Prologue 0-5: The Clock is Ticking
Beta Read by: Lupus Overkill (I almost forgot this and aaaaaahhhhhhh)
Blood on the ground...a loss of life...but all I can feel is the cold in the air. Everybody disappeared, leaving me alone with somebody I used to smile with. But life is so fleeting that they should have guessed something like this would have happened. No amount of flowers could make rotting fish smell appealing. No amount of scrubbing could destroy the red paint decorating the halls of the childhood home.
No matter what you sacrifice, nothing will erase your sins from this world. No amount of vicious stab wounds can wash away your past.
Time grinds to a halt. Although he no longer exists in this world, Saitou Katatake has become the most important person in this entire spaceship. The walls painted red with his blood, taunting us about a future we might all eventually face. In the distance, a faint ticking noise can be heard, as if it is teasing us about our potential doom. The Queen of Hearts will be furious that somebody painted her white roses red.
Moving silently after being frozen for a couple of seconds, Hanane investigates the crime scene like she has some experience with this field of science. It is hard to tell what she is feeling with her facing the other way and the room still being on the dark side. But this is not the time for that, for Hanane's mind might be what we need right now to survive. I may consider myself logical but I have no experience in most sciences, especially forensics. Doing anything without instruction can severely derail the investigation, so it is best to ask Hanane. Out of everybody, she is most trustworthy in this field, since the only scientists on board are in fields entirely different from criminal forensics. Considering Ryoichi walked past me covered in what can be assumed to be Saitou's blood, that will make him our number one suspect. But something about this entire case seems odd, as nobody is dumb enough to murder somebody that they were fighting with and then think they can get away with it while covered in that person's blood. If somebody does that, they are most likely under the influence of drugs.
"Ahem! What is this!?" A stuffed bear comes storming into the room with a flashlight in his paws. Just by getting one look at him, his typical black and white color scheme, I can tell that this is Monokuma. "I get you youngsters nowadays love violence but this is a whole new level of thrill, chill, and kills! And how did you turn off all my cameras!? None of you better be breaking the rules in my glorious gym right now. Gosh, do I have to do everything for my precious bastard students?"
Only one thing is on my mind. The consequences. Is there going to be a trial? Even without everything not being set and us only being on this ship for approximately three hours, though my sense of time is questionable thanks to the time that I spent asleep. With how quick he died, it can be assumed that he has been the quickest death, except for possibly Chisa Yukizome and the others in the alternate style Killing Game. But that game has completely different rules and I highly doubt this will turn out to be the Monokuma Hunter style. Though there is probably somebody who has died quicker thanks to the amount of information hidden about these games by the Committee and even somewhat the True Despairs. If the game is considered a failure, even the True Despairs will react as if it never existed in the first place.
Looking over to Hanane, I notice that she is glaring at Monokuma. With the intensity, there has to be something more going on here. Most would try to hide their emotions or react in fear, but Hanane's emotions are still hard to describe even when she is more emotive.
"You know what, screw it! I'm going to make you bastard children go through a trial! Teach you a lesson! I don't get paid enough for constantly having to-"
"I'm afraid I can't let you hurt any of my friends, Monokuma! That's not nice!" Appearing from the hallway with a skip with his step, the mysterious gray-haired man from before enters the room. This time he noticeably doesn't have the girl that looks like Ayano with him. "Our fun from our last meeting was sadly cut short! But oh how I want to show you my love!" He starts to drool, which makes me take a step back. Hanane immediately walks over to me and takes what looks like to be a defensive stance.
"Tch, not him," Hanane mutters.
"What!? How did you get in here!?" Despite being a robot, Monokuma begins to sweat. Whoever created this technology must have added a function to make such a feat possible, though it is dangerous having liquid stored inside a machine like the bear. "My beautiful bear self wasn't informed of such things happening! Do we have to restart...again!?" I commend whoever is doing the acting of Monokuma or made his AI, but I start to see him slip out of his usual persona.
"No, I need to finish delivering my love to you! So you can finally know real compassion!" Although this conversation is very interesting, I find it odd that nobody is paying attention to the body in the room. Some of Saitou's blood is starting to dry up which is odd since a lot of blood still looks fresh. Perhaps that is blood from earlier on in the fight? It could even be Seina's blood since Seina could have been hiding some of her injuries. Though the theory with Seina starts holding less water since there is no way somebody close to her would overlook such a detail. Mei is here, and, although she is annoying, she has a supposed attachment to her perceived friends. But the last time I saw Mei was alone, so maybe Seina found a way to hide it because of her not wanting others to know or some other illogical train of thought. Or somebody else could have been attacked before or after the incident with Seina.
Taking more steps back while still trying to keep my attention on the boy and Monokuma, I eventually go over to where Saitou's body is. Monokuma's flashlight makes it a lot easier to see all of the smaller details. Saitou's weapons are nowhere to be seen, and, from my brief glimpse of Ryoichi, I do not remember him having them. Maybe they are in a part of the room still hidden in the darkness? I may not have a lot of knowledge about scars but the wounds on Saitou do not match up what the weapon did with Seina. But Seina was attacked by a different part of the kusarigama so that information is unreliable.
"Shiro...um, no Amari, I see that you're being a responsible adult. Oh, how people like you tramp over the hopes and dreams of people that actually matter. Nobody gives a shit about music nowadays, especially yours-"
"Nothing we do will ever make a change in this world, especially your music. So let's fuck the world and teach the Committee who's boss. Come with us, and we'll show you the truth of everything~"
"You piece of shit." I cannot stop myself from saying something so reckless. People here swear way too much, especially for teenagers, and do not know the consequences of continuing that kind of behavior. However, it takes all of my willpower to not run-up to the man and punch Monokuma in the face. Monokuma only stares dumbfoundead as the man walks past him as if there is something wrong with his code. Hanane, seeing that there is an opening, runs out of the room. Hopefully, she can get the others in the gymnasium so they can put a stop to this madness. Most would be furious with the abandonment but, then again, many of the people I am unfortunate enough to be surrounded with know nothing about the true world.
But I still want to punch this new guy in the fucking face.
"I forgot to introduce myself to you, Amari! And Monokuma already knows everything about me. So hi, I'm Aito or Aiko or Ai, whatever you prefer. Names mean nothing anyway! But I guess if you want to know my true full name or something like that I'm Aito Watanabe! I look forward to becoming friends with you!" Aito offers one of his hands for a handshake but I do not grab it. He glares at me.
"I am not your friend. We have just met."
"Oh, I see how it is! Don't worry, we'll be friends soon enough! But if the worst does happen, I'll still love you with all of my heart! I'm not a selfish person! I love everything and everybody equally!" Aito exclaims. For a moment, I wonder if it is alright to keep the key he had given me, but perhaps it can be used as a bargaining chip later on. With people of...questionable sanity like Aito, it is good to keep as many cards up your sleeve as possible, since you can never truly predict what they want.
