A boy and a girl stood side by side in silence, waiting for the elevator to reach the top. They didn't look at each other. They didn't have idle chat. They just waited.

Eventually, the doors opened. They let themselves back into the eggshell waiting room, and the elevator lowered again behind them. The boy spoke.

"Trying to gain the other girls' trust?"

"I am simply contenting myself to my new life here, however long that may be. And what have you been doing?"

"Some research. It's a shame, really. That only one of us can escape. Wouldn't you say?"

"I am most flattered to be viewed at your level, but I do believe you would betray me regardless. Would you not?"

"Shame. You're sharper than you look." He held the door open for her. "Should I view you as a threat then?"

"I suppose it depends. What do you mean by threat?"

"Will you be a competitor? A sleuth of sorts? Or do you just plan on watching the show?"

"Well, if I told you that, then where would the fun be?"

"Fair point. I'd hate to get bored. It's exciting, isn't it?"

"Was that your first time watching someone die?" She finally looked him in the eye. "I wonder what you will come up with. Be a dear and tell me, will you?"

"Oh, but then, where would the fun be?" He smirked back at her.

"Very well." They made it to the despair hotel. "Join me for tea?"

"No thanks. I don't prefer the taste of arsenic."

"Shame. Until tomorrow, then."

"The night's still young." He took her hand, pressing it to his lips. "Lost your sense of time already?"

"Not at all." She pulled her hand back, smiling. "But by all means, continue to try and seduce me."

"Well, only if you insist." He bowed. "Until tomorrow."


I couldn't believe what had happened. It all went down so fast. One second, she was standing right next to me... And the next... She was gone. Right in front of us, she-

"Welp, that's that! Great job, everybody! I think my first trial was a resounding success, wouldn't ya say?" Monokuma sat at the front of the stage, swinging his little legs like a schoolgirl, licking a yellow ice lolly. "Sooooo, since I have you all here, would you mind taking a quick survey based on your customer satisfaction? It's a very simple forty-three part questionnaire. I want my games to be as despair-inducing as possible, so constructive feedback is always welcome!"

"You want feedback?! I'll give you feedback!" Leon charged for the stage.

"Leon, no!"

"Stop it!"

Chihiro and Makoto grabbed his arms, holding him back.

"Don't do it, Leon!" Chihiro plead. "It's not worth it!"

"You can't!" Makoto begged. "Remember what happened to Mondo?!"

Leon didn't look at either of them, but he stopped fighting back. "Fine," he spat, never taking his eyes off of Monokuma. "Whatever. You had your trial. Now let us out!"

"Hold up!" Monokuma chomped down on his ice lolly, swallowing it in one go, stick and all. "Only a successful blackened gets to leave, remember?! You guys have to stay! Did you even read the rules?!"

"I meant out of the basement, dumbass," he growled.

"Oh. Right. Well, who's stopping you? Just take the elevator back up." He flicked a paw in dismissal. "You'll have to wait your turn though. Now, byeeeeee!" He bounced back behind the curtains, disappearing.

"Huh? What does he mean, wait our turn?" Hiro asked.

"He means Celeste and Byakuya," Kyoko told him. "They already left."

"They did?" I looked around the room. One, two, three... ten. Eleven including me... "Why didn't they wait for the rest of us?"

"Do you honestly think either of them care?" Hifumi huffed. "They're your classic antagonistic rich-kid characters. Not to worry, though! We must simply endure until one betrays the other!"

"I hate to burst your bubble, but we're in the real world," Junko scoffed. "Not everyone here is gonna be your typical textbook trope."

"Well, obviously! Otherwise, every girl here would be skinny and pale, and I'd be a pervert," Hifumi sniffed.

"Eh, whatever," she drawled. "Let's just get out of here already, kay?"

"Good idea. I don't wanna be here any longer than we already have been." We all went to the elevator and waited for it to come down.


Chapter 1- To Survive- End

13 Students Remaining


We all rode the elevator in silence. No one knew what to say. I didn't even know what to think. Sayaka may have betrayed us, but she only did it out of fear for her friends. She worked so hard to get where she was. Those girls in her idol group must've been the only people close to her. On top of that, there was still a question I never got to ask: Why did she target Taka of all people? What could've made her choose him of all people?

I guess I'll never get to know.

That's the price of death- so many loose threads, unfinished stories that'll never be fulfilled. Taka, Mondo, Sayaka- their lives were all cut short. The pit in my stomach reopened again. When I find out who's behind this game...

The doors opened. We all went back into the waiting room. No one seemed to know what to do.

"This is your first time seeing someone die." Mukuro stepped to the front of the room, looking over all of us. "I remember mine. She trained as a cadet beside me." She hugged herself. "It'll never stop hurting completely. There will be days when some of you might feel like you can't go on anymore. You'll ask yourself, 'why am I here, and she's not? Am I the one that killed her?'"

"Is this supposed to make us feel better?!" Leon demanded. "Why should I even care? She used me, and betrayed all of us!"

"Let her finish," Junko quipped.

