M-Pod
Two days before Sting's body was discovered...
Sting
Ah...life is good, isn't it Monsieur Brahms?
We may not have our other friends with us but Mister Naegi promised he'd make Future Foundation return them to us if we graduated Hope's Peak without any more...incidents.
That's fine with me, I mean, Miss Junko killed herself and my old friends tore up her body. She's not here anymore and my other friends that actually had thoughts other than "Despair despair despair despair!" were all locked up like I was so...I don't really care about Despair all that much now. It's not fun without them. I just want my precious snakes back.
I haven't actually been able to move towards that goal since - ah, excuse me, they're called Hanako and Taro now - since Hanako and Taro kidnapped me and my classmates.
A bit of a bump in the road but hey, what can ya do?
At first, the Killing Game seemed fun but you know what? I actually like these guys. They're not exactly the biggest fans of my past but it's like that kid sings in that hit Disney Channel Original Movie in that one song: 'the past is past. Forgive, forget.'
I don't want them to die.
And I know I'm not the brightest tool in the shed anymore since I've spent about a year or two being a deranged serial killer so I probably won't be able to pull this off as quickly as I'd like to. I know some of them are going to bite the dust - let's just hope that I'll be able to keep that number as small as possible.
I've been spending a lot of time with Mister Shi Shi - nice guy by the way - and I think you'll agree, Monsieur Brahms, that there's a lot more to these people than their talents.
Of course, they're not as interesting as the other snakes Future Foundation took away from us, but I'd still like to get to know them.
Especially that girl, Blondie, hanging around Miss Bookbinder…
M-Pod
One day before Sting's body was discovered…
Today was an interesting day.
I hung out with Mister Shi Shi, annoyed Animal Corpse for a while, realized that Farm Boy was my long lost brother, saw Daddy Day Care, Femboy, and Mister Dragon work together to get into a vent, and I had stale ramen noodles covered in some kind of sauce for dinner!
A good day, I think, right Monsieur Brahms?
But seriously, I have no interest in whatever those three are doing. I have my own plan that only I, the Ultimate Snake Charmer, can pull off.
Mister Shi Shi thinks I'm unhinged - I mean, well, I am but that's not the point - but he promised not to say anything to anyone unless I turned up dead.
I just have to make sure no one sees me hiding in the Rec Room when time's up for us.
Honestly, I'm amazed they didn't think to make sure I didn't have anything hiding there…
If I succeed, guys, please don't go too crazy because of their motives. I don't want to rescue corpses.
M-Pod
Hours before Sting's body was discovered…
Okay...okay alright alright alright! Maybe I'm not in this alone.
Mister Dragon guy woke me and Shi Shi up and somehow he knew how I knew Blondie? I don't really get that part yet but I guess I killed her family during the whole Tragedy thing.
Oops.
Mister Dragon also has his own plan for escaping and he wants us to work together. I'm totally down!
Monsieur Brahms, doesn't he seem like a nice dude? Shiro's also such a nice guy - he promised not to say anything about Mister Dragon's plan either!
Mister Dragon said that whether or not we succeed, while the others are doing the whole trial thingamabob, Monokuma and his crew will get notified and the trial will be put on hold before any guilty party is decided.
I hope it works!
Rec Room
Minutes after Sting's body was discovered…
…
…
…
…
…
…
I didn't...make it…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Just kidding!
I'm alive and well. For now, anyway. I still have to make it out of here.
One, two, three...Miss Bookbinder, Blondie, and Lady Doctor…
I only have to wait another three minutes for the rest of the girls to come running into the room. They all gasp when they see me and start panicking, wondering how I possibly could've gotten in here. One of them reaches down to check my pulse - jeez their hand is cold.
"Kekeke...cold. Dead as a doornail."
Greyface. A kindred soul. She knows, she's just not saying anything.
I appreciate it!
"If he's...th-then where did Sora, Kasumi, and Juriya go?"
Hmm...Miss Faker, I think?
"Probably into M-Pod. The announcement said that they would open something in the Rec Room and there is a giant hole in the wall now…"
Roller Skater!
"They had to have gone in for a reason. As far as I know, those three were the only ones in A-Wing when the announcement went off - Yukiko too, obviously. We should join them."
Ooo, the actual Ultimate Comedian in the girl's group of rather large entertainment talents.
"Right...come on, guys, we can…investigate Sting later…"
The American! Pretty easy to tell that it's her - her Japanese is fine but the accent still has that American spice, y'know?
The girls all murmur more apologies to me, step aside my body, and head into M-Pod.
