Editors: Richard Conway & Shyjoker
As the room grew silent with each hushed conversation, everyone's attention was trained on the podium. From the looks of everyone, the general tension was shared amongst all of us, as we awaited whatever fresh hell was about to be served.
"Thank you all for arriving in such a timely and orderly manner!" that same high pitched voice from earlier reared its head once more as it echoed throughout the room, "I'm just bursting at the seams to meet you all! Here I go!"
Almost like a flash of light, something popped up from behind the wooden podium. It was a lot to process, however after that awkward pause, something landed on top of the stand and sat on it like a makeshift chair. Out of all the strange things in this world that I've seen online and witnessed in person, this one….probably doesn't even come close to being as shocking or disturbing, but it was close enough to be in the top ten what the fuck moments for me.
Resting atop the podium was a strange toy bear, like one of those stand-in models you'd see in any create your own plushie store window rack. Unlike those toys, this bear was really weird looking to say the least. It was painted in a monochromatic black and white color scheme; it's left side raven black and the right a pure white color, a duality that I could personally appreciate.
The white side's eye was a plain black dot and the black side's eye was in the shape of a jagged, almost lightning bolt shaped, eye with a red light shining from inside the socket. The toy bear's mouth area was white with a black nose in the center and a very prominent curved smile on the black side. It's stomach was white and it appeared to have an outie belly button.
"Is that the same bear? It can't be…." I pondered to myself, "But wait….it looks a bit different this time."
The accessories the bear wore contrasted heavily with the reports and interviews I've read and seen before. I've studied many news websites and researched many articles encompassing this infamous bear and never once did it look as garish as it did right in front of me.
It wore a small silver pointed crown atop it's head with multicolored gemstones on the sides with black and red circles on each pointed tip. Around the toy bear's rotund frame was a black string tied across its neck with a royal blue, white fur lined cape flowing behind it. Lastly, the bear carried what looked to be a golden scepter in it's right hand, with a bright red ruby gemstone fastened in the center of the golden arches that caged it. With other random gems to decorate the handle's edges.
"Wait a minute...is that-" before I could finish my thoughts, the bear cleared it's throat rather loudly and opened its mouth.
"Hohoho~ Look at all of you lovely crown students!" The royal-like bear's first words were annoyingly high pitched, with a tinge of smugness to them, "I must say the turnout is quite large, I never expected such a grandiose roster. Oh this will be delightfully scintillating indeed!"
I'm sorry….what in the fresh, ever loving fuck is this? Did I bonk my head so hard that I'm starting to hallucinate this shit? Maybe if this was all an elaborate nightmare, concocted by a tired mind running on nothing but caffeine and leftover ramen, then it'd explain the oddities I've seen so far. Then again, this all felt so surreal, like some kind of dream-like inception. I shook my head a few times to snap myself out of it, but unfortunately I was very much awake.
"Hold up! Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?" Anastasiy rubbed his eyes in disbelief, "Bro, this is wack, am I sleepwalking or some shit? Was it that leftover sushi I ate from last night?"
"I'm not sure what's happening either…" Ibu agreed with the zipliner's sentiment, "Is that a teddy bear?"
"Everyone, stay back!" Takeshi immediately barked out an order, getting upfront and close to the stage, "Don't move a fucking muscle!"
"Oooh! It's so absolutely, positively, adorably cute!" Nikoletta squealed gleefully, "I love its little cape! And that crown is just the bees knees! I think I had one when I was a child, ooh such good memories!"
"You seem way too excited about all of this…." Arata blinked at the florist's outburst, "Weirdo…"
"Wha?! I'm not cute!" the teddy bear angrily growled at the florist, "I will have you know that I am this school's headmaster! And your ever so auspicious absolute host, sweetie!"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I didn't know whether to laugh, look shocked or just snort jokingly. I knew who I was dealing with, considering the intense interviews from the survivors and even some small telecasted events, but if this meant what I think it did…..I'm in some really deep doo doo.
"Umm….excuse me. Who are you exactly?" Zakuro was the first one to question any of this, "And why are you claiming to be our headmaster? I think you may be mistaken."
"Did I stutter, silly girl?" the royal bear giggled, "I said what I said, I am Monokuma! And I am the new headmaster of Crown Crest Academy! Not that unglamorous flop Watase! Make sure you remember it for later, unless you want to see my bad side."
Fuck….I'm definitely in some shit now. I mean, I kind of expected something like this to happen at some point, but wow, I never expected it to happen so suddenly.
How was he even here? From what I researched, the Future Foundation ousted all remaining remnants of Junko Enoshima, even some of her pesky subordinates. Does this mean what I think it did? Gosh I hate being right about these things…..
"I know who you are," Akihiro interjected, stepping upfront and close to the stage, "You're the deranged mascot that led the first ever killing game. You were the intermediary previously controlled by Junko Enoshima, the former Ultimate Despair herself."
"Well, I see someone did their fucking homework," Monokuma mocked the consultant, "But yes, I am Monokuma, the one and only! I'm back for more trouble, bitches! I'm new and improved and ain't nothing gonna stop me this time! I've been thinking about it ever since that last bunch escaped, and I've made some improvements!"
Fuuuuuuuuuck…
"Umm...you mean... that notorious Monokuma?" Hina looked twice as anxious, "Oh gosh…."
"Well shit." Mara expressing how I felt out loud, laughing nervously to herself, "Just fan-freaking-tastic….as if things didn't already seem sketchy as hell. I should have bet money on this."
"Is it really him?" Daizo was quivering in his wheelchair, holding Juno his hands, "Are we- are we in t-trouble….I d-don't know what's happening, someone please tell me!"
"Bloody well looks like it," Harlan seemed even more agitated than before, "What a load of rubbish, how is this even possible?!"
"I thought that tacky fashionista was as good as dead," Aoki responded, "This has to be one big prank. No way the Future Foundation would let this nonsense happen again."