Mukuro didn't look angry with him. Actually, she didn't look like anything at all. "You may hate her right now, but eventually, your grief will hit you. Trust me, I know." She closed her eyes, moving her hands up her arms and to her shoulders. "When it hits, it'll feel unbearable. All you'll want is for her to come back to you." Her voice was filled with grief and guilt. "You may even blame yourself. But whenever that grief hits you-" She opened her eyes again- "let it. You'll want to shove it back down, move on, pretend it isn't there. Because that's what feels like the right thing to do, to move on as fast as you can for her. But it won't help. It'll sit inside you and fester, and when it comes, one day you won't be able to control it anymore. So let yourself cry- mourn your dead, remember her, keep her with you. And don't live in spite of her death- live because of it. At least, that's what helps me."

"Mukuroooo..." Junko ran over to her, enveloping her in a hug.

"But we did kill her, didn't we?" Chihiro cried. "We voted for her. We made Monokuma execute her, didn't we?"

"We most certainly did not," Hifumi assured her, handing her a handkerchief. "We all would have died ourselves if we hadn't, right? And besides, Ms. Maizono made her own choices. We did the best that we could."

Leon fell to his knees, gripping his hair so tightly it looked like he was gonna pull it out of his head. "No... I'm not... *hic!* crying...! I don't care what happened to her!"

Makoto knelt beside him. "I'll miss her too..." He wrapped his arms around him, and he leaned into it, clinging to each other like their lives depended on it.

I felt Sakura's hand on my shoulder as she moved to stand beside me. "Hina... I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? None of this is your fault," I told her. "Besides... we're okay. I mean, we survived the trial! We... we got it right..."

Why did we have to get it right?

"Hey, um... I never actually got to see him. Taka, I mean." Chihiro moved to the door. "So I'm gonna go say goodbye, if anyone wants to come with me."

"I'll come." Hiro stood besides her. "I didn't get to see him either."

Taka didn't have a lot of friends here while he was alive. Mondo and I were the only ones he really talked to. "I'll join you, too." It's only fair that I send him off, since Mondo can't anymore.


I stood in front of the door. His door. Taka's nameplate was flipped upside down, a streak of blood painted over its eyes. This is demented.

"Do you want me to open it?" Hiro offered.

I couldn't open my mouth. I just nodded, stepping aside. He grabbed the handle, sighed, and turned the handle. "Wha-?"

Taka's body was gone. The carpet was scrubbed completely clean, devoid of any traces of blood. It was like he'd never been there in the first place. Even his belongings had completely disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Chihiro cried. "I thought you said he was right in the middle of the room."

"He- he was!" I found my voice again. "I don't know what's happened!"

"I cleaned it up!" Monokuma pulled himself out from under the bed. "After all, you wouldn't want dead bodies scattered all over the place, right? That's just unsanitary!"

"But- but I didn't even get to say goodbye!" Chihiro sobbed.

"Well, you should've done that during the investigation!"

"Hey, leave the kid alone!" Hiro towered over him, looking angry. I haven't seen Hiro get angry before. His dreads had come out of their knot and stood out end-to-end, making him seem even bigger. "You've had your fun! Now go away and let us grieve in peace!"

"Ugh, fine. You're welcome, by the way! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get blood out of stuff?!"

"It's really not that hard," Chihiro blubbered. "You just mix vinegar and... and baking soda in..."

"Oooooh, now why would innocent little Chihiro know how to clean up blood, I wonder? Puhuhuhu! Do tell!"

"Any of the girls here could tell you that," Kyoko said from the doorway.

"You guys are no fun!" Monokuma bounced out of the room, hopping past Kyoko into the hall.

Kyoko looked at the spot where Taka's body used to be. "I was going to clean him up myself when you were all done, but I guess that's not necessary."

"No, I guess not," Chihiro sighed, wiping her tears away. "I just wish I talked to him more when he was still here."

"He was a really good leader," Hiro agreed. "He was uptight, but he kept us all together. Him and Hina." He smiled sadly at me. "He was a cool kid."

"Yeah..." His room felt so empty now. "He really was..."

"Well," he stood back up, "we need someone new to be the adult around here. And since I actually am one, then it's up to me!" He marched to the door. "And as the new adult, I'm making a new rule: No going out at night! And I'll be keeping watch every night to make sure no one breaks the rule!"

And with that, he marched decisively down the hall. Kyoko looked at the both of us. "Are the two of you planning on staying here?"

"No." Chihiro went to the door. "I think I really need to get some sleep after all this."

"Alright. Hina?"

She looked at me with her piercing eyes. They were calculated, but in a different way than Celeste's were. Celeste's eyes were invasive, cutting through me and pulling me apart. Kyoko's had more of a warmth to them, a calm kind of watching, like reading a book.

"I-"

*Ding, Dong, Bing, Bong*

The nighttime announcement began. "Does he seriously have to do that right now?"

"Oh, and one other thing..."

Wait. That's new.

"It was totally obvious before that you were just trying to make yourselves feel better and justify what you did. See you, see you, don't see you, that's how much I can see you, even when you try to hide! Now pay attention and remember this well! The burden of judging others is a heavy one to bear. So be well aware of your actions! Order and stability rely on the sacrifice and responsibility of everyone! Okay, then! Sweet dreams, everyone! Good night! Sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite~"

Well, I guess that makes my decision. "Guess I'll head back to my room for the night."

"Alright. Come on then." She held the door expectantly.

I stopped in the doorway. "you know, Kyoko..."

"Yes?"

"You're really weird."

Her eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, you act so aloof all the time. You don't talk to people, you stay away from everyone, you're super quiet and you're always staring at people."

