The night came and went without much fuss, even if I couldn't sleep that well. There was a deep anxiety building in my chest, an anxiety that cropped back up even as I got from my bed to start the day. Something was about to happen, I could feel it. And I felt like I haven't done anything at all to stop it. I stood hunched over the sink in my bathroom, staring at myself dead in the mirror.

"What the fuck's the matter with you?" I asked myself angrily. "You should've already exposed Junko by this point, you should be trying to stop Sayaka or whoever from trying to kill someone."

My reflection, obviously, didn't have much to say. However, if he could speak, he'd probably say something to the effect of; "And just who would believe you? Thanks to the amnesia and thanks to your sorry existence, they haven't even met the fake Junko to begin with. For all they know, she didn't even attend Hope's Peak. And Monokuma hasn't even introduced his motives yet, so calm down."

So I followed my own advice, trying to drown myself in the sink to little success, but it did at least give me time to slow down and think carefully. So if the pattern from the game held up, Monokuma would introduce his motives either today or tomorrow at the latest. He's a sick fuck who wants his latest fix of despair after all, he won't just let things sit idly by. And if my memory was accurate, Monokuma would show us videos of our loved ones in danger, causing Sayaka to snap and try to kill Leon of all people. So in this scenario, the logical course of action would be to try and mitigate the damage afterwards by talking to Sayaka. But Makoto already tried that and it just ultimately led to Sayaka's death afterwards. So what could I do here? What could I say that the Ultimate Hope, Makoto Naegi himself, couldn't? The same guy who's known her since middle school?

I fished for answers in the mirror and my line came up empty.

Ding dong.

Before I could do anything else, the distinct sound of a doorbell rang out from the other room. I was trying to figure out why the hell we had doorbells, but then remembered that our rooms were soundproofed, so of course a simple knock wouldn't get our attention. I wasn't sure who was there, but they would have to wait until I was ready-

Ding dong!

Okay, well, whoever it was certainly was going to be insistent. Personally I'd love to ignore the day and go back to sleep, but I knew that wasn't an option. So with my hair dried, if a bit messy, I opened the door to greet who else but the Ultimate Moral Compass himself.

"Good morning, Tony!" Taka's voice boomed. "Lovely day we're having, am I right?"

I blinked, tiredly trying to process the energy Taka was giving off. "I-I guess…?" I yawned. "Look, Taka, I don't mean to be rude, but I just kinda woke-"

"Now then, if you'll excuse me!" With that, Taka politely brushed past me into my room like the intruder he was. Now I was getting just a bit annoyed.

"Firstly, allow me to apologize for interrupting your morning routine, Tony!" Taka said, bowing before continuing. "Secondly, I would like to ask you a question! If faced with looming, overwhelming odds; what can we do alone? Nothing, that's what! But what if we were to pool all of our talents and abilities together? I'd wager that not even a hurricane would be enough to tear us down!"

Jesus, he didn't even give me a chance to respond. "Um… I'm not sure I follow, but you're saying we need to work together instead of being alone, right?"

Taka nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Exactly! I've already explained this to Makoto, but just last night, I came up with an idea! Every morning, starting today, we should all have breakfast together! Please, head to the dining area at your earliest convenience! I need to inform the rest of the group, posthaste!"

I almost forgot about that little tidbit, admittedly. I suppose it was a decent enough excuse to not just lay around in bed all day like I did back home. Well having done what needed to be done, Taka strode out of my room with a little pep in his step, leaving me both alone and suddenly more tired than when I woke up. Oh well, no use backing out now. It didn't take me very long to finish getting all ready for the day, leading to me nearly bumping into a slightly irate looking Celeste. She looked at me and let out an exhausted sigh.

"I'm assuming he barged into your room as well?"

I shrugged. "Welcome to the club, I guess. Not very exclusive though."

If I didn't know any better, I could've sworn I saw Celeste's lips curl into a small smile.

It didn't take long for Taka to get everyone together. Even Byakuya and Toko were here, against all odds. I suppose Taka had to force them a bit, but I guess Byakuya figured there was nothing else to do for now. The first floor didn't have the library after all. However, the one person who stood out as notably different was Makoto. Unlike his usual decently smiling self, Makoto looked almost as tired as me, lethargic even.

"Alright!" came the energetic cords of Taka. "It looks as if everyone is here! Thank you all, for making the time in your busy schedules to come together."

Leon rolled his eyes. "I didn't make time for shit," he mumbled, "you're the one who dragged me here."

If Taka could hear Leon, he paid him virtually no mind. "I know I already mentioned this earlier, but in order to get out of here, it's vital that we all work together as a unit! And the first step is this breakfast meeting, to become friends and build trust in one another! As such, let us all strive to meet here in the dining hall after the morning announcement!"

"W-wait," Toko said skittishly, fiddling with her index fingers. "You w-want me to eat breakfast with o-other people? I-I've never done that before, I-I'm not sure…"

"Gotta agree with Toko here," Leon nodded. "It's been a while since I ate with my folks."

"It's a pretty good idea though," I pointed out. "Let's just say, for argument's sake anyway, that Leon never showed up for breakfast-"

"Hold up!" Leon interrupted, looking a bit angry. "Why the hell are you singling me out, dude?!"

"Just an example, Leon. Anyway, let's just assume that tomorrow Leon doesn't show up for breakfast, but everyone else does. That gives us valid concern to check up on Leon, doesn't it? These meetings make it a whole lot easier to realize who's missing and who's not."

Taka looked taken aback and impressed at the same time. "I… never quite thought of it like that, Tony! But you make an excellent point! This would indeed make it a lot easier to check on the wellbeing of our fellow students!"

