Editor: Crimson Spider Lily

Why do you even bother trying?…...Why can't you work for your dreams like everyone else?…..Do you not have a hobby or something to strive for?…..Do you even have any passions or goals?….Why do you even exist if you're going to sit there and do nothing all day?

My entire life, people have been asking me those questions. Well, this is just the shorthand version if anything. I never really considered myself to be special, outstanding or even unique amongst the rest of my peers. Heck, I never even expected that I would get this far in life without having some sort of mental breakdown.

I don't really like talking about myself that much, considering there really is nothing special about a girl like me whatsoever. You've probably heard about this line in cheesy romantic comedies or written in some dumb light novel: you're an average everyday nobody with no likable qualities whatsoever outside of just being a nice person who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Well, about those generic and forgettable faces, I was probably a tier below those doormats. I was nothing special, someone not worth other people's attention nor do I want their eyes gazing upon me or prying into my personal life whatsoever. I'm perfectly content with the life I've built for myself these past sixteen years, which is doing nothing but sleeping, basically.

Now, before you dismiss me as one of the many people who wish they could do nothing but sleep all day and seclude themselves in their bedroom- well, you'd be both right and wrong at the same time.

I do, in fact, love sleeping all day, but that's only in part because I can't do anything else worth mentioning without sounding like a tryhard. I'm not an athlete; I never cared for going outside and playing any type of sport. I'm not academically brilliant; I don't have an ego like most of those budding scientists and inventors. I'm not physically attractive or beautiful by anyone's standards; I don't care much for my appearance nor do I wish to and I much prefer walking around in my pajamas than bothering to get dressed to go anywhere really.

I prefered the insulated little bubble that I called my life. I love being indoors and wasting my precious youth away like most generations before me have criticized mine in the past for doing. I don't have any aspirations and I don't have that many hobbies that I'm particularly good at, mostly aside from staying glued to a screen all day.

Sleeping is the only thing that I'm actually good at. In fact, I decided to apply for a job that actually pays me to sleep, literally. I'm a mattress tester at a local mall in my busy and bustling town in the middle of nowhere. I work there from Mondays through Fridays, from nine to five, earning minimum wage like every other teenage. I even still live with my parents, how pathetic is that.

You might be wondering what my parents think about all of this and why they had let me end up this way. Well, dear reader, why don't you ask them yourself? I honestly don't even care for their opinion of me anymore, I'm one hundred percent honest about that. You might think I'm another bratty teenager who needs to get out more and should respect my elders or some crap, and while you are right, you're also wrong as well.

Let me explain, I was a very sickly girl growing up, my parents cared for me the best they could, all the while dealing with my weak immune system and depression. They've tried everything from sleep therapy, hypnosis, reverse psychology, antidepressants and other medications and even simple household remedies you could make with stuff you find at home. Want to know how it ended? Well, of course, all these specific "treatments" failed with little to no success.

I don't really believe in that all that psychosomatic crap or whatever they call it. Those doctors only cared about one particular thing and that's making money off of hapless idiots who will do anything to cure themselves of their perceived illnesses. Honestly, doctors are just there for validation, in my opinion from years of experience, and to take every last penny the government or you give them in order to keep you coming back for more. I'd call it extortion, but unfortunately it's legal according to the government's healthcare plan, so no one bats an eye at these tactics and they all go along with their day as if nothing happened.

My parents were very controlling and two faced people and that's the sugarcoated version. They'd rather have a trophy to tote around instead of a child to raise and care for, as if they didn't sign up to be parents in the first place. They always considered me to be the problem and blamed all their mistakes on me. I never liked socializing nor did I make any friends when I went to public schools due to my diminishing health and social anxiety. I always came home, jumped into my bed, took my medication, slept the days away and only came outside for food and to use the bathroom; basically the essentials.

It's not my fault I was born this way, on numerous occasions, my parents would lambast me for my behavior and innocuous mannerisms, here and there. They, despite not having any skills or qualifications in terms of athletics, beauty or academia, expected me to be better than them in every way shape and form, like some child prodigy puppet they could attach strings to and dictate my every move like some twisted game of chess.