"And?"

"But you actually care about everybody here a lot, don't you?" The thought made me smile. "I mean, you're looking out for everybody here. Even when you don't have to. That's the real reason you came over here, isn't it?"

"No." She wouldn't look me in my eyes. Oh, that is totally why she came here. "My goal is to find the truth. Nothing more. Keeping everyone alive is a product of that."

"You say that, but I think you secretly like us!" One way or another, I'll break her out of her little brooding shell. And then, one day, she'll tell me what her Ultimate talent is, and we'll be best friends, whether she likes it or not! "I'll get you to admit it. You'll see!"

"Is that what you've decided? Well then, I won't try and stop you. Just remember, the truth isn't always what you think it is."

And so, the day ended. The day that brought the death of Taka, of Mondo, of Sayaka... A day that I'd never, ever be able to forget. But still, it was just beginning. There was still so much despair yet to come.


Chapter 2- Selfishness and Selflessness are Often the Same

Daily Life- Begin


The next morning, Monokuma's morning announcement went off as usual. At the end, he called all of us to the gym. I looked up from my crunches. What's he gonna do to us now...?

We were all frozen. But he was determined to make us participate.

"Okay, everyone! Lift your arms up, and down!" He stood at the front of the stage, demonstrating. A small boombox was to his left, playing piano music. "One, two, three, four! Now reach waaaay up, and waaaaay down! Tighten those muscles! Let's add a little strength, a little speed to those flabby little bodies of yours!"

He's not serious, is he? I made eye contact with Sakura. She looked so done with Monokuma, I could barely contain my laughter. No way I'm doing this stupid stretch! Besides, I've already been working out for hours.

"Aaaaah, isn't this just great?! You kids have got to stay active, ya know! Stop spending all your time inside! Feel the sun on your face!"

"That's not exactly an option for us," Mukuro sighed.

"Y-Yeah, you're the one keeping us i-in here," Toko agreed.

"Oh yeah. Welp, don't sweat the small stuff! That's what I always say!"

"You have not said that even once before," Celeste drawled.

"Well, pardon me, Ms. Ludenberg," Monokuma snapped, "but you haven't exactly been here long, have you?"

"No, I suppose not."

"Hmph! That's what I thought."

"Enough." Sakura stomped forward, staring Monokuma down. "Why did you really call us here? Surely you didn't just want to make us exercise."

"'Just' to make you exercise? JUST to make you exercise?! Exercise is very important! Your physical health and your mental health are tied together, ya know?! That's why you gotta wear yourselves out physically! Because let's face it, there's no way you're not worn out mentally right now! Keep your health in balance~"

"That doesn't make any sense," Junko snapped.

"You don't make any sense! Now, all of you, KEEP EXERCISING! Do it long enough, and you'll uncover the secret of the Assassin's Fist!"

"The Assassin's Fist?" Hifumi thought. "Hrm, sounds familiar…. *gasp* It couldn't be!"

"Passed down from generation to generation in the empire of darkness, the power can be yours!" Chihiro squealed. "The secret is hidden deep within the Foreboding Woods..."

"...and beyond the Lake of Despair, in the Dark King's Castle!" Hifumi finished. "You've played Rogue's Quest ll?"

"It's my favorite in the series! I've even got V on preorder for next month!"

"No way! I've never met anyone else that's played it before!"

"Haha, me neither!"

"Wowza!" Monokuma hopped between them. "Who knew I'd meet fans of my game in class?! So, Rogue's Quest ll is your favorite, huh? Care to elaborate?"

They both looked horrified. Chihiro cupped her hands over her mouth. "Your game...?"

"I'll never play Rogue's Quest again!" Hifumi wailed.

"Awwwww, I was just kidding! Do I look like a game developer to you? You should've seen the looks on your faces!"

"That's enough!" I stood in front of him. "Did you bring us here just to play with us, or do you have something to say? You're being super mean!"

"What? Me? Mean? Never. And of course I brought you here for a reason! I have a very important announcement to make!" He leapt back over to the stage. "Every time you successfully complete a class trial, a whole new world will open up to you!"

"A whole new world...?" Hiro asked.

"Are you letting us out?!" Leon grinned. "Finally!"

"Uh, no. That would be dumb. I mean, your environment will expand- just a little bit. After all, imagine how boring it'd be if you didn't win anything for your success! That'd be super boring!"

"Well, I'm glad we're getting more than just our lives as reward," Byakuya smirked. "This'll certainly be interesting."

"Well, duh! I've gotta keep you guys motivated somehow! See, this guy gets it. Now go on, all of you! Go enjoy your post-trial world till your little heads explode!"

And he bounced away. He's really committed to that method of exit. "You know, there could still be a new trick to getting out of here! I mean, if a new space has opened up in the school, we could find something super new and helpful!"

"Yeah, Hina's right! Maybe we'll find something to get that damn door open!" Leon agreed.

"Alright then! As the adult, I say we all split up and look for clues!" Hiro declared. "No one go off on their own though, okay? I want groups of three or more. For safety! Yeah, three or more."

"I hate to break it to you, but it is a little late for that," Celeste laughed. "But do not feel bad. No one expects you to be good at this." She marched out, regal as ever, all on her own.

"Well, I'm gonna go check out the metal hatch again," Leon decided. "Who's coming with?"

