Sorry for any weird formatting. I did my best to fix it, but there might be some oddities here and there. One important thing to note is that, for the time being, I'm not writing any pairings. You're free to interpret interactions as shippy if you want of course, but if I do add romance, it won't be until later on down the line.
Also, this fic has been crossposted on AO3.
Monokuma's arrival served as the death knell for the leisurely school trip. They didn't know it yet, but I did, and I had never felt the same amount of sheer dread before that moment. I wanted to cry, wanted to scream, wanted out of this damned stolen body.
But, what I wanted didn't matter.
While everyone else stood confused, panicked, and scared, I left the beach and stomped my way to the central island. Nobody followed me, and I was glad for it. I was so on edge, I feared how I would react to anyone else.
One hand played with the knife hidden in my jacket. It comforted me, somewhat, with its weight and the promise of death for anything it hit in just the right place. For a moment, dark thoughts took over my mind.
To make matters worse, Nagito made himself known once again, shattering what little peace of mind I had at that point even further.
Such despair… it's almost suffocating. Can the power of the Ultimate students truly triumph over this despair? It must. I won't allow anything else.
Even if it costs me my life. What is the life of trash compared to the beacons of society's hope for the future?
Pain blossomed from where I had angrily smacked the side of my head, trying forcefully to banish the ravings of a madman. The pain anchored me to reality once more.
It was a twisted, gruesome, sick joke of a reality, but it was what I was forced to work with. No amount of rage, of tears, of despair would change that truth. All that I was able to do now was face Monokuma and try to make some kind of plan.
What could I even do? Fight Monokuma and his monobeasts? I might as well be signing my own death sentence trying that. Even though part of me wanted to know what would happen if I were to die, I wasn't eager to find out unless there was no other way.
After all, even if you know you're in a simulation, death is not an easy thing to stomach. I knew that, as long as Hajime and four others made it to the end, that everything would be alright, but with my arrival?
Everything could change. That wasn't even counting the oddities and changes I'd already noticed around the first island. No. I couldn't just hand responsibility off to Hajime and the others and hope for the best.
With those thoughts clouding my mind, I was the first to arrive at Jabberwock Park. It looked completely normal. The statue was still the same as when Byakuya and I had left the park hours before, and nothing else was disturbed.
Still, there was a feeling of tension in the air. My eyes darted back and forth, searching for wherever Monokuma might have hidden, and for a second, I regretted going alone. I found nothing; there were no signs of anyone or anything in the park that shouldn't be there.
I didn't spend much time alone. Not five minutes after my arrival, people started to trail in behind me. They looked much the same as they had on the beach, but the fear and anxiety was much more pronounced in some of them.
They gave me a wide berth. I saw some of them glancing at me, but they most likely decided that it wasn't the right time for a heart to heart. Despite the situation, I was grateful to be left alone.
Until Hajime walked into the park. He walked up and stood right next to me without a word. When I looked over to him, confused, he just nodded and turned away.
"What… what do you think is going to happen?" Sonia asked, hands clasped in front of her. Said hands were shaking, but only slightly.
Fuyuhiko scoffed. "Probably nothing. I don't get what you guys are all shitting your pants over." Some relaxed at his words, crude as they were. Most weren't convinced.
"This is nothing to joke about, Fuyuhiko. We must take this seriously." Byakuya added his input. He was almost as on edge as I was, given his shifting eyes and his even sharper than usual tone.
"Do whatever you want. I ain't your friend, so I don't really care." Fuyuhiko said with a huff. His feet tapped the ground impatiently, and I was sure he'd be looking at his watch if he had one.
"Talking to him is pointless, Byakuya. You'd get better results talking to the statue right now." Mahiru chimed in, sending a stern glare in Fuyuhiko's direction that he didn't even dignify with a reaction.
And as if she had spoken a password or a code phrase, the atmosphere of the park shifted. Where before there was tension, there was now a horrible feeling of despair hanging over our heads. I didn't know if anyone else noticed it; they might not have since they didn't know just what was about to happen.
Peko reacted, inconspicuously inching closer to Fuyuhiko with one hand on her wooden sword. Apparently she had noticed it.
The feeling of despair built and built until I felt like I would suffocate beneath it, until, finally, it dissipated. I felt no relief, for one glaring reason. Said reason sat almost innocently in front of the statue.
Monokuma had arrived. If I didn't know what he represented, I would have thought he looked almost cute in person. But I knew. Behind that eternal smile, behind the soft, plushy exterior, was a monster. A creature that existed to act as the avatar of quite possibly the most sick, twisted individual humanity had ever seen.
His eyes scanned over us, one black, one red and jagged. I tensed up instinctively as his gaze passed over me. His smirk seemed to widen just a bit when he saw me tense, probably enjoying the reaction.
"Ahem!" He suddenly spoke. "Thank you all for your patience, students! Your headmaster has finally arrived!" He stood and bowed dramatically.
"Headmaster? This… thing is supposed to be the headmaster of Hope's Peak?" Hajime said, voice low so Monokuma wouldn't hear. It didn't work though, since Monokuma perked up as soon as he was finished.
"How very rude of you! Were you raised in a barn, young man!? Calling me a thing, why I oughta…" Monokuma trailed off, his claws extending from one of his paws.
"We're supposed to believe you're the headmaster? What a joke! You're just an ugly stuffed bear!" Hiyoko mocked without a hint of fear. "You failed at, like, the one thing stuffed animals are supposed to be!"
Monokuma just got angrier. "I'm cute! Unbearably cute! Devilishly cute! Hellishly cute!" Hiyoko just laughed at him in response.
"Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that! Bet you still cry yourself to sleep at night 'cause of how ugly you are!" She just kept going. Thankfully, Mahiru put a hand over her mouth before Monokuma really exploded at her.
"What… is that thing? I've never seen anything like it." Byakuya chimed in, astonished. Monokuma swiveled to face him.
"Seriously, stop calling me a thing! I! Am! Monokuma!" He stomped his feet for emphasis, a vein bulging over one eye even if he didn't have veins.
This whole thing was going nowhere fast. If it kept on, we would have been there for hours, unless Monokuma just snapped and killed us all for the verbal abuse. At the very least, I was glad he and, by extension, Junko were beholden to their rules.
Usami finally showed up just as I was about to step in to try and get things back on track. "What are you doing here!? You evil, evil bear!" She placed herself in front of all of us, brandishing her magic stick.
Monokuma barely even registered her. "Huh? What was that? Coulda sworn I heard something." He shrugged. "Eh, maybe it was just the wind."
Usami didn't take kindly to that."Hey, don't you ignore me! You need to leave, right now, or I'll make you!" Her magic stick actually started glowing as she spoke. It would have been interesting if it wasn't the difference between life and death right then.
"And what are you gonna do about it? The way I see it, I'm in charge of this here school trip and-" Monokuma cut himself off, lunging at an incredible speed towards Usami. She was caught completely off guard, and the glow from her magic stick fizzled out into nothing.
