With everyone going on right now, I figured that the best course of action to take is calming down Mondo. I know that Kyoko might have something important to say, but if Mondo keeps raging like this, he can get someone hurt.

"Mondo!" I exclaimed. "Please calm down! Punching the door isn't going to help!"

"The hell?!" Mondo sneered. "Who are you to tell me to calm down?!"

"I'm just saying that we should follow the others! I mean, what if those turrets are real?" I insisted.

"Shut the fuck up!" Mondo snapped. "Don't patronize me, bitch! You think you're a goddamn peacekeeper, huh?! If you —"

"W-wait!" I interrupted. "Look, I-I'm sorry if you feel that way! But seriously, LOOK at the turrets!"

Mondo glanced at the turrets but was entirely unphased. "So what?! If whoever's operating those turrets wanted to kill me, they could easily have done so by now!"

I backed up, heavily intimidated by Mondo looking like he wanted to strangle me. Sayaka and Ryoko appeared terrified for my sake, while Kyoko gazed at me, her eyes alone telling me how much of a complete idiot I was.

"Mondo," I repeated, doing a horrible job of covering up how horrified I was. "Look, man… just… stop punching the vault. Y-you might have anger issues-"

"What. The fuck. Did you just say?!" Mondo seethed.

"I-I just said-"

I never got to finish that sentence.

Mondo punched me with such velocity that I couldn't even think or talk straight.

I fell to the floor, hard, with a thump. My head hurt so bad.

I heard Sayaka scream. "OH MY GOD!"

I lost consciousness for the second time in the day.

When I woke up, Ryoko was staring over me in a nurse's uniform.

Needless to say, I was bewildered.

"He's awake," Ryoko called out.

Sayaka rushed to my side in an instant, taking my hand. "Are you okay, Makoto? Ryoko didn't hurt you, did she?"

I blinked, confused. "Wasn't it Mondo who punched me?"

"Makoto?" Sayaka was clearly worried for my sake.

"Oh, uh, I'm fine. Nothing wrong here."

"That's good. I was kinda worried."

"Thanks."

Ryoko's smile and instant ease that I was okay faded from her face as she turned to Sayaka. "What were you insinuating just now?"

Sayaka feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"I'm the only one between us that knows any first aid."

"And how can a girl who claims to know nothing know first aid?"

Ryoko pouted. "Who knows? Maybe I was the ultimate nurse? You know, subconscious memories? Have you even considered that?"

"No, but now that I am, it's still a no."

"Girls. Please, don't fight," I requested.

Both Sayaka and Ryoko stood down, much to my relief.

"So… Ryoko?" She nodded, her attention grabbed. "Where did you get the uniform?"

"I… don't remember."

Sayaka scoffed. "She grabbed it from the closest earlier. Muttered something about it making you feel better."

Ryoko blushed. "You said that you'd keep that secret!"

"My fingers were crossed."

"Uh," I continued. "Where's everyone else?"

"Kyoko took Mondo to the gymnasium when we dragged you here. We haven't seen or heard from them since," Sayaka explained.

"What about the orientation? Wouldn't you two get in trouble for not going?"

"The headmaster announced that the orientation had been delayed due to extenuating circumstances."

"I guess you could call Mondo punching me extenuating. But that still doesn't explain the others."

"Once we got in here… the door… kinda locked behind us," Ryoko admitted. "I don't think we're supposed to wander around the school yet. The same thing probably happened to those in the gym."

As we were talking, we heard an alarm. "All students! Please report to the gym immediately! And this time, try not knocking your peers out cold!"

It was the headmaster. He… doesn't sound pleased.

"Well, whatever the case, thank you both for helping me. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Makoto," Ryoko chirped.

Sayaka beamed, satisfied. "Seriously, anytime. That thing you did for Mondo… It was… scary, but… it showed how kind you are. And brave."

"Yeah, it was dumb but cool."

"Thanks," I said meekly. "I, uh… just didn't want Mondo to get hurt."

I scratch the back of my neck. "But really, we should get going. We… don't want to keep the others waiting."

