Chapter 8: tHe first meeting…

"Wait, hold on a sec!" Junko interrupted as she looked around

"What's wrong?!" Taka asked in annoyance.

"What about, uh…what's her name? You know the silver-haired girl." Junko said, trying to remember this girl's name. "Uhh…oh yeah, Kyoko!"

"…What about her?" Taka asked

"She's not here." Junko answered him.

"What!?" Taka said in a shock.

We all looked around to see that Kyoko wasn't here yet.

"I wonder where she went." Hina said in concern. "Has anyone seen her?"

Everyone shook their head to that question.

"Wait, so 'nobody' has seen her…?" Chihiro spoke up.

Wait, Makoto said that we need to kill someone in order to get out…I thought. Is she really…?

I shook that thought off. That's impossible! No one would do that!

"Darn it, Kyoko! You're really going to be late like this on the first day of school?" Taka said in frustration. "Not only is she late, she didn't tell anyone she would be late! A most unbecoming personality trait…"

"You're being a real jackass right now, you know that?" Junko said as she looked at him.

"Well what do you want me to do!? Punctuality is everything!" Taka said in his defense.

Although we technically are in school, the circumstances tell us otherwise…

"Now then, I declare that the first session of the Hope's Peak Academy briefing meeting has begun!" Taka announced.

"Nepgear…" Makoto said. "Since you're in the dark about everything, I'll tell you about what has been going on." He then continued on. "Byakuya and Taka went off on their own, so did Kyoko. Leon, Hiro, Chihiro, and Junko all grouped together. So did Hina, Sakura, and Mondo. Celeste, Toko, and Hifumi did that as well kinda."

I also have something to say but I'll let everyone say what they know…

Byakuya then spoke up. "I wanted to try and find some clues as to who's responsible for imprisoning us here…" He explained. "But unfortunately, I made no such discoveries. That's all for me…"

"Really? That's it?" Taka questioned.

"If I'd uncovered anything, naturally I would have more to say." Byakuya stated the obvious. "But I didn't. So I don't.

"R-Right, understood…" Taka said before he started his report. "I spent some time looking around the dormitory, and there I made the discovery of the century! I found that there was exactly one room for each person!"

Um…what?

"Well yeah, I figured that out before anything else…" Hina said.

"Each door already has a nameplate on it, so I guess all the rooms have been assigned already." Junko explained.

"And each room key was attached to a keychain with the owner's name precision-etched on it." Sakura continued on.

I kinda already figured that out…

"And Chihiro and I found out that all the rooms are totally soundproof." Junko continued on for Sakura.

"Your next-door neighbor could scream their lungs out and you wouldn't hear a thing…" Chihiro added.

"Well, each room also had a private bathroom, which could lock." Celeste added in as well.

"But it looked like there were only locks on the bathroom in the girl's room." Junko said.

Never checked but I guess that's what he had to say…

"Okay, so they got a bunch of rooms ready for us." Mondo said. "They're assuming we're going to be here for a while…"

"Well, better to have than have not!" Taka said in his similar passion. "At least we don't have to worry about surviving like wild animals."

"Th-That can't be all you have to r-report, can it Mr. Honor S-Student?" Toko asked.

Taka thought for a moment. "That's all for my report! Let's move on to whoever's next!"

Junko then spoke up to explain that she, Chihiro, Leon, and Hiro double-checked on windows in the hallways and the classes to see if they could get any of them to come off and well…

"Nothing. Not a damn thing." Leon explained. "We couldn't get a single one to budge even a little bit."

Nothing!?

"There wasn't any hope of escape anywhere…" Chihiro said tearfully. "The school really has been totally cut off."

"This sucks…" Junko groaned. "It really sucks. It sucks sucks sucks sucks SUCKS! What hell are we going to do!?"

"Goddamn, calm down!" Leon said, getting really nervous. "You're starting to make me nervous!"

After a moment of silence, Hina then spoke up and said that she, Sakura, and Mondo were trying to find some way to communicate with the outside and they couldn't find anything.