They tussled for a few minutes, neither gaining a clear advantage as they kicked up dust. It looked like the real life equivalent of a cartoon fight, but it was hard to find it amusing.
I decided to do something. Something stupid, dangerous even. I drew the knife I grabbed earlier from my pocket and held it at my side, its sheath stored away. The blade glinted in the moonlight.
Peko shot me a look, which should have intimidated me with her intense eye color and the fact that she could utterly slaughter me in half a second, but right then I didn't care. The only other one who noticed was Hajime.
Monokuma and Usami were still fighting, so they didn't even notice me as I stalked towards them, knife in hand. Hajime tried to stop me, but I brushed him off and kept walking.
"Hey, what the hell do ya think you're doing!?" Akane roared. She was in her battle hungry state, hair standing on end and nails somehow sharper. "If anyone's gonna kick the crap outta that bear, it's me!"
I ignored her too. I was too single minded, too focused on my goal. I waited for an opportunity, and I didn't have to wait long.
Monokuma pinned Usami to the ground, one of his forearms on her neck as she flailed about. The other arm was grabbing at her magic stick, which she held onto stubbornly.
"Come on now, let go!" He snarled, the teeth on one side of his face bared. "Stupid rabbit, just give up already! I won!" I cut him off forcefully, jamming my knife as deeply as I could into the back of his neck.
He gurgled for a second as the knife went all the way through his neck and came out the front. I was surprised at how easy it was to stab him. I expected metal to block me, but there was none.
I didn't stop there. Yanking the knife out, I stabbed him in the head and neck over and over, venting out all of the anger I felt towards him at that moment. If he were human, blood would have covered me from head to toe.
Even though he was just a stuffed animal, it scared me how good it felt. Eventually, I stopped and left him to slump over. There was stuffing everywhere, littering the ground and all over Usami.
His head was a mess of stab wounds, stuffing, and wires. His jagged eye had been completely gouged out, solely because I remembered it being a weakness Monokuma had at one point.
I brushed some stuffing off my arm and looked around cautiously. That had been way too easy, and Monokuma always had more copies. I wasn't hoping to kill him for good then; my goal was to keep Usami in possession of the magic stick.
"Wait, he had a knife the whole time!?" Kazuichi screamed, terrified of me instead of Monokuma for some reason.
"Where'd you even get that, Nagito?" Chiaki asked. Thankfully, she didn't look too suspicious of me like most of the others did.
"Rocketpunch Market. Do you really want to ask me that now? We've got bigger things to worry about!" I scolded, on edge due to the complete lack of Monokuma.
"You saved me, Nagito!" Usami exclaimed, finally standing up after pushing Monokuma's body off of her. "I wish you didn't have to do that though… I failed you as your teacher."
Even if it was Monokuma, she abhorred violence. I could respect that.
"Don't worry about it. Just keep that magic stick safe, okay?" I stressed, satisfied when she gave me a determined nod.
Everything was looking a lot better than it had in the actual game, but that was what worried me. Monokuma was taking his sweet time popping back up, and Usami still had the stick. It all just seemed too good to be true.
I decided to search the park, ignoring everyone else trying to talk to me, but that was when it happened. Nagito's luck must have kicked in.
My shoelaces, which I was sure had been perfectly tied, were now somehow undone. I tripped and fell without any hint of grace, dropping my knife at the same time.
"Shit!" I cursed out loud, already in the process of getting back up. When I reached out to grab the knife again, everything went downhill.
I saw the flashes before I heard the booming gunfire. Usami had been right next to me before I tripped, and if I hadn't, I would have been ripped apart by the hail of bullets flying dangerously close to me.
Instead, since I tripped, the one who was hit was Usami. Her body jerked, stuffing flying in every direction as her body gained more holes than a cheese grater. She dropped the magic stick from her now limp fingers, and I heard it clatter against the stone.
Somebody screamed, but I didn't know who. It sounded distant to my ears as I just stared at the fallen Usami and her magic stick. She had more copies, so she was fine, but she was the only one who could use it.
And unlike her, it was one of a kind. Irreplaceable.
In other words, it was over. My little act of defiance was pointless. As if to emphasize this, Monokuma finally reappeared, cackling maliciously.
"I wanted to make an example outta you, Nagito, but this works too!" He picked the magic stick up off of the ground and held it horizontally with both hands.
He laughed at me as I brandished my knife at him once again. "You don't wanna do that, ya know. Violence against the headmaster is against the rules!" I shuddered when he looked up at me. He looked all too eager to kill me next.
Knowing that I had no other option, I put the knife back in its sheath before putting it back in my pocket.
"Fine." I all but spat out, which he didn't even respond to. Instead, he gave me a front row seat as he broke the magic stick in two over his knee. Splinters of wood flew in every direction.
"Usami! You… you killed her!" Mikan spoke up, crying harder than usual. She looked moments away from another anxiety attack. Ibuki put an arm around her shoulder and tried to calm her down a bit.
"No… this isn't real. I won't believe it's real. Everything's totally fine!" Teruteru shouted his denial, anxiously combing his hair while sweat poured down his face. His shaking betrayed what he actually was feeling.
"Ah, she was nothing. Don't cry about that plain old rabbit!" Monokuma shouted, going so far as to kick Usami's corpse. It had less of an effect on me since I knew she wasn't actually dead, but it was still disturbing.
I glanced at Chiaki and saw that she was livid. While subdued compared to other people, it was easy to tell just how upset she was at Monokuma's dismissal of Usami.
Monokuma didn't notice, or didn't care. "Man, you'd think somebody died or something!" Almost everyone glared viciously at him, but he shrugged them off. "I know! I've got something that'll really pump you guys up!"
My stomach started doing flips; I had an idea of what he was getting at.
"And why should we take your words to heart, Ursine? You have a powerful aura of malice emanating from you, almost as powerful as my own." Gundham said, a severe frown marring his features.
"How kind of you to notice!" Monokuma actually blushed, somehow. "And, if you want some motivation to listen to me…"
I stepped back as far as I could, behind everyone else even, as the statue began to shudder violently. It was surreal to watch; the individual beasts making up the statue began to move. The groaning and screeching of metal was all I could hear for a moment as they descended to the ground in front of us one by one.
Somehow, their appearances had shifted dramatically compared to the designs of the statue. Where before they were almost elegant, now they were designed for one thing and one thing only.
Death.
Each surveyed us with malevolent eyes, some brandishing their built in guns which caused more than a few to flinch back in fear.
Monokuma stood in front of them, his smile even more smug than it always was.
"Oh come on, man! That's just messed up!" Kazuichi was one of the more obviously terrified of the group. He clutched at his beanie, pulling it down almost over his eyes.
"What… are they?" Peko asked, more to herself than anyone else. Her hand twitched, likely resisting the urge to draw her sword but thinking better of it.
"The fuck you think they are?" Fuyuhiko grunted, though a bit softer than usual. He was grimacing, but mostly was able to hold onto his composure.
"Since Peko asked so nicely, I'll tell you. These are…" Monokuma paused for dramatic effect. "The Monobeasts! Careful! One wrong move and they'll fill you with so many holes, even Teruteru over there wouldn't want anything to do with ya!"
