Okay, so here's the next chapter! Also, I have set up a poll on my profile so feel free to cast your ballots on who you want for the free time events in the future! I'll be reviewing and commenting on your guys' reviews, so if you don't mind I'll be doing that here!

dashunterman: "Wow, that's a nice simile you got there. Alright, I'm glad I portrayed Hikari correctly! Thanks for telling me! Oh, don't worry, there will be many despair-inducing juices here...*smirks*."

TikiKitsune: "Uwah, you're embarrassing Zen. For her to be a wife... Mwahaha she has the ultimate leadership skills! Okay, I like Sora too so you're fine liking her as well. Hooray for Ruekra! A lot of people here do favor Shi, huh?"

Third Cosmic Velocity: "I-I'm sorry I made you wait then! Yes, but there are so many questions that needs to be solved. I'm glad I portrayed Shi well since I usually have a hard time portraying softspoken and quiet guys... Aha, I think I'll have a great time with Shi. *grins* Hmm, yeah, I think that can work. Yeah, Saburo and Ruekra are already the comic relief alongside some of the others here. Nathalie's a cutie... Haha, I'm surprised you even think so! Thanks for the review!"

Shyjoker: "Haha, sorry I made you wait. King and Kingsley are really interesting characters."

TheRoseShadow21: "I'm really glad I portrayed Yuki well! I do enjoy writing characters that have such knowledge! Haha, I can't decide on a favorite either!"

Wolfnight3634: "No problem! I'm pleased you love all the characters and thank you for liking how I write! It means a lot to me!"

Nemris: "Thank you. I'm planning ahead on this story, so I hope this doesn't feel rushed or anticlimactic in any way. Honestly, I just realized how similar some of the names were when I was writing! I'm a bit surprised a lot of people like Zen since her sort of character is usually someone I can't write well. I usually write more snarky and hotheaded characters when I write my own original stories. Yes, I like the distance from the quiet to loud characters. It really brings some contrast and uniqueness. Ah, they are also characters I find myself enjoying writing about. Well, no one can remember everyone's names at first glance. Yeah, don't worry, he'll be getting better in no time."

Strange Nothing: "Well, we first have to get through with exploring the city, but I'll sneak in some sparks! Well, I have to agree with you on that. Usually I've seen people flatout skip how characters look or act like and usually give them only a few lines. I'm glad I handled it well though. Ah, that's weird. I usually don't have trouble with tenses, but I'll keep a close eye on that. Thank you for telling me though."

SongBirds-Lullaby: "Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if it was a bit long. Ooh, I'm starting to see the audience's favorites here. Well, they are cute in their own way. *hums happily* I'll be sad once we get to that part..."


Episode 1: Monokuma's First Step to Despair

Part 1: The Glass Ball's City

Survivors: 16/16


"Upupupu!" A white and black bear continued to laugh as he appeared straight out of the fountain, making Kazuo who was nearby almost slip from shock. The bear stood on top of the fountain, resting his paws against the slippery structure. Though one eye was black another was a red that was shaped similar to that of a horizontal lightning strike. Laughing, the bear examined the area, finding the sixteen teenagers stunned into silence.

"Uh..." Shi turned to Ruekra. "Is this a magic trick?"

Ruekra shook his head, staring blankly at the bear who twirled in spirals. "A-as much as I appreciate how your expectations for me are high it's not me."

"I seriously hope you're lying..." Hairi murmured under her breath. "This stuffed toy's creeping me out..."

It was then did the bear abruptly stopped in place, his head turning to the travel blogger. "Stuffed toy? Creeping you out? How am I creepy? You just find me unbearable because of my cute appearance don't you?"

King stared at Ruekra who continued to shake his head. "E-even if it was me I don't think I can make such a high-pitched voice like that!" He cried, throwing his hands up as if he were surrendering himself.

"He's 100% right!" The monochrome bear stated, siding with Ruekra in a joyful manner. "I'm fully natural!"

Sora scoffed, glaring at the bear. "Hmph. Fully natural my ass. What's your purpose here and who are you?"

The bear grinned. "Glad you ask! My name is Monokuma! I am your superior as of today right this minute! And as your superior I have one thing to ask of you... Kill each other!"

Everyone stood still, silent. Processing Monokuma's words, eyes glanced over at one another for comfort. Their hearts throbbed in suspense as they all begged for the bear to mean something different than that one thing.

"W-what the hell?" Hikari started, her voice shaking. "What do ya mean by that?"

Monokuma giggled, his red eye sparkling in demise. "Uh, you heard what I said. I want you to kill each other!"

"Why should we listen to you?" Yuuya growled, his eyebrows burrowing in disgust aimed towards the bear. "We don't even know you!"

"I don't know what's up with this but someone must be someone controlling that bear!" Mizuki cried, clenching her fists as she prepared to fight Monokuma who continued to smile deviously at them.

Himeko nodded, cursing under her breath. "Stupid bear..."

"Woah, woah, woah, calm down!" Monokuma cried, flailing his tiny arms about. "You can't just disobey your superior now can you?!"

Zen bit her lips, crossing her arms. "Why would we listen to someone who's telling us to kill one another?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Monokuma grinned, jumping down in front of Zen. Hikari turned to Monokuma's direction, her glaring eyes telling the bear to not dare take another step towards the archer. Monokuma, however, chuckled. "It's obviously because you are all stuck in this place."

Zen's eyes widened. "W-what?"

"That's..." Yuki bit her lips. "That's a lie!"

"I am definitely telling you guys the truth! I can prove it with this! Tada!" Monokuma whipped out a strange electronic device from thin air that was just about a few centimeters bigger than his paw. He then threw one into the air, surprising the teenagers who quickly told one another to catch it. "Just open up the e-Handbook and you'll see what I mean!"

As Monokuma spoke out those words Kazuo was able to catch the device that immediately caught his attention. He turned on the e-Handbook, a few options available for him to see. From map to profiles to rules to bullets to the shutdown button, there were many options Kazuo was able to pick. He clicked onto the map, the e-Handbook's screen then switching over to a layout of the city he and the others were in now. A red target was at the center of the city, stating "You are here".

"I-isn't this just a map of the city?" Hairi asked, looking up at the monochrome bear who continued to stare at them.

King nodded. "I think he wants us to look for the exit... Maybe."