I wait a few more minutes just to be safe before I put my plan into action.
My arms still feel incredibly heavy but thanks to Monsieur Brahms and my other friends, there isn't a single poison out there that's fatally harmful to me. In fact, some of them even act as medicine to me now - that's how I'm going to remedy the other poison I took.
It takes me a second to reach into the pockets of my jumpsuit but I do manage to grab onto the vial I marked with a scratch.
…
…
…
…
Aaah, that's much better.
I stand up on shaky legs and stretch. "Alrighty then. Let's get outta here, Monsieur Brahms! We have to keep up our end of the bargain, remember?" I ask the snake around my neck.
…
"Exactly!" I agree.
A-Wing
As I walk into A-Wing, I have to wonder...I know I'm being watched. So why are they letting me do what I'm doing? To see what happens? I dunno. Or maybe they're distracted by Mister Dragon's 'death'.
A downright shame about that, by the way. I was aiming for all of us to make it out alive.
Oh well.
…
…
…
Ahahahaha! Just kidding. You were there, Monsieur Brahms, you know he's alive.
Back to the matter at hand.
What are Monokuma, Hanako, and Taro thinking? Are they really going to let me go?
I mean, the barbed wire will hurt for sure but hey, I like the pain. I wasn't a successful Remnant of Despair for nothing.
Anyways, why haven't they stopped me by using my collar to inject me with something or shocking me? That's what the whole purpose of hurting Miss Bookbinder was, right? To show us that they had the means and power to keep us in line?
Hmmmmmm…
Oh well.
Now, if I'm right, since M-Pod has the 2nd Wing...
1st Wing
...F-Pod should have the 1st Wing!
Perfect.
Now, let's see about that barbed wire that should be around the fence of the 1st Wing Yard…
Hanako and Taro exchange a look.
"Are we really going to let him go?" Taro asks.
Hanako shrugs. "I mean, I know I said I wasn't the biggest fan of his work but the boss explicitly said not to interfere and he hasn't responded to our initial report that Sting broke rule number six." she says. "He's probably busy with whatever happened in the 2nd Wing."
"True…" Taro agrees. "The collars are set to make the B.D.A. go off when they no longer detect a pulse." he recalls. "In Sting's case, the poison he ingested slowed his pulse down so that he looked dead to Sugawara and the others; the collar could still detect his pulse. Greyface could feel his pulse too when she went to check but..."
"...but she's Greyface." Hanako finishes. She sighs and shakes her head. "A shame these cameras don't rewind, we'll have to look at the footage later to find out exactly what happened in the 2nd Wing and what exactly Sting did in the Rec Room. God I just wish I could see who everyone is crowded around - look! The girls are there now too, we're not going to be able to see a thing."
An unknown amount of time later…
Golly, this cupboard is cramped. Maybe I should've waited to grab those. Sorry about that, Monsieur Brahms.
I lost track of time eight thousand one hundred eleven seconds ago but if I scouted out the place correctly, they should be bringing Mister Dragon's body into this room soon. It reminds me of that room Mister Naegi and his friends discovered during the game specially run by Lady Junko.
Bang!
The doors slam open and startle me for just a teensy weensy second but I manage to keep still and hold my breath.
This is it.
Through the gratings on the doors of the cupboard, I can kind of see what's going on.
Yes! Just like I thought - they're bringing Mister Dragon's body in here.
It's being pushed in on a stretcher by someone in robes like Hanako and Taro - maybe it is Hanako or Taro?
I don't get a chance to find out because that's all the figure does - they wheel Mister Dragon in, set the stretcher in place in the middle of the room, and leave.
I wait six hundred seconds just like Mister Dragon told me to and get to work, kicking the doors of the cupboard open and crawling out. I push myself up onto my feet and start snooping around the room
"Syringe, syringe, syringe…" I mutter to myself as I go through a number of drawers.
…
…
…
Aha! Look, Monsieur Brahms!
I pull out two vials - a round shaped one and a skinny one with sharp edges.
Mix these together...shake thoroughly...put the concoction in the syringe...there.
I turn on my heel and look at Mister Dragon's very nearly dead body.
"Welcome back to the world of the living, baby!" I cheer as I stab the syringe into Mister Dragon's neck.
…
…
…
Oh wait, that's right, I have to push the medicine in.
"Sting…"
I look up at the sound of Mister Dragon's hoarse voice. "It worked! A little slower than I thought it would but I guess you don't have the same immunities and stuff that I do-"
"Sting." Mister Dragon repeats, turning his head with a bit of difficulty and looking at me, unamused. "What am I wearing?"