"You better believe it, Aoki," the bear winked at the jeweler, "I'm back from the dead and hungry for more!" he mimicked a zombie walk.
"Wait a minute…." Cameron interrupted the jeweler's train of thought, "You mean to tell me there are cameras watching us?! I didn't even have time to brush my hair or put on some light makeup!"
Oh you handsome fucking moron.
"Oh get over yourself, you vain oaf," Carlotta rolled her eyes, "This is absolutely ridiculous! I will not stand for this charade any longer! Where is the real headmaster, I don't have time for this childish tomfoolery!"
"I already told you! I. Am. The fucking. Headmaster!" Monokuma angrily emphasized.
"Hmm…" Mie hummed to herself, watching from the corner of the room with a blank stare, "This again…"
"Spirits above us!" Yoshimi's piercing cry could be heard from miles away, "Send this wicked demon away! Begone!" She clasped her hands together in prayer as she chanted, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" What kind of prayer chant is that?!
"It's gonna be alright Yoshimi," Kuromi eased herself to the mythologist's side, steadying her breaths. "Just remember...deep breaths in and out."
"As much fun as it is watching you dumb children piss yourselves," Monokuma tiredly sighed, "I think we should skip the formalities, don't you think. Since some of you know what's going to happen, of course."
"Can you please clarify what you mean by that?" Zakuro asked once more, "I'm frankly quite confused by what you mean, you're not making any sense."
"He wants us to participate in his oh-so-favorite Killing Game," Otahiko answered for the bear with an unphased glare, "I've done my research as well. I've had my suspicions about this academy before accepting an invitation here. I'd be a fool to think there wasn't anything suspicious afoot."
"Oh look at you Otahiko! Such a diligent, little snowflake," the bear taunted the philosopher's appearance, "But yes for the slow minded idiots out there who couldn't put two and two together, you all are going to participate in this wonderful killing game of mine! This time a new and improved version!"
"Like hell we are!" Takeshi's unbridled rage echoed through the gym, "I know your tricks, bear! As long as I'm around, there will be no murders on my watch! You can bet your ass on that."
"Agreed! Quite frankly, this is beneath us," Carlotta chimed in, "I will admit I was a fool for accepting this invitation so blindly," You also got left alone blindly. "But you will not get me to cave in so readily! I stake my family name on it, Monokuma!"
"Are you really sure about that?" Monokuma sneered evilly, "Never say never, my dear students. Although, given your resident police officer's nasty temper, I wouldn't put anything past him. He's all bark and no bite, such a limp-dick loser."
As if on cue, the police officer seemed ready to charge at the bear, like a ferocious bull eyeing a red cloth. However, he was stopped by someone unlikely, someone who hadn't said much this entire time as the bear inanely monologued.
"Please don't..." Ginrou stepped in front of Takeshi, holding out his arm to his chest, "I really doubt he'll let you off easy for blindly assaulting him..."
"Tch! You're right about that," the police officer stopped himself, "Fucker nearly got me there."
"Now there's a gold star student," Monokuma clapped happily, "Good job, Ginny! You're such an obedient little dog."
"..Woof..." Ginrou mumbled as he raised his scarf up. From what I can tell, he wasn't amused.
"If this bear is as dangerous as you think he is," Mara directed her attention towards Takeshi, "Then what's with the frontal assault, genius? Seems kind of retarded on your end."
"Yeah, what a cock-up that would've been," Harlan grumpily scoffed.
"It'd be a fun shitshow nonetheless," Aoki smirked, filing her fingernails.
Ginrou sweats as noticing Takeshi hardening frown, "H-hey guys-"
"But if I may pose a question myself: why are we here, Monokuma?"
"Good question Aoki," the bear snickered, "In short, I have a ripe thirst for revenge! Call it the old notch kicking in for some drama and guts! One more fighting chance against my greatest enemy!"
"Revenge?" I asked, making my presence known to the bear again, "Against who exactly, Monokuma? Are you talking about the Future Foundation?"
"Oh Arihime, you dirty little snoop," the bear stared at me with contempt, "I can't give all of my secrets away like that. Besides, I could care less about that snooty organization. Those morons don't even know I'm back yet! How pathetic."
"If you're not here to get back at them…" Akihiro asked, "Then am I to assume you're going after him?"
"Shush boy!" Monokuma put his paw to his lips, "Let's leave that for another time. For now, we need to get introductions over and done with."
"I uh, have a question as well...I hate to ask this so suddenly but..." Kuromi interjected, shaky and nervous, "Where are the other students? The staff? Why are we the only ones alone here?"
"Yeah...now that I think about it, that did cross my mind." Ibu added on to the monochrome painter's thoughts, "How is this school so empty? Is this even the real Crown Crest Academy?"
"Of course it is!" Monokuma playfully danced on the podium, "Whatever would make you think otherwise, little Romi? Is your eyesight somehow worse than Daizo's?"
"There's no need for that callous remark," Arthur joined in the mix, "How were you able to do all of this to begin with? This situation is real dodgy if you ask me."
"Maybe everyone is on some kind of field trip? Or maybe they got the day off for our orientation?" Nikoletta wondered inquisitively, "That sounds likely, I think?"
"I highly doubt that's the case," Akihiro seemed to be jotting more stuff down in his notebook, "Even if that happened, there'd be students in their dorms or some in their casual clothes roaming the campus or hallways. In that event, some of them would have noticed us passing by or even seen what had occurred earlier."
"I agree, this is rather weird," Arthur commented further, gripping on his cane's handle tighter, "Did anyone see any other students before this meeting?"
"I had a bit of a gander 'round the school before," Tristan responded to the bartitsu master, "'Fraid there's not a fecking soul in sight, aside from our sorry lot."
"Crap…" I mumbled to myself, puffing up my cheeks in deep thought, "This makes no sense..."
"Come on you guys, what's the rush?" Monokuma hopped off the podium, waving his royal scepter around, "Don't you want to play my little game? I can assure you, it'll be a killer time...Well, for me it will be, hehe~"
"How so?" I asked, "Are you going to force us to kill each other like with the other games? Or are you planning something else entirely?"