"I see… an unofficial rule," Celeste smiled. "Are you perhaps taking a note out of my book, Tony?"

"Maybe, maybe not," I said. "Either way, are we all in agreement?"

There didn't seem to be any arguments or rejections, even if Byakuya didn't seem to be doing much in the way of paying attention. So I guess the motion passed.

"Alright, well enough of that." Leon sat up straight, looking around. "Anyone found any clues over the past few days? Anything at all?"

"Well," Hina began. "Whoever's behind all this, they have to be a seriously twisted person. I mean, locking us up and forcing us to kill each other? Who would do something like that?"

"Ain't the fuckin' truth?" Mondo scoffed. "But we knew that already, what we need is some actual goddamn proof."

"W-Well…" All eyes fell onto Chihiro, who squirmed in place.

"What's up, Chihiro?" Leon asked.

"W-well…" he began. "If you think about people who're deranged or bizarre, wouldn't the mastermind behind all of this be a certain murderous fiend?"

"A murderous fiend?" Makoto sat up, now looking a bit more attentive. "Chihiro, do you have an idea who's responsible for all of this?"

"Well, maybe." Chihiro looked from one side of the room to the other. "But it's just a hunch, it's nothing concrete…"

"Any lead to go on is better than none!" Taka bellowed. "Please, Chihiro, continue!"

"Okay…" Chihiro nodded. "Have you all ever heard of Genocide Jack?"

It was like the atmosphere in the room crawled to a screeching halt. Several of the students looked shocked by the idea, others looked more intrigued by the possibility of a serial killer being the one who had locked us up.

"Genocide Jack…" Makoto wondered out loud. "You're talking about that serial killer that's been making headlines, yeah?"

"Indeed." For the first time since he walked into the room, Byakuya took the stage, now looking notably more alert and… dare I say intrigued. "Genocide Jack, the monsterous villain who's slaughtered scores of helpless victims in brutal, bizarre fashion. Without fail, the world 'bloodlust' is left behind at the crime scene, written in the victim's own blood. Outside of that, he leaves no trace of his involvement, we don't even know if Jack is truly a 'he'. As such, the internet's taken to calling him Genocide Jack."

Hiro let out a gulp. "They say he's killed over a thousand victims already…"

"That's just an inflated number," I said. "It's likely way lower than that, but it's still pretty unnerving. It seems like Jack operates in Japan, but he still gets brought up in certain circles in the States from time to time."

"Huh," Mondo said. "Well, if they are this 'Ultimate Psycho' or whatever, I could totally see' em pulling off this crazy crap."

I spared a glance directed at Toko, who was very much trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone in the room, squirming just a bit. I swear, it was like she was trying out herself or something.

"But like I said, I don't really have any evidence that it's Jack," Chihiro said. "It was just a theory."

"Hold on…" Leon interrupted, the color draining from his face. "If Jack really is the main bad guy behind all this, ain't that a serious problem for us?! I mean, we're talking about a serial killer here!"

"Don't worry, Leon!" Hina reassured him. "Everything is gonna be one-hundred precent, positively okay! Cause help's gotta be on the way by now!"

"Eh? Help?" Hifumi tilted his fat neck.

Hina nodded. "Yeah! I mean, we've already been stuck here for a few days, right? No one's been able to get a hold of us or even anyone from the school! I'll bet ya dollars to donuts that someone called the cops already!"

Before anyone could say anything, Monokuma's raucous laughter reverberated through the dining hall as he hopped onto the table with a cartoonish plomp. Nearly everyone jumped in surprise, save for me. It was actually kind of depressing how I was already used to his disappearing and reappearing schtick.

"The police?! Seriously, guys?" Monokuma chortled. "You wanna put your trust in those clowns?!"

Sakura was the first to speak, gritting her teeth. "Why on earth are you here?!"

Monokuma pointedly ignored her, pacing about the table like he owned the place. "C'mon guys, think for a second!" he insisted. "Do you even know what role the police are supposed to fill?"

"To serve and protect?" I snarked. "Preferably from assholes like you?"

"Oh jeez, Tony," Monokuma said, looking disappointed. "And here I thought all those fancy lawyering classes would've taught you something. No, no, the only good the police have ever done is serve as the foil for the antagonist or some big shot organization. The villains come out of nowhere and WHAM! Suddenly the cops are out of commission, just like that! And that shows the protagonists that they have to step up their game to save the day! I mean, come on! It's basically the entire plot of the Dark Knight!"

Monokuma let out a contented sigh as he finished his tirade, seemingly catching his breath. "Anyway, don't you worry about that gaggle of losers and social rejects. If you really want out, you know exactly what you wanna do!"

"Ha...haha…" Hiro weakly laughed, taking a step back. "Gotta say, realllyyyy loving the act, commitment's top notch." He tried talking casually, but it was clear to everyone and maybe even Hiro himself that he was finally starting to come to grips with reality.

"Tch!" Mondo cracked his knuckles, looming over the black and white teddy bear. "Alright then. Mr. Serial killer psycho freak bastard… the hell do you want now?!"

"Mr. Serialkillerpsychofreakbastard, huh?" Monokuma said in a mocking tone. "That's a pretty long name! German, maybe?"

"Don't mess with me, ya two-toned bastard!" Mondo roared. "We know damn well who you are by now!"

The robot bear began to hum a small song as he spun away from Mondo, whistling. "Maybe if I ignore him, he'll go away…"

"Don't fuckin' ignore me, asshole!"