Sora frowned. "Are you kidding me? That's definitely it!"

Kazuo heaved a small sigh, moving his finger across the screen as the layout of city moved as well. Continuing to move the map the game developer was then struck with subtle worry as he couldn't find the word "Exit" on the screen. "... What...?"

Saburo was the first to notice Kazuo's subtle worry. "Hey, did you find it?"

Kazuo shook his head slowly. "No...not yet."

"Not yet?" Nathalie slowly walked over to the game developer, grabbing onto the screen. "... Let me check."

"Ya must've rigged this," Hikari stated, pointing her finger at Monokuma who giggled with his paws over his mouth. "There's no way we can't exit out of this city."

"Now why would I do that?" Monokuma asked, eyeing the mountain climber. "I'm not that cruel."

"You sound cruel enough..." Himeko murmured under her breath, wary of the bear.

Kingsley cupped his chin, pondering on a thought before walking over to Nathalie's side. "Hey," he started, catching Monokuma's attention. "Are we really trapped in here?"

"Why, yes, of course!" Monokuma answered, grinning. "All for the sake of the killing game I created for you all!"

Ren bit his lips, clenching his fists in a disgusted manner. "T-that word again...!"

"Like I said, we would never kill anyone here," Zen started, her eyes shining in fury as she glared at the bear. Monokuma, however, shrugged her words off with a usual small, almost childishly naive giggle.

"What makes you so sure?"

Zen's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"You guys don't even know each other, right?" Monokuma jumped back up from his first position, balancing himself on top of the fountain. "All sixteen of you think alike? Ha! That's just a hopeless thought! What makes you guys so sure you won't kill one another? Upupupu!"

"Hey..." Hikari grinned her teeth, almost ready to pounce at the bear. "Am I allowed to beat him up?"

Sora chuckled bitterly, walking over to the mountain climber before turning to the monochrome bear. Her eyes then glared daggers at him. "Hmph. For once, I feel like agreeing with you."

"This guy is nuts," Shi murmured under his breath, his face growing pale.

"T-this isn't good for my health..." King heaved a deep breath, his heart throbbing. "J-just...why...?"

Yuki shook her head. "This is preposterous!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Saburo cried, siding alongside Yuki. "How can you possibly convince that your little childish farce will actually happen and that we're really stuck in this place? That is just impossible!"

"Geez, you guys complain so much!" Monokuma exclaimed, his tone of voice tired and frustrated at the same time. "Stop asking me questions and instead investigate the place while I come up with a motive! I have no time to waste on answering your half-baked questions!" Monokuma then growled, suddenly throwing a bunch of electronic devices to each of the shocked high schoolers. He then puffed his cheeks. "I'm beary mad right now so take these e-Handbooks and leave me be! Hmph, now I can't answer your questions because I'm so mad! Aargh!"

Within seconds did the bear disappear from view.

"This..." Shi held tightly onto the e-Handbook the bear threw at him, then bringing it close to his chest. He heard it. The sounds of his heart beating. He heaved a small breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves. "This can't be real."

"What..." Yuuya clicked his tongue, clutching onto his handbook a bit too tightly. "I'm sorry but what the hell was that?!"

Nathalie shuddered, her face gradually growing paler within seconds. She cupped her hands, her heart throbbing erratically. "W-what... N-no way..."

Kingsley cupped his chin, pondering on Monokuma's words. "Hm. To kill each other? Is this all a game to him?" He spoke in an irritated tone of voice, his expression stiffening in disgust. "He didn't even tell us why..."

"E-even if he had a reason we'd never do something as stupid as that," Ruekra stated, forcing himself to laugh as loudly as he could to ease the tense atmosphere. To his demise, however, everyone stood in dead silence. "Whoever's controlling the bear must've rigged these e-Handbooks, right? ... Right?"

Hairi gulped, her body trembling in fear. "Stop! D-Don't ask a second time! It's making you sound uncertain!" She cried, tears starting to form in her eyes as Hikari and Mizuki comforted her.

Yuki bit her lips, her mind shrouding in darkness. "This...can't be happening."

Yuuya turned his head to the side. "Maybe it's better if this was all a dream."

Mizuki nodded as she embraced Hairi tightly. "No kidding."

"... Let's not think about this," Ren started, trying to bring everyone back from their demise. "We should try to explore the city and find an exit. That's the only thing we can do for now."

Zen nodded. She knew that the fear growing inside her wouldn't help in this seemingly painful situation. She had to stay strong and so she stood from her imaginary pedestal, keeping her head held high. "I agree with Ren. Crying won't get us anywhere. We should split up into groups and search for an exit."

"And here comes the beautiful Snow White," Sora mumbled, eyeing Zen in disdain.

"That is...that is the only thing we can do I guess," Shi replied, siding with the duo in his usual soft spoken matter.

Kingsley smiled subtly, but immediately hid it with his usual indifferent frown as he walked towards Zen. "I agree as well."

"I-I guess if the bunch of you agree..." Ruekra was left in shock, turning to everyone else who eyed Ren and the others, stunned into silence.

Saburo grinned, cupping his chin as he nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Yes. Yes, as the new order leader I can give my consent to that."

Sora sighed, smirking as she crossed her arms coyly. "Well, I'm glad a lot of you cowards aren't crybabies after all. It's not a bad plan, but you guys are so unreliable that I have to guide you idiots around."

"Idiots?" Kazuo tilted his head, eyeing the appraiser. "We're...not idiots..."

"Why even bother telling me that?" Sora snapped, glaring at the game developer who simply eyed her. She scoffed, walking away from his sight. "Anyways, let's hurry and split up."

"I-I guess..." Hairi's legs trembled, but she forced herself to walk towards the group as she wiped her tears. "I-I don't care who I work with."

Zen nodded. "Okay, we'll split into four groups. There will be four people in each group and each group will choose which area to investigate. We'll seperate into the northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast parts of the city."

King opened up his e-Handbook, eyeing the map in hand. "Hm, I'll choose the southeastern part of the city then."

Ren agreed with a small smile. "Okay. Anyone else wants to join King?"

Mizuki raised her hand. "Well from this map it says that there's some houses there. Maybe we can find someone who's living here?"

"I seriously hope so," Yuuya replied, walking towards King and Mizuki. "I'll join you two."