"Right you are, Ari-dear!" the bear nodded his head, "I'm a sucker for the classics and I wouldn't deviate from a plan as despairing as the killing game! Monokuma hunter games are so last year!" he winked at us, "Of course, this time I have some extra help in planning all of this." Oh boy, I should have foreseen that.
As the bear sniggered, he snapped his paws as two figures emerged from behind the curtains. The two people from earlier who didn't seem like students, but were the most suspicious out of everyone else here.
"You called for us?" Monobutler carried a silver tray in his hands, smiling creepily while doing so, "Sorry for our tardiness."
"At your service, my king!" Monomaid curtsied, "How may we be of help to you?"
"Ah you two, right on schedule!" Monokuma cheerfully responded, "Please be dears and hand these students their special devices! Hurry the hell up and do it! Time's a-wastin'."
"Yes, your majesty!" the two servants said in unison, grabbing two boxes from behind the stage curtains.
"What the fuck are you up to, Monokuma? Planning to give us motives to kill right off the bat?" Takeshi glared at the bear intensely, "Don't make me tackle your ass into next week! You're lucky everyone else is keeping me back."
"You shouldn't have needed us though..." Ginrou muttered, fortunately the cop didn't hear that.
"Oh contraire!" the bear snickered audibly.
"Au contraire." Carlotta audibly grumbling to herself.
"I have yet to come up with such grand ideas on the spot! For now, I welcome you all with special gifts! No need to thank me."
"I wasn't planning to…" Arata clicked his tongue, "I'd rather you fucking let me out of this place! I could be doing something else instead."
"Dude, seriously?" Anastasiy looked shocked by the body painter's statement, "Although I do agree that this situation is kinda wack. Yo, Monobear, are you sure this isn't some kind of game show or staged set?"
"I guess in some ways, you can call it that!" Monokuma hummed eerily, "However the prize for winning this game, is that you can escape this luxurious facility in one piece! Your restored sanity is not guaranteed though."
"I hear a 'but' at the end of that statement," Otahiko scoffed, "Get on with it, Monokuma."
"If you can so kindly shut your pure-white ass up," the bear snidely responded to the philosopher, "I was about to get to that part! Ahem! As I was saying, there is a slight stipulation required in order to leave this place, as some of you smart alecks already know."
"Fucking hell…." Takeshi crossed his arms, "We need to-"
"Stop interrupting the headmaster, you ungrateful dog!" Monomaid screeched, stunning almost everyone in the room, even Takeshi was shut silent. "Ahem… pardon my outburst, heheh~"
"Yikes…." Ibu's shocked expression said it all, "Better not get on her bad side."
"Do you want to be on her good side?" Hina looked puzzled but frightened.
"Thank you, Sophia! Now, before I was so rudely interrupted..." the bear resumed, "You have to kill someone in order to graduate! Ain't that swell?"
In that brief moment, everyone paused to take on the bear's words. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but the sheer mention of killing was enough to make me gag. I read about how brutal the murders from the first killing game were and how borderline sadistic Monokuma could be. It was like reacting to torture porn, and that was just from hearing recollections alone.
"Care to elaborate for the rest of us dolts?" Tristan bravely asked, "Most everyone is too gutted to react."
"What's not to get?" Monokuma tilted his head, confused by the question, "It's as simple as that," his grin turned sinister, "Stabbing, poisoning, bludgeoning, drowning, electrocuting, crushing, shooting, snapping, bashing and all the rest!"
"This is super duper hella scawy…" Mie sleepily blinked, ruining the tension with her internet lingo, "But I totes should've expected this."
"That's an... interesting way to express it," Cameron raised his eyebrow at the press agent's remark, "But what are you giving us? Is it complimentary snacks?"
"No, you dazzling dummy," Monokuma facepalmed, "You'll see what I mean in a second."
As if on cue, Monobutler approached me and Tristan, the box held securely in his hands. He pulled out two iPad-like devices and presented it to us as if he were giving us his business card.
He then did the same with the others, handing them the same electronic Ipad as if they were pre-produced beforehand. I took the pad and examined it from top to bottom, hoping there wasn't anything that was going to explode in my face.
It was a plain black smart device, similar to the one I had earlier when I awoke. It bore the same Monokuma insignia on the back along with a Crown Crest logo.
"Hey look," Tristan muttered, motioning at the pads. "We match."
I stared blankly at his joke.
"I'm sure some of you are familiar with this device," Monokuma chuckled, "But for the clueless imbeciles, these are your designated Monopads! Your personalized smart devices perfectly tuned with all of your private information listed inside!"
"Excuse me Monokuma!" I remembered something, "I think I already have one of these!"
"Oh? That must have been one of the older models. These babies are the new improved versions!" Monokuma gleefully explained, hopping over to me like a bunny, "I'll take that!"
"Hey!" he swiped it before I could react, "What's on that tablet?"
"Nothing for you to be concerned with." The bear waved it around, "Now then, does everyone have their Monopads?" he gazed around the room, "Good, anymore questions? Make them snappy, I'm a very busy bear!"
"Umm…I have one," Ginrou raised his hand, "Were you the one who exposed Hope's Peak, with the scandals...?"
"Stupid question, next!" the bear deflected the transhumanist's question.
"Uh...what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Ibu wondered, fiddling with a loose strand of hair near her cheek.
"I don't know? Sit on your asses and twiddle your thumbs?" Monokuma shrugged indifferently, "Not my problem. Just make sure you're all here for when I announce the first motive!"
"Wait a damn minute!" Takeshi approached the stage, gripping his Monopad with enough force to almost break it, "You still haven't answered any of our questions!"
"For one thing, we don't even know if Headmaster Watase knows we're gone." Mara raised a good point, "Guess that means we're shit out of luck. So much for a rescue."
"Athena...please save me," Yoshimi continued mumbling disgruntled prayers, shivering intensely and on the verge of tears, "Have I wronged you somehow?"
