The screen switched off, leaving us all confused and worried yet again. The voice had given us instructions, and promised answers. Then why did we all feel so uneasy?

"Well, everyone, you heard them! Let's all head to the gymnasium!" Taka decided. He turned to Mondo. "Did you happen to find the gym when you were searching for other classmates?"

"Nah, but I'd guess it's over near the stairs, past where I found Hina. it's the only spot in the hall I didn't get to check." He crossed his arms. "But who says we gotta do what the monitor said, huh? For all we know, it's some sort of trap."

"Regardless of whether or not it's a trap," Taka quipped, pointing to the large vault door, "we seem to be very much locked inside already! I don't know about you, but I'd rather take my chances with our professors! This is a school, after all. Or did you forget?" Then he turned to the rest of the class. "Now, let's all calmly head to the gymnasium! Quickly, now! Let's not keep our Headmaster waiting!" And with that, he pushed past an upset Mondo and propped the door open.

I'm not sure I agree with everything he said, but he's got a point, I thought. If we really are being held here, then ignoring what the screen said could end badly. Besides, the last thing we need right now is to be split up. "You heard him, guys! Let's head over!"

There were some complaints, but one by one, everyone went through the door and into the hallway, towards where we assumed the gym would be. Pretty soon, it was just me, Taka, and Mondo left in the main hall. He stalked toward Taka and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him off his feet. "What the hell, man?! For all you know, you just sent everyone right to the enemy!"

Taka wasn't having any of it. "We don't even know if there's an enemy to begin with! There's no reason to assume the worst when we only just got here!" He grabbed Mondo's hand with his own and tried to pry him off.

Great, now I have to step in! "Mondo, let go of him! Now's not the time to argue!" I put my hands on their wrists. "Now let go of each other, and let's get to the gym with everyone else already!"

Neither of them looked at me, but they both let go after a moment. Taka adjusted his collar, while Mondo shrugged his sleeves back. They never broke eye contact. "Thank you, Hina," Taka said curtly, then turned and went out the door. Mondo grit his teeth, then went after him. I followed. The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I hope this doesn't become like, a thing. I don't think we can handle that right now.

After a bit, we all made it to the gym. We stood around for a moment, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. Then Leon spoke up. "Well, that was disappointing. Anyone wanna go look for an exit with me?"

"Oh! I can try to help!" Chihiro offered, raising a hand. "I saw a weird sign when I woke up that said 'Despair Hotel.' Maybe there's something down there!"

"Nah, the staff is probably just running late on the opening ceremony," Hiro chimed in. "We just gotta give 'em a minute to get here, that's all!"

"If this is an opening ceremony, then why are there no decorations or signs?" Celeste asked.

"Maybe such a prestigious school has no use for such customs," Byakuya droned. He seemed bored with the entire situation.

"Everyone, quiet down while we wait for someone to arrive!" Taka announced, having made his way to the head of the class. He was standing in front of the stage at the end of the gym. "We will remain calm and wait patiently! Is that understood?!"

"Yeah! You all need to be quiet and wait for me!" the voice from the monitor chimed.

"Precisely!" Taka agreed, then realized who'd spoken. "Wait- What?" We all looked around for the speaker.

"Oh! Over here, my students! Check the podium!"

We all turned to look at the podium, unprepared for what was about to happen.

The class all turned to the podium, waiting. Watching. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen students that don't know what to expect. Then, springing up from behind the podium and landing on top is a black and white bear, with a crimson eye and a sinister smile. He looks at all his students and laughs.

"Puhuhuhu!"

I was- well, I was confused, to say the least. Is that a teddy bear? What's wrong with it? And I wasn't alone, either. No one seemed to know what to do as it began to speak. "Greetings, students! My name is-"

"What kind of sick joke is this? There's a stuffed bear on the stage!"

"Ahem, I am not a teddy bear. Now, my name is-"

"Woah, a talking bear! Evolution has really come a long way, haha!"