A snicker escaped Monokuma's lips before he spun right back around, stretching a bit. "Alright, down to business, I guess. It's been a few days since your new lives have begun and I gotta say, I'm just a tiny bit disappointed in you all! I mean, I go to the trouble of creating the ideal scenario for murder and here you all are, holding hands, singing Kumbaya and trying to work together! It's making me sick to my stomach!" He let out a fake gag for emphasis.

"There is…" Makoto struggled to find his words. "There is nothing you can do that'll make us want to kill each other."

"Wait a second…" Monokuma's face scrunched up in thought, tapping his foot before his eyes went wide. "That's it! I've got it!" He cheered happily. "All of the quality ingredients are already here; a variety of people with their own silly hopes and dreams, the perfect environment, everything's all set up and still no one's made the first move yet! But now I think I've got the answer as to why!"

A collective chill went down everyone's spines as Makoto edged away from the table slightly. "W-what are you-"

"Motive!" the bear declared. "That's the missing spice from this delicious murder chowder! Every good murder mystery needs a catalyst to spark everything off!"

"Huh?" Mondo blinked. "A motive? Fuck're you going on about now?"

"That's why, before I go forgetting, I want to direct you all towards the AV room!"

"Stop changing the damn subject!" Mondo let out a feral growl.

"Oh believe me, Mr. Owada, this is very much relevant!" Monokuma said. "I have a neat little video tailor made for each and every one of you! Now before your minds go into the gutters, no, this is not a pervy adult video! It's a special video for each and every one of you, showing what's going on outside the school."

Now that got everyone's attention. Monokuma's done his damnedest to make sure nothing from the outside world leaked into Hope's Peak and here he was, offering us a chance to see what was going on. Of course, that wasn't really the case. It was basically just a video of our loved ones and friends in danger, last I recalled. Which is really funny for me, since Junko had no earthly way of threatening my family.

Right?

"Outside the school?" Makoto asked, now fully awake. "What're you talking about?"

"Heh, heh!" Monokuma snickered. "Someone's mighty impatient, aren't they? Well, why don'tcha just go and watch for yourselves? The AV room is always open for your convenience!"

"That's fine by me." Everyone's heads turned as Kyoko stood up, taking charge of the conversation. "But before that, allow me to pose a question to you. What's your motive? Why are you doing any of this?"

"What do I want from you all?" A low, dark chuckle came from Monokuma, quite unlike the snickers and guffaws from earlier. "Well if you really wanna know, I can tell you." His voice dropped an octave as he looked each and every one of us in the eye before settling on me.

"Despair. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less."

An icy chill traveled its way down my spine as I suppressed a gulp. At that moment, it was as if Monokuma was going to rip out my throat with his bare claws. I felt considerably more vulnerable than I had before. Through Monokuma's lenses, it felt like Junko was looking directly into my soul, and I felt sick to my stomach. It was like she was saying that to me before I even had the chance to ask her any questions. It was a brief moment, but it felt like it lasted for an eternity. Eventually though, Monokuma backed off, returning to his usual demeanor.

"If you wanna know more than that, you'll have to figure it out yourselves," he said. "So long as it doesn't break the regulations, do what you need to do to uncover this school's secrets! I certainly ain't gonna stop ya. In fact, I'd say watching you all waddle around in the dark looking for the truth is plenty of entertainment on its own! Toodles!"

With one final laugh, Monokuma leapt off the table, vanishing from view as he always did.

"He's gone again…" Sayaka grumbled. "And we didn't even get a chance to learn anything important."

"Actually, I'd say we learned something very important," Kyoko nodded to herself. "By his own admission, Monokuma doesn't intend to impede our investigations. Very interesting…"

"I suppose," Sakura conceded. "But what of the videos he mentioned? I must admit to being rather curious regarding their contents."

"Hey, same here!" Mondo nodded. Right, this was the part where he asked Makoto to check out the AV Room ahead of everyone else and Sayaka would come along. Nothing wrong with tagging along, since this would be my best and only chance to try and mitigate Chapter 1's big murder mystery. So I waited patiently as Mondo glanced around the dining hall.

"Yo, Tony! Mind checking this thing out for us?"

My brain got caught in a hitch as it tried to process what Mondo had said. "Hold on, what did you say?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Why me?"

"Well," Mondo began. "You're closest to the door, aren't you? That's the rule."

I blinked. Checking everyone's positions relative to mine, it seemed more likely that Taka was the closest one to the door instead of me, but maybe Mondo didn't really give a crap. Maybe Mondo just didn't like me, or maybe he just picked someone out at random. Funny thing is I thought Makoto was the guy Mondo chose thanks to his Ultimate Luck talent.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey! C'mon man, can't you see how passionately I'm begging you here?!" Mondo's words didn't sound all that threatening, but then he started to crack his knuckles again. "What's the big fucking deal, huh?! Just check it out for us!"

I sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll go check out the AV Room and everyone else can follow me after… I dunno, let's say ten minutes?" I really only gave up arguing with Mondo since I really did not want to get punched in the face again. His fists were like anvils.

"Awesome!" Mondo grinned, giving me a thumbs up. "Thanks, I owe ya one! If anything looks off, just yell and we'll come runnin' in with the cavalry!"

You know, it'd be funny if we actually could pull a cavalry unit out of our collective asses. It'd make getting out of here a little less difficult for sure.

"Wait a moment," Celeste interjected, standing up. "If it's not too much trouble, I would also like to investigate the AV Room with you, Tony."

"Oho?" Hifumi smirked, pushing up the bridge of his glasses. "Has our enigmatic gambler's heart been snatched away by our hard boiled attorney?"

If I'm hard boiled to him, then Makoto is Columbo.

Celeste didn't even bother looking in Hifumi's general direction, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger. "Hardly. It's simply far safer to travel together than alone in this school. That and either of us can report back if there are videos in the AV Room."

