Hello again everyone! You know, if this update tells you anything about me, it should tell you this: I have zero self control when I want to share something.

But I'm back again with the final nine introductions (that I wrote in like two days, wow...), but the prologue is still not done! We've got one more prologue chapter after this!

Also, real quick, thank you again to Sakura Idol for helping me create a realistic timeline for the entire Danganronpa series, it is going to be very useful. And for those of you curious, according to this timeline, this story is set in 2019 and the Tragedy began in 2009, when Class 78 was locked up. Fun!

As for FTEs, how those will be handled is still up in the air, so please let me know if you have a way you'd prefer I write them.

Last note: I made some mistakes last chapter, specifically with Hibiki. I completely forgot his accessories, so I went back and added those in. Sorry, DreamsterXx!

I think that's everything now...please enjoy meeting the rest of our lovely cast!

The walk to the courtyard was surprisingly peaceful in Maria's opinion, especially considering Akihito was with them, but she enjoyed talking to Sayuri about a variety of topics, going beyond their mutual enjoyment of ballet.

All conversation, however, stopped once they entered the courtyard. And that was simply because Maria had to stop, breathless.

The courtyard was beautiful. It was large, with two gardens full of stunning flowers creating an aisle to the center of the courtyard, which held a fantastic fountain. The blue sky stretched out above them, seemingly endless, and the walls of the actual castle they were in stretched high above them all. Just like all the other rooms she'd seen so far, there were cameras and TVs in the courtyard as well. There were also a lot of doors, though four of them seemed to be covered by the same thorns Hibiki had saved her from.

Two of the three remaining doors were double doors with no sign as to what they contained from the outside. The third, however, was a single door with a large sign above it declaring it the armory in…katakana, Maria was pretty sure.

There was also four other people she didn't recognize alongside Ren who she did know, all standing in close proximity to the fountain.

"Ah! Sayuri! Thanks for water for all of us, you didn't have to!" Ren smiled as he quickly hurried over and took the tray from Sayuri.

"No, it was my pleasure, Ren." Sayuri smiled. "I hope this is enough water…oh! Where did the others go?"

"Apparently, the five others we found did not understand that safety in numbers was preferable in this kind of situation." One of the boys Maria didn't recognize said, raising his head confidently as he spoke. His skin was a light shade of brown, with neatly combed light blonde hair and light green eyes. He wore a light brown vest, from which she caught a gold change hanging outside of a pocket, over a slightly lighter brown undershirt, light brown pants and light brown loafers. "But it appears you managed to find both Akihito and a new person."

"Aw, come on, Yoshi! Don't be such a stick in the mud!" Akihito grinned, even as he threw an arm over Maria's shoulders, jostling her and the tray she was still holding.

"Akihito-kun!" Maria scolded as she tried to stop herself from dropping the plate. Cleaning up all that glass would be a nightmare!

"Oh no! Maria!" Sayuri gasped in worry, her eyes widening as she stared at what was no doubt a disaster in the making.

Thank god for the boy that had spoken up before then, as he quickly grasped the other end of the tray, stopping Maria from dropping it.

"Honestly, where would you all be if I did not offer to be the leader? Tsk." The boy clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

"Th-thank you. Um, I'm Maria Kikumoto, the Ultimate Ballet Dancer." Maria stuttered as her body relaxed in relief. Unfortunately, that meant she was unintentionally leaning into Akihito's embrace. She decided to ignore this fact for now.

"A pleasure. I am the elected leader of our current group, Yoshi Iwada, the Ultimate Jeweler. You may refer to me as Yoshi, if you so please." The boy, Yoshi, nodded as he swept the tray from her grasp and set it on the side of the fountain.

Yoshi Iwada

Ultimate Jeweler

"Way to go, Yoshi-chan! And you got water too, yay!" A cool, yet surprisingly childish voice cried out, drawing Maria's attention to the boy who was kneeling on the side of the fountain, who was eagerly grabbing a glass to drink the offered water. He was pretty muscular, with darker skin, fluffy red hair and dark green eyes. He wore an unbuttoned white shirt, under which he wore a yellow shirt with a dolphin pattern, black pants, blue converse shoes and a shell necklace.