"Is...she gonna be alright?" Zakuro looked even more worried.
"Can you blame her though?" Daizo sympathized with the mythologist, "I wish I knew what I was looking at, but I'm assuming that my details are shown in the Monopad? Can someone help me, please?
"Allow me good sir," Arthur attended to the arachnologist, "Blimey, that's very accurate information! Except mine lists my details."
"I've even added a special braille function for you, Daizo-bean," Monokuma haughtily added, "Forgot to mention that earlier, oopsies."
"Wow," was all I could muster up, "Getting too senile, old bear?"
"Quite the opposite, missy! The first game was a test run! I haven't shown all that I have to offer," he bowed, "I've wasted your time long enough. I'm off, kids! Enjoy your stay here at Crown Crest Academy! Ta ta~!"
With all our meager questions half answered, Monokuma vanished from the stage. I wasn't about to lose my head over this revelation, but I could hear myself internally screaming the entire time.
"Thank you all so much for attending," Monomaid smiled mischievously, "We'll alert you to any new happenings at a later date."
"For now, would anyone care for a refreshing beverage? Maybe a light snack?" Monobutler followed up, opening up his silver tray to reveal small cups and bottled water.
"Fuck that noise!" Arata irritably replied, "I don't want to be stuck in here with any of you!" He then stormed out of the gym.
"Should we go after h-him?" Hina anxiously asked.
Ginrou was about to do that, but Akihiro stopped him in his tracks. "Leave him… I doubt he wants to be bothered at the moment..."
"I second that half naked man's notion," Carlotta fervently agreed with the body painter, "I'm sure my fans will be looking for me or at the very least call the authorities! I'm already suffocating and I've only been here an hour at most."
"Really? You're not turning blue though." Mie received a glare for that, but didn't react much given her placid demeanor.
"I'll take that drink now, if you would," Aoki called out to Monobutler, looking both bored and frazzled at the same time.
"Very well, Miss Yasumi," the butler bowed, handing her a cup and pouring some water.
"Someone got cozy real friggin' quick," Tristan's eyebrows went high at the display of nonchalance. "You do this often?"
"Hey, I'm not gonna stress over a silly little game show," she received her cup and sipped it, "Besides, I'm quite interested in this game."
"Trick…." Harlan looked at the jeweler concerned, "Don't go asking for more trouble. And this isn't your usual bar hopping club session, it wouldn't end well like last time."
"Pfft, that was fun Harlan, don't kid yourself," she booped the cooper on his nose.
"So...what do we do now?" Kuromi asked, patting a distraught Yoshimi on her back, "Do we explore this place or something?"
"I'd much rather stare at the floor and count how many tiles there are," Mara sarcastically responded, "Anything sounds better than wandering into a potential death trap. But if someone does find one, please direct me towards it."
"I don't think that's a swell idea, miss…" Arthur sweatdropped.
"Well, if I may…?" Akihiro started. "How about we make some groups? I doubt everyone would want to look at the same places together at the same time. If we split up, we could learn more about this place together and at a faster rate."
"Groups? Tch, like I'd waste anymore time here with you peons," Otahiko remarked, "I'll do my own investigation, on my own time."
"As if you had anything else better to do, smartass?" I jabbed at the philosopher, "I'm sure we won't miss you." He just glared at me the entire time, a sense of pleasure inched its way on my face seeing him so displeased.
"Ooh, if we're gonna be paired up, I'd love to join someone's posse!" Nikoletta perked up almost instantly, "This is gonna be so much fun. I can't wait!"
"Man, this freaking blows…!" Anastasiy groaned aloud, "But I'd be more than happy to take charge!"
"Hmm, you don't seem like a leader material O3O" Mie claimed, still as stone faced as ever.
"In that case, I will appoint myself as the leader," Takeshi announced.
"But sh-shouldn't we vote on who becomes the le-leader first?" Hina looked even more flustered than before, "W-Wouldn't that be fair?"
"Well, it is for grouping, not for leading the whole class." Akihiro corrected her.
"No offense, but I think I have the right to be head honcho here, goddamnit," the police officer asserted his dominance proudly, "I am the only one who knows proper security protocol and how to handle dangerous situations."
"Didn't you almost charge at Monokuma just a few minutes ago?" Aoki commented, the police clicked his tongue at this.
"Well, in some fairness he got riled up. Unless the bear shows up, he should be alright," Tristan countered her remark.
"I suppose that makes sense," Zakuro pondered over this, "I hope that we can find something noteworthy. I'd feel safer leaving my life in your hands given your training as a cop."
"Normally, I'd protest that decision," I chimed in, the officer looking at me, crossing his arms, "But I have to admit you'd do a hell of a better job than anyone else here."
"Hmph, color me shocked!" he smirked, "Now then, anyone who wants to join me, get your asses up and let's get a move on!"
"Aye-aye, captain!" Nikoletta eagerly joined him, "Come on guys, this is gonna be an adventure!"
"Wait for me!" Daizo wheeled himself along.
"Would you like assistance?" Arthur offered.
"Ah, thank you very much!" The two joined the first group.
"In that case, I'll head up the second group," Akihiro said, "Those who wish to accompany me, feel free to join at your leisure."
"I'd feel much safer in a large group," Ibu mulled it over, "I'll come along, can you come too Zakuro?"
"Of course, it'd be my pleasure!" the personal stylist happily replied.
"I'll come with, I still need to talk to you about my wardrobe," Cameron tagged along.
"Alright, party people!" the zipliner clapped his hands together, "All aboard the fun train, if you wanna find some clues first before those nerds!"
"Heheh, you're an eager one, Anasta," Aoki giggled, grabbing on Harlan's arm, "Come Harlan, you can be my personal bodyguard!"
Harlan groaned. "We're not joining him are we?" Only to reply with her dragging him by the arm much to his chagrin.
"Oy vey…" My sentiment as well dear Harlan.