"I found our clothes!"
"But these aren't my clothes."
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…
…
"Take your clothes off of me, Sting."
There. I'm me again.
I smile, pleased, as I check myself over in the reflection of one of the body coolers.
My dark green hair is still cut short and spiky - it hasn't gotten that much longer since we've been here. My faded red eyes stand out against my tan skin and my green hair - Shi Shi once said that I look like a walking Christmas ad! I haven't lost that much muscle since we started our prison diet but hey, I still look good - right Monsieur Brahms? I can even make this scar on my lip that I got from the asshole with the ring look good.
It feels good to be back in my own clothes. My open gold lined, black Arabian vest shows off all of the scars on my torso. Turning around, I can see the golden snake design on the back of my vest hasn't been ruined. My leg scars are hidden by purple harem pants and my trusty black sandals look as battered as ever. These bad boys got me through a lot of toughies. Before I turn around to put the rest of my stuff on, I recount my piercings to make sure they're all there…snake bite...helix...four...ten...fifteen…
Just kidding. I don't have that many.
I turn around and start grabbing the rest of my accessories off of the table. I pull my golden snake coil armband on and slip on my gold rings…
…
Tch.
I shake my head and turn around to see that Mister Dragon finished getting dressed t-
…
…
…
What a sight to behold, eh, Monsieur Brahms?
"Is this some kind of joke, Sting?" Mister Dragon asks.
I stare at him in shock. This is not at all what I was expecting. "What...what are you talking about?" I ask after I get over the shock of his appearance.
Mister Dragon hasn't changed physically, obviously; his slightly spiky, wavy jet black hair is still a bit matted from my blood and the mushed up food and his dead stormy gray eyes are as dead as ever (even though they're looking at me with a lot of annoyance). He's a bit paler because of the poison I gave him but he'll be back to his normal light color soon.
Oddly, Mister Dragon is wearing an open purple suit with a white dress shirt underneath and a purple necktie. He has purple dress pants on, black socks, and black dress shoes. A pair of black shades dangles from the pocket on his purple suit jacket.
I scratch my head, confused. "Uhm, that was in the box marked with your name." I say. "Kuro Kamiyama, right?" I ask, thinking back to his entry in my PDA.
Mister Dragon scowls and tosses his tie over his left shoulder. "Damn bear…" he mutters under his breath. He rolls his sleeves up, revealing a slim black watch on one of his arms. "I guess it doesn't matter." he says. "Did you find out if you could actually do it?"
I nod and smile proudly. "Of course. I knew I could do it." I say. "I can tame the Beast Monokumas."
Mister Dragon gives me the first genuine smile I've seen from him. "Good. Then let's get out of here and save our classmates."
"...and that was their whole plan." Toshiro finishes, looking at all nineteen of his remaining classmates.
Armen grits his teeth. "I don't understand. Kamiyama was dead. I examined him myself - I touched his brain." he says, angry and confused. "How could I have missed that…?"
"Ah," Toshiro blinks. "That's right. I forgot to mention - Ryu was counting on both you and Juriya eating the sad excuses for meals that we've been getting." he says. "Something about the lack of nutrients and your bodies trying to run on the little energy they've been getting. Those who haven't been eating aren't trying to run on fumes, they're running on nothing, blah blah blah." Toshiro says and waves his hand. "I don't get it, I'm not a sciencey boy."
Juriya frowns as she chews on her lip. "I suppose...there is that...and we both could have also been distracted with making sure Luan and Takeshi were okay." she says, clearly displeased with having been fooled but trying to reason it out.
"Oh!" Shun raises her hand. "Speaking of, who attacked Luan and Takeshi, then?" she asks.
Toshiro laughs awkwardly and smiles apologetically at the aforementioned boys. "That would be Sting," he says. "Being who he is, Sting knows how much force it would take to knock someone unconscious and kill them."
Takeshi and Luan look at each other, thinking. "Now that I think about it," Takeshi starts. "It's not that I'm in an excruciating amount of pain, I'm just...hungry." he says with a laugh.
Luan nods in agreement, Yukiko asleep in his arms. "Y-Yes...hungry." he says. "A headache, yes, but it is not...it is not bad." Luan says.
Yume clears her throat, waving Nemiko's notepad in the air. "Ahem," she clears her throat. "Nemiko wants to know why the ladder was destroyed and the air vent was left open. By all means, it looked like a real crime scene."
"Ryu put his Ultimate Spy skills to use during his five days here and pinpointed all of the cameras." Toshiro says. "He knew you guys needed something to investigate so he and Sting came up with the idea to have his 'murder' there." he explains. "Sora was on the right track with what Ryu had in mind - a murder fueled by rage."
