A/N: Okay it's time for the investigation to begin. Just so you know, even though the game hasn't officially started yet, this prologue mystery will be treated like any other murder case in the game. After finding clues and gathering evidence and testimony a class trial will be held to determine who Hajime Hinata's murderer is. The only thing that will be different is the way of picking the culprit, none of the students participating in the investigation have killed him, and Monokuma is "innocent" like always, so who does that leave as the culprit? Think real hard and I'm sure you could come up with a good hypothesis, but even then you've still probably got a 1/27 chance of figuring out who the killer is. How is it that little of a chance? Read and find out.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
Prologue, Part 5: The suspects
DAYTIME, 9:10 AM
Monokuma was laughing at our misery, and the hopelessness of our situation. "Now I think you guys understand the thing that you're all lacking. Despair, there's not nearly enough despair in you for my tastes. You all have complexes, sure every teenager has one. But so few complexes become full-fledged despair, so that's why you're here. You're here to play a game that will destroy you all mentally, emotionally, and physically. A game that will drag you into the depths of despair. Hajime Hinata was originally supposed to bear the title of Ultimate Wannabe but as you saw he didn't really work out, he didn't want to play either so there were consequences for backing out of the game. Now as for the rest of you, I've given you a demonstration of my power. So I, your beloved headmaster Monokuma, will give you an ultimatum. Hear me out and take the test, or else you will all die just like Hajime Hinata. Once again, the decision is yours to make, and yours alone. So my precious students, what's it gonna be? Despair or death?" he asked as sharp claws shot out of his left paw, which he showed us threateningly as his red eye glowed brightly.
We were all silent. Not one of us dared utter a single word.
Monokuma laughed again. "Good, now if there aren't any more interruptions, let the game begin. Welcome to the Murder Mystery Tour."
"Mur-Murder Mystery Tour?" Micho repeated in horror.
"Yes, Murder Mystery Tour. Do you need to get your ears checked?" Monokuma asked condescendingly. "I also could've gone with tutorial, but I felt that would be a little cliché, so instead it's a tour of what your life is going to be like for the time being. A test to see if you can stick it out and play my game for real. Hajime-kun proved himself worthy by taking one of my other tests, but unfortunately he got knocked out of the competition before the real fun could even begin." Monokuma sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, I wasn't expecting much from that talentless nobody anyway."
I growled at that comment and deepened my glare at Monokuma.
Monokuma laughed at my reaction and then continued his explanation. "Anyway, here's how things are going to happen. Hajime-kun's killer is inside the school as we speak and your job is to sniff them out."
"Inside the school, more like standing right in front of us," I replied.
"Eh? Whatcha talking about?" Monokuma asked as he cocked his head to the side.
"You practically admitted that you were the one who killed Hinata-kun already! There we solved the mystery now let us out, none of us want to be here anymore!" I shouted at the psychotic bear.
"Pfft…hahahahahahahahahaha!" Monokuma responded with a fit of loud laughter that forced him to grip his sides in order to keep his balance and keep him from falling off of the podium. Then after he was finished laughing he asked, "You didn't think it would be that easy did you? Honestly, a mystery that easy to solve should be B-rated for babies. This a M-rated game wise guy – or T-rated depending on where you live – that's why we can have cursing, blood and gore, and all the underlying themes – wink, wink – that your little heart desires. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, I most positively, absolutely, with 100% certainty, did not kill Hajime Hinata. I just kind of forced the killer's hand. Ergo, my hands, I mean paws, are clean." Monokuma showed us his paw pads in retort.
"What do you mean by, you forced the killer's hand, exactly? Izuru asked out of curiosity.
"Finally a person who is willing to ask questions pertaining to the game. I was beginning to think that you guys fool-heartedly believed in that old saying curiosity killed the cat, or in this case person. Please, this is a mystery game, ask all the questions you want, by all means. I'll even give you a couple of free hints, to get more it's gonna cost you though, just like a real mystery game."
"Would you please stop calling this a game, it's not a game dude, this is something sick and disgusting!" Nate exclaimed in fury.
"Wow, even though you're mad at him you still used the word "please"?" Nodaka asked. "You might even have better manners than me. Yeah right." Even in this situation she could still find the time to be snide.