"Aito, get out of here! Or else I'm going to have to expel you!" Monokuma shouts, trying his hardest to get noticed. However, Aito does not pay attention to him, his green eyes still threatening me with every look he gives.
"I'm not a student here, Monokuma. You've no power over me-"
"Get out!" The bear demands.
"Aw, but can't I say hi to my dear friend Saitou again? Somebody has to celebrate his miserable existence! And I'm the only one that can remember him!" Aito clears his throat. "Saitou Katatake, the worst piece of shit I ever met...I don't feel sorry for you at all! So glad that you finally died! I hope you enjoy your time in Hell!" He giggles as he tilts his head, a smile fixed onto his face. "And see kids, this is why we don't recycle!"
"I'm pretty sure we're both older than you! And you're getting expelled!" Monokuma fumes but stays where he is. Maybe he cannot do anything because his programming doesn't have a setting for this event? Or there could be something more going on, especially since now I prefer to stay out of the drama of the Committee when I can. But I never heard Kotori talk about somebody named Aito, and, despite his grey hair, he still looks young, most likely somewhere in his late teens. If he has been causing trouble for the Committee or the True Despairs, it has to be recent.
...A part of me is finding it hard to believe that a conversation like this is happening in the same room as a dead body. My mother would berate me if I ever did something like this, yelling that it is disrespectful. With how surprisingly warm it is in the room, it seems that the process for decomposition has begun and the smell of dead bodies is something I will never get used to. There is a reason why Alice never went to the graveyards of Wonderland, filled with mass graves of bodies lazily thrown in holes and were either burned or left to slowly rot as vultures consume the last remains of their flesh. There are no such vultures here, only a bear whose sadistic smile can eat us whole. For that bear once devoured the world, leaving nothing but ash while ants seek to conquer what little life there is left.
"Still not a student~"
"Fine! As the headmaster, I'll make you a student! You're the...I don't know, the Ultimate Prankster! Now you're expelled!"
Aito Watanabe
Ultimate Prankster
"My first action as Ultimate Prankster...not listen to you!" Aito reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out what looks like an innocent ball. He starts throwing it up and down, never dropping it despite the darkness. Monokuma is seething with rage but Aito does not drop his act for even a second.
"How can those-"
"Monokuma, you don't want to spoil anything. You not saying anything about our history is better for you than me. I love you so much though so I can't allow myself to divulge the plot!" Aito smirks as he puts the ball away. Monokuma is somewhat slightly more relaxed, though he seems to still be turning red. "As my love letter to you, I'll do nothing at all now in this game. Really it'll be boring but you know the real reason why I'm here. It's not good to pretend you don't know my desires! For I'll make sure that my love-"
"I get it. Please stop talking about love-"
"Only if you stop talking about despair~" Aito does not pay attention to Monokuma as the bear punches the wall. Although, thanks to Monokuma's short size, it does hardly any damage. "I'm not as short-sided as the fools surrounding me, however! It gets me in trouble but you of all people should know I don't mind that! Despair is needed to fully understand the world that we live in! Hope and despair are not opposites! Only fools will believe the meaningless words of propaganda! Firefly might tell me otherwise but whatever." He shrugs and starts humming a simple tune that I have not heard in my life. Maybe it is something taught to him by his family or friends?
"Firefly!?"
"Of course you know who I mean my wonderful friend! Oh, how I wish to rip your cute little body into pieces!"
Trying to use the situation to my advantage, I move to get out, but Aito notices me. Before I can react, Aito yanks my arm. As he does, I scream as electricity runs through my system. It is only a small bit but it takes me off-guard. I have been through much worse before so why am I reacting this way? Maybe I have grown too used to the day-to-day grind of a composer stuck working for the Committee. Einosuke would simply call me pathetic, and Eimu...perhaps it is not best to think about such topics with the current events transpiring. I must remain in the moment otherwise much can be lost. Nothing hurts more than having all of the control forcibly taken from you.
"You can't escape that easily, Amari!" he shouts without changing his facial expressions even once. But, if I was able to escape the main Amari household, I highly doubt Aito can hold me for long. It is arrogant to assume such things, especially since Aito may have a lot of tricks but no muscle. All somebody has to do is remove him from all of his...gear...and he should be no problem. Somebody this insane probably will not be able to create a good enough strategy without all of these assumed fancy gadgets. Insanity and despair are different after all, even though nobody wants to admit to that fact. Crime still happens without the existence of despair, hope, or any other buzz words the government and cults throw around. Human beings are naturally horrible creatures who disguise our wicked desires with technology, ignoring the fact that we are the eternal plague that the planet can never truly destroy. Without us, the world would be whole and healthy, instead of dying a pathetic, slow death.
"I got to report this!" Monokuma waddles away quickly, leaving me with Aito. Although I only know about Monokuma thanks to stories told to me by not reliable sources, I know that this behavior is odd. But then again, Monokuma probably assumed that nothing like this would transpire, yet you should always prepare for any situation no matter how absurd it may seem. Surely with all of the Killing Games before, the True Despairs ran into a situation like this, but maybe they are starting to lose their touch thanks to their cockiness.
"Bye-bye, friend! Hope you trip and die!" Aito finally lets go of me. Instead of running, I stay, watching his movements very carefully. Perhaps this will be a good time to get some more answers. There might be video cameras around but maybe the confusion will make whoever is behind this not to focus on us. That could be seen as wishful thinking, but they do have better things to be focusing on. Maybe they are trying to create the investigation and Truth Bullets, or finish up the remaining touches on the Trial Room. Most despairs refuse to think with logic, but some do, leading to them being the ones in charge. Otherwise, the True Despairs would have easily be wiped out already. Many downplay the intelligence of Junko Enoshima until her final moments, for her only true downfall was her obsession with despair. Without that obsession clouding her judgment, she would have easily won the entire world.
"What is the meaning of-"
"You can't talk about that here, Amari! You're going to cause us to die! You can die happy, but I got shit to do." Aito returns his focus back to Saitou. Maybe it would be better to try to appeal to his line of thinking? After all, nobody with a brain cell tries to use the laws of the real world to control the delusions of fantasy.
"Then...can you give me a hint?" I ask him. To my disappointment, Aito shakes his head.
"Alas, the Master knows all those riddles and tricks! I'm not stupid enough to try to get anything past her~" Aito goes up to Saitou and sits in front of him. To my surprise, although this really should not get me off guard anymore, Aito pulls out a knife and begins to stab Saitou. Because that could possibly hinder the investigation, I run up to Aito to try to stop him, but all he has to do is face my direction with that twisted smile and I stop in my tracks. All the wounds start to transform into another piece of so-called art. Saitou's body is being maimed for the sake of the vision of a selfish artist who cares not of who they destroy to get their perfect image out there.
"Why are you doing this?" I question Saitou, perhaps against my better judgment. Better to stay silent after all. Maybe with Aito focusing on stabbing Saitou's body, I can finally find a way to get out of this room. This room reminds me too much of a prison, with the walls threatening to swallow us all up whole. With every passing second, the lights become dimmer and dimmer, in desperate need of a change of light bulbs.
"To show my love, silly!"
"What is your love?" Love is such a fickle concept. It is something that does not exist but surrounds us all, plaguing our minds with the delusion of true romance and soulmates. My mother claimed to love Einosuke but even a toddler can see that is nothing but a lie meant to comfort a mind already being broken to pieces. Since Einosuke does love us all, only if we prove useful for him and stay loyal no matter what he does. The only reason I am not dead is because of my talent with music, how music has spoken to me like no human ever can. Humans are deceitful creatures, but music cannot ever lie since it has no mind of its own. Music is the only comfort of this world.
"Haha, it wouldn't be love if it can be explained!" Afterward, we can both taken off guard with two women entering the room, one of them making her presence known as she stunts into the room while the other stays behind her, her face mostly hidden by the phone that she is playing on. Both of them are oddly familiar, though for some reason their white hair seems wrong.
"Aito, did you kill somebody? This has to be recorded!" The more outgoing one smiles with her possible friend still being too absorbed by her phone to care.
"No, this doesn't count! Saitou was already dead."
"Aw." The woman takes out a notebook and writes something down, her hand being so fast it is hard to notice it there in the first place. "I would've tried to sneak up on you but these floorboards are so creaky. Not even the Ultimate Spy can manage such a feat. Trust me, I met her and she's a bitch."
"Etsuko, the protagonist is here. You should focus on him. Aito is what we call... a useless side character."
"Yes, call me that more Emilynn!" Aito stops stabbing the body and looks...uh, blissed out. This feels wrong. But maybe with him being distracted by those kinds of thoughts, we might have more of a body to help solve this mystery.
"No," Emilynn clicks her tongue. "You got to achieve ten more friendship points to unlock that kind of relationship."
"You wound me! Do it more!"
"Well, salutations, old sport!" Etsuko comes up to me and slaps me hard on the back. "I'm Dr. Etsuko Abe. Pleasure meeting you again!" I would remember meeting somebody like Etsuko but it does not seem correct to point that out. Perhaps because Kotori had a weird fixation on Etsuko since she was the one that the Committee truly wanted. Even after Kotori's years of research for them, they wanted somebody that must have been a child or a young teenager at the time. The only reason why Kotori had any true power in the Committee is because of Etsuko declining the offer. There would have been so many lives saved if Etsuko could have predicted the true consequences of her selfish actions, or maybe Etsuko would not want the world to change from its current miserable state.
"I am not that much older than you," I correct her. Who uses the term old sport nowadays anyway?
"Haha, guess we're both adults!" Etsuko then pulls out what looks like an audio recorder from one of the pockets of her lab coat. Looking around the room, I realize that Aito is still doing nothing and Emilynn is still enriched by her phone. "So Shiro have anything to say?"
"How do you know my name?" I should have asked that sooner but everybody in this room is eccentric. They all do not react whatsoever to the dead body as an average person could. There are so many questions going through my head that will most likely never be answered.
"Gasp! Everybody should know the name of Shiro Amari! The Ultimate Composer! Savior of the Amari family!"
"I am not the savior of anything," I argue. Etsuko beams as she puts her audio recorder away. But, now that I am realizing it, Etsuko never stated her talent, though it most likely has something to do with research. It could not be Ultimate Researcher since the Committee hates duplicating talents and will only do so when needed, even if the title is being taken by an Honorary Ultimate on the other side of one of their many rivalries. "What is your talent anyway?"
"I'm the Super High School Level Psychologist!" What the fuck.
Etsuko Abe
Super High School Level (?) Psychologist
Super...high school level. That is not a term I have heard in such a long time. There is no way Etsuko got it from Yoshi, so maybe she knew Yoshi from before or somebody else is using the term. Perhaps one of the many rebellion groups? But something about Etsuko makes me certain she is not a part of any of those. Etsuko, however, should be considered a threat, because everything about her feels off but right at the same time. Maybe Etsuko can instill these conflicting emotions because of her mastery of psychology.
Etsuko has long, straight white hair held together in a messy braid. She wears her braid to the left side, showing off her ribbon that clashes with everything since its design look straight out of a video game. Almost matching her hair, Etsuko's skin is pale, looking almost sickly. In the olden times, many would accuse Etsuko of something ridiculous like being a vampire. Humanity judges on the surface level because most people refuse to see beyond their misconceptions for their own personal gain. No human truly cares for another, or else they're naive. Other humans exist to be tools, Etsuko would know that well thanks to her status as a psychologist. Anyway, Etsuko is taller than I thought, being around the five foot, eight inches range, or maybe her black heels just make her look that way. What truly strikes me as odd is her red eyes, for that is not a common feature in this world. Rumors state, and even Kotori, that those with red eyes are either cursed or went through something worse than death. Etsuko's red eyes are alluring, sharply contrasting over the dull colors of her face. With how bright the red is, children would think her eyes could possibly glow in the dark, maybe lighting their way to freedom from this world.
For Etsuko's top, she wears a see-through white dress shirt, revealing her purple tank top underneath. She wears a lab coat that is strangely colored black with the right side being off her shoulder. On this coat, there are pockets that are clearly filled with all kinds of items. Only part of her dress shirt, and all of her tank top, is tucked into her trousers which are clearly made for men but I do not think Etsuko cares. Etsuko wears a worn-down black belt. Attached to one of her belt loops, there is a silver star charm. Her hands are covered with purple gloves that match her tank top. Lastly, Etsuko wears thin black-rimmed glasses that have little cracks in them. Those must be harder to see through than not wearing glasses; she should get them replaced soon.
"Admiring my appearance? Any more and you'll have to become one of my test subjects. I'll treat you with care, 'kay?" Etsuko winks at me. I repress my urge to groan. Why is everybody involved with being the head of research for the Committee so obsessed with experiments? Sure, it is part of the job, but there are other responsibilities. The current head at least is not flaunting his research all over the place in a sad attempt to impress others, which probably ends up with nobody wanting to hang out with them. One of the reasons why Kotori had so many relationships with her experiments is because nobody else but that goddamn idiot would ever spend time with her. But that idiot gave me hope that Kotori would keep her promises, which I should have known were made out of nothing but plastic. That goddamn idiot probably felt some pity at first, since many not involved with Committee politics would see Kotori as an eccentric scientist and nothing more. The Committee understandably did not want news of the Personality Experiments to ever become public.
