"Huh?" Chihiro questioned. "A… Teddy bear?"

"I'm not a teddy bear!" Replied the strange bear. "I… Am… Monokuma! And I am this school's headmaster!"

It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. Right before my eyes it was… Well, what I was seeing was utterly incomprehensible.

"Nice to meet you all!" He greeted. Such a bright voice and carefree attitude was completely out of place. And that anxiety I'd been carrying with me suddenly transformed into outright fear.

"Wh-? Waaaaaah!" Yamada screamed in terror. "That teddy bear can talk!"

"Calm down!" Stated Ishimaru. "I'm sure there's just a speaker inside it.

I told you already, I'm not a teddy bear…" Explained Monokuma. "I'm Monokuma! And I'm your headmaster!"

"Waaaaah!" Yamada screamed again. "It moved!"

"Seriously man, calm down!" Grunted Mondo. "It's probably just a remote control toy or somethin'."

"How dare you compare me to a child's plaything!" Exclaimed Monokuma. "You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench… My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or even comprehend it! Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR that!"

""Bear" that?" Questioned a skeptic Celeste. "Really? You are… Unfortunate."

"Now then, moving on!" Monokuma began. "We really must hurry and get started…"

"Giving up already?" Asked an annoyed Junko. "No other stupid bear puns?"

"Quiet down now, quiet down." Said Monokuma. "Ah, okay, so…!"

"He has abandoned the gag…" Sakura muttered.

"Everyone, stand attention and bow!" Monokuma said as he bowed. "And… Good morning!"

"Good morning!" Ishimaru exclaimed proudly.

"Y-You don't have to s-say it back…" Muttered Fukawa.

"Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony!" Monokuma began. "First, let's talk about what your school like here will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake; you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such splendid hope… You will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of the school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school. Ah, now then… Regarding the end date for this communal life…"

None of us were prepared for what he was about to say next.

"There isn't one! In other word, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned."

"Wh-What did he just say?" Worried Fukawa. "Until the day we d-die…?"

"Oh, but fear not!" He continued. "We have quite the abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences."

"That's the least of our worries right now!" Maizono exclaimed.

"Yeah, what the hell?" Agreed Junko. "You're saying I have to live here forever? You're screwing with us, right?"

"I am not screwing with you!" Monokuma explained. "I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure. Ah, and just for your information… You're completely cut off from the outside world. So you don't have to worry about that dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"

"Cut off…?" I muttered to myself in worry before finally mustering up the courage to speak to him. "So all those metal plates all over the school, they're there to keep us trapped in here?"

"That's exactly what they're there for." He explained. "No matter how much you may yell or scream for help… Help will not come. So what all of that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!"

"Come on, what the hell is this?" Leon complained. "I don't care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke."

"Yeah!" Mondo exclaimed. "Cut this shit out! It isn't funny anymore!"

"You keep saying this is a lie, or a joke." Began Monokuma. "A bunch of skeptics all of you. But I guess you can't help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbor… Well, you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when that time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth."

"Having to live here forever would be… Quite the problem." Said Celeste.

"Come, now." Said Monokuma. "What's the matter with all of you? You decided your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you? And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you've already decided you want to leave? Oh, but you know… I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There IS one way for you to leave the school…"

"R-Really…?" Asked Fukawa.

"As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who want to leave!" He explained. "I call it… The Graduation Clause! Now let me tell you about this funny little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!"

"What do you mean by "disrupt the harmony"?" Asked Togami, slightly interested.

"Upupu…" He laughed. "Well, you know…"

Again, none of us were ready for what Monokuma said next.

"If one person were to murder another." He chillingly said.

"M-Murder?!" I exclaimed in shock.

"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter." Monokuma continued. "You must kill if you want to leave. It's as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible."