Prologue: Helplessness Blues (Part 5)
"Junichi, you're getting smoked!" Touki said as Junichi suffered a fifth loss against Rinne while playing his favorite fighter in the game, a taekwondo master.
"You think I don't see that?!" Junichi shot back. "Her power game is too good!"
"Believe in the power game, Junichi." Rinne countered.
"You're playing as a bear!" Junichi shouted.
"Power game," Rinne said simply.
"Give me the controller, bro. This is getting sad to watch." Touki said, Junichi grumbling and handing the controller over to Touki.
"Fine, you get your ass kicked for a while, and see how it feels."
"Ah, another human is joining us," Surumi commented as Junichi turned his head toward the door, seeing a tall, lanky young man with very long brown hair, reaching down to his lower back and thick goatee with hazel eyes. He had a black skullcap on top of his head, a long-sleeve black shirt with a t-shirt on top of that with GOJIRA written on the front and dark black pants with chains hanging off each side, leather spiked armbands finishing off the street punk look.
"Yo. You guys playing video games n' shit?" he asked.
"Yeah, we're playing Fatal Arena," Junichi said.
"Hell yeah. I call next round." the young man said, jumping onto the large couch. "Name's Yuuto. Yuuto Hagiwara."
"Oh yeah, I think I got you on my cheat sheet," Touki said. "You're a drummer, right?"
Yuuto Hagiwara: Ultimate Drummer
"Yeah, I play for Dark Coffin. We're black-thrash, so we just make a lot of loud noise." Yuuto said. "I joined the band when I was 11, they thought I was joking but I meant every word. Our first album came out when I was 13 and it got a million plays, it was crazy."
"Oh cool. I'm Junichi Ando." Junichi said.
"...Whatcha say your name was? Junpei?" Yuuto asked
"I said Junichi, dude," Junichi replied.
"Junko?" Yuuto asked again.
"Junichi! Clean your ears, man." Junichi complained.
"Ah damn, sorry dude. You're on my bad ear." Yuuto said, turning his head so his left ear was facing Junichi. "You play as loud as we do in Dark Coffin, and you fuck your ears up. One my ears is worse than the other, so I put a hearing aid in my semi-good ear so I can still hear people," he explained, pulling up part of his skullcap to show Junichi the hearing aid sticking from his left ear.
"Couldn't you have hearing aids in both ears instead of just one?" Junichi asked.
"I'm fuckin' broke, dude. It took months to get just one. I lived off microwave burritos for a year before our first album, there's no way I'm getting two hearing aids on my budget."
"But you're in a huge band!" Junichi pointed out.
"A Blackened-Thrash metal band doesn't make the big bucks. Especially because the record label took a huge chunk of money for 'publicity' costs. I lived in a van while we were on tour." Yuuto explained.
"...Are you sure you're an Ultimate?" Touki asked.
"Did you see that video of that mascot doing blast beats at that little amusement park mascot band?" Yuuto said. "That was me. I think the headmaster gets bored and looks up funny videos on the internet and that's how he found me," he explained as Touki quickly turned back to the TV screen.
"No no no no! I meant to pause! What are you doing!?"
"You hafta hold the pause button for the game to pause. Now you're being beaten on by a big wrestling guy, that's your fault, Touki." Rinne said, her character powerbombing Touki's repeatedly.
"Aw, come on! You cheated!" Touki objected
"Not my fault you don't know how to pause," Rinne said with a smirk. Yuuto reached over and yanked the controller from Touki.
"Gimmie that. Let me show you how you whoop some ass." Yuuto said as he looked through the character roster, and picking a ninja character.
"What makes you think you're gonna do any better?" Touki asked.
"First of all, I know how to block. Second of all, I ain't no scrub." Yuuto said, sticking his tongue out at him.
"Do you guys want to take turns getting your ass kicked? Very well! Bring it, nerds." Rinne said with a smirk as she picked the giant robot character in response.
"I think I'm going to go meet some other people, so I guess I'm done getting beat up by Rinne at video games," Junichi said, getting up from the couch and exploring who else was in the lounge.
"I believe you've missed a few people exiting into the dining hall while you were playing video games. But, I've found out that you can check up on profiles with the handbook the servants gave us." A voice explained, Junichi turning to the source of the voice.
"Huh? Who said that?" he asked, seeing a young man with dark green, curly hair dressed in a simple blue suit with white trimming and a black cap, his dark blue eyes giving a quick scan of Junichi.
"Junichi Ando, the Ultimate Lucky Student, correct?"
"Y-yeah, how'd you know that?" Junichi asked.
"Your profile is in the handbook." the young man said, pulling out his handbook and showing Junichi his own profile.
"...Oh," Junichi said, thoroughly embarrassed.
"I'm certain you can see who I am if you check -your- handbook as well. It's advised you get well versed with the information you're presented," he suggested, Junichi pulling out his handbook. He looked through the names, seeing that each name had a picture of the student next to it. He checked each picture until he found one that matched the suited man with the perm, finally finding him.
Koba Tsujishi: Ultimate Detective
"Oh, you're a detective?" Junichi asked. "Koba… Tsujishi, yeah?"
"Correct. It's nice to meet you., Junichi." Koba said, putting his hands into the front pockets of his suit jacket. "I assume you're a victim of a serial kidnapping, correct?"
"Cereal…?" Junichi asked. "Koba, I don't think someone would bother kidnapping my cereal," Junichi said, confused.
"Serial, as in, multiple times, Junichi," Koba said with a laugh. "It's pronounced the same, so I can get mixing them up. It's like a serial killer, but with kidnapping."
"...Why didn't I think of that?" Junichi asked, shaking his head. "I'm still not getting over losing that many games in a row."
"Yeah, I'm not good at video games either, but I feel like we're getting off topic. Were you kidnapped as well?"
"Yeah, I was. They bombed Hope's Peak and chloroformed me on my first day of school." Junichi said with a sigh. "Sometimes I feel like being called the Ultimate Lucky anything is a bunch of bull with that track record."
"Well, at least you didn't get kidnapped while investigating a kidnapping," Koba said with a small chuckle.
"Wait, really?" Junichi asked.
"Well, I was tasked to track down a pop star named TAIGA, who went missing before a show in Nagoya. I started to find clues that he was kidnapped by going to an alleyway behind the concert hall, where I was ambushed and thrown into a van." He explained, looking away. "I think the funny part is, I found TAIGA. He's stuck here with the rest of us. So my 100% performance rate is still standing strong."
"I mean, yeah… but don't you have to like, tell someone you found him?" Junichi pointed out.
"Well, I can't really do that right now. But I'm just trying to figure out the whole point of us being here." Koba said.
"Alright. If you wanna hang out, the lounge is right past the door. Rinne's slaughtering everyone in Fatal Arena if you wanna test your luck." Junichi replied, pointing a thumb back into the lounge.
"Well, the thing is... I wasn't involved in many conversations with the people you've met in the lounge, but I was in listening range, so I mostly know which each person is like." Koba said.
"So you were eavesdropping," Junichi said.
"Don't put it that way, I think detectives do more than eavesdrop on the client's dime, it's intel," Koba objected. "Anyway, I think I'll pass on Fatal Arena, roughly eight people walked by you while you were getting to know that small group of friends you've made so far and are residing in the dining hall."
"Wait, how did eight people get by us?" Junichi wondered.
"You were too busy playing video games, of course," Koba explained. "You've been at this for nearly an hour."
"...Oh, shit." Junichi said with a little laugh.
"Yeah, this building has no clocks in it, so it's easy to lose track of time like that. It's a good thing the handbooks come with a clock." Koba said. "So, want to join me in the dining hall?"
"Sure," Junichi said, turning to leave to the double doors into the dining hall when a voice called out to them.