"Alright then," Mondo nodded, "we're countin' on ya both!"

The AV Room was in the same general area of the gym, sitting right between the entrance to the dorms and dining hall and the entrance to the elevator for the Class Trials. An elevator I hoped to Christ himself that we'd never have to use. Celeste and I walked without a word said to either of us until we reached the door to the AV Room.

"Mondo Owada is somehow both equal parts reliable and terrible," Celeste commented. "Mostly erring on the side of terrible."

"He's certainly a piece of work," I agreed. "Either way, let's focus on what's in front of us."

The AV Room itself held three long rows of what appeared to be monitors with built in DVD players, along with consoles for various things, such as audio mixing, volume control and more, complete with headphones built into each console. At the front of the room was a massive flatscreen television nestled in between two stereo systems molded in the guise of those old rectangular stereo systems from the 80s and 90s. And right there, sitting on the desk closest to the door was a cardboard box.

"A box," Celeste pointedly noted. "So Monokuma was not lying after all."

The box itself was already opened and nestled neatly inside were DVDs tucked away into cases, all with our names written onto the front in marker. Already I could see DVDs for Byakuya, Kyoko, Hifumi, me…

Wait a second, back up. I have a DVD?

Just to confirm I wasn't going insane, I dug into the aforementioned DVD from the box to make sure, but it was true. Emblazoned with a marker on the case was my name in bright red marker for everyone to see. Another icy chill of fear crawled its way down my back. There was no way in hell that was possible, right? Junko might've known that I wasn't supposed to be here, but there was no earthly way she could've done anything to my family, right? They were an entire universe away, not even Junko Enoshima could manage crossing dimensions. The Danganronpa universe was insane, but it still had logic and rules. So what could Junko possibly have on me to make me crack?

"Tony? Are you still there?"

My train of thought was derailed as Celeste snapped her fingers, bringing me back into reality. "H-huh, what?"

A small sigh of disappointment escaped her thin lips. "Do pay closer attention in the future, would you? That lack of observation could easily be the death of you. At any rate, I suppose I shall be the one to inform everyone of our discovery. I shall return anon."

With that, Celeste exited the room, leaving me entirely alone with my own DVD. Part of my brain was telling me to ignore it, that this was exactly what Junko wanted out of us. She wanted to watch us squirm and panic all for her sick pleasure. But if she had something on me that was enough to be its own motive… I quickly turned around, knowing that it would take Celeste a few minutes to walk all the way from here to the dining hall and back again with everyone in tow. I looked down at the DVD case with a shaky hand, debating on whether or not I should just give in and watch the stupid thing. Part of me wanted to run, but Junko had given me the best seat in the house, metaphorically speaking. Front row center. So working against my nerves, I slotted the DVD in, slipped on the headphones, sat down and prepared for the worst.

But no amount of prep time in the world would've been enough for what I saw next.

The screen flickered to life, the image reflecting quite nicely in my widened eyes. I must have been going insane, because I could've sworn I saw myself posing with the 77th Class of Hope's Peak Academy, the cast of Danganronpa 2, the future Ultimate Despair. I had to double check just to make sure, but they were all there. Chiaki, Mahiru, Nagito, Mikan, Fuyuhiko and the rest of the gang were all present and accounted for. I felt my chest tighten and turn like a handle as we stood there, smiling like the good times would never end. Like the world wouldn't crumble into a fine powder. The questions I had already had before were currently being buried under six feet of dirt and more questions. Before I could voice any confusion audibly, a familiar voice drooled its way through the headphones.

"Anthony Davis," hummed Monokuma's voice from the headphones. "A fish out of water, lost and afraid in a new environment totally alien to his own! Under normal circumstances, he'd have every reason to board up and hide from the world at large. But luckily for our foreign lawyer, he wasn't alone! With his close friends at Hope's Peak Academy by his side, he could face any challenge, no matter how insurmountable it may have seemed. But…~"

The image flickered and glitched out, going dark for a brief second before coming back to life in the worst way imaginable.

"As many friendships do, it all eventually drifted away, leading the Ultimate Legal Eagle's friends down a sinister road." The room was dark, absent of natural light and illuminated only by the flickering light bulb in the corner. Sonia stood over the body of a corpse, mangled beyond recognition. Her eyes stared back at the camera, her face blank and empty as fresh blood dripped from the hem of her dress onto the ground. Fuyuhiko and Peko stood off to the side, Peko emotionlessly hefting a baseball bat caked in dry blood onto her shoulder. And finally, Nagito, the other Ultimate Lucky Student of Hope's Peak, smugly leaned back against a desk, his eyes their usual brand of insanity. The entire class wasn't present in this second image, but this was clearly after their fall from grace.

"Whatever has become of these once bright, hopeful students?" Monokuma teasingly snickered. "How could such bright individuals fall into such despairing circumstances?!"

The image faded out slowly, replaced by bright, cartoonish letters that spelled out, "Find out after Graduation!"

The video was over, the disc slid out of the mouth of the player without a care in the world. I wanted to believe this was all a hoax, that I was going to wake up and laugh it all off at work. But there was no deux ex machina waiting to pluck me out of the pile of crap I was lodged in, no guardian angel to tell me that everything was going to be alright. It was like reality was slapping me in the face, telling me to wake up and face the facts. I put the DVD back in its case, tossing it into the box haphazardly and collapsing back into a chair.

No matter which way I looked at things, there was no denying the person in the video was me with the cast of Danganronpa 2, clearly during happier times. But that was impossible in just about every regard. I woke up during the first game, right? I'd been here for all of three days, how could we have had any time to know each other? Was there something I was forgetting or-?