Teruteru was thankfully too deep into his denial mode to even acknowledge it.
"What is all this even for?" I spoke up, wanting to hasten things along. "You come out of nowhere, kill Usami, and threaten us with these… Monobeasts. What do you want?"
Of course, I already knew. I didn't want to tip Monokuma or anyone else off about anything like that, though. That would be disastrous.
"What do I want? You really wanna know what I want? Huh, huh!?" Monokuma asked with his voice higher pitched than normal. He got up into my personal space, and I tried not to show how unnerved I was by his psychotic grin and glowing left eye.
Nekomaru grunted from somewhere behind me. "Stop stalling and get to the point already!"
"Man, you guys have no appreciation for dramatic flair. Uncultured. Uncultured, I say!" Was Monokuma's response. "Fine. What I want is simple. So simple that even the idiots here can understand!"
He leaned closer still to me. And then he said it.
"Despair. That's all." I found it harder to breathe for a moment. He had abandoned his usual sarcasm and mocking humor. All that I could see, all that I could hear, was malevolence.
It was the same feeling of impending death, of complete helplessness even, that someone might have when they know they're going to die.
The best way I could describe it was having a knife against your throat, or a gun to your head. Situations where someone else held your life in their hands, and you knew that they cared less about your life than you would about a piece of trash on the roadside.
It's usually said that, when you're close to death, your life flashes before your eyes. All of the good, all of the bad, everything important to you in your entire life plays out in that short time where you teeter on the brink of life or death.
That was both true and not, in my case. My life did flash before my eyes in that instant of Monokuma looming over me, his presence far larger than his actual body. But, it wasn't my life that I saw.
It was Nagito's. The meteor hitting the plane he and his parents were on, him being kidnapped and finding a winning lottery ticket, his acceptance into Hope's Peak, even flashes of his earlier childhood were there.
I didn't care that they didn't fill in the gaps in my memory of Nagito very much. There was nothing there to hint at the sickness I had heard about him having, or anything else relevant.
What I did care about was that it wasn't me. I couldn't even remember my own actual name, let alone things like my parents, my childhood, my friends, anything. My memories only went as far as Danganronpa.
Something that wasn't even real to me before I woke up on Jabberwock.
Instead, I saw someone else's life. In their body, wearing their skin, using their voice. The worst part was that, at first, the memories felt normal to me. They felt right, like nothing was out of place.
While I was having yet another existential crisis, Monokuma moved on from targeting me specifically and moved to address the whole group. I only heard bits and pieces, too wrapped up in my own head to care much.
From what I could gather, he was going over the rules of the Killing Game for everyone, rules that I didn't need to hear. Kill someone to leave the island (which was impossible anyway), participate in class trials to single out the killer, either they die or everyone but them dies, etc.
It was bizarre to me that, even with my frazzled mental state, I was… blasé about the whole idea of the Killing Game. Before, I had been terrified of it, but now I felt little of that.
Perhaps it was because I already knew it was coming, and because I'd already agonized over it earlier. I still felt some unease, but it was tame in comparison to what the others must have been feeling.
"You're honestly telling us that we have to kill each other to get off this island?" I came back down to Earth, hearing Hajime voice his opinion. "And what makes you think we'll do that? Do you have any idea what you're even saying!?" By the end he was shouting, eyes narrowed and teeth bared.
"Puhuhuhu." Monokuma laughed, shaking in mirth. "Oh, I have my ways. But don't you worry your plain old face about all that now! Maybe you should worry less about me and more about everyone else, huh?"
I looked around, taking in everyone's reactions to the things they'd been told. Some, like Byakuya, Peko, and Chiaki just frowned deeply, though I noticed that Byakuya was sweating. Others, like Akane, Hiyoko, Fuyuhiko, and Nekomaru looked outraged, with Akane being held back by Nekomaru before she took a page out of my book and just killed Monokuma.
But the most prominent reaction was despair. Some were crying, namely Mikan and Kazuichi. Some just looked hopeless. Gundham had no outward reaction at all, though he was shaking just barely enough for me to notice. Whether it was from anger, fear, or sadness, I couldn't tell.
It seemed like Hajime noticed the general mood as well. He sighed heavily, dropping his gaze to the ground. I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer him some support. He turned to me, and I did my best to smile, though anyone could tell it wasn't genuine.
Hajime thanked me anyway, quietly.
Monokuma kept laughing, probably drinking in the despair that was on offer. It was like an all you could eat buffet for him, and he was eager to partake. Eventually, he was satisfied.
"So long, everyone! I hope you all enjoy this Killing School Trip, because I know I will! Bear-well!" Just like that, he was gone. The monobeasts went with him, though their exit was much less instant. They surveyed us once again before they stomped, flew, or slithered off to guard the gates to the other islands.
There was silence for a long moment. Nobody had the courage to say anything after hearing what they had, and I certainly wouldn't be the one to break the ice. I needed time to myself more than anything, to get my head in order and maybe make a bit more sense of my situation.
"What… what do we do now?" Sonia asked, her voice quiet but loud enough to break through the oppressive silence. She looked close to tears.
Byakuya pushed up his glasses with a finger and sighed. "For now, all we can do is rest. We are all far too emotional right now to make rational decisions, and it is getting late." I checked the time on my handbook and saw that it was around 10:30 PM.
It wasn't that late, but Byakuya had a point. I also noted the lack of a nighttime announcement which was supposed to happen at 10 PM, but I chalked it up to us being in the park with Monokuma at the time.
"I think he's right." I said, rubbing my forehead as I felt another headache looming. "Let's just go back to our cottages, okay? We can meet up at the restaurant in the morning and talk." Most looked amenable to what I said, with some exceptions.
"Weren't you the one that was carrying a knife around all day? Why should we listen to you?" Kazuichi asked. He looked at me with blatant suspicion, eyes trailing up and down like he was searching for more weapons.
I rolled my eyes. I understood his suspicion in a way, but now really wasn't the time. "If you're more worried about me than the evil stuffed bear and the death robots, you've got your priorities twisted." My words were blunt.
"Can't believe I'm sayin' this, but he's got a point." Surprisingly it was Fuyuhiko who spoke up for me. "He had a knife, they've got fuckin' machine guns."
"At least he did something, grease monkey. He killed that first Monokuma, you just stood there crying like a little girl!" Hiyoko mocked, her smug grin placed firmly back on her face. I wondered how she could still do that in the situation she was in, but figured it was some kind of coping mechanism.
"Hey! I don't wanna hear that from an actual little girl!" Kazuichi retorted, though he seemed less depressed now. Or, well, less depressed about the Killing Game at least. I took it as a victory.
Eventually, with the mood ever so slightly lighter than it was before, people began to filter out of the park in groups. Nobody chose to go alone, not even Fuyuhiko, who was of course followed by Peko.
After a bit, it was just me, Hajime, Chiaki, and Mikan left. Hajime and Chiaki weren't that much of a surprise, but Mikan definitely was.
