Darkness. That's all that surrounded me. It was a strange feeling, but, even stranger, it was comforting, oddly enough. I'm not sure why, but I wasn't bothered by this unknown void I had found myself in. I felt as if I could stay here forever, embracing the darkness and the security it offered. I didn't know why or how, but I knew when the darkness faded away, that I would enter a twisted, horrid world, full of deceit, madness, and despair. I grasped at the darkness, trying my best to hold it tight, yet my efforts proved to be in vain when that darkness, peaceful and serene, was torn from my hold. I was falling. I was dying. I was living. Was I living? Did I even exist? None of that really mattered as I slowly opened my eyes. I existed now, and this was the hell I was thrown into.
Soon, I had managed to fully open my eyes, much to my dismay, but what greeted me was unexpected. It was more darkness. Of course, this darkness wasn't nearly as comforting as one that came before it, but I couldn't let that get to me. And that's when I noticed something worrying: I was in a very enclosed space. I couldn't even move my arms a few inches before hitting cold metal walls that courned me from all sides. I managed to turn and see 3 slits along one of the walls, warm light pouring in from the other side. I suppose the sight of freedom was what finally got me to fight against my confinement. After struggling against the wall for a bit, I leaned back and managed to kick the wall, which was actually a door, open, almost sending it off its hinges.
The light was blinding, but only for a moment. Once my eyes adjusted, I noticed how I was in a classroom, though "classroom" is putting it lightly. The room was in a great state of disrepair. Vines and grass ran rampant across the room, and the desks chairs all had a light level of rust and decay on them. There were also metal bars blocking the windows as well, though I couldn't imagine what they were for. Taking a step out of the cold metal prison and stepping out onto the wet, dew-covered grass, I spun around, taking it all in.
I now know what I was trapped in: a locker, but that didn't really ease my tensions. Where the heck am I? This could be a classroom if it didn't look as if it had been ignored for decades. Could this be a school, or at least an abandoned school? I then noticed a few more lockers next to the one I was in. Could there be…? I slowly opened each, but was met with nothing but empty space. Disappointing, to say the least. Was I actually alone, or were there other people around the area? Should I explore to make sure.
I was just about to do just that when I suddenly felt a chill up my spine. I looked around the room again. This feeling… is it deja vu? Have I… been here before. Just as I thought that, pain shot through my head as memories and thoughts raced into my brain. I fell to my knees and screamed as the pain intensified. Soon, the pain stopped suddenly, and I remembered.
I was brought to this place by unknown means with 16 other people, highschoolers, and were told by 5 walking-talking teddy bears that we were about to participate in a Killing Game. How could I forget!? Of all the things I could forget, how could I add that to the list. I've already forgotten 90% of my life, the least my brain could do was not forget that important piece of information! Or perhaps it wasn't my fault. Could it be that flashlight thing those kubs used? What did they call it? A flashback light? Did it alter our memories? Well, jokes on them! I still remember! Well, remember everything from after I woke up. Still couldn't remember a single personal memory to save my life. Urg… of course.
"Rise and shine, ursine!" Suddenly, out of literally nowhere, all of the Monokubs jumped up from behind me.
"Aaaaaaahhhh!" I screamed as I jumped backwards, tripping against one of the desks and collapsing against even more desks. Great…
"Geez, you don't have to react like that. It's not like we're monsters or anything." Monotaro said with a dejected expression.
"Well if we Monokubs are monsters, at least we're cute monsters." Monophanie huffed.
"Monokubs?" I groaned as I titled my head upward to try and look at the tiny little menaces that dared to jump scare me.
"Oh! You've heard of us!?" Monophanie asked.
"Uhh…" Shit. What was I supposed to say? That flashback light almost made me forget everything right? But weren't they trying to give us our 'first memory' back? Did it fail? "Well… maybe?" I responded, nervousness permeating my voice. "I… don't really remember anything. If I had heard of you, then I probably forgot about it, along with everything else I should remember." When I said that, the Monokubs looked at each other nervously.
"Shit. Did it not work on him?" Monosuke asked.
"I don't know. It seemed to work since he doesn't recognize us." Monotaro said. So that flashback light was supposed to make me forget that scene in the gym. They did say how they messed up a script of some kind, so perhaps they wanted to erase the memories of that whole thing and then give us our first memories. Well, either way, neither worked on me.
"Umm… sorry, but I'm really confused. Do you mind explaining some things to me?" I asked, trying to be as polite as I could.
"Sure! Let's tackle each issue one at a time!" Monotaro said.
"You're so damn reliable, Monotaro!" Monokid cheered.
"Like a sixth-grader helping out a fifth-grader!" Monophanie added.