Wait a second… I thought, a dark idea coming to me. It was a plot point that everyone had their memories of their time at Hope's Peak completely erased. This explained why everyone thought this was their first time in Hope's Peak, when it was really their second. With that logic in mind… Did I arrive here earlier than I thought I did? I had no conclusive evidence of course, nothing concrete except the video, but the thought wouldn't leave my mind. If that was the case though, what exactly did I do during my own time at Hope's Peak? How did I conceal the fact that I didn't know jackshit about actual law from the staff, despite me having the title of Legal Eagle? And if I knew Class 77…

Christ alive, please don't say I'm actually just an Ultimate Despair.

My stomach curled into knots, knowing exactly what the cast of Danganronpa 2 did to the world under Junko's twisted influence. Suddenly, I felt like my body was simultaneously both too large and too small at the same time as the implications hit me like a truck. My skin grew cold, my breath became shorter and sharper. Fear held an ironlike grip onto my very soul. And on top of all of that, there was a general sense of helplessness regarding my entire situation. I had no plan other than to put my trust into Makoto still being the same general luckster he was in canon. I wondered… Was this what despair felt like?

"Fucking… What the actual FUCK?!"

"Tony, are you okay?"

I spun around to find the class slowly filing their way in, Makoto looking notably concerned. "You looked like you were having a panic attack. What's wrong?"

I forgot how to communicate with words for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. Eventually though, I found a way. "The DVDs," was my reply. "There's one for each of us. It's… better if you just watch for yourselves."

Looks of confusion were tossed my way like baseballs, but I didn't pay them any mind. Kyoko in particular gave me a look before grabbing her own DVD. One by one, everyone began sitting down, watching their individual videos with solemn expressions. Their curious looks soon turned into horror, fear, confusion or any mixture of the three. The DVDs were having their intended reaction for everyone, all except for one; Kyoko was still keeping calm, playing it Bogart as she sat up with a clear expression.

"I see…" she said, nodding to herself. "This is what he meant by motive. He's trying to fuel our desire to leave by sending us all into a panic, making a murder that much more likely."

"Now I understand," Celeste said. "This is a variation of the Prisoner's Dilemma."

"The Prisoner's what now?" Hiro looked terribly confused, causing Celeste to let out a small groan of annoyance.

"Allow me to simplify it, then," she continued. "Let us both assume two neighboring countries stand at the brink of war. But naturally, both countries wish to retain the peace between them and publically make a promise to scale back their militaries as a sign of good will. But there remains a hint of doubt in both leaders' minds that one will inevitably betray the other. The end result? Neither country scales back their faces and go to war in the end either way."

"T-that just sounds like us right now," Toko scowled. "W-we all say w-we'll work together, b-but we're still a-afraid that someone will just stab us in the b-back!"

Taka stepped forward, trying to look brave. "Don't you put that thought in everyone's heads! This is exactly what that bear wants us to do!"

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Leon growled. "You say that now, acting like a natural born leader and getting in everyone's good graces when…"

"Enough." Sakura stepped between the two with a glare. "You have just proven Taka's point, Leon. This is exactly what Monokuma craves above all else. He wants us to fight and squabble for his amusement. Can't you see that?" Leon folded the instant Sakura turned her fury towards him, backing away with a paled expression and zipping up before he could say anything else.

"S-Sakura's right…" Chihiro nodded. "We just need to calm down…"

"You both are right," I agreed, taking a single deep breath. "We can't just start fighting each other. Look, those videos, they were fucked up, but that was to get a rise out of us. Monokuma wants to break whatever measure of peace we've managed to build up till now."

I scanned the room, trying to read everyone's faces until my eyes met Sayaka's. As was the case in canon, Sayaka looked like a mess ready to buckle under pressure. This was, after all, her motive to kickstart the killing game in earnest, her idol group. But in spite of all that, maybe there was a chance we could all reach her? Not just me alone, but maybe the whole group could try and talk to her. Of course, there was no guarantee, but I had to try something. So I opened my mouth, ready to talk to Sayaka about her video and give it the old college try.

"M-Makoto, what's wrong?" Hina asked. "You're shaking…"

My brain caught itself on a hitch. Makoto? What was wrong with Makoto? I knew he was probably taken aback by the video, but his breakdown wasn't nearly as bad as it was in canon. I turned to face the Ultimate Lucky Student, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

To say Makoto looked awful would be the understatement of the century. He looked entirely out of breath, as if he were on the verge of a panic attack. His eyes were so watery that he was practically crying already. Even Makoto's signature ahoge stood wilted, almost a sign of his mental state at present. But the biggest red flag that told me something was wrong was the shaking. If Sayaka was a house of cards, Makoto was like a house of sticks in the middle of a hurricane. It was like he could crumble if the wind so much as dared to blow in his direction. That, among other things, were red, flashing flags going off in my head. In spite of everything else, Makoto was supposed to be valued for his optimism, to never let something like this get to him. This was about the furthest from that as one could possibly get.

"Makoto…?" He didn't answer me, looking around like a scared, cornered animal. I tried reaching for him, but that was the spark that triggered everything. Something I never would've expected out of the supposed Ultimate Hope.

Makoto let out a scream that caught everyone completely off-guard. His howl was a combination of anguish and legitimate fear. His words had long since stopped making sense as his eyes swerved like an out of control Mercedes in the Daytona. He stumbled to the ground, backing himself into a corner as the tears rolled down his eyes.

"M-Makoto?!" Hina yelped. "W-what's wrong? Why are you panicking like that?" She slowly reached her hand towards the Ultimate Luckster when suddenly…

"GET AWAY!" Makoto bit back like a cornered wild animal, slapping Hina's hand away harsher than I think he expected. He barely got to his feet before he barreled past the crowd in front of him, not caring for who or what he had to break through. "OUT! I NEED TO GET OUT!"

