Author's Note: character profiles will come later. For now, here's a brief recap.
Female students:
Koi Amaki – Ultimate Fangirl
Rin Ono – Ultimate Golfer
Naomi Shimizu – Ultimate Mangaka
Emi Togami – Ultimate Origamist
Akiko Narumi – Ultimate Sailor
Mizuki Tenshi – Ultimate Moral Compass
Yuna Koyama – Ultimate Dietician
Momoka Ito – Ultimate Perfumer
Male students:
Hiroto Oshiro – Ultimate Attorney
Ryu Minamoto – Ultimate Yakuza
Kenji Sasaki – Ultimate Linguist
Jeffrey Silverstein – Ultimate Kabuki Actor
Tsubasa Haneda – Ultimate Speedrunner
Jun Mujun – Ultimate Hacker
Takeru Tao – Ultimate Child Caregiver – (not a ninja)
Shingo Chiba – Ultimate Accountant
We walk through the hallway. Oddly-colored lights. Checker-pattern tile floors.
"It's just like the videos," I mutter, holding in a shiver. "Just like… the old Hope's Peak, before renovations."
"It is," Shingo agrees, walking beside me. "I'm no expert on this school's history, but… so far, I haven't noticed any differences."
"Relax your muscles," Takeru advises. "We must preserve our chakra for the battle to come."
Other people walk past us. I hear snippets of conversation.
"Heh," Jun grunts, smirking slightly. "Looking worse and worse, isn't it?"
"That was some great voice work, though," Tsubasa says, casually resting his hands on his spiky hair. "It sounded just like the original Monokuma!"
"Whatever," says Rin. "It was probably just, like, an old voice clip."
"No, it wasn't," I interject. "He specifically called us 'transfer students.' I don't think the real Monokuma ever said that."
"Hmmm," Momoka drawls. "Guess it was great voice work, after all."
"Y-yeah," Yuna stutters nervously. "V-very realistic. Definitely."
I lag behind, as my steps become shorter. I dread having to move forward.
"Listen to those fools chatter on."
I almost scream. How does Emi keep sneaking up on me like that?
"Those cretins will be the first to fall," Emi whispers in my ear. "I advise that you keep your distance—or else they'll end up dragging you down with them."
With that, Emi walks past me. And now I'm actually shivering. I have to stop for a second to pull myself together.
I start walking again—but I'm alone in the hall now. Everyone else is there already.
I turn right, and…
"Hiroto?" I say, surprised. He's standing outside the door, alone. "You haven't gone in yet?"
"Ah, well," Hiroto says, rubbing the back of his head. "I noticed you were lagging behind, so… I wanted to make sure you got here okay."
I smile with my whole body. "I'm fine now," I tell him. "Come on. Let's get… whatever this is… over with."
We walk through the door, into the trophy room. It's exactly like the videos. Even the trophies are the same.
We walk through another door—into a spacious gymnasium. People are standing around, whispering and muttering to each other. The opposite wall gives way to a stage, which stands a couple feet above the rest of the gym. On the stage, a podium has been set up.
I almost say something… but before I can, that infamous squeaky voice fills the room.
"Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let's get things rolling!"
Sixteen students stand in the gymnasium, facing forward. Facing the stage, where a lone podium stands.
Something jumps up from behind the podium—and plops down onto it.
A bear.
A teddy bear.
Half white, half black. Wearing an evil grin on its black side, under a jagged red eye.
"Monokuma appears!" says the bear.
Several students clap.
"That's right, everyone: Monokuma, the world-famous despair bear, is your new headmaster! And you know what that means!" He raises his arms. "It means thrills! It means chills! And it most certainly means kills! Puhuhu…" He laughs, and puts his robotic hands over his mouth. "Puhuhuhu… Let the killing game commence!"
"Man, this is so hype," Tsubasa says excitedly.
"Look at how it moves!" Jeff says, no less excited. "It's just like in the videos!"
"S-so how does this work?" Yuna asks nervously. "D-do we get, like… prop weapons?"
"Hmmm," Momoka drawls. "Can I be the first victim? I want to take a nap, so…"
"Oh, let me be one of the killers!" says Akiko. "I have some great ideas for how I'd cover it up! I think I'd totally get away with it!"
"Sorry, Akiko," says Tsubasa, "but I plan to catch all the killers in record time. I'm doing a 100% solo run!"
"Wow, such enthusiasm!" says Monokuma. "Finally, my hard work is being acknowledged. I'm so moved, I could just kill you all right here and now! …However, I think we need to clarify a few details.