"Which means we should keep our expectations reasonable." Monosuke sneered.
"Well? What's your question?"
"I have loads of questions, but for starters, how about we start with my name. Do you guys know who I am?"
"Umm… well…" Monotaro stammered. "Didn't he say his name could be Rin Wakuri?"
"Could be?" I asked.
"Well, I remember you saying that was your name but you weren't sure about it."
"I see." I guess they don't know much about me either. "So, I'm guessing with that sort of answer that you guys don't really know who or what I am either?" They looked at each other before shaking their heads. "I see. That's really disappointing. Well, onto the next question. Where am I? Is this really a school?"
"Alright! An easy question!" Monotaro shouted. "Okay, so this place is called the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles."
"Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, huh? Sounds really nice." I said sarcastically.
"Of course! This school was made specifically for you 17 cretins." Monophanie said.
"17?"
"Yeah! There are 17 Ultimates at this school." Monosuke explained.
"Ultimates?"
"You know what Ultimates are, right?" Monosuke asked. I shook my head. "Oh geez, your memory really is screwed up. Well, allow us to explain. The government scouts 'em through this program called the Ultimate Initiative."
"'Ultimate' basically means you're particularly prodigious in a particular talent." Monophanie added.
"Basically, the Ultimate Initiative exists to cultivate talent throughout the country… even the world! Promising students are eligible to receive all kinds of special handouts!" Monokid stated.
"Like free school tuition, voting privileges, eligibility to run for elected offices… they even get grant money too, right?" Monotaro asked after listing the benefits.
"Students chosen by the Ultimate Initiative are known as Ultimates." Monosuke stated.
"Hell yeah! Students would do anything for the honor of bein' a chosen Ultimate!" Monokid yelled excitedly.
"I see. That sounds really cool." I said. "So, does that mean I'm an Ultimate as well?"
"Probably!" Monotaro chirped.
"Probably?"
"Well… you should have remembered your Ultimate talent after we gave you bastards youse first memory." Monosuke stated as sweat dropped from his face. "But you appear to be a special case. You don't have any memories, or at least aren't sure of any of them. I remember you saying you managed to remember your name after thinking about it for a bit. Try doing that!" I thought for a moment before nodding. It was worth a shot at least. I closed my eyes and thought. What's my Ultimate Talent?
…
…
...Nothing?
"I got… Nothing."
"So you can't remember?"
"No, I mean that that's my answer. What's my Ultimate Talent? Nothing. I don't have one."
"Ehh!?" Each of the Monokubs exclaimed.
"Well, I kept thinking about it, and I kept getting the same answer. Nothing. Not to mention, the title 'Ultimate' doesn't really feel like it suits me. I mean… I'm as normal as a person could be. At least in my opinion, as an amnesiac, I am."
"..." The Monokubs looked at each other nervously, sweat dropping from each of them.
"Has this ever happened before?" Monotaro asked.
"I think maybe once or twice, but those were way long ago! People like that don't show up here anymore!" Monophanie answered.
"Hmm…" Monosuke thought a moment before responding. "I'm not sure I agree with ya, you bastard."
"Huh?"
"You're very strange, especially compared to the other bozos here. You definitely give off that 'Ultimate vibe' too. Perhaps your brain just needs stimulation."
"Maybe."
"Well then, if that's the case, you should get started exploring the academy and introducing yourself to the other Ultimates! Perhaps they've heard of you and know who you are!" Monotaro said happily.
"Yeah. You should definitely go introduce yourself to them. After All, you all will be doing an activity together later." Monosuke said, ominously.
"R-Right." I said, trying my best not to let them know that I know about the Killing Game. "By the way, is there a map or something around for this place? I'm really bad with directions."
"Of course. Just check your Monopad." Monophanie said.
"Monopad?" I asked. I patted myself down before discovering a tablet in my jacket's right pocket. I turned it on, and saw many different features, including a map of the areas that are available, to report cards on all the students here, including me, but why are certain things like chest size, likes, and dislikes here? There's also a picture of me, which is weird to see since I can barely remember what I look like. "Okay. Thanks for the information. I guess I'll go out and check things out."
"Hell yeah!" Monokid shouted before the other Monokubs joined in.
"So Long! Bear Well!" And with that, they were gone. What a strange group of characters those bears are. I might be tempted to think they're cute if they weren't most likely the ones who brought us here and weren't going to force us into a killing game later. I groaned as I exited the room. Yep, still the same run-down academy I ran through earlier. Actually, how long was I out after that flashback light knocked me out? How long have we actually been here? Well, no time like the present to start exploring and getting those answers, right? With this new found confidence that I had no idea I had, I began to look around this bizarre place. Well, that's what I wanted to do, but then I immediately tripped and fell onto the grassy floor. Great start. Really great start. If this is a sign of things to come, then I can't wait...