"I'll go!" Makoto offered.

"I'll join you guys in a sec!" Hiro told them. "But first, I want everyone else in safe groups!"

"Alright. Mukuro, Chihiro, you're with me," Junko decided, grabbing them by the hand. "We're checking out the hotel again!"

This is another chance to talk to Sakura! "Hey, Sakura-"

She was already in front of me. "Hiro said we should be in groups of three or more. We'll need someone else to join us."

"You're right. Hmmm..." I looked around. Everyone else was already grouped up or gone. "Well, I'm sure we'll be fine! Besides, I trust you one hundred percent!"

"Well, if you're sure, Hina."

"Totally! Let's go!"

We left the gym and found what Monokuma was talking about right away- the bars in front of the staircase had lifted. "So that's what he meant! We got a whole new floor to look through! I wonder what's up there."

"There's only one way to find out," Sakura said, already going up the stairs.

"Hey, wait for me!"

The top opened up to a blue hallway. And on the left...

"Oh my gosh, Sakura! It's a pool!" Finally, I can get back to my Olympic training!

I threw the lavender doors open into a locker space full of floaties and lifejackets. At the other side was two doors- a pink one, and a blue one. Each one had a card scanner beside it, and a massive machine gun was mounted on the ceiling, facing the doors. Celeste was already inside, examining the floaties.

"Good morning, Hina. You must be pleased by this, are you not?" She smiled. "After all, you are the Ultimate Swimming Pro."

"Yeah, totally!" I grabbed a boogie board from the rack. "I might just dive straight in!"

"Are you not at least going to put on a swimsuit first?"

"Oh. Right." I'd gotten so excited, I totally forgot I didn't have a swimsuit on!

"Perhaps this will be our 'girls activity' for the night," Sakura suggested.

"What an excellent suggestion," Celeste agreed. "After all, everyone forgot about it last night- except for me, of course."

"Oh, yeah. Last night." After the whole trial and all, I'd just wanted to curl up and sleep. Yesterday had seemed to go by so much faster than usual; I was too exhausted to even think about it.

"Oh, cheer up. You were not the only one to forget, after all," Celeste laughed. "Besides, now you get to swim again."

"Right... Yeah, the pool!" Man, it feels like forever since the last time I got a good swim. "So, these must lead to the changing rooms, huh?" Pink and blue. Creative.

"That's right!" Monokuma leapt up from a barrel of pool noodles. "If you wanna swim, all ya gotta do is go through the locker rooms! Simply swipe your E-Handbook by the correct card reader, and... voila!"

"Okay." I held up my E-Handbook to the scanner by the pink door. It swung open, revealing a locker room full of exercise equipment.

"See? It's that easy! However, to ensure the maximum security for our locker rooms, we have certain... safety measures in place." He pointed his little paw up at the gun mounted on the wall. "See that? If anyone tries to sneak in behind someone into either locker room without scanning their E-Handbook first, then they'll be punished swiftly and without mercy for their sexual depravity! That Gatling Gun will take aim and go all DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA all over them!"

"But what if a boy were to take a girl's E-Handbook, or a girl were to take a boy's?" Celeste asked. "What would happen then?"

"What?! How terrible! Oh, the humanity! We bears would never engage in such an act; that's all on you filthy humans." He huffed. "Fine! I'll add a new rule to the E-Handbook: Lending your E-Handbook to another student is strictly forbidden. There! I'm a genius, aren't I? It's because my brain is made of one hundred percent cotton!"

"I do not imagine anyone would have lent out their handbook by choice in the first place," Celeste sighed. "But I suppose this will have to do."

"You're awfully concerned about this sort of topic," Sakura pointed out.

"Well, duh! You teenagers are all sex-crazed maniacs! Your teen years are when you're all at your absolute horniest! Puberty does that to you humans. Do you think I wanna see that? On my cameras?! Of course not! That would be disgusting!"

"Then will you be implementing the same rule for our dorms? After all, there is nothing stopping us from sharing rooms." Celeste looked pointedly at me and Sakura.

"I don't care what you guys do in the privacy of your dorms! Just keep it out of public areas!"

"But there are cameras in our rooms too?" What is up with this stupid thing?

"Meh! Don't care! Do whatever you want! Just not in my locker rooms!"

Great. So he wants to watch us all brutally murder each other, but at least he cares about premarital sex. "Just go away! Leave us be for once!"

"Oh, but what if I hadn't popped up just then? Then you all wouldn't know the rules, and something just awful could have happened! You wouldn't wanna get hurt just because you didn't know the rules, would you? But hey, I get when I'm not wanted. See ya later~!" He rolled out the swinging doors.

"Man, I was in such a good mood, too! Maybe I'll take a dip to cheer myself up. Sakura, Celeste, wanna join me?"

"There is nothing I detest more than getting water on my face," Celeste told me. "But I would not mind watching the Ultimate Swimming Pro in action."

"If there's a hot tub, I'll sit in that," Sakura decided. "Otherwise, I'll continue searching."

"What? Come on, guys! When you're in a funk, nothing 'll cheer you up more than a good swim! Trust me!"

"I shall take your word for it," Celeste decided. "But I am not in a 'funk' at the moment, so I will content myself with watching."

"Alright, if you say so."


