Future’s Hope - A Danganronpa Spinoff

by Taylor-aimee

'Despair is a wretched, horrible thing. It twists and curls around the corners of your mind, waiting for the moment you weaken so it can break in and engulf your thoughts with bleak, depressing imagery. It bides its time, waits until you are hopeful, and crushes that hope with the fist of an iron-clad hand. It holds your dreams in front of you on a fishing line, forever out of re

2. Prologue

"Hey!" A voice called, "Hey, are you here?"

"Are you even awake?" The voice came closer to me and I immediately pulled away from it, annoyed.

And I felt my head drop off the desk.

"Gyagh-!" I hit the ground hard, groaning.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and found myself face-down on hardwood flooring. I waited for the voice to come back, to scold me for sleeping in class, but when nothing came I decided it was safe to push myself upwards and look around.

There was no way I was coming back from falling off my desk in the middle of class. Surely I would be the laughing stock of the school.

Slowly, I shifted onto my knees, lifting my head.

And I gasped.

I was on the floor of an unfamiliar room with blank white walls and a wooden bed with matching white sheets on it. A desk sat in front of me, pressed against the wall with a swivel chair spun halfway round.

"What the-" I jumped up, suddenly on edge.

Where was this?

The top of the desk held a keyring and a small box, neatly wrapped in black and white wrapping paper.

Heart beating fast, I moved to the desk as quietly as I could and grabbed the keyring, pushing a key between my knuckles as a weapon in case of attack.

How did I go from sleeping in class to waking up here?

I peered around the corner of the bedroom I was in, but to my surprise, I couldn't see anyone in the next room.

Where had that voice come from?

Slowly, I stepped around the corner.

A small living space was set up in front of me. A low glass coffee table sat in front of a white couch, a small vase with a fake flower placed onto the table. Next to the couch was a wardrobe with sliding doors, unopened and silent.

In a small alcove next to the wardrobe was two doors. One had a nice frosted glass covering it, and the other had a peephole. I decided to look at the frosted glass door first.

When I opened it, the first thing I saw was my own face staring at me from a mirror, confused and with messy hair.

I stepped inside and leant forward, fixing my hair and rubbing my eyes. Finally, I looked at myself again.

This is me.

Asahi Seiko, the Ultimate Parkour Expert.

My white hair shot out in different awkward directions, but it was the best I could get it to look. Dark purple eyes stared out from a pale face, my uniform slightly rumpled but not terrible-looking.

I glanced around the room. It had all the basics. A shower, toilet and sink.

Not seeing anything of particular interest, I left the room, closing the door behind me.

I looked upwards, and noticed how tall the ceilings were.

I also noticed something strange.

Frowning, I moved closer to the strange object, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

Ah!

A security camera?!

What was a camera doing in my room?

A shiver ran down my spine. Was I being watched?

The lens of the camera stared at me silently, offering no answer.

Slowly, I backed away from it, my shoulders squared. Something was off here. Something was definitely off.

I tried to think back to how I could have found myself in a strange room, but my memories were fuzzy. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in class...

"Oh!" I uttered the word out loud, making myself jump.

They had said something about tests before I fell asleep that day. To assure we truly were the Ultimates in our chosen talent.

But why would they wake us up in a random room? This place had nothing to do with my talent!

I ran my hands through my hair in frustration, shaking my head.

A hostage situation? If it was, it was a comfortable one.

Tests? I couldn't perform my talent in a bedroom!

Wait.

The dorm rooms. Future's Hope had all its Ultimate students move into dorm rooms at the beginning of the year. That must have been it. The last thing I remembered was a teacher speaking about the tests. I had performed the test, and passed, and therefore I had been taken to my dorm room to be fully accepted into Future's Hope!

I clapped my hands together happily.

That must be it!

With a new boost of confidence, I strolled to the front door of my dorm room and twisted the handle, yanking the door open.

"Kyaaaaaaah! It's a monster!" A voice screamed, and suddenly I was on the ground, a pain growing in my stomach.

This was my welcome to Future's Hope?

Wait.

A monster?!

"Kyaaaah! I didn't mean to hit you so hard!" The voice shouted again. I groaned and cracked my eyes open, a pair of tan legs meeting my vision, blue and yellow school shoes attached.

"It speaks! Do you understand English, monster?" The voice asked.

"I'm not a monster." I groaned, pushing myself into a sitting position. I looked up, finally seeing the face of my aggressor.

She had tan skin and black hair in four plaits which seemed to defy gravity. Her eyes were wide, one blue, the other half-blue and half-yellow. She wore a faded yellow jumper with the sleeves rolled up under a blue pinafore dress, a dark blue belt with a pouch attached sitting on her hips. Two hair clips held strands of hair which framed her face, one a circle, the other a cross, also blue. A bow adorned the shirt she wore under the jumper, dark blue and poking out over the jumper and pinafore.

"A monster not believing it's a monster! I didn't know this trope existed in real life!" The girl gasped.

"Who are you?" I asked, running a hand through my hair.

"I should be asking you that question, monster!" The girl replied.

I frowned.

I had no idea what was going on.

But I don't know my way around Future's Hope, so it would be nice to have a person to help me around.

"My name is Asahi Seiko. I'm the Ultimate Parkour Expert." I said, standing up.

Finally, I noticed how short the girl was. She only reached my shoulder.

"Oh, oh! You're an Ultimate? I am too!" She grinned.

"Isn't everyone that goes to Future's Hope an Ultimate?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Eh?" The girl frowned, "we aren't at Future's Hope, silly."

Wait, what?

"Not at...Future's Hope? Then where are we?" I asked, looking away from her.

A glass wall met my eyes, looking over an empty space outside. The sun shone into the hallway, casting strong shadows.

But, there was something else. The empty space was in a square shape, and windows covered the three other walls, showing what the rest of the place looked like.

Directly across from us was a hallway. The hall to my right held four doors, and the one to my left a set of double doors, unmoving and silent, two glass cases sat on either side of them.

Looking behind me, I noticed my room was one of many, the rooms disappearing to the right around a corner.

But-

There, down the end of the hall. A large opening in the wall, covered by bars. It was one of two things.

A way out.

Or some kind of trap.

I moved to walk towards it, ready to investigate, but I was yanked back by someone with surprising strength.

"Hey, were you even listening?" The black-haired girl asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh, uhm..." I paused, "no. Sorry."

"You missed my self introduction!" The girl puffed her cheeks out annoyedly, then her expression changed, "oh well, now I can give it one hundred percent!"

"One hundred percent?" I asked.

"Of course! My name is Kioko Kozakura, the Ultimate Board Gamer! I'm the Queen of the chess set, the leader of Operation, the master of the game of Life!" She shouted with such energy that I found myself suddenly feeling inferior.

"And I have no idea where we are!" Kioko Kozakura finished with a triumphant grin, as if she had just solved the world's problems.

"I'm not sure that not knowing where we are is a good thing..." I trailed off, "Wait, why did you think I was a monster?!" Her words from earlier suddenly came back to me.

"Eh? Oh, right! You have white hair, and I've never seen a person with white hair before!" She explained.

"White hair doesn't mean I'm a monster..." I mumbled, running my hand through my hair.

"But it's suuuuper rare!" Kioko replied, before pausing, "can I touch it?" She asked quietly.

"Huh?" I jumped back a little bit in shock, "aren't there more important things to think about?"

"Hmmm..." The Ultimate Board Gamer trailed off, "probably. But I want to touch your hair! In case I never get the chance to after this moment!"

"We should go over there. It might have some clues." I replied, ignoring her statement. I began to walk towards the wall with the bars, and after a moment I heard light footsteps jogging to catch up.

"Hey! Don't walk off on me! I've got the Ultimate knowledge on escape room games!" Kioko said.

"I thought you were the Ultimate Board Gamer?" I asked.

"There are escape room board games!" Kioko replied defiantly, poking her nose into the air.

"Ahh, well, I guess my knowledge on board games isn't that advanced." I said, laughing to myself.

We walked to the end of the hall in almost complete silence, and as the wall came into more clarity, my eyes widened in shock.

A staircase behind a wall of rusted, bent bars, too small for someone to fit through.

"Dammit." I grumbled, gripping one of the bars and pulling it. Surprisingly, it held strong.

"I bet we need a special key to unlock it! And to find that key, we have to solve a series of increasingly difficult puzzles which will test the strength of our comrades and eventually lead us to an irrefutable victory with the combined knowledge and power of friendship!" Kioko shouted excitedly, "let's start searching!"

I went to reply to her, but before I could another voice interrupted us.

"Ooooooiii, is that other people I see?" The person shouted from down the hallway.

I spun to see a boy with short blonde curls peeking out from under a pilot's hat, looking at us with binoculars he made from his hands.

But before I could question anything that was happening, he shot off like a rocket towards us.

Shocked, I simply froze in place as he barrelled towards me at full force, awaiting my certain doom at the hands of this...pilot?

But then he stopped.

The boy looked up at Kioko and I with wide blue eyes, a huge smile on his face.

He wore a white and gold Pilot's uniform, but instead of a button-up shirt underneath the blazer he simply wore an orange t-shirt. His shoes were navy blue, matching the accents on his uniform, and his hat was the same, a badge of a shield with a singular wing coming out of the top of it placed squarely in the centre of his hat. His uniform was adorned with pins of random things, from popular characters in fiction to the names of cities.

"Hi! What's your names? Where did you come from? Have you found the way out? Are you Ultimates? Which school do you go to? How come you've got white hair? What are those bars? Have you seen a toilet anywhere? Where's everyone else?" The barrage of questions didn't stop, and I found myself at a loss for words.

Kioko Kozakura, in contrast, was the one to stop the boy from continuing.

"There's a toilet in your room!" She said, pointing down the hallway.

"What? Really?" The boy's eyes lit up, "woah, that's awesome! I've never had an en-suite bathroom before!"

"Hey, what's your name?" I asked.

The boy paused for a moment, and then the question registered and he smiled widely.