Ryoko was embarrassed. "Um… can you wait outside?"

"Why?"

"I… would rather change back into my normal clothes."

Sayaka notices an opportunity. "Oh, you're fine with Makoto seeing you like that but not the others? How hypocritical!"

"I… I…"

"And you changed with Makoto in the room last time. You can do it again now, right?

"T-to be fair, I was unconscious," I said hastily.

"Yeah," Ryoko asserted. "He was unconscious."

"But he could've woken up at any moment," Sayaka argued.

"You're just trying to embarrass me!"

"No! Me?! How dare you make such accusations," Sayaka sarcastically commented.

"Guys!" I cut in. "You really shouldn't be fighting with each other. Can we just go?"

I got out of bed, trying to ignore the growing migraine. "We'll wait for you outside, Ryoko."

"You can walk, right?" Ryoko asked, concerned.

"Well, yeah, I'm walking right now."

"Oh."

Sayaka smirked. "Don't worry, Ryoko. I'll make sure Makoto gets to the gym safely."

"Oh, don't worry. I can change real quickly."

If this is gonna be what these next four years look like… it's gonna be a long four years.

When the three of us first entered the gymnasium, nobody noticed us; the group engaged in a conversation. The gymnasium was decorated with chairs and podiums. It looked like an official entrance ceremony set-up.

"Come on, guys. This looks like a totally normal ceremony." Hiro reasoned.

"God," Mondo complained. "I had no idea this Hope's Peak place was gonna be such a pain in my balls. It really ain't all that much different than juvie or jail! Hell, it's probably worse."

"They're just trying to spook us," Ishimaru insisted. "They'll take those metal plates down soon. I'm sure of it.

Sakura's voice was stern. "All we can do now is hope for the best and prepare ourselves for the worst. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"Well, hell. It's not like I'm scared or nothin'. Let's just get this over with." Mondo took a deep breath and then screamed. "Hey, whoever locked us in here! What the hell are you waiting for!"

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "If you hadn't knocked out Makoto, we would've been done with this by now."

"Makoto was asking for it!" Mondo yelled. "That son of a bitch told me to calm down, and if that wasn't bad enough, he started to make fun of me!"

"Frankly, I think he was an idiot for even bothering," Byakuya murdered. Celeste nodded in agreement.

"What was that, punk?! Cause I couldn't hear you with that stick up your ass."

"That doesn't even make sense," Hina noted.

"Makoto's right there," Mukuro observed, pointing directly to me, Ryoko, and Sayaka.

We quickly became the center of attention. No words were spoken, but it was obvious that everyone was looking at us.

"Hey, Makoto," Hina said nervously. "We were just talking about you."

"Yeah, we heard," Sayaka admitted, huffing at Mondo and Byakuya.

Ishimaru walked to the front of the group. "Makoto! Please explain your tardiness!"

"Mondo knocked me out."

"The delinquent's conduct aside, the fact that the three of you delayed the entrance ceremony is deplorable!"

"I was trying to help," I maintained.

"Intention doesn't matter. Rules are rules and must be followed!"

Sayaka was furious. "So much for being the Ultimate Moral Compass!"

"Woah, this is getting way too heavy," Hina vocalized. "We should just all take a chill pill! Or even better, have a donut!"

Sakura shook her head. "Makoto did the honorable thing, Ishimaru. Besides, we shouldn't be turning on each other like this. Not over something so petty!"

Ryoko grabbed my arm. "Makoto, I don't like this. Can we leave?"

"Looks like the fun's already started without me! How bear-y disappointing."

That sounds like the headmaster!

We all turned toward the stage in anticipation. What looked like a teddy bear appeared out of nowhere. The situation was already very dire, but this was truly unbelievable.

"Hello, howdy! Glad to see you could make it! Now let's get things rolling!" The weird teddy bear's voice was chipper, carefree, and incredibly out of place.

"A teddy bear?" Chihiro remarked,

"I am not a teddy bear! I am Monokuma! And I am the headmaster of this school! Nice to meet you!"