"Oho, but this most certainly is a mystery game. Think about it, we've got the perfect location for a good old-fashioned school murder mystery, a couple of zany characters, and even a frigging corpse that's rotting upstairs as we speak!"
"Y-You say that so casual like. You're a horrible person," Shiro commented.
"Why thank you," Monokuma replied, "But you don't need to flatter me to get me to tell you anything, I'll tell you all need to know right now. I selected Hajime-kun as well as twenty-seven others to compete in my splendid game."
"Twenty-seven others? Wait, there's twenty of us, does that mean we were already selected for your game, Mr. Monokuma?" Keiko asked.
"Oh no, no, no," Monokuma waved off the question. "You guys aren't the originals, not even close. You're utter garage compared to them."
Nagito frowned and said, "I know I'm trash but it still hurts when I get called that by others. Thank you for your honesty though."
"What I mean is, you guys are the backups, the extras, the understudies, whatever you want to call yourselves. You're just not the first picks, m'kay? I was forced to draw you guys into the game because my original picks met with a…well I guess you couldn't say unfortunate accident because I locked them in a room without any food, a limited supply of water, and forced sleep deprivation for a whole week and told them that the only way they were getting out was if eight of them were killed off by the other twenty…so what would you call that situation?" The gymnasium went silent again as a whole new terror filled us. This one, much more powerful than the last.
"W-What the hell?!" Nate exclaimed as he twitched in fear.
"That…that…that can't be…that…" Jonathan was at a loss for words for the time since we met him.
"No! No! No! No! No!" Chihiro kept shouting over and over again and broke out into a stream of tears, as Cam desperately tried to comfort her.
"What…what the hell is the matter with you, you maniacal piece of junk?!" Nodaka screamed.
"Nyaaaaaaaaaa! Azami-tan doesn't want to hear any more hebi! Make the bad bear go away hebi, make him go away!" Azami screamed as she covered her cat ears and shook her head.
"You…you're a monster. A monster, an utter monster!" Micho shouted at Monokuma in fury.
"Again, flattery will get you nowhere," Monokuma replied with a wicked smile.
"She's not flattering you, you moronic toy, she's saying you're pure evil!" Soshun shouted.
I just stood there with a horrified look on my face. It was like all the life had been sucked from my body. I couldn't move at all. My mind kept replaying the image of Hajime in that blood-covered classroom, that same classroom that had markers where other dead bodies were found inside. Then it all made sense, the other people who died in that classroom must have been the students Monokuma was talking about. 'They were killed like Hajime, just for this evil "thing's" amusement?' I thought to myself. I felt like I was going to vomit again, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't move my body to engage in the bodily release. I was even having trouble breathing. It was like my body was shutting down from the mental strain of being told such horrible nightmarish things.
And just then someone knocked me back to my senses. "Hey, you okay?" he said as he slapped me on my back. Yasuke turned me around to face him, his mouth and nose were covered in dry blood as was his shirt but other than that he seemed like he was fully healed. Then he glared at me. "Don't do that. Can't you see you're just letting him get to you if you react like that?" I blinked a few times in confusion as to what Yasuke meant. He growled and then grabbed me by my shirt collar. "I'm saying to snap out of it you idiot! Don't freaking zone out every time you hear bad news!" Then he let me go and turned back to the others who were just as surprised to see Yasuke back on his feet after the pumbling Monokuma had given him. "And that goes for the rest of you wimps too, get over it! Is it horrible?! Yes! Does this little monochromatic fuck deserve a beat down?! Hell yes! But crying and wussing out isn't doing anyone any good!" Then Yasuke turned to face Monokuma, "I heal fast when it comes head injuries. Here's some advice, if you're going to rough up a neurologist don't aim for the head, they know how to restore the pressure easily, you dumbass. But despite being on the verge of consciousness, I heard every little piece of what you told them. This is a psychological game, isn't it? To see how far you can push us before we break? Well I've got news for you, you damn teddy bear I ain't breaking!"
Monokuma snickered. "Oho, are you sure about that? I've already done this exact same thing with a bunch of other kids, and almost none of them survived. Aren't you scared you'll end up dead too?"
"I don't care what happens to me. I don't care what the hell you do because nothing you say and nothing you try will break my spirit. As long as I have the thing that drives me, that promise that I have with "her", you will not break me!" Yasuke replied with might.
An anger mark appeared on Monokuma's forehead. "So annoying. That hopeful speech you're throwing out is garbage! Nothing you say will break me either you stupid neurologist! This game will continue whether you like it or not, and there's no getting out until a winner is declared!"
"Fine, then if that's the only way to leave I'll play your game." Yasuke looked over his shoulder at the rest of us. "And as for you morons, you better grow a pair right now and play with me, or I'll do more damage to you than Monokuma did to me. Is that clear?" I gulped and nodded furiously, and the others agreed as well but were not as fearful as when I did it.
Micho rubbed her shoulder as she contemplated his words. "You're…you're right. It's not fair to those other students to just give in. That's what he wants right? He wants us to give up? Well I…" her determination returned and she shouted as she glared at Monokuma, "I won't do it you hear me?! I will not stop until those students you massacred receive justice for what you put them through! When we get out of here I'll personally see to it that you get nothing less than the death penalty! Even though I defend the guilty I'll become a prosecutor for just one trial in order to deal with you!"
"If there are really students whose deaths are unknown then we have to reveal them to the world, we have to find some way to honor them. So I'll play too for their sake!" Sawa exclaimed.
"I hate bullies and you're one of the worst kinds dude, I might even break my one rule to make sure you get your comeuppance!" Nate exclaimed with fury.
"Are you idiots crazy as well?!" Jonathan exclaimed in confusion.
"Count me in too, Mr. Yasuke Matsuda," Keiko agreed.
"Qui, monsieur Monokuma needs to be taught a lesson. Au revoir despair!" Connie exclaimed.
"Seriously?!" Jonathan exclaimed in disbelief.
"I'll play along too," Shiro said.
"Me too," Soshun seconded.
"Even though I'm trash I'd never back away from a challenge," Nagito said with a smile, "That would make me appear even more worthless."
"I already told you that this game interests me. I'll go along with it as long as it continues to excite me," Izuru said with conviction.
"Jagaimo-chan is with Surudoi-kun 100% hebi!" Azami exclaimed.
"You people…"Jonathan couldn't believe what was happening.
Chihiro dried her face a little and then gathered up all her courage. "I…I've got to be brave. I don't want anyone else to get hurt so I'll play too," she spoke without uttering so much as a single stutter.
"If my princess is playing then I shall as well. I've vowed to protect her with all my body and soul!" Cam exclaimed.
"Disgusting. But my mistress would be displeased with me if I ran away from a fight so I guess I'm in too," Nodaka said as she shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm playing too. Even though sea sponges are my favorite sea creatures I'll become the mighty great white and take a bite out of Monokuma!" Aya exclaimed as she chomped at the air like she was a shark.
"T-Though I may not be useful in anyt-anything non-history re-related I can't forgive him for wh-what he's done to th-this school. I'll power through and fight as well!" Jose exclaimed with determination.
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will ― Mahatma Gandhi. Though I may not be physically strong my will shall be unbreakable," Beigoma said with conviction.
"…..I'll play for as long as I can be useful…." And after saying that Mukuro remained quiet.
"You…you're all really serious?" Jonathan sighed in defeat and then he growled and ripped his paper mask off of his face. "Ugh dammit, fine I'll go along with this madness for now even though all this blood and death repulses me to no end. And Ya, for Christ's sake grab a wet wipe or something because you look disgusting with all that blood on you."
Yasuke smirked and looked back at Monokuma, as did we all. Yasuke's words somehow brought us back from the edge and lifted our spirits. He was right, I vowed before I even walked in here that no matter what I was going to get out if it was the last thing I ever did. And I didn't intend to break my promise either!
"Ugh, what's with that hopeful look on you guys' faces? It's disgusting. Come on, what happened to that beautiful despair? Bring it back damn you!" Monokuma exclaimed. Then he sighed in surrender. "Fine, let's continue the basics. As I was saying, Hajime-kun and the other twenty-seven students were picked to participate in this game originally, but just like with you guys I wanted to see if they could stick it out so I gave them a little test. I locked them in a classroom on the fifth floor for a whole week without any food, the tiniest bit of water, and I wouldn't even allow them to sleep. I boarded up all the windows, making the door the only entrance and exit, and I told them that I would only let them out if eight of them died. Sure, they tried to resist it at first but once the killing started it wouldn't stop. Eventually eight of them were finito and the game was set to begin, but then came another decision made by the group. A mass suicide. They couldn't live with what they had done so eighteen of them decided to kill themselves so they would be able to escape the pain and despair that they would be forced to live with. Only two students managed to resist the despair and remain alive, proving that they alone were qualified for the game ahead. Hajime Hinata and blankity blank."