"Me? I'm Eiji Hikou, the Ultimate Airplane Pilot! I've never flown a real plane before, but when I do I'll live my life in the sky, soaring with the birds!" Eiji Hikou saluted to us.

"An Ultimate that's never done their talent before?" I asked, intrigued.

"Yep yep! I've done all the simulations, but I haven't done the final test yet!" Hikou explained.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Eiji Hikou. I'm Asahi Seiko, the Ultimate Parkour Expert." I held a hand out for him to shake, which he did.

"That's a really cool talent!" He said, before turning to Kioko.

"I'm Kioko Kozakura, the Ultimate Board Gamer! I'm the best of the best in any game of logic!" She grinned, reaching her hand out, and Hikou shook it.

"Do you know what we're doing here?" I asked Eiji.

"Nope! Why are those bars on the staircase?" The Airplane Pilot replied.

"We have to complete a puzzle and collect all the keys so we can escape!" Kioko replied.

"Uh, that might not be true..." I drifted off - neither of them were listening to me.

"Woah! Can I join in? I'll be the Ultimate navigator for your trip! First, we go right!" The Pilot pointed in the direction and spun, walking off.

"Yeah, let's go!" Kioko replied, following. She turned back to me, though, after realising I wasn't joining in.

"Are you coming too?" She asked.

"Uhm, I think I'll be fine. I'm going to see if I can break the bars or something." I replied.

"Good luck, then! I hope you pass Go!" She called, before running off and around a corner.

I sighed and scratched my head, before turning back to the bars.

"Oiya! What's this I hear about breaking bars?" An odd-sounding voice sent my eyes to the top step, where I immediately leaped back in surprise.

A black and white...cat!...stood at the top step, no taller than my knee, with its paws on its hips.

"Did that thing...just talk?!" I asked, shifting closer to it again.

"I sure did! And I'm already very disappointed in this group!" The cat shouted, jumping up and down in anger.

"Gyagh!" I jumped back again.

"Stop shouting! I'm not that scary!" The cat shouted, "after all, I was designed to appeal to every audience..." It trailed off.

"Who's voicing you?" I asked, "is there someone hiding on the stairs?"

"Nobody's hiding, bastard! I'm talking because I can. I'm the only me that's voicing me!" The cat fumed, "and don't break the bars!"

And then it disappeared.

How...confusing.

I sat on the floor for a few more moments, before finally deciding to get up and explore. After all, there could be other ways out that I hadn't seen before. If worse came to worse, a rope made of bedsheets and a broken window could help us leave.

Speaking of, how many of 'us' were there? Why were there so many Ultimates in one place?

If this was Future's Hope, it would make sense. But from the looks of it, and from what Kioko had said, we weren't at the school.

Frowning, I decided to turn back to where my room was. The hallway curved to the right, and I followed.

"There's so many doors...why are there so many doors?" I turned the corner to see two girls standing at the end of the hallway.

The one who spoke was relatively short compared to the one next to her, and had cropped brown hair, dark pink, almost red eyes and a brown jacket on. A pair of clear safety glasses sat atop her head, keeping her hair out of her face.

"Maybe there's more people." The taller one spoke with annoyance, her arms crossed and a frown on her face.

She was tall, had red straight hair in a ponytail and orange eyes, and wore chunky black and orange boots.

"But it's so weird. Look, all the doors have these weird little plaques on...them...huh?" The shorter girl finally noticed me, and frowned.

"I told you there'd be more people." The red-haired girl said. Her voice sounded familiar...where had I heard it before?

"What's ya name?" She nodded at me.

I almost had it...if she spoke a bit more I was sure I would be able to know who she was.

"Hey, he looks kinda shellshocked." The shorter girl said, "are you ok? Hello?"

"Don't tell me he knows." The red-haired girl grumbled. At that, I broke through the fog of my memories and a name surfaced.

"Sora!" I gasped, "Sora Yukiko!"

Sora Yukiko, the Ultimate Snowboarder. She had won gold in the olympics more times than I could count. She was my biggest inspiration, and my first ever crush when I was younger and saw her on TV.

"For fucks' sakes, I thought I'd at least be free of fanboys here." Sora Yukiko groaned, rolling her eyes.

The shorter girl laughed.

"You're too famous for your own good." She said.

"Yeah, whatever." Sora Yukiko walked up to me, and my face turned red.

"Name. What is it?" She said.

I tried to speak, but all that came out was a high pitched noise of some sort. The shorter girl laughed even harder.

"You've scared him." She said.

"Does scaring people into speaking not work?" Sora Yukiko asked, "I saw it on TV once..."

"A-Asahi! Asahi Seiko, Ultimate Parkour Expert!" I managed to spit out, quelling the urge to salute her.

"And we have a name!" The shorter girl threw her hands up, grinning.

"Asahi. I think I've heard that name before." Sora Yukiko pressed a finger to her chin.

"R-really?" I gasped. Had she heard of me too? Was I known by the Ultimate Snowboarder?

"Nah, I have no clue who you are." Sora Yukiko patted me on the shoulder and turned back to her friend. Normally, I would have been angry, but I couldn't bring myself to get upset at her. She was my biggest inspiration.

As much as I wanted to shout and scream and ask for her autograph, though, I knew I had to keep some level of sanity so she didn't automatically hate me. I took a few deep breaths, swallowed, and forced myself to stop being stupid. Turning away from Sora and to the shorter girl, I forced my voice to maintain its normal level and asked her name.

"Me?" She asked, "I'm Kaida Satsuki, the Ultimate Woodworker. I'm responsible for some of the most inspiring works of this generation! Or, that's what the media says, at least." Kaida Satsuki scratched the back of her neck, laughing a little. Underneath the jacket she wore a red apron, brown skirt and black shorts, with a pair of heavy-looking short brown boots and red socks.

"It's...nice to meet you." I held a hand out absentmindedly, my eyes drifting back to Sora. She was wearing a black jumper and orange pants tucked into her boots, with suspenders holding them up over her shoulders. She wore black and orange gloves and had snowboarding goggles on top of her head. She was brushing something off her shoulder, and as she did so I sighed happily as I watched her hair shift and sway as she moved.

Oh, how pretty she was...

"Oi." A whisper in my ear. I ignored it.

"Oi!" This time it was louder, but I still ignored it.

It wasn't until the third time, when the speaker took to giving me a swift chop to the stomach while whispering, that I finally paid attention.

"Ow!" I gasped, clutching my stomach. Kaida Satsuki stepped in front of me, making a 'be quiet' motion with her hands.

"Stop gawking. You look like an idiot." She hissed.

"Eh?" I asked.

"I know everyone's starstruck because 'woah look, a celebrity', but everyone I've met here is an Ultimate too." She said, bobbing down to my level.

"What's your point?" I asked. Kaida rolled her eyes.

"My point, Seiko, is that you are also an Ultimate, so there's no need to be so starstruck by someone at the same level as you." She explained.

I supposed she was right. I was acting like a lovestruck puppy...

"Hey, what are you two gossiping about?" Sora Yukiko poked her head over Kaida's shoulder and raised an eyebrow. I was about to do something stupid again, but stopped myself just before, running my hands through my hair.

"We were sharing secrets." Kaida wiggled her eyebrows, a sly grin on her face.

"Uhm, I should keep exploring." I said, trying to keep my voice level, "it was...good to meet you two." I reached a hand out and Kaida took it, pulling me in close.

"Pull yourself together, fanboy. Then you'll have a chance with Yukiko." She whispered in my ear, letting go of my hand.

Sora didn't shake my hand. She tilted her head, stared at it like it was a foreign object, and spun, walking away. Kaida mouthed an apology and shooed me away.

Even as I left, I couldn't quite put together what had just happened. I had only met four people so far, and all of them had such big personalities...and yet I was so normal. I could only wonder; were they the outliers of whoever else I might meet, or were they the average?

I came out of my thoughts standing at the door of a room.

For some reason, I felt I needed to stay quiet, to listen for anything or anyone.

Surprisingly, all was mostly quiet. There were faint noises coming from somewhere far away, but I could hear nothing from the room.

Hesitating for a moment, I twisted the doorknob and stepped inside.

It was void of people.

The room was set up as a classroom, with rows of desks and chairs, and a blackboard at the very front. Towards the back of the room was a row of bookshelves with a sparse collection of literature and manga, and a small cupboard. I couldn't see anything interesting at the front of the room, so I turned my gaze to the back.

The bookshelf only held a few pieces, and I ran my hands over the spines as I read them.

My Despair Academia, Hope High School Host Club, Mono Potter...these all sounded familiar...

Suddenly, a noise made me jump up, shocked.

It had come from...the cupboard?

"H-Hello?" I asked, walking towards it. A creeping fear rose up as I stepped to the door, pressing my hand down on the knob.

I hesitated for only a moment before I pulled the door open quickly.

And saw something.

"Gyagh!" I threw myself backwards, landing in a heap on a tumbled over desk, a chair stuck between my legs. I took a moment to register what I was seeing, and frowned.

A girl.

There was a girl, sitting in the cupboard on a pile of boxes, her knees up to her chin and facing the wall, deep green hair tumbling down her back in big curls.

"Hello?" I asked, "you scared me."

The girl didn't respond. Slowly, I untangled myself from the chair and desk and stood, brushing myself off. Then, after no response from the girl came, I decided that maybe she hadn't heard me. She could be deaf, or not want me around, but I really wanted to find out why she was sitting so uncomfortably in a cupboard.

I took a few steps towards her, and as I did, I heard something.

She was...muttering to herself. I couldn't hear the words properly as she was speaking so quietly, but whatever she was saying, it was in a very calculated and slow manner, as if she was thinking hard before she spoke.

"Hey, what's your name?" I asked, reaching a hand out to touch her shoulder.

Before I realised what was happening, however, her head spun to me with inhuman speed and she reached an arm out, gripping my wrist and yanking me closer with a vice-like grip.

She stared at me with shockingly red eyes and heavy eye bags.

"Leave," She whispered, "It's not safe."

"H-huh?" I asked, more out of shock than anything.

"The spirits," The girl's eyes glazed over a moment as she thought, "there is mortal danger."

And with that she shoved me back into the desk, reached for the cupboard door and slammed it closed so hard the wall shook.

A mere second later, the classroom door burst open and a girl with colourful hair ran in, alarm on her face. She was followed by a tall man with black hair and pink eyes, who looked entirely disinterested.

"What happened? Did something break?" The girl asked, her voice soft. She finally noticed me, tangled in the desk again, and let out a squeal, pressing her hands to her cheeks.

"Ah, what happened?!" She asked, not making any moves to help.

"I think it's fairly obvious that he's fallen into a desk." The tall man said, re-buttoning a loose shirt cuff. The cufflinks were shaped like die.

"There was a girl in the cupboard-!" I managed to spit out, trying to pull myself out of the desk and, with some effort, succeeding.

"A girl in the cupboard?" The man tilted his head, amused.

"Look inside!" I said, gesturing to it.

"Did you hurt yourself? Are your clothes okay?" The girl asked, rushing over and giving me a once-over.

"N-no, I'm fine..." I drifted off, "but the girl said something about mortal danger! We should find a way out!" I said.

"Mortal danger?" The colourful girl asked.

"What a silly notion." The man chuckled.

"Check in the cupboard! She's in there, I swear!" I said.

"Why don't you open the cupboard, then?" The man asked. I looked to the offending door, then back to him.

"There is no way I'm risking being caught again." I whispered, so only they could hear.

"Caught?" The girl frowned, "What do you mean? Are you sure you're okay?" She pressed a cool hand to my forehead.

"I'm fine!" I said, louder than I expected. The girl pulled her hand away, shocked.

Both of the strangers stared at me, unsure of what to say. I brushed my hand through my hair, feeling my face turn pink in embarrassment.

"Uhm, I should probably introduce myself." I said, changing the subject. The other two seemed to understand what I was trying to do.

"Oh, of course! We haven't introduced ourselves either!" The girl said, eyes wide.

"I'm Asahi Seiko, the Ultimate Parkour Expert." I said, holding a hand out. The man took it with a firm grip and shook my hand.

"My name is Alastor Yashin. I'm the Ultimate Croupier." He said. I finally got a good look at him.

His black hair was slicked back, and his eyes were a bright pink. He wore a black velvet waistcoat with a red collar over a simple white shirt and black pants, black dress shoes on his feet. His waistcoat had a patch on it of the lucky triple seven, and he wore a red tie. He was incredibly well put-together, his aura reeking of fortune and intelligence.

"What's a croupier?" I asked stupidly.

"That's the million-dollar question." Alastor Yashin chuckled, "I'm an old-fashioned dealer of sorts, at my parents casino. I hold the money for people who are betting, so they don't get stolen from or spend too much. I have also, on occasion, been the dealer of some tabletop games such as roulette." He explained. He already sounded much more worldly than I could ever hope to be.

"That's...interesting." I managed to say.

"I can understand your confusion. Most people in our age range are barely old enough to enter a casino, let alone work in one." Alastor finally let go of my hand, and I suddenly realised how long he had been holding it for. Almost immediately, though, the other girl gripped my hand, smiling at me with midnight blue, soft eyes.

"My name is Aimi Minori, and I'm the Ultimate Harajuku Fashionista." She smiled kindly at me.

Her hair was purple at the front, a long fringe with two curled pieces framing her face. Her hair was pulled up into two light blue buns, with a ring of red flowers around one bun and an oversized bow on the other. She wore a blue button-up shirt underneath a frilly, purple cardigan, tied at the waist with a bow. Underneath that, she wore a blue lolita skirt, and a pair of light blue platform heels with red bows on the ankle strap. On her cardigan she wore a pin in the shape of a Pokie packet. (Author's Note: 'Pokie' is my knockoff version of Pocky, it doesn't actually exist) Her eyes were wide, full of eyelashes, and she wore light makeup on her face.

It was overwhelming, to say the least.

"Do you know why we're here?" I asked, looking between the two.

"I haven't been able to find any semblance of an exit on this floor." Alastor Yashin said, looking around the room,

"Could this be Future's Hope?" Aimi Minori asked.

"Eh?" I turned to the Harajuku Fashionista, "why would they trap us?"

"Well, if we think about it, it's quite obvious." Alastor Yashin spoke, "try to remember the recent news about Future's Hope."

Recent news?

"Oh, you mean the entrance exam?" Aimi asked.

"Ah, I remember now!" I said.

On the morning of my arrival to Future's Hope, there had been a news report while I was eating breakfast.

'Future's Hope Academy's private entrance exams are being brought into question in a new investigation by the Government. The entrance exams; set for students who had already been given the title of 'Ultimate' to assure they were the best, have been under fire for weeks now after the school refused to give information on the exams.'

"My Mum almost stopped me from going to school this morning because she was worried." Aimi said, twirling a piece of hair.

"What exam would a Harajuku Fashionista talent consist of?" I pondered, more to myself than others.

"Well, it seems we might find out." Alastor said, "this could very well be the exams."

"Oh, that's right!" Aimi grinned.

For some reason that idea didn't sit well with me. I didn't think a school like Future's Hope would put bars on the staircase and knock everyone out before the exams, but then again, they were very secretive. Plus, Kioko Kozakura had said this wasn't Future's Hope...

"I suppose we should explore some more. Seiko, would you like to join us?" Alastor asked, tilting his head.

"Uh...I think I'll search on my own." I said.

"We'll see you later, then. Good luck on your exams!" Aimi tapped my head and turned around, leading the way out of the classroom. Alastor followed, and soon it was just me.

Well...

Me and the cupboard girl.

Not wanting to face her again, I decided to leave and do some searching on my own.

I opened the door to the classroom and stepped out.

The side of the square opposite my room held a long hallway which curved to the right, with a few doors scattered down it. Surprisingly, I could see nobody.

I walked towards one of the doors curiously, and noticed there was a small plaque on it.

Seiichi Shigeru

Ultimate Tailor

I hadn't met him yet.

Wary, but wanting to find a way out, I pressed on the door handle and let myself in.

To a scene of chaos.

"I'm almost...there!" A short boy with spiky black hair was climbing up a rack full of materials set against the wall, at least one storey up and looking extremely shaky. A taller man stood underneath, looking worried. He wore a grey and turquoise uniform, and had silvery hair in a ponytail over his shoulder.

"I must admit, I cannot catch you if you fall. I do not have the strength." The silver-haired man called.

"That's...fine!" The boy shouted back, "because I'm not going to fall!"

"You do realise there is a ladder you can use to reach the material you are looking for, correct?" The man asked.

"If you can't do something yourself, there's no point...doing it!" The boy replied, grunting at the effort of trying to reach the material he was searching for.

From what I could see of him, he wore a smart navy blue and gold pinstriped suit and black shoes, and he had a gold headband in his spiked-up black hair. He was reaching for a similarly patterned material that was very high up, his small frame practically inside the shelf where the material was held.

"Mr. Shigeru, please be careful. A fall from that height can do serious damage." The man's voice got a bit more strained, and I realised who the boy was.

Seiichi Shigeru.

Then...was this a room dedicated to him? Did everybody have rooms dedicated to them?

The boy, Seiichi Shigeru, managed to get a grip on the roll of material, and with a triumphant yell he pulled it towards him.

But that yell quickly turned to panic as the roll of material pulled a second one with it, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him off the shelving, the rolls of material falling as well.

"Watch out!" I shouted.

The silver-haired man looked over, shocked, as I caught Seiichi Shigeru, dodging out of the way of the rolls of material as they clattered to the floor.

There was a moment of tense silence as everyone's nerves settled, and then Shigeru let out a cry of joy.

"My saviour!" He shouted, scrambling out of my arms and righting himself, "can I know the name of the man who saved my life?" He asked, smiling widely. I finally got a good look at him.

He had grey-green eyes and a yellow pincushion on his right wrist, two gold pins crossed over each other adorning his suit's breast pocket. He had a black shirt and gold tie underneath his suit, and a safety pin in one ear. His smile showed off two vampire-like teeth. Two measuring tapes were hung around his neck and wrapped around his hips like a belt, and his shoes were tied with gold laces.

"I'm Asahi Seiko." I said, reaching out gingerly to shake his hand, "Ultimate Parkour Expert."

"Woah, parkour!" Seiichi grinned, "what a cool talent!"

"You must be Seiichi Shigeru, then." I said.

"You stole my introduction." The boy laughed a little, "I'm the Ultimate Tailor! My goal in life is to make everyone's clothing fit perfectly!"

Unsure of what to say next, I merely nodded, offering an awkward smile.

"Mr. Seiko, was it?" A voice asked from behind me. Turning around, I saw the taller man.

"That's right." I said.

"My name is Tamotsu Ryuunosuke. I am the Ultimate Cello Player. I am pleased to meet you." The man - Tamotsu - said.

He had silvery-grey hair in a long ponytail over his left shoulder, with a small, unruly piece of hair curling up at the top of his head. He had pale skin and eyes, which were a blueish colour. He wore a white school shirt underneath a grey blazer with turquoise lining the sleeves, pockets, and collar. He wore simple grey pants and turquoise school shoes, finishing with a sheer turquoise scarf which wrapped over his shoulders.

"It's nice to meet you." I said. He was way taller than me.

"Well, after that...quite spectacular show you put on for us, Mr. Shigeru, I must ask you; what did you need that material for?" Tamotsu asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Eh? You don't notice?" Shigeru asked.

"I suppose I haven't." The Ultimate Cello Player replied.

Seiichi snorted and crossed his arms.

"Seiko, do you notice?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I furrowed my brows. He was asking me?

Frowning, I gave him a once-over, before shrugging.

"I don't notice anything." I said.

Mmmm," He narrowed his eyes at me, "look again."

I did.

And I saw nothing.

When I told Seiichi that, he snorted angrily, hopped past everyone and grabbed the material off the floor, inspecting it, "not exactly the same, but it'll have to do." He sighed, hauling it over his shoulder.

Ignored, then.

"This is ridiculous. I need to fix it right now." He mumbled to himself.

"What's there to fix?" I asked, curious.

"What's there to fix? Excuse me, Seiko, have you seen my suit?" Seiichi glared at me, "it's way too tight! I don't know who put this on me, because I could never wear clothes this poorly fitted! Look at this! It hugs all the wrong curves!" He pointed at his midsection, which I could see nothing strange of.

"It looks fine to me." I said.

"Well, I guess it figures. Considering what you're wearing, I assume clothes that fit well aren't the most important thing to you." He said it with no malice, merely an observation, but it still stung a little.

"My clothes fit!" I replied, regretting it immediately. Seiichi spun around, the material in his arms fluttering in the wind he had caused. He raised an eyebrow and scanned me up and down.

"I'll tell you what. You come in here later, and I'll measure you. Then give me some of your clothes and I'll fit them properly." He said, spinning again, "everyone will learn the magic of properly tailored clothing!" He cried, moving to the sewing machine on a table in the middle of the room. He unbuttoned his blazer and pulled it off, beginning to take measurements with the measuring tape he had taken off from around his neck.

Looking around the room, I found myself in awe. It was very classy, the theme of it mostly black and gold, the only other colours from the materials rack. The wallpaper was mostly black with gold patterns on it, and the floor was a dark wood, matching the tables and chairs in the room. The material racks took up most of the room, starting from the very front where the door was to over three quarters down the room, leaving only a small space for what looked like a changing room; three full-length mirrors at angles around a square podium, with a curtain that could be pulled around it hanging loosely on one side. In place of a person sat a half-dressed mannequin, it's gold colour shining in the lights. On the far wall stood a row of black and gold filing cabinets, inside what I assumed were sewing supplies. On the wall opposite the changing room were two rows of mannequins, the same gold colour as the first one, in neat rows. They were all in various states of dress.

"It is quite an exquisite room, isn't it?" Tamotsu had come up next to me, and he was looking around as well.

"Is there a room for all of us?" I asked.

"I don't believe I have seen more than two or three other rooms with student's names on them." The Cello Player replied, sighing.

"Could it be something to do with the exams?" I replied, thinking back to Aimi Minori's statement.

"Possibly." Tamotsu replied, shaking his head, "but I do not understand why Future's Hope would send us to such a remote location."

"They're very secretive..." I drifted off.

Surely they wouldn't go to all this effort for an exam, right?

Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair.

Something felt off, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

But if I could search around more, I'm sure I would be able to find some evidence of what was happening.

"I think I'm going to look around more." I told Tamotsu. The Cello Player nodded.

"I should stay here and make sure Mr. Shigeru does not threaten himself further." He replied.

With a wave, I left the room, walking down the hallway to the second door.

But as I pressed the handle down to enter, something curious caught my eye.

Behind me was a large, square door, half black, half white. It looked like it was the type of door which split in the middle, but it had no visible handle...

Shaking my head, I turned back to the other door. I could investigate that later, but right now I needed to find out if there were any other people here. I pressed on the handle and walked inside, to a surprisingly warm room.

It looked like a lounge.

On one side, two modern-ish couches sat in front of an empty fireplace, a world map in a frame on the wall with various places marked with colourful pins. What should have been windows only held bricks, painted the same white as the walls and holding various frames; images of different cities. The opposite side of the room held a massive bookshelf, table and chair, and two girls who hadn't seemed to notice me yet, speaking in what seemed to be another language while pointing to various images on the wall, laughing often.

It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't checked the name on the door.

"H-hello?" I asked, almost a whisper.

The girls noticed me anyway, and the first one turned around, jumping a little.

She had brown hair in two large ponytails over her shoulders and matching brown eyes. She wore a half-untucked white and red shirt, with a collar that looked like a Japanese school uniform, but it was button-up instead. Under that she wore a skirt which clung to her waist and hips before flowing out in pleats to her mid-thigh. She wore red shoes and calf-length white socks.

She tapped her friend on the shoulder, and the other girl spun.

This one wore a basic Japanese school uniform, pastel purple in colour and with long-sleeves. She had a pink tie at the front and black hair in two short ponytails. She had purple eyes, black knee-high socks and purple school shoes on her feet. A black choker necklace was the only accessory she wore, and a pink armband with the title 'translator' on it.

"Hello," I ran my hand through my hair, shuffling awkwardly, "I'm, ah, Asahi Seiko. The Ultimate Parkour Expert. Sorry for barging in."

It suddenly occurred to me that I had done a whole lot of barging into places and not a lot of knocking.

"Oh, it's fine!" One of the girls said. I looked up to see the one in purple coming up to me, smiling brightly, "It's not like the door has a lock on it. My name is Rouko Soba, and I'm the Ultimate Translator. This is Kyung Hye, the Ultimate Exchange Student. She can't speak very good Japanese, so I'll be translating for her!"

"Yeoboseyo..." The other girl, Kyung Hye, waved at me. She was very soft spoken, and gave off a kind aura.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you." I smiled at Kyung. The Exchange Student paused for a moment, her brows furrowing in thought, before what looked to be realisation came across her face and she grinned.

"It is nice...to meet...you, too." She replied, in a somewhat stilted pronunciation.

Surprised that she could speak Japanese, I was about to say something when suddenly the door burst open behind me.

"Where's the fuckin' exit!?" A voice shouted, making me jump.

Kyung Hye screamed and leaped backwards, followed soon after by Rouko Soba, who immediately stood protectively in front of the Exchange Student.

Afraid of who was behind me, I spun slowly.

A boy with neon green hair poking out of a blue bike helmet stood in the doorway, a particularly angry look on his face, pink eyes shining.

He wore a green and pink Lycra suit under blue overalls which were rolled up at the ends to make way for the pair of neon green rollerblades on his feet. He was muscular, scarily so, and I feared if I spoke I would incur his wrath.

"Well?" He asked, voice gruff, "where's the exit?"

"I don't know!" Rouko shouted.

"What about you?" He poked his finger into my chest, "white-haired whatever. Where's the exit?"

"I-I don't know either. Nobody does." I replied, putting my hands up in mock surrender. The boy made a 'tch' sound and crossed his arms.

"Who...are you?" Kyung Hye asked, "Are you an...Ultimate?"

"Are you blind? I'm the Ultimate speed skater. Award-winning speed skater, might I add. Ever heard the name Michi Katsu?" He asked, snorting, "you don't look the type to be into that kinda...sporty stuff, so I don't blame you." He rolled his eyes.

"D-Don't speak to Kyung like that!" Rouko shouted.

"I'll speak to whoever I want to however I want to!" Michi Katsu stared us all down, "I'm the most important Ultimate here!" seeing none of us had any information to give, Michi Katsu flipped us off and turned around, skating away.

There was silence as everyone tried to register what had just happened.

"What makes you the most important?!" Rouko Soba suddenly shouted. She ran up to the doorway, looked around, and slammed the door, turning back to Kyung Hye.

"Are you okay?" She asked, suddenly softer again. The Exchange Student took a few breaths and nodded.

"You two seem to know each other well." I said.

"Hm? Oh, right." Rouko grinned, "back at Future's Hope, I was her designated Translator...well, the only Translator that could speak Korean, anyway." She pulled on the ties of her uniform nervously.

"You are..." Kyung paused, "the best."

"Nah." Rouko blushed and looked to the floor, "I'm surprised I've even made it far enough to be considered an Ultimate. I could still fail an exam." She kicked at the floor.

"Wait, do you remember how you got here?" I asked.

"Uhhhm..." Rouko frowned, "I'm not sure, actually. I can only remember meeting Kyung and being told I'm her translator..."

"It is...strange." Kyung said.

The two seemed to fall into thought, and seeing nothing else to do, I decided to make a silent exit, closing the door quietly behind me. I glanced around to check for rogue terrifying Speed Skaters, but seeing nobody I decided to check out the big door.

When I got closer to it, I suddenly noticed that there was more hallway. I looked down it, but saw only two doors; a pair of double doors and, opposite that, a singular one, both with plaques on them.

They must be Ultimate rooms too.

But there was something more important.

The black and white wall with the split in the middle was twice the height of me, and surrounding it was an intricate pattern of golden metal, twisting around like vines, small thorns poking out. At the top the vines shaped themselves around a red, spiky shape which I couldn't quite make out from down here.

"The door...holds danger." I jumped at the voice, and when I looked over and saw the green-haired girl from the cupboard I yelped and skittered away, terrified. She regarded me with disinterested red eyes, tilting her head to the side.

"You exist!" I shouted accidentally, clapping my hands over my mouth.

Idiot, Asahi. You're an idiot.

"You are afraid." She said. I didn't respond, merely staring at her, ready to run if she made any sudden movements. After a few moments of silence, the girl sighed dejectedly and sat on the ground, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Who are you?" I whispered, morbid curiosity getting the better of me, "why did you scare me like that earlier?"

"Heh?" The girl asked.

"You were sitting in a cupboard mumbling about danger." I said. Silently, I pointed at my wrist, which still had a red mark.

"Oh," The girl looked up at me, "apologies."

"What's your name?" I asked, relaxing a little. If she was on the ground, she couldn't come at me so fast.

I hoped.

"Rei." The girl paused, "Amaterasu. Ultimate Exorcist."

"Exorcist?!" I shouted, incredulous.

"Heh?" Rei Amaterasu frowned at me.

"How do you even get accepted for a talent like that? How do they test it?" I asked.

"Spirits exist." She said, then pointed to the door, "and there is...danger."

I looked to the door. It's monolithic size was scary enough, but knowing now that it held 'danger' made it even spookier, though I wasn't even sure I could trust Rei Amaterasu's deductions.

After all, an Exorcist sounded like something out of a film. I had to question Future's Hope's standards for acceptance; surely they had some limits on who they would let in.

"My talent," Rei stood, "is valid."

Did she read my mind?!

She stared at me for what seemed like forever, her dull eyes never blinking, and I couldn't help but feel threatened, like she was going to knock me down and feed me to the ghosts she exorcised or something.

Almost without noticing, my hands brought themselves up into a fighting position.

"Heh." Rei Amaterasu tilted her head at me, then turned and walked away without another word, leaving me confused and no less on edge than before.

I waited until Rei had disappeared around the corner, then turned to the opposite direction, facing the hallway I hadn't explored yet. Ignoring the want to check over my shoulder, I made my way to the first set of doors; a pair of fancy double doors, the plaque on the front reading

Yuudai Kenen

Ultimate Theatre Manager

I pressed down on the door handle and stepped inside without hesitation, curious.

As the room opened out before me, I found my breath caught in my throat.

Rows upon rows of theatre seats seemed to go on forever before me, only stopping at a massive stage that took up the entire back wall. The entire space looked like it was brand new; from the beautiful architecture to the clean smell of the place, it looked like it hadn't been used by anybody.

"As expected from Future's Hope Academy." A voice suddenly said, and I jumped. Looking to my right, I noticed a boy in the sound booth, leaning against the small wall that separated him from the chairs, his eyes glittering and a wide smile on his face.

He had brown hair flipped over to the right side of his face, with the left side shaved. His eyes, a matching brown, were mostly hidden behind black-framed glasses, and he wore a black T-shirt with an incomprehensible word on it, an unbuttoned white school shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a yellow vest covered in pins, badges and other oddities. He had a black twine bracelet on his left hand, and a circular earring in his left ear.

"It's...incredible." I managed to say. The boy smiled even wider at that, and leaped over the wall, coming over to me. He wore yellow three-quarter jeans under an orange pair of suspenders and a pair of black, high-top sneakers on the bottom half.

"It's even better when you know how everything works! The sound board is like something out of the future, it's so smart, and the lighting booth has types of lighting I've never even seen before! Also, I can't believe this, but there's a dress circle and a crying room!" He gushed.

"Crying room?" I asked.

"Oh." He fixed his glasses and cleared his throat, "viewing room. We in the theatre industry call it the 'crying room' because that's usually where they stick parents with loud kids." He laughed a little, "anyway, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Yuudai Kenen, the Ultimate Theatre Manager."

"Uh, I'm Asahi Seiko. The Ultimate Parkour Expert." I replied, nodding to him. The boy, Yuudai's, face lit up.

"Parkour! I love parkour. I mean, I've never done it, but I've seen others, and it looks fun!" He said.

"Oh, really? That's cool." I replied. But Yuudai didn't seem too interested in my response.

"I haven't been backstage yet, so it would be great to bring someone with me!" He said distractedly. He ran over and gripped my arm, giving me no choice in the matter, and tugged me onto the stage and through the curtains, finally letting go as he gasped in joy and wonder.

I had almost fallen over when he let go of me, but as I looked up from the ground I noticed what he had been excited about.

It was like a different world.

Rolls of posters, what I assumed would be backdrops or something, sat in shelves twice my height, and racks of props, costumes, and all sorts of Knick knacks sat in designated spots around the backstage area, which was absolutely massive. It was like a maze; the whole place went for ages ahead of me and then veered left. There was extra storage behind the stage as well; another hall veering to the right. The whole space made me feel faint, the sheer size of it throwing me completely off guard. It was almost impossibly grand, and I had to force myself to remember; this was a school.

But...

Future's Hope was rich; I knew that. But how much money did it have?

"Am I dreaming?" Yuudai whispered, stumbling forwards, brushing his hands against a costume rack. He gripped the material between his hands, picked it up, pressed it against his face, and I heard a delighted cry come from inside the material.

Unsure of where to go, I found myself wandering to a props rack, eyeing up everything on there. There was everything, from teapots to figurines, fake computers to surprisingly realistic weapons, and even, strangely enough, oddly specific name plates.

I picked up one of the books, flicking through it, and saw that all the pages were empty. The cover was there; the book was not. I placed it back on the shelf, eyeing up everything else.

Those weapons...

Slowly, I reached over to pick one up; a sword in a golden sheath, and slid it out of its casing, inspecting the shining silver of the weapon. It looked almost...real. It was heavy enough to be.

"Hey, Seiko." The voice was right next to my ear. With a shout, I whipped around, the sword going with me, and Yuudai, in a panic, gripped the blade part of it, stopping me.

There was a brief second as I realised who he was and relaxed, but that didn't last long, as Yuudai immediately threw his hand up, yelling in pain.

I looked down at the sword to see neon pink dripping from it.

My heart dropped with the sword, and I immediately started shouting myself.

"I think I've lost my fingers!" Yuudai screamed, shaking his hand around.

"Is there first aid in here?!" I cried.

"The horror! The horror! I can't feel my hand!" Tears ran from the Ultimate Theatre Manager's eyes, and I couldn't bear to look at his injured hand, too afraid of what I might see.

"Is there a doctor?" I screamed, hoping someone would hear me.

Yuudai fell to his knees, holding his bleeding hand up to the sky, gripping his wrist with his opposite hand.

"What is life but a series of inspired follies? Oh, hell is empty and all the devils are here. I shall never continue this talent of mine!" And with that, Yuudai collapsed to the floor, cradling his hand. Still not knowing what to do, I went to my T-shirt, gripping the bottom of it and trying to rip the material. I'd seen this in movies. I just had to stem the flow of blood, and then...and then-

"And, scene."

I paused.

"Hey, Asahi. What're you doing?" Yuudai was sitting up, wiping his hand on a nearby costume. He had a cheeky smile on his face, and as I watched, mouth slowly falling open, he showed me his 'injured' hand and wiggled his fingers.

"Wait...wh-ha-what?" I asked, voice quiet.

"I may be a theatre manager, but I'm also a talented actor. Also, fake blood packs come in handy." Yuudai sighed, "don't worry about the weapons, they're fake."

He went to grab the sword by its blade again, and was about to pull it towards him when a strange look came over his face. He let go of the sword and ran his finger over the edge, frown growing even deeper.

"It seems the fool doth think he is wise." Yuudai mumbled, standing. He pointed to the sword. "That thing's real."

"E-eh?!" I asked, looking down at it.

"Hold on a minute." Yuudai bent down, grabbed the handle of the sword, and picked it up. "Who knew real swords were so heavy?" He asked.

"W-what are you gonna do with that?" I asked meekly, taking a step away. Yuudai looked at me, tilted his head, and laughed a little.

"Put it away." His smile faded, though.

"Why would Future's Hope have real weapons in their theatre?" I asked.

"Maybe they accidentally switched the talent room's weapons for the assassin and the theatre manager." Yuudai laughed, fixing his glasses again. He was really lighthearted about the situation, serious as it was.

"But-" I was stopped.

"I'll just talk to the teachers about it. I'm sure they didn't mean to." Yuudai waved his hand airily, leading the way out onto the stage, "for now, we can just forget about it, since we aren't using them for anything." He stretched, staring out at the empty audience. I stared at the empty seats as well, and felt a fear coming up on me. How could people do this?

After a couple of minutes of silence, I decided to leave and continue exploring. I said goodbye to Yuudai and made my way towards the last door of the hall.

Fuyutake Ganko

Ultimate Graffiti Artist

The plaque looked like it had been spray painted on, but a quick feel of it told me it was, indeed, the same metal as the other doors' plaques.

I didn't know what to expect as I opened the door, but it certainly wasn't what I came across.

The room was blank, empty, a cube of concrete walls, different heights and shapes of wall spaced out around the room randomly like a maze, made of different materials, with a small door at the back of the room. It was utterly uninspiring.

Yet, in the middle of it, I saw two people, one with a spray can in hand, making art on one of the brick walls in the centre of the room. The other one, a girl I hadn't met yet, coached the first person, a face mask covering her mouth and nose, muffling her voice. She had blonde hair in two long plaits, green eyes, and wore a revealing white school shirt, short maroon skirt, black wellington boots and over-the-knee maroon socks. Her shirt and boots were decorated with small circle patches, though I couldn't figure out what the design meant. I had never seen any school logos that looked like that.

The other person...Kaida Satsuki, was spraying different things onto the wall, but nothing looked terribly good.

"You can get different textures using your hand. If you hold it over the spray can, you get a thinner line...oh, hello. You're new." The girl waved. Kaida spun as well, seeing me, and pulled her face mask off, grinning.

"Yo, fanboy!" She finger-gunned at me.

Oof.

"His name is Fanboy? That's different." The blonde girl grinned, "well, Fanboy. My name is Fuyutake Ganko, and I'm the Ultimate Graffiti Artist. It's nice to meetcha!" She said.

"Uhm, my name isn't Fanboy...it's Asahi. Asahi Seiko, the Ultimate Parkour Expert." I said, running my hand through my hair.

"Oh, that makes more sense. Seiko, was it? Cool name." Fuyutake Ganko said.

"Thanks." I replied.

"Have you met everyone else yet?" Kaida asked me, tilting her head.

"Oh, uh..." Quickly, I counted all the names I had learnt on my fingers, "I've met fourteen people." I said.

"That should be everyone, then." Kaida grinned.

"Wait, hang on. I've met fifteen people." Fuyutake frowned, looking at her fingers.

"Did we miss somebody?" I asked.

"Uhhh, what if we go over names?" Kaida offered.

"No good. I can't remember everyone's names off by heart." Fuyutake shook her head.

"So there's a mystery student." Kaida grinned, maybe we should go and find them." She turned to leave, but suddenly a high-pitched noise stopped us all in our tracks.

It was the kind of sound that gave physical pain, and I hurriedly clenched my hands over my ears to try and stop it, but it didn't work. It seemed to last forever, but finally, it stopped, and was replaced by a weirdly-pitched voice.

Not unlike one I had heard before...

