Prologue
...
I suppose I should begin with a brief introduction of myself.
My name is Dai Hisakawa. Age 17, Female, 6'1'', Blood type B+... And the Ultimate Prosecutor.
Every year, the Hope's Peak Initiative scouts out students from across Japan. Searching for "Ultimate Students", students who are exceptionally gifted in a specific talent. In the past, they've had Pop Stars, Baseball Players, Mechanics, Biker Gang Leaders… If you can name a talent, there's a pretty good chance Hope's Peak recruits for it.
My initial hope for our school year was to enter Class 81, as the Ultimate Prosecutor. For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in studying law. Maybe it was some video games I played, or a court case I saw when I was a kid. But I've been utterly obsessed with law. I studied it, researched as much as I could, and even participated in a few cases as a prosecutor's assistant. And eventually… I was scouted.
Today, I was meant to arrive at Hope's Peak. Meet up with the other fifteen students, and begin my scholarly years.
(Despair Syndrome)
"So why then…" The black-haired prosecutor asked herself…
"Am I here?"
The room surrounding her seemed… Off. She'd just woken up here, the last thing she remembered was heading to bed, after preparing for her new year. It was some old, run-down art hall. Foreign pieces she didn't recognize covered the long, yellow-painted hallway. And at the end… A door and a monitor.
"... Hello? Anybody here?"
Some welcoming ceremony… Sh-Shit, was I kidnapped?
She looked at her black and red outfit, seeing no tears or injuries. She also began feeling her mental state out… She wasn't drugged in any sense, either. So, she can at least rule that she came here semi-willingly… Or was knocked out.
"Either situation's not all that gre-"
At the end of the hall, a light came on. What previously seemed like a pitch-black canvas lit up… It was a monitor. And from it, played a voice.
"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then!"
… What?
The voice felt out of place. It felt playful, like a young child, but at the same time, it felt… Unnerving. Like it didn't care about anything else in the world.
"With all sixteen students awake now… I would like to begin the introduction ceremony! Please proceed to the dining hall at your soonest convenience! Thank you, I'll be waiting!"
… With no other option, she began proceeding down the hall. Upon reaching the door, she peeked outside, and saw a lounge… It was decorated with a houseplant, bookshelves, and a couch… And sitting there was another person. She was wearing a brown cap, with a worn-down coat, and blue jeans. She seemed absorbed in whatever she was reading…
"... Hello? You alright?"
Upon being prompted, the girl looked at her.
"O-Oh, um… Yes." She closed the book, and stood up. "I assume you heard the announcement, right?"
"Yes… This is some sort of Introduction Ceremony, correct?"
She nodded. "It is. And with that… I'm correct in assuming you're a student at Hope's Peak Academy?"
"Right. I'm Dai Hisakawa, Ultimate Prosecutor." She lent her arm out for a handshake, which the woman accepted.
"Sora Yamashita… Ultimate Detective. We'll make a good team. I'm certain of that."
Dai smiled at the statement… It was good to be making friends already.
"Well then…" The detective looked around. "The dining hall's pretty close. Should we go see what this whole thing's about?"
"Sounds good to me…"
With that, the two girls entered the nearest door… And stepped into the dining hall.
The hall itself was massive, a black and white tiled floor below them. They heard a clock ticking from nearby, a fire started behind them in a chimney. The table in the middle of the hall had seventeen plates, candles lit… And fourteen students in chairs.
A pink-haired girl with a white outfit and a voice louder than a boombox looked towards the two with excitement.
"Ah, sweet! That's all sixteen of us!"
Yukari Tanida, Ultimate Rapper
(High-Speed Physical Action)
She sprinted over to the two newcomers.
"Yukari Tanida, nice to freakin' meetcha! What're your talents?"
Dai looked over, a bit panicked…
"Well, I'm a Prosecutor, and Sora's a Detective."
"Awesome! You two will be perfect for figuring this whole thing out!"
Another voice called over to her, from a green-haired, glasses-wearing boy. By contrast, he was quieter than a mouse.