"It was nothing a leader should be unable to do." Yoshi sniffed. "It is my duty to make sure all of you stay safe. That includes physically, of course."

"Of course." Ren agreed easily from where he stood beside Sayuri. Just like with Maria earlier, he was leaning against her side casually. Sayuri, at least, didn't seem too perturbed by the touch.

"Were you the first one awake then, Yoshi?" Maria asked, curious.

"Ha! That was me!" Another person grinned. This person wasn't easily identifiable as a boy or girl, instead they reminded Maria of Dima. Perhaps they were nonbinary then? She'd have to ask to be sure.

In any case, the person had long black hair that reached to their midback with a slight curl in it, dark green eyes that were outlined with dark eyeliner and a dark reddish brown eyeshadow, light skin and a willowy frame, almost frail looking. They wore black slacks with ankle high boots that had a chunky heel, a white button down shirt and a dark red sweater vest over it, which almost looked too big for them.

"First thing this guy says to me when I find him is 'I shall be the leader and keep you safe!' Talk about big talk." The person grinned.

"I do not recall you being elected leader." Yoshi raised an eyebrow rather imperiously.

"Yeah! We did vote! Right, Chiasa-chan?" The boy on the fountain whirled towards the girl that Maria also didn't recognize.

"Yes, you did." The girl confirmed, blunt. However, she was standing further back from the rest of the group, as if she'd rather be anywhere else.

"That's cause the rest of you are such pushovers." The person rolled their eyes.

"But Yoshi's doing really good as leader so far." Sayuri reassured with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, Sayuri." Yoshi nodded.

"Aww, look at how sweet she is." Akihito grinned. Which reminded Maria that she was still in his arms. Quickly, she elbowed him in the stomach and pushed herself away from him. The track and field star only winked at her, causing the ballet dancer to quickly check herself over. He hadn't stolen anything from her…good.

"You truly are too kind, Sayuri. But I think that's what makes you a good person." Ren smiled down at the singer.

"I think that's a bit much…" Sayuri muttered, looking embarrassed.

"Okay, enough of that." The person rolled their eyes before they turned to Maria. "You. Pay attention because I'll only say this once. I'm Nat Kazakiri. Ultimate Historian. Got it? Great."

"Nat?" Maria repeated, surprised. "Oh, what are your pronouns, if you don't mind?"

"Yeah, Nat, short for Natsuko, which I hate. Don't use it. Ever. And my pronouns are they/them, I'm nonbinary, got it?" Nat narrowed their eyes as they leveled a look at the ballet dancer, who frantically nodded.

Natsuko Kazakiri

Ultimate Historian

"Got it, yep." Maria confirmed.

"Nat's not so bad once you spend time with them." Ren reassured.

"You've known me literally less than an hour." Nat scoffed, flipping their hair over their shoulder dramatically.

"But it's felt like a lifetime!" Ren gasped, playing into Nat's dramatics perfectly.

"Now, come on, don't tease, Ren." Sayuri scolded, even as she giggled.

"Honestly, all of you get distracted so easily." Yoshi sighed, brushing his hands against his clothes as if they were covered in dust.

"Then what should we be doing, Yoshi-chan?" The boy asked, turning his wide eyes towards the jeweler.

"Why, continuing introductions! We cannot be a proper class if we don't even know each other's names, Takemichi!" Yoshi explained to the boy.

"Ohhhhhh, I get it, Yoshi-chan!" The boy grinned before he turned towards Maria. "Hey there, Maria-chan! My name is Michi Goro! I am the Ultimate Marine Biologist! But please just call me Michi-chaaaaaaan!"

"Of course, um, Takemichi-chan…if that's what you'd like." Maria smiled uncertainly.

"Nuh uh, call me Michi-chan! Only Yoshi-chan refuses so far!" Take-she meant, Michi protested, his eyes becoming rather puppy like.