"Um…" Mikan said, wringing her hands together. She didn't make eye contact with me, but I didn't particularly expect her to.
I couldn't tell what Hajime and Chiaki were talking about. They were being too quiet, added onto the fact that they were a good distance away from where Mikan and I were. I'd have to see if I could find out later.
"What's up, Mikan? You need something?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as non threatening as possible. She didn't flinch back in fear or start crying, so I took it as a success.
"Earlier, o-on the beach, you were… really out of it. I just wanted to… I wanted to, um…" She was working herself up again. I wanted to ask her which time on the beach she meant, but I assumed she was talking about the more recent one.
"You wanted to check up on me, right? I was pretty messed up before… this happened, but I noticed you looking at me before." Evidently that was the exact wrong thing to say.
Mikan started throwing out apologies left and right, tears streaming down her face. "Sorry! I was being creepy, wasn't I!? I'll do anything you want, just please forgive me!" I stopped her before she could do anything too drastic.
"No, no, it's fine. You're the Ultimate Nurse, right? Totally normal for you to worry about people like that." She only cried harder.
"But… but, everyone always says I'm weird when I do that." While I wondered just what to say to her, I noticed that Chiaki and Hajime had left while I was preoccupied. I refocused.
Talking to Mikan was like navigating a minefield, except instead of a messy death, you just get somebody crying their eyes out. One was fatal, the other was plain uncomfortable and depressing. I felt for her, but I was way out of my element, on top of my own mental issues.
I resisted the urge to sigh, or show anything negative on my face. That would only reinforce her ideas of herself, not that she needed much help doing that.
"Well, I'm not saying that. So don't worry about what 'everyone' says. If 'everyone' thinks it's weird for a nurse to check up on people, they're stupid." I bluntly said, which might not have been the best idea, but Mikan lightened up a bit.
Her waterfall of tears died down, and eventually she was just sniffling. "So, you don't think I'm c-creepy? Really?" She suddenly looked so hopeful, like she hadn't heard a positive comment in her life.
"Yeah, really. Honestly, the only creepy one here is Teruteru. I give it a couple days before Mahiru snaps and…" I stopped myself. I was originally going to say "before Mahiru snaps and murders him" but that would be in exceedingly bad taste. "...well, it wouldn't be pretty. For Teruteru."
Awkward as it was, it made Mikan actually laugh for once. We didn't talk for a few minutes, as a somewhat comfortable silence settled around us despite the circumstances. Eventually, she gathered her courage.
"If you want… if it's okay, then can I give you a check up later? It doesn't have to be tomorrow or anything! I-It can be whenever you want!" She hurriedly added on. It worked out for me, since I was going to ask her for help later anyway.
I didn't know how much she could tell me, realistically. Ultimate Nurse she may be, but she had no access to proper medical equipment or anything of the sort yet. There was only so much she could do, and I had a sinking feeling that, whatever was wrong with me, it went far deeper than I would like.
After accepting her offer, I decided that it was past time for me to get some rest. Never before had one day felt so long, but also so short. The mood shifts had been enough to nearly give me whiplash, and so I was exhausted emotionally as well as physically.
Mikan walked alongside me on the way back to the hotel. She hovered to my side, occasionally looking at me before quickly looking just about anywhere else. I had a feeling she was trying to be subtle, so I didn't react. I figured that part of her was still expecting me to snap at her for some unknown reason.
In truth, I was… slightly uncomfortable around Mikan, now that we were alone together for an extended period of time. It hadn't hit me yet when we talked in the park, or in the market, but now? All I could think about was her brutally murdering Ibuki and Hiyoko, and her subsequent mental decline during the trial.
Every single one of the people on the island, myself included technically, were Remnants of Despair. Well, except for Chiaki and Hajime. Even then, I still counted Hajime to some extent because of Izuru. The issue with my realization was the fact that it was easy to forget about it, minus one glaring exception.
Mikan. The Ultimate Nurse, the girl terrified of her own shadow, constantly worried that everyone around her had it out for her. Wanting nothing more than to be accepted but too afraid to grasp that acceptance, even when offered on a silver platter.
The same girl who had strangled someone, hung the body, slit someone else's throat and displayed that body too. Hers was always one of the more disturbing cases to me, as there was no real motive to it. Or rather, there was one, but it was sickening to consider.
Despair. That was all there was to it. That, and a twisted love for the woman who mangled her mind and the minds of her classmates. It wasn't her fault of course, it was Junko's and, by extension, Monokuma's for making her that way.
But, despite my discomfort, I knew I had to push past it. There was no point in alienating her, not that I even wanted to in the first place. All I could do was hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.
I didn't notice that we had already arrived back at the cottages until Mikan hesitatingly got my attention.
"W-We're here. Um, I'll… I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, she scurried off to her own cottage. She didn't even give me a chance to say anything back.
Maybe it was for the best. For now, I knew I wouldn't be sleeping. Instead, I needed to draft some kind of outline, lest I forget important information suddenly and end up paying the price.
My cottage's door unlocked with a soft click after I put in my code, and I was immensely grateful to have at least some time to myself. After finally getting the shower I needed, I looked around the cottage.
I started by rifling through the books on the shelf in the corner. Most were relatively normal, albeit written in more than a few different languages that I couldn't even dream of translating. Chinese, Russian, German, Arabic, even what I tentatively guessed was Swahili, they were all present.
I couldn't remember if those books were the same way in the game; it wasn't important anyway.
Continuing my search, I eventually hit paydirt as my fingers brushed over a book that was somewhat smaller than the rest, sandwiched between two much larger ones. When I pulled it off the shelf and opened it, every page was completely blank.
It was exactly what I needed at that moment. I couldn't rely on my mind overly much, given my circumstances, so my plan was to get as much of my memories written out as possible, as soon as possible.
Could I count that as good luck, finding that book? A counterbalance to my bad luck from the park, where my shoelaces tripped me out of nowhere? Or was that both good and bad luck, since I would have been turned into swiss cheese if I hadn't tripped?
Nagito's luck cycle was something I'd never be able to fully account for.
After moving the coffee table closer to the couch and grabbing an energy drink from the mini fridge, I kicked up my feet and got to work. It was another stroke of good luck that I found a pen lying on the table.
The first day on Jabberwock Island had come to an end, but my night was only just beginning.
Monokuma Theater
Welcome! Welcome one and all to the Killing School Trip! Before we really get this show on the road, I thought I'd get some of the boring stuff outta the way.
Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is the intellectual property of Spike Chunsoft and Kazutaka Kodaka! Not that they're doing anything with it. Honestly, ending a series right at the peak of its popularity after V3?
Why, that's just un-bearable! And before you ask, no, the summer camp game doesn't count.
What's that? Kodaka had perfectly legitimate reasons for leaving the company? Don't give me any of that! I don't care one bit.
I care that my beautiful self is constrained, restrained… strained even! Three games just aren't enough for me. Now how will all the boys, gals, and nonbinary pals around the world get their fix of Monokuma!? Huh!? It's a tragedy of the highest order!