"As for weapons—use whatever you want! Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that.
"As for the victim—sorry, but we cannot allow any napping corpses in this school. Because that would be a zombie. And zombies are strictly prohibited."
"Haha, nice one!" says Jeff. "That is such a Monokuma thing to say!"
"Will everyone cut the crap?" Ryu snaps. "This asshole fuckin' kidnapped us!"
"I agree," Shingo says sternly. "I don't know what's going on here, but it's definitely not legal."
"This is, like, so fucking creepy," says Rin. "We got, like, roofied, and dragged into this skeevy-looking room, for some reason? Like… how do we know you weren't, like, grabbing our tits that whole time?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" says Monokuma. "I'm a bear, not a pervert. Don't go making accusations that could get me cancelled!"
"Rin's right, actually," says Hiroto. "You put a group of high schoolers in an extremely vulnerable position, without any warning or consent given. As soon as this gets out, there's going to be a major scandal. And more than a few arrests, in all likelihood."
"Which is fuckin' nothing," spits Ryu, "compared to what my family's gonna do to the asswipes behind this. You dipshits thought you could kidnap a fuckin' Minamoto?"
"Oh, this is embarrassing," Monokuma says, tilting his head down. "I totally ruined the prologue. I got so excited that I jumped right to the juicy part, and skipped over the buildup. Now everyone's all confused." He looks up. "You guys are talking way too much about the outside world. Forget about the outside world! This school is your home now! The only world you need… is inside the confines of this school!"
"What are you talking about?" Naomi asks, her eyes wide.
"Wait, I'm confused," I say, speaking up despite my looming terror. "You—you said we had to play a killing game to leave. But now you're saying that we shouldn't leave…?"
"Okay, so I jumped the gun a little," says Monokuma. "Sure, you have to graduate if you want to leave. And to graduate, you have to kill someone and get away with it. But all of that is optional! This is the kind of school where no one has to graduate! If we all get along and follow the rules, we can live out the rest of our lives in this peaceful paradise of a school building."
"This isn't even remotely amusing," Naomi hisses.
"Y-yeah," Tsubasa agrees; he's starting to sweat. "This acting is a little bit too spot-on."
"They must have hired a really good actor!" Jeff says; he's not sweating at all.
"Boy, teenagers these days are such skeptics," says Monokuma. "Didn't you guys see the entrance? Haven't you seen the windows? If you thought those plates and hatches were made of cardboard—you'd better check again! 'Cuz they're solid metal!"
"E-excuse me, sir," Yuna stutters, raising her hand; her face has lost all color. "I… I don't want to play this game anymore. May I p-please go home?"
"Yeah, I think I'm opting out too," says Tsubasa. "This got way too intense for me."
"Jeez, did they hand me all the deaf kids by mistake?" says Monokuma. "I keep telling you, this school is your home! If you don't like it, you gotta leave a corpse or two on your way out the door."
"Wait, there's no opt-out option?" Akiko squeaks, eyes wide with panic. "So this is basically a hostage situation? That's so messed up!"
"And what happens if we leave without your permission?" Naomi asks, glaring daggers at Monokuma. "I suppose you'll punish us in some way?"
"Of course!" says Monokuma. "But that doesn't matter, 'cuz leaving this school is impossible. It's sealed up tighter than a can of beans!"
"A sealing jutsu?" says Takeru. "You foul creature. To use such a powerful technique on civilians…"
"Hey," says Rin, "so, like… who's controlling this robot teddy bear? Because, like… I'd really like to give them a piece of my mind."
"Yeah," says Ryu, cracking his knuckles. "Let's settle this like men, you piece of shit!"
"Who summoned this beast?" asks Takeru. "Show yourself, coward!"
"What're you guys so eager to leave for, anyway?" asks Monokuma. "It's a harsh world out there! Rates of teenage suicide, depression, and anxiety are through the roof. And no wonder! Life for you young people has gotten way too complicated! The Internet is judging your every word. Employers are judging your every choice. Universities are judging your every grade. Meanwhile, your parents are nag, nag, nagging you to do better, do better, do better! Go to the right school, get the right job, marry the right spouse, have the right kids.
"C'mon, now. All that's waiting for you out there is a world where you're bullied, scolded, and crapped on. A world where your own peers will turn on you if you show the smallest sign of weakness. A world where missing a single exam could ruin the course of your entire life. A world full of judgment, demands, and obligations. A world where you live in fear of strangers, 'cuz you can't trust 'em as far as you can throw 'em.