"Ahem. Attention, students of Future's Hope Academy! We are about to begin the welcoming ceremony, so could you all gather in the gymnasium as soon as possible! Strict consequences will be given to those who do not arrive promptly." And with that, the room was silent again.

"Geez, what an awful noise." Fuyutake shook her head, "you think a school like this would at least have a good speaker system."

"Still, we should probably go." Kaida said.

I was more worried about the consequences. The way whoever was speaking had said that made it sound somewhat menacing...either way, I didn't want a detention on my first day at school.

Hurriedly, I followed the Graffiti Artist and Woodworker out of the room, and a couple of minutes later we were all pushing the doors to the gymnasium open. I hadn't been inside yet, so when I actually saw the place for the first time, I was surprised.

Other than the surprisingly small group of students in the hall (one would have expected more from a welcoming ceremony), I noticed how strange the gymnasium looked. On one side, there were two water coolers, looking brand new, and on the other were a couple of couches, a rug and a low table. The front of the room had a decently-sized stage (though smaller than the one in Yuudai's talent room), and a red curtain was pulled all the way across the back wall. A podium stood in the middle of the stage, bearing the Future's Hope logo in its signature white and gold.

I looked back to the group to notice that both Fuyutake and Kaida had separated, leaving me alone at the door. I looked around, trying to find someone I could talk to, but everyone seemed to be in their own groups already. I was about to move towards Seiichi and Alastor when, suddenly, a loud noise boomed from the stage and the lights shut off. A few gasps went around the room.

"What the fuck's happenin'?!" Michi Katsu's voice rang out in the dark.

"I'm scared!" Kioko Kozakura cried.

"Can whoever's grabbing my leg get off?" Sora Yukiko shouted.

"Heh?" Rei Amaterasu said.

"What kinda welcoming ceremony starts with a blackout?!" Yuudai Kenen asked, "I'm all for drama, but this is way overboard."

Suddenly a light turned on, gaining everyone's attention.

It shone from behind the podium, silhouetting us in a golden haze. But there was something else. A shape stood behind; no, atop the podium, slouched. From what I could see of it, it had...cat ears?

"Hey, is that the principal?" Kaida Satsuki murmured in the silence. Her question was answered almost immediately as a booming explosion of confetti rained down over the stage, followed by a spotlight switching on, lighting up the podium to its full extent.

The last few confetti flakes fell to the floor.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the scene.

Our principal...or who we assumed to be the principal, was in fact a half-black, half-white cat toy.

Well, it couldn't really be called a toy. The black half was definitely too scary for a child. It had a red eye, spiky and horrific-looking, and a wide, sharp-toothed smile curled all the way up its cheek, finally finishing just below the eye. The cat ear on that side was broken, and sharp claws sat on the paw.

Everyone stared in shocked silence.

Then Sora Yukiko spoke up.

"The fuck is this?" She asked, walking up the stairs to the stage and podium. She leaned in close, staring at the bear, then poked it.

"Sora, what are you-" Kaida ran forward to stop the other girl, but she was interrupted as suddenly a loud screech came from above the stage, forcing us all to block our ears. Sora was so shocked she leapt back off the stage, landing on the ground in a crouch. Just as I thought my ears were going to start bleeding, the screech stopped, and silence prevailed for a few seconds before a crackly, distorted voice began to speak.

"Ahem, is this thing working? Aw man, I can't believe Monoko broke! I musta got a faulty model. Tch, figures. Stupid Ultimate Roboticist." An exasperated sigh emanated from the speakers.

"Who is that?" Seiichi asked, glaring at the stage.

"Well, anyway, looks like I'll have to employ the back-up plan. Everyone, check your pockets, bras, underpants, wherever you usually keep your phones. I put a gift in there for you! Though I don't understand how anyone who had a gift in their underpants wouldn't feel it..." The voice stopped.

We listened for anything else, but that was it. That was all it gave us.

There was a confused silence.

Beeeep beeeep!

The noise rang through the room with surprising volume.

'Welcome to your E-Pad!' A nasally voice said.

"Woah, guys! Look what I just found!" The Ultimate Graffiti Artist, Fuyutake Ganko, gestured for us all to come closer. She was holding a small tablet in her hand, where, presumably, the nasally voice had been coming from.

'Welcome, Student no. 23! Your name is Fuyutake Ganko. This is your own, personal E-Pad which will supply you with a floor plan, rules and regulations, and handy dandy tips from yoooour favourite cuddly, compassionate mascot, Monoko!'

A black and white cat with the same design as the one that was on stage was animated in the corner of the screen of the tablet, like some kind of weird tutorial.

'If this hasn't been explained to you already, you will be participating in a Killing Game. Here are the specific rules for that Killing Game.'

"Killing game?!" Yuudai shouted.

"Shut up, it's still talking." Fuyutake replied.

'Rule no. 1! Nighttime is at 10'o clock sharp, so be sure to get into your little beds by that time, or, if you want to brave going out at night, be assured that some areas are completely off limits! These areas include the Talent Rooms and Hall. If you enter these areas, watch out! If you do-'

The barrel of a machine gun suddenly popped up on screen, shooting loudly towards a small group of faceless characters. I jumped.

'Rule no. 2! Don't mess with the Monoko's or your surroundings. That means no blowing us up or stabbing us in the chest! That hurts! Don't punch holes in walls or kick doors down either! We don't have the budget to fix that. If you do break one of these rules, watch out! If you do-'

The same gun animation played.

'Rule no. 3! Now we're getting into the fun stuff! After a murder, you will be requested to participate in a class trial! Note: you cannot refuse a request. The class trial will find out the murderer, or the 'Blackened', as we call them, and they will be punished accordingly! If you pick the wrong person, though-'

Gun animation.

'Rule no. 4! There has to be a minimum of three people present for the body discovery announcement to be played!

'Rule no. 5! You must investigate the murder! If you decide to hide in a corner from all your problems and not participate fully in the class trial because you have no evidence and didn't bother trying to find any because your wittle friend over there was murdered, well-'

Gun animation.

'Rule no. 6! You must listen to everything I, Monoko, and my owner, who will remain nameless, says! If we want you to dance, you dance! If we want you to kill, you kill! No exceptions, I'm afraid~!

'Rule no. 7! A Motive will be given before every murder. The most recent motive is: Unknown. Past motives have been: Not Applicable. After every murder, a new floor will be unlocked! Floors you have unlocked are: Floor Four. Floors yet to be unlocked are: Not Applicable.

'Rule no. 8! Have fun, kiddos! Let the Killing Game begin!'

The animated bear, Monoko, I guess, blew itself up, leaving us with an image of Fuyutake's face next to her information.

I snuck a look.

No: 23

Name: Fuyutake Ganko

Height: 5'4 / 164.5 cm

Weight: 120 lbs / 54.4 kgs

Birth date: December 12 (Sagittarius)

Ultimate: Graffiti Artist

"Oooh, a sagittarius!" Seiichi leaned over the pad, "I'm a Leo! This should be the start of a great friendship!"

"I don't think so." Fuyutake pulled the pad away from him and switched it off, poking her tongue out.

"Where did you get that?" Aimi asked.

"I found it in my pocket." Fuyutake replied.

There was a moment of quiet as everyone began emptying their pockets. Finally, all the pads had been found and were being switched on and examined thoroughly. I opened mine, watched the rules video, and was immediately taken to my student card.

No: 12

Name: Asahi Seiko

Height: 5'5 / 167.6 cm

Weight: 114 lbs / 51.7 kgs

Birth Date: October 28 (Libra)

Ultimate: Parkour Expert

"This is strange. It knows everything about us." Tamotsu said.

"Not everything. It doesn't know my secret!" Eiji grinned, poking his tongue out.

"Woah, you have a secret?" Kioko asked.

"I'm not telling youuu!" Eiji replied.

"What's with these numbers, anyway?" I asked, pointing to Kioko's tablet.

No: 34

Name: Kioko Kozakura

Height: 5'3 / 161.5 cm

Weight: 110 lbs / 49.8 kgs

Birth Date: March 30 (Aries)

Ultimate: Board Gamer

"I don't understand it either." Fuyutake said, eyeing up her number.

"There's only sixteen of us here, so why would my number be thirty-four?" Kioko asked.

"Hmmm." I frowned, looking at our pads. The numbers. What did they mean? Were there more of us?

"Maybe the numbers are how attractive we are!" Seiichi cried out suddenly, "I mean, seeing as I'm number one..."

"Ha! More like how perverted you are!" Sora replied.

"I was asking for your clothes so I could tailor them!" Seiichi whined.

"I don't believe you." Sora harrumphed, crossing her arms.

I watched as Seiichi had a short battle with himself, before finally shaking his fist at Sora and turning on his heel, staring at his E-Pad.

"Hey, we can see everyone else's information here too." Michi Katsu said, tapping the screen. I looked over at his as he moved through multiple people's bios in quick succession before finally landing on his own again.

No. 15

Name: Michi Katsu

Height: 5'7 / 173.7 cm

Weight: 160 lbs / 72.5 kg

Birth Date: August 1 (Leo)

Ultimate: Speed Skater

"Okay, that's interesting and all, but are we going to talk about what that Monoko thing said?" Aimi Minori suddenly spoke up from behind me.

"He was talking about a killing game of some sort, correct?" Tamotsu Ryuunosuke asked.

"Mmhmm, exactly. Does anyone know what that's about?" Aimi asked.

Everyone stayed silent.

"Well, it's obviously a prank." Yuudai Kenen suddenly spoke up, "I don't see any killing happening." The Theatre Manager shrugged.

"And there's cameras over there." Kaida spoke up, pointing to a corner of the room.

I looked over, and sure enough, there was a white CCTV camera attached to the wall, aimed at us, not unlike the one that had been in my room.

"How did I not notice that before?" I asked.

"'Cause you're a fanboy." Sora sighed.

"Fanboy? Who's a fanboy? Where's the fanboy? I've always wanted to learn the ways of fanboys!" Eiji Hikou pressed his hands to his face, scrunching his cheeks up.