"So wait, if Hinata-kun was meant to take Maita-kun's place then shouldn't the one remaining student who survived be with us as well. What happened to them?" Izuru asked.
"And that therein lies the problem folks, the last remaining student was the person who killed Hajime Hinata. Their identity is what you are required to find out in order to pass the Murder Mystery Tour. Which means you have twenty-seven suspects to choose from, you guys have got your work cut out for you. Now let's meet those lucky individuals shall we, after all if you guys are going to investigate you should at least know who you're investigating." Monokuma pulled a small remote control with a big red button on it out of nowhere and then with little hesitation he pressed the button, which opened up the back stage curtain behind Monokuma. And then suddenly a large electronic and flashy game show board appeared. The game show board was complete with black and white tiled panels that formed the Hope's Peak Academy school crest and an array of flashing lights that made the board seem bright and entertaining. Then Monokuma grabbed the microphone from the podium and ran over to the game show board. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said through the microphone, "It's time to play a little game I like to call Name that Suspect!"
"He's theatrical, I'll give him that," Shiro said as he sweatdropped.
"Just get to it already!" Yasuke shouted.
"Fine, fine, Mr. Snappy." Monokuma walked up to the game board tiles, which were aligned 9X3 making a total of twenty-seven in all. "Let's begin, the first suspect is…" Monokuma flipped the first tile over and showed that there was a picture of the suspect on the back. It was a girl with long blue hair and pretty blue eyes who wore a sailor-style uniform. "The Ultimate Pop Sensation, Sayaka Maizono!"
Immediately my eyes widened, as did everyone else's. There was not a single person in the country who did not know about the famed idol Sayaka Maizono. She and her idol group were some of the most talked about elites in pop culture, and her enrolling in Hope's Peak Academy put it on the map thanks to her large fan base. And yet she was a suspect in a murder? That didn't make any sense.
"Alright, next up we have…" Monokuma flipped another tile and showed a picture of a beautiful blonde twin-tailed girl with diamond-like blue eyes. "The Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima!"
My eyes went even wider. Yet another one of Hope's Peak Academy's most elite and talked about students was placed up on Monokuma's game show board. That meant that Junko Enoshima was either one of the eight victims, one of the eighteen students that committed suicide, or Hajime's killer. 'How? How did they get involved in this? If they suddenly went missing there should have been a huge uproar, but in the past few days there hasn't been any news about either of them disappearing.' In truth I had just seen a new music video of Sayaka Maizono's and read a recent article in a magazine about Junko Enoshima the other day. 'How could they be a part of this nightmare?' I asked myself.
"Next up is...the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata!" And then one after another. Name by name, all of them were some of Hope's Peak Academy's most prized students. The top tier of the top tier. Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny and heir to the Togami Group, one of the biggest financial and corporate giants of the world. Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy and beloved female romance novelist. Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro and a contender for a spot on the Japanese Olympic swimming team. Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant and well known fortune teller known as the Supernova. Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass and well-known stick in the mud prefect. Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator and well known and respected otaku. Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader and ring leader of Japan's most notorious delinquent biker gang the Crazy Diamonds. Celestia Ludenberg AKA Taeko Yasuhiro, the Ultimate Gambler and Keiko's rival. Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist who had a record of over four-hundred wins in the ring. Makoto Naegi, who was not very well known besides the fact that he was one of the Ultimate Lucky Students like Nagito. And Kyoko Kirigiri, who was not only known as the Ultimate Detective but also happened to be the headmaster's – the real headmaster's – daughter. Chihiro started to cry more and more and clinged to Cam, much to his pleasure.
"Fujisaki and I are in the same class. The 78th class, like them. They were our classmates," Mukuro suddenly spoke up, alarming us all. She really needed to speak more, every time she would open her mouth it surprised us.
"Wait? You two know each other?" Nodaka asked. "How come you waited this long to say anything?"
"Fujisaki is shy and I just didn't see the point. Now that things are explained, Monokuma please continue, there's thirteen suspects left if my math is right," Mukuro blurted out.