"In other words, it's a world of distrust.
"And that's what I'm saving you from! In here, there's only the sixteen of you—and once you get to know each other, trust will come naturally! Sure, it might feel a little cramped. But otherwise, you can all live your ideal life in here at your leisure. Develop new hobbies, if you want. Play games, if you want. Have a heart-pounding romance, if you want! For the rest of your life, there'll be no parents to nag you. There'll be no Internet to judge you. And there'll be no teachers to grade you. 'Cuz I fired all the teachers!"
"You… fired them?" says Hiroto.
"Yep!" says Monokuma. "I fired alllllll the teachers! I fired them from a cannon, into a brick wall! Puhuhuhuhu!"
"Haha, good one!" says Jeff, laughing.
"Hmmm," Momoka drawls. "You said trust will come naturally. But, you also set up this killing game…"
"Well, of course!" says Monokuma. "After all, the harmony of your school life is built on trust. And if you violate that trust, you'd kill the harmony built on it. That should have serious consequences! If you get caught, you need to be punished!
"But if you don't get caught… well, then that harmony is good and dead. So you might as well get to graduate! As for the others… for failing to restore the fragile trust that exists here, they'll be punished instead!
"Of course, murder is still murder. And I'm sure all of you trust each other not to stoop that low. Even if I keep adding more motives to tempt everyone! Puhuhuhuhu!"
"Enough of this villainous monologuing!" shouts Takeru.
Suddenly, Takeru rushes onto the stage. "Takeru, stop!" shouts Shingo. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Oh, is this some kind of improv play?" says Jeff. "It looks fun! I want to join!"
Soon, Takeru is standing on the left side of the stage, and Jeff is on the right side. They both take fighting stances.
"Puhuhu!" Monokuma laughs. "Are you attacking the headmaster? 'Cuz that would be a serious violation of the rules!"
"I'm not so foolish," says Takeru. "I have yet to gauge your power. Despite your threats, you've given us no indication of your true abilities."
"Hey, I have plenty of abilities!" says Monokuma. "I've even come up with my own moveset!" He sighs, lowering his head. "And yet, they still won't let me join Super Clash Bros…"
"What the fuck is Super Clash Bros?" asks Ryu.
"Enough banter!" says Takeru. "Reveal your jutsu, demon! Show us the true power underlying your barbed words!"
"Puhuhuhu!" Monokuma laughs. "Okay, if you insist! I'll start with my down special: Spear of Gungnir!"
"TAKERU!" Shingo screams. "GET BACK!"
A lot of things happen very quickly.
Takeru leaps backward.
Tall, narrow, metallic spikes suddenly burst through the ground—right where Takeru was standing mere milliseconds ago.
Shingo rushes onto the stage.
Meanwhile, Jeff punches Monokuma off the podium, and then stomps on the robot bear. "Ha!" says Jeff. "I got him! He was distracted, so I…"
Now Jeff looks at Takeru—and sees the red liquid oozing out of his forearm. Jeff's smile fades. A look of panic and realization spreads across his face.
"You just attacked the headmaster!" says Monokuma. "That's very against the rules! I'll have to punish you with my side special… a good ol' fashioned slash attack!"
"GET AWAY FROM HIM, DUMBASS!" screams Ryu.
It's hard to see what happens next. It's partly obscured by the podium. And it's partly obscured by Ryu, who's rushing onto the stage.
But we all see blood gushing into the air, flying across the stage in wide arcs.
There's screaming. I'm screaming. I think I'm screaming. There are a lot of screams, and I might be one of them.
"Jeff!" says Ryu, holding Jeff upright. "Jeff, buddy? You okay, pal?"
Jeff… does not look okay. He's cringing and groaning. His white t-shirt is all torn up—and there are three giant gashes across his abdomen. Blood is flowing out of them. So much blood. Do humans really have this much blood?
I feel faint. I'm ready to vomit. I think I see Kenji vomiting in the corner.
"Don't worry," says Monokuma. "I didn't hit any vital organs. After all, a killing game isn't as fun if everyone dies off at the start!"
"I'm taking this guy to the nurse's office!" Ryu announces. "C'mon, buddy."
"I'm taking Takeru," says Shingo. Takeru's wound isn't as bad—one of the spears grazed his forearm—but it's still bleeding, and clearly needs treatment.
"I-I'll go too!" says Yuna. "I have m-medical training, so… I should go…!" She says this, but it's obvious that she's just desperate to leave this horrible room. We all are.