"Alright then, Michi-chan." Maria agreed, bending down so her eyes were level with Michi's, which…really wasn't too far of a bend. He was really tall, even sitting on the side of the fountain as he was.

"Yay!" Michi cheered, throwing his arms into the air happily.

Takemichi Goro

Ultimate Marine Biologist

Unfortunately, he forgot about the glass that was still in his hands and it went flying.

Before anyone could even so much as gasp in surprise, however, the glass was snatched out of the air easily.

"You should be more careful…Michi-chan." The girl said as she handed the glass back.

"Thanks, Chiasa-chan!" Michi grinned as he took the glass back eagerly.

As soon as the girl looked up, however, her eyes narrowed as she spotted Maria watching her.

"What?" She demanded, taking on a defensive position.

"Nothing! I was just wondering your name, is all…" Maria trailed off, feeling a bit awkward.

The girl had wild, messy, yet wavy, chestnut brown hair that fell to her midback and intense red eyes, and she was even shorter than Maria. She wore a black sweater over a long sleeved, white button up shirt, the cuffs and collar of which popped out and folded over the sweater with a red ribbon wrapped around the collar and tied into a bow. She also wore a black and red checkered skirt that fell to her thighs, dark colored pantyhose and sturdy, brown leather boots, as well as a bracelet that Maria really hoped wasn't made from actual animal teeth. Her entire outfit, however, was rather worn and fraying, with the exception of the red, hand knit cardigan with a drawstring hood, which was immaculate in its appearance.

Overall, the girl was really cute. Except for the fact that she had mostly been scowling this whole time and the closest she ever got to not looking scary was when she spoke to Michi just now.

"I'm Chiasa Oigamori, the Ultimate Huntress. That is all you need to know about me." The girl stated, firm and direct, her glare never leaving Maria.

"S-sure…" The ballet dancer nodded.

Chiasa Oigamori

Ultimate Huntress

"Don't feel too bad. I'm pretty sure she tried to break my rib when I introduced myself. You're already a step up!" Akihito grinned brightly.

"That's a low bar to clear, thank you very much." Maria rolled her eyes.

"Damn, you sure pissed her off!" Nat grinned, their eyes following the two of them as if they were watching a tennis match. "What'd you try to steal? Her heart?"

"As if he'd ever receive it!" Maria scoffed.

"Aw, there go my matchmaking plans. Maybe I should try looking for someone else for you, Maria." Ren mused.

"Don't start matchmaking without permission." Sayuri lightly scolded.

"Aw, Milady Sayuri, you know I can't say no to you." Ren fluttered his eyes at her before he kissed her knuckles like a prince did a princess.

Sayuri's cheeks flushed.

"Aww, you two are such good friends, Ren-chan, Sayuri-chan!" Michi practically squealed. "You look like a pod of dolphins swimming together in the ocean! And dolphins are the best!"

"Well, if you say so, then we have to believe it, Michi-chan." Akihito declared, patting Michi on the head as if he were a younger brother. The marine biologist cheered happily.

Maria, however, yanked on Akihito's ear and glared at him, until he sheepishly returned the shell necklace he swiped from the boy.

"I'm working on it, I promise!" The track and field star swore, raising his hands peacefully at Maria's glare.

"You are all so annoying." Chiasa bluntly told them all before she finally turned away from them and made her way over towards a wall and leant against it. Apparently, she was done interacting with them all.

"And quite off topic, at that!" Yoshi cut in. "We must find the rest of our classmates and organize a meeting so that we may discuss our current situation and determine the best course of action."

"Yoshi's right." Sayuri nodded, glancing around at them all. "We're missing a little over half of us here, yes?"

"Then what if we split up to find everyone and met back up here afterwards?" Ren suggested. "That alright with you, dear leader of ours?" His voice wasn't sarcastic in the least and he smiled quite kindly at Yoshi.

"That sounds like an excellent plan. We meet here in one hour, everyone understand?" Yoshi demanded as he eyed them all, getting various agreements from everyone, even Chiasa, though she just grunted in response. "Excellent! Then let us be off!"

With that, the jeweler made his way back into the school, Michi, Sayuri, Ren and Nat, surprisingly, on his heels. Chiasa, unsurprisingly, was still leaning against the wall and had no intention of moving from the looks of it.

So that just left Maria and Akihito. Alone.

"So what do you say we-" Akihito started to ask before Maria pushed his to turn away from her and towards the doors on the left, one set of double doors and the armory.

"You check that room, I'll check this room behind me. Good? Good." Maria declared. With that settled, she whirled around and made her way past the doors before the track and field star could stop her.

Honestly, she could only take so much!

With a deep breath to calm herself, the ballet dancer looked around the room she had entered and gasped for the probably tenth time since she'd woken up here.

The room she stood in looked like an art gallery, with beautiful tile floor, velvet rope blocking off the artwork and gold colored plaques. As with the other rooms, there were cameras and TVs in this room as well.

But what stood out the most was the artwork: it was blank.

Every beautiful gold frame, and she counted nineteen of them, was simply empty, with nothing, but white to fill them. The plaques, from what Maria could see, didn't give any hints to what each painting should be either, considering every plaque had just a symbol rather than a name to identify the paintings.

Deciding to ignore this strangeness for now, she focused on the people she found within the gallery itself, three people she didn't recognize. Two of them were a pair of girls, who were sitting on a bench in front of the paintings, looking lost in their own world. The third, a boy, however, was standing in the shadows further down the gallery, with his arms crossed and his eyes darting around frantically, as if he were noting every little thing about the room.

Maria tried to make sure her approach was slow, but noticeable, not wanting to startle the paranoid looking boy.

The boy had sandy blonde hair, which fell in front of his right eye and stood out against his plush white skin, and large brown eyes. He wore a tight, short sleeved white button up shirt, a dark blue tie which had vibration symbols along the bottom, long beige pants, black dress shoes, a black belt and a white hair clip.

"Um…hi there." Maria called out, thinking it was better to draw the boy's attention instead of surprising him unintentionally. The boy stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"What do you want?" He demanded bluntly.

"W-well…my name is Maria Kikumoto. I-I'm the Ultimate Ballet Dancer." Maria smiled hesitantly. The boy said nothing, simply staring down at her with a single arched eyebrow. "U-um…what's your name?"

"Ugh…if I have to." The boy rolled his eyes, looking as if he'd rather do anything else. "I'm Irusu Shoganai. I was admitted as the Ultimate Acoustic Engineer."

Irusu Shoganai

Ultimate Acoustic Engineer

"…heh, I doubt you know what that is. Well, don't worry…you'll have all the time to look up what it means when we get out of here." Irusu smirked derisively, his fingers running through his hair as he spoke.

That reaction sparked anger in Maria, admittedly.

"Why don't you just tell me now? I might even understand it if you explain." She raised her own eyebrow, placing a hand on her hip.

"Hmph, didn't your mother teach you not to pry on other people's history? Just worry about yourself from now on…hmph…" Irusu scoffed, a fist clenched at his side.

"See, that's not what I do, sorry." Maria smiled sweetly, though she meant it in an entirely condescending way. "Yoshi asked me to gather everyone up for a group meeting, which is why I'm here."

"Good, you've informed me. Now leave." Irusu glared at her. Then the acoustic engineer turned his head away from her, utterly dismissing her.

Ohhhh, he was infuriating. Probably just as much as Akihito, but in a completely different way.

Fed up with Irusu, Maria threw her hands up in the air and approached the two remaining girls.

"Ooh, good try, Player 1! You almost had it before he KO'd you! So sorry, better luck next time!" One of the girls peppily said as soon as Maria was close.

"Um, I'm sorry?" Maria asked, thrown for a loop.

"She means sorry he shut you down. I…think…" The other girl offered hesitantly, glancing at the first girl in her hesitance.

"Bingo, Player Tori! That was the correct answer!" The first girl grinned, throwing an arm carelessly over the second girl's shoulder, surprising her.

Maria couldn't help, but giggle at the girl's antics as she observed her.

The girl was small, with tanned skin and rather androgynous in appearance with pale pink hair that fell to the nape of her neck and curled slightly at the ends, with the left bangs completely covering her left eye. Of the remaining eye Maria could see, she figured the girl's eyes were both light blue. She wore a half black in the back and half blue in the front turtleneck jacket that was much too large for her, considering it fell down to her knees and basically worked as a dress and white sneakers with blue laces.

"You two seem quite close." The ballet dancer commented lightly.

"N-no…she was just one of the first people I met here." The second girl shook her head.

This girl was different from the first girl, with very pale, almost translucent, skin, platinum blonde hair, which fell down to her knees in a thick braid, and light purple eyes. She wore a light purple blouse, an ankle length skirt, black slip-on flats, a gold sun necklace around her neck and a thick, brown leather wrist band around her right wrist.

"Aww, no need to be shy, Tori!" The first girl pouted. "With my games, you'll have a bunch of friends in no time, I just know it! Besides, you're so fun with games like these!" The second girl blushed in embarrassment, glancing down at the cards the two had apparently been playing with before Maria arrived.

"I'm Maria Kikumoto, by the way. Ultimate Ballet Dancer. How about you two?" The ballet dancer smiled.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, HEY! I'm Ari-Arisu Takara! The Ultimate Game Host! You like games right? Let's play together sometime!" The first girl eagerly jumped up and took Maria's hand to shake it just as eagerly.

Arisu Takara

Ultimate Game Host

"It's nice to meet you, Alice." Maria smiled.

"No, no, my name isn't Alice! It's Arisu, just call me Ari!" Ari corrected, a bright smile still on her face. "You're not Japanese, right? I get called Alice all the time by foreigners, so don't feel bad!"

"O-oh, sorry Ari…" Maria trailed off, feeling her cheeks flush. Geez, way to make a dumb mistake. Clearing her throat, she focused on the still unnamed girl. "What about you?"

"My name is Tori Keji. I'm…the Ultimate Painter." The girl quietly introduced herself, tugging on a lock of hair near her left ear as she did so.

Tori Keji

Ultimate Painter

"Oh, I see! Then this room must be perfect for you then!" Maria smiled, but Tori only shook her head.

"No…the signs say I can't paint in the frames." She frowned, seemingly perturbed by this aspect, which Maria completely understood.

"Then…why are they here?" The ballet dancer asked, confused.

"And that is the heart of this mystery, Player Maria!" Ari announced dramatically before her expression fell. "Sadly, we haven't found anything yet to explain it."

"Hopefully, we'll be leaving soon anyway…" Tori mumbled, looking down at her lap, almost scared.

"Don't worry, Tori! I'm sure we'll be just fine! Right, Maria?" Ari turned to her with bright eyes.

"Y-yeah…it'll be alright." Maria tried to return the smile sent her way, even if she didn't really know the answer to that question.

"Come on, Tori! Let's go join everyone and set up a game! I'm sure Yoshi won't complain if we play during the meeting as long as everyone follows the rules!" The game host declared, pulling on the painter's hand to drag her away from the gallery.

"We ended up here because he grew tired of you trying to start a game…" Tori pointed out, her voice quiet, yet with an undercurrent of content.

"That's why we have to try again, Tori! Never give up!" Ari cheered as the two left the gallery behind, intent on hunting down Yoshi.

…Maria almost felt bad, but the jeweler had basically invited this when he told them to gather their missing classmates.

With nothing else to do in the gallery and seeing no reason to try talking to Irusu again, Maria made her way back to the courtyard and, from there, to the double doors on the other side of the courtyard, considering nobody else was in the courtyard itself.

When she opened the doors, she took back everything she had thought about the rest of the castle. This. This was the most stunning room in the entire castle.

Because she found herself standing in an absolutely beautiful ballroom.