Before anyone could begin to process what was happening, Makoto had made like Chow Yun-Fat and burst from the AV Room, running in what could only be described as a random direction. The rest of us just stood there, utterly bamboozled. For once, I felt like I could share in the mutual confusion, but I was worried too. Just what the hell had Makoto seen to trigger… that? I was already one foot out of the door when a familiar voice called to me.

"Enough," Byakuya said. "Leave him be."

If I had gripped the door handle any tighter, I would've probably have ripped it off wholesale. "Our classmate just had a mental breakdown right in front of us and your suggestion is to just 'leave him be?' Are you fucking mental, Byakuya?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were the Ultimate Psychologist," Byakuya spat with sarcasm. "By all means, go talk to him."

I found my attention being pulled from Makoto for the time being and realized that I couldn't stand one more second of Byakuya's attitude. "What the actual fuck is your problem? Don't you have even a minor shred of empathy in that body of yours? Aren't you even a tiny bit concerned?"

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "I don't have time to be dealing with the idiocies of how plankton like you operate. Go talk to him then, if you really feel so inclined and noble."

"I h-hate soap operas like this…" Toko grumbled, giving me the stink eye. "I don't care what happens to him, personally."

I whipped around to Toko, who immediately shrunk underneath my glare. I wanted to scream at her too, but the one rational bit still breathing in my brain told me that yelling at the psychotic serial killer with a penchant for stabbing boys with serrated scissors probably wasn't in my best interest, at least at present. So I let her crawl away like a cockroach, turning my attention back to the problem at hand.

"Well," Celeste said, "now that this has been wrapped up, I suppose we ought to just go our separate ways." For a moment, I could have sworn the Ultimate Gambler was shaking a bit herself before she put her mask of confidence back on, smiling. "I do have my own things to take care of. Farewell."

With that, Celeste was gone like the wind, followed shortly by a whimpering Toko and a deflated looking Mondo. Part of me wanted to talk with everyone else, particularly Sayaka, but right now the most important thing I could do was try and find Makoto. What in the hell Monokuma had on that godforsaken DVD was beyond me, but there was one thing I could tell for certain.

There was something deadly wrong with the first case already.

I had looked damn near everywhere on the first floor for Makoto, but had turned up nothing. The first places I looked were the dining hall and kitchen areas, but with not so much as a sign of an ahoge. Then I tried his room, but there was no one there either. I felt frustrated, wondering if Makoto had just found a hole to crawl into or something when a flash of inspiration struck me.

Retrace your steps and go back to the beginning.

I doubled back to the classrooms, striking gold as I flung open the door to the very same tacky, yellow room I had woken up in. Makoto was sitting in a corner, curled up in a fetal position and looking damn dear to the world around him. He didn't so much as look in my direction as he mumbled nonsense under his breath, interlaced with the occasional "Mom…" or "Dad…" in a strained voice. I bit my lip, wondering if somehow this was my fault. But I reasoned that of course it wasn't, this was all Junko's fault. I crouched down, very slowly trying to approach Makoto without spooking him.

"Hey, Makoto?" I called out as gently as I could. "You okay?"

Makoto slowly turned to me, his eyes somehow both deadened and bloodshot all at the same time. His face was covered in tears, almost as if saying, "No, I am not fine, you overgrown fake lawyer piece of shit." He wouldn't have been wrong in saying that, mind, but that's just not who Makoto was at the end of the day. The Ultimate Lucky Student was a kind, if somewhat naive young man who believed in the good in everyone, even people like Byakuya.

"T-Tony…?" he squeaked out, finally registering my presence. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Isn't that obvious?" I asked. "We were worried about you, Makoto."

Makoto let out a weak laugh, looking down at his shoes.

"C'mon, don't laugh like that. Let's head back, I know Hina was worried about you at the very least."

Makoto said nothing, his leg shaking as if he were about to run off again. His breathing was labored, his hands shaking and his face covered in what looked like a river of sweat. "We're… We're all gonna die here, aren't we…?"

"Makoto, stop," I sternly said. "We are not dying here, I can tell you that much. We're going to survive, even if we gotta drag ourselves out of this school, we will live."

Makoto's fingers dug into his sleeves, his teeth clenched as the tears began to roll again. "But…" he stammered. "But my mom and dad… They're…!"

My eyes widened. Makoto didn't need to finish his sentence for me to get the picture. Whatever Makoto's initial video was, there was no doubt in my mind that Junko had done… something to them, far worse than what was shown in the game. Torture, death or… god I didn't even want to think about it.

"That's exactly why we need to keep our cool!" I shot back. "Think about it like this, who gave us those DVDs in the first place?"

Makoto thought about it for a moment. "...Monokuma."

"And who stands to gain from us snapping like animals?"

The Ultimate Lucky Student didn't even try to meet my gaze. It seemed like he was putting together the pieces by himself.

"Now you're getting it. Sure, Monokuma made these DVDs to show us what was going on outside, but how can we be sure that Monokuma didn't fake those videos? For all we know, they've been doctored to try and get in our heads." I knew that I was peddling in pure, grade-A bullshit, but I had to get Makoto thinking about this logically. Because realistically, there was no way to confirm Monokuma's claims that he had done… something to Makoto's parents. All we had was his word and no one else's. Plus, hey, what was one more little lie on top of the mountain that was piling up behind me? Not like it would kill me. If it kept the future Ultimate Hope alive, then I'd tell every damn lie in the book.

"But…" Makoto lifted his head, trying to look me in the eye.

