The Monokumas lead us through the large double doors, revealing an American style courtroom minus the attorney tables.

I guess we really won't be getting a fair trial. I wonder who or what is going to fill the jury box though...

The Monokumas sort us into nine different spectator benches.

Kasumi and Shun are in one row.

Harlequin, Candace, Nemiko, and Masaki are in another.

Juriya and Armen in another.

Greyface and Ryu in another.

Kanna and Mai in another.

Kaori and Sasaki in another row.

Takeshi, Yosuke, and Sting in another row.

Yume, Ken, Hitoshi, Toshiro, Kano, and Val in another.

And Luan, Harumi, and I in the last one.

If they're sorting us into categories - no offense to Luan but full offense to Harumi - I have nothing in common with these two.

We all stay quiet out of fear of being beaten with one of the Monokuma's riot shields. Kasumi, being in the first row, looks behind her and locks eyes with me. She looks at me worriedly and as much as I would love to offer her a reassuring smile, I can't. I can only shrug, looking just as worried as she does.

"S-Sugawara…" Luan suddenly whispers, nudging me slightly. I look at him, surprised at the rather serious look on his face. "If anything-" he gulps and shakes his head. "I-If anything happens to me-"

"UPUPUPUPUPU! Sorry for the wait, inmates!" comes the terribly familiar voice of Monokuma. He jumps up onto the judge's bench in full court dress: scarlet robes with a white jabot and a bench wig. "Let's get right into it, shall we!? Court is now in session!" he cackles, slamming a gavel down on his bench. "Will Shun Asuga and Kasumi Yuan please step up to the judge's bench? But not too close now, let's say six feet apart?" Monokuma says. "Wouldn't want a repeat of all that COVID business…"

Kasumi and Shun exchange a confused look as two Guard Monokumas escort them up to the center of the room and position them six feet away from Monokuma as ordered.

"Shun Asuga and Kasumi Yuan, my little Robin Hoods, as good as you think your intentions were, you two have been judged Candidates of Greed." Monokuma says. "We'll start with you, Shun-"

"Wait wait wait," Shun interrupts him. "What the hell do you mean 'Candidates of Greed'? What the fuck does that mean!?" she demands.

Monokuma growls and throws his gavel at Shun, missing her by mere inches. "Do not interrupt Judge Monokuma while he is speaking!"

("And now he's talking about himself in the third person…" Harumi whispers under her breath from beside me.

"Ah...what is…'third person'?" Luan asks her quietly.

Harumi just scoffs and ignores him.)

Monokuma clears his throat and pulls out another gavel, hitting it on the bench. "Ahem, as I was saying," he says. "Shun Asuga, you know what you've done so I'm not going to rehash every single detail - I have twenty-five other people to get through after all! So here's the nitty-gritty details," Monokuma smiles. "You ripped off tons of people for tons of money. It was a shitty thing to do but they were rich people with plenty of money to spare. Good on you, Robin Hood. But that's not what caught our dear society's attention." Monokuma says and starts laughing. "Upupupupu, you continued to be selfish and greedy all throughout the Tragedy!" he grins. "You made downright evil decisions to sustain yourself and your family and friends. But, like I said, good on you, Robin Hood. Buuuuuuut your actions caused several other families and groups of people to suffer and die. That's why you're here, Shun Asuga." he finishes.

A guilty look crosses Shun's face for a second and she looks down at her feet. "I...I had to…" she says weakly. "...If that's why you're punishing me with this Killing Game, then fine." Shun says and looks back up at Monokuma. "I'm so sorry to those other families but I don't regret what I did. We were basically in the apocalypse!" she exclaims. "I did what was necessary. My sins allowed them to survive and if I have to suffer for those actions now, then I'm ready."

Then, the two people clad in hooded Monokuma robes enter the courtroom. They stand on either side of Monokuma's judge's bench.

"That's an interesting choice of words, Shun Asuga." the man says. "Do you not wish to repent for your sins? To atone?" he asks.

The woman speaks up before Shun can answer: "If Asuga wanted to repent, she would have expressed regret or remorse just now. She just said she doesn't regret what she did and that she did, and I quote, 'what was necessary'." the woman says coldly. "Shun Asuga, you are hereby found guilty of the sin of Greed. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." the woman says and turns to the man. "Collar."

"Er...what color was it again?" the man asks.

The woman sighs. "Greed is yellow." she says and the man hands her a collar made of yellow metal. "Cuff her."

The sin of Greed? So that's what they're doing to us? Although not directly mentioned in the Christian Bible, the sin of Greed is one of the seven deadly sins - a classification of vices within Christian teachings. I don't know what these people think they know about us or actually do know about us, but who the hell do they think they are to pass judgment on a group of teenagers?

And isn't Yosuke a Catholic priest? Wouldn't someone like him be ex-

Ah, never mind. I almost forgot, people in his particular career are some of the biggest sinners out there. Hypocrites.

Meanwhile, Shun, smartly, does not resist. The woman clamps the yellow collar around her neck and the man puts Shun's hands behind her back and cuffs them. The collar is a snug fit - not tight enough to be uncomfortable but not loose enough that it's going to move around.

"Word of advice," the man says and turns to Shun. He pauses and moves to face all twenty-six of us: "A word of advice to all of you, actually. When you inevitably get collared like your classmate here, don't try to take it off. It's a way to categorize you, keep tabs on you, and to keep you in line." he says darkly. "You'll find out exactly what that means if you don't listen to my warning."

And with that, the man and the woman go back to their positions by Monokuma's bench.