As the three groups left ahead of us, that left about a small number of us left. I contemplated wandering off on my own to investigate, but if I had to keep vigilant, another set of eyes couldn't hurt to have.
"Does anyone want to join my group?" I asked the others left, "I promise I don't bite, heh."
"I don't trust any of you freaks personally," Carlotta huffed proudly, "But if you require my assistance, I will lend a hand where I can." Didn't you claim you couldn't handle being stuck with us? Consistency is not with you when it's not about your fame.
"Can I-... can I join you?" The amezaiku artist raised her hand, "I, uh… think it might help ease my nerves a little."
"Sure thing, Hina," I waved to her, "If you need to take a break, feel free to do so."
"Thanks…" Three of us so far.
"Like I said, I will do my own investigation, I don't need anyone's help." Otahiko announced, swiftly leaving the room without bidding us goodbye.
"I think I'll rest for a moment…" Mie lazily nodded off.
"Haven't you been resting this entire time though?" Kuromi questioned the press agent, "I will have to skip on your offer, Arihime. I'll keep watch over poor Yoshimi for now."
"Alright, good stuff," I nodded my head, "That leaves Mara, Tristan and Ginrou."
"I'll take a raincheck as well," the bartender answered first, "I'm not really in the investigating mood, if you catch my drift."
"Fair enough," I replied, "Tristan, would you like to escort us ladies around?"
"It'd be my pleasure, sister," the thespian smirked, snapping his fingers at me. "Just don't expect me to get into any brawls. If things go all to pot, don't say I didn't warn ya."
"A real jokester, you," I laughed, "What about you Ginrou?"
He seemed to be deeply thinking about it, looking at us and the exit for a few seconds, back and forth. "I um… I think I can search around on my own, you guys seem full enough." He waved at us before quickly walking away.
The group had more girls, which may have been the reason why he got so nervous. Too bad, if he joined he would have accompanied Tristan as a fellow man. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.
"Now that that's settled, come on you three."
"Don't tell me what to do," Carlotta strutted off first, acting as if she owned the place, "I will be the leader of this group, not you." Let's hope Carlotta won't start another speech of her hubris. Who knows, she might give one to the wall for what I know.
"Who died and made you Fuhrer?" Tristan scoffed, but still followed behind the cellist.
"I can feel the headache coming on already," I massaged my temples dearly. "Let's go, Hina."
"Right behind you…" she weakly said, keeping close but maintaining some personal space.
As we exited the gym, a sense of dread waned over me in that moment. I had no absolutely no clue of what I was doing, nor did I have a good clue of where to start. If everything went sideways this early on, then I can't say that I didn't expect it to turn out this way.
I just hope we don't end up biting off each other's heads before this game starts…...Then again, I was never one to take any risks. I might as well make the most of this venture, hopefully I don't end up insane by the end of it all….
Danganronpa: The Hopeful Lies We Tell
Pens, pencils, sticky notes, pins and other documents can be seen atop a large wooden desk, alongside a slew of opened candy wrappers, bags of half eaten chips and some empty soda cans. A figure types away at their desk, making intense headlines and watching a dimly lit screen in the darkness as the words flow from their mind one at a time. A reminder on their phone alerts them to a potential scoop from an unknown source as they hastily make their way away from their computer station and leave their station messy, with ants crawling away with the crumbs of their food. Visible black letters are typed into the document, spelling the person's name. Starring: Arihime Miyagawa. And underneath that: (English VA: Emily Neves / Japanese VA: Saki Ogasawara)
The article then gets printed as it is faxed to a different figure. This time they receive a message from a hostage captor from within a bank. The large figure is leaning up against the side of a police car, hearing the constant barrage of bullets pepper the sky with noise and gunpowder. They take a risky shot and injure one of the robbers, taking the opportunity to dodge roll to cover and after dealing with another goon, they swerve into the bank and come face to face with the head honcho. The hostages are cowering in fear as the figure demands their safety, the robber sneering at them with contempt, as they pull the trigger. The figure swiftly shoots the robber's knee, catching him off guard and punches them in the face, handcuffing them to the ground as the hostages are freed by the other officers. The people cheer for the officer as a trail of bullets form the hero's name. It reads: Takeshi Kagohara. And underneath in gunpowder: (English VA: Matthew Mercer / Japanese VA: Ryota Iwasaki)
The bullets are processed in evidence and the gunpowder is swept away with a clean rag as it transitions into a shiny polished mahogany frame. A figure is seen wiping the grime and dirt from a mahogany crafted cello, making sure it is spick and span for their recital. The figure sits in a nearby chair and practices their routine, fine tuning the strings and fixating on their cello bow. As they appear on stage, they close their eyes and strum their cello with grace, the lilting notes of classical music can be heard as the acoustics rise in tempo and the audience watches in awe. The figure finishes the recital and the audience claps ceremoniously, some throwing roses on stage for the musician, as they take a curtsy and rest in their laurels. The music notes form the name of the performer as they take their graceful exit. It reads: Carlotta Scordato. And the loose rose petals on the stage reads: (English VA: Meagan Smith / Japanese VA: Shizuka Ito)
The leftover wilting roses are left to rot on stage, as a shadowy long legged spider hides inside the bud of the flower. The aimless bees buzzing around are then captured by the arachnid as a figure's hand approaches the spider and it crawls over their hand. Unfazed by the spider's creepy walk, the figure plays with it as if it were a best friend, watching as another spider rests atop their head and spins a web around a nearby tree the figure is laying underneath. The figure wheels their chair away from the tree to place their spider friend inside their terrarium. The eggs inside the spider's home form their caretaker's name. It reads: Daizo Hirai. And the over by the tree, a loose string of cobweb trails on the tree branch reading: (English VA: Justin Briner / Japanese VA: Tetsuya Kakihara)