"Yes, technology is amazing. Now, I am-"

"Actually, it's probably some sort of AI, rather than a product of evolution."

"Yes, yes, now let's move on from-"

"Everyone, stop interrupting the bear and let it speak!"

"Thank you, Taka, now-"

"Oh! There was an episode of Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess similar to this-"

"WILL ALL OF YOU STOP INTERRUPTING ME?!"

We all stopped, surprised the little bear could project its voice so far. It seemed satisfied with our reactions. "Ah, finally! Now, as I was saying. My name is Monokuma! And I am this school's Headmaster! Now, rise! And, bow!"

Taka stood at attention, then bowed. "Good morning, headmaster!" The rest of us just stared. He knows it's just a bear, right?

Monokuma began to speak again. "Now then, I'm sure you're all beary confused about the door to the main hall and the windows, right? Doesn't it just fill you with despair?! Puhuhuhuhu!" He brought his hands up to his face as he looked over us gleefully.

"Actually, I would say we are more confused by it than anything else, Monsieur Monokuma," Celeste said, a finger at her chin. "Though I suppose you are about to explain that to us."

"Quite correct, Celestia! You see, all of you are so very talented. Why, you're the very hope of the nation's future! So you see, in order to protect all that hope, you've all been locked in here to live out the rest of your lives! Isn't that great!"

At first, we didn't realize what he'd said. He can't be serious, right? But he offered no other words, just watched us all as we realized that there was no lie in his words. "Hey, what do you mean we'll live here for the rest of our lives?! We can't stay here forever!" This can't be true!

"Hey, I got a life outside of here!"

"What about my family?"

"How will I release my creations?"

"Surely you can't expect us all to stay here without fuss."

Monokuma jumped off the podium, launching himself toward us. "Why, I don't know why you're all so upset! The outside world is so messy, so full of hatred and war... Now why would you ever want to go back there?! Isn't it better to just stay in here with all your new friends? Puhuhuhuhu!" He pressed a paw to his cheek, miming a thought. "Although, if you're really that insistent, I suppose I could offer you a way out~"

"W-well, out with it, then! What's the way out?" Toko was holding each braid in her fists with an iron grip. "I can't stay in here w-with these people!"

"Yes, please enlighten us, Monsieur Monokuma. Surely you have some way for us to leave this place." Celeste still had complete control of her composure, stepping forward and coming to stand right in front of him. "What sort of challenge do you have for the Ultimate students?"

"Puhuhuhu! You seem so calm now, but how long will that last, I wonder?" And Monokuma hopped back on top of the podium. "Now, allow me to present you with the Graduation Clause! If you wish to graduate from Hope's Peak, all you have to do is disturb the peace!"

The way he said disturb the peace worried me. He said it like we'd be doing something awful. Everyone was offput by his words. Makoto was the first to voice it. "Um, Monokuma? What do you mean by 'disturb the peace'?"

"Excellent question! My students, let's help Makoto with this question! What's the worst thing you can do to someone?" He leaned forward as he asked this, flapping his arms excitedly. "Does anyone know the answer?"

There was a beat of silence. Then someone spoke. "Killing someone. Nothin's worse than that."

I looked over. Mondo was staring at the ground, not looking towards anyone. "If you kill someone... there's no goin' back from that."

"Correcto, Mondo mundo! The worst thing you can do to someone is kill them! Therefore, if you want to graduate, all you have to do is kill one of your classmates! Puhuhuhu! Do you understand now? You must live your lives here- or die for someone else's freedom! It's the Ultimate killing game for the Ultimate students!" He sat back and grinned at us with his sinister, toothy half-smile.

"We all have to live here... forever?"

"Nyaaaaa! My life is in dangerrrrr!"

"What the fuck just happened?! My head hurts..."

"Well, this is certainly not ideal."

"N-no way! I can't die here!"

"This is all just a dream! Yeah... I'm totally just dreaming right now..."

"I see... So that's how it is then?"

