{Hayato's Room}

*Ding Dong Bing Bong*

(Monokuma) Ahem! Attention, students of Hope's Peak Academy! It is now 7:00 am, meaning it's officially daytime. Gooooood morning! Now then, your headmaster has a special announcement: meet me in the gym immediately!

[Hayato] Alright. Time to start the day. I got out of bed and left my room.

{Dormitory Corridor}

[Hayato] I should check if Ichiro's awake yet. I went over to Ichiro's room and knocked on his door.

*Knock Knock Knock*

[Hayato] From the other side of the door, I heard some rustling and then...

*THUD*

(Ichiro) ...ow...

[Hayato] What's going on in there? After a few seconds, the door opened.

(Ichiro) Oh...Hi, Hayato.

(Hayato) Good morning, Ichiro! What was that noise?

(Ichiro) ... I fell out of bed...

(Hayato) Oh.

(Ichiro) I heard the announcement. Guess we have to go to the gym...

(Hayato) Yeah, let's go.

{Gymnasium}

[Hayato] As we reached the gym, we saw a few students had arrived before us. Nobuyuki was of to the right throwing a dodgeball at the wall and catching it as it bounced back. Mami was running laps around the room, though it was hard to tell it was her at first because she was just a blur. And, finally, Kyo was just standing around near the stage, looking as pompous as ever.

Talk to Ichiro

-Talk to Nobuyuki

Talk to Mami

Talk to Kyo

[Hayato] I walked up to Nobuyuki, who was still throwing a ball at the wall.

(Hayato) Hey, Nobuyuki.

(Nobuyuki) Oh, hey.

[Hayato] He then suddenly moved to the side and—

(Hayato) Ogh!

[Hayato] Something hit me really hard in the chest!

(Nobuyuki) Heh. Looks like you should work on your special awareness.

(Hayato) Spacial aware...what even hit me?

[Hayato] I looked down at the object that had hit me. It was the ball that Nobuyuki had been throwing against the wall.

(Nobuyuki) You'd be out of the game if this was a dodgeball match.

(Hayato) Anyway... Why do think Monokuma called us here today?

(Nobuyuki) If he really is our headmaster, he's probably just gonna give us our classes, right?

(Hayato) I hope that's all it is...

[Hayato] It's just going to be our classes for the year. That's all... I guess there's still time to talk to someone else. Some other students have shown up now. Noa's sitting in a corner, typing away on her laptop. Shichiro's standing near the stage, seemingly not busy. And Sayuri's bugging Kyo.

Talk to Ichiro

Talk to Mami

Talk to Kyo & Sayuri

-Talk to Noa

Talk to Shichiro

[Hayato] I walked up to Noa, who either didn't notice me, or did and ignored me.

(Hayato) Hey, Noa.

(Noa) ...

(Hayato) Noa?

(Noa) ...go away...

(Hayato) Still working on hacking the e-Handbook?

(Noa) Go. Away.

(Hayato) Why do you refuse to—

(Noa) Leave!

(Hayato) Alright, alright! Fine...

[Hayato] Well, that went less than good...Some others have entered the hall during that short talk. Masako is scaling some unstable-looking equipment off to the left of the room, Nanako is talking with Shichiro, and Kyo and Sayuri seem to have finished their talk.

Talk to Ichiro

Talk to Mami

Talk to Kyo

-Talk to Sayuri

Talk to Shichiro & Nanako

Talk to Masako

[Hayato] I wonder if I'll be able to talk to Sayuri about yesterday...

(Hayato) Not that this conversation hasn't been...fun...but I think I'll still pick a room near the back.

(Sayuri) ...yeah...I thought so... Everyone's gonna feel the same way...

[Hayato] ..? Why's she so somber all of a sudden..?

(Sayuri) Whelp! I've got stuff to see, people to do! See ya!

[Hayato] Before I could ask what was on her mind, Sayuri darted off, out of the dormitories. Was the somber attitude a fake, or did her usual upbeat personality slip for a second?

[Hayato] Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret starting this conversation?

(Hayato) Hello, Sayuri...

(Sayuri) If you don't want to talk to me, there are others around.

(Hayato) I know, but I want to ask you something about yesterday.

(Sayuri) Oo—

(Hayato) Don't! Even start with that.

(Sayuri) Ok, I'll take this seriously.

[Hayato] She hoists herself up onto the stage, and sits with her head resting on her hands, looking down at me.

(Hayato) You don't look like you're taking this seriously...

(Sayuri) I'm listening and I'm ready to answer. That's as good as you're gettin'.

[Hayato] Figures...

(Hayato) Anyway, after we met in the dormitory hall yesterday, and Ichiro and I decided to take rooms near the back, you seemed to get really upset out of nowhere.

(Sayuri) Who wouldn't be a little upset when someone said to their face that they wanted to be as far away from them as possible?

(Hayato) You make it sound far more harsh than it was, and that's not what I mean. You hung your head and got all somber, like it brought up some bad memories. What was that about?

(Sayuri) ...

(Hayato) Sayuri?

(Sayuri) Huh? Wha?

[Hayato] Now can't tell if she really just spaced out or if she's deliberately avoiding the question...

(Hayato) I asked you a question.

(Sayuri) I don't wanna talk about it.

(Hayato) But, if it's something that makes you sad, wouldn't talking with someone about be better?

(Sayuri) Not everyone's like you, Hayato. Some people just have things they can't talk about. Even if they want to...

(Hayato) What was that last part?