This is the strangest thing I've ever seen; utterly incomprehensible. My anxiety… it's turning into fear!

The other students began freaking out, their voices blending into pointless babbling. Everything felt like a nightmare coming true.

"Say what?! H-how is the teddy bear speaking?!" Hifumi screamed.

Mondo was not amused. "It's just a dumb toy!"

"How dare you compare me to a child's plaything! You've cut me deeper than the Mariana Trench. My system's so complex not even NASA can comprehend it. Ah, but it couldn't bear it if I destroyed NASA dreams."

"Bear that? You are… unfortunate." Celeste whispered.

"I concur," Byakuya added.

"Calm down! There's probably just a remote control speaker inside that teddy bear!" Ishimaru asserted.

"I told you already that I'm not a teddy bear!" Monokuma retorted. "Seriously, your comments are un-BEAR-ably insulting!"

"If it makes one more bear pun," Byakuya muttered, "I am going to KILL myself."

"Now then, settle down! We're already WAY behind schedule! No thanks to YOU three!"

Monokuma pointed right in my direction. I felt like everyone was staring at me… no, everyone was staring at me.

"We're getting off track!" Monokuma huffed. "I actually have something…."

"Don't say it," Byakuya mumbled

"Bear-y important to talk about!"

"Goddammit."

"Now, let us commence with a most special and memorable entrance ceremony! Everyone, stand at attention and bow!"

Taka did precisely that, baffling Toko. "What's your problem? You don't have to say it back."

Monkuma continued with his explanation. "First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake-you few students, so full of potential, represent the world's hope. And to protect such splendid hope…."

I swear that bear's grin's even bigger now.

"You will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school!"

Huh?!

"What? Is this a joke?" Leon butted in.

"Nope! Now, as for the closure date of this communal school life… oh right, there isn't one!" Monokuma cackled. "In other words, you're here until the day you die! Puhuhuhuhu!"

Toko's eyes widened in shock. "What did he just say? Until the day we die?"

"Aw, man, I just graduated from high school!" Hiro complained. "I was, like, 24!"

He's not taking this seriously at all!

"Not to worry! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences." Monokuma consoled us.

As if that would somehow make us feel better.

"That's the least of our worries now!" Sayaka affirmed.

Ryoko had trouble processing everything. "I have to live here… forever?"

"Surely this has to be some kind of joke, right?" Taka inquired.

"It's no joke! I'm not screwing with you! It's 100% true!" Monokuma declared. "And just to ensure I'm no liar, your contact with the outside world has been completely cut off! No cell reception or anything like that, so don't try it!"

This school is beginning to feel more like a prison than it should be.

"Cut off? Then… all those metal plates… are to keep us trapped here." I deduced

"Yep, they're to keep you trapped in here, so no matter how much you try and scream for help, it ain't coming! You never have to worry about the dirty land beyond these walls again! So with that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon."

"Come on! What the hell is this?!" Leon griped. "I don't care if the school or whoever is behind it all. This is just a terrible joke."

"Cut this shit out! This isn't funny anymore!" Mondo snapped.

"I concur," Byakuya started. "You must seriously have one sick definition of a jest."

"Ugh, are you all really that dead in the head?!" Monokuma groaned. "You keep saying this is a lie or a joke. A bunch of skeptics, all of you. But I guess you all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbor. You'll have plenty of time to determine whether what I'm saying is the undeniable truth with your own eyeballs."

"Having to live here forever would be quite the problem," Celeste conceded.

This is insane. All of us are trapped here forever with no way out?

"You all chose to attend Hope's Peak of your own free will, yet you already want to leave."

"I did?" Ryoko questions. "Why… why would I want this? This place is awful!"

I could tell from everyone else's angry reactions Ryoko wasn't alone in feeling disturbed.

Things can't possibly get any worse, right?

"Well…" Monokuma snickered. "I sort of lied."

"Explain," Mukuro demanded.

"You see, I forgot to mention that there is one way for you to leave the school."

Toko fixed her glasses. "Really?"