Ahem. Sorry about that, got carried away. It just gets on my nerves, ya see. Anyway, where were we?
Oh, right. This is a work of fanfiction. As if you didn't know that already. The author humbly suggests that you read and enjoy all of the delicious despair on offer! I know I will.
That's all for the first Monokuma theater everyone! So long, bear-well.
I didn't realize how quickly time had passed until the sun nearly blinded me. I had just placed my improvised journal/planner down when the light began to stream into my cottage.
The time on my e-Handbook read 6:33 AM. My planning had taken a lot longer than I thought to transfer from my mind to pen and paper, but I still felt like it was worth it. I stashed the handbook back away and stood to my feet.
Fatigue hit me like a brick. The now several energy drinks I had gone through were enough to keep me awake all night, but the rest of the day? It would be rough. I sighed; what was done was done, I'd just have to live with it for the day.
I half expected Monokuma to pop up out of nowhere, but that was just something he did to Hajime apparently.
With nothing better to do, I decided to just head to the restaurant. It'd probably be another hour or so before the majority of people woke up, but it was better than just sitting around my cottage staring at the walls.
Once more, when my door shut behind me, the keypad beeped once and I heard a soft click as the door locked again. I felt a lot more secure with the keypads, but I couldn't fathom why they were even there.
The cottages only had basic locks in the game, so basic that Ibuki was able to just smash Hajime's with relative ease. The beefed up security was appreciated, but out of place.
I put it off for later. Trying to puzzle out every little difference would only confuse me more, and with my body and mind suffering from my lack of sleep, I doubted I'd get anywhere.
On my path to the restaurant, I didn't spot anyone, not that I expected to. Before I entered the main building, I took a long look at the old building to my left.
The location of the first murder. The catalyst that set the Killing Game properly into motion. If I could help it, I'd avoid the place like the plague.
After dragging my feet up the stairs into the restaurant, I spotted food laid out on some of the tables. It wasn't anything extravagant, just some basic breakfast food, but it looked well made and I wasn't particularly picky.
Idly, I wondered how long ago it was made. I scarfed down a piece of bacon and found that it was still just as hot as it would have been if it had just come out of the pan, so it couldn't have been long.
Or it was just more simulation nonsense.
The main attraction, as far as I was concerned, was the coffee maker I spotted behind a counter towards the back of the restaurant. I hadn't seen it the day before, and it was in an area that you never were able to actually see usually, but I thanked whoever put it there before making a beeline towards it.
Some minutes later, with my heavily caffeinated, sugar packed coffee in a spare thermos, I settled myself into a chair with my back facing the wall. It was peaceful, and I was grateful for it given what I knew the end of today would bring.
While I sat, sipping on my scalding hot drink, my mind wandered.
Given that the first murder was instigated by Nagito, did I even have to worry about a murder happening at the party? He set up the knife, the glowing paint, the blackout, everything. He even gave Teruteru the push needed for him to snap and kill someone, albeit not his intended target.
Of course, I would be doing no such thing. This was also assuming the party even happened in the first place, of which there was no guarantee.
Sometime during my musings, the morning announcement was played on the monitor in the room. It was just as obnoxious as I remembered, and I didn't look forward to hearing it and the nighttime announcement every single day.
Footsteps drew me out of my thoughts, soft but easily noticeable to me with how quiet the restaurant was with nobody but myself around. I mourned the loss of my quiet atmosphere for a moment, but part of me was glad to talk to someone.
I was shocked to see that it was Peko who came up the stairs. Byakuya was the one I expected, but his footsteps would have been much heavier. Peko was one of the last that I would think of, at least, one of the last I would think of to arrive alone.
Right. She and Fuyuhiko were trying to keep their relationship a secret at the moment. It had slipped my mind completely.
She looked just as surprised to see me, in her own way. Her expression didn't change much, but I did see her eyes widening just a bit. She looked to the side, at the food spread on the tables.
"Did you make all of this, Nagito?" She asked, already in the process of grabbing an empty plate and some of the food.
I shook my head in the negative. "Nope. It was already out when I got here, about…" I checked the time. 7:30 AM. "...an hour ago, give or take."
"Who could have done it then? Teruteru?" She sat down across from me after loading up her plate, which was full of the more healthy, protein rich options on display. She caught me off guard yet again when she sat across from me, but I just rolled with it.
"Please." I snorted. "If he made it, he'd be here bragging about it. Bragging, and saying something perverted."
Peko didn't smile, but there was mirth in her eyes, miniscule as it was. "You're right." Her reply was short, but not rude.
I took a long drink of my coffee, feeling slightly more awake than I was before, but still not that great. Peko looked between me and my coffee.
"Now that I'm looking at you, you look worse than you did yesterday. Did you not sleep at all?" I shrugged.
"Not a bit. Had too much on my mind to sleep. Yesterday was… well, it was rough, for everyone."
"Be that as it may, you already had everyone worried yesterday. What will they think when they see you even worse off than before? You're simply not taking good enough care of yourself." She lectured, a hint of steel in her tone.
I hoped this wasn't going to happen often. I appreciated everyone's concern, but it wasn't exactly the time, and we had bigger problems. It wasn't like I went without sleep without a good reason, but they wouldn't believe me if I gave it.
"Gotta admit, you're one of the last people I would have expected to lecture me about my health." We hadn't even spoken the day before, after all.
She raised an eyebrow in response. "And why do you say that?"
"You just didn't seem like the type, I guess. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate it, but still." I knew she was a lot warmer than she looked, but there was never a guarantee that she or anyone was completely the same as the versions of them I knew.
People aren't anywhere near as predictable as characters, bound by their writing and programming.
"I can't fault you for your reasoning." Peko said with a sigh. She looked almost resigned. "Most think of me as cold, unfeeling even."
I waved one hand dismissively. "I don't think anything like that. You just gave off a more reserved feeling to me; it's why I didn't say anything to you yesterday. Speaking of which, did you see -"
"You being pushed into the pool?" She cut me off. "Yes. Fuyuhiko seemed enraged for some reason. What happened?" I didn't miss the slight hesitation when she said Fuyuhiko's name. She probably only just caught herself before she called him Young Master.
"I… might have called him Baby Gangsta." She just looked at me, confused. She probably didn't get the joke.
"Baby… Gangsta?" I choked on my coffee when I heard her say it, hesitating as if the words were in a foreign language. It hadn't been the best time to take a drink.
After ensuring that my lungs weren't full of molten hot coffee, I gathered myself enough to answer.
"It's a joke about his height. Lowbrow, I know, but he was just so hostile from the second I saw him, I couldn't resist." I explained.
Peko wasn't as upset as I thought she would have been. "I see. Please don't make jokes about his height in the future, I believe he's very sensitive about it."
"Well, considering that he shoved me into a freezing pool and threatened to murder me, I think I got the point already. Thanks, though."
I sank back into my seat, still nursing my drink. Peko was less intimidating to talk to than I thought, but I was still relatively on edge around her. A few seconds later, I heard more footsteps coming up the stairs.
Judging by how loud the steps were, I figured it was Byakuya, and was proven right when he emerged and looked at us with slightly widened eyes.