After a few hours, I finally pulled myself out of the water. "Ahhhh! That was so refreshing!"

"I can see why they call you a mermaid," Sakura said.

"Indeed," Celeste agreed. "Your performance was excellent."

The two of them were sitting facing each other, with Celeste carefully applying mascara to Sakura's lashes. "You should wear mascara more often, Sakura. It brings out your eyes."

"Woah, Celeste is right!" With just a little bit of eye makeup, her eyes stood out more than ever before. "It looks beautiful!"

She looked away, covering the lower half of her face. "Thank you..."

"Perhaps we should head back," Celeste suggested. "Hiro attempting to take charge is most entertaining. I would like to see what he tries next."

"Hey, I think he's been doing pretty good so far," I huffed. "But yeah, let's head back."


"Alright, everyone!" Hiro stood at his seat at the table. "What did everybody find?"

"W-Well, the second floor's o-open." Toko started.

"Ooooh, ooooh! And there's a library on the second floor!" Hifumi continued. "They didn't have any of my fics, though..."

"And there's a pool!" I added. "A freaking pool! The water felt a-mazing!"

"The locker rooms were filled with exercise equipment, as well as swimsuits in some of the lockers," Sakura continued. "Unfortunately, we didn't find any sort of escape route."

"Monokuma added a new rule stating that we cannot loan out our E-Handbooks as well," Celeste mentioned. "If that was a concern for anyone. On that note, going into the opposite gendered locker room has been prohibited."

"Well, the second floor to the hotel is still closed," Junko sighed, "but the warehouse is open!"

"Yeah!" Chihiro agreed. "It's got all kinds of stuff in it! Uniforms, supplies, snacks-"

"Almost anything you could need is in there," Mukuro added. "It's not nearly as obscure as the school store."

"Well, I dunno why you all sound so fucking happy. The hatch is still completely shut," Leon huffed.

"Did anyone find anything useful on the second floor?" Makoto asked.

"Well, there is an old laptop in the library," Hifumi replied, "but it's totally busted."

"A laptop?" Chihiro beamed. "Let me take a crack at it! I can probably fix it!"

"That wasn't the only thing we found in the library," Kyoko interrupted. "Look at this." From her jacket, she pulled out an envelope with a wax seal. It was covered in dust, leaving a layer stuck to her gloves as she broke open the seal, pulled out a letter, and began to read.

"From the Hope's Peak Academy Central Office

"Throughout the years, we have been committed to shaping the youth who will one day shape the world. We have a long, proud history as an institution of higher learning with full governmental support. Our graduates enter society ready to take on active leadership roles in every major job field. However, Hope's Peak Academy must lower its curtain on its glorious history, for the time being.

"This decision was not an easy one to make, but serious issues beyond our control have made it necessary. But make no mistake- this is not the end for Hope's Peak Academy. We intend to reopen our doors as soon as the issues forcing our closure have been resolved. That being said, this is the ending for now, and I would like to personally and sincerely thank everyone for your help and support over the years. For now, we are awaiting official governmental authorization to formally cease operations"

"That's it? That's the entire letter?" Hiro asked.

"I'm afraid so. Whoever was writing it must not have finished." Kyoko slid the letter back into her jacket.

"Maybe, but why would they seal it if it wasn't finished?" Makoto asked.

"Well, there's no way for us to know. Even so, the contents of it are quite interesting indeed. Hope's Peak, forced to close its doors?" Byakuya mused.

"How strange. I do not remember hearing anything of the sort before coming here," Celeste thought.

"It would seem," Kyoko continued, "that Hope's Peak Academy had stopped functioning as a school. And judging from the amount of dust the letter had collected, it couldn't have been very recently. If I had to guess, it must be at least a year old."

"You think Hope's Peak has been closed down for a whole year?" Makoto asked, incredulous. "But that's impossible!"

"Whoever the mastermind is, they must have taken over the abandoned school in order to put on this little performance." Byakuya tapped a finger to his chin. "Though I can't imagine how they were able to pull off fooling all of Japan into thinking Hope's Peak was still fully operational."

"But there's no way! Something else must be going on here," I tried to tell them. "When I first got here just a few days ago, there was no hatch at the main hall, and all the windows were open!"

"Well, it's possible that we were lured to one place, and woke up in another," Byakuya replied. "Of course, that's assuming the letter is even real."

"That's true! This letter could definitely be a hoax to throw us off!" Leon agreed.

"But if it is true, then that would explain why there aren't any other students here," Mukuro suggested. "I mean, I didn't see anyone even before I woke up."

"I wonder what it meant by like, 'serious issues,'" Junko thought. "Like, I don't remember hearing about anything bad happening at Hope's Peak."

"Perhaps the government is being paid off to keep a blind eye," Hifumi suggested, "and the outside world is completely unaware of our kidnapping because of it!"

"It's certainly a possibility," Kyoko agreed. "If this letter and our situation really are connected, then we need to figure out how, as well as the mastermind's true motive for bringing us here."

"So in other words," Celeste summarized, "only the mastermind truly understands right now. We are still just their pawns."

"So that's it?!" Leon jolted out of his seat. "Are you all just gonna sit here and take this? This is fucking bullshit! We need to get out! NOW! Before things get even worse!"

"Don't take your anger out on us," Byakuya scoffed. "An attitude like that won't get you anywhere. If anything, it paints a target on your back."