If news of the true Committee ever reached the likes of a neutral country like Canada or Thailand, they would team up with the other neutrals and rebellion groups to finally destroy the Committee. But, for now, most countries are defending their own land while allowing the Committee to destroy the lives of the people trapped underneath their thumb. Or maybe Canada is finally doing something since Tahlia Catherine King is here. Considering the current landscape of Canada, Tahlia would have to use one of their secret passageways, or somehow make her own, to make it outside Canada and somehow make her way to Japan. But I would not trust the world of Tahlia since she reminds me a lot of Etsuko, a wild card. But Tahlia is much more approachable than Etsuko, and-
"Sure," Emilynn replies while rolling her eyes. She then faces me. "You sure think a lot more than usual."
"Me? A wild card? Did you accidentally say that out loud?" Etsuko grins. If I am beginning to say things out loud, I should pay more attention to my surroundings. But I cannot stop my logical analysis or else there is a chance that I will miss something. Even with me thinking so hard, the feeling of not being able to solve anything is leaving me sort of frustrated.
"To show you, my love, I'll allow you to do anything to my body, oh great Etsuko Abe!" Aito stretches his arm weirdly towards Etsuko and she laughs it off.
"People call me the weirdo. Let's see how they react to you!"
"You're both weirdos," Emilynn responds. "But Etsuko also is best girl. She beats Aito." Afterward, Emilynn actually puts her phone down and looks over to me with her kinda dead eyes that remind me of fish. "Introductions, huh? KK. Emilynn McKay. Super High School Level Lucky Student. I want a refund that ain't my talent."
Emilynn McKay
Super High School Level (?) Lucky Student
Like Etsuko, Emilynn has long white hair (though Emilynn's is down and wavy) and red eyes. They are clearly not siblings, everything about their facial and body structures is different other than they are skinny and too pale, so there is most likely something else going on that I do not want the details about. I know too much about Kotori's experiments to be considered sane by the majority of the populace. Emilynn's outfit is much more simple than Etsuko's. She wears a purple hoodie sweater that looks more like a dress thanks to how big it is on her. Because of her sweater being a v-neck, Emilynn's red undershirt is showing. Underneath Emilynn wears black leggings that have little holes in them that go to halfway down her calf. Like Etsuko, Emilynn wears gloves, but these are instead red. Matching her gloves is Emilynn's sneakers, which are also worn down. It is hard to notice Emilynn's white socks due to them almost blending in with her skin. Then I realize that it seems like Emilynn is wearing the same glasses as Etsuko without any of the cracks.
"Don't mind any of us. All Ultimates are insane in some twisted way. Guess talent makes people go off the deep end." Etsuko shrugs. As she does so, I notice a rat crawl out from her lab jacket. "Oh Ratscal, you're saying hi! Say hello to my number two buddy." That must not be sanitary. Keeping a rat these days is only inviting illness to you. Since the Tragedy, there have not been many pet rats, with the few remaining being considered illegal. With how many of my classmates casually breaking the law, it must be a miracle for them that we are in space. Otherwise, Hope's Peak would erase our class from history and there is a good chance that all of them would be dead. Such a waste, but the Committee has always been quick to eliminate non-threats.
"I got a talent now! Prankster-"
"That's it. The world is gonna end again." Emilynn takes steps away from Aito and towards Saitou's corpse. She could probably have a corpse land on her and not react to it. "It was nice knowing you all."
"I won't let anything bad happen to you, Emilynn. After all, we're both still alive!" Etsuko grins at me, with a knowing look in her eyes. Though I do not understand anything that is going on so perhaps this is a joke for the younger crowd or those who use social media.
"I already got expelled so don't worry! I'm going to be crashing all your classes! Since everybody needs a true teacher-"
"Let's get out of here before another long monologue! Already got recordings of all of those. Later~" Etsuko grabs onto Aito and starts to drag him by his shirt collar. Aito does not seem to mind at all.
"Leaving just as we're introduced? But that's so boring," Emilynn sighs. "We should further the plot or something-"
"There's a dead guy. I think we're fine! Oh, I just can't wait and see how everybody reacts to everything!" Etsuko leaves the room with Aito. Maybe with only Emilynn in the room, there is a chance that I will finally be able to leave.
Emilynn suddenly grabs onto my hand, which takes me entirely off guard. She does not strike me as the type of person to seek out physical contact so immediately. "That's weird." Maybe we have been transported to another world and the Ultimates are considered normal since I do not see Hope's Peak hiring this many unique personalities. Especially a McKay. It took me a while to fully realize because of the shock of everything else, and Emilynn not having the singular blonde hair, but this girl is definitely one of the Committee's greatest enemies. What is Kirigiri thinking of allowing somebody this dangerous to their reputation on their school grounds? Kirigiri should know that the McKays mostly focus on criticizing the Committee's education and this is only going to give them more evidence. Even if Shun is the one behind this, Kirigiri should have stopped him because she has more power over him. Is Kirigiri now so obsessed with talent that she is willing to bring in traitors inside of her school?
"I don't care," Emilynn shrugs her shoulders. Is she perhaps too young to be interested in politics? Or maybe she is being used by her family as a pawn? I do not know much about the McKays so they could be much like some more cold-hearted rebellions. "You think too much. Aren't protagonists supposed to be more impulsive?"
"Being impulsive would only lead to an early death," I answer.
"You're right. Protagonists have a bad habit of dying."
However, humanity is often impulsive which leads to more suffering in the end. After all, the creation of the Committee could have been stopped if the Future Foundation thought through their actions more. Alas, humanity as a whole will always only see things in the short term. Even the Committee, since they did not realize how much people would fight back against their oppression. If I was the Committee, I would find a way to steal away power from the people slowly, as the frog will allow itself to be cooked alive if somebody heats up their luxury prison at the right speed, and then pin the blame on somebody else if anybody ever figures out what is happening. Maybe the True Despairs could serve that purpose but the Master is much too smart to allow herself to be manipulated by the Irvings. Perhaps it is time for Wendy and Sasha Irving to give their power to their daughter and manipulate her actions, or maybe the secret second heir that there have been so many conspiracy theories about.
"Tbh I'm glad you're not crazy."