Mizuki grinned, then petting Hairi. "Hairi, you wanna come with us?"

Hairi rubbed her tears away, nodding her head as she walked to the group in a drowsy fashion. "Mm."

"So..." Mizuki scratched her head, eyeing the others. "Can we leave now?"

Zen turned to Kingsley who sighed, answering the hip hop dancer. "I suppose you can... Just come back here and wait for the rest of us when you finished investigating the place. If we're not here when you guys returned then please wait for us."

Mizuki nodded, walking away with the rest of the group. In the meantime the rest of the high schoolers organized where to go into groups.

"Does anyone want to explore the southwestern part of the city?" Zen asked, turning her head to see if anyone's willing to join.

Ren raised his hand. "I don't mind. As long as I don't bother you, right?"

Zen smiled, sweat dripping from her forehead. "Well, I never said you did bother me..."

"What's in the southwestern area anyways?" Hikari checked her e-Handbook, locating the buildings that's inside of the south west area. "There're hotels, a library, a bank..."

"Bank? Library?" Saburo's lips crept up into a small grin, crossing his arms with a pleased expression. "Oho, this may provide me details on the new order I'm leading. Who knows what I'll need in order to be the supreme emperor. Money, information, etc. Hmph. I'll be more than obliged to join in your little plot of the day. May our fates intertwine I say."

Ren and Zen glanced at one another, then turning to Saburo with forced smiles. "Eh, sure."

"So we need one more person," Saburo began, turning to the rest of the people. "Who wants to join me and my underdogs in our conquest for success?" No answer. Saburo sighed, glancing at the others observantly. "Hm. We may need a quiet yet strong individual in our conquest. Ah, Himeko! Will you bow down to the emperor who stands before you?"

Himeko glanced at Saburo, her eyes expressing disdain despite her seemingly quiet expression. "Fine, you no good idiot..." She murmured under her breath, walking over to Saburo's side.

"Um, does anyone want to explore the northeastern side?" Yuki asked, glancing at the crowd. "I'm interested in visiting the swimming pool."

Sora's ears perked up in interest. "Really? A mere entertainment tool in this trapped cemetery?"

Yuki chuckled forcibly, sweat trickling down from her forehead. "This isn't a cemetery though."

"Hmph, what rubbish." Sora sighed, flipping her locks of hair back. "Fine. I must indulge myself in this mere child's toys."

Yuki sighed. "Y-yeah..."

"I'll go as well," Kingsley started, walking towards the girls with Sora smirking from the side. "There's nothing specific I want to investigate anyway."

"Other than the exit out of this place," Sora commented, her tone of voice falling into a sneer as she eyed the view above her. She frowned. Is it just me or does the sky seem terribly too close to the city?

"Says the girl who likes to eat sweets and wear pretty things," Hikari teased, grinning at Sora with the e-Handbook in her hands. On the screen was the appraiser's profile, explaining about Sora's likes, dislikes, etc.

Sora gasped, her expression stiffening as she scurried over to the mountain climber. "Oi, don't look at that!" She cried, frowning in disdain. "Tsk. You're such a meddlesome child, aren't you?"

Hikari chuckled, sticking her tongue out at the snarky girl.

"A-anyways," Yuki started, trying to interject between the girls' small fight. "We need one more person in our group. Is anyone willing to come with us?"

Sora clicked her tongue, crossing her arms. "Well, we obviously need someone who isn't going to disrupt the peace," she commented, referring to Hikari who glared at her angrily. Sora looked around the area, looking at Ren's group then to the others who stood there in wait. She lifted up a small smirk. "I think I know who can help us out."

Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "Um... Who?"

"Obviously, the person with the most helpful talent." Sora chuckled to herself, taking short steps to the person of her choosing. "Satoshi Yoshiro, I suppose you can act of use for once."

Shi gulped, his face turning pale as Sora arrogantly pointed her finger at him. He couldn't stand people like her, but he couldn't tell her off. He simply cupped his hands, biting into his lips. "M-my name's Shi..."

"It doesn't matter, does it? Since you are the SHSL Strategist, I suppose you'll be able to come up with a plan for us to escape." She stopped, then staring deeply into Shi's eyes. Though she was shorter than Shi by eleven inches, she continued to pass off an intimidating aura around herself. Her short structure made her seem like a baby who's trying to act as a snobby bully. "Am I right?"

Shi eyed her for a few moments, then sighing in forfeit. "S-sure..." He sluggishly walked towards the group, making Sora grin victoriously as she followed Shi to their group.

Sora turned to Ren and the others, waving her hand at them. "Oi, we're going to be leaving now."

Ren nodded, watching the group walk down the path. He turned to Zen. "Should we get going now too?"

Zen shrugged, glancing at the four other high schoolers who were left with no choice but to explore the northwestern area of the city. Her eyes met Hikari's. "Are you guys fine with exploring the northwestern part?"

Hikari nodded, saluting the archer. "Honestly, it doesn't matter to me! Tell me what ya want me to do and I'll do it!" She then grinned as she walked towards Zen, a flirtatious look in her eyes as she threw her into an embrace. "Of course, it's because I think ya're just too darn cute!"

"W-what! Er, yeah, sure..." Zen chuckled awkwardly, the tight grip starting to choke her into a hold. However, it didn't take much long for Hikari to release her from the embrace.

"Well, ya hafta ask the others too." She turned to the others. "You guys fine with it?"

Ruekra smiled, nodding his head. "I don't mind anything really. As long as I can hang out with you sweethearts then I'm fine with anything. Kazuo's quite introverted, but I can manage with his rather skinny appearance. Hikari, you're quite the sweetheart, but I suppose you lean towards women?"

"Yup!" Hikari grinned, giving the magician a thumbs up.

The magician continued to nod, then turning to the thief who stood a few tiles away from him. "Nathalie, you're quite the sweetheart yourself. You are quite the cute maiden. I might just enjoy standing right next to you."

"Sweetheart? Cute?" Nathalie glanced at Ruekra, slowly taking a step further away from the magician. Ruekra, of course, didn't take notice of her worry and simply winked at her. She shuddered, quickly averting her eyes away from him. Though she was paranoid of Ruekra and the entire situation concerning Monokuma, she was a bit relieved that she was traveling in a group. "... I don't mind, however."