"I went to the main hall, thinking maybe we could do something about that giant hunk of metal." Mondo explained. "But even with Sakura and me both, it wouldn't budge. We hit it with the desks and chairs, and nothin'. It was as, like…metal."

"Well, yes, it is metal…" Celeste commented.

"Anyway, if we're gonna get outta here, it's not gonna be through there." Mondo said.

"I feel like I could just cry…" She said sadly. "But no, I have to hold it in! I have to manage my hydration…!"

But that door seems like it can be remote controlled last time I remember it so there has to be some way we can open that…

"I shall tell what happened next…" Sakura spoke up. "It has nothing to do with communicating with the outside world, but it's still worth worrying about. In both the school and dorm areas, there was a set of stairs leading up to another floor."

"But there were gates there, and we couldn't find any way to open them, so we couldn't check it out." Hina said.

"In other words, at this point we are only able to search the 1st floor." Sakura continued on. We can further assume that there is potentially something above the 2nd floor, as well. And if that's the case, there is at least a chance it may lead to a way out."

I hope so…

After they were finished with that, Celeste spoke up. "If I am being honest, I can't quite say we acted as one." She said as she referred to her, Hifumi, and Toko. "Rather we did nothing as one. We spent the entire time in the gym." She then looked down. "Honestly, we are not exactly the types to go around a school like a bunch of junior detectives."

Then Junko spoke up, asking why they were just staying in the gym this entire time. Toko said that no one ever invited her and then Junko refuted saying that she could have just asked. Toko however insulted Junko with a word I can't even say out loud and kept insulting her and then…

"I…I don't even know how to react." Junko said angrily. "How can you say something so awful to someone you just met."

"Alright guys, everyone calm down, okay?" Hiro spoke up. All this stress is bad for the skin, y'know?"

"Yeah!" Sayaka agreed. "It sounds like you two are so close now you're fighting like sisters."

I don't think that is what is happening…

Then Sayaka spoke up again. "As for me and Makoto," She then started to explain. "We went and looked around the dining hall. We found a fridge in the back of the kitchen and it was overflowing with all kinds of stuff. I guess we don't have to worry about food, at least."

"Sure, for now." Hifumi spoke up. "But even with all of that, there are sixteen of us. How long can the food last…?"

"I don't think we have to worry about it." Sayaka said. "All the food gets restocked automatically every day. At least, that's what Monokuma said."

"You saw him?!" Junko exclaimed.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, he came out of nowhere and told us that," Makoto started to explain. "And then he disappeared again. He moved so fast that we were both caught off guard."

"A weaponized toy that can appear from nowhere…" Chihiro said. "I can't tell if we're supposed to be afraid or not."

Yeah, me too…I guess I have to voice something of my own…

"Hey guys…" I said, grabbing everyone's attention. "I want to talk about something, something about me…"

"S-Something about you?" Hifumi said and then he had an odd expression on his face. "What do you mean by that?"

"U-Um…no," I said, feeling a little disturbed. "Remember I said that I don't remember ever coming here…"

Everyone nodded and I continued on. "About that, I can't remember anything else before. Like you guys, the Ultimates, or even this school. "I can't even remember who I am myself…"

This shocked everyone around me. "So wait, you can't remember anything?" Junko asked.

I didn't say anything but I just nodded which resulted in a lot of confused and shocked faces.

"How is this possible?" Hina spoke up. "How can you not remember anything?"

"I…really don't know…" I answered. Because I really can't remember anything…"

"What the hell is going on?" Leon asked which no one answered.

"I think I can answer that…" someone spoke up. Everyone turned around and saw that Kyoko walked in.

"Kyoko! Where have you been?!" Taka questioned her. "We already started the meeting without you."

She didn't say anything. Instead she went and dropped a map of some sort on the table.

"Huh? What's this?" Makoto asked out of curiosity.

"Before I'd answered that…" She spoke before she turned to me. "I'll answer this question at hand first…" She looked at me. "You'd said that you don't remember anything, right?"

