CHAPTER 1, ACT 1
(Beautiful Dead)
The hall Dai had stepped into was large, grandiose… The carpets were crimson red, Hope's Peak's logo etched into it. On the left and right sides of the hall were doors, leading off to other parts of the mansion. Dai and Sora had just come from the left. At the back of the main hall was a flight of stairs, several doors leading from there, all with pictures above them. And at the front…
"Eugh! How do you get this freakin' thing open!?"
Takeshi kept rattling on a grand door, to no avail. Mikiko was watching, and began to approach.
"They taught us how to pick locks back in training, let me have a try."
"Got it, miss!"
She began working at it with a couple spare tools she had on her. Despite her best efforts, the door remained locked.
"... There's not much I can do from here. Really seems like we're locked in."
Sora looked towards the two. "Any windows? Other doors that lead outside, even if they're locked, too?"
"The windows are covered with metal, so that won't be much use to us. I did notice some doors, though… A few locked, and a few unlocked. I think everybody else is looking around for exits, too."
"Got it."
Sora heard a voice nearby, Souta shouting out to her.
"Hey, uh, you might wanna come see this, guys!"
Dai, Mikiko and Takeshi rushed over. There was a plaque on the wall, with Monokuma's face drawn onto it. And on the plaque was a list.
"1. Students may only reside within the mansion. Leaving is considered an unacceptable use of time."
"2. Nighttime is between 10 PM and 7 AM. Some areas are off-limits at night, so be careful!"
"3. Sleeping anywhere other than your dorms is considered sleeping in class, and will be punished accordingly."
"4. With minimal restrictions, you may explore the mansion freely."
"5. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma and destruction of security cameras is considered a rule violation."
"6. Anyone who kills a fellow student will become the "Blackened".
"7. Once a body is discovered by 3 or more people, an investigation period will begin. Upon its completion, a Class Trial will be held. Participation is mandatory for all students."
"8. If the Blackened is exposed during the trial, they alone will be executed."
"9. If the Blackened is not exposed, they will earn the right to graduate, with all other students taking the execution in their place."
"10. More rules will be added as needed."
"Well…" Dai commented. "At least there's some sense of order to this madness. Though, in a perfect world, we won't need to use rules six to nine."
"Still, this is just insane…" The Lucky Student began muttering to himself. "He's dead serious… Sh-Shit…"
Takeshi patted him on the back. "Calm down, mate! There's barely any chance of someone going for a kill! All we need to do is find the materials to bust a door down, and run for it!"
"Right, we… We'll be ok…!"
Without much else to do, Dai approached the second floor, stepping up the stairs, and getting a better look at the doors. Sixteen in total, and all with a pixelated sprite of the students. Their dorms, from the looks of it.
Stepping inside her own… It seemed pretty empty. An old wooden bed, a dresser, some shelves… And a box.
… What's all this, then?
Releasing the lock and clicking it open… It was a hammer, with a spike at the end. Dai picked it up, feeling out the weight. It was impractical for any normal work, but for defending herself, or… Attacking someone… It-
"You found my little present!"
H-HOW THE HELL DID HE GET HERE!?
(Mr. Monokuma's Lesson)
Dai turned around, Monokuma was inside of her room…!
"Wh-What is it-!?"
"Well… It's your own personalized weapon! I figured a weaponized hammer would be good for a student of law to wield!"
… She stared at it, and back to him. At it, and back to him. He just… Gave her a weapon.
The monochrome bear laughed to himself. "I even gave some to your friends, too! A couple of your pals got poison, knives… Pretty sure I gave someone a brick, too! Wether you use 'em to defend yourself, or bash in somebody's head, it's your c-"
"Shut up."
Dai glared at Monokuma. If looks could kill, then odds are, he'd probably be the first victim.
"What part of you thinks we're actually gonna play along with this game of yours? Look around you, look at everyone. I can't see anyone taking a life… Not with the potential of breaking out already in motion."
He responded by simply staring at her, smiling…
"We'll see how cocky you are when there's a body at your door, Miss Prosecutor."
(Despair Syndrome)
As soon as he said that, he left the room, leaving behind a lingering fear, a lingering dread… A lingering despair.
… He's just messing with us, right? It's some kind of dream, or a prank that's being pulled by the staff. This is fine… Everything is fine. Everything is fine, everything is fine, everything is fine, ever-
Ding dong, Bing bong!
All of a sudden, the monitor came on. Monokuma was on it, smiling with a bottle of some sort of juice, and nearby a massive pile of what seemed to be monitors.
"Attention, Ultimate Students! It is now 10 PM! Soon, the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry from that point onwards is strictly prohibited. Sweet dreams, everyone!"
*click*
"Ten PM… Time passed by that fast?"
Dai could hear footsteps and chatter from outside. Everyone was heading into their rooms, from the sounds of things. Dai laid back in bed, unnerved.
… Please tell me these doors have locks.
She jumped out of bed, triple-checking her door… Yep, they've got them. Nobody should be able to break into anyone's room, which is relieving. The looming dread was still hanging in the air, however. For a solid minute, Dai stood still, processing the situation. She could count on Sora, and all of the other students, of course… But they'd all been given weapons. And not to mention the outside world…
Mom, Dad… I just… I-I can't think about that now.
If she did… It might mean she'd do something irrational. She couldn't afford that, Not now. For the time being… All she could do was rest.
Stepping towards the bed, and taking one last look at the hammer she'd been given, reality began to sink in. Within a single day, everything changed. This wasn't some school of hope, a place to grow into society's finest… Within a day, it became a school of despair. All she could do at this point, was pray that nobody fell victim to despair.
Everything will be fine. Tomorrow is another day.
That was her last thought before falling asleep.
SURVIVING STUDENTS: 16
Note: (Well, that's our first act complete, two chapters in total! This was a little easier to make than the previous chapter, though not by much. I don't know how exactly I'll structure "chapters", some will likely be a bit longer than others. If I'm being perfectly honest, making this thing daunting as hell, but I'd still say it's worth it, just to make this story happen. Once again, thanks for reading! Catch you in Free Time!)