Their ideal of the perfect daughter is some kind of shitty and half-assed porcelain doll, who would grow up to become beautiful, charismatic, gain lots of new friends, both in person and online, snatch up a boyfriend, maybe even graduate to college with a fancy pants degree, start a family with the next jackass who took a fancy to her and then to finish it off give birth to insufferable offspring who would only heighten my need to kill myself faster and give my parents someone to actually coddle and pamper.

I didn't want to be bound by their constrictive rules or mindset. They wanted a tool, someone they could manipulate into doing what they wanted. If that was the case, then they'd be better off adopting some random orphan off of the streets, instead of raising someone they considered a leech. How did they expect me to be any better than them, when they themselves don't tote much prowess in any sort of field? You reap what you sow is what I always believe in.

They were the worst parents ever, both figuratively and literally. As soon as they realized that I was just as monotone and boring as them, they quickly expunged me from their lives, but not entirely, mind you. I don't mean casually ignoring me from time to time or forgetting to make me breakfast for a few days, it went a step further than that. They would openly insult me but mask their harsh words with a polite and condescending tone. They would lampoon and make fun of me to their friends on the phone or when entertaining guests downstairs, belittle my sickly nature and even go so far as to force me to do whatever they wanted, no matter if it interested me or not.

If I didn't listen to them, they would either berate me, call me an ungrateful little brat who they wished was never born and even on occasion hit me with the closest object they had on hand, a newspaper, belt or something much worse if it was in their line of sight.

I've become numb to their rants, diatribes and meaningless lectures. They never understood me nor did they even care to pay any attention or ask me how I'm doing half the time. I was basically nothing to them, just another mouth to feed, living underneath their roof.

Their foundation of "discipline", as they liked to call it, was nothing short of child abuse. No one at school seemed to care either, my classmates would all look at me with cautious or disconcerting eyes and either snicker like a gremlin or laugh in my general direction. They either giggled or chuckled to their friends, openly talked aloud about whether I actually earned my grades to get into the school or more than often taunt me with snide remarks and openly mock me for my health or habits, asking me to do favors for them or they would harass me everyday and call me names until I graduated.

I wanted them out of my face but didn't have the courage to tell them off as most would, so I was their servant for a few years, catering to their every whim as everyone laughed at me, someone who was easy to take advantage of and the weakest among the pack. No one stood up for me, nor did any teacher seem to care or notice enough to actually step in. Our education system was a failure in more ways than one, the students got away with bullying and harassing their classmates and the teachers were more concerned with getting their paycheck or getting the lesson over and done with. It makes me laugh even more when people wonder why the suicide rate is increasingly high in Japan. It's because of treatment like this, that goes unnoticed, yet people want to act like they care, once the person in question dies and then they forget about them a month later.

I eventually dropped out of school at age thirteen, learning that my peers were morons who had nothing better to do with their lives than whine on social media or talk about what their plans for after middle or high school was. But unlike them, I didn't have such clear aspirations or goals nor did I cling to much materialism.

My parents officially disowned me, but still kept me under their roof, since I was still underage at the time. They would feed me, give me clothes to wear and even let me sleep in my own room, but only out of obligation, when their friends came over, they would laugh and joke like the two-faced liars they were, pretending as if they didn't have a child to take care of or even acknowledge from time to time.

At that point in my life, I didn't want anything to do with anyone anymore, I had officially lost faith in all of humanity and no, this is not a joke, I mean it. The only thing that kept me tethered to life was my job at the mall, testing new mattresses and getting paid to basically do nothing but lounge around like a couch potato. When I said sleeping was my safe haven, I meant it in every sense of the word.

Even though I got paid scraps daily, I still enjoyed every second I could squeeze out of each boring work day. I got paid to sleep, which is the only thing I actually look forward to at the end of the day and everything else in my life, only spiraled downhill once it started to look up.

A shallow and pathetic dream you might be saying to yourself, well it may be shallow to you, but to me it's the exact opposite, it's quite fulfilling. It's actually one of the reasons I haven't killed myself yet, if you really care to know. Why would I, I'm too lazy to do it, so don't give me that look.

At school, they would always give these sentimental yet half-hearted speeches about teenage suicide that fly over everyone's heads in favor of the latest trending topic on social media. If people actually cared about stuff like that, then I'd be getting counsel right now as we speak.