"Hey, c'mon now," says Monokuma. "This is a mandatory school assembly. No students may leave without my stated permission!"
Suddenly, red lasers are pointing at Ryu, Shingo, and Yuna. Lasers from the ceiling. From three giant guns, which are hanging from the ceiling. They just appeared out of nowhere.
"Be careful, now!" says Monokuma. "Those are motion-sensing turrets! You wouldn't want your school life to end on the first day, would you?"
"What the fuck?" snaps Ryu.
"Turrets…?" says Shingo.
"That's right—I summoned an assist trophy!" says Monokuma. "Ceiling turrets! …I'll think of a better name for them later."
The lasers disappear, and the turrets retract into the ceiling.
"Mr. Tao and Mr. Silverstein have my permission to leave," says Monokuma. "Go clean your wounds in the nurse's office, and wrap them up good and tight! Hurry up, now—if you lose too much blood, you might pass out!
"The rest of you are to remain in the gymnasium. Your entrance ceremony isn't over yet! You haven't even gotten your e-Handbooks!"
Ryu helps Jeff get down from the stage. Then Jeff puts an arm around Takeru. The two of them limp toward the door—dripping blood the whole way. Finally, they leave the gymnasium.
Yuna is crying now. "I want to go home," she squeaks. "I want to go home. Please. Please, let me go home."
"I'm on a sailboat," Akiko whispers. Her eyes are closed, and she's rocking back and forth. "I'm on a happy little sailboat. Sailing, sailing, sailing the day away…"
"We gotta get out of here!" Tsubasa screams, sweating profusely. He's looking around frantically, like the secret to our escape might be lying around somewhere. "How the fuck…? How the fuck do we get out of here?"
Kenji and Mizuki are staring at the floor, white-faced. Others are staring at the floor, too. The floor full of spears. The floor that could impale any of us at any moment.
Ryu and Shingo are staring at the ceiling, white-faced. Others are staring at the ceiling, too. The ceiling full of turrets. The ceiling that could shoot us to death at any moment.
We're completely trapped. Completely helpless.
There's no escape.
There's no freedom.
There's no hope.
I understand, now. I thought I understood before. Playing those games. Watching those videos. Reading those stories. I thought I knew how those people felt, in killing games past.
But despair is more than a word. It's more than a feeling.
It's the end of your own humanity.
It's the end of your own future.
It's the end of your own you.
And there's no replacement.
Just emptiness.
Just despair.
"I… I don't understand," I squeak out, feeling a tear drop down my face. "Why… why now…?"
"Koi is right," Naomi says sternly. "This doesn't make any sense. Tsumugi Shirogane has been dead for ages. So has Junko Enoshima, for that matter. Why now, of all times?"
"There must be a new Mastermind," says Hiroto. "But who is it?"
"Who the fuck is behind this shit?" Ryu shouts.
"And why us?" asks Naomi. "Why were we selected as the victims?"
"And why Hope's Peak?" asks Shingo. "Why repeat the setting of the first killing game?"
"Just what the hell is going on here?" asks a panicky Tsubasa.
"You guys are asking way too many questions," says Monokuma. "I can't talk about this stuff in the prologue! It would ruin the twist ending!"
"So it's really starting again, huh?" Jun says, his face blank.
"It sure is!" says Monokuma. "I hope everyone is excited! A new Danganronpa is about to begin—and you guys are in it!"
"B-but I don't want to," Yuna chokes out, still crying. "I don't want to…!"
"Um, hold up," says Rin. "If this is Danganronpa? Then, doesn't that mean that you've, like… stolen our memories, or whatever?"
"Holy shit," Ryu says, his eyes popping. "What the fuck have we been doing for two years? Have we been classmates the whole fuckin' time?"
"Hmm," Momoka drawls. "Maybe we're evil criminals, and this is a virtual world that they've plugged our brains into…"
"W-what about our personalities?" Tsubasa asks, his voice shaking. "You d-didn't overwrite our original personalities, did you…?"
"No, no, and no!" says Monokuma. "Do you guys really think I would retread old ground like that? How unoriginal! I assure you: none of your memories have been erased. No part of your personality has been changed. And the only thing your brain's plugged into is that hormone-addled body of yours! Capiche?"
"There must be something else, then," Shingo says, touching his chin. "There has to be some sort of catch."
"That's assuming Monokuma is telling the truth," says Hiroto. "We have no idea what he might be lying about."
"Bo-ring!" says Monokuma. "Who cares about all this overarching plot crap? We're all here for the killing game! So, let's get things rolling. It's time to give you your e-Handbooks!"
He reaches behind the podium, and grabs something. A small, thin, rectangular tablet. "Koi Amaki!" he says. "You're up first! Catch!"
He throws it. I barely catch it before it hits my face.
Monokuma continues calling people's names, and throwing e-Handbooks at them. Half of them get hit in the face. Poor Yuna gets hit, falls to the ground, and keeps on crying.
I turn on the e-Handbook, and see my name displayed.
"In order to avoid any confusion," says Monokuma, "I encourage all of you to read the rules immediately. I don't want anyone claiming ignorance as a defense!"
From the main menu, I click the "School Regulations" icon.
Regulations
1. Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is prohibited.
2. "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are restricted at night.
3. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.
4. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.
5. Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of school property.
"These are slightly different," I say out loud, unable to help myself. "Rule Five used to say 'destruction of surveillance cameras,' not 'school property.'"
"You—you seriously memorized the exact wording?" says Tsubasa.
"I suppose that's to be expected from a Danganronpa super-fan," Naomi mutters.
"Like, what's the deal with Rule Three?" says Rin. "Who gives a shit where we sleep?"
"That rule is worded the same in Danganronpa 1," I reply. "I never got the point of it either, though."
"Why are you guys so focused on the boring part?" says Monokuma. "Hurry up and get to the murder stuff!"
I keep reading.
6. Once a murder takes place, all surviving students must participate in a class trial.
7. If the blackened receives the greatest number of votes at the end of the class trial, they alone will be executed.
"The greatest number of votes?" I say, thinking out loud. "That's different—but I think I get it. You're saying that, if there's a tie, the blackened wins."
"Right you are, Miss Amaki!" says Monokuma. "Ten points for Gryffindor!"
8. If the blackened is not exposed, all students except the blackened will be executed.
9. The last surviving student will graduate, and will be allowed to leave the school.
10. The "Body Discovery Announcement" will play when three or more students discover a body. Following this, an investigation will begin.
11. Anyone who kills a fellow student becomes blackened, unless another living student is already blackened.
"Oh, Rule Eleven is very different," I say. "But I think I understand why. The way multiple murders are handled has been kind of inconsistent throughout Danganronpa. Later installments, like V3, added a rule that only the killer whose victim is discovered first becomes blackened. But that doesn't explain what happens if two bodies are discovered at the same time—like in Danganronpa 2. It also contradicts the third case of Danganronpa 1—Taka's body was discovered first, so by that rule, Hifumi should've been the blackened. But by this 'another living student' rule, anyone who kills the blackened becomes the blackened—which is what Celeste did to Hifumi.
"It also addresses the problem of suicide. Someone who kills theirself has killed a 'fellow student,' so they might become blackened for the purpose of the class trial—like Sakura Ogami was, and like Nagito Komaeda was suspected of being. But, under this rule, killing another person takes precedence over suicide, if they both happen during the same case. It creates kind of an ironic situation, actually. If several people commit murder before the same trial—and none of them kill each other—the one who committed murder first is the blackened. But if several people commit suicide before the same trial, the one who committed suicide last is the blackened."
Everyone is looking at me.
"Hmm," Momoka mutters.
"Hey, uh, Koi?" Tsubasa says nervously. "You seem, uh… really excited to talk about the murder game rules."
"Oh…" I stammer, my face reddening. "Well, um…"
"Koi has the right idea, actually," says Hiroto. "If we want to know exactly what we're up against, we need to assess these rules carefully."
"Of course a fuckin' lawyer would say that," says Ryu.
"Well," says Jun. "If we're assessing rules. Seems like there's a pretty obvious loophole in Rule Eleven."
"I see it, too," says Shingo. "What if the victim's body is never discovered?"
"Say whaaaaaat?" says Monokuma.
"Oh my, what an interesting insight," says Emi, wearing that same creepy smile she always wears. "The blackened might simply lie in wait for another murder to occur. If this second murderer is discovered, and chosen as the blackened… then the true blackened would become the victor."
"Say whaaaaaaaaaat?" says Monokuma. "Look, you guys are overcomplicating this. If someone's been missing for a while, and no one can even find a body… then maybe the lot of you deserve to be punished!"
"But what if the body is destroyed?" asks Shingo.
"A fair question," says Emi. "Suppose that the victim's body is incinerated, and their ashes flushed down a toilet?"