"Shut the fuck up! I don't gotta listen to you! What've you done to help anybody, huh? Jack shit, that's what!"

"I never said you had to listen to me. Do whatever you want, but don't blame me when you end up just like the biker."

"Enough fighting!" Hiro pushed himself between the two of them. "Infighting won't get us anywhere. Let's all just take some time to calm down, okay? *yawn* I'm gonna take a nap. Gotta get some shuteye, right? Haha! Okay, class dismissed!"

"Psh. Whatever." Leon stalked off. Byakuya sat back down. Everyone else started to disperse.

This is bad. Hiro's trying his best, but everyone's coming apart! I have to do something! "Guys, wait!"

"Hm? Was there something else you wished to say, Hina?" Celeste asked.

"Well, I was just thinking, and... none of us got to have breakfast this morning, right? Cuz Monokuma made us all go to the gym. So I was thinking, maybe we could all have brunch!"

"Brunch? Right now?" Makoto asked.

"I am kinda hungry..." Chihiro mentioned.

"Oooo-ooooooo-oooh! I'm f-famished!" Toko wailed, stretching out across the table. "Feed me, H-Hina! Feed me!"

"Don't make it weird, hun," Junko laughed. "But yeah, I could sooooo use some hot food right now."

"Yes, please! Make us donuts! Like you were gonna yesterday!" Hifumi squealed.

"Well, only if you insist! I'll need some help though..." Hopefully Sakura will volunteer!

"I can help!" Chihiro offered. Sakura said nothing.

Damn it! "Alright, thanks, Chihiro! Let's get to work!"

We got back to the kitchen and started baking up a storm! We got flour all over us, but it was totally worth it! Pretty soon, I was putting donuts in the fryers, while Chihiro mixed up the glaze.

"Hey, Hina, should we add some kind of flavor? I bet the others would like chocolate!"

"Oh, good idea! Let's add sprinkles, too! Ah, donuts really make anything better, don't you think?"

"I guess so. I'm not really that much of a foodie, so I can't really say for sure. Sorry."

"Oh, you don't have to apologize for that! I mean, it's just an opinion. You don't have to agree."

"You're right, I should've thought of that. Sorry..."

"No, don't- you know what, nevermind." No matter what I say, she's just gonna apologize anyway.

"Oh, no, did I make you mad?" She started tearing up again "I'm sorry- I mean, no, I- I don't want you to be mad at me!"

"Chihiro, I'm not mad at you!" I put my arm around her shoulders. "I just don't want you to be blaming yourself for everything all the time. You've got kind of a habit of that, ya know?"

"I guess," she sighed. "I'm just afraid of making you upset. I don't want you to think less of me."

"Don't worry, Chihiro. No one is gonna think any less of you just cuz you mess up once or twice. Besides, it's not like you're gonna- uh..." I'd almost said kill anyone, but I don't think that would've helped.

"What? What won't I do?"

"Ya know what? It doesn't even matter."

The timer for the donuts started to beep. "Oh, I'll get that!" She pulled away from me, pulling the donuts out of the oil. "Wow, they look amazing!"

"Yeah, they do!" I fought the urge to pick one up. "So, Chihiro, what is your favorite food?"

"Huh?" She flipped the donuts onto a wire rack. "I've never really thought about it before. But if I had to pick one, I guess I really like tiramisu!"

"Tiramisu? I've never had it. What's it like?"

"Oh, it's amazing! There's a bunch of layers of spongey bread stuff with super creamy espresso all stacked up! Sometimes, when my dad has company parties to go to, he'll take me with him, and they always have the best tiramisu there!"

"Oh, what kind of stuff does your dad do for work?" It's nice to finally talk to her about something casual. She's been so wound up since we got here. I mean, almost everyone has, but still!

"My dad works as a programmer for Towa company. He's the one who first got me into programming. See, this one time, he left his work laptop open, so I decided to try and make one of his programs. Turns out it was one he'd been having trouble with, and I figured it out first try!"

Woah, that's some beginner's luck! "That's so cool! What was the program for?"

"Oh, I don't even remember anymore. I mean, it was so long ago! Wow, time really flies." She leaned back against the counter, looking up at the lights. "I wonder what kind of program he's working on right now..."

"Well, who knows? Maybe you'll get to see him soon!"

"Yeah, maybe! I still haven't looked at the second floor yet." She beamed at me. "I bet my dad would really like you. You should meet him when we're out of here!"

"Oh my gosh, totally!" I'm so happy we got this time to talk. I think we've gotten a little closer. "Okay, I think the donuts have had enough time to cool. Let's decorate!"

"Okay! I'll go find the sprinkles!"


After brunch, I decided to check out the rest of the second floor. I haven't even so much as looked past the pool yet; that's gotta change! Plus, when I'm done, I can work out in the girls' locker room. There was a big open space outside the library with chairs along the wall, facing a bunch of closed off windows. Maybe this is a study space? There were a couple new classrooms, but nothing useful was in them. There was also another new staircase, blocked off. That's right; this school probably has a lot of floors. It is super prestigious and stuff, after all.

And we won't see the next floor unless there's another trial.

I ignored the shiver up my spine and went to the library. It looked fairly average- dusty, filled with books, a couple desks with reading lights, a librarian's desk- but there was something off. Didn't Hifumi mention there being a laptop in here earlier? I looked all over, but I didn't see one anywhere.