The web disintegrates and blows away in the wind, flying over on a blank white canvas, transforming into gray colored paint. A brush is smeared on the canvas with raven black paint as the figure painting admires the monochrome colors in front of them. Sipping on their milkshake, they coat a bigger brush in white paint and get to work, splotches of paint dabbed on the mysterious art piece as paint drips on the sides and is smeared on the artist's clothes and skin. After hours of work, they detail the painting with even more gray and white paint, revealing their design of a Greek sculpture. They initial their name near the bottom right of the canvas revealing their identity. It reads: Kuromi Shirokawa. And underneath in black paint it reads: (English VA: Catherine Disher / Japanese VA: Haruka Tomatsu)
The painter accidentally splashes more paint on the painting, transitioning into a more colorful and vibrant visage. Someone is painting the body of a female model with intricate brush strokes and black outlining. A pop art piece that catches the eye, the half naked artist delicately paints each crevice and gets the fine details just right. A muscle twitch later and they swerve off the human canvas, their name written in the streaked colors. It reads: Arata Toshikawa. And underneath in red paint it reads: (English VA: Max Mittelman / Japanese VA: Hiro Shimono)
After numerous paint swatches later, the artist finishes their work, letting the female model pose for the photographers. A lone figure sits in a chair, nibbling on snacks and watching listlessly as they doze off sleepily. Their phone rings as they answer it, humoring the angry person on the other end as they jot down notes in their sticker filled clipboard. The figure calls off the photoshoot and issues an emergency meeting for the press release, asking the staff to disperse and the model to wash off. Cute stickers line the walls of the white background, spelling out the figure's name as they lazily leave the room. It reads: Mie Asakura. And underneath that reads: (English VA: Kate Higgins / Japanese VA: Meiko Kawasaki)
The room gets cleaned up as the figure from before enters a bustling room filled with other corporate figureheads, all rambling and ranting about the issue at hand. All the men and women converse and argue over each other, with one lone figure off to the side, taking detailed notes and watching the room for tense chatterboxes. They interrupt the raucous noise and interject their own ideas, displaying a powerpoint and visuals to stimulate the businessmen and women's eyes and ears. After their persuasive words interest the figureheads, the board dismisses the meeting and the powerpoint slide ends, revealing the name of the presenter. The mysterious figure smirks and goes off in their own direction, typing more notes in their phone and keeping an eye on everyone as they leave. The powerpoint reads: Akihiro Nobuo. And underneath that reads: (English VA: David Vincent / Japanese VA: Mamoru Miyano)
The words on the powerpoint glitch out as they sparkle in the brightest lights of the conference room. The room dazzles and reveals a room filled with a cluster of gems and jewelry. Diamond rings, pearl necklaces, golden chains and silver bracelets line the walls in glass cabinets and fancy decorations. A figure is observing and cleaning a priceless white gold ring as they add special engravings on the metal accessory. They leave the backroom, placing the ring and a diamond necklace in a fancy tote bag, presenting them to a rather wealthy client for their fiance's anniversary. A fake smile plasters their face as the figure yawns from boredom, knocking over a display of diamonds and as the glass shatters, the gems display the person's name. It reads: Aoki Yasumi. And in the glass fragments reads: (English VA: Morgan Berry / Japanese VA: Eri Kitamura)
The mischievous figure leaves the scene and another figure's dirty footprints step over the glass, switching to a more outdoorsy and active scene. A crowd of enthusiastic fans cheer for the figure stuntman climbing up the ladder to a wooden stand atop. Their long hair flows in the wind as they smile back at the cheering fangirls below, reaching the top and placing their goggles over their face. The way down is long and treacherous, but the figure grabs hold of the thin metal bars tightly and vaults off the platform, the intense adrenaline rush pushing them forward. The raging wind kisses their face as down the zipline there are flaming rings of fire they pass through with ease and hit multiple tree branches on the way down. After almost losing their grip, they make the bold choice to drop mid-zipline, landing clumsily on their feet but sticking the landing with a goofy smile and confident gaze. The audience cheers as fangirls approach the figure, happily obliging they sign their name. It reads: Anastasiy Vasiliev. And with one more signature it reads: (English VA: Zach Aguilar / Japanese VA: Jun Fukuyama)
A growing line of fans continue to assault the figure with autographs, as a few pictures of them fly away in the breeze. One photo lands atop a sturdy, marble table as a figure places a large, circular plate atop the picture. A large, glistening work of art stands on the plate, a marvel of candy glass and decorative fondant flowers line the base. Judges glean disapproving glances at the piece, as a nervous figure in the background watches the scornful eyes with anxiety. The candy residue drips off the side and lands on one of the judges' tongues, enlightening them into a whole new world of flavor. The judges also take interest in their reaction as they all start adulating the sculptor and pepper them with praise. The figure wins first place as the melting sun bleeds the sculpture as the candy drips melt into the person's name. It reads: Hina Shimizu. And with the flowers reads: (English VA: Megan Shipman / Japanese VA: Saori Hayami)
The melted candy cools and forms into a marbled grey stone shape. Multiple statues of famous philosophers line the halls of this elusive hallway and a lone figure and their loyal disciples follow closely behind them. The figure's straight posture, confident gestures and poised voice convey a radiant presence that illuminates their followers' knowledge of the wisdom of the greats. The figure pauses their monologue, admiring an empty spot and imagines their likeness as a stone sculpture, admired for many years to come. Their proud daydream comes to an end as they grumble behind their face mask, lamenting their tedious day job as a piece of paper lands on their head. Annoyed by this, they uncrumple the paper to read the students' notes, reading their name. It reads: Otahiko Seijun. And as they grow irritated, they swallow their pride and continue with the tour of the museum, a row of stone sculptures forming these words: (English VA: Alex Organ / Japanese VA: Kensho Ono)