"Hey! You think I'll let you guys leave without asking who the heck you are!?" A rough, female voice announced from behind the two of them. They turned to see a tall, dark-skinned young woman leaning against a nearby wall. She had long brown hair to her shoulders, tied into a braid down to her hips. She had athletic tape on both arms up to her biceps, only showing her calloused fingers through the wrappings. She was wearing a sleeveless denim jacket cut off at the stomach to show her toned abdomen, black shorts that showed her tanned legs, built like tree trunks wrapped in black boots with white laces. "I sense nerds. Name yourselves!" the girl shouted, jabbing a finger at the both of them.
"Ack! I-I'm Junichi Ando! Don't hurt me!" Junichi exclaimed, hiding behind Koba.
"...Stop that." He said to Junichi before turning back to the newcomer. "I'm Koba Tsujishi. Did you really have to call us nerds?"
"You look like between the two of you, you weigh eight pounds. So you're nerds!" she exclaimed.
"I'm not that skinny, am I?" Junichi asked, squeezing his arm to feel his utter lack of definition.
"I'm shorter than you, Junichi. I'm a terrible human shield. Now stop hiding behind me or she'll keep calling you a nerd." Koba said, stepping aside from Junichi.
"My opinion on you being nerds doesn't really change depending on the…" The girl trailed off as she wasn't sure what words she was using. "I still think you're nerds!"
"Anyway, how about you?" Koba asked.
"I'm Asana Nanashima. I'm the Ultimate Shootfighter, I guess." She said, thumbing the side of her chin and smirking.
Asana Nanashima: Ultimate Shootfighter
"I mean, you look the part," Junichi said. "So I'm guessing you were going to be a Hope's Peak Academy student too?"
"Yeah. I was gonna be one, then I got shot!"Asana explained, Junichi's eyes going wide.
"T-they shot you!?" he stammered out.
"Well, with a dart gun and horse tranquilizers. I guess that's kind of like being shot." Asana said, twirling a lock of hair in her fingers. "Aaaaanyway. Guess I was kidnapped; should probably try escaping soon."
"Escaping soon?" Junichi asked.
"Yeah, might have to knock in some teeth first, but it shouldn't be too hard," Asana said with a chuckle. "This ain't my first rodeo, I've been kidnapped before."
"...This isn't your first time?" He replied, shocked.
"Yeah! I was held ransom. But I escaped after breaking every single one of my captors' arms." Asana said, giving her right arm a flex.
"Junichi, wait, I just noticed something," Koba said.
"What?" Junichi asked, pulling his envious eyes from Asana's bicep.
"Someone's standing just behind Asana." Koba pointed out, pointing at Asana's feet. "See that second pair of shoes just behind hers? Someone is standing behind her."
Junichi followed Koba's finger to a pair of black slip-on shoes. Junichi looked up to see a girl long, curly dirty blond hair, hands tensely gripping the sleeves of her sweater as she looked around the hall. She was dressed in a dark pink sweater that hugged over her somewhat curvy frame along with a black skirt hanging past her knees and long white socks, thick-rimmed glasses over her blue eyes.
"Hrn… H-hi…" she said, looking away from everyone.
"Oh hey, you actually followed me," Asana said with a chuckle.
"Y-you dragged me into the elevator!" the girl snapped back, glaring at Asana.
"Look, you gonna introduce yourself to the nerds or what?" Asana said. "Nerds are usually friends with nerds, right?"
"St-stop calling me a nerd! M-my name is Miyuki Ashikawa!" the girl stammered out.
Miyuki Ashikawa: Ultimate Fantasy Writer
"Oh hey, I know you! You wrote Journey of the Silver Chariot!" Junichi said.
"Huh? Y-you... read my book?" Miyuki asked, a smile starting to form on her face before it suddenly dropped, giving Junichi a scrutinizing look, eyes peering through her glasses. "...You liked it, right?"
"Yeah! I wanted to buy the whole series, but money's been a bit tight…" Junichi admitted.