"Kasumi Yuan - BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Going by that look on your face, you know why you're here too." Monokuma laughs when he sees the look of fear on Kasumi's face. "Another Robin Hood - albeit a little more greedy than her counterpart here. You actually have a bit of a reputation in your city as a vigilante, don't you?" Monokuma sneers. "But that's all a lie, isn't it?"

Kasumi flinches but quickly puts on a brave face. "Oh? So you've heard of me!" she says with a smile. "Yeah, I admit, I've done a couple of shady things, but that's just the way!"

"The way of what?"

"The way!"

"The way of...the way?"

"The way!"

Monokuma throws his gavel again - this time at Kasumi - and it would've cracked her skull open had she not ducked in time. Kasumi smiles again when she stands back up, unwavering. "So! You were saying something about my heroic vigilantism?" she asks.

Monokuma growls. "You're making me beaaaaary angry!"

"Oh, are we back on the pun game?" Kasumi gasps and grins. "Sora loves those - here, listen to this one: light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak." she says and turns around to look at me. "Was that edgy enough for you, raccoon?"

I crack a smile. Beside me, even Harumi lets out a puff of air from her nose, acknowledging Kasumi's joke. It takes Luan a second to get the joke but he smiles a little bit when he translates the joke in his head.

Monokuma whines and pulls out yet another gavel. He waves it at his...attendings? Partners? Co-conspirators? I don't know. "You two! Cuff her and make her shut up!" he orders.

Kasumi pouts mockingly. "What? Already? Asuga got to say something in her defense, why don't I?"

"Because you're annoying me!"

"Pssh," Kasumi scoffs. "You'll get used to it. It only took Sora less than a day!" she says proudly.

That's because you wouldn't leave me alone.

The woman and the man silently cuff and collar Kasumi.

"Come on!" Kasumi pouts. "I'll make all the bear puns I can think of!"

"Kasumi Yuan, you annoying little girl, are guilty of the sin of Greed." Monokuma says, ignoring Kasumi's offer. "You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence. Upupupu, maybe that will fix whatever screw is loose in your head! Bring on the next group."

Kasumi sticks her tongue out at him. "Boo you whore."

The Guard Monokumas escort Kasumi and Shun back to their bench and both girls slump down, Kasumi's facade dropping and her expression dropping to match Shun's exhausted, guilt-ridden expression.

Harlequin, Candace, Nemiko, and Masaki are the next set they take up.

"So!" Monokuma says and bangs his gavel against his bench. "To avoid any...annoyances like your classmate just demonstrated, you're just going to shut up and listen, alright inmates?" he declares and turns to Harlequin. "Harley, Harlequin, buddy ol' pal, it's nice to see you again!"

What!?

Those of us still sitting in the audience erupt into shocked cries and gasps while Sting merely shouts: "I thought I recognized you!" in a very happy tone.

"SILENCE!" Monokuma screams, throwing a gavel at us. He pulls out another one and redirects his attention to Harlequin. "Well?"

Harlequin glares at him, not saying a word.

Monokuma bursts into tears, "The silent treatment, Harley? After all we've been through?"

Harlequin scoffs, "There's obviously an adult behind you, bear. We've been through nothing together." he snaps.

Monokuma stops crying and smiles. "Oh? But Harley, I assure you, I am very much your age."

Harlequin quirks an eyebrow. "You have…you have adults listening to you?" he asks curiously.

"That I do, Harls!" he says and turns to the next person in the line. "Now, who do we have here? Candace Meyers-Opulence - or should I say-?"

Candance narrows her eyes at Monokuma. "I think the fuck not, you damn bear." she snaps. "And what the hell is this courtroom?" she continues. "You say we don't have the rights to the American Sixth Amendment but this courtroom is clearly styled like the ones in America." she says as critically and politely as possible. "Make up your mind!"

Monokuma cackles loudly. "You're one to talk!" he says and Candace goes silent, staring angrily at Monokuma. "Anyways, as I was saying, here we have Harlequin, Candace Meyers-Opulence, Nemiko Tamatsuki, and Masaki Takano! Harlequin, your inability to work through your own emotions and instead going with the flow of the Tragedy led to some despairingly brilliant atrocities. Candace, your indecision led to the death of someone who was once very near and dear to your heart. Dearest Nemiko, your behavior and inaction is hurting yourself and her family. Animal carcass boy-"

"Seriously…?" Masaki sighs.

"-your slow thinking also led to the death of two someones near and dear to you. And let's not forget what you did after the second death, upupupu..." Monokuma trails off, his red eye glowing. "All of you exhibited wonderfully slothful behavior."

Nemiko shuffles uncomfortably, unable to speak up or find the right words to sign.

Monokuma notices her shuffling, "What the hell is wrong with you? Gotta use the bathroom or something?"

The woman sighs at the bear and speaks up, "Tamatsuki suffers from selective mutism." she says. "She previously had a pencil and a notebook with her to communicate if others were unable to understand sign language but someone thought it would be better to take them away from her." the woman says, looking pointedly at the man. "Someone also thought it would be better if Yukiko Ishihara were taken away as well."

The man scoffs. "What? Is it not despair inducing to be unable to communicate with a majority of your classmates and to have your child taken away from you?" he asks.

"Is it not more so to communicate despair and to have your child experience everything that's to come with you?" the woman challenges.

"...Fine. I'll return her things." the man grumbles and pulls out Nemiko's things, handing them back to her. "I guess we can keep your arms unbound so you can write. Besides, look at you. You're tiny! You're not going to be able to overpower the guards if you were getting any ideas like that." he laughs and turns to the spectator benches the rest of us are sitting in. "Delvina, you can see your kid again after we're all wrapped up here."

Beside me, Luan beams but I can't help but frown. "Interesting choice of words…" I mumble under my breath, repeating the man's words from earlier.

Luan glances at me, a worried look on his face. "Wh-What? Why do you say that?" he asks.

"I could be overthinking it, but, the man said 'see'. When he gave Nemiko her stuff back, he said 'return'. I don't think he's going to give Yukiko-"

"Quiet, inmates!" the Guard Monokuma watching our aisle snaps.

Luan and I quiet down but I give him an unsure look, not wanting him to get his hopes up.

I turn my attention back to the scene in the front of the room to find the man and the woman in the middle of cuffing and collaring Candace with light blue'accessories' instead of yellow. "Harlequin, Candace Meyers-Opulence, Nemiko Tamatsuki, and Masaki Takano, all four of you are hereby found guilty of the sin of Sloth. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." the woman says. "Take them back."

"Okay, fine, whatever, but first," Candace starts. "What...what exactly is this 'Killing School Sentence' thing?" she asks. "I've heard about something similar before, but-"

Juriya scoffs as the quartet of Sloth Sinners pass by her row. "Are you serious?" she asks. "Isn't it obvious? This is the Killing School Life all over again. They're going to make us kill each other." Juriya states bluntly.

We were all thinking it and talking about it amongst ourselves but to hear it finally said out loud is a bit jarring.

Someone is inevitably going to snap and kill one or more of their twenty-five peers.

Candace wordlessly goes back to sit on the bench with Harlequin, Nemiko, and Masaki. Harlequin looks unbothered - which I can now understand with the reveal of his past as a Remnant of Despair, Candace looks like she's about to fall into despair right here and now, Nemiko looks terrified, and I still really can't get a read on Masaki. Why does that boy keep trembling?

"Akifumi Yatagarasu and Juriya Inaba, front and center!"

Armen looks scarily annoyed at having his actual name be called and Juriya looks like she'd rather be, well, anywhere else. Both of the stoic, serious students silently let the Guard Monokumas herd them to the front of the room.

"Look at you two!" Monokuma cackles. "Do I even need to say which sin you two are guilty of?"

Hm...out of the seven sins-

"Akifumi Yatagarasu, Juriya Inaba, you are hereby found guilty of the sin of Pride. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." the woman says as she and the man approach them with purple handcuffs and collars.

Armen glares silently at Monokuma, irritation in his eyes. Then, his expression shifts to something calmer. "Who are you really?" he asks Monokuma. "Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba are dead and as far as we and the Future Foundation know, Monaka Towa is somewhere out of this world. You're nobody important enough to be on our radar." Armen says cooly. "So you're either a wannabe Junko Enoshima like the Towa brat or…"

"Or what?" Monokuma asks, unmoving.

Armen narrows his eyes at Monokuma as he's collared and cuffed like his peers. Instead of answering him, Armen says, "I'm bored and unimpressed." He looks down at the Guard Monokuma. "Take us back to the bench."

Juriya, while looking as detached as ever, glances at Armen. "Come now, Armen. One cannot deny it's an...interesting situation." she says. "Trapped, desperate, forced to kill in order to survive. We've seen it broadcasted and now we're experiencing it ourselves…" Juriya trails off thoughtfully.

Armen ignores her as the Guard Monokumas herd them away.

Pride, huh? I can definitely see that.

Greyface and Ryu are next. It's an...interesting combination, for sure. I don't know much about Ryu but what could the guy possibly have in common with a serial killer? Maybe the sin of Pride but evidently these two aren't guilty of that…

"Greyface!" Monokuma says joyfully. "I can't wait to see what you produce for us!"

"Monokuma!" Greyface replies just as happily. "Happy to oblige!"

"Ryu." Ryu deadpans. "Let's get this over with. I get what she could've done, but what exactly do I have in common with a serial killer?" he asks the exact question I was just thinking.

"Well I'm so glad you asked, Mr. Kuro Kamiyama!"

"Ryu."

"So, Kuro Kamiyama-"

Ryu sighs.

"-we don't need to go over what our lovely neighborhood Greyface has done so I'll get right on to talking about you, Kuro Kamiyama." Monokuma says. "Are you really telling me you don't know what you have in common with Greyface?"

Ryu raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything else.

Greyface, oddly enough, is the one to falter for a moment. She stares hardly at Ryu before her signature manic grin returns to her face. "Now that's very interesting, isn't it!?" she laughs. "Maybe we can collaborate some time!"

Ryu glances at Greyface. "Don't presume to know what the bear is talking about," he says. "I'm nothing like you.

Greyface just gives him a sideways grin. "Is that so, Kuro Kamiyama?"

The woman and the man interrupt them, approaching the two with red collars and handcuffs. "Kuro Kamiyama and Greyface, you are hereby found guilty of the sin of Wrath. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." the woman says and she locks the collar around Ryu's neck.

"Wrath, huh…" Ryu says quietly.

Greyface cackles, "BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Wrath?! That's just perfect!" she says as the man handcuffs her.

The Guard Monokumas then escort a delighted Greyface and a stoic Ryu back to their bench.

"Aaaaaaaand...who's next? Ah, you, Mai Rinzaki and Kanna Kawagiri, come on up!"

Mai and Kanna flinch, exchanging a wary look.

Monokuma laughs, "Oh come on, don't be shy! You're so used to being the center of attention, how's this any different?" he asks as a Guard Monokuma forces the girls up out of their seats.