"You see, there actually IS one way to escape. As headmaster, I've crafted a particular clause for those who want to leave! I call it… the Graduation Clause!"

Graduation?

"Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, we rely on a communal lifestyle to maintain an environment of harmony here. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, that person alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!"

"Disrupt the harmony?" Ryoko said, tilting her head.

Byakuya was having trouble keeping his composure. "What do you mean by that?"

"For example," Monokuma continued, speaking in a hushed, threatening tone. "If someone were to commit a murder."

And with those words, the whole room went dead silent. You could practically hear a pin drop with how quiet it was.

And then the silence was broken by Chihiro. "M-murder?!"

"Yes! Stabbing, bludgeoning, burning, electrocuting, mutilating, decapitating, anything you can think of! It doesn't matter how! If you want to leave, you must kill someone. Simple as that." Monokuma concluded with a wicked grin. "Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible."

I started to feel lightheaded. "To leave, you must kill someone." Maybe it was the beating I had taken from Mondo earlier, but as soon as I heard those words, my head started spinning. I was about to pass out, but luckily, I didn't.

"Puhuhu. I bet that got your brain juices flowing!" Monokuma said. "Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh? Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know... Taking that hope and seeing it get murdered. And I just find that so...darn...exciting!"

Leon was pale. "What the hell are you talking about?! Exciting? To kill each other…."

"To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a dictionary here somewhere if you need it."

"We know what it means! That's not the problem! Why do we have to kill each other?!" Hina cried.

"Yeah, stop blabbering and let us go home already," Hifumi added.

"Blabbering? What do you mean blabbering?! Stop blabbering about blabbering on! You guys just don't get it! You keep saying the same thing over and over! Listen. From this moment on, this is your home, life, and world! You can kill as much as you want, so go on a killing spree!"

Hiro was unwavering in his belief that this was all just a prank. "Haha, alright, you've scared the hell out of us. How long are you gonna keep this up? Just reveal the trick already."

"Trick? What trick?" Monokuma inquired, sounding genuinely confused.

"Yeah! You know, cus like… this is all some kind of ploy, right?"

"Oh, for the love of Christ, get the fuck out of my way!" Mondo shoved his way to the front of the crowd to confront Monokuma.

"Listen here, you piece of shit," Mondo barked. "I don't know if you're a toy, stuffed animal, or whatever! What kind of fucked up joke is this?!"

"Joke? You mean like that stupid corn-on-the-cob excuse for a haircut?" Monokuma retorted.

At that point, Mondo practically blew his stack. Mondo kicked off the floorboards into the air, flying at Monokuma like a speeding bullet. He picked up Monokuma and slammed him against the floor, murderous intent filling his eyes.

"Gotcha, you stupid fucking piece of shit bear! Now you better let us out RIGHT NOW, or I swear I'm gonna rip you to fucking shreds, you god damn toy!" Mondo snarled.

"Waaaaah! Violence against the headmaster is STRICTLY forbidden!" Monokuma flailed his arms.

"SHUT UP! I swear to Christ, I'll kill you!" Mondo slammed Monokuma to the floor even harder.

"Get away from the thing! You don't know what it's capable of!" Sakura shouted.

And just like that, Monokuma went silent, his obnoxious voice replaced by a loud beeping.

Mondo seemed satisfied. "What's that? No smartass comeback this time?"

Still no response. The beeping was becoming more and more frequent.

"Cut it out with the stupid goddamn beeping and say something!" Mondo growled, patience wearing thin.

"Watch out!" Kyoko ordered.

"Get rid of it," Mukuro added. Still, Mondo didn't immediately reply.

It didn't take more than an average high school graduate's intelligence to realize that beeping wasn't a good sign. I wanted to warn Mondo about what was about to happen, but Sayaka, Ryoko, and I were standing awfully close to the stage. Then again, we weren't the only ones in imminent danger. I was worried they could've gotten hurt if they stayed there, but I knew it was selfish. I was confronted with another difficult situation. I needed to act, and fast!

What will Makoto do? Will he prioritize getting Sayaka and Ryoko to safety, or try and warn Mondo? Find out next time.