The floors were hard wood and polished to a shine, the walls were decorated with beautiful red curtains, and the ceiling was so very high, with a diamond chandelier giving light to the ballroom itself. She also saw a throne further in the room, elegant in its traditional style of mostly gold with red cushions for whoever sat on it. There was also a small stage off to the side that was clearly meant for some kind of band to play music, though it was replaced by a table with a radio on it instead, with speakers placed around the room so all could hear the music.

It was so stunning in its beauty that she almost didn't notice the cameras. God, she wanted to dance in here, even just once.

It was then, however, that she finally noticed another girl in the ballroom, freaking out. Of course, because just her luck, that was the exact moment the girl noticed her as well.

Instantly, the girl, who had previously been bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly, froze.

"A-ahhh!" the girl let out a surprised shriek before quickly covering her mouth with both hands. "F-forgive me, I was a little startled by your arrival. I didn't mean to offend you…!"

"No, no, I'm not offended. I was honestly in awe myself, is all." Maria smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck as she observed the girl.

The girl was delicate in appearance, though she was also taller than Maria herself, and she wore her wispy, auburn amber hair in two low pigtails with pretty silver bands, with a few strands escaping, giving her a messy appearance. Her eyes were wide and doe like, and silvery, light gray in color. She wore a soft crimson, sleeveless tunic that fell down to her hips, which was secured with a lighter red bow and decorated with small gold patterns, under which she wore ash gray leggings, simple silver strap sandals, a long, black hooded cloak, a small gray choker with an amber stone, silver circular anklets that snaked up her calves, jeweled, jangly, thick bangles around her wrists, a jeweled brooch that reminded Maria of a phoenix, small dangly silver flame earrings, and a beautifully embroidered red headscarf, which had gold tassels dangling from the ends where it was neatly tied behind her head.

"Are you alright, actually?" Maria questioned, a bit concerned considering the girl had screamed.

"O-Oh, I'm fine, thanks, just a little…lost right now." The girl admitted, her eyes darting to the side quickly as she spoke. Following her gaze, Maria was surprised to find a boy she previously hadn't seen. And Akihito wasn't here either… "Isn't…isn't it beautiful here? From what I've seen, it's like a setting straight from a fairy tale…"

"It is, though I wonder how we even got here." Maria admitted, before shaking her head and smiling at the girl. "Oh, before I forget! I'm Maria Kikumoto, the Ultimate Ballet Dancer. What's your name?"

"…o-oh, my name? You want to know? I…my name is Chia. Chia…Amachi. Hope's Peak recruited me as the Ultimate Fire Dancer. I-it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Maria…and with a fellow dancer, no less…!" The girl smiled shyly.

Chia Amachi

Ultimate Fire Dancer

"Thank you, the same is true for me. I'd love to see your style of dance sometime!" Maria smiled brightly.

"O-of course!" Chia returned her smile with one of her own. "I-I am sure neither of us are a match for the other!"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it." Maria chuckled. "It'll be fun, especially if we get to dance here."

"T-that would be lovely! This room is perfect to dance in, after all!" The fire dancer agreed.

"It really is." The ballet dancer agreed, her eyes darting over to the boy who still stood on his own, just watching the two of them. "Say, Chia, did you meet Yoshi yet?"

"Y-yes, I thought he'd…he'd make a good leader." Chia nodded, looking a bit unsure, as if she were preparing to be kowtowed.

"That makes this a bit easier than. He wants to host a meeting, do you think you could try and find him?" Maria asked. "I'll be right behind you, I just need to talk to this guy."

"O-oh, Robin? Y-yes that's fine. I'll see you both later." The fire dancer smiled, turning to wave at the boy for a moment before she left the ballroom with one last longing glance.

Once Chia was gone, Maria made her way over to the boy.

The boy was rather slender, with a pale complexion, fluffy blonde streaked with white hair and hazy lilac blue eyes. He wore a navy cotton shirt with short sleeves, which was half tucked into light gray jeans, a black leather jacket, which had an emblem that looked like ice on the pockets, light blue and white lace up sneakers, a gray watch, a bracelet with crystal beads that looked like ice crystals, a lighter blue scarf with a navy blue and white star pattern around his neck, a snowflake shaped pendent that hung under the scarf to rest against his chest, dark gray gloves over his fingers, a silver robin shaped earring and a gray canvas backpack on his back.