"Makoto, listen to me." I firmly put my hands on his shoulders, doing my best to not look intimidating, but strong. "We can make it out of here alive, we have to. But we have to work like a team if we're gonna do it, you hear me? We stick together like glue and tank whatever that bastard bear throws our way, because no matter what he does, we're made of stronger stuff. I know for a fact you're stronger than this. Just please… Trust me."

Stifling a sniffle, Makoto wearily looked up at me like I was a guardian angel sent from heaven to save him. It's funny, in any other context this situation would've been reversed, with Makoto giving me the pep talk.

"Okay…" Makoto said, trying his best to calm down. "Okay… I trust you, Tony."

I smiled, offering a hand and helping Makoto to his feet. He looked a little unsteady for a moment, but held onto a desk for support. He was going to be fine. Makoto was going to be fine.

I helped Makoto back to his dorm room, stopping by to say hi to Hina and Sakura and let them know Makoto was safe. It wasn't anything special, save for the fake golden katana that stood proudly on the countertop, ready for any of Makoto's defensive needs. He was still shaking a bit, but he was getting better. He sat on his bed, looking at me.

"So… now what?" Makoto asked, leaving me with a damn good question.

"Well, odds are likely that tensions are high after those videos," I said, causing Makoto to shudder. "Honestly, it might be better for you to hunker down here for the night, maybe even for tomorrow too, after breakfast anyway."

"Hunker down?" Makoto looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Don't open your door for any reason, lock everything up. I don't care if it's me or anyone else, just stay here where it's safe. The doors can't exactly be torn down unless your name is Sakura Oogami or Mondo Owada, so just staying here for now is the right call. All you have to do is just stay here."

The plan was simplicity incarnate, but Makoto looked doubtful. "But… Why should I?"

"Makoto," I began, "this isn't because I don't trust anyone out there. I do trust them… sans Byakuya. But we can't say for sure that someone out there isn't already at their wits end, ready to lash out and get out of here at the expense of someone else. Until things calm down, it might be better to just keep to yourself, you understand?"

Makoto bit his cheek, trying to come up with a counter argument but coming up short. "Alright… but what about our breakfast meetings?"

"Those are probably fine to come to," I nodded. "Make sure you get to move around and get some food in your stomach. But afterwards, you make a beeline for your room. Don't stop for love or money, you hear me?"

Makoto gripped onto his sheets tightly. It was obvious he didn't like this, the idea of taking precautions to avoid getting killed by people he had, at least according to his knowledge, met only a couple of days ago. He was probably thinking about how insane this all was, along with whatever horrible thoughts were going through his poor head right now. The dude literally deserved none of this bullshit. Really, when you got down to the nitty gritty details, none of them did.

"Yeah…" Makoto nodded. "I hear you."

"Alright," I said, turning around. "It's getting late, so I better head back before I pass out in the hallway. Sleep well, and Makoto?"

He turned up to look at me.

"You're so much more talented than you think you are."

I couldn't tell what the look in Makoto's eyes meant exactly. Surprise, disbelief or some other emotion? It didn't matter much I guess, considering that for the first time today, Makoto Naegi actually smiled. "Thanks Tony… seriously."

And for once that day, I felt good about myself.

As I exited Makoto's room, I felt a certain pair of purple eyes staring straight ahead at me. Kyoko stood in the middle of the hallway like a statue, unmoving. If I didn't see her blink I would've assumed she was either dead or sleeping with her eyes open.

"Uh… hey, Kyoko," I called out awkwardly. "Doing okay tonight?"

Kyoko said nothing, looking dead at me, leaving me unaware if she was wondering where I'd been or what I was doing in Makoto's room. For what felt like eons, we just stood there like it was an old wild west showdown. And then without warning, Kyoko walked right past me, heading to her room without having uttered even one word.

I really don't get that girl.

The next day came and arrived sooner than I expected. No dreams, no nightmares, just the most normal amount of sleep I'd gotten in what felt like years. It was strange, but oddly comforting at the same time. Without even really thinking, I got dressed and found myself heading down to the dining hall. A few people were already sitting down to whatever breakfast they could make.

"Ah, Tony!" Taka smiled. "So nice to see you so early in the morning!" If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was waiting for the very second it turned seven o' clock to be the first person in the dining hall.

"Morning to you too, Taka," I said, looking around. Sakura, Hina and Chihiro were already eating away before they acknowledged my presence. "Pretty early today, huh?"

"I suppose we are," Sakura smirked. "I'm usually not one to sleep in regardless."

"Neither am I!" Hina piped up. "Whenever I wake up, I gotta get myself moving, y'know?"

"I… kind of know the feeling, I guess," Chihiro said, smiling but still a tiny bit shy. I guess one could describe everyone here as the early birds, people up in the asscrack of dawn for whatever they had planned for the day. I went into the kitchen to make myself something simple while I waited for the others to arrive. It was oddly peaceful, given the circumstances.

As I dug in, Mondo and Hifumi wandered in, both looking like they had just woken up.

"Yo," Mondo simply said, taking a seat.

"My apologies dearest ladies and gentlemen," Hifumi smiled, pushing up his glasses. "My morning duties ate up more of my time than I anticipated." Whatever duties he was talking about, I had no earthly idea, but I wasn't keen on finding out. The less said about Hifumi, the better I say. On a completely different topic, it was kinda odd seeing Mondo up so early in the morning. Could he not sleep? Did Monokuma's motive unnerve him? Oh who was I kidding, everyone was unnerved by having your friends and family taken hostage or worse.

A fair amount of time passed by, all of us making idle banter as breakfast continued normally until the door opened again. Leon, Kyoko, Sayaka, Hiro, Celeste and even Toko of all people were bunched up together, each taking a seat.