"I suppose so." Zen chuckled before turning to Kazuo. "How about you? Are you fine with exploring the northwestern side?"

The game developer, Kazuo, simply tilted his head. "Hm? Did everyone leave already? ... Ah, it's only us? Oh? Hikari and the others too...?" He then sighed, stretching his arms out to the air. "Mm... Sorry, I was too busy coming up with another game..."

Hikari felt sweat trickling down to her cheek. "Er... Another one?"

Kazuo nodded. "Yeah... Sorry."

"Hmph." Saburo smirked proudly, crossing his arms as he minded his business into Kazuo's statements. "Well now, does it matter? A mere idea cannot be considered into serious matters unless you actually make your idea a reality. It's the same thing here. If we don't hurry up and investigate the city we'll never find a way out of his hell's spawn. It'll be bad if the new order's emperor, me, is stuck in this prison."

The game developer simply glanced at Saburo, his expression then loosening into a curious one. "Hell's spawn? Prison?" He smiled a little, clenching his fists. "It sounds like a good idea for a game."

Saburo, however, wasn't pleased with Kazuo's words. He frowned, raising an eyebrow at him. "Huh? What?"

"Ah, nothing."

Zen chuckled nervously, eyeing the situation. "A-anyways, since you guys are fine with exploring the northwest side I think we should get going now."

Himeko nodded, rolling her eyes. "Obviously..."

Hikari grinned. "Alright! Let's get this mission started!"

"The mission to escape from that bastard Monokuma's city!" Ruekra cried, adding on to Hikari's exclamation as the groups ran off to their destination. Zen and Ruekra's groups waved to one another, wishing each other good luck on their investigations until they can only spot mere shadows of each other.


(Group 1 - King, Yuuya, Hairi, Mizuki - Southeastern Area)

"You know.. This place looks a bit like my neighborhood back home," Mizuki commented, eyeing the line of two-story houses. Each house was painted and designed differently from one another, either maroon or white from either a house with a lot of glass windows to a house with fewer windows. However, what was most interesting about the houses were the nameplates on the doors.

"I see your name on there," Hairi replied, pointing to a cream colored house with the shining black door that said, "Mizuki Komatsu".

"Huh? Really?!" Mizuki turned around, finding her nameplate on the door. "Ah. You're right!"

"I think we're separated into two different sides," King commented, pointing at the line of houses that had various different names. He then pointed to the line of houses behind him. "These houses are for the guys."

Hairi nodded. "So the line of houses here are for the girls."

"Mhm!" Mizuki hummed, her smile widening as each second passed. "Hey, I wanna see what it looks like in the inside." She walked towards the door, then turning the doorknob. Nothing happened. "Huh? What the hell? Is this locked?" She tilted her head, trying to turn the doorknob repeatedly.

"But isn't this your house?" Yuuya asked, confused.

Hairi cupped her hands. "Um... M-maybe we have to ask that Monokuma robot..."

"I'm not asking a psycho like him!" Mizuki cried, throwing her hands up as if she was in a surrendering position. "Never ever!"

King cupped his chin, pondering on something. "Um... Mizuki."

"Hm?" Mizuki turned to the pianist.

"Can you try using your e-Handbook?"

"Huh? Oh. This thing?" Mizuki took out her handbook, eyeing it in bewilderment. She glanced at it curiously, then turning back to King. "What do you want me to do? Are you saying this is some sort of key that can unlock the door?"

"That can't be it. Since, there's no ID reader..." Hairi glanced at the front side of the house, finding nothing but the walls and the door in sight. There was no device similar to that of an ID reader nor did she spot any sort of machinery around the area. "How will this work?"

King smiled softly. "Well, I think I got an idea..."

Yuuya eyed King intensely, trying to figure out what the pianist was saying. After a while Yuuya's eyes widened, a lightbulb flickering over his head as he realized what King's trying to lead them into. "Ah! You mean the nameplate, right?"

King nodded. "Yes."

"T-that's right!" Hairi glanced at the pianist, stunned by his actions. "That's so smart, King!"

The pianist blushed, averting his gaze to the side. "Um...well..."

"Ahaha! I'm glad we have someone like you here!" Mizuki cried, throwing her arms over King who almost squealed in shock. She released him quickly however, excitably putting her e-Handbook over the nameplate. As if scanning the handbook, the nameplate turned from a silvery color into a golden hue, a ringing sound echoing into Mizuki's ears.

Ding!

Mizuki grinned. "Ah! It worked!"

"... Wow." Yuuya can hardly hear himself speak.

"Let's go in."

Hurriedly taking off their shoes outside of the door, the quartet walked into the house of Mizuki. Walls were colored cream with maroon tiles on the bottom, giving off a rather relaxing sort of atmosphere. There were stairs leading to the second floor next to the living room, but the quartet was already stunned by how beautifully designed the house was.

Even Mizuki herself was surprised. "This is...cool."

The group first walked into the dining room, opening the black door which blocked their path. There was a round wooden table in the middle of the room, four carved chairs surrounding it. On the middle of the table was a banzai tree which seemed to be recently watered, the dirt below it glistening with droplets fresh liquid.

"There's even a platform TV on the wall..." The group looked up behind them, finding a reflecting platform television built to the wall. Below the television was a small desk with a vase filled with poppies.

Hairi was the first to speak about the design. "This...this looks beautiful."

"Is this seriously my house?" Mizuki asked herself, her eyes staring at her surroundings intently. She then stopped, shaking her head violently. "No, no, no, no way. I can't live here!"

"W-we are trying to search for a way out of this place..." Yuuya mentioned, trying to focus back into the desired topic. "W-we can't get distracted like this."

Hairi and King nodded. "You're right..."

"Tsk." Mizuki clicked her tongue, clenching her fists. "Why am I acting so happy over this? That damn Monokuma's gonna pay for getting us in this mess."

"D-don't worry about it..." Hairi murmured, rubbing the hip hop dancer's back in comfort.

"I agree with you, but reality is reality." Yuuya shrugged, glancing around the room. "Anyways, should we continue investigating here?"

"Hm. I don't see the harm in doing that," Hairi answered, glancing at King and Mizuki who nodded in agreement. "There might be some clues here. We can't be too cautious."

King smiled. "That's true."