To put it simply, I had no reason to live…..none whatsoever….

So why did I get a letter to the most prestigious academy in the city? Who even cared to notice someone like me? What exactly led up to what can be considered the most hectic and mind boggling experience of my adolescent life? Well, let's find out.

I woke up one fateful day, feeling refreshed and lethargic, awoken from a good dream about dancing sheep and caramel fudge brownies and realized that I was back in the real world. I groggily flipped my blanket covers to the side of my bed, leaving my bedroom at a zombie's pace, slinking into the kitchen. I yawned loudly, stretching my arms out and noticing my parents had both left for work, judging from there being two plates having been freshly washed and surprise surprise, no breakfast for me.

I rolled my eyes and noticed some mail on the table, picking it up in sheer curiosity and perusing through its contents. As per usual, it was nothing special: bills, fashion magazines, taxes and other useless junk.

That is until I noticed a particularly pretty maroon envelope with a very unique logo on the top right side. It was colored white on its crest and bore a white bird of sorts on the cover like a dove, had white olive vines wrapped around its wings sticking out like thorns, a white pencil faced diagonally left of the dove, a white sword facing the opposite direction of the pencil. Behind the dove was a shield of sorts, one side black and the other white.

It looked to be from some fancy rich people type of school, but I didn't really pay it much mind at the time. I just assumed they might have gotten the wrong address or something from how regal the envelope was, because otherwise why would I get something like this?

I then dumped it into the trash can in the kitchen and went on with my day, the same old same old routine, nothing new, took the bus to the mall, tested a new line of mattresses and came home to parents who couldn't give a damn about me or even notice I was gone.

The next day, however, was another story entirely. Instead of getting more bills, I saw another maroon envelope, with the same white logo on the top right corner, similar to the one I got the day before. I immediately thought it must have been some stupid prank or something. Whoever was pranking me had a really nasty sense of humor, I had to give them that.

This time, instead of dumping it, I unraveled the top, pulled out the letter and noticed it was addressed to me and not my parents. I then began to read its contents; it looked to be one of those college acceptance letters you get once you fulfill a certain requirement like writing an essay or participating in a contest or something, so I guess you could call it an acceptance letter of sorts.

I never recalled doing anything similar or special to get into any school nor did I even attempt something like that for that matter, but I read the letter anyway. It read as follows:

"Dear, Ms. Makura,

We would like to humbly congratulate you on gaining acceptance to Serenity Heights Academy. As an newly forged Ultimate Student, you will have many opportunities at your disposal. This is your chance to join the ranks as one of the many future and potential Ultimates who have attended our school…"

The letter went on to aggrandize and adulate the school's many achievements, from the multiple school events, to the college opportunities and how many Ultimates pursue a higher degree or get successful jobs or something along those lines. A whole list of reasons to entice anyone with an average personality. I instantly assumed it was a prank from the get go.

However, what caught my attention was the talent that they referred to me as; it stood out the most to me, amongst the clutter and congested words inscribed onto the white paper.

"As the Ultimate Mattress Tester…"

Ultimate? So wait? I was some kind of special student to these people? Is this not a prank? Are they serious about this? Someone must be trolling me, right?

I mean Ultimate Mattress Tester? Did they really scrape the bottom of the barrel when it came to picking students to attend this fake sounding school or were they that desperate due to low attendance? I mean, call me crazy, but any school that parades around the word Ultimates liberally, as this letter suggests, must be some sort of prank or joke school. This letter's sole purpose, in my eyes, was meant to patronize me further as someone who was only good for sleeping, I might as well be called "the Ultimate Mattress Tester."

I obviously dismissed this letter as well, not sure if someone was intentionally trying to troll me or if someone from my old school wanted to prank me one last time to sink it into my brain that teenagers suck. Was it to get my hopes up at a bright future or was it to ruin whatever little faith I had left in humanity? I don't know anymore…

I tossed it into the trash and headed back to my bedroom to get ready for my job at the mattress store. I went upstairs, headed to my room in the back and looked at the sky outside of my foggy window. I noticed there was a slight chance of rain from the grey clouds and the gloomy atmosphere encompassing the area, spackles of rain landed onto my window as I felt the cold glass breathing onto my fingertips.