(Sayuri) Nothing. Imma go do somethin' over there. See ya!

[Hayato] Aaaaand she's gone. Why won't she talk to me about what!s troubling her? Monokuma still hasn't shown up, which I guess means there's still time to talk. Seems everyone's arrived now. Hanzou's just standing by the stage, Takuya's off to the side looking at his e-Handbook, Junpei & Kyouko are sitting and talking with Ichiro, Miku appears to be singing, and Yumiko is helping Mami convince Masako to get off the equipment

-Talk to Junpei, Ichiro, & Kyouko

Talk to Mami, Yumiko, & Masako

Talk to Kyo

Talk to Shichiro

Talk to Nanako

Talk to Hanzou

Talk to Takuya

[Hayato] I should probably check in with Ichiro.

(Hayato) Hey, guys.

(Kyouko) O-Oh! Hello.

(Junpei) What's up?

(Hayato) Looks like you're makin' friends, hey Ichiro?

(Ichiro) Y-Yeah, I guess. We just started talking about our passions and then just kept going.

(Hayato) You're passions, huh? Like drawing, knitting, and...uh...

(Kyouko) ...ninja...

(Hayato) Huh? Ninjas?

(Junpei) Yeah! She knows tonnes about ninja stuff.

(Hayato) I guess that makes sense. She is the Ultimate Ninja after all.

(Kyouko) N-not really... I'm..not really a ninja... I just...think they're really cool and learned about them. I don't think I could actually do anything they can. I'm more like the Ultimate Ninja Fanatic, really... I think they only called me the Ultimate Ninja because that's what people called me in Middle School.

(Ichiro) W-why'd they call you that?

(Kyouko) Because I was, bland, unnoticeable, and always blending into the background...

(Ichiro) Oh...

(Kyouko) They weren't really wrong, though... I got left behind in the grocery store a lot because how forgettable I was... But it was my fault for wandering off and getting lost in the first place...

(Junpei) That's not your fault at all!

(Ichiro) J-Junpei's right!

[Hayato] For a second, Kyouko seemed genuinely surprised by what they said, then smiled.

(Kyouko) Th-thank you...for saying that...

[Hayato] Kyouko seems happy that we talked to her, but I can't shake the feeling that there's more to her than what we know. Maybe I should talk to her when I get the chance...

(Hayato) Seems like everyone's here now... I wonder if that means—

(Monokuma's Voice) Attention! Attention! All students, please turn your gaze towards the stage at the end of the gymnasium.

[Hayato] As if to answer my unasked question, he cuts me off...

Everyone looks toward the stage and Monokuma soon jumps from behind a podium, landing in front of it

(Monokuma) Greetings, latest students of Hope's Peak Academy, and welcome—

(Kyo) Quit with the formalities, bear. Why are we here?

Monokuma tilts his head

(Monokuma) Why? Well, because K asked you t—

(Kyo) You know that's not what I mean! Why are we here, in Hope's Peak Academy, when all the doors and windows are blocked off?

(Hayato) Why? We're here at Hope's Peak because—

(Kyo) I know why WE wanted to be here. I'm asking why this BEAR wants us here.

(Masako) Uh, because he's the headmaster?

(Kyo) Are you seriously buying into that crap? There's no way in Hell that THING is our headmaster! I refuse to believe it!

(Monokuma) Well believe it! I'm the one and only headmaster if Hope's Peak Academy: Monokuma!

(Kyo) Even if you are our headmaster, that doesn't explain why all of the doors and windows are blocked.

(Monokuma) Don't worry, the reason for that will come just as soon as you stop interrupting me! Now then, your gracious headmasterhas brought you all here to announce that it's time for the next instalment of the Hope's Peak Killing Game: The Killing School Term!

[Hayato] Everyone's faces have gone pale...

(Nanako) Did he say...?

(Takuya) K-Killing...game...?

(Monokuma) That's right! The rules for the Killing game have been added to your e-Handbooks. Let's review them now.

[Hayato] We all opened up our e-Handbooks, and sure enough, the rules had been updated...

Rule 1

Students must remain on campus at all times

Rule 2

"Nighttime" is between 10 pm and 7 am. Some areas of the school be inaccessible during this time

Rule 3

Students must sleep within the dormitories. Sleeping anywhere else is strictly prohibited

Rule 4

Destruction of school property is strictly prohibited, unless it's necessary for a killing

Rule 5

Breaking into locked rooms will be treated as damaging school property, and punished accordingly

Rule 6

Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited

Rule 7

Once a student has committed a murder, they become "blackened"

Rule 8

Once three or more students discover a body, the body discovery announcement will play

Rule 9

A set amount of time after the body discovery announcement, a class trial will be held

Rule 10

If the spotless correctly identify the blackened, only the blackened will be punished

Rule 11

If the spotless identical the wrong person as the blackened, Everyone but the blackened will be punished, and the blackened will be allowed to graduate

Rule 12

New rules may be added at the headmaster's discretion

[Hayato] Everyone's faces were somehow even paler than before...

(Yumiko) Th-this is...

(Miku) This is crazy! There's no way we'd kill each other!

(Monokuma) Can you be sure of that? Do you really trust these people you've never met?

[Hayato] Everyone has the same expression on their face: doubt. No one trusted anyone. They all started keep a distance from each other. Some looked scared while others seemed ready to fight. The only thing they all shared was doubt. Doubt...and an undeniable sense of despair...

Prologue: The Legendary Academy

COMPLETE