Even Monokuma looked taken back. "Um…okay? Not much of a talker are you?" Then he went back to the game board and revealed the next suspect. "Number fifteen is…Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse!"
This time Nagito was the one to overreact. He shrieked and while wearing a terrified expression on his face asked Monokuma, "Mikan-chan, is dead?!"
"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself! It's your job to find out who is dead and who the sole survivor is! No spoilers!" Monokuma exclaimed.
Nagito still seemed concerned so I tried to stop his worrying by talking to him. "Do you know her, Komaeda-kun?"
"S-She's my classmate and she's really nice. I get sick a lot so whenever it's an off day for me she stays with me and helps comfort me until I feel better. Since she's a nurse she does that with all the students who become ill but to me it's special because she has the decency to show such worthless trash like me tenderness and compassion."
"Even when he's scared that persecution complex kicks in. Give it a rest dude, seriously!" Nate exclaimed.
"Maybe he needs negative reinforcement to function, just like a dog," Nodaka said with a smirk.
"Hey enough clowning around! We've got twelve more suspects left to introduce! The sooner we get this done the sooner you guys can leave, you know?!" That got our attention and we all quieted down.
Then Monokuma went back to listing off the suspects. "Next, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza!" Monokuma flipped a tile on the game board that showed the Ultimate Yakuza, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. And then I thought I heard a gasp come from one of the others. I looked back behind me and saw that Nodaka had suddenly started to frown and had gained a look of sorrow in her eyes. But by that time she seemed to have become completely silent so instead of worrying over her I looked back at Fuyuhiko's picture on the game board.
'Huh, I heard rumors that a descendant of the Kuzuryuu's went to school here but I thought it was just a rumor. I guess talents come in all shapes and forms, even if the talent just lies in having a dangerous name and personality. And Nodaka? Did she know him personally?' The Kuzuryuu Clan was one of the most notorious and deadly Yakuza clans in all of Japan. According to rumor, people who owed anything to them or even got on their bad side had a bad habit of disappearing, as well as their families.
Monokuma flipped over another tile and said, "Next up is…the Ultimate Swordswoman, Peko Pekoyama!" Monokuma showed a picture of Peko Pekoyama and then I thought I heard Nodaka whisper "no" in reply, but when I looked back at her again she went dead silent yet again.
'What's up with her?' I asked myself and then I turned back around and faced the game show board again. After naming those three suspects Monokuma went on to call out who the other suspects were and showed us their pictures on his game board one by one. There was Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer and well known artist. Terteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook and maker of exquisite gourmet food. Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician and queen of light music. Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer and all around loli girl – but despite her short stature she was somehow still a high school student. Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Animal Breeder and the well-known chuunibyou stricken "half-mortal/half-demon" spawn. Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager who had a knack for making everyone he came across an all-star in their own field through very loud motivation. Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast and well-known air head. Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess and actual princess of the small European country of Novoselic. Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic who was known for being very skittish and geeky despite his punk rock appearance. And the last tile Monokuma flipped over showed a picture of a genderless silhouetted figure with a question mark where their face should be.
"Hey what gives with the last one?" Yasuke asked.
"Maybe that means that the last person is the person whose identity we have to figure out. I'm right aren't I, you dumb bear?" Nodaka asked snidely.
Monokuma laughed in reply to her comment. "I told you already that this game isn't B-rated! Not including the mystery suspect you still have twenty-six more suspects to investigate and clear."
"What? You're giving us a mystery suspect? How is that fair?" Shiro asked.
"It's not," Monokuma simply replied.
"He means what you're doing isn't fair!" Soshun exclaimed. "How can we investigate someone when you won't give us their identity?!"
"He's cheating hebi! Not fair hebi!" Azami shouted.
"If you're going to make a game you have to make it fair for everyone. We live in an impartial world, and even a game has to be held up by rules," Micho explained.
"Blah, blah, blah, blah," Monokuma mocked her. "It wasn't even my idea okay?! That kid is freaking anonymous by design! Haven't you idiots ever heard of the Ultimate Imposter?!"
Then all at once, everyone in the room gasped except for me. I was still suck on the title. "Ultimate Imposter? What kind of talent does that even imply?" I asked aloud.