I nodded and then she thought for a moment and said. "Then you must have lost your memories…"

Everyone was shocked by this revelation, no one spoke up until…

"But that's impossible!" Hina spoke up. "There is no way she could have lost her memories."

"But that is the absolute truth…" Kyoko countered. "Right now, she is unable to remember anything."

No one wasn't able to refute this until…

"B-But how do you know about all of this?" Taka asked and he then pointed at the map. "And what is that and where did you even get this?

"It appears to be a map of Hope's Peak Academy." Kyoko answered. "And it doesn't matter how I know this and where I got it."

"It DOES matter." Taka disagreed. "You're really freaking us out right now!"

"Never mind that." Junko interrupted. "What's it mean?"

"Just look at it." Kyoko said. "The building we're in right now is laid out in precisely the same way as Hope's Peak Academy."

"So what you're saying is…this really is Hope's Peak Academy?" Makoto said, clarifying what Kyoko said.

It couldn't be anything else other than that since I can't remember anything…

"Well, in terms of its construction, yes." Kyoko answered. "But it looks like it's had a number of strange…renovations done to it."

"Like that metal hatch?" I asked.

Kyoko nodded. "Although I don't know all the details yet. All I found was details about the first floor."

"But then…" Chihiro spoke up. "This really is Hope's Peak. We didn't get kidnapped and taken to some other place…"

"So stupid it's not even possible." Mondo said angrily. "This is where the country's future elite are supposed come and learn?"

"But if this really is Hope's Peak, where are all the other students?" Hina questioned.

"Hey, come on, guys." Hiro spoke up. "Let's just stop talking about all this…you know, negative stuff…"

"But aren't you worried?" Makoto asked. "Things don't look good…"

"Worried? What's there to be worried about?" Hiro asked. "I mean, this was planned out, right? The people in charge of Hope's Peak put this all together, right?"

You still think this is a prank?!

He then laughed it off. "Man, if I got stressed every time something like this happened, I'd have ectoplasm shooting out my mouth! Good things come to those who wait, right? So we just gotta chill and everything'll work itself out!"

I know, but…

This time, it was Celeste's turn to laugh. "Wh-Why are you laughing? What's so funny!?" Toko asked.

"I am just happy, that is all." She explained. "It seems splitting up to investigate was a good idea, after all."

"Haven't you b-been listening!?" Toko exclaimed. "Looking around was a t-total waste of t-time! We d-didn't find a way out, didn't f-find who's behind this. We still have no idea what's g-going on!"

"Huh? Is it not crystal clear to you what is going on?" Celeste questioned with mild surprise. She then dropped the unfortunate truth. "It is perfectly obvious that we have been imprisoned in some secret location, with no way out."

I wasn't able to say anything nor did anyone else.

I'm imprisoned here…Why? What did I do to deserve all of this? Why?

"You didn't h-have to go and s-say that." Toko spoke up. "I was trying not to th-think about it. N-No way out… We're trapped here. What are w-we supposed to d-do?"

"It's very simple. If you want to leave, you just have to kill—" Byakuya started to say with a smirk.

"Don't even joke about that!" Junko interrupted angrily.

"Everyone just calm down please!" Sayaka pleaded. "We need to stop and think about what to do from here."

"There's gotta be something we can do…" Leon said in agreement.

"All we can do is adapt." Celeste answered. "Adapt to living our lives here from now on."

"Live here…?" Chihiro questioned tearfully. "Are you saying we should just accept it?"

"A lack of adaptability…is a lack of survivability." Celeste said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt. As someone who has come out on top more than once, I have a suggestion."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mondo asked.

"We all understand that we are trapped here. Which means we will be spending the night. However…" Celeste explained. "You all remember the rule regarding nighttime, right?"

I was passed out so no I don't… I thought. Let me check that right now!

I opened my e-Handbook and tapped on Regulations:

Rule #1: Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.

Rule #2: "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

Rule #3: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

Rule #4: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.

Rule #5: Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.