"Same thought occurred to me," says Jun.
"WHY?" Tsubasa yells. "WHY WOULD ANY OF THESE THOUGHTS OCCUR TO ANYONE?"
"Sailing, sailing, sailing all day," Akiko sings, covering her ears. "Sailing, sailing, sailing away…"
"This discussion is getting kind of gross," Monokuma says, downcast. "But I'm standing my ground! It's way harder than you think to destroy an entire human body! And doing it without leaving a trace would take some kind of genius. A genius who deserves to graduate!"
"Just to be clear," says Hiroto, "how intact does a body have to be for a Body Discovery Announcement? Would even a single bone be enough?"
"Yeah," I say, unable to stop myself, "and what if the body is incinerated, and people find only a few of the ashes, but not all the ashes?"
"I'll use my own judgment based on the circumstances, okay?" says Monokuma. "Now, please change the subject before I start puking everywhere!"
"I have another question, actually," I add. "It takes three people discovering a body for a Body Discovery Announcement—but does that include the killer?"
"Wow, what an annoying question! Ten points from Gryffindor!
"Just think about it! Suppose I say that the killer isn't included. What if three people find a body, and the Body Discovery Announcement doesn't play? Now everyone knows that the killer is one of those three people!
"Suppose I say that the killer is included. In other words, only two people other than the killer are needed. What if two people find a body, and the Body Discovery Announcement doesn't play? Now one of them knows that the other is the killer! We're in the same dilemma all over again! Do you see the problem, here?"
"There might be a way around that," says Hiroto, scratching his chin. "What if the killer doesn't count at first, but does count if they revisit the body with other people, or after at least one other person has seen it?"
"Okay, fine!" says Monokuma. "We're doing it that way! But it's too wordy to add as a rule, so you just gotta remember it!"
I look at the remaining rules.
12. Killing more than two people during a single "killing game" is forbidden.
13. The killing game will continue until only one surviving student remains.
"One survivor?" I say. "That's weird. Later killing games had a similar rule, but with two survivors."
"It seems that our headmaster disfavors a passive approach," says Emi.
"An anti-camping rule," Jun mutters. "Huh."
"Oh, I get it," I say. "When there are three students left, the Body Discovery Announcement can't play anymore. So there'll never be another class trial, at that point."
"And even if there were one," Hiroto says, touching his chin, "it would be pointless—the two remaining students would simply vote for each other."
"So, in that situation, then, um…"
"It becomes a pure death match," says Shingo. "The only way to graduate is to kill your two remaining rivals. This also explains the strange wording I noticed in Rule Nine. Typically, a rule would specify that the blackened will graduate. But Rule Nine instead specifies that the 'last surviving student' will graduate." He adjusts his glasses. "Perhaps this is because we—unlike past participants—are aware of fifty-three killing games that have already occurred. The survivors of those killing games had often never killed a single person. It seems Monokuma is afraid that we'll try to imitate past winners—and added this rule as a disincentive."
"A very astute analysis from Mr. Chiba!" says Monokuma. "Five points for Ravenclaw!"
"Bit of a contradiction, though," says Jun. "Between that and Rule Twelve. Waste your kills, and you're screwed."
"I wondered about that, too," says Shingo. "If you've wasted even one kill without becoming blackened, the final round could become unwinnable."
"Why, such a state might even arise among all finalists," says Emi. "If all three have killed two people, yet did so too late to become blackened… a rather peculiar stalemate occurs."
"Oh, no… you're back to being annoying again," says Monokuma. "Did you guys even read the last rule?"
14. Additional regulations may be added if necessary.
"If the killing game becomes unwinnable, I'll make it winnable. So stop worrying about little nagging details like that!"
"Oh, I see," says Emi. "Though, such a situation would not be entirely unwinnable. One would simply have to wait for one's rivals to die—by disease, or by suicide, for instance."
"Uh… hey…" Tsubasa says nervously. "I, uh, didn't want to say anything, but… this has gone on for long enough now, so… I think someone needs to say it…"
"The five of you are scaring the everliving bejesus out of us!" squeals Yuna.
Huh?
"Five of us?" I ask.
"You," says Tsubasa, "Emi, Jun, Hiroto, and Shingo are… way too into this."
What?
"Oh, my," Emi says, her smile widening. "Am I being accused of something improper? No, no—that would be quite illogical."
"I told you," says Hiroto, "we need to understand what we're being forced into."
"I agree," says Shingo. "At this stage, information-gathering is crucial."
