I woke up to the morning announcement. I slowly crawled out of bed and stretched. It occurred to me that I had slept in the clothes I was wearing the previous day, even the skirt. I did my best to flatten out the creases before giving up and simply heading to the dining hall.
As I expected, Ishimaru was already there, along with a couple others. Celestia Ludenburg, who at this point requested we call her Celeste, was sitting elegantly at a small table away from Ishimaru. Yamada was standing idly, quite literally twiddling his thumbs. Everyone else was absent.
"Hmph." Ishimaru frowned. "Exactly one minute late, Maizono! I'll let it slide this time, considering the small numbers."
I rolled my eyes.
"Everyone who arrives after, however, will have some explaining to do!"
Togami walked in, closely followed by Fukawa who was trotting along, desperately trying to get Togami's attention, to no avail. Naegi walked in soon after.
"You! You're all late!" Ishimaru yelled, pointing at the three who had just entered.
"I don't recall agreeing to your rather arbitrary schedule, Ishimaru." Togami scowled.
Ishimaru looked like he was going to explode. "It is important to maintain a proper schedule to lead a life of morals and balance!"
"S-shut your m-mouth." Fukawa muttered.
"Ah, Fukawa-" Naegi tried to say, but was interrupted.
"W-what!?" Fukawa cried. "D-do you hate me th-that much? Y-you m-must think my voice is l-like that of an u-ugly troll!"
I blinked. I wasn't sure if that was actually how she felt, or if she was just taking advantage of Naegi's kind nature to waiver any criticism he could give her. If that was the case, it seemed to work, as Naegi stopped dead in his tracks and said nothing, his mouth open in confusion.
"Enough of that. We're here now." Togami scowled. "Much to my… chagrin."
"Chagrin?" I repeated.
One by one, everyone else came strolling in. Asahina and Ogami were talking and laughing with one another, but they seemed to be the only ones in high spirits. Everyone else was dragging their heels.
"Wonderful. You're all here!" Ishimaru cried. "Let's eat!"
"That's the only reason you wanted us to gather here?" Togami growled. Even though he was clearly angry, his tone was still just as cold and smug. It was frightening.
"Well, we all need to get along, right?" Naegi asked.
"Need to? My God you are pathetic. Naive and pathetic." Togami spat. "Don't you remember what Monokuma said? We're all in here to kill each other. 'Teaming up' just makes it easier for you to get backstabbed and killed."
"Only if you make it so." Kirigiri responded bluntly. "It's no different to going alone. You're only vulnerable if you make yourself vulnerable."
Togami scowled, but then smiled. "See? Someone who understands."
"Don't compare my logic to your cynical arrogance. I'm simply stating the truth." She snapped. Her voice gave no emotion, but it wasn't heartless like Togami's. She had the ferocity of a woman who was cool, calm, and collected. Togami said nothing. Fukawa looked ready to explode, but said nothing.
"Alright. Can we just fuckin' eat now?" Mondo growled. He looked very tired. He clearly wasn't used to early mornings. Ishimaru nodded, and we all went into the kitchen to make our breakfast.
After breakfast, we all went back to our dorm rooms. I looked around my prison cell and sighed. I fell on my bed. I recalled something Celeste said during breakfast: "The key to our survival is not individual strength nor is it strength in numbers. It is the ability to adapt. If you do not adapt to your life here, you will die. Simple, is it not?" The smile she gave did not match the severity of the statement, and at the time it scared me majorly, but in hindsight, she was right. I huffed, blowing hair out of my face.
"Well…" I said out loud to nobody. "No use in just sitting here moping. I'll walk around the school and talk to people." For some reason, I so badly wanted to talk to Naegi. I pinned it down to him being the one face I knew, but I also knew it was important for me to strengthen my bonds with the others. I walked out of the room, briefly looking around as I did so. Nobody was around, so I walked towards the door to the school grounds, and walked right into Naegi coming out of his bedroom.
"Kyaaa!" I cried, losing my balance and falling to the floor.
"Ow!" Naegi moaned, clutching his head. It must have still been sore. He wobbled a bit before looking down at me. "Ah! M-Maizono!" He cried apologetically, extending his arm to help me back to my feet. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah. I'm fine." I said quietly. I stood awkwardly, one arm clutching my head, the other clutching my elbow.