"Don't bother. It's already long gone." Out of another door at the opposite end, Byakuya emerged, holding a thick red book in his hand. "I'm not sure who took it, but it was broken anyway. You are looking for the laptop, yes?" He raised an eyebrow. "I doubt an athlete like yourself takes any pleasure in reading."

God, his voice was so condescending! "Well, for your information, I do enjoy a good book from time to time!... But yeah, I was looking for the laptop."

"Thought so." He sat down at one of the desks. "Well, like I said before, it's already gone. Now unless you're going to shut up, leave. I prefer to read in silence." He flicked his hand toward the door to the hall.

Oh, please. I can do what I want. I stepped closer to him, leaning over and tilting his book toward me. "Whatcha reading? Is it a romance novel? Oh my gosh, are you secretly into romance?"

"What? No!" He pulled the book closer to his chest. "It's a mystery novel. Now go."

"Did you get it from in there?" I walked over to the other door. On it was a plaque that said RESTRICTED ACCESS. "Is it a special novel? Why was it in the restricted access section? Is it based off a true story?"

"Do you ever stop asking stupid questions?" I was really pissing him off! "No, it's not from that section. Now, go away, and leave me in peace."

"Oh, sorry, I only respond to people who ask nicely." That's right, prick. Swallow your pride!

"What's your goal here? What do you gain from this?" He stalked up to me. We stood face to face. "What possible gain could you find from such insignificant questions?"

"I dunno." I shrugged, grinning. "Maybe I'll get you to talk to me like a normal person and not as a rich playboy with a superiority complex!"

"I do not have a superiority complex," he scoffed. "I am a Togami. I am superior to you."

"See? That." I tapped my finger to his forehead. "That right there. Major superiority complex." I stepped back, grinning. "But hey, don't feel too bad about it! There was this girl Mitsaki on my swim team, and she had the same problem. She hated me when I joined, cuz I beat all her high scores, but now we're really good friends!"

"Do not compare the prestige of the Togami family to a petty rivalry," he spat. "This isn't a question of who's better, it's a statement. Know your place."

"Uh huh, okay, and what is my place, exactly? Because so far, it just seems like you're actually scared to face me."

His face started turning red. "I am the heir to the Togami household. I am not-"

"Yeah, see, you keep using your family name to hide behind! But you literally got that just by being born. So I really don't see what-"

He grabbed my wrist in his hand and started dragging me to the hall. "I think you've spouted enough nonsense."

"Wha- Hey, let go!" I tried to pry him off, but his grip was super firm. How is this skinny rich bitch so strong?! He shoved me out to the hall, finally releasing me, then slammed the door shut. Ugh, rude much? Still, I think I got a little bit closer to him! Either way, I'll get him to stop being a pompous brat someday! That's just one more thing to work on! Whether he likes it or not, I'm not leaving him alone!


I got a good workout at the locker room, then went back to my room and took a shower. Right as I was finished, I heard a knock at the door.

"Hina!" It was Junko. "Hey, so, since we missed yesterday, we're all meeting in the dining hall to decide what we wanna do tonight. Kay? See you in five!" Before I could respond, she slammed the door back in my face.

Well, I guess it'll be nice to hang out with all the girls again! Maybe Kyoko will stick around this time, and Chihiro will actually come. Although, we still won't have everyone... Maybe we can get Hiro to summon Sayaka's spirit? He is a clairvoyant, after all. I'm sure she wouldn't wanna miss out just cuz she's dead!

I left my room and went to knock on Hiro's door. After a minute or two, he opened the door. His dreads were sticking out in different directions, not pulled back in their usual knot. "Oh, Hiro! Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. I got enough sleep for patrol tonight!" He smiled kindly at me. "Now, what's up, kid?"

"Well, I was thinking, and, well, us girls are all hanging out tonight, but it wouldn't be fair if Sayaka wasn't with us, so... do you think you could try and summon her or something?"

"Oh, uh, that's not exactly how it works. I mean, I can try to find her, but if she's fully passed, then there's nothing I can do. Plus, some spirits don't want to talk. And that's if I can even find her. The spirit world is... complicated. Even I still have trouble looking through it."

"Could you at least try?" I could feel that dark pit opening again in me. "Sayaka was our friend; she deserves to be here, even if only for a little bit. Please?"

He sighed. "Okay, I'll try. But I can't promise anything."

We headed to the dining hall. Everyone else was already there except Chihiro. Junko waved excitedly, then tilted her head, confused. "Hina! Why'd you bring Hiro?"

"Oh, I understand," Celeste smiled, approaching Hiro. "Congratulations on your coming out! What name do you wish for us to use for you?"

"Ah, nah, it's nothing like that! I'm still Hiro- although, I do prefer they/them pronouns, since you're asking."

"I brought Hiro here," I told them, "to try and talk to Sayaka."

The room went silent, and the air got thick with tension. Everyone had mixed feelings. Mukuro rose, breaking the stillness. "Maybe we should let the dead rest, Hina."

"Yeah, but she hadn't finished talking when Monokuma 'punished' her!" Junko countered. "Maybe we should give it a go- just once."

"I don't care e-either way," Toko interrupted. "B-But I don't want to get h-haunted."

"You won't get haunted by this," Hiro assured her.