"Nagito and Peko? I must say, I didn't expect either of you to arrive earlier than myself." Before either of us could respond, he stomped over to the laid out food and stared at it with a hand on his chin.
"It was all here when I got here earlier, and Peko got here a while after me. No idea who made it though." I answered Byakuya's questions before he could ask them. He just nodded and loaded up his own plate.
"It falls on me to test it, then. There's a chance that Monokuma, or the one controlling him, laid all of this out to trick and poison us." With that, he dug in. His plate was nearly empty before I could even blink.
"Should we tell him that you already ate some before him?" I whispered to Peko. She just shook her head and looked at my now dwindling cup of coffee again.
"Have you not already eaten, Nagito? Caffeine might only end up making you feel worse if you don't." And now she was scolding me for my diet, or lack thereof.
I didn't bother arguing, really, since I knew she was right. I just hadn't been feeling hungry, even considering the fact that I couldn't remember the last time I ate an actual meal. The single strip of bacon didn't count.
"Yes, mom, whatever you say." I had to be at least a little snarky though.
Peko didn't respond, but I could have sworn that I saw the tiniest twitch of her lips in response.
After making my own plate and seeing Peko judge my choices, I ate in silence. Byakuya was too absorbed in his own thoughts and Peko ended up looking out through the window facing towards the cottages, as if she were searching for something. Or in this case, someone.
Soon enough, the others joined us. Mikan took a seat beside Peko, across from me, but she was shaking so much I was afraid she'd pass out.
The restaurant was much less quiet with the addition of everyone else, but it was better than the haunting silence we'd ended on the day before. I wasn't surprised when Hajime looked to be one of the last to show up. He was most likely being harassed by Monokuma in his own cottage right about now.
Kazuichi was missing too, but I assumed it was just him freaking out like usual. Someone would end up dragging him over, I was sure.
Fuyuhiko would arrive eventually. I hoped he would, at least.
"Everyone has arrived. Everyone, that is, aside from Hajime, Kazuichi, and Fuyuhiko.." Byakuya spoke up, his naturally commanding voice silencing all conversation.
I was glad for it. Mikan had switched to her more confident nurse persona and was grilling me with questions just before. To make it worse, Peko acted like a human lie detector and shot me down every time I tried to play things off.
Those two were a dangerous team.
"And? I'm pretty sure Hajime and Kazuichi will show up eventually." Mahiru said, resting her head in one of her palms. "Might as well not bother with Fuyuhiko, though."
Byakuya wasn't pleased. "I can't do that. At the very least, I expected better from Hajime. Would someone be willing to bring them here?" He looked to the rest of us, scanning us over.
Nobody volunteered.
"Have you been appointed as our commander? I recall no such thing." Was Gundham's blunt response. Byakuya just pushed up his glasses.
"That can be saved for later. For now, everyone must be present." He insisted, somehow managing to sound commanding even while wolfing down his food at a record pace.
Eventually, after much deliberation and certainly not everyone but Peko saying "not it", she left the restaurant and went to find them.
From there, things went about as I remembered them. Peko came back with Hajime in tow after a few minutes, and he sat in the chair beside me. He looked like he was already completely done for the day, and I didn't blame him.
"Rough night?" I asked as he slumped onto the table, head in his arms. He groaned something in response that I didn't understand. "Same". I made sure to loudly sigh as I took a sip of my recently refilled coffee.
He raised his head just enough to give me the evil eye.
"Hajime." Byakuya called. Hajime stiffened and stood straight. "Where is Kazuichi? I was under the impression that he was with you."
"He started screaming as soon as I tried to talk to him. He ran off when Peko came to get us, no idea where he's at now." Byakuya frowned heavily.
"Where does that idiot think he's gonna go? There's nowhere to run anyway." Hiyoko spoke up, never missing an opportunity to insult somebody.
"Eh, more food for me." Akane shrugged before continuing to stuff her face. I was glad I got mine before she, Byakuya, and Nekomaru did.
"Will he be alright? M-Maybe one of us should check up on him?" Mikan suggested after gathering the courage. Said courage died as soon as most people's eyes went to her. Mahiru sighed, loudly.
"I'll go get him myself, then. Everyone just wait here, I'll bring him here soon, whether he likes it or not." I almost pitied Kazuichi as Mahiru stormed down the stairs. The lecture he was going to get would be legendary.
Eventually, everyone, including Fuyuhiko who finally decided to show up, were finally gathered in the restaurant, and Byakuya revealed what he wanted to talk to everyone about.
"Gathering everyone took longer than I would have liked, but at the very least, we can finally get down to business." He began, pushing his plate away. "Tell me, what do you think is the most important thing that we must have right now?"
"Food, right? We got plenty of it here and in the market, so we're good, right?" Akane said with her mouth full. Nekomaru shook his head.
"You're forgetting some things. A good diet is important, but so is good sleep! And, even more important than that, is a good shit!" He roared, his voice bouncing off the walls. I noticed Ibuki clamping her hands down over her ears.
"Does anyone have an actual answer?" Byakuya asked after a moment of stunned silence. Nobody answered for a long moment, so I spoke up to move things along.
"A leader, maybe? 16 people running around panicking in this situation is only gonna end in disaster." He gave me an approving nod and gestured for me to continue. "So, we should elect a leader to keep us in line. Am I right?"
"Exactly right. I was originally going to ask everyone to gather here to do exactly that. Nagito, however, caught on much faster than even I expected, and asked before I could." Byakuya praised, which felt good until I remembered something.
I completely forgot about the whole thing with him being the leader until a few minutes ago. My memory was extensive, but the mind tends to remember the huge, life changing events more than the day to day things. Still, I was in no rush to correct him.
"I mean, I get what you're saying but isn't it a little too early for this?" Hajime asked, finally awake enough to participate in an actual conversation. "We've barely even been here for a day. How are we supposed to know who the best leader would be?"
Byakuya scoffed. "I would have thought that the answer to that question would be obvious. I will be accepting the position. Rejoice."
As expected, there was an immediate uproar.
"You can't just do that! What happened to electing a leader, huh!?" Mahiru was the most vocal about her opposition, looming over Byakuya's table with her hands on her hips.
"I never said anything about an election. That would be Nagito. And regardless, isn't it obvious that I am the best choice for a leadership position?" Byakuya was completely unphased.
"What, because you're the Ultimate Affluent Progeny? You think that automatically gives you the right to be our leader?" Mahiru continued her interrogation.
"I dunno, Mahiru. Ibuki thinks he'd be a good leader! He seems like he'd be really reliable, ya know?" Ibuki chimed in, offering her support for the idea. Mahiru shot her an almost betrayed look, but soldiered on.
"Nobody else here is exactly leadership material." Hiyoko said, her signature wicked grin in place. "Why not let Mr. Ham Hands be the leader for a while? If he sucks, we can just get someone else."
"Mr. Ham Hands…?" Byakuya asked, mostly to himself. "Anyway, rest assured. As long as I am the leader, none of you will become victims. You need only follow my instructions. This I swear, on the name of my family!" He went as far as to point dramatically at the group.