"Who's your favorite character?" she asked, still peering at Junichi, leaning in close to his face.
"Uhh… Oh! Phelan! I like how everyone looks down on him for how small he is but then he proves himself by taking down a frost troll by climbing it and stabbing it in the eye. I guess I'm just a sucker for underdogs." Junichi said, chuckling and rubbing the back of his head. Miyuki smiled, moving back from him.
"Good answer. Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were an actual fan and not someone who just watched the TV show or something…" Miyuki said when the lounge door slammed open behind them.
"NERDS! What the hell are you doing?! Get in the dining hall!" Hojo shouted, Junichi letting out a high-pitched yelp and wheeling around.
"Damn it, not you again!" Junichi exclaimed.
"Alright, alright, single file! Form on the sides of the hall! Don't get lost and don't get caught up in skits of awkward small talk!" Hojo ordered, never losing his unnerving grin.
"...What?" Koba asked, tilting his head.
"If you haven't met Hojo yet, don't meet Hojo," Junichi said, adjusting his beanie and sighing. "Let's just go in the dining hall before he tries to bite my face off with his ninety-five teeth."
"H-he's a psycho…" Miyuki muttered as Touki poked his head through the door.
"Yo, Junichi! You heard the crazy dude, we gotta get to the dining hall!" Yuuto said, cracking the knuckles of his long fingers. "Might as well get this over with, y'know?"
"Y-yeah, Coming," Junichi said, stopping to let Rinne past by him first.
"That win was a fluke, Yuu," Rinne complained as she walked past him into the room.
"It was all skill, Rinne! Skill!" Yuuto shot back, but Rinne just thumbed her nose at him. "Power game doesn't mean shit, yo!"
"Yeah, but you beat me with a schoolgirl," Rinne replied. "Where's your masculinity?"
"A kung-fu schoolgirl! Get it right." Yuuto snarked, wagging a finger at her.
"Hustle hustle! Come on, phonies, we ain't got all day." Hojo complained at the two of them. Junichi followed them as the people entering the room eventually split, forming two lines on each side of the wall, seven facing nine as Junichi saw a creepy woman in purple standing with what appeared to be a preteen by her side and breaking the symmetry.
Junichi was face-to-face with a stern looking young woman with square glasses and white hair. She looked like she came from some private school, her uniform was elegant with whites and blues compared to Junichi's old hoodie and loose fitting jeans, she was twirling a metal yardstick between her fingers as she waited.
Beside her was someone who looked to be the complete opposite of the first girl. Her hair was stringy and nearly to her hips in an unkempt tangle, wearing a white and black outfit and an apron over the top of it. The dark rings around her eyes made Junichi think of a raccoon. She kept making glances at a boy across from the next person.
A rather sharp dressed guy about his age with sharp features and jet black hair tied into a skull tight ponytail and a glare on his face, his hands were stuffed in his pockets and he didn't look happy to be there.
The guy black-haired girl was staring at had to have been Taiga. Even his clothes said his name. He had perfect skin, and faint hints of eyeliner around his eyes to make him look like a human photoshop. His outfit even looked like he was filming a music video with how overly designed his 'street' clothes were. He had an uncomfortable look on his face, as each passing second, he leaned further and further away from the raven-haired girl.
Then there was the tall violet-haired woman with an eyepatch with a skull design, dressed in a dark dress and hovering just behind the smaller girl wearing round glasses and hugging a purple bunny rabbit in her arms. She looked uncomfortable and was busy staring at the floor. The people on the opposite side of the room continued to get stranger from there as the next person was wearing an entire bear pelt as a hoodie and was dressed like one of those try-hard hunter types, draped in various leathers on his arms and legs, with a massive knife hanging from his belt, his sharp catlike eyes glaring around the room, and occasionally at the man beside him.
A tall, muscular man with dreadlocks and powder covering his arms. Junichi thought he must have been some kind of weightlifter with how fit and tan he looked, he was currently doing handstand pushups and mouthing some high number Junichi can't count.