"The center of attention in a positive light," Kanna corrects him. "Never in a light like this." she says as the Guard Monokuma pushes her and Mai to stand in the center of the room. "So, what'll it be?" Kanna asks nervously.

"Oh Kanna, Mai, you precious little things, don't you know how wasteful you've been?"

To her credit, Kanna looks genuinely confused. "Pardon?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.

Mai doesn't say anything.

Monokuma blinks. "You know. All of your clothes and stuff." he says.

Kanna frowns. "What about my clothes? I wear them all." she says, still confused. "Is this because I don't go thrifting? I admit, I have been meaning to but it's been hard to get around safely with everything rebuilding and, uh, Remnants of Despair, was it?"

"I - yes, Remnants of Despair. How in the name of Kamikuma do you not know what the Remnants of Despair are called?" Monokuma demands and turns to look fervently between the man and the woman. "You said she wasn't that sheltered!"

The man scoffs. "Okay, so maybe she's a little more sheltered than we thought but that doesn't change the fact that she's guilty as charged!" he insists.

Monokuma growls at the man. "We'll talk about this later." he says and turns back to face Kanna.

"Since you seem like you're only capable of telling the difference between genuine and faux Pucci and Grada products, let me spell it out for you." Monokuma says. "You, Kanna Kawagiri, are super mega guilty of the sin of Gluttony. You-"

"Gluttony?" Kanna asks and looks down at herself. "Are you saying I'm overweight? I always thought I was a healthy weight…" she trails off with a sigh. "Oh well."

Monokuma facepalms. "I'm getting a beary big headache, one of you-" he gestures weakly at the man and the woman. "explain it to her and take her away." he sighs dramatically, throwing himself down against the judge's bench.

The man shakes his head and nods at the woman. "This is all you, cupcake."

"Call me that again and I'll gouge your eyes out." the woman says and turns to Kanna. "The sin of Gluttony is mostly associated with food, yes, but it can also apply to material objects." the woman says. "Monokuma was not, uh, referring to your weight." she says and clears her throat. "In your case, Kawagiri, it's your numerous material possessions. St. Tomas Aquinas lists five ways to commit Gluttony and you hit four out of five of them." the woman explains.

"Not to mention that you encourage your millions of followers to do the same things that you do." the man adds as he pulls out a set of orange handcuffs and an orange collar, handing the latter to the woman.

Kanna still looks terribly confused. "What, so you're punishing me for being rich enough to buy stuff? How is that a sin?" she asks.

The man and the woman go silent, staring at Kanna.

"I'm not explaining it any further." the woman deadpans. "Maybe it'll click during your sentence." she says and moves to lock the collar around Kanna's neck. "Kanna Kawagiri, you are hereby found guilty of the sin of Gluttony. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence."

Kanna huffs and crosses her arms. "Why orange? Orange is the least-"

The man clicks the handcuffs around Kanna's wrists. "Take her back to the bench." he interrupts her. Both the man and the woman ignore Kanna's cries of defiance as she's pushed away by a Guard Monokuma and they retake their positions by Monokuma.

"Now, you, Mai Rinzaki-"

Mai holds up a hand, a guilty, solemn look on her face. "I'm aware. I know what I did." she says and holds out her wrists. "Please, just…let me sit back down."

The man and the woman exchange a look and shrug. As with Kanna, the man pulls out a set of orange handcuffs and an orange collar. "Mai Rinzaki, you are hereby found guilty of the sin of Gluttony. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." the woman says as she clicks the collar around Mai's neck. She nods at the Guard Monokumas, "Take her."

"Alrighty, glad that's over." Monokuma says and jumps back up to his feet. "Another K name. Please don't be as bad as your predecessors." he sighs. "Kaori Yoshino-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Kaori says with a yawn. "Let me guess, the sin of Envy, right?" she says as the Guard Monokuma herds her to the center of the room. "I know I admire a lot of people - especially my peers here - and I guess I can see how that would be mistaken as jealousy or envy." she says. "But I can't say I understand how that's wrong." Kaori says, sticking her tongue out at Monokuma. "Look at this loser punishing me because I admire people."

Monokuma's red eye starts glowing. "If you brats don't shut-"

"Upupupu I'm a big ol' scary mechanical bear making children kill each other, rawr~!" Kaori copies Monokuma's voice perfectly. "Fear me! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" she laughs mockingly and earns a few rounds of laughter from those of us in the spectator benches. "Come on! I get a green collar, right? Like, 'green with envy'? Let's get this show on the road, you have eleven more people to get through!" Kaori says.

Sasaki sighs dejectedly as she follows Kaori up to the middle of the room.

The man and the woman exchange a look and shrug, pulling out green bindings just like Kaori guessed. "Kaori Yoshino, you are hereby found guilty of the sin of Envy. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." the woman says as she clicks the green collar around Kaori's neck.

"A-And me?" Sasaki asks.

Monokuma crosses his arms. "If Kaori let me finish, I would've said that your jealous little-"

"Come ON, get this show on the road, Monokuma!" Kaori huffs and turns to Sasaki. "C'mon, paraphrase it for him so we can sit down." she encourages.

Sasaki shuffles her feet. "Uh…Envy…is it because I left the show? And because I want an easier life?"

Monokuma screams and Kaori turns to the man and the woman.

"So, what do we call you two anyway?" Kaori asks. "Hanako and Taro Yamada?"

The man and the woman share another look and shrug once again. "That works." the man, now dubbed Taro, says.

"Very well." the woman, now dubbed Hanako says.

Beside me, Luan leans in to whisper, "H-Hanako and Taro? Where did she get those names?" he asks.

"It's a placeholder name for unidentified Japanese people." I whisper back. "Like how America has John and Jane Doe and Serbia has Petar Petrović and Pera Perić; Japan has Hanako Yamada and Taro Yamada."

"Oooh." Luan nods in understanding, turning his attention back to the front.

A Guard Monokuma is already escorting the next batch to the front: Takeshi, Yosuke, and Sting. All very different people, as far as I know. Takeshi's a weird guy that likes to sew, Yosuke is a homophobic and conservative piece of shit, and Sting is a former Remnant of Despair.

...You know, maybe Yosuke and Sting aren't all that different.

"Takeshi Yamamoto, Yosuke Sakurai, and good ol' Minato 'Sting' Sakamoto!" Monokuma says happily.

Sting beams at Monokuma. "It's fuckin' great to see you up and running, Monokuma!" he says. "I'm sooooooooo glad I get to be a part of this! Look, see, even Monsieur Brahms is happy, look at that smile!" he coos, petting the air around his head.

What the fuck?

Monokuma just laughs and redirects his attention to sentencing the boys in front of him. "Dearest Takeshi-"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't refer to me like we were friends." Takeshi interrupts him, a polite smile on his face.

Monokuma blinks and tilts his head to the side. "And why is that?"

"Well quite frankly, I don't like you." Takeshi says simply. "We haven't even gotten the chance to be classmates with each other and here you are guilting us about the petty, bad things we've done." he says with a sigh. "Yes some are more extreme than others but like Shun Asuga was saying, it was the apocalypse." Takeshi says sadly.

"Precisely." Yosuke says in agreement. "And also, I'm a priest. A child of God. I have not done anything worthy of being grouped with these people. On the very small chance that I do sin, I always repent immediately." he says with a holier-than-thou attitude (pun intended). "I don't belong here."

Takeshi gives Yosuke a look of distaste and Sting looks at Yosuke curiously. "'Don't belong here', huh?" he repeats in a rather calm voice. "Isn't the Catholic Church known for protecting their pedophile clergy? And for hypocritically saying that same-sex people should be allowed to get married but that they can't get married or be blessed by someone belonging to their Church? And don't hundreds of thousands of people use the Christian and Catholic faith to excuse their cruel, outdated beliefs that are really just flat out wrong?" Sting asks. His tone isn't trying to challenge Yosuke, it's more thoughtful than anything. "How can you say you're this perfect human being when you actively support that kind of organization?"

The entire room is silent before Candace bursts out laughing. "Hell yeah! You tell him, snake boy!" she cackles.

Yosuke looks like he's seconds away from going off on Sting so Taro and Hanako quickly move to cuff him. "Yosuke Sakurai, you are hereby found guilty of the sin of Lust. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." Hanako says as she locks a blue collar around Yosuke's neck, Taro cuffing him with matching handcuffs. "I suggest you keep that anger in check unless you want to witness firsthand what the collar can do."

Yosuke grits his teeth but doesn't say anything else.

"Aaah," Monokuma sighs. "That was good. Anyways, back to you, my dear Sting." he says. "Can you guess why I decided to bring you here?"

"Oooh, that's a good one." Sting says and taps his chin thoughtfully. "I've done a loooooooooot of things, but...majorly, I guess, lusting for despair?" he guesses. "Going by the way you've been bringing us up."

"Good job!" Monokuma beams and turns to Takeshi. "And you, my absolutely not friend Takeshi, what do you think you've done?" he asks.

Takeshi stays quiet while he thinks for a second. "...I suppose...lusting for revenge...right?" he says, a frown returning to his face.

Okay, well, I was not expecting happy-go-lucky fanboy Takeshi to get so dark.

"Very good, very good!" Monokuma says as Taro and Hanako move to bind the boys. "And, since Yosuke ruined our good fun over here, let me tell you exactly what he did. It's nothing too extreme like my good buddy Sting was saying over here but he absolutely beary much lusts for power. I think he's hoping to take the position of the Pope one day!" Monokuma laughs mockingly. "But judging by the way your classmates feel about you, Yosuke, I don't think you're gonna make it there. In fact, you might not even make it past eighteen!"

Yosuke doesn't say anything but his irritation is clear as day.

"Takeshi Yamamoto, Minato Sakamoto, you are hereby found guilty of the sin of Lust. You are to participate in the Killing School Life."

And with that, the boys are escorted back to their bench.

My heart starts beating a little faster, a ball of anxiety growing in the pit of my stomach. It's so close to being mine, Luan's, and Harumi's turn. But even then, they've already gone through all of the seven deadly sins.

Kasumi and Shun are guilty of the sin of Greed.

Harlequin, Candace, Nemiko, and Masaki are guilty of the sin of Sloth.

Juriya and Armen are guilty of the sin of Pride.

Greyface and Kuro are guilty of the sin of Wrath.

Kanna and Mai are guilty of the sin of Gluttony.

Kaori and Sasaki are guilty of the sin of Envy.

Takeshi, Yosuke, and Sting are guilty of the sin of Lust.

But Yume, Ken, Hitoshi, Toshiro, Kano, Valentin, Luan, Harumi, and I still haven't been charged with anything. What exactly did we do? And what did Luan, Harumi, and I do to be singled out even further!? I'm not a bad person...right? I can't speak on Harumi's behalf but I don't think Luan is a bad guy. Maybe he's made some mistakes (teenage parent things) but he seems like a nice person and a good dad.

Harumi's just a bitch.

Monokuma calls up the group of six first.

"Well, well, well." Monokuma tuts. "You guys are some bad sinners, aren't ya?" he says. "Well," Monokuma glances at the three of us that are remaining. "I guess some are worse." he says with a dark smile. "Anywho! Let's keep the ball rolling, we're almost done!" Monokuma says and points his gavel at Yume. "You, Yume Nii! Are guilty of the sins of Lust and Sloth! Why? A lust for affection that led to your untimely sin of Sloth! How unfortunate." Monokuma says.

Yume's smile falters. "I-I-"

"Moving on!"

"N-No, wait," Yume tries. "How did you know about...that?"

Monokuma ignores her and Hanako and Taro approach her with half blue half light blue bindings. "Yume Nii, you are hereby found guilty of the sins of Lust and Sloth. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." Hanako says, locking the collar around Yume's neck.

Yume just sighs, her incessant smile from before gone.

Monokuma points his gavel at Ken. "Kensuke Oishi! You, sir, are one angry guy. You would've been grouped with Greyface and Kuro Kamiyama if it weren't for the envious side of you." he says.

I blink, processing what Monokuma just said. This is a sentence that caught me off guard. Ken? Angry? The sin of Wrath? The sin of Envy? Seriously? He's annoying, yeah, but he's one of the friendliest guys here! Ken is a goddamn Ultimate Caretaker for crying out loud, what the hell could he possibly be hiding?

Ken frowns, a guilty but resolved look on his face, just like Shun. "What I did was justified, Monokuma. The world owed that to me, so…" he sighs, shaking his head.

Taro hands Hanako a half green half red collar. "Kensuke Oishi, you are hereby found guilty of the sins of Envy and Wrath. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence."

Ken doesn't struggle but glares harshly at Monokuma. "It was justice. I stand by that." he says.

Monokuma moves on, pointing his gavel at Hitoshi. "You, Hitoshi Kimidori-"

Hitoshi sighs. "Can I make a guess?" he says, guilt already creeping into his expression. "Envy for sure and maybe-"

"GLUTTONY! Envy and Gluttony, you brat! How many times do I have to tell you kids to shut up and stop interrupting me!?" Monokuma whines. "Taro!"

"On it." Taro sighs and hands Hanako a half green half orange collar. "So? Talk to me, Kimidori. You seem more regretful than most of your classmates." he says.

"...I am." Hitoshi says with a guilty, sad frown.

Hanako clips the collar around Hitoshi's neck. "Hitoshi Kimidori, you are hereby found guilty of the sins of Envy and Gluttony. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." she says.

Hitoshi nods solemnly. "Yeah. Yeah, okay." he says quietly.

Then Monokuma twirls his gavel and points it at Toshiro and Kano. "You, Kano Hanazaki and Cloud/Shiro/Shadow/Kuro-"

Toshiro blinks. "What did you just call me?" he asks and Kano stifles a laugh.

"Oh, sorry, Killing Game." Monokuma says, waving his hand. "Ahem, as I was saying, you, Shirona-"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I mean Shi Shi-"

Toshiro's eye twitches. "My name is Toshiro Haruki, how hard is that to remember?"

Monokuma starts sweating nervously. "S-Sorry, I just know a lot of kids called Shiro who have fathers that also go by Shiro and-"

Toshiro scoffs. "Ugly." he says.

"Wh-What?" Monokuma stammers.

"I don't find you cute anymore. You're disgusting to me." Shiro says disdainfully. "Hurry up and get this over with so I can go back to watching Kasumi annoy Sora."

I am literally just sitting here-

Monokuma falls behind his judge's bench, crying. Taro sighs and hands Hanako a half red half purple collar. "Take it away, Hanako." Taro says.

"Toshiro Haruki and Kano Hanazaki, you are hereby found guilty of the sins of Wrath and Pride. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." Hanako says as she clips the collar around his neck.

Taro speaks up while he's handcuffing Toshiro, "Got anything to say?" he asks him.

"No."

Taro turns to Kano. "You?"

Kano smiles smugly. "Count your days." he says. "I won't lose this game."

Last but not least, Monokuma turns to Val. "Hola, Señor Valentin." Monokuma says, waving at Val like some kind of Disney Princess. "Do you have any idea why you, a heroic fireman, have been brought to be punished with all of these criminals?" he asks.

It takes Val a second to process what Monokuma said, either because of the fatigue written all over his face or because he needed a second to translate it, but when he does, a sad look fills his face. "Ah...sí, Señor Monokuma. I...I know." Val says and looks down guiltily. "I...I have been trying to, um, cómo se dice…r-repent on my own in my own ways." he says.

"Good!" Monokuma says. "But that still does not absolve you of-"

"Señor, if I may, I-I was not done." Val says. "This…'Killing School Sentence'," he says carefully and puffs his chest out, steeling his expression. "Killing...is wrong. Malo! Pero...you are mistaken. Incorrecto. No one here will play your game, Señor Monokuma." Val says confidently. "A-And if they do...we will find them-"

"Blah, blah, blah, Hope will triumph over Despair, blah blah blah." Monokuma yawns. "I've heard it all before, buddy, and guess what? Someone has always given in and they set off the rest of the game. Once it starts, it doesn't stop until they're all dead or you find out who's responsible." Monokuma says and grins. "Our Masterminds are all too happy to give themselves up. The despair they feel when they do is immaculate."

Hanako approaches Val, half purple half light blue collar in hand. "Valentin Del Rio, you are hereby found guilty of the sins of Pride and Sloth. You are to participate in the Killing School Sentence." she says as Taro handcuffs him.