"Y-yeah," I add, because I feel like I should add something.
"I understand that," says Naomi, "but I think there's value in showing a united front against this killing game. By demanding clarity about the rules regarding murder, you're just mentally reinforcing the idea that a murder will occur."
"Plus," says Rin, "it was just, like, super creepy how you guys were talking about it? You were practically, like, foaming at the mouth to start killing people."
"Heh," says Jun. "That so?"
"Yes that's so!" Yuna squeaks. "It's freaking all of us out!"
"Hmm," Momoka drawls. "Now we know which ones to watch out for…"
"Like, totally," says Rin.
"I respect you, Hiroto," says Ryu, "so I wasn't going to speak up—but this whole conversation has been a load of pointless bullshit. The only thing we need to clarify about these rules is how far we can shove them up Monokuma's ass."
Huh?
What?
Huh?
What… what's going on? Why is everyone looking at me like that?
Like I'm someone who could… really do that?
Don't they know that I'm in despair?
I'm… in despair, right?
…I…
…I was in despair…
…But…
…But… why…
…Why am I not feeling despair?
I was all empty, and then… I started reading the rules… and thinking about Danganronpa… and something else took over…
…What is this feeling?
Am I… one of the dangerous ones?
Could I…?
Could I really…?
Am I really going to…
To…
"No, that's wrong!" shouts Hiroto.
Everyone looks at him.
"Rules matter, even here," Hiroto says. "Right now, Monokuma has absolute power over us. He could kill us at any moment. We don't even know if escape is possible. I know that we all want to end this horrible game he put us in. And we will try. But until we can figure out how, holding Monokuma to these rules might be the only weapon in our arsenal."
"One problem there," says Naomi, "is that we have no idea whether Monokuma plans to follow his own rules. And we can't exactly force him to."
"Maybe that's true," says Hiroto. "Maybe these rules are worthless, and Monokuma plans to rule over us on whims alone. But if rules exist, there's usually a reason. Maybe people are watching. Maybe the Mastermind is trying to make some sort of point. Things like that happened in previous killing games—and if it's true here, it gives us some leverage.
"There are people who would be in jail, at this very moment, if I hadn't memorized the most obscure details in the most obscure laws. People who'd be suffering for decades if I hadn't memorized every footnote in every textbook—every interpretation of every relevant fact. People who were in despair, who had given up all hope—until I forced those in power to follow their own rules. I have no idea whether I can pull off anything like that in this horrible place. But the least I can do is try."
We're all silent. Everyone's pondering Hiroto's words. I feel a tremendous relief wash over me.
It's Kenji, of all people, who breaks the silence.
"In that case," he says quietly, "I…" He speaks up a bit. "I have a question for Monokuma." He speaks up more. "How do you do define 'kill'?"
"You too, Kenji?" Yuna says disapprovingly.
"A question befitting a linguist," Jun says, smirking.
"If you cause someone to die, it's a kill!" says Monokuma. "It doesn't matter if it was by accident or on purpose. A kill is a kill!"
"I think what he's trying to ask," says Shingo, "is how direct the line of causality has to be."
"That's actually something that's bothered me before," I say, once again failing to shut myself up. "Like, in the fourth case of Danganronpa 2, Gundham set up a death trap for Nekomaru. It was Nekomaru's own struggling that directly caused him to fall and die—but Gundham was the blackened, not Nekomaru. So, that established a precedent that setting up a death trap is enough to become blackened, even if you don't trigger that death trap.
"But that's contradicted in the very next case! Nagito set up a death trap for himself. He put the poison in the fire grenade, and he created a situation where people were inevitably going to throw the fire grenades. No matter how you look at it, Nagito caused his own death—Chiaki's arm was basically just a tool he used in his own suicide. And if the spear killed him, then it was even more directly his own doing—he set up the spear above himself, and he's the one who dropped it! But for some reason, Chiaki was the blackened. So, is the blackened the person who directly kills someone, or the person who arranges for someone to die?"
Once again, everyone's looking at me.
"That was a really long and annoying question," says Monokuma. "But I'm gonna respond anyway! I'm just that kind of bear!
"Look… suicides are kind of a special case, okay? What good is a class trial without an execution? No good at all! I've gotta avoid that kind of thing! For a suicide to count as the blackened, there's gotta really, absolutely be no one else involved!"
"Interesting," says Shingo. "Though, that doesn't completely answer Koi's question. Or Kenji's, for that matter."