On Junichi's side was him, then Touki, Koba, Yuuto, Rinne, Surumi, Asana, and Miyuki, with Hojo and several other servants and maids wearing bear masks standing at the front of the stage. The spotlight turning onto an empty podium as everyone began to watch in curiosity.
A familiar teddy bear then fell from the ceiling, landing on a podium and hitting the microphone, making a feedback sound fill the air. The students stared in confusion and disbelief,
"What… what was that?" Junichi asked. The sound of the feedback beginning to fade from the speakers as the silence in the room became awkward. Then the microphone fell off the podium, starting another round of feedback.
"It's the talking beeeeeaaaarrrrr!" Izumi exclaimed, pointing toward the podium with wide eyes.
"Why'd he fall from the ceiling?" Touki asked. The teddy bear had to reach well over its head to place the microphone back on the stand, walking up a small staircase back to the podium and loudly clearing his throat.
"I've subverted your expectations!" the bear declared. "People think I was gonna jump up from the floor, so I dropped down from the ceiling instead! It hurt a lot, but it broke new ground!" the bear declared.
"That was dumb." Sora said.
"You're dumb!" Monokuma shot back.
"So… who and what are you, exactly?" Saya asked.
"I am Monokuma and I'm just a humble mascot." the bear said. "I can sign your pictures later, but now I have things to say to you!"
"First things first, welcome to the Hanging Garden Hotel, the official site of the Killing Suite! You are my players, my guests, and my students!" Monokuma announced.
"...Students?" Chiwa asked "But we're in a hotel! What do you learn in a hotel? Are there classes on water aerobics or something?"
"I'm gonna call you students from now on, shut up. It fits the branding, anyway I forgot what else I could call you besides students."
"Guests. You were thinking of guests. You just said guests!" Chiwa pointed out.
"Shut up, bunny girl!" Monokuma shot back. "You're all gonna be students at this hotel, you're gonna be in the Killing Suite, there's gonna be Class Trials and you're gonna like it!"
"It's like you're trying to drive a car through a doggy door with how many changes you have to make…" Chiwa complained.
"It fits! Shut up! You're just jealous you didn't think of it!" Monokuma ranted, kicking over his microphone. "This killing game isn't in a school; that's because school sucks. It's overrated! Everyone does schools, we need to change it up!" he yelled, barely heard without his mic.
"...This is fucking stupid." Daichi complained as Monokuma continued to spout angry noises and stomp on the podium.
One of the masked servants picked up the mic, handing it back to Monokuma. "Thank you. Anyway, the servants have handed you student handboo-" he began as Chiwa opened her mouth to speak. "-don't say a damn thing, Chiwa! Interrupt me again and I'll turn your bunny into kindling for my BONFIRE!" he threatened, Chiwa shutting her mouth and hiding behind Socrates.
"That's better. The student handbooks will lay out the rules and give you a map of the Hanging Garden Hotel. Sample the culinary delights of our top class chefs. Swim in our luxury pool. Who wants a body massage? You can get one at our spa! Or just spend it all at the MonoRajah Casino!" Monokuma announced with a cheesy, over-the-top voice. "Catering straight to your room if ya got the cash. If you want, every day is Jell-o Day! But… you're gonna have to work to unlock all the floors, so you haven't got all the luxuries we have to offer."
"So… we're just staying at a hotel?" Yuuto asked.
"Yup! And you'll enjoy all the perks and luxuries on our dime! You're living the good life for no charge! There is a catch, though… you're here forever!" Monokuma said in a cheery tone, sending a chill through the gathered guests.
"For… forever?" Sora stuttered out.
"Yup! You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave! ...Actually, you can't check out either. That's a misnomer, I guess." Monokuma said, unsure of his announcement. "Oh, maybe you check out when you die…"
"Wh-what?! Y-you're gonna keep us here until w-we die?!" Miyuki gasped out, grabbing at the ends of her hair.