And with that, the Guard Monokumas escort the six of them back to their bench.

It's finally our turn.

I stand up on shaky legs as the Guard Monokumas beckon us out of the aisle and herd us up to the front. Monokuma is back to standing up on the judge's bench, oddly silent as he waits for the three of us to settle in front of him. And then:

"Get them."

With incredible speed, Hanako and Taro have us collared and handcuffed, our collars and handcuffs being black.

"H-Huh?" Luan stutters, confused at the sudden turn of events.

Harumi tugs at her collar with an oddly anxious look on her face, "H-Hey now, c-could you move th-this a little bit lower?" she stutters, unable to do much because of her handcuffs.

"What's with the special treatment?" I ask the question they're both thinking. "You talked to the others before giving them the prisoner treatment. What's going on?" I ask.

"Your classmates can't help you very well while their hands are bound." Hanako says, pulling out a tablet from her robes.

My heart drops. "H-Help me…?" I ask, feeling all the blood drain from my face. I glance between Hanako and Taro, their faces still hidden by the hoods of their robes. I can't tell what they're thinking. "Wh-What's going on? You haven't even told m-me what I've done to-" the words die in my throat when my collar starts whirring. "H-Huh..?"


Luan

My eyes widen when I see the sparks flying from Sora's collar. She drops to the ground, letting out an excruciating cry of pain. She reaches up to her neck, desperately trying to pull the collar off but she only gets her fingers stung.

Dread. Fear. That's all I feel as I watch Sora writhe on the ground trying to free herself.

How can I help her? Why are they doing this to her? I-I can't take the collar off myself, I just saw Sora burn her fingers when she tried. What do I do what do I do what do I do!?

"S-Sora!" Kasumi cries out. She grits her teeth when the Guard Monokumas block her way out of the aisle, surrounding her on all sides with their riot shields. "What the hell is going on!?" she demands, worry and anger twisting her expression.

Kensuke, Hitoshi, and Toshiro are also trying to break out of their aisles. "HEY! What's the big idea!? She didn't do anything to you!" Kensuke screams, running at and trying to shoulder the Monokumas' riot shields away with the other two boys.

I turn towards Harumi, her own panic and seeing them torture Sora making her break down and cry.

Candace is shielding Nemiko from being able to see, holding the small girl to her chest while she covers her ears.

Juriya is muttering to herself, a troubled and thoughtful look on her face, maybe thinking about how she can help Sora if she gets her hands on her.

All in all, everyone is either screaming at Hanako, Taro, and Monokuma, watching painfully because they know there's nothing they can do, or watching emotionlessly and silently.

Wait a second...

I scan over the benches again. Ryu and Armen are the only ones watching with zero emotion. I don't know why, but Sting, a Remnant of Despair who should be taking joy in the despair everyone is feeling right now, is in the second group of people. Greyface, a serial killer who also brings about despair for fun, is also in the same boat as Sting. I wonder…

Taro sighs, shaking his head and shrugging as if to say 'what can ya do?'. "Who knew that torturing someone they met less than twenty-four hours ago would bring about such an aggressive reaction?" he asks rhetorically.

Hanako shrugs, "Teenagers and their hormones." she says dully and taps her tablet again. And just like that, the sound of the electricity dies down and Sora calms down, tears streaming down her face as she cradles her neck.

"Wh...Why…?" Sora croaks out, her voice sounding awful.

She doesn't get an answer.

"Injecting general anesthesia and that drug now…" Hanako says, tapping away on her tablet.

A few seconds later, Sora's hands drop from her neck and her eyes flutter shut.

"She's asleep." Hanako says as she scrolls on her tablet. "That drug is going through her system now." she reports.

"Excellent." Taro says.

"Wh-What did you do to her?" Kasumi asks, glossy eyed.

Taro yawns. "We erased certain memories that would have proved...troublesome." he says.

"Then what the fuck was the whole shock collar for!? Couldn't you have just put her to sleep like you literally just did!?" Hitoshi demands.

"It was for some good old fashioned despair inducing fun. Now, Monokuma, the stage is yours."

"Upupupupu! What a show that was!" Monokuma giggles. "Now, back to the trial. This shouldn't take too long. Harumi Gen Cho, Luan Delvina, and Sora Sugawara. You three are some of the most troubling, despairfully sinful teenagers we had the delight of kidnapping." he says. "You three have done so much we didn't know where to put you, that's how bad you are. Isn't that great?" Monokuma smiles.

"Wh-Wh-What?" Harumi stammers, still recovering from her panic attack. "I-I-I'm not s-sinful!" she chokes out, sniffling. "D-Don't put me in the same boat as these - these c-commoners!"

Monokuma tilts his head to the side and puts a paw on his chin. "Oh? But, Harumi, you're the worst one of the bunch." he says.

Taro nods and continues from where Monokuma left off. "I mean, yeah, we have two serial killers but that's all they've done. Killed people. You may not be a killer but your actions have inflicted just as much despair as Greyface and Sting." Taro says and turns to me. "You're not a killer either and you haven't inflicted despair on tons of people like Gen Cho here. We grabbed you because of the amount of despair you inflicted on that small group you were in, your attitude about your heritage, and your daughter."

My eyes widen. "Y-Yukiko?"

Taro scoffs and nods at one of the Guard Monokumas. "Go get her." he orders.

The Guard Monokuma salutes him and scurries out of the room.

My heart pounds against my chest. Yukiko. She's okay.