I could feel my own concerns start to rise as I looked around the room. No one here would actually kill someone, right? None of us would do that! But... there's no way to know for sure, is there? There were fifteen other students in here with me, but at that moment, I felt alone. Just like that, we'd all gone from being classmates to being potential backstabbers- literally. I felt my stomach dropping into my feet, glueing me to the spot. But surely no one wants to escape that badly... do they?

Monokuma continued his spiel. "Of course, if you do kill someone, that doesn't mean you just get to graduate. You also have to pass the class trial! After three or more innocents- these are called the spotless- find the victim, then a timed investigation will take place, and then you'll all have a class trial to try and find the killer! If the blackened- that's the killer- is discovered, then they'll be punished for disturbing the peace! But if they get away with it-"

"Fuck that! I'm ending this, right now!"

Mondo ran onto the stage, scooping up Monokuma and lifting him high into the air. "If you know what's good for ya, you'll let us out now! Or you don't even wanna know what the fuck I'm gonna do to ya!"

"Gyahhh! Violence against the Headmaster is in clear violation of the school regulations!" Monokuma shrieked, flailing in Mondo's grasp.

"To hell with your rules, you piece of shit!"

Taka jumped up onto the stage, grabbing Mondo's arm. "Mondo, let go of him this instant! You don't know what it's capable of!"

Monokuma started beeping, going limp in Mondo's hand.

"Oh, like hell I'm dropping him! Unlike you, I'm actually gonna do something to fight back!"

The beeping started to pick up speed.

"We don't know how dangerous he is! Who knows what kind of organization is behind this kidnapping?"

The beeping was even faster now, and Monokuma's red eye was flashing on and off.

"Oh, like hell am I gonna listen to some hall monitor about what is and is not dangerous! It's a fucking robo-bear, for crying out loud!"

Out of nowhere, Kyoko spoke from below. "Get rid of it!"

"It's a bomb; throw it!" Mukuro called, her soft voice suddenly much clearer.

Mondo hesitated, looking over at them, then threw it as high as he could. No sooner than he did, the bear exploded in the air above him, scattering shrapnel across the stage.

"...What the fuck?" He and Taka got down from the stage, but their argument was far from over.

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd just put him down!"

"Something like that was gonna happen eventually! That thing was fuckin' crazy! Besides, I got rid of him, didn't I?"

"Perhaps you did, but that was still horribly reckless! You could've gotten hurt!" Taka berated him, reaching up and grabbing his ear, then yanking him down to face level. "Think before you launch yourself into danger next time, will you?"

Mondo grit his teeth, but didn't yell back. He shoved Taka's hand away and straightened up. "Well, what's done is done. Now we gotta find a way to get outta here."

"Hey, did I say the game was over?"

We looked over in surprise. A brand new Monokuma was standing on the stage, arms crossed, watching the two boys expectantly. "Did you really think I didn't have a single backup? Wow, what idiots you are! Puhuhuhu!" He waddled behind the podium, then dragged a box out from behind it. "I'll let you live this time, since I hadn't actually given you the rules yet. But never again, you hear me? You're on thin ice, mister!" He shook his paw angrily at Mondo, then pushed the box to the front of the stage. "Now, allow me to give all of you your E-handbooks! Line up, please! One at a time! Hey, no shoving!"

I didn't want to, but it would be dangerous not to listen, so I stepped forward with everyone else. We were each handed a small device. When I tapped it, it lit up and showed my name: Aoi Asahina. It also showed the time of day in the corner. It zoomed out to show a few different pages: Map, Profiles, Regulations, and so on. "Your E-Handbooks are very important to your school life here, so be sure not to lose it! I will not be handing out replacements, got that? And with that, the preparations are complete! Let the killing game begin!"

I looked back up at Monokuma. Is this true? Are we really going to play a killing game? I looked around at all my new classmates: the fearful, the indignant, the seemingly unfazed. No. I won't let that happen! "We don't have to play your killing game, Monokuma!" I threw all my anger into my voice. I can't let him control us! "We may have to play by your rules for now, but we'll find a way out of here! Together! And we definitely won't kill each other! Got that?!"