"There is no way he's in the same age range as us." Seiichi gaped.

"Alright, that's it. Who called the prank patrol? I want out! Scotty, where are you?" Michi Katsu shouted at the ceiling.

"You watched prank patrol?" Fuyutake snorted.

"It's a good show! Plus, they translated it into Japanese when I was watching it, so..." Michi harrumphed, "You know what? I don't fuckin care about what any of you plebs have to say! I'm Michi Fuckin' Katsu, and I make the trends!" He shouted.

"Woah, your middle name is Fuckin'? Your family is weird." Kioko said.

"Uh, no it isn't, idiot. What are you meant to be, anyway? The Ultimate Weeb?" Michi asked snidely.

"I'm the Ultimate Board Gamer!" Kioko replied, glaring at him.

"More like the Ultimate Failure." Michi gave her a thumbs-down.

"Oh really? I dare you to try and beat me in a game of chess!" Kioko shouted.

"Well I dare you to beat me in an arm wrestle!" Michi replied.

"Well I dare you to beat me in an escape room game!" Kioko stepped closer to him.

"I dare you to beat me in a speed skating race!" Michi skated closer to her.

"I dare you to beat me in a game of Life!" Kioko was right up in his face...or as much as she could be, given her height.

"I'd beat you in anything, anyday!" Michi Katsu leered.

"I'd like to see you try!" Kioko growled.

"I'm gonna touch it!" A voice suddenly shouted from behind us. It had distracted both Kioko and Michi, and we all looked over to see Eiji trying to reach the CCTV camera. He ran up, jumped, and missed, hitting the wall instead and landing hard.

"Jeez, you're so reckless." Aimi said, "How anyone would trust you to fly a plane, I'll never know."

"This has to be a prank." I said, "Nobody would be this relaxed if it wasn't a prank."

"I don't care what it is, I just want to leave." Kaida sighed, kicking the ground.

"Ah, that reminds me." I turned to Kaida, "Have you found a way out?"

"I haven't seen one." She replied, "but there's a bunch of bars blocking the way down the stairs. I don't understand why."

"I can help with that!" Kioko suddenly shouted.

"What?" I asked.

"I was eavesdropping on your conversation and it made me remember something!" The shorter girl pulled open her 'piece-pouch' and rummaged around in it for a moment before pulling something small out triumphantly. It looked like the King piece of a chess game.

"Are we going to throw that at the bars? Or play a game of chess to get through? This ain't a puzzle game." Michi said sarcastically.

"Follow me!" Kioko said, ignoring him. She led the way towards the hall, and pressed her hands to the door, pushing.

It didn't open.

"Eh?" She pushed again, to no avail.

"Maybe they need a big push." Alastor stepped up to the door and pushed it, hard, but nothing happened.

"Y'all are idiots. It's a pull door." Sora gripped the handle and tugged on it.

Nothing.

"The spirits." A quiet voice came from the back of the group, and everyone turned to see Rei Amaterasu pointing to the door.

"The spirits?" Aimi asked.

"Locked the doors." Rei finished.

"Ha! As if." Michi took a big skate-up and slammed shoulder-first into the door, only succeeding in bouncing back and falling in a heap.

"Ha! I could beat you in opening locked doors anyday!" Kioko laughed.

"Try me!" Michi replied, righting himself quite ungracefully.

"Oh! I'll try!" Eiji Hikou ran up and began pulling on the door, almost climbing halfway up the opposite door as he pulled with all his might.

"It is not budging at all." Tamotsu tilted his head.

"Well, now is the right time to introduce myself properly!" A voice came from behind us, and we all spun quickly.

The sight before us struck fear into our hearts.

The cat, which had been silent and unmoving since it arrived, was now standing on the podium, a sharp red eye glaring out at us like a beacon of despair, the light shining from behind it casting it in a silhouette.

"Welcome, kiddos, to your wooooorst nightmare! The most horrific time of your lives! This, kiddos, is no prank! It is no fake! Your killing school semester starts here, and there is no way to escape!" The cat shouted.

We merely stared in shock.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

I couldn't think.

This thing...was alive?

Suddenly, the speakers crackled to life.

"Ha! Haha! How do you like that? Monoko is up, running, and stunningly perfect!" The PA crackled and went silent.

"Thaaaat's right, kiddos!" The cat, Monoko, shouted.

Kioko was the first to react.

With an ear-piercing scream, she gripped the door and began to tug and push at it, trying to get out. But her struggling was to no avail, and though Eiji also ran over and tried to help, the two only ended up clinging onto each other, pressed against the door.

Yuudai and Fuyutake pushed closer to each other, eyes wide. Alastor, Seiichi, Rouko and Kyung all helped a boy who I hadn't noticed before as he fainted, bobbing down around him and shielding him from view as they fussed. Rei began murmuring about curses, and Tamotsu and Aimi teamed up to help others.

Sora made to run for the stage, but Kaida stopped her, gripping her arm tightly and pulling her backwards.

But nobody stopped Michi as he rollerbladed his way through the group, and I watched in slow-motion as he reached the stage, skidded to a stop and made a grab for the cat.

Shocked into action, I ran to the stage as well, grabbing Michi and pulling him away.

"GET OFF ME, BASTARD!" He shouted, yanking his arm out of my grip.

"Katsu, don't-!" I replied, running for him again.

"Violence against Principal Monoko is strictly forbidden!" Monoko shouted, and as I grabbed Michi the cat pulled out a button and pressed it, and suddenly the world went white and I couldn't hear or see anything but a ringing in my ears and I felt myself fall, felt the ground on my knees, and then my senses came back...

Grey.

All that surrounded me was grey.

But it wasn't a grey which could be touched.

It wasn't the grey of walls and floors, or the grey of clothing.

It was a hazy, smoky grey. Like a thick fog. I could see the floorboards, barely, and I could see my hand, barely, but I couldn't see anything else.

A ball of panic began its slow crawl up my throat, and with it came an unfamiliar sensation of the cup filling, the world becoming too much for me. I heard a voice on the PA, a voice I recognised, but it sounded like it was coming from inside my head as well as far, far away at the same time. The panic reached the surface, the water overflowed, and my vision seemed to narrow until it was only one singular point, a singular piece of flooring.

Water hit my back but it felt like knives, my mouth went dry, my body froze in place as I stared at this singular point, my brain trying to understand what was happening while simultaneously shutting down. My senses heightened further, I felt the knives dig in deeper, I felt the shirt clinging to my back, watching as droplets of water fell down my nose and onto the floor, each drop going in slow motion but also too fast to see. I felt the blood running through my veins, the heart beating in my chest, the nails on my fingers. It felt like I was being pulled every which way, like I was tied to the front of a train which was about to drop over a cliff, and my stomach dropped and my breathing fastened and everything was too much, all too much...

I leaped up and ran for the doors, making a desperate bid for escape. I reached them, the logical part of my brain telling me they were locked, I couldn't leave, but I still rammed my shoulder into them.

Closed.

Locked.

Trapped.

I felt myself sliding towards the floor, and I dropped my head into my hands, trying to calm myself.

I was sweating, but it was cold. My hands shook, my brain was a tangled mess of thoughts, like a child scribbling on a piece of paper.

"Calm down." I whispered to myself. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, focusing on just that, just my breathing. And as I did that, I began to feel it.

The ground beneath my feet. The water dripping onto my clothes. It was passing.

I was okay.

A few moments later, I reopened my eyes, and let the world back in.

"Ah, the smoke cleared! Geez, that was close to messing up my gears!" The nasally voice of Monoko said.

"What the fuck was that?" Michi shouted. I looked up to see the Speed Skater on his feet, pointing accusingly at the bear.

"Hey, it's not my fault! You were going to attack me!" Monoko replied.

"That doesn't mean you have to blow up the fuckin' building!" Michi replied, "you could have killed us all!" Monoko tilted its head.

A beat.

"Ha! You can't come back with anything, can you? We're too valuable to be killed!" Michi crossed his arms triumphantly.

"Some aren't as valuable." Monoko said, and I felt a shiver down my spine. The atmosphere suddenly changed.

It was tense.

"I'm obviously the most valuable one, so of course there are some less valuable." Michi scoffed, inspecting his fingernails.

"Take this situation as a friendly reminder from your compassionate principal!" Monoko ignored Michi and addressed all of us, "violence against me, your principal, is not allowed under any circumstances! Otherwise, the next explosion will be forcing one of you kiddos to speak through Miss Amaterasu for the rest of the game!" It shouted, pointing to the green-haired Exorcist, who was lying facedown on the floor.

"Heh?" Rei lifted her head slightly, before losing interest and dropping it to the floor again.

"We're gonna find a way out!" A voice came from the other side of the room. Looking over, I saw Kioko and Eiji glaring at Monokuma.

"And you can't do anything to stop us!" Eiji finished the sentence Kioko had started.

"With this many Ultimates in one place, there's nothing we can't do!" Kioko shouted, pointing at the cat accusingly.

"If you keep blabbing on about escaping and hope, I might have to release the first motive early." Monoko replied, tilting its head, "wait. The first motive is already in effect."

"Wait, what?" Yuudai asked.

But suddenly another rain of confetti hit the stage, and when the last piece finally hit the ground, Monoko was gone.

Silence reigned throughout the room.

What did the future hold for us?

"Guys," Seiichi said, gaining everyone's attention.

He looked up from his E-Pad, face white.

"Look at the motive." His voice shook. It took a moment for people to break out of their shock, but suddenly, hurriedly, all of the E-Pad's were out.

I stared down at the blank screen, my own fear reflected as the anticipation of seeing the motive that would begin this so-called killing game made me hesitate from pressing the on button.

But I did.

The screen lit up, automatically taking me to a screen with the title 'Motive'.

Motive No. 1

There will be no food until one classmate kills another.

My brain struggled to comprehend the words in front of my eyes.

"No food..?" I gasped, looking around at everyone.

"I don't even know when I last ate!" Yuudai shouted. And with his confession came a clamouring from the other students as they realised what was happening.