A few rambunctious students trip into the stone sculpture, irritating their guide as the stone debris form into the shape of a wavy and irregular flower bed. Rows of multicolored flowers and plants line the earthy soil of the garden. A figure can be seen trimming weeds and flower stems, grabbing multiple bouquets of flowers in their hands, embracing the warm sunlight and smiling giddily. They enter a seemingly homey shop filled to the brim with floral arrangements, greeting their fellow employees as they slide each cut flower into decorative vases. The flower petals fall to the floor as the preparations begin, with the flower buds forming the figure's name. They read: Nikoletta Gabor. After lining the store windows with flowers, the figure indulges themselves, flaunting around their garden shears and imbibing their daily 'vitamins'. The window display reads: (English VA: Lindsay Seidel / Japanese VA: Kiyono Yasuno)
Another array of vases on the shelf next to the window form into wooden barrels, caskets, buckets and tubs sitting on the walls of a workshop. A figure is angrily pounding the exterior sides of a large wooden barrel, heating up timber staves and molding the sides and inner creases. Blood, sweat and tears blaze in the fiery coal oven as the hammering noises increase with each arduous grunt. The figure's overalls are stained with greasy wooden shavings and their fingers and face covered in ashy soot fumes. After intense hours of work, the figure cleans and polishes the wooden frame, attaching a firm base to the bottom and hollowing out the center even more, with the leftover wood shavings spelling their name. They read: Harlan Otieno. The figure heaves the hefty barrel over their shoulders as leftover metal bits reveal even more words reading: (English VA: Alexander Bean / Japanese VA: Daichi Endo)
Another figure smashes the metal bits and they shape into a coat hanger, with an elegant dress hanging from the sides. A figure takes the black and white asymmetrical dress from the rack of fancy dresses and hands it over to another figure, their client. The client observes the choice and throws the dress on their lavishly expensive bed, revealing their luxurious living quarters. After ten tries, the displeased customer nags the figure to find them the right outfit for their formal dinner. With no wavering optimism, the figure peruses the closet for one more dress, spying a lovely blue and grey accented bodycon piece. They present it to their client, adding a pair of gloves and a jeweled hair piece. The mirror's reflection reading the figure's name: Zakuro Kobayashi. Their customer is satisfied, sighing with relief, they pick up the discarded dresses as they fall to the floor, spelling out even more words: (English VA: Elizabeth Maxwell / Japanese VA: Yoshino Nanjo)
Loose hangers and metal clothes racks are pulled away, a swift motion as the clothes part to the sides to reveal a laboratory-like setting. A laptop busy scripting data as a loading screen shows 30% slowly rising up to 100%. A doll was sitting besides watching a careful figure silently flip pages from a paper as working on a metallic leg, then pull a bag from a table. They then lost their balance, as the bag pulled numerous objects from the table. Forming the name: Ginrou Migato. The laptop was saved untouched, the loading screen completes, shows: (English VA: Grant George / Japanese VA: Matsukaze Masaya)
They exit the room, entering into a theater-like setting, walking towards the backstage and hiding elusively behind the curtains like a devilish trickster. As the curtains raise, the spotlight shines on the lone figure on stage, a tackily painted background litters the wooden stage, the figure clad in hand stitched robes and wearing a mask covering their entire face. A booming voice bellows out, tinted with a deep accent, leaving the audience at the edge of their seats, awaiting more. The figure grabs a silver dagger prop, wielding the dagger like a toy and piercing their chest with it. Fake blood spurts on stage as they toss their mask to the side, revealing to the audience that it was they who were the fools for thinking there was a happy ending to that tale. The splattered blood spells out the person's name reading: Tristan McGrath. The figure falls through a trapdoor, the lights switching off and leaving the audience on a chilling cliffhanger. As the performance ends, the blood soaks into the wooden floorboards as the curtain draws, with golden words reading: (English VA: Robert McCollum / Japanese VA: Takahiro Sakurai)
As the stage clears and the audience leaves the theater, the curtains open once more. A heavenly, almost beautiful view of a Grecian landscape paints the scene. A figure rests atop the hill, admiring the sunny beaches and taking in the glistening sea view ahead of them. They scribble notes and sketch images of what they see, only stopping as the light fades to reveal an upcoming thunderstorm. The figure bolts for cover as thunder claps to the ground. They dodge lightning and thunder spots, stumbling side to side as waves crash against the hillside. The figure whimpers as they approach a stone pantheon structure, hiding inside for safety. The thunder claps once more, the fragments of light revealing the name of the figure. It reads: Yoshimi Papagiorgios. The rain splash against the doors of the pantheon, as stone figures of Greek gods and goddesses weep for the meek person. Their puddles of tears form more words reading: (English VA: Bryn Apprill / Japanese VA: Akane Fujita)
Intense lightning brightly flashes through the rainy sky, as the scene transitions to a dimly lit room with a bunch of people inside. A lone photographer's camera flashes take multiple shots of a lone figure, posing in very mysterious yet alluring poses. They pout, smile, wink and do all sorts of seductive, cool and unique lively expressions for the crew and lead photographer. A slew of fangirls could be seen eyeing the young man through a large glass window, ogling him intensely with red blood dripping from their noses and some girls even dropping their shopping bags to eye the handsome figure. More and more girls try waving to the figure, as the crew cleans up the photo shoot, the young model puts on their clothes, off towards backstage while winking at the gaggle of girls fainting at the sight of him. The scene changes to a lovely starry night shoot where the stars align to form the figure's name. It reads: Cameron Eastwood. A few clouds eclipse the name as the mist travels in, more words reading: (English VA: Austin Tindle / Japanese VA: Kohei Amasaki)