Monokuma dipped his head. "Aw, how sad! And I really wanted to watch you all kill each other, too..." He looked back up. "Oh, but are you sure no one will kill each other? After all, you never know what's going on out there without you... Well, if you have your mind made up, then I guess I'll have to accept that! But I wouldn't be so sure that everyone agrees with you... Puhuhu! Puhuhuhuhu! Have fun!"

And with that, he disappeared, leaving us all to ponder his words. Is he right? Could there be someone here that was willing to kill the rest of us to escape? Could there be someone so desperate already, or is there more in store for us?

Taka broke the silence. "Alright then, everyone! Let's take a moment to gather ourselves together!"

"Agreed," Kyoko said, a hand against her chin. She looked as if she was deep in thought, but she glanced up at the rest of us. "Let's review what we know. The sixteen of us have all been brought here to live a communal life, cut off from the rest of the world."

"And the only option provided for us to leave is by killing another classmate," Celeste continued. "A most unfortunate set of circumstances, but it is what we have been given."

"Maybe we should look at the set of rules in the handbook," Chihiro suggested. "That way, nobody gets blown up." She looked nervously over at Mondo. "It'd be a bad way to lose someone."

"You're right. If we go about the school without knowing our limits, it'll be that much more dangerous for us," Mukuro agreed, before pulling out her handbook. We all slowly did the same. I turned the handbook back on, then clicked on the Regulations option. I scrolled through the regulations one by one.

1- Students are not permitted to leave the campus grounds. If they do, they will be considered expelled and will not be permitted to return to Hope's Peak.

2- Nighttime is from 10 pm to 7 am. During this time, all bathroom facilities will be shut off, and entrance to the dining hall is strictly prohibited.

3- Sleeping anywhere other than the dorm rooms will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

4- With minimal restrictions, you may explore Hope's Peak Academy at your own discretion.

5- Violence against the Headmaster, as well as destruction of school surveillance cameras and monitors, is strictly prohibited.

6- Anyone that kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will be able to graduate, unless they are discovered. There may only be one blackened in the school at any given time.

7- Additional school regulations may be added as necessary at the Headmaster's discretion.

I closed the handbook and shoved it into my pocket. I didn't want to be reminded of it any longer, but I had no choice. As I looked around at all my classmates- people I'd only just met today- I couldn't help but shake. I could see them all looking at each other suspiciously, waiting for someone to make the first move. Monokuma's words had planted a seed of doubt in all of us, and they were already starting to grow. It was then that I first knew: this wasn't a school of hope anymore. Instead, I was trapped in the first class of despair.

Prologue- Welcome to Despair High School- End

Chapter 1- To Survive

Daily Life- Begin

I looked around at the rest of my classmates. Some looked terrified, like Sayaka. Others were angry, like Mondo. And some, like Byakuya, seemed not to care in the slightest. The tension was so thick, I think I would've needed a machete to cut through it. But I had to do something! "Okay, so we read the rules. It looks like as long as we don't mess with the cameras or attack Monokuma again, we should be okay, right?"

"Indeed. The only real threat seems to come from each other," Celeste agreed, twirling a piece of hair by her ear. "So unless anyone wishes to kill right now- which I doubt- our lives do not appear to be in immediate danger."

"I w-wouldn't be too sure about that," Toko muttered, barely audible. "Considering h-how creepy he w-was being, he'll p-probably try to m-make us w-want to... to... Ugh, forget it." She'd completely closed herself off from the rest of us, collapsing onto the ground. She wrapped her arms tightly around her legs in front of her. "I-It's not like there's anything w-we can do about it, r-right? So... why b-bother?"

She looked so pathetic sitting there, just accepting defeat. The look in her eyes was beyond the manic fear she'd displayed earlier with the rest of us. Now they were just empty and dull. No one deserves this kind of feeling! I knelt down beside her. "Don't say that yet, Toko! Besides, we haven't even started looking around the school yet! We could end up finding some sort of key or code or something to open that hatch from before, so don't look so down just yet! Okay?"

