising from the collar of her shirt and a pencil skirt that wrapped her hips. Her shoes looked very out of place, however. Clearly made for use in a kitchen to prevent slipping. The smallest Chef hats Hajime had ever seen rested on her head.

"This is Candi Bellerose, the Ultimate Chef. She's been working at restaurants since she was 8 and a sou chef at has created some of the most delicious recipes known to man, plus she has her own cooking show!"

She let out a snobbish laugh, covering her mouth with one of her hands as she got a big grin. "It's the only thing keeping that network alive, truth be told. Anyways, all my recipes will make you drool, you'll all have to let me cook for you sometime!"

The next guy had a very commanding presence about him. An oily, black dome of hair covered his head his red eyes seemed like they could make you do anything he wanted. A single lock escaped from the rest and hung down over his forehead,. His eyes were an imposing red and underneath lay dark lines around his eyes. He wore a snazzy white suit with a black undershirt and a white tie. He looked very proud of himself, even though he hadn't done anything yet.

"This is Mitsuharu Sugai, The Ultimate Motivational Speaker. He inspires masses with his words alone and conjures hope just by bringing out inner confidence in are rumors that the prime minister wouldn't be the man he is today without the help of sugai."

"No matter the situation, I can talk you through anything! Hell, I could do wonders to this lanky, white haired fella." He spoke with a loud, booming voice, giving him a hard, firm slap on the back. Hajime flinched slightly,it sounded like it hurt.

Surprised, Komaeda stumbled from the contact and let out a wispy laugh, one Hajime knew from experience that it was completely fake. "I doubt you could make a rotting piece of trash like me feel good about himself! There's nothing here to inspire! Even so, I would feel honored if you tried."

They were almost done with introductions, only a few students still needed to be introduced. It was unusual that Monokuma waited so patiently for them to get through all of this,hajime thought as the next girl walked up. She had her hair pulled into two long, brown pigtails to keep it out of her eyes. Her eyes were a nebulous green and they scanned over Komaeda as if she was carefully considering something about him. She had on a basic school uniform, On Her white shirt, a small red tie came down and neatly tied against her chest. Her skirt was a shade paler than the tie. The most strange thing about her was the large box she had tossed over her shoulder by the strap more specifically,the odd assortment objects protruding from the top. Ears and claws that look like they were ripped off of a monster accompanied by a plumage of well worn and colorful brushes. You could tell the girl was a fan of cult monster movies as the star of a specific creature feature adorned the top of her knee high socks.

"This is Saya Eguchi, she's the Ultimate Special Effects Master. She's done monster makeup for hundreds of well known movies and tv shows. Once, A police officer mistook one of her more gruesome creations for the real deal, giving that actor the surprise of his life!"

Eguchi gave an awkward chuckle as she timidly rubbed the back of her neck. When she spoke Hajime could see she had in fake vampire teeth. "Well, I I toned it down after that guy got shot. It's too bad he ruined 8 hours worth of makeup though..."

The second to last girl who walked up was the tallest in the entire group. Muscled arms branched out from a solid torso and underneath two powerful legs to match.. A determined jaw showed someone who never gave up until she got her way. Expressive yellow eyes challenged everyone in the room with carefully placed makeup around them to make them even sharper. She had on a jacket with a large collar and a wrinkled undershirt underneath. Her short skirt underneath matched the muted brown of her jacket and some hints of red decorated her jacket and skirt, her hips carried a toolbelt, filled with screwdrivers, pallets, and carving tools amongst other things. She would have been completely unapproachable if not for the cute bunny charm Hanging out of her coat pocket Her hair was a faded brown and harshly shaved close to her head, shaved on the sides and spiked up into a small fohawk. This girl also struck Hajime as extremely familiar.

"This is Koi Yunokawa, The Ultimate Toy Maker. She's brought joy to countless children around the world! Of all of the toys she's made every single one sold out on the first day. There are rumors that Toys R Us and Target have started a blood feud over her"

Yunokawa gives a big smile before nodding proudly. "I take great pride in my toys! I love nothing more than seeing children happy!" Yunokawa grinned as she went to take a step aside for the last girl.

The word innocent seemed to fit this girl perfectly. She had on a short sleeved dress shirt underneath a flowy, navy green sundress. She had on pure white stockings under her dress. Her hair was a soft brown, flowing down the center of her back, where the end of it was pulled into a navy green scrunchy. Her eyes were a gentle honey brown. Teeth perfectly aligned, and skin without a blemish. Her smile was patient as she waited to be introduced.

But a moment went by and Komaeda didn't say anything. Glancing over at him, Hajime noticed Komaeda looked… sicker than normal. His face paled and he took a few steps away from her, almost as if she carried some contagious disease. Eyes wild as he looked her over. "No! Keep her away from me!"

Hajime jumped. The reaction had been so unexpected. He reached out to grab panicked figure by the shoulder. "Nagito! What's wrong?"

"Yeijiro Hotta… please keep her away from me!" Hajime had heard a lot of eccentric things from the Lucky Student, but this, this was weirdly different.

"Calm down! She's just a little girl! Damn, I thought we were over this freaky ass phase of yours!' Souda spoke up, taking a step forward confronting the break down in front of him.

They all paused as Monokuma's laugh echoed behind them. Everyone turning to look at the evil bear with either a glare or confusion. "So, let's move on to the rules, kiddos!" He said, patting his waist as he looked everyone over. "Now, everyone pull out their eHandbooks!"