My ideas widen as it all comes together in my head. "Ryu knew that that particular area was a blindspot and it got even harder to see when we all crowded around it." I realize. "Hanako and Taro would be busy trying to figure out what was going on there and they wouldn't notice Sting until it was too late."
Toshiro nods and claps. "Exactly!"
Kensuke raises his hand next, "What about the bruises and scratches on Ryu?" he asks.
"Sting." Toshiro answers simply. "They wanted it to be believable, of course."
Greyface pulls Toshiro's attention next. "Why Sting, I wonder." she says in a curious tone. "Ryu could've easily chosen someone more…" the serial killer grins. "sane."
Toshiro freezes and I see his eyes drift to Kasumi.
Ryu told him.
I glance back at Candace. She noticed too.
If Sting were to come back for whatever reason and everyone knew about his particular relationship to Kasumi, they could use that against her if he ended up dead.
Based on what he wrote in his notepad, Ryu thought something similar.
"Um…" Toshiro blinks.
"What an odd question." I speak up, looking at Greyface as if it were obvious. "Shiro already said it - Sting being who he is, he has a different set of skills and talents than the rest of us." I say.
Greyface hums as she turns to look at me. "Is that so, Sora?" she says, a crazy look in her dark eyes.
Creepy.
I shiver. "Yes. Obviously."
Greyface doesn't say anything else but smiles at me like she knows I'm hiding something.
Kaori narrows her eyes at the serial killer. "Stop being creepy." she says.
"I think we're all glossing over something very important." Kanna says, calling everyone's attention to her. "Sting and Ryu escaped this place successfully. If we can just stick it out and ignore Monokuma's motives, we can all leave this place alive!" she says.
Hitoshi shakes his head and crosses his arms. "I hate to disagree but if the motives are anything like what happened to Class 77-B in the Neo World Program, we won't have any choice." he says pessimistically.
Kensuke frowns, confused. "The 'Neo World Program', Toshi?" he asks.
Hitoshi scratches his head as he thinks. "I thought everyone read the reports." he says with a sigh. "It was after their second trial. Monokuma infected them with a sickness called the 'despair disease'." he explains. "It had different effects for each person. If we get something like that, we can't control what it does to our personalities - whether that means we're more likely to kill or more likely to be killed." Hitoshi says.
"B-But…" Valentin speaks up. "That was...inside a computer...si? How can he do that to us in the real world?" he wonders.
Masaki yawns. "Our collars, I'm guessing," he says. "Anyways, are we done here? Getting accused of murder is tiring and I'm cold." Masaki says and shivers right on cue.
"Speaking about being accused of murder," Kasumi says and looks between Masaki and Yosuke. "Are you two, like...good?" she asks.
Yosuke nods and smiles. "I am fine. It all worked out in the end, I bear none of you ill will."
Masaki yawns again, waving her off. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm still alive. I don't care." he says. "...Just don't make that mistake again. Goodnight." he says and exits the bathroom.
Masaki's departure makes everyone else slowly follow suit and trickle out until it's just Kasumi and I.
I narrow my eyes. "What?" I ask.
"So about our sleeping situation, I know we have our own rooms now, but-"
"No."
Chapter 1 - Live Like Spoiled Royalty (END)
Surviving Students
Sora Sugawara
Kasumi Yuan
Luan Delvina
Akifumi 'Armen' Yatagarasu
Kensuke Oishi
Hitoshi Kimidori
Toshiro Haruki
Candace Meyers-Opulence
Takeshi Yamamoto
Juriya Inaba
Yosuke Sakurai
Kanna Kawagiri
Shun Asuga
Masaki Takano
Greyface
Kaori Yoshino
Valentin Del Rio
Harumi Gen Cho
Yume Nii
Nemiko Tamatsuki
Escaped
Minato 'Sting' Sakamoto
Kuro 'Ryu' Kamiyama
7~7~7
A/N and with that we've reached the conclusion of chapter one. two people *did* go but not in the expected killer/victim way :catch:
thank you to Aquahaze675 and Other Senpai for Ryu and Sting respectively, we won't see them again for a while but they *will* come back.
i hope i answered all of your questions
if not i can make toshiro answer them in 2-1
it *almost* took me a year because we really began the story in january 2021, not when this was published, but it is done. completing danganronpa syocs is a doable thing even if i'm not that good at it LMAO. hopefully chapter 2 will be done in less time
after this i'll post an updated cast list with the addition of our would-be rescuers