"Hi. May I ask your name? I'm Maria Kikumoto, the Ultimate Ballet Dancer." Maria smiled kindly at him.

"Oh, right, my name. It's Robin…Robin Yukimura. I'm the Ultimate Glaciologist." The boy said, before trailing off awkwardly. "Um…I don't really know what else to say…sorry."

Robin Yukimura

Ultimate Glaciologist

"That's alright. I don't always know what to say either." Maria admitted, thinking back to how she left her sister and wincing imperceptibly. "Were you hiding in here when Chia and I came in?"

"…yeah. Yoshi was…overwhelming…" Robin admitted, glancing off to the side.

"I can see why you'd think that." The ballet dancer admitted. "But I do think he's got the right idea, at least. If we're all stuck here, then we should see what information we've gathered so far. If it makes you feel any better, I think Chia and I would be glad to act as a buffer. Sayuri and Fuwari definitely would too, actually."

"I…I guess that makes sense." Robin hesitantly nodded before falling into step with Maria, who smiled at him as kindly as she could.

"By the way, since you're a glaciologist, does that mean you study glaciers?" The ballet dancer asked curiously.

"Y-yeah. I even went to Antarctica to study the glaciers up close with a research team." The glaciologist confirmed with a small, genuine smile as they made their way out of the ballroom. "I like winter more than any other time of the year. Everyone says that it's too cold, but I…don't really get it? The chills in the air always make me feel so…calm."

"I understand that. I grew up in Russia, so we get a lot of snow too." Maria smiled. "And the Nutcracker is one of our most well known ballets, and it's set during winter."

In the corner of her eye, Maria just barely noticed Akihito exiting the armory, his eyes looking the slightest bit worried and not at all like the mischievous thief she'd encountered earlier.

Robin opened his mouth to say something else even with her attention divided, when a bell suddenly went off, drawing the attention of all three Ultimates to a nearby TV screen.

The previously black screen was now filled with static.

"Ahem…testing! Testing! Now then, here ye, here ye! Your king has an announcement to make!" A distorted voice announced. "It is now time for the welcoming ball for all new students! The palace servants shall show you all to your rooms and help prepare you for the ball. This is a formal event and I expect everyone to be dressed appropriately and arrive in a timely manner! Puhuhuhu! See you all soon, my dear subjects!"

Dread poured down Maria's spine and she turned to ask Robin if he had seen and heard the same thing she had (if he felt the same dread she had, if the memories of all those years ago were making his spine tingle just as hers was), when all of a sudden, two pairs of hands grasped her arms and pulled.

"Hey! Let me go!" Maria shouted, glaring up at the people holding her.

They were dressed as traditional servants, wearing white button up shirts, black slacks, black dress shoes and black bow ties. Everything about them was identical. Including the full face masks that simply left them as blank white faces.

Unease crawled down Maria's spine, but their grip was so strong that she could do nothing but follow.

Follow…and pray that this was nothing more than a harmless dance.

And there we go, that is everyone, folks!

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, that first scene especially was hard to write, making sure every character had an important and present part in the conversation without sounding repetitive or repeating something someone else said. Never mind making sure their personalities were kept straight.

I did my best to make sure everyone was in character, please let me know if I succeeded? Especially with Monokuma's little cameo at the end!

Okay, so the next chapter! Please don't expect it to be posted as quickly as the other ones, because now I actually have to start planning stuff. Meaning I need to consult my murder mystery expert for at least chapter 1, if not the rest of the story. And figure out how to handle all eighteen of these characters in a single scene without anyone being overshadowed.

Oh boy, this is going to be difficult, but hopefully I can get it posted before I need to buckle down on real life stuff? We'll see.

Leave a review to let me know what you think of our new characters and all the possible character interactions! Who are you most looking forward to seeing interacting at the ball? And remember, I'm still debating on FTEs!

I'll see you all when I get a chance. Bye!