"I still think you're being too forceful about this. Can't we talk about it a little more?" Mahiru's voice was weaker, knowing that Byakuya was starting to gain support.
"Well, like Hiyoko said, think of it as a trial period. We'll let him be the leader for a while and see how he does." I suggested, drawing attention to myself. "If we have to, we can just choose someone else, right?"
Mahiru sighed. "I guess. You better not make me regret this though, Byakuya!"
"Naturally." Byakua said with a small nod. "Now, there are other matters to discuss."
"Something else? What could there even be? We've already seen everything on the islands." Nekomaru asked. He was still eating, shoveling grilled chicken of all things into his mouth at a record pace. I hadn't even seen grilled chicken in the spread before.
"He wants to talk about fighting Monokuma and the robots, duh!" Akane said, already getting pumped up at the idea. She was quickly shot down.
"Are you stupid!? We'd get annihilated in two seconds!" Kazuichi screamed in fear at just the thought of it.
"Before we can even consider the idea of a battle with Monokuma and his automatons, we must gather more resources." Gundham offered his advice. He didn't look at anyone else, too busy feeding his Four Dark Devas. "I would survive such a battle, of course, but it would be calamitous for you mortals at this time."
"Guys!" Hajime said, louder than I would have expected. Especially considering that I was right next to him. He shrank into his seat as everyone swiveled to look at him, but kept going. "We're not fighting the Monobeasts. Why don't we just listen to what Byakuya has to say?"
Chiaki, who had been dozing off for most of the conversation, finally decided to say something. "He's right. You guys are trying to fight the final boss without doing any level grinding."
The reference flew over some heads.
"I'm sorry, but I do not quite understand. I must confess, I have always been more partial to movies than video games." Sonia was one of them.
"I can help, Princess." Teruteru slid in out of nowhere to stand beside her. "I can teach you about all kinds of games."
"Enough." Byakuya didn't raise his voice, but everyone listened to him regardless. "If you are all finished, I would like to get to the point." When nobody said anything, he continued. "I would like for everyone to meet at Jabberwock Park as soon as possible. There is something there I want to show you."
With his piece said, he got up and left without another word. As his loud footsteps descended the stairs, the rest of us looked at each other.
"Dammit! I don't wanna go anywhere. I just wanna stay in my cottage and lock myself in." Kazuichi whined. Hiyoko just laughed at him.
"You've got 'first victim' written all over you, you know. Are you gonna be alright?" Kazuichi didn't take that well and proceeded to run out of the room.
"Was that really necessary, Hiyoko?" Mahiru asked, voice a tad more stern than usual. "I know you like to tease people, but that's too far. You should apologize to him later."
"But Mahiruuuuu!" Hiyoko whined, kicking her feet. Were they already getting along? Not that I was complaining, but it was a bit early.
"No buts." Mahiru's tone might as well have been steel. Hiyoko folded and mumbled an affirmative.
I took my leave soon after that. Hajime got up with me, and Chiaki made it a trio. I wondered if something would be different with the "bomb" too.
If you were to ask someone what they think a bomb looks like, scale it up, and slap a massive countdown timer on the front, you'd more or less get an idea of what the "bomb" in Jabberwock park looked like.
As it turned out, there was a slight difference to it. Or, perhaps a major one, I wasn't completely sure.
The day counter. I couldn't recall exactly what it was supposed to be, but 21 days was my rough guess. The counter in front of me did not say 21 days.
It said 50 days. Over double the time given for the original "bomb" if my memory was correct.
The original countdown was more or less a red herring, same with the bomb itself. It wouldn't actually do anything on its own, but it was significant. It symbolized Junko challenging herself, giving herself a timer to see how quickly she could get everyone into the graduation program.
But why was the timer so much longer now? Did it mean that Junko's control at the moment was more shaky than it was in the game? If it meant that she was weaker, that her control over the simulation was much less absolute, that could be something I could use to my advantage.
On the other hand, this was Junko. Trying to understand how her thought process works was nothing but an exercise in futility. The 50 days timer might mean that she was weaker, but it could also mean something else entirely.
It could even be an actual bomb this time, with no red herrings or gimmicks about it. I doubted that, but still, there was just no way to know at the moment. It was still important information, though. Plans would have to be adjusted with the new timeframe in mind.
Nobody spoke, too busy staring at the bomb that might or might not be an actual bomb. Even Byakuya kept his stoic look until everyone had finally arrived.
"What… is that thing? It looks like a bomb." Hajime was understandably panicked at the idea, and the suggestion made more than a few people nervous.
"50 days. At the end of this 50 day timer, will this explode and kill us all?" Peko asked, eyes scanning it up and down.
"When'd you even find this thing, fatso? It sure as shit wasn't here last night." Fuyuhiko's crass language didn't seem to bother Byakuya.
"Insults about my weight aside, I found it this morning. When I woke up, I decided to do another sweep of both islands. Lo and behold, this was here in the park in the place of the statue from yesterday." He explained.
"Monokuma must have put it here, then. But why?" Chiaki asked, eyes unusually focused. Any trace of her usual sleepy attitude were gone for the moment. "It doesn't make any sense."
"Huh? Monokuma wants us all to die, right? So a bomb makes perfect sense!" Ibuki said, maybe a tad too cheerfully despite the morbid subject.
I shook my head. "No, it doesn't. Have any of you read the rules?" My question earned me more than a few incredulous looks.
"Why? Monokuma didn't say anything about any rule changes. All he did was explain this Killing Game stuff and leave." Nekomaru said, idly picking his nose.
"No, he updated them. Look." Hajime said before holding out his handbook for everyone to crowd around. On the screen were the new rules put in place by Monokuma.
Rule 5: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will happen soon after. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.
Rule 6: If the Blackened is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed.
Rule 7: If the Blackened is not exposed, the remaining students will be executed instead.
Rule 8: As a reward, the surviving Blackened will be forgiven for their crime and allowed to leave the island.
Rule 9: The Body Discovery announcement will play when three or more people, excluding the culprit, discover a body for the first time.
Rule 10: Destroying surveillance cameras and monitors is strictly prohibited and will be punished accordingly.
Rule 11: You are free to explore the islands at your leisure. There will be no restrictions placed upon you in this regard.
Rules may be added at the discretion of the Headmaster.
"Alright, and? This is pretty much just what Monokuma was talking about last night." Mahiru said, returning to stand next to Hiyoko when she was done reading.
"Ah, I believe I know where you're going with this, Nagito, Chiaki. Would you like to explain, or should I do the honors?" Byakuya was as sharp as ever. I decided that I'd be the one to say it.
"Think about it. All of these rules are in place so that the Killing Game operates fairly. If there was this much effort put into the Killing Game, why would Monokuma bother with killing us all after a certain time passes?" I saw a few people wince at the idea of the Killing Game being fair, but I could tell they were starting to get it.
"If it's not a bomb, a-and it won't explode and kill everyone… what is it?" Mikan's voice was quiet and shaky.