"I have never participated in a seance before," Celeste laughed. "This could certainly be fun."

"I say we do it," Sakura decided. "It may allow for some closure."

"If we are going to do this," Junko thought, "we should get Makoto and Leon, shouldn't we? They're the ones who didn't get their closure."

"No. Seeing her again might cause them to spiral," Kyoko decided. "Especially Leon. But I don't see the harm in the rest of us getting her full story if it's possible."

"Alright," Hiro said, sitting in a weird twisty cross-legged way on the floor. "This could take a while, and even then, I might be the only one to hear her. Are you all sure about this?"

"Absolutely." I sat beside them, trying to mimic the way they were sitting. "What do we do?"

"Put your hand on the crystal ball," they told me, pulling it out of their jacket with a red cloth and setting it gently on the ground in front of them. "The more of you, the better. I'll reach out, and try to find her." They looked at the way I was sitting. "You don't have to do that."

"Oh."

The rest of the girls surrounded the crystal ball, forming a circle. "Should we wait for Chihiro before we start?" Hiro asked.

"Chihiro's not coming," Mukuro said. "She said she has a project to work on."

Again? "Well, then, I guess everyone is here. Everybody ready?"

The rest of the girls nodded, one by one. Hiro breathed out slowly, folding their hands together. "Okay. Let's do this. Everyone, keep a hand on the ball and your eyes closed."

Our hands overlapped each other's, taking up every inch of the big crystal ball. How do they manage to keep this thing in their jacket all the time? I closed my eyes, and it began. I could hear Hiro muttering under their breath in a language I couldn't understand. The smell of cinnamon and some kind of citrus started to fill up the space around us, and I could hear the faintest sound of running water. For the first few minutes, I felt antsy. How long is this gonna take? How do they know if it's working? How does any of this connect to Sayaka? Will this even do anything? But as more time passed, all my thoughts started to quiet. It was peaceful, the rushing water and the smells around me. Everyone's hands were warm on the crystal ball. Hiro's quiet speech was weirdly calming. In that moment, I felt so connected to everyone else there. Different colors danced in the vision of my closed eyes, swirling around my head. And at the edge of my vision, I saw a figure- a humanoid shape, reaching out its hand. It looked familiar, although I couldn't quite place it-

*Ding, Dong, Bing, Bong*

Suddenly the illusion broke, and my eyes opened. I was back in the dining hall, the lights of the ceiling suddenly harsh and unforgiving, the cheery voice of Monokuma doing his nighttime announcement bouncing around my skull. Has it already been that long?

I wasn't the only one out of it. Junko had her hands over her eyes, groaning, and Toko had leapt up, shaking her head so aggressively that her braids knocked over the drinks still on the table. Even Kyoko was rubbing her temples, grimacing. The only one that looked unaffected was Celeste, who just smiled and waved when she saw me looking at her.

"I'm sorry, guys," Hiro sighed. "I couldn't find her through all the smog." They packed up their crystal ball and- were those incense sticks? Well, now I know where the smells were coming from.

"That's alright, Hiro. You did your best." I handed them the cloth. They were sweating a lot. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," they gasped. "It's just- it takes a lot out, to guide that many people. But I'll be okay with some sleep." They looked over each of us. "Toko, you good?"

"Y-Yeah." She'd stopped shaking her head. "I-I think so, but, uh, d-did anyone else see that thing?"

"You're referring to the vaguely human shape, right?" Kyoko asked. "I saw it too."

"Oh, wow, you really are a medium, huh, Hiro?" Junko perked up a bit. "How did you do that?"

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest," they admitted, still heaving. "I'm kinda just able to see that kinda stuff sometimes. Remind me never to show it to that many people again."

"That person reaching out to us," I wondered. "It must've been Sayaka, right? That's who we were looking for, after all."

"Maybe. But there's no way to know now." They groaned again. "Thanks a lot, Monokuma."

"You're welcome!" He hopped in out of nowhere. "Now, get out of here! You all know the rules, don't you?! You're lucky the Gatling gun only activates if you open the doors from the outside! Monokuma wants his din din!"

"We understand, of course," Celeste smiled. "We will be leaving now." I helped Hiro up, and we all left.

"I'm sorry, Hiro. If I'd known how much it would've affected you, I never would've asked." I felt awful! They'd worked themself to the bone for my request, and we hadn't even gotten to finish. "Let me take over lookout for the night. You need your rest."

"No way! I won't let you." They pushed me away, standing up straight and wiping their forehead. "I'm the adult, and I'm telling you it's not allowed!"

"You look like you'll pass out very soon," Kyoko mentioned. "It's against the rule to sleep anywhere other than the dorms."

"Kyoko's right! If you do this, it'll be a death sentence for you!"

"Fine. But I'll decide who takes the watch..." They looked over all of us. "Sakura, you're the strongest! You take the watch tonight."

"Very well," she nodded. "I will keep a close watch over us tonight."

With that decided, we all went to our rooms. I looked back at Sakura. "Good luck tonight!"

"She smiled briefly. "Thank you."

I didn't bother changing, throwing myself on the bed and rolling up into a blanket cocoon. Tonight was so weird... Hiro didn't find Sayaka, but then, who did we see? And how did they even do that? I tossed and turned, but eventually, somehow, I managed to fall asleep.