For humanity to truly break the cycle of endless wars and tragedies, they must learn to truly see through the looking glass. Find a future where the gardens are not littered with red but instead green, restoring the world from this pitiful wasteland to its former glory. But the true enemy, the Jabberwocky, will always threaten normality, never peace since that will never truly exist. The poem is the essence of truth yet a lie all the same. Nothing is ever black and white, and who that think so can only be described as fools. I remember my mother telling me the story back when there were lights in her eyes.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Are you sure you aren't the Ultimate Poet?" Realizing that Emilynn is still there, I question how much she heard. Emilynn once again has her phone out and playing a game. "Whatever. I'm bored. TTYL." And just like that, Emilynn leaves. That was surprisingly uneventful. So now that I find myself alone with a dead body, I decided that this will be a good time to investigate. But I have no idea how investigation looks so all the meaningful information I can gather is that Saitou has been stabbed a lot. Forensic science is simply not needed when learning how to become a composer. It would only be a waste of time, though I should have calculated the risk of being forced into a Killing Game. After all, the True Despairs have an obsession with these, even with non-human participants. From what I have heard, one of the Ultimate Despairs was a breeder and had a love for all animals, so they created a Killing Game with millions of dogs that many are still trying to emulate today. It's a special kind of evil to target one of the pure things left on this abysmal planet.
With Aito gone, perhaps I can get in contact with Hanane again. I do not have any idea where she went, however, which means it would be the most logical to make my way to the gymnasium.
Opening the door, I look around the hallway to see whether or not anybody has remained there. It is completely empty. Though I can continue exploring the other rooms to see if there are any more people left behind, that would only be a waste of time. With the possibility of death, it is always best to not be alone while in a public setting. With Saitou's actions, no wonder he got killed. I have no sympathy for such idiotic actions, even if others would argue that they were noble. Saving others means nothing if you cannot save yourself. What can you hope to achieve if you are already dead? Not everybody can be like Junko and live beyond their death, billions of people have been completely forgotten by history. Even the big names of fifty years ago only live on nowadays because of reckless historians going against the will of the Committee. They want to erase all struggle from history. The world must always be perfect in the eyes of the elite.
This is no time to think about philosophy, so I head to the gymnasium.
Entering the gymnasium, I can already see that everybody is setting up their little groups. This is extremely dangerous since we do not know each other and, although it has been a few hours (possibly more since I was knocked out), there is no way that people can learn the truth about a person in that time frame. Nobody can ever find out how another person is truly thinking, all we can ever do is make educated guesses. Even your closest allies can betray you for their own personal gain. The person you are making small talk to one minute can end up stabbing you in the next. Because that is how the world works. One thing can be said about the Killing Games, they reveal the truth about a person. That everybody is selfish and only cares about themselves. There are the killers who murder their allies for only their own gain and their so-called allies who put them to death without a single feeling of remorse. Any sympathy people feel is them deluding themselves so they can sleep better drowning in their own fake tears.
In the middle of the court, Ichiko is still trying to work on her personal project while Renkou and Kaimaru try to convince Keiji and Choumi to do some stretches with them. However, Kobi is glaring down at Pon-chan, who unusually is standing her ground. Sachiko is trying to break apart the standstill, apologizing to Keiji nonstop, with Osamu watching over her still. Distracting Keiji and Choumi from Renkou and Kaimaru, there is Osamu also somehow pushing their own buttons. Something about Osamu makes him annoying even when he is not saying anything. There is much chaos in the group, even more, when Keiji tries to return Kobi to his original spot on his head but Kobi gives him attitude.
Another group is sitting on the edge of the stage, with them not being able to go behind the curtain this time. Fubuki now has her mask, making her express herself more freely with Natsuki and Kitsu. Fubuki is standing on the edge and almost falls down because of her exaggerated movements, but Kitsu catches her just in time. The two of them try to convince Natsuki to jump onto the stage with them but the last of their trio refuses. Though Fubuki does not care as she does a laugh that is supposed to be threatening but is really not and has Kitsu help her drag Natsuki on the stage. Finding something off, I look around the gymnasium and do not see Jun anywhere.
Seina seems to have healed from her encounter with Ryoichi and is now forming another group without Mei, who is also absent presumably still with Ayumu. Ayumu is stuck in his own cursed fate for being too nice. The game master is joined with Mizore, Tahlia, and Suzunami. The four of them together are most likely making jokes. Those jokes are an unforgivable mistake. But all of them are smiling so, as long as they keep their jokes to themselves, the world won't explode thanks to them having the worst sense of humor humanly imaginable. To have a true sense of humor you must not make me want to bash my head into a wall. If there was ever an Ultimate Comedian, they would give up on ever accomplishing anything because of the despair those four would bring them. Their little group is seated in a circle in the middle of the left side of the bleachers.
The last group is Himura, Yuu, Yuki, Sora, and Chika. They seem to be just talking on the right side of the bleachers. Yuki is on the top shouting down at everybody who decided to sit next to each other at the bottom. It seems like the rest of the group is playfully chatting with each other while ignoring whatever speech Yuki made for them. Or maybe they cannot hear her. In the corner of the gym, I notice that Ryoichi is standing by himself studying the group with a strange lack of emotion on his face.
Last but not least, the last person currently in the gym is Asuka, who is currently running towards me.
"Hey, Shiro! Are you still doing okay? Because we're going to figure out a way out of here together!" Asuka's happiness is already bugging me. With a situation like this, a leader should not be wearing a smile. She must be made aware of how truly dire this is.
"Saitou is dead."
"...What?" Asuka freezes in place, face darkening, before awkwardly laughing. "I don't know who this Saitou is but this joke really isn't funny Shiro. Didn't take you for a prankster type."
"He's not joking and I'm furious at you all!" The curtain opens, causing Fubuki to jump and Kitsu and Natsuki to quickly jump off. Though Fubuki stays, causing her to be right next to a fuming Monokuma. "You guys have already killed someone and it's not even a Killing Game. Oh yeah, there was supposed to be this super cool and awesome introduction, with fireworks and everything, but I'm not awarding you or the crew with that because somebody is dead! I get that you guys are supposed to kill each other but we're not ready for trials yet! We're still setting up the goddamn Trial Room! Do you know how difficult it is to set everything up...in space!? And now all of my higher-ups are yelling at me...I don't fucking care if not everybody is here yet! They can see the reactions later!" Monokuma is talking so fast that it is hard to comprehend his words, but everybody gets the meaning of two. Two I knew that was coming: Killing Game.
Ichiko stops her writing and focuses solely on Monokuma. She is driven and starts to sketch out the Monokuma and comparing him to another drawing she has of him in her notes. Renkou looks shocked and does not seem to realize that a Kaimaru with a much paler face is clinging onto his arm for comfort. Keiji (who now has Kobi back on his head) jumps in front of Sachiko and Choumi, with Osamu battling for his spot with Sachiko. Choumi does not look impressed, in fact, she even yawns. She is not phased whatsoever when Keiji starts growling at Monokuma. On the other hand, Sachiko yelps at the sudden strange behavior, visibly shaking as she hugs onto Pon-chan tightly.