"My apologies for being late," Kyoko said, not even bothering to grab anything to eat.

"My bad!" Leon smirked. "Sorry, I slept right through the announcement like a baby."

"Hey, I didn't oversleep!" Hiro protested in advance. "I just had a run-in with the Bermuda Triangle, that's all!"

"The Bermuda Triangle's off the coast of the Caribbean and Florida, Hiro!" I called out with a bemused look. "Unless you can teleport, I don't think you're even close, buddy."

"Wait, that's where the Triangle is?!" Hiro looked shocked. "Aw man, I coulda sworn it was either in the Pacific or in Mexico!"

The man was fairly pathetic, plain and simple. But I don't think anyone could be quite as pathetic as Toko or Hifumi. I had to give Hifumi a bit of leeway, he wasn't anywhere near their level.

"G-good morning…" Toko mumbled before shooting us an accusatory glare at everyone. "W-what?! Is it a c-crime to be a little late?"

As per usual, Celeste gave us a practiced smile and a small little curtsy. "A good morning to you all."

Sayaka was certainly a sight for some sore eyes that morning, but right away I could tell something wasn't right. Her eyes looked… off somehow. Like she wasn't looking at any of us in particular, just looking through us. Her lip twitched a bit as she finally managed a small smile and a soft, "Good morning." But that just only made her seem more off. And that wasn't the only thing. It might've just been me, but Sayaka's outfit looked a tiny bit different somehow. I couldn't place my finger on it yet, but it was like the Ultimate Idol was a completely different person this morning. It was hard to tell when she was so far away, and quite frankly I didn't feel like invading someone else's personal space to confirm any weird feelings. But when small feelings kept piling up on another, they stopped being coincidences.

And that was the cast. At least, I assumed it was. I had just finished my eggs as Taka began to do a quick headcount, scrunching his brow in frustration as he finished.

"Hold on… We're missing two people! Makoto and Byakuya!"

Part of me wanted to spit out my eggs right then and there, but my self-control pulled through for me in the end.

"I'm sure they just slept in like Leon," Hina shrugged. "They're fine, believe me."

As much as I wanted to believe that, I just couldn't. A small little pit of worry was beginning to build up like a forest fire, but I had to keep calm. Any moment now, Makoto would walk in and we'd all be fine and hunky dory. I was worrying over nothing, I had to have been. So imagine the look on my face as I saw the door open…!

…Only for Byakuya to walk in, noticing the halted atmosphere. "What's this? Did something actually happen?"

Mondo grunted as he swung his legs off the table. "Yo, Byakuya. Have you seen Makoto anywhere?"

"Does it look like it?" Byakuya scoffed. "I came here straight from my own room, but I didn't see one inch of Makoto."

"Hrm…" Hifumi pondered. "Did he forget our breakfast promise?"

"No, I don't believe so," Kyoko said. "I'd always assumed Makoto had his priorities in order."

I could feel my heart beginning to pound like a jackhammer. There's no way… I thought. There's no fucking way… My brain wanted to try and break things slowly to me, like a parent explaining why their pet rabbit wasn't moving, or how Santa Claus isn't real. But I myself wanted to run from that truth. It wasn't possible, it just wasn't possible. The sense of unease had exploded like a frag grenade, and I swore I could've heard Junko's demented laughter playing on loop in my mind as I screamed internally. I sprung from my seat, causing some people to jump in surprise.

"I'll go check on him!" I blurted out without warning. I didn't wait for anyone to join me or anything like that, I just fucking burst out of there like a runaway nuclear missile, making a beeline straight for Makoto's room. I had to make sure… Makoto was alright, he had to be. There was no way Makoto was just dead!

Finally, I stood outside of Makoto's room, staring up as if it were some kind of furious monster glaring down on me. I knew I wasn't going to like whatever was on the other side of that door, regardless of what had happened, but there was no way I could just turn around now. One way or another, something had to give.

"It's okay…" I told myself. "He's fine, you're just overreacting. You have to be."

It was a real good thing I wasn't the Ultimate Counselor, because right now I was doing a piss poor job of counseling myself. So with a shaky, heavy hand, I gripped onto the door handle with all my might, slowly turning and walking inside.

To say the room looked like the beaches of Normandy would've been a compliment. A pool of dried blood stood right in front of the door, as if to serve as a makeshift welcome mat. A long, thin scratch trailed it's way past the door frame and stopped just at the corner of the wall. The table and trash bin had been knocked over in whatever fight took place here. The fake katana sat on the ground unsheathed, the scabbard covered from head to toe in scratches. Overall, it looked as if Makoto's room looked like it had just been in a violent disagreement with a tornado and lost. But the room wasn't what caught my full attention. It was the distinct smell of blood coming from the opened door that led into the bathroom. I took my shaking body and slowly braced myself for whatever I was about to see.

And there, sitting against the shower wall with dead, lifeless eyes and a kitchen knife stuck in his stomach was the Ultimate Lucky Student, Makoto Naegi.

A/N: So wow, I cannot believe I keep forgetting to do these darned things. Anyway, I probably didn't hide my intentions very well, but yes, Makoto is indeed the first victim! And you can probably already tell who the killer really is. Anyway, nice tiny bits of lore dumping here and there. Next chapter will involve the first investigation section as well as part of the first trial of the game. Also I apologize for the sheer girth of this chapter, I just kinda kept typing and just didn't stop. Who will live and who will die next time? Stay tuned!

We also have a Discord! Come say hi, we have a whole host of fics that aren't just Danganronpa waiting for you! We don't bite! / 9XG3U7a