CHAPTER 1

Am I dreaming? A question I ask myself a lot. After all, often, dreams can be painfully mundane. You get dressed, you eat breakfast, you go to school, and then oops- you were asleep the whole time. But sometimes, reality can be such a wild rollercoaster anyone would assume that they were actually dreaming. Am I dreaming?

The crackle of a fire danced around me playfully, gently enticing me to wake up. I didn't want to. I felt heavy. Sick and heavy. It then came to me. I didn't remember going to bed last night. I jolted my eyes open, concerned. But what I saw was the last thing I was expecting to see. A pair of dark green eyes, limitless like a deep forest.

"Eeeeeek!" They jumped back, and as did I, darting my hands to my pockets in terror. Now in full view of me, however, was a girl. She was clad in a sailor uniform with a dark green skirt and collar, complete with a red ribbon underneath. She had green argyle ankle socks and mary janes, and her apricot-coloured hair was waist-length, straight and loose. A red mushroom hairpin rested to the right of her fringe. On second thought, I decided to leave my daggers where they were. She didn't seem dangerous, at the very least.

"Heya. I'm sorry for scaring you." I bowed apologetically. It was then that I realised I was seated atop a notably comfy leather armchair.

"Oh, um... that's okay?" She whispered shyly, running her fingers through a large lock of her hair and not meeting my eyes. We appeared to be in some kind of lounge, with red brick walls, a rustic fireplace and an oddly terrifying bear rug.

"Do you know where we might be?" I asked in a calm voice. If I came across as scared, I could still be taken advantage of.

"Ah, um..." She trailed off meekly. "I'm not sure either..."

"Well, that's weird." I tipped my head. "As for me, I walked into Hope's Peak, felt dizzy and woke up here."

"I'm... the same." She gave the smallest of smiles. Perhaps she felt better to not be alone in her predicament.

"You're a Hope's Peak student too? What's your name?" I offered in a friendly tone. She may even be my classmate.

"...Kaori Yorufuku. The Ultimate Mycologist."

"Aha, mushrooms, isn't it?" I grinned.

"Y-yes!" She balled her hands into fists, eyes sparkling. Students of Hope's Peak were often so famous, each year's class was always a matter of discussion. To perhaps get to know my classmates beforehand, I'd researched forums dedicated to talking about them. So, as I found out, Kaori Yorufuku was the Ultimate Mycologist. The high school girl who could identify any mushroom in the world with a single glance, who's made crazy contributions to the understanding of fungi, and the one who had managed to breed several species to make mushrooms with incredible medicinal and culinary properties. Supposedly she was known as a god in the world of mycology. For someone who appeared so diminutive, that was quite a track record. I shook her hand, honestly impressed.

"And I'm Ren Mizokawa." I smiled. "The Ultimate Thief." Immediately, she snatched back her hand, gripping her shoulder bag close to her with a suspicious gaze. "Relax, Yorufuku-san. I'm not going to steal from you. If I wanted to, I would've already done it, and I don't just steal for no reason." I grinned, fighting back the urge to mock her. "Let's get along."

"S... sorry..." Yorufuku softened, staring dejectedly at the floor. "That was rude..."

"Please don't worry about it. It's a natural reaction." I flapped a hand, dismissing it. "Do you think this is Hope's Peak?"

"Um... n-no..." She shook her head, then pointed with a shaking arm toward something behind me. I twisted a little, then caught sight of a window fixed in the wall.

"Snow..." I breathed, confounded. Surely it was April? Where were we? We appeared to be on the ground floor, outside a huge heap of rested snow and a few conifers dotted around.

"S-so we can't be in Hope's Peak..." she poked her fingers together.

"Then where on earth could we be? Did we get kidnapped? Why don't we remember? Are there others?" I was questioning myself. No matter how hard I concentrated, my last memory was surely back there.

"There's... another thing." Yorufuku handed me a flimsy piece of paper with some pieced together characters.

'Hey there new kids! The next semester is about to start. Starting today, this place will be your entire world. The opening ceremony starts at 08:00 in the gym. Don't be late, or there'll be punishment!'

I glanced up at the clock. It was 07:30.

"Should we go...?" Yorufuku asked, looking at me desperately. "It could be a trap... I don't trust it."

"No, I don't think so." I shook my head. "If somebody wanted to kill us, they already would have, especially with us passed out until just now. Besides, this mentions a punishment, and I'm not sure I want to get on the bad side of whoever kidnapped us. I think you should come with me, Yorufuku-san." I suggested, standing up.

"O... okay..." she shivered, crossing her arms over her chest. Looking back, I wish I never asked her that. I wish we stayed in that room, thinking that letter was a trap. Because the moment we opened that door, our completely absurd, completely horrifying, completely real high school life begun.

AN:

Thanks for giving this a read! I've never written fanfiction in my life before, but I'll do my best to make this as exciting and interesting as possible. Also, I'm considering having Free Time later on, so please let me know which characters you'd like to see Ren talk to!