She didn't move. "Wh-Whatever," she muttered. "I'm s-still not going a-anywhere. Let me know i-if you find s-something, which you w-won't."

I sighed, getting back up. Well, I tried. If she can't meet me halfway yet, then there's nothing I can do right now. We've got bigger fish to fry!

"So, what? We look around and shit? I doubt that fuckin' thing left us some convenient exit to find! What are we, his entertainment channel?!" Mondo was getting fired up all over again. "I've got promises and shit to keep out there! I can't do that if I'm fuckin' locked up! I say we find out where the robo-bears came from and pound 'em all in!" He slammed his right fist into his left hand, a dark grin on his face. "Whoever did this, I'll rip 'em a new one, just you wait!"

"Have you learned nothing?! Doing something as foolish as that could get you killed! You got let off on a technicality and dumb luck this time! Do you honestly think that could happen twice, especially if you're surrounded by Monokumas?!" Taka looked furious. "I won't let you do this, or drag down anyone with you!"

"Are you shittin' me? It says right there in the fuckin' rulebook, You can explore at your own discretion, right? If I wanna find them, I fuckin' can!" Mondo raged, his entire face going red. "And just how do you plan on stopping me, huh? By asking nicely? Give me a detention slip, maybe? You can't do shit about it!"

Their spat was making everyone nervous. I could feel everyone starting to panic. Chihiro even started to cry a little. Mondo and Taka were raging at each other, creating a wall of distance between them and the rest of us that we were afraid to cross. They gave off a dangerous aura, yelling back and forth at each other like fire and ice. I wanted to help, but stepping in looked like it could be dangerous. Turns out I didn't have to, as Makoto carefully stepped towards the fray. "Hey, maybe you guys should calm down a little? You're making everyone upset-"

Mondo turned to him, still full of rage, and punched him with enough force to send him flying. "SHUT UP!" Poor Makoto was sent all the way across the gym, colliding right into Hifumi and knocking them both down! Mondo stopped, realizing what he'd done, and the fight went right out of him. "Oh- oh shit-"

Sayaka ran towards the fallen boys, starting to tear up a bit. "Oh my God, Makoto! Are you alright?" She knelt down beside the boys, checking Makoto's breathing. Hifumi gently laid him on the ground as he got up from under his unconscious body. Sayaka sighed in relief. "He's still breathing, but he'll have a big bruise for a while." She glared at Mondo. "No thanks to you."

Taka was still glaring at Mondo. "Do you understand now? You're not going to do anything but hurt the rest of us if you keep going about things like this! Not everyone here can take a hit like that!" He walked over to Makoto, then kneeled down. "I apologize for my actions. I only served to anger him more."

"Don't blame yourself, Taka. You were only trying to stop him," Sayaka assured him, not taking her eyes off Mondo. She placed a hand gently on Makoto's forehead. "We should probably take him somewhere to rest."

"You're right. It'll do him no good to stay in the gym. Hifumi, are you alright after that impact?"

"No need to worry, Mr. Ishimaru. I have an incredibly high defense stat, after all!" he assured us smugly.

"Excellent!- I think." Taka picked up Makoto, standing and facing the rest of the class. "Sayaka and I are going to bring Makoto to his room and inspect the living area! Everyone else, get into groups and inspect the school as much as you can! Don't go anywhere alone!" He gave a pointed look at Mondo. "If you insist on punching things, try and break down that front hatch again. Maybe you can get a dent in that." And he marched out of the gym, Sayaka following him closely.

Once they were gone, I risked a look at Mondo. He was staring at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. He looked like he was angry again, but I got the feeling he wasn't gonna punch anyone else. Maybe I should keep an eye on him for Taka, just in case. Although, there aren't a lot of people in here that would be stronger than him. Well, except... My eyes fell on Sakura, who was still alone. Perfect! "Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura looked around, then at me. "Ah, Hina. Did you need something?" I could feel myself starting to blush again just talking to her. Not the time, Hina! Your life was just threatened, remember?! "Well, I was just thinking that maybe we should go check out that main hall again. Like, maybe if we all work together on the door, we'll be able to find a weak point!"