The quartet observed the kitchen and the dining room. The kitchen had a beautifully crafted stove with silver frying pans on top, an oven on the bottom. There was a white colored refrigerator besides the wall next to the freezer, cabinets, and sink. Lonely as it may look, once Mizuki opened it she was filled with joy.

Microwaveable foods were stored inside of the fridge alongside many sports drinks and bottled water, fruits and vegetables on the bottom. It seemed just enough for Mizuki to survive for about a few weeks, though her health on the other hand may prove otherwise.

"I have a theory that all of our fridges will be stored with food," King stated, observing the food in the fridge. "It just seems...obvious...?"

"It better," Yuuya replied, sighing. "I think I'm gonna starve to death if I don't mind myself eating food right after I wake up from bed."

Hairi glanced at Yuuya nervously. "Y-you're suggesting that we really are going to live here."

Yuuya's eyes widened, realizing what he just said. "Ah! S-sorry."

"Don't worry about it," the travel blogger quickly responded, whipping up a gentle smile. "Let's continue investigating Mizuki's house and forget about this for now, alright?"

Yuuya nodded, leaving the room alongside the others into the living room. Of course, the first thing they noticed was the gigantic plasma television screen on the wall with couches faced towards it, a round glass desk with a vase full of tulips to the left of them.

Mizuki forced herself to chuckle, almost amazed at how luxurious her home is. "Of course there'll be another TV..."

King surveyed the room, soon taking notice of the mess below the plasma television screen. "Hm. What's that?" He asked, pointing to the mess that seemed to be of various consoles and games.

"... Ah!" Mizuki's eyes widened, her heart throbbing in excitement as she quickly snatched onto a game. "I know this game! It's Dance Dance Revolution!"

"Dance Dance Revolution?" Hairi turned to Yuuya, the two of them apparently unaware that such a game existed.

King, however, eyed Mizuki's excited face observantly as if reading what was in her mind. "I suppose it's a dancing game?"

"Hell yeah it is!" Mizuki cried, throwing her fists to the air. "I can't believe that Monokuma brat would give me something like this!"

Hairi bit her lips. "Well... He really wants to make us live here..."

"So I'm guessing that robot prepared this room for Mizuki," Yuuya started, turning to King who cupped his chin. "It's definitely not just some coincidence that Mizuki would have everything she would like here. The sport drinks hinted at something, but the dancing game just made it obvious that that Monokuma bear prepared this beforehand."

King nodded slowly. "... Yes."

Yuuya crossed his arms, surveying King slowly. "You know, I thought you would've been the sort of guy who wouldn't try to help others out. However, I think you're helping us more than ever. I guess you're just shy?"

The pianist eyed Yuuya shortly, shaking his head. "I just don't like talking that much."

The geographer nodded, turning to Mizuki whose smile didn't falter from her face. "I guess so."

"I think we should go upstairs," Hairi said, bringing the others back to their original topic.

Mizuki tilted her head as she turned to Hairi, abruptly out from her excited expression. "Huh? Did we already find everything here?"

"Other than games..." Hairi chuckled awkwardly, sweat trickling from her forehead. "Yeah."

The group head up the stairs with Hairi leading them. The door that was the closest to them was the bathroom, King excusing himself as he stated that he rather not intrude on a girl's privacy. Hairi and Mizuki glanced at him, obviously unfazed by his appearance as Yuuya nonchantly walked inside the bathroom.

It was a typical bathroom. There was a toilet with toilet paper on the ring that was attached to the salmon-colored wall, a white sink attached to a black cabinet at the bottom that held various supplies, and the showers with spiral-patterned curtains blocking the view.

There was nothing of interest, making the trio move back outside where King was standing. King then excused himself again alongside Yuuya who seemed to notice the faint worry in Mizuki's eyes. Hairi seemed to take notice and politely asked the guys to leave, walking inside the next room with Mizuki.

Of course, it was Mizuki's very own room. There was a regular sized bed with white pillows and sheets laid out almost neatly on the bed, one of the pillows on the ground while the blankets were quite messy with wrinkles. Besides Mizuki's bed were dressers that contained various dresses and undergarments, making Mizuki sigh in relief from realizing that she kicked the guys out from the room. Since Hairi was a girl Mizuki didn't mind her company.

"Um..." Hairi glanced around the room, noticing one small, noticeable thing that lied in the middle of the room. A foldable table that had a small black net attached to the middle, the table being designed with some sort of court-like picture. "Is that a table tennis court?"

Mizuki jumped up and down energetically, noticing the table tennis court in the middle of the room. "Are! You! Kidding! Me!" She quickly ran to Hairi's side, embracing her tightly. "Is this like, my dream house or something?!"

"Y-you really are excited..." Hairi commented in a raspy voice, smiling nervously as she felt her insides being squeezed tightly.

But I guess Yuuya was right. Probably that Monokuma bear-like thing prepared these houses for us beforehand.


(Group 2 - Zen, Ren, Saburo, Himeko - Southwestern Area)

"I guess most of the hotels in this area are locked," Ren stated, walking throughout the city alongside Zen, Saburo, and Himeko. It's been a few minutes since the group searched around the their part of the city, first starting with the towering buildings that seemed to all be hotels used to attract tourists. Though it has only been a few minutes the group had found themselves stuck in a dilemma. Most of the hotels were locked and unavailable for entrance.

"Tsk. I think the buildings here are just for show," Himeko murmured under her breath, almost disgusted by how much time they're wasting.

"Just for show? How preposterous!" Saburo cried, his eyebrows furrowing in wrath. His hands clenched into fists as he took a step towards the group, blocking their path as he stood before them. "These buildings are not for a show! What a waste of space! Do you know how many people has worked on the designs for these buildings? The contracts? The labor?! For someone to send these buildings out for show... I'll never forgive such a lowly emperor! If I was the emperor I would never do something as traumatic as this!"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Traumatic?"

Himeko frowned, averting her eyes to the ground. "... I didn't mean for you to get so worked up."

"I-I'm sure that whoever's controlling that bear is locking up all these buildings," Zen stated, trying to calm down the speech writer who glared at her intensely. "I'm glad you appreciate others' efforts though. You really are a kind person."