Rule #6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

Rule #7: Additional school regulations may be added if necessary.

W-Wha—

"So regarding this 'nighttime', I think we need to add a rule of our own." Celeste suggested.

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.

"Going out at nighttime should be prohibited altogether." She proposed. "The school regulations do not actually tell us not to go out at night. I would like to make it official."

"B-But why…?" Toko asked.

"The way things are now, every time night comes we will all start to get worried and anxious." Celeste explained. "We will be afraid someone might try and come kill us."

"What!?" Sayaka cried out.

"If we have to worry about that night after night for who knows how long, it will wear us down in no time." Celeste continued to explain.

"So you're suggesting we limit our activity at night as a kind of preventative measure." Sakura deduced.

Celeste nodded. "However, unlike the other rules, nobody can be forced to comply. We all have to agree to follow it."

I see what you mean. But…I think I can agree to that." Junko said in agreement. "It's like the little goth lolita said. Without something like that, we're just gonna self-destruct."

"On the behalf of all the men here, I agree to comply!" Taka spoke up.

"Hey, you can't just decide to speak for us!" Leon complained.

"So everyone is in agreement? Good." Celeste quickly said. "Then if you excuse me…" She said as she stood up from her seat.

"Huh? Wait, where are you going?" Chihiro asked.

"It is almost nighttime. I want to take a show before it arrives." She simply said. "So…goodbye." And with that, Celeste left the dining hall.

After a moment of silence, Hifumi spoke up. "S-So I guess it's pretty obvious where we go from here. We'll be spending the night, it looks like."

Y-Yeah, I guess so…

"Adaptability…" Sakura repeated what Celeste had said.

"So Mr. Chairman…what's next?" Junko asked Taka. "One person already left."

"U-Ummm…" Taka thought for a moment. "Well then, what say we call an end to today's meeting!? Like she said, it's almost nighttime anyway. We can reconvene first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Do we really have to stay the night here…?" Chihiro asked tearfully.

"We don't have a choice." Junko said. "We can't go for long without some sleep."

"So we have to just give up…" Mondo said, looking down.

"That's all f-fine and good for t-today, but what do we d-do tomorrow?" Toko asked.

"Our only option is to split up and look around again," Sakura answered. "And let everyone know if we find anything."

"Yeah, okay. Let's do that…!" Hina agreed.

"Then we're done for today?" Junko asked. "Good, I'm exhausted…" And with Junko and the others left the dining hall.

Makoto, Nepgear…Are you ready to call it a day?" Sayaka asked us.

We both nodded. "Yeah, let's go." Makoto said. And then, we went back to our own rooms.

When I got there, the first thing I thought was:

Am I really going to stay here? Is there anything or anyone outside this school that knows me?

…

I'm just going to take a shower…I'm too tired to think for today…

After I took a shower, I checked the e-Handbook one last time to see what it does.

The Maps app now shows only the first floor when I tapped on it. The Truth Bullets app couldn't show anything so exit that out. The Skills app, however, showed me all the skills I had up to this point but one skill I unfamiliar with:

-MPBL Affinity

Description- …

What is this? I don't remember having this.

…

I should worry about that later…

…

I have already checked the Regulations so I don't have to tap on that.

The Report Cards app show all the people here with including mine:

Name: Nepgear

Height: 5'1"

Weight: 88.2 lbs

Chest: 78 cm

Special Ability: Unknown

What does it mean by special ability? I guess I'll have to figure it out later…

Lastly, I check the System app which just shows if you want to change the brightness or the color.

It looks so cool! I'll guess I'll test the durability later when I have the chance…

All of the sudden the monitor turned on, revealing Monokuma. "Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It's now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then….sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." And with that, the monitor turned off.

That sounds so creepy…

As I lay down the bed, I kept on thinking:

Still, why can't I remember anything? Who was missing from my memories? Who did I look up to?

While thinking about this, I slowly fall asleep.

Where…are…they…now…?

…

And that is all for now! Hope you enjoy this story! Please Review and Stay Safe!