"Well, there is a way out of the Hanging Garden, but don't go looking for it, because it's not a door or a tunnel or a window! All the windows are bolted, all the doors are locked up!" Monokuma explained, Junichi swallowing his spit.
"And before you start thinking of taking the coward's way out, the door to the roof has been locked, so taking a dive off the roof isn't the way out either! At least not if you want to make it out alive! See, to get out, you have to commit a murder!" Monokuma declared, a silence falling over the crowd.
"Did… did you say murder?" Izumi asked, shaking slightly. "Please tell me this is for a prank video channel or something," Izumi muttered, tears welling at her eyes. "I've been here half a year...! Why did you put us in there!?"
"No fuckin' way… we gotta off someone to get out of here?!" Yuuto added.
"What the hell kinda hotel is this?!" Rokuro shouted.
"It's a Killing Suite! You want out, you gotta pay with someone else's life! Ruahahahaha~" Monokuma said, cackling into the speakers.
"There's no way I'm killing nobody!" Asana shouted. "Now you better let us out before I make a sandwich outta your teeth!" she threatened, pointing a finger at Monokuma. Monokuma let out a yawn, covering his mouth with his paw.
"Ah, so we're at this part, huh? Where I say it's a killing game and then the tough one yells at me about how they're not gonna kill anyone. Then they climb on the stage, yell at me and threaten me with violence, maybe throttle me a little. You're such a stereotype, jeez." Monokuma said, half yawning.
"Ain't nothing stereotype about me pummeling your sorry stuffed ass into the pavement!" Asana said while Monokuma mimed her talking with his hand. Asana growled and began to march her way to the stage Monokuma was standing on. "I can kill a stupid bear, easy!"
"Yep, predictable as always! You know what? How about we skip the preamble and just get to the part where I make an example of ya?" Monokuma said, Junichi's head turning to Monokuma as he rose his paw.
"H-hey! Asana!" Junichi cried out, only to be ignored by the angered fighter.
"What's it called, what's it called…" Monokuma said in a singsong tone. "Ah, that's right! It's the Spear Gungnir~!" he shouted before slamming his paw onto a big red button on the podium. Junichi sprinted after Asana. For as long as he could remember, Junichi could always tell when something dangerous was going to happen. Pulling people from crosswalks before cars cross, moving aside before a box fell on his head, or avoiding a street then seeing a pack of wild dogs roaming that street. Right now, he didn't know what was going to happen, but he had to do something about it.
"Asana!" Junichi shouted, leaning forward with his body as he dove toward Asana, slamming both hands into her to push her onto the floor. A loud hissing sound ripped through the air, the other guests watching as several metal spears shot out from the walls. Junichi began to fall forward, spears shooting over his head and slamming into the opposite sides of the room, sending everyone scrambling to the floor. Among the shunk and shink of spears planting themselves into walls and floor was a more wet, meaty sound that was immediately matched with a scream of agony and terror.
Asana shot up onto one knee to look behind her, and who shoved her as her eyes widened in shock, followed by a clamor of gasps and curse words from the crowd of students. "H-holy shit…"
"Junichi, what the fuck!?" Touki shouted. He and the rest of the guests ran over to Asana and Junichi, Asana continuing to stare at Junichi. The spear had jammed into his chest, close to his shoulder, blood pooling out onto the floor as Junichi let out another agonized scream. Izumi clasped a hand over her mouth. "S-somebody do something!"
"...I hate heroic types. Damn it, Junichi…" Monokuma said, shaking his head.
"A-aaarrrgghhh!" Junichi cried, hand desperately grasping for the metal in his shoulder to try and pull it out. "S-someone help!"
"Don't pull it out, Junichi. You'll bleed to death!" Koba shouted, running over to grab a hold of his wrist and pull it away.
"Wh-what the hell?! What did you just do?!" Asana shouted, turning her glare toward Monokuma.