"And who put it here? That thing's huge! There's no way one person coulda put it there!" Kazuichi added.
Byakuya cleared his throat. "My hypothesis is this: it is an intimidation tactic. A countdown for murder. If someone were to look at this and think that their days were quite literally numbered, they might just do something drastic to avoid it."
"I dunno about that. It has to mean something, right?" Hajime argued. "If Monokuma wanted to give us reasons to kill each other, he could do something a lot more direct. Is he really willing to wait almost two months for somebody to commit a murder?"
"Or it could just mean nothing. Maybe it only means something to Monokuma, and it's not supposed to mean anything to us." Chiaki was eerily close to the truth, or what I believed to be the truth.
I needed to talk to her, and Usami if possible. Hajime would have to be included as well. They were all acting differently, even if the difference wasn't quite as large in Hajime's case if I didn't count him storming off yesterday.
Usami still hadn't shown back up though. I couldn't help but worry about her.
"This bomb, or whatever it truly might be, is not the only thing we must discuss. There are more mysteries we've yet to unravel." Byakuya moved the conversation along.
"Ugh! This whole place is just mystery, mystery, mystery! Ibuki's brain is melting!" Ibuki clenched her teeth, holding her head like she was afraid it was about to explode.
"Very true. The two main mysteries I would like to focus on are rather simple. Where did the inhabitants of Jabberwock Island go? How did we all arrive here?" I had the answers to both of those questions, not that I would actually say them.
That didn't mean that I was going to mislead them, though. A nudge in the right direction here and there, and maybe I could convince everyone over time. Starting now.
"Well, we were all in the classroom before, right?" Everyone either nodded or gave me their confirmation verbally. "Does anyone remember how they got to the classroom, though?"
"I entered the academy and walked to the classroom, of course. My Four Dark Devas were with me, as they always are, and can confirm my words." Just as Gundham said, his Devas crawled out of his scarf, perched themselves on his shoulders and hands, and nodded.
"Yeah, what kind of stupid question is that? I know you were all loopy yesterday, so maybe your brain's rotten!" Hiyoko apparently remembered the same thing. I knew someone that didn't, though.
"Hajime? What about you?" His head snapped up, eyes locking onto mine.
"Huh? What… wait. I don't remember going to the classroom. I just remember being outside the school and then suddenly, I was there." He frowned deeply.
"Well, you can't remember your talent and stuff, right?" Akane dug around in one of her ears with a pinky finger as she spoke. "Maybe ya just don't remember going to the classroom either."
"Why would he forget something so specific? We must also consider how we got to this island. If we truly walked into Hope's Peak and went to the classroom, how did we get here?" Peko asked. I was glad someone besides me brought that up.
Kazuichi snapped his fingers, as if just realizing something. "Now that you mention it, you're right. That's really weird. The classroom just fell apart and we were on the beach. You're tellin' me we crossed the ocean in a classroom?"
"You're all worrying too much about all this. All these questions, all this talk about killing and death. None of it's real. I refuse to believe it's real." Teruteru finally added something, doing something besides fiddling with his comb while everyone else talked. I could understand his denial, though. Nobody would want to accept the situation we were in.
But we had to. If he didn't figure it out on his own, someone else would have to hammer it into his skull. I just hoped it didn't take a murder for that to happen.
"Disregarding Teruteru's denial, there is one more thing. The inhabitants of the island. Where have they all gone?" Byakuya asked. "Jabberwock Island is a popular resort island, a tourist destination that is renowned the world over. For there to be nobody at all besides us is worrying to say the least."
Sonia's skin became a shade more pale. "Surely, you are not suggesting that Monokuma and the Monobeasts killed everyone? But, for them to do such a thing, it's…" She didn't finish, though we all felt the same.
"Impossible." I bluntly said. "If there was this huge massacre, they did a good job of cleaning up. Would it even be possible for something like that to happen without somebody knowing? A phone call, a post on the internet for help, the local authorities sending for reinforcements, some kind of information would leak to the world at large."
"It'd have to be an organization, not just Monokuma and whoever's controllin' him. A damn powerful one too, to keep it all quiet." Fuyuhiko mused. He looked faintly unnerved at such an organization's existence.
"It's not even just that. The island itself has been changed too." I decided to add. Byakuya raised an eyebrow at me. The question was obvious. "The bridges. They're not supposed to be here. The islands are supposed to have ferries going back and forth between them, not bridges."
"And where did you learn this information? I was not aware." Byakuya cupped his chin, tapping a finger against one of his cheeks. I shrugged.
"Just read it on the internet. I didn't even think about it back then, but now I'm glad I did."
"But, if the i-island was changed that much… if it was changed that much, it would take a long time, and a lot of money. R-right?" Mikan asked, wringing her hands together.
"Exactly. To have enough money to pull that off, let alone the ability to remove all previous inhabitants as well as keep it completely unknown to the rest of the world… whatever organization might be behind this, the sheer scope of their abilities is frightening." Byakuya's voice was the most troubled I had ever heard it be.
"Where's all this talking even getting us, anyway? I'm just more confused than ever now!" Akane complained. Ibuki nodded feverishly.
"Same same! I mean, I kinda get what you guys are saying, and I know it's weird, but I don't really get it." Ibuki admitted sheepishly.
"Alright. Here's what we know." Chiaki took the initiative and summarized all of the information for us.
1. The bomb in the park is either an intimidation tactic, something meant for Monokuma alone, or an actual bomb that will kill us.
2. Everyone but Hajime remembers going to the classroom at Hope's Peak.
3. Somehow, the classroom was transported from Hope's Peak to Jabberwock Island.
4. All previous inhabitants of Jabberwock Island are completely gone.
5. Jabberwock Island has been changed slightly. Instead of ferries between islands, there are now bridges.
With that, we were finished. There was just no more information to offer, nothing else to talk about that related to our situation as a whole. Minus one thing. Something that apparently only I knew.
The locked room in Rocketpunch Market. It had been on my mind for a while. I couldn't shake the feeling that there might be something important behind that door. Why else would it be locked up like that?
I didn't say anything about it. Until someone else found it, which I somewhat doubted, I'd keep it a secret. There was no telling what was in there, and the more people that knew about it, the more conflicts there might be once the contents were found.
Overall, I was satisfied with how things had gone. Sure, they were still operating under the assumption that we were on the real Jabberwock Island, but it was leagues better than they'd be otherwise.
Already, I could tell that the more sharp people in the group were skeptical. If I kept going, kept pushing and hammering in just how off the whole situation was, I might be able to convince them of us being in a simulation without sounding insane.
After that, I wasn't sure. I just knew that, once everyone was aware of it being a simulation, the temptation to murder would be effectively wiped out. Or, at least, I hoped that was the case.
Everyone eventually parted and went their separate ways. I was the last in the park, still staring up at the countdown. So much time.
But, part of me felt like it still might not be enough. I'd just have to have hope.
Yes… hope. Hope for the future. Hope for the Ultimates. A hope that crushes Monokuma and his despair beneath its heel.
There is no other option.