Saburo's eyes widened, taking a step back in shock. "K-kind?!" He glanced at Zen for a moment, then turning his back to the trio of confused teenagers. "Well, I'm glad someone knows how befitting I am to be the empire of this world. However!" He swiftly turned back to the others, shocking them. "Zen Soeur, you need to be more powerful and demanding if you want to be my queen!"

"T-that's not what I'm aiming for though!" Zen cried, her face burning up in a dark pink hue. "S-stop teasing me already!"

Ren stared at Zen slowly, then eyeing Saburo who continued to point rather confidently at her. He frowned, obviously irritated by the speech writer's rather rude behavior, but he decided to keep quiet till time continued to strike.

Himeko chuckled inwardly to herself. "So she's actually a lewd person."

"Zen!"

Zen jumped in place, her heart throbbing erratically. "Y-yes?!"

"You need to be less nicer to others or else people will take advantage of you!" Saburo took a small breath, then pointing at the abstract artist who glanced at him in confusion. "Take note of how mean Himeko is!"

"W-what?" Himeko's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Can you actually hear what I'm saying?"

Saburo grinned. "I have good ears!"

"Saburo!"

The speech writer turned his head to the side, finding the swordsman's face red. He eyed him in confusion, raising an eyebrow. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

Ren sighed, shaking his head. He couldn't take much more of this scene any longer. Though he was rather irritated by how Saburo is sounding, he knew his words weren't actually intentionally meant for harm. "We're wasting a lot of time here, Saburo. We need to continue investigating this area. The others might've already finished halfway into their own investigation."

Saburo's eyes widened, his body loosening as he finally calmed himself down and walked back to the other three. "You're right."

Ren smiled. "Thank you."

The group walked around the block, finding all of the buildings to be locked to their demise. They walked into a corner, almost giving up on investigating on the towering buildings till they reached the gates that surrounded a beautiful hotel with fountain in the middle of the cream tiled pavement.

"This definitely looks like a hotel for the rich," Ren murmured, surveying the area carefully. "It might as well be worth the time if the gates are even closed."

"It's probably just for show," Himeko replied quietly, rolling her eyes.

Zen forced a small smile. "Well, let's find a way to open the gates."

Saburo nodded. "That's absolutely right."

The group agreed on Zen's statement, roaming around the building in search for a way to enter through the gates. At one point Saburo requested that they should climb over the gates, but Ren stated that it might as well be the case if it wasn't for the smooth, tall walls. Saburo shrugged and continued to search within the area.

Himeko looked through the bushes near the end of the gates, searching till she spotted a small silvery key. She picked it up, quickly hurrying back to the others. Saburo grinned, commenting on how reliable she is as she unlocked the gates. The gates were opened, leaving the group to enter into the perimeters of the hotel.

"Doesn't this statue look a bit like Monokuma?" Zen asked, glancing at the statue that stood on top of the fountain, the carvings of a bear cackling at them with a glass-shaped ball in his hands.

Himeko coughed, speaking under her breath. "Well no shit, Sherlock."

"The hotel's named from Monokuma too." Ren eyed the words on top of the entrance, finding it titled with "Hotel Monokuma". He couldn't believe how creative the name of the hotel was.

Though the exterior of the hotel was quite beautiful with the fountain and paved road, gardens of flowers to the left and right, the group couldn't help but feel a bit more worried than usual. The relaxing atmosphere felt too surreal for their situation. Their worries have slowly been gobbling them up, but the scenery did not help soothe them at all.

"Let's go see if the hotel's open," Saburo said, scurrying ahead of the others. He slowly placed his hand against the glass door, giving it a little push. To his surprise the door creaked open. "It's open!"

Himeko sighed. "About time."

"Let's go in." Zen and the others quickly hurried into the interior of the hotel, finding themselves inside of a gigantic lobby.

The lobby was quite luxurious itself. Velvet, smooth carpets that decorated the ground were under bean bags and cushioned seats that were designed close to glass tables. On top of the tables were a bouquet of roses in red and white, the vase patterned with swirls and butterfly designs. Besides the reception desk was a flatscreen television screen, allowing for any residents inside of the lobby to have a relaxing time. A vending machine was besides the desk, full of drinks and snacks that costed about a dollar or so. On the far end of the lobby were the elevators, stairs, and the dining room which seemed to be far more spacious than the lobby itself.

"I wonder if we can rest here for the time being," Ren murmured, surveying the interior. "This may prove to be a good place to rest till we find a way to escape."

Saburo turned to Ren. "I thought we had our own houses though."

The swordsman frowned. "R-really?"

"It says so in the e-Handbook," Zen replied, showing her handbook to the swordsman who can only stand still in silence.

Ren nodded his head slowly, turning his gaze away from the group. "... Ahem. I see."

Zen, Saburo, and Himeko glanced at one another. Saburo, however, was the first to break the silence. "You're just embarrassed, aren't you?"

The swordsman's face turned red. "O-of course not. Don't take me lightly, please."

Zen chuckled, smiling sweetly at Ren. "Anyways, let's see if we can investigate all of the rooms on these floors here."

Himeko took a deep breath, obviously not pleased by what she was hearing from the archer. "This is going to take a while."

"Should we split up?" Saburo asked, glancing at the other three. "It might be faster if we do."

"Well, it does, but I just have this feeling that something will go wrong if we do split up," Zen replied, her face turning into a bright pink hue as she scratched her head. "Y-you know, with all the horror novels I've read I just have this feeling..."

Ren smiled, crossing his arms. "Ah. Well, that does make sense if you put it that way. It's not as though books stray from reality entirely."

"I wish we're not in reality," Himeko whispered coldly under her breath, biting into her lips.

Saburo turned to the abstract artist. "Um, did you say something? ... Anyways, it's best if we continue our investigation." The others nodded, agreeing with his words as they continued their investigation.

To their demise and unexpectedly good fortune (of not wasting time), the group only found one room that was currently unlocked. It was the room at the top floor down the hallways, room 600B at floor twenty. However, just as when they were about to open the door a figure appeared in front of their eyes.

"Hey! This area shouldn't be available yet until you cleared the level!"

It was Monokuma.

"Uwaaaaaah!" The group apparently screamed at the same time, Ren almost losing his balance as Himeko easily plopped to the floor. Zen's body trembled at the sudden sight, Saburo now dumbfounded by what just happened. Monokuma, on the other hand, watched their hilarious reaction and started to uncontrollably laugh.