Seina is keeping a calm head, with her body language being clear about her want to question Monokuma. Tahlia punches the bleachers she is sitting on, causing Suzunami to move farther away from her. Other than that, Suzunami is not really paying attention to Monokuma, being off in xyr own world, which seems like a good way to get killed off real quick. Mizore tilts her head and starts talking what I assume is nonsense since she also seems to be resorting to the comforting world of her imagination other than reality. With the announcement, Ryoichi shifts his attention to Seina, leaving me with a sense of unease. His facial expression is oddly serious with his somewhat goofy appearance.
Himura is reacting much the same way as Seina, acting as a pillar for his current group. Yuki rushes over to her brother and starts hugging him tightly, but he does not care even as it seems that his sister is almost suffocating him. Yuu is much more invested in Monokuma, with him biting his lip and trying to take deep breaths that are interrupted with his sister constantly screaming. Sora is being comforted by both Himura and Chika, though Chika still looks like she is uncertain about what to think about Himura and Sora attempts to get away from the other man...which is making me question why he was hanging out with him before the announcement.
Natsuki is completely frozen in fear. Kitsu is still right by her, laughing even though his face has noticeably paled. He is also trying to convince Fubuki off the stage. Though Fubuki stays on, with the expression being unreadable thanks to her mask. Asuka cleans up her act, and, although she is glaring daggers at Monokuma, I can tell her she has regained some of her composure.
All of them are fools, however. Making their emotions cloud their judgment. If anything, they should have cared more about being in space than being in a Killing Game. There is always a chance of survival in these games if you follow the rules and logic, for somebody with a mind such as I would never fall victim to any of the True Despair's plans. With space, however, only two of us have knowledge about that, and I highly doubt Sora and Chika have been trained to become astronauts. Simply put, space is much more likely to kill us than other humans until everybody realizes how dangerous this setting truly is. And the fact that our captors most definitely have the knowledge to make sure they survive if we ever plan an escape or rebellion. It is better to give in to their wishes, give up your freedom, and survive to see another day than to be brutally tortured, brainwashed, forced to destroy everything you love, returned back to your previous state, and watch the whole world burn while you long for the sweet release of death.
At that moment, the door opens, causing everybody but Suzunami and Mizore turn their attention towards it. To my surprise, only Leonie and Rokuro appear. Though the last time I saw them they headed into the gymnasium, they could have possibly been forced to scout once again. Asuka is the one making the decisions here clearly so I wonder why she would choose the two of them and not have everybody work together until everybody was found. Perhaps Asuka is not that good of a leader, makes sense since she is still a teenager, and needs some work with her skills that do not involve volleyball.
"What did we miss?" Rokuro asks. He is met with silence and Leonie deciding whether or not she should run out of the room or silence him. "Jeez, tough crowd."
"You're going to murder each other in a Killing Game!" Monokuma announces once again. Rokuro is taken back for a moment but then returns to his usual smile. Leonie starts to inch back to the door with a tremor in her step.
"That's not a fun joke-"
"Now stay quiet! Or I'm going to...argh! I already have a migraine!" Monokuma starts to pull out parts of his artificial fur after he interrupts Rokuro. However, there are already the seeds of rebellion starting to take form. The five main trouble makers are already showing themselves to their captors. These idiots are going to get killed. Asuka, Keiji, Choumi (who may look like she may not give a crap but she is close to Keiji so it's more like she's stuck there), Seina, and Tahlia. Bye idiots, good thing I already knew not to get too close to you. But Monokuma better not hurt the dog.
"Fuck you, Committee scum!" Tahlia shouts.
"What are the rules to this game, Monokuma?" Seina questions. "And what's the true reason for not waiting for everyone? Mei Yamazaki isn't here and many others. Don't try to fool me with excuses!"
"You won't hurt another person! Woof!" Keiji then returns to his dog growling. He tries to motion Kobi to do the same but the dog does not listen. The dog is probably the smartest animal in this room besides me.
"That's it. We're all gonna die because of a stupid dog cosplayer, a wannabe wizard, and a mad scientist." I may not be able to clearly see Choumi's face but I can imagine that she is rolling her eyes.
"Alright let me list all the ways that you've fucked up. One, why the fuck would I do what the Committee wants? Two, why the fuck would I do what the Committee wants!? Three, fuck you!" Tahlia continues to condemn herself even further. Suzunami once again breaks out of xyr's trance to move closer to Mizore.
"We're never going to give in!" Asuka declares to Monokuma, pointing her finger towards him.
"Fine." Monokuma yawns. In a moment, the whole atmosphere changes. I do not have enough time to see what comes from the ceiling until it gets shot down. There is then a scream. A scream that could have been easily avoided if people kept their mouth shut.
"Ah!"
"See? All gonna die." Choumi crosses her arms.
"Shit-"
"Silence, Tahlia! Or you're next! Now, lemme get on with my speech otherwise she'll bleed to death. And we don't want that! And don't even try to help her or you'll be next!" Monokuma watches with sadistic glee as his victim falls to the ground. Asuka cannot take her eyes off of the giant spear that is now stabbed into her right thigh. There is a lot of blood but she will be fine for the ceremony as long as Monokuma hurries up and she does not get the spear out of her leg. None of us have any medical knowledge that I know of so her best chance is with the captors. With Killing Games, they generally like to keep the participants alive until they get the chance to kill each other, so our captors must have training for emergency situations such as these.
"Shiro, we have to talk later." Surprised by the sudden whisper in my ear, I turn around to see Hanane. She must have been so quiet that nobody noticed her open the door, or maybe she was hiding somewhere in the gym. Part of me wants to question her more, but, before I can do so, Hanane walks away. Creating a scene by chasing after her will not help any of us, especially with what just happened to Asuka. But with Hanane being here, all that remain missing are Mei, Ayumu, Emilynn, Etsuko, Aito, and Jun. There could be more but I highly doubt it. Keeping track of everybody is hard enough with thirty-one new faces to memorize. With the elimination of Saitou, however, that number is already down to thirty.
"Now, which one of you killed Saitou Katatake. Or do we have to hold a Class Trial this early? If we've to do like a pre-Class Trial, I'm going to kill you all."
"I did." Ryoichi then moves from his hiding spot and into the middle of the gym, right in front of Keiji's group. The demonologist then throws down his kusarigama that is covered in blood.
"...WHAT!?" Monokuma screeches.
"I murdered Saitou Katatake." Looking over to Seina, I notice that is when she breaks, biting down her lip as she uses her hand to protect her neck. But I cannot believe that a murderer would so freely admit to their wrongdoings. There is no way that this would ever be allowed to be that easy.
"..."
"..."