"What eHandbooks?" Shouted one of the kids from the crowd, Hajime easily pin pointed it as Umeko as the source of the voice.

Monokuma huffed, as if explaining it more than the gesture was just too much work. "Check your pockets! Do some problem solving on your own, would ya!"

There was a slight pause as everyone reached into their pockets. The devices were the size of large smart phones. The second they turned to look at it, the screens lit up, displaying their name above three other tabs. Hajime looked his over, reading over to see what the tabs read. Rulebook, Teachers, and Students. Monokuma continued the instructions as if it was some kind of tech demonstration, holding the handbook up for everyone to see. "Now, Please press the rulebook everyone and read over all of the Rules!"

Hajime swallowed. Many of the rules were the same as the previous killing game. Some were new. There were a few near the end of the list was most of the new rules. Hajime read them all over with a knot forming in his gut.

"Rule 1 Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.

Rule 2 "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Students are allowed to go anywhere they'd like on Campus. However Teachers must stay in their dormitories during the night. A teacher leaving the dormitories at night will cause strict punishment!

Rule 3 With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.

Rule 4 Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.

Rule 5 Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

Rule 6 During a trial, teachers must also vote for who they think the killer is.

Rule 7 During a trial, teachers can only talk to students in their assigned groups. Students in other groups cannot hear you.

Rule 8 Only students in a teachers group has access to their rooms. All Teachers rooms are locked with a scanner that will read ones eHandbook.

Rule 9 If a teacher's whole group dies, they will be punished.

Rule 10If a teacher breaks any rule, they will be sent through a Killing Minigame.

"What do you mean… Teacher's groups?"

Hajime looked up from the handbook. It had been one of the student's who had spoken. He turned to see Niijima, her handbook cupped in both of her hands like a brittle egg. Her eyes turned on the bear with massive worry.

Monokuma let out his trademark laugh before he pointed to a bulletin board near the stage of the gym. "Come take a look! Get in your groups and remember who's all there. And teachers," Monokuma started with a toothy grin on one side of his face, "try not to let your students down. Oh! And someone take Naegi to his room. Otherwise I might just punish him for fun!" With another sick laugh, Monokuma vanished into the ground.

Panic spread around the gym in seconds, the students yelling over each other as they tried to figure out what was going on. Some of the students with hands cupped over their ears as they trembled under the louder ones. Through the chaos,Hajime's gut turned as he reflected on what just happened. The panic of the students reminded him of when he had to participate in these games. The desperate cries were getting to him, his head started to spin and he swallowed hard. He didn't even see Gundham walk to the front of the room until his loud voice shot through the confusion, shutting everyone up instantly as they all turned their eyes to the man at the front of the Gymnasium.

"It is time to end your bickering, you weak mortals! When I call thy name, You will head to your master, Understood!" Gundham didn't wait for anyone to respond before going on to the list. "Carol, Sweeney, and Kusonoki, rejoice because you lowly creatures shall make a blood pact with me, The Great and Powerful Gundham Tanaka!"

Hajime watched as the students quickly headed to the man's side. Hajime couldn't help but notice the botanist's big smile as she ran over to her teacher. Gundham gave them all a nod before he continued on speaking. "Sato, Sugai, and Niijima, you're with the lowly mortal Kazuichi Souda! Although he is unskilled in the black arts,, over the years I have grown to trust this strange creature."

Souda grumbled under his breath as the students walked over to him, Obviously irritated by Gundham's comments, but as the students gathered around them, despite himself a grin spread across his face. Snickering slightly as he went into greeting them with more detail.

"Now, Bellerose, Kagabu, and Hotta, you're with the small demon with the claw growing out of his head on the ground. He is Dungeon master Makoto Naegi!" Those students awkwardly gathered around their passed out teacher. Hotta even bending down as she poked the teacher in the cheek, trying to wake him up. Hajime probably would laugh at the scene if he didn't feel a pit of anguish churning through his gut like a massive storm.

"Next up, Kentaro, Luna, Yunokawa, and Kaito, You're all with Hajime Hinata, a mortal who has surpassed the title of contemptible in my demon eyes."

Hajime watched as the students gathered around him. He gave an awkward chuckle and a wave. Giving them all short hellos before turning to watch Nagito walk over to the last three students.

"Looks like the last of you are unfortunately stuck with me," Komaeda started, running his hand weirdly over his wispy, white hair, "I will try my best to come close to the greatness that is your other teachers and i hope you are not too disappointed with me as your teacher."

Hajime went to interject, but was surprised when one of the students did it for , you look pretty cool to me, bro. Your jacket is pretty sick, ya know?" Koba said as he picked his skateboard off the ground. Hajime wasn't too from someone who dresses like that was really capable of a compliment at all. Koba moved his other hand up for a fist bump, to his new teacher. Komaeda just gave a quizzical smile.

"Ah! What kind words. Coming from someone as talented as you too! I almost can't believe it!"

Realizing that the fist bump wasn't happening, Koba lowered his hand as subtly as he could. To Hajime, the whole scene was painfully awkward.

Hajime rolled his eyes as he went to look at his own section of students. That's when his heart dropped, again. He was responsible for their lives. If they died, it was his fault. Hajime had had nightmares of being forced into another killing game, hell he still had the hopes that he might wake up and realize it was all a sick dream… But he knew that was unlikely. It was the same thing all over again. Hajime took a deep breath as he looked his students over. He knew that had to do all he could to protect them and end this game as quickly as possible.

No matter what it takes, Hajime would end this.