"It's just supposed to be a ghost story. How the hell can it be real?" Yasuke asked rhetorically.
"You're lying! You dumb bear, everyone knows the Ultimate Imposter is just a myth! Don't make shit up as you go along!" Nodaka shouted. "I'm much tougher than that dirty manga otaku, I'll tear you to fucking shreds!"
"Well news flash kiddies! I'm not making anything up! I'm here to tell you that the Ultimate Imposter is real! I found them and made them a player in my game solely because of their talent! I was sure it would spice things up!" Monokuma exclaimed.
"So, it's true?" Shiro asked with wide eyes. "The Ultimate Imposter is really real?"
"And things just keep getting more and more exciting," Izuru said with a wide smile. "The one person said to be even more elusive than me."
"I pale in comparison next to you guys but compared to that person I'm nothing more than a zooplankton in a large sea of talent," Nagito said with a smile.
"Um, technically Komaeda-san, femtoplankton are the smallest plankton in the world, not zooplankton," Aya explained.
"Oh really? Thank you for the explanation, Aya-chan. In that case, I'm even more miniscule than femtoplankton," he downgraded himself with a happy smile.
"Who is the Ultimate Imposter?" I asked again.
"Nobody knows. Their talent is being a master of disguise and deception, they can disguise themselves as anyone at any time they choose. Nobody even knows their real gender so traditional pronouns are out the window. They are that good at fooling people," Izuru explained with a smirk.
'Wow, someone has a talent as amazing as that?' I thought to myself.
"This is ridiculous! How are we supposed to find out who the Ultimate Imposter is and who the killer is, if they could be two different people?" Micho asked.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to be good at solving those mysteries," Monokuma said with a chuckle. "I, on the other hand, already know the Ultimate Imposter's true identity and the identity of Hajime Hinata's killer. And I will say that it is possible that the killer and the Ultimate Imposter are the same person. But still that's a 1/27 chance possibility so don't put all your eggs into that basket. Follow all leads and all possibilities and you're sure to find one that pans out all the way. There that's your first hint."
"How does that qualify as a hint? That is, how you say, suckish?" Connie asked.
Monokuma ignored her and continued, "Now, remember there are clues hidden all throughout the school and even in the dorm area, some were left behind by the killer and some were moved around and tampered with by yours truly for some added fun. Try to eliminate as many suspects as you can before the time limit runs out."
"Time limit?" I repeated. "None of the messages you sent said anything about a time limit."
"Well there is one, so says me. You have one hour to explore and solve as many mysteries as you can, with the twenty of you covering every area that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
I glared at Monokuma.
"And in other news, once the time limit is up then the best part begins. The class trial!" Monokuma exclaimed as he raised his arms up in the air to show his excitement.
"Class trial?" Micho repeated. "There's an actual trial for the killer?"
"Yes indeedy, not a conventional trial mind you but we've got the important parts. The judge, me, the jury, you guys, and the executioner, me again."
"Eh?" I uttered in confusion.
Monokuma sighed in exasperation. "Geez, you high school kids need everything spelled out for you, don't you? Since this is still technically a school, we don't have access to forensic technology like fingerprint powder and DNA analyzers so you guys will have to act as traditional detectives and find clues that link the killer to the crime. Then when the class trial begins you'll discuss your findings in a debate to decide who the killer is, while I will act as your impartial judge, knowing who the killer really is and all. If you get it right then you win and that's the end, but if you get it wrong…" Monokuma's red eye glowed again, "I'll kill each and every one of you myself in the most horrible, bloody, gut-wrenching ways imaginable and I'll just find another group of students to take your place. And if they fail the test too then I'll find another group, then another, and another until I finally find someone worthy to play my true game. But win or lose its fun for me either way!"
That kept us quiet for a few moments. We were appalled at the amount of respect this monster had for human life. And then she broke the silence. "Are we the only people here?" Mukuro suddenly asked.
"Eh?" Monokuma cocked his head to the side in response to her question.
"You mentioned before that Hajime Hinata and the killer were the sole survivors of your first test, but you never once said what happened to the killer after they killed Hinata. I want to know, are they still inside the school somewhere or are you hiding them until this "class trial" begins?" Mukuro asked curiously.