"Yukari, you've got to calm down… They're just as confused as we were…"
Daisuke Takeba, Ultimate Game Developer
The Prosecutor was relieved at his statement… "Uh, thanks..."
"I-It's really nothing… Just glad everybody's here now."
To some extent, it is relieving… Still, we don't have answers on what's going on here.
"Has anybody eaten anything since we arrived? Drank anything, any kind of contact with materials around here? You can tell me in private if you absolutely must."
Dai turned towards the person speaking… Another man, dressed in a labcoat, along with a black and red facemask.
Eikin Kaiba, Ultimate Scientist
Sora was the first to answer this question. "I didn't myself. And from what I can see, there hasn't been anything that we could've used to get drugged."
"That's good. We should be safe, then… For the time being."
He continued looking around, writing things down on a clipboard.
I'm guessing he's just used to it… At least we've got some peace and quie-
"WOE IS US, WOE IS US!"
… Goddammit.
The man at the other end of the table had his hands raised in some sort of pose, wearing a black and white outfit, and some sort of theatre mask.
Hiroto Takeshi, Ultimate Actor
"Trapped in an abandoned mansion, nothing to feast upon, and no traces of our former families… Who will survive, who will perish!?"
"Yo, uh… Everything okay, man?" Daisuke asked the actor…
"..." Within the blink of an eye, he switched masks, swapping his current cheerful one for a more depressed-appearing face. "Of course not… I've just met my classmates, and the threat of us perishing already looms before us… Truly, Woe is Us…"
"N-No, that… We'll survive. I'm certain of it. Everything will be alright…"
"Of course it will!"
Another person spoke up, a woman, wearing a plaid outfit, and black, long hair.
Ari Yoshida, Ultimate Pianist
Well… Good to have a positive thinker among us.
She smiled, looking around. "I mean, even if we're stuck here… We're still Hope's Peak Students, right? Plus, if we got in, there's got to be a way out!"
The words eased Daisuke's tension… "R-Right… There must be."
Dai spoke up again. "Correct… We'll figure out how we got here, and who put us here, too."
She kept looking around, witnessing the other students… Two of them seemed to be playing some sort of board game. The first, a man with frizzled hair, and casual clothing… And the other, another man, with a heavy black coat, and a white beanie.
Hajime Narukami, Ultimate Therapist
Shinjiro Nakamura, Ultimate Chess Player
"Y'know, you're a lot better at this than I initially anticipated… You should enter a tournament sometime." the chess master told Hajime.
"I'm not certain… I personally see it as more of a relaxing experience, a test of wit. Thanks for the compliment, though."
Dai approached the two. "I did some research on the students of Class 81 before arriving… Therapist and Chess Player, correct?"
Shinjiro nodded. "Right. We've sorta just been passing the time here, more or less just waiting around for something to happen."
"What's happening?" Another voice spoke from a nearby seat… Another man, dressed in some sort of red vest, and a helmet.
Takeshi Degroot, Ultimate Demolitionist
"I'll tell ya for certain what's happening… Once we're all introduced, we're leaving! It's like Ari said, there's a way outta here, and we're findin' it!"
He sat up, looking at another doorway nearby.
"It's gotta be through there! We'll get goin' as soon as we can! Who's with me!?"
Dai stared at him… He had energy, she gave him that. Maybe a bit… Too much.
"Stay calm… Degroot, was it? We're still not certain who did this, and what they're capable of. We'll be fine just waiting here until we've got a plan."
"... Fine." He seemed disappointed at the response, weirdly.
Sora started looking around again, checking for anything of use…
"You said you were a detective, right?"
A woman was looking towards her… Dressed in a light-blue shirt, and dark black jeans.
Mikiko Benett, Ultimate Police Officer
"Yes," Sora replied, "I am. And you?"
"I'm a Police Officer in training… There's a lot of law students here, I'm glad we'll all have backup if anything goes awry." She smiles.
"Of course."
"So, that's two people who'll be effective in combat… And the others can probably take on other roles, too."
Another girl speaking… She was wearing tattered clothing. A black jacket, and blue sweatpants, along with a pair of sunglasses.