She nodded, then glanced towards Mondo. "I suppose going in there with him would have its benefits. Very well."

"Alright, awesome! Then let's go talk to him!" And I walked towards Mondo, my pace quickening. "Hey, Mondo!"

He looked up, surprised, but wouldn't meet my eyes. "Yeah?"

"Well, I was thinking Sakura and I could go with you to the main hall! I mean, you and Sakura are stronger than anyone else here, and I could check the vault for weak spots, so maybe we'd be able to find a weak point! So we're gonna come with you, kay?"

He looked kinda worried, but he sighed. "Yeah, sure," he said resignedly. "If ya insist. Not like I can stop ya."

"Awesome! Then let's go!" Poor guy. He looks so downhearted! He's still kinda scary, though. "Everybody ready?"

Mondo sighed again and stalked out the double doors. Sakura crossed her arms. "He's a stubborn one."

We all started to head back to the main hall in awkward silence. Mondo stayed in front of us, not looking back. His face was twisted up all weird like he was trying not to shit himself or something. Sakura kept her eyes trained on him, watching for him to do anything. There was... a lot of tension. But I wasn't gonna let it stay that way!

"So, Mondo, what's running a biker gang like?" I caught up to him, waiting for an answer. He got a little softer when I mentioned his gang.

"It's pretty great, riding around with 'em." He looked up towards the lights, eyes shining. "The wind in your hair, the rev of the engines... it's enough to get anyone's blood pumpin' nice and fast. 'S a hell of a lot of work though, keepin' everyone together."

"Wow, really?" I mean, it's not like they're responsible for anything, right? They're just a bunch of kids that break traffic laws, aren't they?

"It's more work than you'd think," he growled. "Those guys keep the gang runnin', and for lots of 'em, we're all they've got. It takes a hell of a lot to keep everyone goin'. You know how hard it is, keeping all those dumbasses' heads above water? I gotta round 'em all up like they're fuckin' baby ducks or some shit. Not to mention all the coups and shit I gotta squash to stay on top!" We got to the doors of the main hall, and he shoved them open, grumbling. "Dumbfucks better still be there when I get out..."

I wasn't expecting that from him, but in hindsight, I guess I should've. I mean, he wasn't the Ultimate Biker. He was the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. Gosh, no wonder he seems to hate Taka so much. It must be hard letting someone else take the lead for once. I followed him inside, Sakura right behind us.

Once we were inside, we all just sort of looked at each other. Then Sakura spoke. "Hina, you wished to inspect the door first, is that correct?"

Oh shoot, I totally forgot! "Yeah! I'll check for a weak spot!" I headed over to the door, inspecting it as best I could. There was a long mechanism stretching from the left of the vault-like door and going into the center, disappearing in the large piece sticking out. There were a bunch of latches connecting the door to the wall all along the outer ridge. There was also a single, giant hinge on the right. I couldn't see any buttons or levers that would get the door open, and there wasn't a pad for a code either. I turned back to the others.

"Okay, guys, it looks pretty well built into the wall. But..." I pointed to the hinge. "If I had to guess, getting that hinge-" I moved my finger to the latches- "and those latches to break would make the door easy to tip over." I held up my fists in a readied stance. "So we don't need to break the door, just what holds it up! Ready?"

Sakura nodded, preparing to strike at the door. "Understood. I'll focus on the hinge."

Mondo was grinning wickedly, his earlier anger forgotten for the moment. "And I'll get all those fuckin' bits off the wall. I'll bash 'em right in!"