"That's a question within my means to answer, okay fine I'll tell you. I'm keeping them under lock and key for their crimes right now so don't worry they won't be able to get to all of you. If they were willing to kill Hajime-kun just because someone told them that if they did they would be able to withdraw from the game and go home they might be willing to get rid of the rest of you for the same reason. Oopsy, said too much again," Monokuma said with a chuckle.
"You're truly a horrible creature," Micho said in disgust.
"I see, and if we choose the correct person as the killer we will be able to survive, but if I may ask what will happen to the killer in that case?" Mukuro asked a follow up question.
"You really want to know?" Monokuma asked as he held his hands over his mouth to contain a giggle.
'When he says it like that, not really. But if the punishment is death for us if we get it wrong I can only guess…' I began to think to myself but was cut off by Monokuma.
"They get executed!" Monokuma shouted in glee. "For taking a life they get their life taken away from them in return in an incredibly fun punishment created by yours truly. And fair warning, you guys get to watch…that is "if" you can correctly identify the killer, otherwise they get to watch your demise and then leave the school and return home."
"Wait, if we can't identify the killer then they get to leave?" Nate asked.
"Bingo, you and your mystery solving skills are the last obstacle standing between the killer and the thing that they risked their lives for and committed murder to obtain. But don't let that stop you, after all there are twenty of you and only one of them left. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few after all."
"So even if we win they lose…permanently?" Shiro asked in surprise.
"Yep, yep, yep, and more yep. How's that on your conscious? Does it feel you with despair? Hahahaha, choke on it you bastards!"
"I'm not backing down, I'm getting out of here no matter what," Yasuke said with determination.
"They made their bed, now they have to sleep in it. Let come what may," Izuru said.
"…I guess we…don't have a choice, do we?" Sawa asked with a frown.
"But still, this is someone's life we're playing with here," Keiko said.
"They were the person who made the idiotic decision to listen to this psychopath and kill," Jonathan huffed.
"But aren't we doing the same thing?" Aya asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well…yeah, but shut up this is different, no matter what happens I'm not going to kill anyone. I'm not an idiot," Jonathan said as he crossed his arms over his waist in denial.
"Same here, I could never do something so horrible," Shiro said.
"Yeah, you're right I won't kill anyone either. I know we just met but I already think of you all as good friends," Beigoma said with a smile.
"Same here, killing each other isn't going to bring us any hope at all. Hoping for the alternative and finding a way out of our situation, that's where our true hope lies," said Nagito.
"Alright, so we're all in agreement? We have no choice but to play along and get through this the best we can," said Izuru. "There's no turning back, it's the killer or us, and I choose us."
I sighed and nodded. "Let's just get this over with."
"Sounds like you've all made your decision, but just in case you get cold feet I think I'll make it so you can't just run and hide. You're gonna love this. Lights!" Monokuma shouted as he raised his paws up in the air. And then suddenly the whole gymnasium went pitch black.
"What the…?! Who turned out the lights?!" Nate shouted.
"Another damn trick?! Give it a rest already you stupid bear!" Nodaka shouted.
"Guys…I-I'm af-afraid of th-the da-dark!" Chihiro cried.
"Aww, don't be scared Chihiro-chan, I'll hold on to you," Cam replied.
"Um, that's my hand you're holding," said Soshun.
"Oh, heh sorry," Cam replied.
And then the lights suddenly turned back on and Monokuma came into full view. Literally. He had appeared right in front of me. "Boo!" I shrieked and fell back onto the floor in surprise. Monokuma laughed at my reaction. "You must be a killer at surprise parties!"
"Hey what's the deal?" Micho asked, "Why'd you turn out the lights?"
"Oh no reason at all, hey speaking of the lights does anyone notice anything different about the room now that they're back on?" Monokuma asked.
"What do you mean?" Yasuke asked.
"Take a look around why don'tcha? You're in for a big surprise," Monokuma said and then he laughed again.
Curious, we all looked around the gymnasium and tried to search for what Monokuma was talking about. And then I saw it, all of the windows in the gymnasium were gone and in their place were thick, bolted iron plates. It was official, we were trapped inside. Even more now than before. "What? How? Where did those iron plates come from?!" I exclaimed.
"Eh?! Those weren't there before!" Micho exclaimed.
"What's going on hebi?! More tricks hebi?!" Azami exclaimed.
Yasuke seemed shocked beyond all belief. "Y-You're…you're kidding?! What the hell is going on?!"