As the night looms over, a sole window peers into a rowdy establishment filled with salacious and vulgar people. A bustling business where men and women laugh heartily, waiters serve platters of food and large jugs of alcoholic beverages. Loud chants and hollers wail through the room as multiple tv screens play loud sports games via tv screens mounted on each wall. A figure is serving drinks at the central bar, lazily getting the job done, while a rowdy man is demanding his fourth beer jug. The disgruntled figure blinks at the man, to which they ignore their request to serve a more polite customer. After a few broken glass bottles and dirty stares, a drunken brawl breaks out in the bar. The figure watches all the action, completely zoned out and in their own world as they yawn tiredly, crouching to the floor as bottles and plates fly helter skelter, forming a name in the glass shards. It reads: Mara Tachimiya. A few glass bottle of vodka is tossed at a tv screen, cracking it as the alcohol drips on the floor with more words reading: (English VA: Shelley Calene-Black / Japanese VA: Serina Machiyama)
As the liquid splashes on the hardwood floor, a figure clad in formal attire is seen entering the bar, noticing the commotion ensuing. Hoping to find a quiet table to eat at, the figure approaches an empty table, getting grabbed by one of the pugilistic patrons. Instead of getting squared in the face, the figure grabs the man's arm and twists it, using his walking cane to pin the man against the wall as he pushes him off to the side. After having dodged so many punches and kicks, the gentlemanly figure gives up and heads out, opting for the ritzy cafe across the street. A short walk to the cafe later, the figure is greeted by a friendly barista, handed a lovely cup of tea, the leaves reading the figure's name. It reads: Artorius Jones. The figure rests at a cozy table, taking in the soothing classical music being played as words appear on the nearby tv screen reading: (English VA: Chris Hackney / Japanese VA: Kaito Ishikawa)
The delightful tunes are amplified from the nearby speakers as the scene then transitions into a vibrant dance studio. A group of performers are set behind a lone figure near the front. Situated along the row of dancers, they all strategically align their movements with each other, like toy soldiers. As the figure leads the group, the music gets louder and the beat drops more intense. Sweat flies across the room as each passionate dancer finishes off their set with an epic pose. The scene reveals a music video filming as the lead singer takes in all the praise. The dancers all congratulate each other, with one sole figure, out of breath and trying to keep up with the others. They grab their dance bag and head into the changing room. A string of music notes spelling their name. It reads: Ibu Sugihara. The figure leaves the changing room in their street clothes, with someone handing them a free hand towel and a bottle of refreshing cold water. The dancer happily accepts the offer, turning their bag to reveal a tag on the side reading: (English VA: Luci Christian / Japanese VA: Ayane Sakura)
The figure serving water and towels bows their head politely, exiting the scene to a more formal kitchen setting. They are greeted by another formal figure preparing a fancy dinner for someone. These two figures move gracefully through the narrow, yet lavish, kitchen with ease. One preps the food as steam pours around the room and the sizzling of grease crisps the edges of well cooked steak, chicken and fish. A lovely cake is pulled out of the oven as the rising steam from the stove top pours out, revealing the name of the maid-like figure. It reads: Monomaid/Sophia Phillips. The maid decorates the cake with delicious frosting and ices the top with freshly whipped cream with the words reading: (English VA: Jad Saxton / Japanese VA: Rie Tanaka).
The other figure plates the feast on elegantly designed plates, adorning the golden sides and accompanied by silver cutlery. The remaining cutlery reads: Monobutler/Curtis Dupuis. The seemingly skinny figure lifts up the rather large platter with ease, carrying it as if it were a feather. They exit the kitchen and into a fancy dining room where a decadent table is organized. They rest the large platter of food on the table, carving into the large turkey as the meat cutoffs read: (English VA: Aaron Dismuke / Japanese VA: Tatsuhisa Suzuki).
An array of food is scattered about the decorative table, flower vases with delicate black and white flowers are centered beautifully around each one. A cartoonish figure sits atop an ornate throne, grabbing the biggest fork and knife they could get their paws on and salivates madly at the feast in front of them. They ignore the plate in front of them and begin wolfing down all the food in their sights. The wild figure slurps bowls of soup, stuff roast chicken and turkey down their gullet, scarf down a ton of baked desserts and finally start swimming in a large pool of red wine. The bear like figure leaves a huge mess behind, the scraps forming into their name. It reads: Monokuma. Finally, they indulge themselves in a few gulps of wine as the glass tips over, spilling all over the floor reading: (English VA: Brian Beacock / Japanese VA: Tarako).
As the credits close it ends with this message:
TWO ACADEMIES BOTH ALIKE IN DIGNITY
GREATNESS AND CORRUPTION GO HAND IN HAND
LIVING THE LAVISH LIFE THAT ONE CRAVES
SUCH AN ENVIABLE POSITION TO WANT AND DESIRE
A PERFECT SOCIETY FILLED WITH TALENT AND POTENTIAL
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING CAN LEAD TO BAD RESULTS
A FUTURE SO ABSURD AND AGGRESSIVELY TOXIC
WHY MUST WE DEMAND MORE OF IT?
Welcome to the new age of Crowning achievements…...enjoy the luxury and privilege that comes with it…..you're set for life and worries are things of the past…...shining bright like gemstones in the pale sunlight, kissed by heaven's angels…...sounds too good to be true.
An insatiable hunger can lead to a gross outcome….better be prepared to face the cold, hard truth…..nothing is what it seems…...do you wish to indulge in the vicious, gluttonous cycle?
Remaining Students: 22
Next time….Chapter 1: Desire's Ivory Dungeon
A/N: Hey there guys, sorry for the long wait of the end of the prologue, but here it is. I hope you all enjoyed this little VA special, I had fun making it as well as the Monokuma introduction and apologies for it taking so long.
I've been recently swamped with a lot of online classes and homework, plus there is the case of seasonal depression on top of feeling the overall dread of life. Quarantine made me feel very sickly, but I've been doing well, I've recently gotten into cooking and baking and I'm trying to be more proficient in my writing, however slow the process is.
If you have any questions or alterations you want made to your OC, please let me know ASAP. If you liked the chapter, please feel free to leave a review, comment what you liked and maybe even predict who is gonna bite the bullet next time in Chapter one.
I don't really have much to say other than I hope you guys have a wonderful week, I hope October is better than the last few months have been. Have a great day, night, holiday or whatever it is you are celebrating and I will see you all in the next update or whenever I decide to post next. I love the support you all have given me and happy reading my fellow authors, readers and otaku alike.
Bye bye!