Oh, Miya...I swear, I will protect Yukiko with my life. No harm will ever come to her...if it's the last thing I do-

Taro continues speaking, pulling me out of my thoughts. "And sleeping beauty over here...it's not about the amount of despair or the amount of people, it's about who." he says mysteriously. "Now ain't that something?" Taro laughs.

Just as he finishes speaking, the Guard Monokuma returns with-

"Yukiko!" I cry out when I see her holding onto the Guard Monokuma's hand and her stuffed narwhal in the other. "Yukiko, I'm so happy…" I say. The relief of seeing my daughter again feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Yes, we're all still stuck in this horrible situation but like I said:

I will protect Yukiko with my life.

Yukiko lights up when she sees me. "Baba! I missed you! Look look," she says and holds up her narwhal for me to see. "Apple missed you too!"

I smile warmly at Yukiko. "So Apple is the name today, hm? Come, Yu-"

"Tsk tsk tsk, not so fast, Delvina. She's not going with you."

I narrow my eyes and my head snaps towards Taro.

"Since things haven't gone exactly according to plan, we're still not wholly prepared to have all twenty-six - sorry, twenty-seven of you as our guests." Taro says sinisterly. "So we need to split you guys up: girls and boys. When we're prepared to bring everything together, that's when you can have your daughter back and all twenty-seven of you will be brought together again...assuming nobody bites the bullet while we're setting up."

I grit my teeth. Of course.

I turn back to Yukiko, smiling sadly at her. "I'm sorry, Arush, it looks like you'll have to be on your own for a while again." I say, glancing at my peers in the spectator benches. I lock eyes with Kasumi. She glances between Yukiko and I and smiles, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Y-Yuki, come sit with me." Kasumi calls, clearing her throat.

Yukiko is successfully distracted when she hears the sound of Kasumi's voice. "KasuKasu!" she cheers, running through the Guard Monokumas. She frowns when she sees the handcuffs on Kasumi's wrists. "What is these?" Yukiko asks, tugging on Kasumi's handcuffs.

Kasumi lets out a shaky breath and puts on a smile. "They're my new bracelets. What, you don't like them?" she asks and sticks her tongue out at Yukiko. "What does Apple think about them?"

With the reassurance that Yukiko is in good hands, I turn my attention back to Taro and Hanako. Monokuma has disappeared and the two of them are pulling the boys out of the benches and lining them up.

Taro turns back to me when he hears me stop talking to Yukiko. He whistles and snaps his fingers at me like I'm a dog. "Come on, Delvina." he says, a couple of Guard Monokumas and the other ten boys already lined up behind him. "Let's get a move on."

I glare at him again but move to stand behind the last boy in the line, Valentin.

As I look at all the boys in the line, I can't help but think about what Taro said earlier.


"When we're prepared to bring everything together, that's when you can have your daughter back and all twenty-seven of you will be brought together again...assuming nobody bites the bullet while we're setting up."


There's only one person I suspect of killing somebody right now.

Armen.

Yes, Monokuma was hinting at Ryu being a serial killer just like Greyface and Sting is a part of the whole despair cult thing, but I just don't find them as dangerous as that man. Armen reminds me of him so much...he's not to be trusted.

I just have to survive for as long as it takes until I'm reunited with Yukiko.

Miya…

My heart aches just thinking about her.

I will get out of here. I will survive and protect Yukiko by any means necessary. And then I can avenge you, just as kanun dictates. I just...I don't know when I can bring myself to see you again.

But nevermind that for now.

I survey the other boys in line.

Kensuke. He seemed a bit off while the bear was talking to him but I don't think he's bad. He spoke of justice...kanun. I believe he's one of the ones I can trust.

Hitoshi. He more or less admitted to his guilt but he was very sad about it...I'm not sure about his level of threat but I believe I can be around him without fear.

Toshiro...I'm not sure about him. He seemed like a nice guy while we were all at Hope's Peak but the way he flipped when Monokuma tried to talk to him about what he'd done...I don't know.

Takeshi. He also spoke of revenge. I believe I can trust him. He and Kensuke are only doing what they believe is right, I can understand that.

Kano. Guilty of the sins of Wrath and Pride. I don't…that is…it doesn't seem like a very kind combination. I don't trust him.

Val. He is...a firefighter, I believe. A protector. He also seemed like a nice guy at Hope's Peak and I believe that's who he truly is. But what could a firefighter have done that's so wrong…?

Yosuke. I'm not quite sure why the others are so against him. Sting spoke of the bad side of the Catholic Church but Monokuma said Yosuke's wrongdoings were unrelated to that. But seeing as how a majority of the others don't like him...I'm not sure if I can trust him.

Masaki. He's not very friendly but it seems like he just prefers being alone. But because of that, I haven't spoken to him very much or heard him speak that much either. I don't know what to make of him.

Ryu...an alleged serial killer, if I'm understanding Monokuma correctly. But even so, he doesn't give me the same feelings as Greyface and Sting. Those two are insane, Ryu is just...Ryu.

Sting. I believe he was referred to as...um...a Remnant of Despair? He's part of the same group that...hurt Miya...but I don't believe he was one of her attackers. Yukiko is the spitting image of her mother and if Sting had attacked Miya, he would have seen her in Yukiko. Even so, I don't think I'll be spending much time around him.

Harlequin. Another former Remnant of Despair, however, he doesn't seem to be as friendly with Monokuma as Sting is. However, he is still…bad. A criminal. I don't believe he was one of Miya's attackers either but as with Sting, I don't think I'll be spending much time around him.

And Armen.

I swear, if you try anything it'll be the last thing you do.


A/N what if i changed the ending of chapter 1 and killed someone

jk

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

unless?

jk