"Ah... Aha! Upupupupupu! Ahahaha! Seriously, are you guys really that scared of my sudden entrance?! You guys are soooo stupidly funny!" The bear fell onto his back, laughing nonstop as the four high schoolers calmed themselves down, now irritated by his behavior.

"Y-you can't blame us!" Zen cried, angrily pointing at the bear. "Y-you appeared out of nowhere!"

"I'm going to seriously kill you..." Himeko murmured under her breath, glaring daggers at the bear who continued to fill the hallways with his laughter. "Kill you... I swear..."

"N-nobody's allowed to scare an emperor like me!" Saburo yelled, clenching his fists. "A lowly robot like you is not worth my time!"

Ren breathed in deeply, calming his nerves down as he glanced at Monokuma. "So, why are you here?"

Monokuma abruptly stopped laughing, quickly getting back on his two feet. "Like I said, you guys aren't allowed here! This area is reserved for the next level! You guys are still on the first stage! First stage I tell ya! First! Stage!"

Zen shook her head, the bear's high-pitched voice resounding into her ears. "Ugh! We get it already, so shut up!"

"Woah!" Monokuma raised his hands up, sweat trickling from the top of his head. "That's cruel, coming from a cutie like you! Why are all the girls here so rude?! And I thought Sora and Hikari were a handful!"

"Nevermind that," Ren said, biting down into his lips. "Let us in that room. You're hiding something in there, right?"

Himeko scoffed. "Obviously."

"Even if I am hiding something in there, does that mean I'll let you in? Well obviously not!" Monokuma growled at the group, showing off his sharp teeth in a threatening manner. "You guys came here too quickly anyways! I was gonna finish making up the rules first and then set up the restriction barrier around this place, but no! You guys have to get your scaredy cat asses off of that centre square before I even got the chance to cool myself down!"

"I-it's not like you told us to wait in the first place!" Zen cried, refuting the bear's skyrocketing tantrum.

"That doesn't excuse your actions! Students should know when to read their teacher's mind! The same thing applies here!" Monokuma stomped on the ground, trying to stand guard to the group. "Leave now before I execute you!"

Saburo frowned. "Execute? Just for this?"

Monokuma raised his claw, almost ready to pounce Saburo until he stood frozen in place. His arm dropped slowly to the ground, his eyes leering at the group. He turned to his back, cupping his paws in a diligent fashion while he spoke in a rather silent tone of voice. "Technically, I can't. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to hurt any participants here until a trial starts. If a trial starts then I'll be able to execute any one of you guys~."

"We're not in some game," Ren answered, his nose wrinkling in disdain. "Participants, execute, trial? Taking death so lightly, do you have no shame?"

"Am I allowed to have shame when I'm naked?" Monokuma teased as he stepped onto a stool he obtained from thin air, inching close to Ren's face.

Ren's face grew pale. "W-wha-?"

"Bears are always naked anyways," Himeko murmured under breath, feeling the urge to knock over the stool to make Monokuma tumble to the ground.

"What's this trial you're talking about?" Saburo asked, ignoring the bear's rather unnecessary statement.

Monokuma turned to Saburo, inching away from Ren's face. "Why would I tell you when the whole cast isn't even here? It'll be a waste of beary precious time if I decide to tell you everything, riiight?"

Saburo shook his head, unfathered by Monokuma who was enunciating on his last word. "You're speaking so confidently as if you know something bad will happen."

Monokuma nodded, twirling happily on his stool. "Of course! It's because you guys have to kill one another!"

Ren clicked his tongue, his patience growing shorter by the moment. "We're never going to do that."

"Why would we even kill one another?" Zen asked, her hands almost begging to reach her bow and arrow. "We have no reason to."

"Because you're stuck here!" Monokuma answered, giggling obnoxiously. "If you wanna leave you gotta kill someone and pass the trial!"

Saburo clenched his fists. "Again with the trial-!"

"Am I allowed to kill him?" Himeko asked, speaking a bit more loudly than usual. Everyone turned towards her direction, meeting her wrathful gaze. "His sense of humor is seriously pissing me off."

Monokuma threw his arms in the air, shocked by Himeko's sudden statement. However, his tone of voice made it sound like he knew what she was going to say. "I-I even made the softspoken one yell at me?!" He then sighed deeply, eyeing the group sadly. "Well, as long as you know not to enter into this room then I'm fine with you all yelling at me. I'm gonna go put up the barrier here, so don't even try opening the door. I'll be back shortly..."

"Hey, you didn't even answer our ques-"

It was then did Monokuma disappeared into thin air, a sudden gust of wind blowing into the high schoolers' faces.

"-tions..."


(Group 1 - King, Yuuya, Hairi, Mizuki - Southeastern Area)

The group had already explored the school, both checking the exterior and interior of the area. There was nothing inside that was special but ordinary classrooms containing blackboards, desks, chairs, and textbooks. Outside the school was the playground. There were colorful red slides and blue swings on the blacktop, monkey bars near the right, benches under the freshly planted trees on the side, and various small basketball courts near the end of the ground which then led to the grassy fields. A few miles ahead of the grassy fields were the gymnasium which contained various basketball courts, seats, and numerous physical education supplies. Surrounding the gymnasium was the track that looped around the building.

Next off the group headed to the park, finding a similar, but bigger playground as the school's. Added onto the background was a small sandbox for little kids, small toy buckets and tools left on the scene. There were much more trees that surrounded the park, a sidewalk that surrounded the park and headed out into the streets. Bushes had decorated the perimeter of the park, flowers growing from the dirt. A beautiful scenery. If only there were birds chirping in the distance.

Of course, to their misfortune, no clues to their escape were to be seen.

When the group came back together from exploring the nearby area they decided to head over to their last location- the cafe. The cafe wasn't far from the park, only a few blocks away. The title was on top of the building, titling the cafe as "Mono Cafe". The group eyed the small chalkboard that was glued to wall, serving as a menu.

"Coffee, tea..." Yuuya read through the list, then eyeing the prices and wondering what in the world MonoCoins were. Still, it didn't stop him from reading the items out loud for his group to hear. "...velvet cake, cappuccino, scone..."

Hairi sighed, clenching onto her stomach as her head sunk low. "Ugh... I'm so sorry, but I'm getting really hungry from just hearing this..."