Haruka Shinozuka, Ultimate Apocalypse Survivalist
"Huh?" Sora looked over to her. She was filling out some sort of chart. "What are you doing?"
"Making a game plan, of course." Haruka looked away for a brief moment. "I mean, if things go to shit in this house, we're gonna need a plan, right? I'm just listing off who can do what."
"Well, that does make a lot of sense. I know basic medical skills, if that helps you."
"Good to know." She smiles a bit, jotting that factoid down.
"Well… You failed to account for something, dear."
The two looked over to the voice. A man, dressed in a black shirt and red pants… He seemed to have wild blonde hair, as well.
Aino Miyagi, Ultimate Mastermind
"And what's that?" She gave the mischievous man a glare… But he was unfazed.
"You're assuming all sixteen of us will be all buddy-buddy… But whoever brought us here clearly won't let that slide… Not to mention if someone here's got other plans."
"I'm already accounting for that… Don't worry, idiot."
"Fine, fine!" He chuckles to himself. "I'll leave all the legwork to you, then!
From the other side of the hall, Dai took a seat… This class certainly has some personality, she'll give them that. She breathed in and out… This was just too insane to be real. She looked to the person next to her… A woman in blue overalls, and safety goggles.
"You good, miss?"
Itsuki Higa, Ultimate Engineer
"Yeah…" Dai responded. "All fine. Yourself?"
"I'm well enough myself… Just glad to meet the team, y'know? It's a weird Introduction Ceremony, but we're all in this boat together, so we'd best make the most of it, y'know?"
.. The thought was reassuring to Dai. "Certainly, yeah. It's good to be a part of a team."
"Now that's the way to think of things!" Itsuki smiled.
The two girls heard footsteps coming from nearby… A boy, with dark brown, messy hair, a green t-shirt, and black pants… He looked pretty normal in comparison to everyone else.
Souta Sono, Ultimate Lucky Student
"Um… Hello, you both! You're Dai and Itsuki, correct?"
The engineer responded. "Yeah! And judging from your look, you're probably this year's Ultimate Lucky Student, right?"
He seemed a tad embarrassed at the statement. "W-Well, yes, that's me… I've heard a lot about the Ultimates in this class, some of their accomplishments, so… It feels so good to be here! Hopefully we all get along well!"
Dai looked towards him. "Well, as soon as we figure out what's going on here… We'll get to our studies. Hopefully this is just some sort of prank."
"That reminds me…" Another nearby student spoke up. She had short, purple hair, and she was wearing another green outfit. Goggles were around her neck.
Sayori Kalashikov, Ultimate Gunsmith
Souta turned to her. "Huh? What's up?"
Sayori looked around again, towards the monitor. "... We all heard that announcement, right? From that voice?"
"Sheesh, that creepy thing…" Dai shuddered just thinking about it.
Sayori spoke up again. "Whoever that is brought us here… Hopefully we won't have to deal with that creepy piece of crap."
"Hey! Watch it, young lady!" … The monitor came on again. "Do you even know who you're talking to?"
Everyone turned towards the monitor, hearing the voice again… Dai heard chatter from the crowd…
"Great, this freak again."
"Who is this guy?"
"So, he finally reveals himself…"
"Wh-Who called him what now?"
Dai faced the camera. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
… As soon as she said that, she heard what sounded like rumbling from the fireplace. The voice was now coming from there.
"Well, the answer to that is simple, Miss Prosecutor!"
(Monomono Monokuma)
Everyone turned to the fireplace… And from behind it, something jumped up. A black and white teddy bear. The left half, white, and with an open mouth. The left half, black, and with a red eye.
"I am Monokuma… The headmaster of Hope's Peak! Pleased to meetcha!"
(Mr. Monokuma's Lesson)
… This thing is our headmaster? Seriously?
"Ex-freakin'-cuse me, what's going on here!?" Yukari shouted out… This was too insane, even for her.
It had the same voice as the one on the cameras… The same carefree, sociopathic voice. Ignorant to everyone's pleas, everyone's worry… He smiled.
Eiken stared at Monokuma. "Looks like a teddy bear of some kind. From the looks of it, this person isn't interested in showing their face."