I moved away from the door to stand behind them, and the two of them started hitting the door in what has gotta be, to this day, the most impressive and awesome display of strength I have ever seen! Their movements were practically inhuman, moving from place to place around the door, punching and kicking at the solid metal with all the power in the world. It could've been seconds or hours and I wouldn't have known, watching them in all their fury. Mondo had totally let loose, attacking with more force than I'd seen from him yet. His hair flew out of the bun it was kept in and flew out around his head as he attacked, jumping and kicking the latches all over. His long leather jacket flared out around him as he moved, making him look like some kind of flying monster! But Sakura was the really cool one. She struck the hinge from every angle, with fluid movements that would've seemed impossible from how huge she was! Her white hair flowed around and behind her, the only evidence that she wasn't somehow teleporting from spot to spot as it revealed the path she was taking. Her skirt flared up around her giant legs, making her seem even more powerful and huge. But in the end, it wasn't enough. Eventually, they both had collapsed, defeated. And while there were a few dented spots here and there, they weren't deep. And they certainly weren't enough to get us out.

"I'm sorry, Hina. Mondo. I've... failed." Sakura slammed her fist into the ground in defeat. "I wasn't strong enough."

"Hey... Don't be too hard on yourself... You're a tough chick," Mondo gasped, breathing heavy from exhaustion beside her. He put a shaky hand on her shoulder. "If... we couldn't break through it... no one can."

I knelt down beside them, putting a hand on each of them. They worked so hard, and thrown all their strength into it, and it still hadn't come down? "I'm sorry, guys. I really thought that was gonna work." I looked up at the vault door looming over us. It was like it was swallowing us whole, making even the strongest of us small and weak. "I guess we just have to wait and see if it gets opened from the outside." Wait. The outside! I stood up. "Guys, I've got a new idea!"

Mondo looked up at me from the ground. "Seriously? Out with it, then."

"Well, think about it. This is a state-of-the-art, top notch school, right? So it's gotta have like, the best tech ever! All we gotta do is find a way to communicate with the outside, and boom! Help is on the way!" I felt my hopes rising again. Yeah... Yeah, that's all we gotta do! They'll be able to track the signal, and find us! I offered my hands to them. "Come on, let's go look around!"

Mondo took my hand, and with a little work, I pulled him to his feet. "There was a door down the hall with some kinda film shit painted on it. If anywhere's got tech, it's probably there."

Sakura rose too. "We should head there then. The sooner we can send a signal, the better."

The three of us all left the main hall. I let Mondo take the lead again and slowed my pace a bit to walk by Sakura. I thought I saw her glance at me, but if I did, then she looked away fast. I hope I'm not pushing her boundaries or anything.

"So, Sakura! What made you become a martial artist?" Nice and slow, Hina. You've got this!

She met my eyes. "It's in my blood," she said simply. "I had a legacy to uphold, and I did. My family couldn't be prouder." She looked forward again. "Why did you become a swimmer?"

Wow, she's so cool! "Oh, me? Honestly, I just did it cuz it was fun at first. I've always liked sports, ya know? It really gets your blood pumping," I said, punching the air. "Swimming was just what I was best at. People have actually said I've got mermaid blood before, haha!"

"Do they? Perhaps that's more common than I believed," Sakura said thoughtfully, bringing a hand to her chin. "To be referred to as a creature of myth, I mean. I'm often referred to as Ogre." Ogre? That's so rude! But before I could respond-

"Hey, quit your yappin'. We made it." We were standing before a blue door with a cassette painted on it in white. Sticking out of the wall was a sign that said 'A/V ROOM'. Mondo stuck his thumb out at the door, grinning, before turning the handle and opening the door. We all headed in, one by one. As I watched Sakura go inside, I couldn't help but wonder. Do people really see someone as beautiful as her as an ogre? I held back a sigh, put on a smile, and followed them inside.

Elsewhere in the school, in the girls' bathroom, a girl dressed all in purple was rummaging through a closet. She inspected every item, seeing what had been used and what was still in its fresh packaging. Strands of hair stuck to her boots as she moved up and down the closet. As she searched, she noticed something wedged deep at the back of the shelf, obscured by toilet paper almost completely. Almost. She reached a gloved hand forward for it, pulling out what looked like a pamphlet. Her piercing eyes glanced over to the camera- there really was one of those everywhere- and closed the closet door, leaving her alone with her thoughts and what she realized now was a map. The label said it all- Hope's Peak High School Floor Plan.