"Please everyone, calm down." Tamotsu said, but nobody listened to the silver-haired Cello Player.

"A solution." Rei murmured, still on the floor, "Do nothing. Conserve energy."

"How will we escape, then?" Kioko asked.

"No escape. Peaceful death." Rei replied.

"There's no way I'm accepting death! I am Michi Katsu, the Ultimate Speed Skater, and I have people who will find me!" Michi shouted.

"I'm so sorry, Kyung." Rouko clung onto the Korean girl's shoulder, "I didn't know this would happen."

"It's...okay, Rouko." Kyung replied, wrapping her arms around the shorter girl.

"There's no way this is allowed!" Seiichi said, gripping the pad tightly, so tight I thought he might crush it.

"I'm gonna kill that cat!" Sora leaped onto the stage and began hunting for it, "Hey, you coward! Get out here and fight me!"

"Yukiko, don't mess with it!" Kaida jumped up after the Snowboarder, but she was ignored.

"Oh, this is a mess." Aimi sighed, pressing a finger to her forehead, "Everyone is wasting their energy."

Suddenly, a shout split through everyone's panic.

Slowly, heads turned to find the source of the sound.

Alastor Yashin looked around, making direct eye contact with everybody in the room. His face was a blank canvas, and we all awaited his next move in suspense.

"It's...unbelievable." He finally said, running a hand through his slicked-back hair, "I mean, this thing thinks that nobody's going to be looking for us. You're all stressing and wasting energy for no reason." He said.

"That's correct. It can't be more than a day since we must have disappeared, and if that's the case, then people will be rescuing us in no time at all." Aimi stated, nodding firmly.

"I would give it, at most, two days. We need to survive for two days." Alastor held two fingers up.

"Yeah! When my Papa was teaching me self defence and how to get out of bad situations, he said that since I was so important, I would be saved really quickly anyway!" Kioko put her hands on her hips triumphantly, grinning.

"Woah, that's so cool! What else did your Papa teach you?" Eiji asked.

"So that means..." I looked to Alastor, ignoring the other two. I could worry about Kioko's weird family later.

"Everyone needs to stop running around and conserve their energy." Tamotsu spoke up, "There isn't much to do on this floor for most of us, so it would be best if we stayed either in our rooms or in this area, the Gymnasium."

"What about my talent room? I need to start working on everyone's clothes!" Seiichi cried.

"What a pervert!" Sora replied.

"Stop misunderstanding me! I've already explained it to you!" Seiichi retorted.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait until we escape." Aimi said.

"But everyone's gonna split up as soon as they escape! I just want people to feel what properly fitted clothing is like for once in their lives!" He whined, beginning to tear up.

"I don't think that's true." Fuyutake suddenly spoke up.

"Eh?" Seiichi asked.

"Everyone has the same memory of arriving at Future's Hope, right? And Monoko said we were students there. That means we're all from the same school." She explained.

"A light at the end of the tunnel!" Seiichi yelled, throwing his hands up in victory, "Thankyou, Ganko!"

"Geez, it isn't that profound." The Graffiti Artist replied, smiling awkwardly.

"Either way, I suggest we split for today and return to our rooms." Tamotsu said.

"Comfortable here." Rei lifted a hand up from the floor, "I'm staying."

"But the doors lock at 10pm!" Eiji said, "How will you get out?"

"Spirits. They tell me." The Exorcist replied.

"I'll tell you, then!" Eiji said. Rei just sighed.

"We should all meet tomorrow morning, in here." Tamotsu said, "To work things out properly."

Everyone murmured their agreement.

"Well, I'll see you all tomorrow...or when we escape." Seiichi said, leaving the room.

"You won't be seeing me, perv!" Sora shouted after him.

"Hey!" The Tailor stuck his head back in the door, gave Sora the stink-eye and left.

Slowly, but surely, everyone began to leave, until it was just me, Fuyutake and Rei.

"This is crazy." Fuyutake said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Nobody here would kill anyone else, though." I said. The blonde Graffiti Artist looked up at me, surprised.

"I didn't realise you were still here, Seiko." She said.

"I tend to have that effect." I sighed, scratching the back of my neck.

"I mean, that could be a good thing." Fuyutake said, "you know...sneaking up on people to kill them and such," She looked over at me, and her smile quickly dropped.

"Ah, sorry. I use humour to..ehh..cope with things sometimes. I dunno why it just happened then, usually I keep those kinds of jokes to myself." She tugged on one of her plaits, looking at the floor.

"It's fine. I can't see anyone here actually killing each other, so I'm sure we'll be fine." I waved a hand, trying to lift the awkward air, but it didn't seem to work. With a hurried goodnight, Fuyutake left the room.

I couldn't get a grasp on her personality, but it felt like she had accidentally let something very close to her slip. I couldn't help but hope she didn't hate me...the last thing I wanted was to be disliked in a killing game.

I looked back to Rei, but she was still facedown on the floor, and I didn't particularly want to bother her lest she start following me again.

Seeing nothing else to do, I stepped out of the gymnasium and made my slow way to my 'dorm'. Outside the windows was only a milky darkness, through which I could see my reflection walking. I thought I would have looked more slouched, more tired at this point, with the information I had learnt, but surprisingly I walked as I always did.

Maybe physical changes didn't really happen in real life.

I reached the door to my room, but hesitated on opening it. I looked down the hallway, to where everyone else's rooms were. Maybe one of them would be awake?

I turned the corner, and almost immediately my eye was drawn to the end. Frowning, I let my eyes focus on what I was seeing.

One of the doors at the very end of the hall was partially open, and a dark blue eye connected to a face hidden in shadow peered out of the door.

"Hey-" I went to move closer to the door but as soon as I took a step the person gasped and slammed the door, leaving me alone. Confused, but not wanting to bother them, I decided to return to my door, vowing to try and find them tomorrow.

My dorm was less comforting than I had wanted it to be. I quickly checked in my cupboard to find, surprisingly, instead of the uniform I had on, a pair of pyjamas in the same colour as my clothing, hung neatly with a pair of slippers and matching dressing gown. Sighing, I changed and walked around the wall to my bed.

I was about to climb in when I realised that I still hadn't opened that box on the desk. I picked up the box gingerly, surprised at its heaviness, and hesitated for a moment, spinning it around in my hands.

"Oiya! If it was a bomb, it would have exploded by now with the way you're handling it!" Monoko's nasally voice shouted, and the cat appeared right in front of me.

I let out a loud shriek and threw myself backwards, landing softly on the bed, but in a quite compromising position. I was suddenly glad I was in clothes.

"Waaaah! How much of my stuff are you going to throw yourself into before you end up dead from a splinter of wood!?" It fumed, jumping up and down on the desk.

"What are you doing in here?!" I cried, shuffling backwards.

"What do you think I'm here for? I'm your principal, so it's my duty to check up on all my students and see how they're doing!" Monoko said.

"I don't appreciate you showing up randomly." I said, running a hand through my hair.

"Ah, don't worry about it! I made sure you were dressed before I showed up." The cat waved a hand airily.

Well, that was good at least...

"Wait, you were watching me while I changed?!" I suddenly realised, mortified.

"How else was I supposed to know when I should make a grand entrance? I didn't want to show up to you letting off a fart while pulling your pants up!" Monoko said it with such conviction that I couldn't help but think it had done exactly what it said it hadn't wanted to. I felt bad for the poor student who dealt with that catastrophe.

"So, anyway, share the goss. What's the drama? Which student do you think will kill first? What does everyone think of me?" Monoko asked, seemingly teleporting to the bed I was sitting on and hobbling closer to me on stumpy legs.

"What do you want to know for?" I asked, pushing myself backwards.

"I'm your lovable, cuddly, compassionate mascot, Monoko! Don't you want to ask for my advice?" The cat asked.

"Not particularly." I replied, shifting backwards further as it came closer.

"Posh! None of you are of any use!" Monoko threw its arms up into the air, "I'm leaving! Make sure you open that present before you go to sleep and also check your door is locked! I want a killing game, but I don't want a stupid death to happen!" And with that the cat was gone, leaving me alone again.

I glared at the spot it had been, taking a few breaths to calm myself, and then looked at the box.

Sighing, I dropped it on the bed and stood, walking around the room, running my hands through my hair.

I didn't want to be here.

Why was I here?

I looked to the door, and a creeping fear took hold.

It was the kind of fear when you switch the lights off and then walk down a long hallway.

The feeling of being watched.

I grabbed the keys off the table in my room and slipped them between my knuckles again, wary. As I slowly made my way to the door, I listened for any noises.

Unsurprisingly, I couldn't hear anything.

That doesn't mean nobody's there.

I reached the door, gripped the lock and flipped it as fast as I could, running back to the lounge area.

And then I realised how stupid I was being.

I was playing into that cat's game already, and I hadn't even been here for more than a day.

I dropped the keys on the floor and stomped to my bedroom, grabbing the present and throwing it onto the floor.

Something clanked dully inside, but I ignored it and pulled the covers up, practically throwing myself onto my pillows.

And though I tried to sleep, I couldn't help but think,

Would somebody kill?

~~Remaining~~

Kioko Kozakura - Ultimate Board Gamer

Sora Yukiko - Ultimate Snowboarder

Kaida Satsuki - Ultimate Woodworker

Aimi Minori - Ultimate Harajuku Fashionista

Rei Amaterasu - Ultimate Exorcist

Fuyutake Ganko - Ultimate Graffiti Artist

Rouko Soba - Ultimate Translator

Kyung Hye - Ultimate Exchange Student

Eiji Hikou - Ultimate Airplane Pilot

Tamotsu Ryuunosuke - Ultimate Cello Player

Seiichi Shigeru - Ultimate Tailor

Michi Katsu - Ultimate Speed Skater

Yuudai Kenen - Ultimate Theatre Manager

Asahi Seiko - Ultimate Parkour Expert

Alastor Yashin - Ultimate Croupier

? ? ?