Monokuma laughed again. "There's that wonderful despair. Oh how I missed it so. You guys are just like the others, you make up tons of little lies to keep yourselves going and say that you won't give in but in the end the only person you're lying to is yourself. You can't fool me, with each obstacle that I give you your inner despair just keeps growing and growing, and with time it will all bubble up to the surface and let loose those animalistic instincts we all hide inside. It happened to them and it will happen to you. I may be a lot of things but a liar is not one of them, of this I can assure you." This was all a game to him, a sick and twisted game. We were all horrified but we didn't so much as utter a word. "Now then, before you begin I have two other things to give you."
"No, no more of your surprises Monsieur Monokuma! You are wicked to no end!" Connie shouted.
"Calm down, calm down, these things are going to help you," Monokuma said. And then he skipped back up to the auditorium stage and grabbed his remote control again, and then he pressed the large red button again and made the game board disappear. And then two tables appeared in its place. One of the tables had several odd looking devices on them and the other table had an assortment of red, black, and gray booklets. Monokuma raised his hands up in the air again and shouted, "I need nineteen more me's here, on the double!" And suddenly a horde of Monokumas appeared out of nowhere, making twenty in all.
"What the hell?! There's more of them?!" Yasuke shouted.
"Impossible!" Micho exclaimed.
"No way!" I exclaimed.
"Ugh, no more bad bears hebi!" Azami screamed as she pulled at her hair and her cat ears.
"This…this is too much, seriously," Shiro said in disbelief.
"Make it stop!" Chihiro cried.
"Enough, you're scaring her too much!" Cam shouted.
"Impossible, Monsieur Monokuma has multiplied, terrifying no?!" Connie exclaimed.
"Ugh, more sickingly idiotic bears, just what we needed!" Jonathan shouted.
"I…I was wrong! They're the sharks in this equation!" Aya screamed in terror.
"Um, hi little guys. Nice to…meet you?" Nagito said in an unsure tone, I could tell that even he was unnerved.
Mukuro growled in response to the new arrivals.
All the Monokumas laughed at once. "What's up bitches?! X 20!" And then they all flashed a peace sign. "I have a few presents for each of you! X 20!" Then one by one each of the Monokumas grabbed a device and a booklet off the tables and then each of them rushed over to give us the "presents". The strange device was multiple shades of blue and had the Hope's Peak Academy crest on it. And the booklet was monochromatic like Monokuma, but with red, gray, and black instead of black and white. There was also a large number 0 printed on the cover of the booklet and a printed logo of Monokuma's face. Then when all of us had been given our "presents", the Monokumas raced back to the stage and the lead Monokuma shouted, "Okay, that'll be all! Dismissed!" and then the nineteen other Monokumas disappeared, leaving the one remaining.
"Alrighty then, let me explain a little about your gifts and then we can start the mystery. First you have your electronic student handbooks, or as I like to call them e-handbooks. Get it? "e" because they're electronic and handbooks because they're student handbooks. Do you get it?" Then Monokuma waved us off and said, "Ah, too high brow for you dummies." Then he cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, your e-handbooks have personal information on all of you, they can give you access to some restricted areas in the school, and can store any new intel or clues you gather for solving mysteries. They're pretty handy so it's in your best interest to keep up with them."
"And next you have what I like to call the Monokuma File! Since you kids are inexperienced when it comes to blood and gore the Monokuma File will give you all the information you need to know about Hajime Hinata's murder, concerning cause of death, time of death, a description of the murder weapon, and other details that might help you find out who the killer is. The rest is up to you though. Now I'll give you one hour to find out what you can and eliminate as many suspects as possible. Remember to check every nook and cranny of the school, you never know where a clue might be hiding. Your e-handbooks will give you access to the dorms so check them out too if you please. It might be in your best interests to do so, hintity-hint-hint. And I would advise you to not dilly-dally, even with twenty people you've got your work cut out for you. Clock's ticking, tick-tock-tick-tock, execute-kill-execute-kill. Monokuma out, bitches!" Then he disappeared and left us to gather our thoughts.
DAYTIME, 10:00 AM
1:00:00 REMAINING
A/N: Did that surprise you guys? You hyped up for the mystery and some more despair? Just who will the killer turn out to be? Stay tuned.