"Perfect…" I mumbled quietly, somewhat satisfied.

For me personally, it was a fantastic day when it was about to rain or drizzle. It helped me sleep better, knowing that my parents aren't here to annoy me and that I could take a nice bus ride to the mall, while staring at the raindrops pattering against the window screen. It was pure bliss in my opinion.

I guess I never really introduced myself did I? Well it's not like you'll remember my name anyway, it's probably too late as well. But if you must know, my name is Ruri Makura..….there, happy now? Even my name is boring and uninspired.

It may sound cute and adorable to others, but I didn't think the same. Let's just say when you get called "Dreary Ruri" as often as I have, then it becomes annoying to have to listen to the same repetitive childish insult over and over again like a broken record.

I stared into the mirror near my white vanity and gazed at my appearance. I was bland in every way, shape and form. Well, what I constitute as bland anyways.

My messy long pink hair was fashioned into a wavy ponytail that ended at my knees with two long strands of hair framing the sides of my sleepy face like two low hanging twin tails. My dark pink eyes hid black bags underneath, not that I made much effort to cover them up. My pale skin felt soft to touch but slightly unhealthy from lack of vitamin D. My skinny and petite frame emphasized how frail I was nor did I have the chest that would impress anyone either. I have dimples in my cheeks and there was a birthmark shaped like some fluffy cloud on my left leg.

Aside from my pink hair and pink eyes, everything else about me didn't really stand out much. Funnily enough, I got bullied for my hair color, even though it's natural. It's harder for me to remain inconspicuous when my hair sticks out worse than a sore thumb.

I rummaged through my closet and didn't see much of note, except the same old ugly, unfashionable outfits my parents forced me to wear on random occasions in order to look presentable. I took out my only favorite and comfortable outfit and slapped it onto my person as sluggishly as humanly possible.

It comprised of a light, silky pink nightgown with a bow tied around the collar. It was fitted so that it's cut above my knees with frilly white ends. A pink and white vest rested snugly underneath my gown and reached the dress' ends. I wore my favorite fuzzy pink bunny slippers with white eyes and black whiskers, a pink ribbon night mask tied around my neck, a white headband with a pink rose resting on the side of my head, a pink bracelet around my right wrist with an artificial white sheep on the strap and a small strap on my left wrist with a dark red mini pillow attached to it, in case I got sleepy on the go.

I know my outfit was cute and very feminine, but you wouldn't believe how comfortable it really was. It was like wearing a fluffy white pillow. The poofy white cotton fibers and silky smooth fabric rubbed against my skin ever so tenderly and my pink slippers made it easier for me to take them off at a moment's notice. Considering my job, this was my go-to outfit, even if people gave me weird stares as I made my way to the mall or even to the bus stop.

With all that in hand, I headed out of my house, leaving with no breakfast and only indulging on a glass of water before leaving. I didn't bother locking the door or cleaning up my room, because no one seemed to mind and I stared back at my house, staring at the nameplate of our family's last name, "Makura" and scoffing in disgust, glaring at the name with an ice cold stare.

"I hate this family…" I mumbled as I left the house, walking at a slow pace.

I passed by the neighbours' homes on the way, as some of them either stared at me, almost as if I was an alien, whispering to their other neighbors behind my back, ignoring me completely or giving me half-hearted hellos.

"I hate this neighborhood…" I mumbled, arriving at the bus stop.

I sat on the blue bench underneath a shaded area by the seats, as some drizzle poured down from the grey sky. I sat there calmly, sleepily gazing at the sky above, and pretended to count sheep. I felt content listening to the sound of rain; it was soothing and one of the few things that kept me at ease.

As I daydreamed, two people sat near me on the bench as well, from the looks of them, they were students from the old middle school I used to attend. I knew I remembered that gaudy school uniform from somewhere; the design was etched into my mind, like a bad memory.

The boys' uniform was a black shirt with a collar that extended to their necks, black pants and brown shoes. The girls' uniform consisted of a white blouse, blue navy necktie, navy blue skirt, black socks and brown shoes. A bunch of normal colors that clashed with my hair and my eyes, as most people would tell me.

"Oh, sorry miss.." the boy said, "Didn't see you there, my bad."

"Don't talk to her…" the girl remarked cautiously, "She's that girl…"

"Oh, her…." the boy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree in shock, "You're right…"

"Let's go…" the girl tugged onto the boy's arm.

The two students left the bus stop, almost in a hurry. From the looks of it, they didn't want to be seen fraternizing or in the general vicinity as the hag who never leaves her room. Word travels fast in this town of mine and it's no surprise that I even scare children away.

"I hate that school...fuck everyone…" I mumbled grumpily.

I continued looking at the sky as I awaited for my bus to arrive. I suddenly felt a bit sleepier than usual, more so than I usually was. My eyelids were heavier than lead and my body felt tipsy and drowsy, almost as if someone had drugged me with some gas or liquid I consumed.

As I swayed back and forth, my body fell over to the side of the bench. My then weakened state only heightened what little hope I had of getting back up. I hazily spied a black car of sorts, approaching the bus stop, as faint images of men in suits appeared from the vehicle and approached me, with the coldest faces I've ever seen in my life.

Was this really happening? Is my life really...going to end this way….Is this for real?

….Or one big dream?

A/N: Hello hello lovely people, I am back once again with another Danganronpa story!

Now before you all start asking me questions about where I've been lately and what the hell I'm doing making more stories when I should be focusing my attention on the three I have right now. Let me explain.

Firstly, this story isn't an SYOC, so sorry guys ;-;

As much as you love my SYOC's, I've decided to shake up my writing style for a bit and work on a side project that's honestly just for shits and giggles. Of course this story won't be as heavily uploaded as my other works, considering this one is more of an off-day project, but that doesn't mean it's dead in the water.

Secondly, this is an AU setting, so Hope's Peak doesn't exist, but instead Serenity Heights, my own version of Hope's Peak and this story will not be canon, go figure. So anything in this story is anyone's guess. However there might be a few references I could potentially slip in that you might not notice X3.

Thirdly, this is my first time making an original Danganronpa story with my own original cast, so bare with me. It's not going to be one hundred percent perfect like the games and if you spot some inconsistencies with my original characters, it might have a purpose, maybe not, we'll see XD.

Fourthly, if this story does eventually get off the ground and it does really well, I might make more stories like it in the future, if I'm able to XD. Who knows, I have a lot of OCs to make and potentially send off to death games, so yeah, good times X3.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has supported me with my previous stories and are continuing to send love their way. It means a lot to me that you guys like what I've done so far and what I have achieved over these two years I've been on FF.

Enough rambling, here is the official cast of Danganronpa Nihilistic Symphony and if you have any thoughts on the character's talents or who you think might die, even though you haven't met them yet, let me know in the reviews or the PMs X3.

Of course this story isn't meant to garner any sort of attention, this is just me expressing my love for a series that brought me out of a dark period in my life, so to show my love and dedication to writing, I present to you this AU story.

Bye guys, I hope you all have a wonderful day, night, holiday or whatever it is you are celebrating. I will see you all later, whenever I decide to upload next, and, without further ado, I present the cast of Nihilistic Symphony.

STUDENT ROSTER:

Males:

Tatsuya Teruhashi - Ultimate Daredevil

Aloysius Brighton - Ultimate Historian

Garou Fujiyama - Ultimate Politician

Saiji Ogata - Ultimate Thief

Eizo Dokidoki - Ultimate Surgeon

Zakuro Sakuranbo - Ultimate Pomologist

Katsuki Yukimoto - Ultimate Movie Director

Danuja Uyemura - Ultimate Cult Leader

Females:

Ruri Makura - Ultimate Mattress Tester

Momoko Iesada - Ultimate Wedding Planner

Haruhi Uchimiya - Ultimate Fashion Consultant

Meisa Hayakawa - Ultimate Shrine Maiden

Nozomi Sakukaji - Ultimate Rapper

Latifah Cartwright - Ultimate Newspaper Editor

Rin Tsuzurahara - Ultimate Broadway Singer

Kotori Nomura - Ultimate Tinkerer

If there are any talents that catch your fancy, please let me know X3 in the reviews or PM's as well.

Happy reading my fellow readers, authors and otaku alike, have a wonderful week.

Bye bye!