"...Urgh..." Asuka continues to struggle on the ground. To be honest, I am impressed that she is still conscious and not screaming in pain. Maybe her career in sports has made her more resistant to pain.
"I'm going to punish you just for that! You miserable student! Ryoichi Homura, you're going to be expelled from life!" Monokuma charges up to Ryoichi who does not respond.
"...Ryoichi Homura? No, my name is...Ryusuke Yamamoto..."
Ryusuke Yamamoto
Ultimate Demonlogist
Monokuma is about to make it to Ryoichi before somebody blocks his way. There really does not have to be any more people involved in this Killing Game than there already are. But I have a bad feeling that this is not everybody. Following feelings is stupid but these are at least informed by facts.
"I'm the one who doesn't get paid enough for this shit." A girl strangely dressed up as Monokuma yawns. "You've failed. The Master is bored with you." Just like that, the mysterious woman takes out a gun and shoots into Monokuma. "Don't you dare think I'm on your side. I'm just here to help with the new introduction. My days of running Killing Games are far behind me. Anyway, anybody who displeases the Master deserves to be punished. Yadda, yadda."
Keiji is about to move to protect...Ryusuke...but the girl points a gun to Choumi, stopping him immediately. Everybody tries to process this newfound information but this is not the best time to be thinking about such things. Our survival is most important and there is no telling what these insane people will do if we dare plan how to deal with everything at the moment.
"You're going to get a character makeover. Come with me." The girl reaches into her overall pockets and pulls out a remote with a red button in which she presses. And then a bunch of machine guns comes out from the ceiling. Whatever they have above the gymnasium, it must be extremely dangerous thanks to all of the weapons stored there. There is no way of possibly going there this instant, but, if those imbeciles truly desire to overthrow whoever is running this game, then their best bet is to gain access to that room and using all of that machinery, along with stealing all the tools that access it. None of that matters when your opponents can just fling you into space but there would live for possibly a couple of more seconds. Not to mention that the kidnappers, if they were smart, have some sort of system to make sure their ship does not get hijacked.
With all of us being powerless to do anything but hope that they do not decide to trigger the machine guns, we watch the woman lead Ryoi-Ryusuke to the backstage area. Although the stranger strolls past Fubuki, the ARG designer does nothing to stop her. Then the curtains close once again, but all of us are in silence except for Asuka, who is now writhing in pain.
"Hello! What's...Oh my God, what's going on!?" Mei enters the room with Ayumu behind her, still rubbing his eyes like he is about to fall asleep. That is until Ayumu realizes the situation we are in and the only reason he does not rush to Asuka's side like he clearly wants, is the machine guns. None of us know what would set them off and do not want this to be our last day here like it was Saitou Katatake's because he would try to attack the machine guns.
Finally, all of the citizens of Wonderland figure out about the cruel world they are trapped in. Unable to escape they eventually have to accept the reality of Alice! Everybody has to accept that they are stuck in a meaningless world and the only thing we can do is claim that we are better than the criminals rotting in jail and the people starving in the streets when we are the problem! Nobody would be killed if Alice accepted her place in the world beforehand, all of her friends would have kept their heads. However, this is not Wonderland, this is Oz. And everything the wizard says in Oz goes, and not even the Queen of Hearts can stop her head rolling to his pitiful feet. All of us will share the same fate but I will make sure that I outlast every single one of these people. This is a Killing Game, which means none of us can be friends since that kind of thinking will cause you to only be stabbed in the back. Stabbed and stabbed until your blood paints the yellow brick road a brilliant shade of red.
"You're all going to die. I got stuck with the idiots who can't get this right. Whatever did I do to deserve this?" Once again, the curtains open but this time there is a cat with Monokuma's color scheme. "I should introduce myself as your teacher. That's what teachers do, right? God, I need some catnip. Whatever I'm Mononeko. I don't want to be here as much as you. But yeah, most people working this job only want the goddamn paycheck and the Master's approval. I don't care less about my bastard students. That's what Monokuma calls you...and the script...I forgot to memorize the script..."
I see Pon-chan now resting on Sachiko's, who is currently trying her best not to faint, shoulders. The cat stares at where Mononeko used to be, studying the stage very closely. Of course, the source of evil happens to be a cat. Whoever is running this must be a cat person which is most likely why Pon-chan was taken from Sachiko's home very far away. I do not remember Pon-chan being here last time so what changed their minds?
Mononeko pulls out a script and then a screen pulls down, showing what the sole projector in the ocean of machine guns is broadcasting. It is a video of a spaceship that is presumably ours. "This is the ship. You all know what a spaceship is, right? I'm not here to teach you all basic science. Anyway..." The video changes to a photo of a different galaxy than ours. "This wasn't really a big point last time for some reason. I don't know, all of you seem like dumbasses. But well we're going to crashland in like six months. And there's only one escape pod so have fun with that. Only one of you is going to survive so don't go off singing about friendship and whatnot. I'm going to return to my nap...oh, wait, I still have things to do..."
Mononeko disappears backstage giving me and the others more time to process this information. This spaceship is going to kill all of us. Even with the escape pod, there is still a chance of death, since we are not given information on whether or not it has supplies or the coordinates to Earth on it. But I will rather take my chances on an airship than allow myself to die in this gilded cage. Too long I have been trapped in cages filled with the best of what humanity has too often but none of the true source of happiness: freedom. Even if I die in that escape pod, I die knowing that I at least have some time to be truly free from the shackles of the Committee. The best course of action is to kill one of my classmates, most likely Rokuro, but wait a little bit since it will be unwise to try to escape with thirty minds working together to make sure that you die. There would be chaos in their reasoning yet they can figure it out fast the moment that they decide to work together.
When Mononeko reappears, it is with...yet another person, this one a male.
"What am I doing here?" The new person asks.
"Class, meet Saitou Kurokoma. Ultimate Substitute. I can't believe it's come to this. You'll get to learn more about him and this situation later on...when I feel like it...I guess. This has already been too long."
Saitou Kurokoma
Ultimate Substitute
I cannot believe there is yet another Saitou. But this Saitou is the most average-looking person here. Saitou has short orange hair that is somewhat spiky with bangs at the front that are slightly longer on the right side, going to near-eye length, and a pair of red eyes. He also has a fair-skinned complexion and a rather slim-ish build. Honestly, he would be forgettable if it were not for his hair that looks like it belongs to a protagonist to one of the shows that my sisters used to watch with my mother. The substitute wears a pair of dark blue pants with a pair of brown Velcro sandals with a pair of white socks. He also wears a black long coat jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows with a red long-sleeved shirt underneath the jacket. Lastly, he wears a blue scarf. It is a relief to see somebody so normal in this class of outlandish personalities and outfits.