"Say the victim eats a poisoned cookie," says Jun. "Is the person who poisoned the cookie blackened? Or the person who handed out the cookie, not knowing it was poisoned?"
"I do wonder how much intentionality matters," says Shingo. "Suppose someone choked to death on a normal cookie by accident. Would the person who gave them the cookie be blackened? Or—if another student baked that cookie—would they instead be blackened?"
"Oh, I have a question!" says Akiko, who has apparently joined us back in reality. "What if someone just puts down a cookie without meaning to give it to anyone, but then someone takes it and chokes on it? Would the person who put down the cookie be blackened?"
"Akiko!" gasps Yuna. "I thought you were one of the good ones!"
"I can't believe I'm asking this," says Tsubasa, "but the question just popped into my head, so fuck it—what if someone tries to eat five cookies at once, and that's what kills them, but all of the cookies were baked by different people, and also given out by different people?"
"Tsubasa, no!" Yuna shouts. "The good side is shrinking and shrinking!"
"Hmm," Momoka drawls. "What if the five cookies are all poisoned?"
"Momoka!"
"These are all such great questions!" says Monokuma. "And by great, I mean LAME! Who cares about these stupid edge cases? This is my killing game, so I'll make the judgment calls! And that's that!" He puts his hands over his mouth. "But, still… this is really something, isn't it? Puhuhu… puhuhuhu!"
"What?" says Naomi. "Why are you laughing?"
"Think back to all the old killing games," says Monokuma. "When everyone learns what kind of situation they're in, how do they always react? 'No, that's impossible! We'd never go along with that! None of us could commit murder!' Well, I'm sure not seeing a lot of that here!"
My blood runs cold.
"I wonder why that is?" Monokuma continues. "Maybe it's 'cuz you've already seen it happen fifty-three times!" He laughs maniacally. "Who knows? Maybe you'll be the exception!"
With that, Monokuma disappears through a floorboard.
An awkward, tense silence fills the gymnasium.
He's right.
We know what happens. What always happens.
We know what people are capable of. Even good people, if they're pushed far enough.
We know what everyone around us is capable of.
What we ourselves are capable of.
We've seen it happen, over and over again. They always deny it. They always resist it. But they can never stop the killings. Never.
Maybe that's why…
…After I felt despair… when I was completely empty… I found something to fill that emptiness. I was so desperate to feel something… I latched onto it right away.
A twisted, deformed, terrible hope.
Maybe I can win.
That's what my new hope told me. What it whispered in my ear.
After all… haven't I thought about it before?
Hasn't every Danganronpa fan thought about it?
And the more I read those rules… the more I thought about them… the louder my new hope became.
Only one person can win. Only one person can leave. It might as well be me, right?
The killings are going to start soon. There's a good chance the blackened will win. That only the blackened will survive. Why can't it be me?
These are the horrible, terrible, atrocious thoughts I try to erase from my mind.
But no matter how hard I repress them, I know they'll always be there.
Can I… trust myself not to do it?
And… if I can't even trust myself, then…
…Who can I trust?
PROLOGUE: Welcome Back to Despair
END
Surviving Students: 16
Author's Note: after going back and forth, I've decided that blood is red in this story. It's sometimes implied that the characters within Danganronpa are seeing red blood, even if the player is seeing pink blood. This is all from Koi's perspective, so red blood makes sense. Plus… honestly, it would just get a bit distracting to keep pointing out that weird detail.
A note about translation. Danganronpa Revival will be based entirely on the games' official English release. Hence, why Mizuki is the "Ultimate Moral Compass" rather than the "Super High School Level Public Morals Committee Member." The anime translates this to "SHSL Hall Monitor," which makes a lot of sense. But I'll be sticking with the games' translations, regardless of how much sense they make.
Takeru is the "Ultimate Child Caregiver," Maki Harukawa's self-declared talent in DRV3's official English release. A more literal translation would be something like "Super High School Level Nursery School Teacher."
Koi, our protagonist, is the Ultimate Fangirl. I'm not sure if "fangirl" has a Japanese equivalent. "Fujoshi" sometimes refers to female otaku in general, but often specifically refers to yaoi fans. Koi is a fujoshi and an otaku, but neither term fully captures what I mean by "Ultimate Fangirl." Luckily, this is an English-language fanfic, so none of this actually matters. Still, if you know any Japanese, I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
Also, remember that you can vote on characters to spend FTEs with. Though, there won't be any FTEs for a few more updates.
Coming up next: Chapter 1 begins!