"Now, what are ya talking about, Mr. Scientist? This is my face!" He stood up more… "In any case… Good morning, students!"
Aino jokingly bowed. "Good morning, Mr. Headmaster Principal Counselor!"
"That's the behaviour I like to see! Upupupu!"
Dai stared at him again… No matter how she thought about it, there was no logical way to process this… thing.
"Alright, let's cut the chit-chat," Haruka asked, "what's going on here? This isn't Hope's Peak in the slightest."
Monokuma grinned. "Well, about that… All sixteen of ya are the shining hope of civilization, right? But that hope… It has to be preserved. So, for now, you'll be living your communal life inside of this here mansion! As for when it ends…"
"Well, it'll continue until the day ya die!"
(DSO DISTRUST)
… There was silence. No thoughts, no words… Just silence. It took a moment or two for everybody to process this… Until there were words, shouting.
"YA GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Takeshi shouted out. "The rest of our lives!? To hell with that, we aren't staying here forever!"
"No no no…" Daisuke began to panic. "Th-This… This isn't happening…!"
Aino was cackling to himself, Hajime trying to calm Daisuke down… And Sora was glaring towards Monokuma.
"This isn't real. I know folks like you, just keeping people here, it isn't all you're here for."
"Well, I'm glad you called attention to that!" Monokuma smiled again… "Well, there is a way out… I like to call it the "Class Trial" system!"
Everyone looked towards Monokuma. A way out, what is it?
"Essentially, if you want out, it's a simple, two-step plan! First, kill somebody!"
"... What?" Sora questioned.
"Easy, I know! Any method you'd like! Stabbing, Bashing, Strangling, Poisoning, Shoving! Everything's on the house!"
Souta tried to steady his breathing, hearing this news… "W-Well, ok… We'd never do that, but… Let's assume somebody does kill. What's… What's step two?"
"My favorite part, of course!" Monokuma did a small jig, clearly excited. "Well, you see, that's when the trials themselves happen! After a brief investigation period, you'll all go head-to-head in a trial, to find out who the "blackened" is! If you can get it correct, I'll execute the perp, and the rest of you will remain here! If you guess wrong, though… I'll trim the fat big time, and do you all in! Ahahaha!"
"Um…" Ari began to speak. "When you refer to execution, you mean… Killing someone, right?"
"You betcha, Miss Pianist! We've got a real abundant budget, so we've got all tons of ways to do ya in! I can say for certain I've got something real special planned for you, should ya take the plunge and get caught!"
"I… I'd never do that! I doubt anybody else would, too! Right?"
She looked around… All of the students were staring at each other. As much as they wanted to believe it… There was distrust in the air. They'd just met these people, their class… And they were being told to kill each other?
"Well, you don't have to…" Monokuma reasoned… "Just make yourself cozy here, and abandon the dirty outside world! Anyhow… I reckon that's all for now! Please enjoy your time at our Killing School Mansion!" He hummed a little jingle to himself, and jumped off the chimney, heading to parts unknown.
"Well, well… The stage is set, and the cards are on the table… I suppose I'll be leaving now. Who knows what could happen here..?" Aino walked out, heading to the main hall.
"I… I guess I'll get going too.. There's gotta be a way out… There's gotta be, there's gotta be..." Daisuke reminded himself, leaving the room as well. One by one, the students left the main hall… Sora and Dai were the only ones left.
"... Dai. We both know somebody's behind this, right? It's not just some teddy."
"W-Well… Of course not. There's somebody in charge, of course… And we need to find them."
Sora smiled. "Of course we do… Of course. C'mon, follow me. It'd be in our best interest to scout this place out. Maybe we'll find a couple hints, or documents."
Dai looked at her, feeling a tad more confident.
"Alright… Let's do that."
SURVIVING STUDENTS: 16
Note: (Howdy! I haven't written much fanfiction before, but creating a Danganronpa story seemed pretty fun to try out, so I'm giving it a whirl, seeing how it goes! If you're reading this, thanks for stopping by! I don't have a consistent posting schedule in mind, but I'll update whenever I can. Again, thanks for reading!)