"When did we last eat anyways?" Mizuki asked, turning to King who shrugged his shoulders as an answer. She sighed, scratching her head. "I can't even remember what I ate yesterday..."

"I would say that you're a bit airheaded right now, but even I don't remember what I last ate," Yuuya admitted, finally stopping from reading the items on the menu. "Maybe it was a hamburger?"

Mizuki grinned, licking her lips pleasurably as drool began to drip from her mouth. Her mind was then clouded with the oily fast food, her eyes starting to shine a hazy daze. She was roaming off into her own world at this point. "Mm... Hamburger..."

"Um..." Yuuya frowned, eyeing the hip hop dancer. "You okay there, Mizuki?"

Mizuki jumped, startling the trio of confused ultimates as she did a quick somersault. Landing back onto the ground, the teenager looked back and forth in shock. "H-huh?! What happened?! H...huh? O-oh, yeah."

"I-I almost got hit there..." King murmured to himself, rubbing his head as he was just centimeters away from meeting face to face with Mizuki's feet during her immediate somersault.

"Sorry about that. I'm a bit of an airhead," Mizuki said, bonking her head with her fist as she stuck her tongue out to amuse her acquaintances. Hairi turned to Yuuya who shrugged, King still a bit fearful from the idea of getting kicked to the head. "Let's just go inside the cafe."

Hairi nodded, smiling as she stepped into the door. "Sure."

Stepping inside to the cafe, the group was met with the fine smell of coffee brewing in the distance. A relaxing atmosphere soothed their nerves, dim lights and cozy colors surrounding them from every angle. There was a bigger menu on top of the counter, ranging from simple drinks to deserts to different types of soups and bread. Just from taking a glimpse at the written words made the group's stomachs grumble.

"Can we... Can we buy something here?" Mizuki asked, desperate for a nodding answer.

"If we can, then yeah." Yuuya frowned. "But what in the world are MonoCoins?"

"If I had to take a guess, probably they're the city's currency?" Hairi answered, uncertain of of her own answer. "Though, that is a bit strange..."

"Monokuma probably did it," Mizuki replied, growling. "Tsk. If only I can just eat without worrying about anything right now."

"Can't we just eat without paying?" Yuuya asked, eyeing the desserts that laid perfectly inside of the counters that were covered with a glass panel. "They all seem recently made too."

"... If you want to die, sure."

"What?" Yuuya turned to King who had just spoken in the midst of the commotion, his eyes staring down at him. He bit his lips, a bit annoyed by King's rather calm, but harsh answer. "What do you mean by that?"

King pointed his finger up behind his back, directing Yuuya and the others' gazes on where he was pointing at. A security camera was watching over them in silence, a small circle on the left side blinking a flashing red color on and off. However, what fixated their gaze was the item next to the camera. It was a small machine gun that seemed glued to the wall, yet there was no trigger to be seen. There were bullets near to be seen, but the gun looked as though the handle was broken altogether. Maybe it had combined along with the camera, no one knew. All that mattered was their lives at stake.

"W-why the hell is there a machine gun there?!" Mizuki exclaimed, her face pale as sweat trickled down from her forehead. Her muscles were tensing in fear, her hands jittery with the slight feeling of submission falling into her head. "They don't put those in a cafe!"

"I'm sorry, but this is absolutely preposterous!" Hairi cried, her body trembling violently as she can only stare at the combination of the camera and machine gun. "Even if someone tried to steal something here it'll only end up with murder instead?!"

"W-why here of all places!" Yuuya forced a smile on his face, but even then were the hairs on his back raising in fear. "We didn't even see anything like this elsewhere!"

The pianist bit his lips, crossing his arms. "I'm sure this is merely a prank though..."

Yuuya scoffed. "Then why even say something like "if you want to die"?!"

"... It was just a precaution," King admitted, turning his back to the group. "I just don't want to see if it was real or not."

"Well then thank goodness you said something!" The geologist cried, a bit relieved that the idea of stealing food had already faded away from his head. He sighed, shaking his head irritably. "I am not ever, ever, ever going to be the guinea pig for this!"

Mizuki nodded, taking a few short breaths. "Seeing that, I'm not taking any chances."

"W-why steal in the first place?" Hairi asked. "I-I mean, I am getting hungry as well, but I'm pretty sure we all have our own food at our houses."

The hip hop dancer grinned slightly. "Mm! Know that you think about it, you're actually right!"

King smiled. "Well, you guys certainly calmed down quite quickly."

"It's not like I wanna remember that there's a risk of getting killed in this sort of place," Yuuya replied, scratching his head. "This place is too relaxing for its own good..."

The pianist chuckled. "Well, I think that's everything."

Yuuya nodded. "Yeah, I think we searched through everything already. Let's head back to the centre square."

"Do you even remember where that is?" Mizuki asked, tilting her head.

Yuuya rolled his eyes. "Just check your e-Handbook. Besides, we still aren't finish talking to that damn Monokuma."

"Ah, right..." Hairi gulped, trembling slightly as she remembered the bear's appearance. Speaking about killing, how they're trapped, etc. These things were not what Hairi had ever wanted to hear.

The geologist smiled, petting Hairi's head. "Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure this is all just one huge prank. You know how some kids are crazy these days."

"We didn't even find anything though," King stated, sadly dropping his shoulders.

Mizuki shook her head, not wanting to let the pianist's pessimism overwhelm her. "No way. I'm sure the others found something."

The group nodded, then heading out back to their first meeting point.


Sorry for the wait. Just checking what the entire city looks like is taking a pretty long time, so I'm gonna divide this up into chapters! Group 2 will finish in the next chapter alongside Group 3 and possibly Group 4's investigations!

Just remember that there isn't a real main protagonist. I will be switching through various viewpoints throughout the entire story. The first person I decided to star in was my own character Zen, so I'm not going into her viewpoint for a while. I have planned a few chapters ahead, so I hope some of these things don't seem too rushed. Though Zen will be an important character, she won't be stealing the spotlight for a while. I don't want to let my character steal your character's spotlight, right?

I am loving all of the characters so far. Seriously, thank you for submitting these amazing characters. I might just have the urge to draw them, so if I do I'll tell you so you can look at it~

Anyways, Vio is out!