"Well, I was trying to skewer you, but stupid Junichi got in the way! I should've known the Ultimate Lucky Student was gonna play hero! They always do." Monokuma said.
"He's got a spear in his chest, you asshole!" Touki yelled.
"Ahh, he'll be fine!" Monokuma said, waving a paw dismissively. "He didn't hit anything vital. Stupid Ultimate Luck…" he grumbled.
"We've gotta get him to a hospital" Sora exclaimed.
"This place doesn't have a hospital. We need to figure out how to staunch the bleeding." Koba said.
"Oh, don't worry. We've got a doctor! As long as she has her doctor's bag, she's a walking clinic!" Monokuma said, snapping his fingers. "Oh, Kageri~"
One of the MonoMaids suddenly broke from the line in front of the stage, walking over to Junichi. Over her maid uniform, she wore a black and white doctor's jacket, a red scarf wrapped around her neck and green surgical scrubs with matching gloves. Her entire face was covered by a plastic cast of Monokuma's face, though her long blue-violet hair was tied up in the back in a ponytail. While her left eye is covered by a red filter from the mask, her right eye was uncovered, showing that her eyes were pink. In her hands was a black-and-white doctor's bag with Monokuma's face on each side.
"Hey, back up! What are ya gonna do with him!?" Yuuto shouted, running between her and Junichi's dying body.
"Stand aside, I have to stabilize Mr. Ando's vitals before I continue proper treatment," she said calmly.
"No way! You're working for the teddy bear-" Yuuto objected.
"Is this just my life? People calling me a teddy bear just because of how soft and fuzzy I am? Because of my cute little puffy tail hanging off my adorable round tush? I keep telling these stupid kids I'm a mascot, but all they ever say is 'teddy bear, teddy bear, teddy bear!' and then I have to yell at them that I'm a mascot. Life. Don't talk to me about life." Monokuma rambled as the MonoMaid tried to argue with Yuuto, Sora walking over and putting a hand on Yuuto's shoulder.
"Look, maybe it's better if we let her work on him. I think Junichi would rather probably die than definitely die," he suggested, Yuuto sighing and stepping aside. Kageri bent down, opening up her bag and pulling out various medical tools. She started by putting a breathing mask over Junichi's screaming mouth, slowly pumping anesthetic to put the Ultimate Lucky Student out.
"I'll need you all to leave the dining hall so I can operate," Kageri instructed, Saya quickly stepping toward the door, Izumi following after her. Saya stared out into the distance, feeling her hands shake.
"S-Saya? Are you okay?" Izumi asked.
"I… get me a glass of water, Igarashi," Saya said, taking quick, hard breaths, as she reached for her coat pocket, then gripped her own chest instead. It felt like her heart was about to explode.
"O-okay!" Izumi said, running off toward the lounge. Saya's fingers reached through her pocket, feeling nothing as she continued to shake. She stomped hard onto the floor, tightening her fists and turning to see others walking out of the dining hall. Many had looks of shock still plastered on their faces; Asana was shaking with anger, Daichi looking back at the hall with disdain, Chiwa holding onto Socrates with rattly knees, Airi leaned over and trying to comfort the scared prodigy.
Saya turned back to the dining hall, trying to keep her eyes off Junichi as the MonoMaid operated on him, looking at the assembled MonoStaff watching from behind their matching masks, only Hojo showing his manic grinning face.
Saya looked up at the bear sat on his podium. Monokuma. Seeing the wicking smile and glowing red eye of the monster that had trapped them here and now had just violently maimed someone. Saya remembered the fleeting relief she had felt when she had finally become free of that room. She thought she was finally out of the cage she had been trapped in for months. But once out, she found herself in a bigger cage, one where the only way out was to murder someone. The people in the hotel started to look like a pack of hungry wolves, waiting for their moment to pounce.
Her entire world had been completely twisted into a terrifying new world. One where she didn't know who to trust. A world of fear, pain, and chaos. A part of her wanted to go back to the safety of her hotel room.