"I can do the rest later. For now...guess this is in the script." Mononeko leads Saitou offstage. That moment, the machine guns on the ceiling disappear. But, before anybody in the class can do anything, there is a blinding light and then darkness.
Waking up, I take a little while to adjust to my surrounding after that absurd amount of light. Not even Kotori's cruel experiments exposed somebody's eyes to something that blinding. But, when my eyes start to take in my surroundings, I notice that I am once again in the middle of the maze in the storage room. But perhaps it would make more sense to call this place a warehouse since it only seems bigger and bigger the more times that I visit.
With me, I only notice Hanane Wada. Maybe this is a good time to question her about what she wanted to talk to me about earlier. It may not be safe to remain in a situation with two people but Hanane does not strike me as somebody who would be brash enough to attack somebody when the Killing Game just started. The rules have not been stated so it would be too reckless.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Hanane?"
"..." She stays silent, staring intensely at the floor. "Nothing."
"That does not make sense. Is it about Saitou?"
"What do you mean?" Hanane tilts her head as if she is studying me. She looks like she is about to bolt so I should choose my next words very carefully. Though I have not known Hanane for a very long time, something about this conversation feels off.
"About his murder. Ryusuke admitted to it but there has to be something more going on here. Saitou Katatake was the Ultimate Duelist so I highly doubt somebody like Ryusuke would be able to overpower him-"
"Who is Saitou Katatake?"
...That was a Blackout Light...Fuck.
Sorry if this seems rushed but I just wanted to be fucking over with intros. And I was like...you know what, I'm going to finish this intros right now and I did. Because I hate writing intros. I hate them so much. But guys...we have done it...WE'RE OUT OF INTRO HELL! HOLY SHIT! I CAN CHANGE MY DISCORD NAME FINALLY!
I'm just waiting for everybody to start screaming in the Discord channel again and me evilly laughing knowing that things are only going to get worse and more mindfucky. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how I come up with this shit. DiOS makes FoD look like a walk in the park and please somebody stop me.
Once again, if I wrote your character wrong or anything like that, tell me and I'll improve my writing. Still getting used to everybody and this is my first time writing them as a big group. There will be a lot of scenes with them as a group later on and I'm already regretting everything.
(MoDE is on hiatus so it doesn't count...yet)
Thanks TheUnkindledHunter for Aito and PainX65 for Saitwo. Yes, I've been planning this the entire time. I got some crazy shit planned so hope you guys enjoy finally being out of Intro Hell. Once we get to the death and suffering this will update so much faster because that is how I roll. I love death.
There will be a poll up soon on my profile for the first batch of free time events. There are going to be a planned five of them for this chapter but, knowing me, there might be a chance it can go higher. Because I can't control myself. Help.
QOTC: What do you guys think of my first attempt to make my own mascot? I know we haven't gotten to see much of Mononeko yet but hopefully, she made a good first impression. I'm honestly new with this so if you guys have any pointers, I would love them.
Req's Rec: Danganronpa: Lights, Camera, Murder! by DancingCactuar
Reviews~
TheRoseShadow21-HANANE IS HERE AND SHIRO ALREADY IS LIKING HER EVEN THOUGH HE WON'T ADMIT IT! Shiro, you tsundere. Stop calling your children idiots we all know you love them and want to protect them. Even though you want to also murder them all. It's complicated. The siblings are like...well why are there so many of us? Ayumu needs a pay raise and I love him proceeds to torture him with pay cuts. Thanks so much~
AnonChan1-It only gets worse. So bad that Shiro says fuck multiple times. Word of God says Shiro does but he won't ever admit it to himself that he misses his mom. Shiro's mom gets explored later and you all are going to kill me. ;) Sora and Chika are precious and I'm going to torture them because I can't be trusted with cinnamon rolls. Hanane is Hanane. SHIRO'S FAMILY IS INSANE but that brother is actually quite chill Shiro give your brother a break. Leonie wants to get away from Rokuro but Asuka won't stop teaming them up together. Help them. Himura being a traitor was never confirmed but it sure is a theory many seem to have. Yuu and Himura need to do a violin battle now. Shiro just wants to finally be free of the storage room but he always finds his way back there. Nobody is going to die soon...maybe. I already got my fix with Saitou Number One. Shiro overanalyzes shit that doesn't matter but when foreshadowing comes Shiro is just like...well that probably means nothing lol. Himura is a precious cinnamon roll he would never hurt anybody. The Akahoshi twins are adorable and I love them. I just realized how similar the last names Akahoshi and Akimoto are RIP.
Leonie just wants Asuka to stop pairing her up with Rokuro. They aren't freezing because of Himura because the same thing happened before Himura was introduced. ;) Ryusuke went stabby stab. Saitou: killed by being a recycled character. We barely knew thee. Stop getting Akita'd Saitou, that's Akita's thing. I'm just imagining Hanane and Rokuro interacting and its hilarious so that's going to be a thing now. I'm doing quite fine for myself nowadays. :D Einosuke please stop existing. Einosuke wanted his legacy to live on...so what better way than having too many children and then abusing them? The funny thing is that Einosuke would probably hate Tetsuya. Ayumu needs more goddamn sleep and money. Ayano Kirigiri is going to die slightly differently in the audiobook and people are probably going to hate me this time around BUT NO REGRETS! SUZUNAMI CONTINUE MAKING MEMES WITH THE NEWLY FORMED MEME SQUAD! *evil laughter* This is going to be good.
Kotori now continues being very much dead but laughing at the theories that she's still alive. AND THEN I MADE IT FUCKING WORSE IN THE AUDIOBOOK SOMEBODY TAKE THESE CHARACTERS AWAY FROM ME! Don't worry I keep making Emu!Eimu jokes to myself and laughing in spoilers. My protagonists have negative 9999 luck. SHIP SHIP SHIP THE MEME SQUAD! SAITOU KATATAKE DOESNT MATTER ANYMORE MONONEKO MADE CERTAIN OF THAT! Whenever people react weird Kotori probably has something to do with it. Because of course, she does. HERE'S SOME MORE KOBI CONTENT! Shiro is the one dad who tries to pretend he doesn't care but shows up to all of his children's activities. I swear Etsuko has the sixth sense too especially because she got Kaneki Ken'd. REQ YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssss
BIBOTOT-Well we're going to stick with this current cast for some time so, hopefully, they get enough time to shine for the readers to all get to know them better. Thanks so much, I take way too much time writing my poems for Shiro. Shiro is like...the mascot is a cat, of course, this proves my theory that all of them are evil! I love cats too and Survivor!Akita is keeping her cat far away from him. Osamu doesn't believe Shiro deserves his respect because of his age, you got to either earn Osamu's respect or pay him. Because he's Osamu.