When I walked into the room, I saw rows upon rows of what looked like individual DVD players, split into stations with their own monitors. Mounted on the wall at the back was a white sheet for projecting on, and a projector sat set up on a rolling table near the front of the room. Oh, so that's why there was film on the door! But unfortunately, that was all there was. We checked just to make sure, of course, but all we got were empty DVD players. Nothing to communicate with.

"Damn it! Another dead end?!" Mondo was starting to lose what little patience he had. "I'm getting really fuckin' sick of this place. Let's look somewhere else." He went to open the door, but it opened for him. It was Chihiro at the door, looking surprised to see us.

"Oh, is this a bad time? Sorry..."

"No, don't worry about it, Chihiro! We were just about to leave anyway, right, guys?" I looked over at Mondo, and that's when I noticed. He was totally blushing! He'd stepped away from the door, giving her lots of room to come in. She entered, a little nervous.

"Oh! Well, thanks then." She scratched the back of her neck, looking unsure.

"Yeah, we were gonna leave. But, uh, just a heads up, ah... there's not really any programming junk in here, so..." He was totally acting like a kid in grade school around her! His voice kept rising as he spoke. "But actually, we were gonna go around looking for tech and junk, if you wanted to hang. Cuz, you're a brainy chick and all that. Ah, bein' a programmer and all..." He cleared his throat really loudly then, and announced to the room: "ALRIGHT CHICKS, MOVE OUT! WE'VE GOT GROUND TO COVER!" And he went out of the door really quick, his face red.

"Oh, Mondo! Mukuro and Junko are out there! Be careful!" Chihiro tried to yell after him, but she was shaking all over. She looked over at me. "Um... I think I'm gonna stay over here, if that's okay."

"No sweat, Chihiro! I'll let him know." I smiled gently at her. Poor girl. Why'd he have to get so loud?

Sakura moved closer to the door and opened it. "It seems there may be conflict with Mondo once again. He's having a spat with the sisters." She went out the door, looking determined. I smiled reassuringly at Chihiro again, then went to follow Sakura. We made it into the hall just in time to hear their argument.

"-because if a man spoke that way to me, I'd pound their face right in! So if I ever, ever, hear you yell like that at her again, then that's what's coming to you, do you hear me?! I could hear you with the door closed, do you get that? With. The. Door. CLOSED-"

Junko was tearing into Mondo, furious. Mukuro had her hands resting gently on her shoulders, as if she were holding Junko back, but it didn't look like she was putting in any effort. Actually, she was giving Mondo a death glare. Like, if looks could kill, Mukuro would totally be allowed to leave! Mondo looked sheepish, cowering at the girls' fury. I wasn't sure if I needed to interfere or not, so I just watched it unfold. It didn't take long.

"Never yell at a girl like that ever again! I don't care what kind of stress you're under, you don't treat women like that! Or anyone, for that matter! You got that?!" She pressed a manicured hand to the bridge of her nose, pushing up her glasses. "Honestly, it's like that's all you know how to do."

Mondo rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I know, and you're right, and I'm sorry," he said. "And I'll talk to her later, alright? But right now, we all gotta keep movin'. I'll try to stop though, I swear."

She looked back at him brightly, cheering up in an instant. "Alright, awesome! See, I knew we just had to chat! Talk to you laterrrr!" She danced away from them, heading towards the door- that I was standing in front of.

"Ah- Sorry!" I moved out of the way for her as she twirled past, grabbing the handle.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Hina! You're fine!" She waved a hand in my face, then swung the door wide open. Mukuro followed her, nodding at me, before disappearing into the A/V room.

As the door closed, I turned back to the others, clapping my hands in front of me. "Okay! Let's keep searching the school! We'll find something eventually!" We've got to! Right?