After brushing myself clean and walking for a few steps, I came across a familiar face. It was one of the students from before, the blue hair and greyish blue eye one with the glasses. She wore a black jacket that matched her black dress. Under the jacket was a white button-up shirt that had an orange ribbon tied around it's collar. Tsumugi Shirogane. I immediately pushed the thought out of my head. None of that. I don't want any of that. Still, I had to wonder, is it possible I've met these people before?
Well, even if they don't remember me, I should still try and give a proper introduction. Even if I seem to know them already. With that in mind, I walked up to the girl. She seemed to be in deep thought while staring at a bronze dragon statue. "Well… this statue isn't suspicious at all." I think anyone would think that. The statue is just so out of place. What's it even doing in the middle of the hallway in an academy? I turn to look at the girl. "Any thoughts about what this is about?"
"..." The girl didn't respond.
"Umm… hello?" I tried to start a conversation again, only to get nothing again. Well, if that's the case, I'll just go meet the others. Surely the other 15 people would like to chat. With that I started to walk away.
"Oh… You're leaving so soon?" I turned as the girl finally decided to talk.
"Well, you weren't responding, and I didn't want to bother you, since that would be rude. So I figured I would talk to the others here and try again later."
"Ah… I apologize for not responding. I was just in deep thought, so I wasn't really paying attention."
"Makes sense. That's happened to me before. So, let's start with introductions then. You can call me Rin Wakuri, I suppose. Who are you?"
"Oh, my name is Tsumugi Shirogane. I'm the Ultimate Cosplayer."
"The Ultimate Cosplayer, huh?"
"Are you surprised? I get that a lot, since I'm so plain."
"Don't say that about yourself. If you really are an Ultimate, and if what I've heard about Ultimates is true, then you must be one hell of a cosplayer then."
"Really? That's really nice of you to say that."
"So what do you enjoy about cosplaying? A lot of people enjoy dressing up as the characters, while others enjoy making the costumes. Which category are you in?"
"Oh, definitely the latter. Making outfits is what I love, and I'm fine with others wearing them, but lately, more cosplayers are putting themselves before their characters. I'd rather wear my outfits myself, with love, than give them to people like that."
"That makes sense. If I were you, I'd probably find that disrespectful as well. After all, cosplay is a way for fans to show their love and support of a series, so I can totally see how people making it about themselves could totally ruin the experience." Tsumugi gasped as I said that.
"Wait, Rin. Could you be a fellow cosplayer as well?"
"Huh? Oh, well, I'm not sure. It sounds like something I wouldn't mind doing. Not sure I'm talented enough to make outfits though."
"If that's the case, then you should totally cosplay with me if we get the chance!"
"S-Sure. I don't think I would mind that."
"By the way, I'm confused about what you said when you introduced yourself. You said that I could call you Rin Wakuri. What did you mean by that?"
"Ah. Well, the truth is, I… don't really remember anything about myself."
"W-Wait! You can't remember anything?"
"Nope, at least not concretely. I had to think about it for a couple of minutes before I could even come up with something that could be my name, but even then I'm not 100% sure if it's really my name. All I have about myself is that my name could be Rin Wakuri, I might be around 20 or so years old, and I'm most likely a college student. Oh, and I probably don't have a talent either, though the Monokubs seem to have faith that I do."
"W-Wow… that's terrible. I wish I could help you, but I don't know much about you either."
"Yeah I'm kind of expecting that from all the Ultimates that I'll meet. Well, on the bright side, I already got the panic out of my system after freaking out a few times, so I think I'm good for the rest of the time here."
"I-I see. That's not really reassuring though. Are you sure you'll be alright?"
"Who knows at this point. I wouldn't be bothered by it if I were you. Not much point in worrying about it. I've already made up my mind to find answers, so I just need to focus on that."
"That's really admirable of you. I hope you find some clues about yourself."
"Thanks, Tsumugi. Well, I should probably go and introduce myself to the others."
"Yeah, they might know more about you! I'm sure you'll like them too. They're a bunch of colorful characters!"
"I imagine, considering they all are supposedly Ultimates. Welp, I'll be heading off now."
"See you later." With that I left Tsumugi and headed to the lower floor. Tsumugi Shirogane, huh? The Ultimate Cosplayer. Definitely a cool talent, that's for sure. Not sure why she called herself "plain". I personally found her really interesting, though something about her feels… off. Nothing about her or what she said. I just have a weird feeling. Well, I can think about that later. I got some people to meet.