Naegi smacked his lips. "Do you… wanna spend some time together? Today?"
I smiled. "I'd love to. A nice walk through the school is just what we need."
Naegi smiled. "I agree."
We walked around the school for a bit. The stairs leading to the second floor were still blocked off, so we begrudgingly walked around the space we had already seen several times already.
"Hey, wait a second…" Naegi said, slowly opening an orange door. "This wasn't unlocked before."
"Wasn't it?" I asked. "I hadn't even noticed it."
"Oh!" Naegi cried. "It's a store! Kinda like a pawn shop." He walked towards some strange machine sitting on a desk near the back of the store. "Oh! It looks like one of those gacha machines." He turned to me. "You know the ones where you put coins in, turn it, and then a prize comes out?"
I shook my head.
"Oh. Well, I'm gonna see if I can get something." He dug into his pocket and brought out some weird-looking coins with Monokuma's face on them. "I've been finding these in random spots around the school. Maybe I can use them on this."
I felt awkward standing around, but I still watched as he placed a coin into the slot and turned it. A small canister popped out as the machine made a weird dinging sound. He opened the canister and took out the item inside.
"Oh wow…" He breathed quietly. He held it in his hands, looking at it briefly, before presenting it to me.
"You're giving it to me?" I asked.
He nodded, a friendly smile on his face. I took it from his hands and examined it carefully. It was a small bronze knife with some kanji etched onto it.
"It's beautiful, Naegi." I beamed. "Thank you. This is truly a magnificent gift."
Naegi blushed. "It's really nothing."
"No, seriously. Thank you. Even in this dreary situation, you make me feel like the happiest girl in the world."
Naegi's face was tomato red and he turned away. I couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "Ahaha, I'm so glad you like it." He turned back to me, a big smile on his face. "Consider that something to remember me by."
My face immediately dropped. "Naegi…?"
His jaw dropped. "No, I don't mean that!" He said hurriedly. "I mean when we all get out of here." He laughed nervously. "There's no way I'd ever leave you."
He was trying so hard to reassure me, but the chill of his words still froze me to the bone.
"H-hey, Naegi?" I said softly, my voice shaking.
Immediately he was concerned. "Yeah?"
"D-do you think… we should grab something… for self-defense?"
He looked shocked. "Self-defense? But-"
"I-I-I know what you're thinking." I said quickly. "We shouldn't be distrusting our peers. But this is just in case, y-you know?" I looked him in the eyes. I could see my own scared, weeping face in his pupils. It was shameful.
He hesitated. "Maizono…" He said softly. He clenched his fist. "No. You're right. This is just a precautionary measure." He relaxed himself and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Besides, I'm supposed to protect you."
"Supposed to?" I echoed. I giggled slightly. "Naegi, don't feel as if you're forced to."
"No, I'm doing this because I want to. For you." Naegi said. He opened the door to the school store and held it open so I could go through. "Come on, I saw some weapons we might be able to use in the gym foyer."
We walked to the gym foyer where a display case sat holding various items, including a large and rather gaudy-looking sword.
"Ah! Here it is." Naegi cried, opening the glass cabinet and reaching in to grab the sword and its display stand. He offered it to me, but I refused.
"No, Naegi. It's probably better if you have something like this." I explained.
"But I thought-"
"No it's okay, I'll find something." I replied. I gave him a large smile to reassure him. "Naegi, from now on, I'm going to promise you something."
"Huh? You what?" Naegi asked, confused.
"You said you wanted to protect me, right?" I moved closer to him. "Well, I'll assist you! I'll be your Ultimate Assistant!"
Naegi chuckled awkwardly. "Ehehe… if that makes you happy, Maizono. I would love that."
"Of course." I beamed at him. "That's why I think you should hang on to the sword. Besides, this knife you gave me looks pretty sharp anyway." I said, holding up the knife Naegi gave me.
"Fair call. The gold glitter paint on this thing sticks to you anyway. Ugh." He held up his hands, which were covered in gold glitter.
I giggled. "You're funny, Naegi."
He blushed again. "Ehehe…" He followed me out of the gym and we headed back towards the dorms. Enoshima saw us and walked over.
"What are you two lovebirds up to?" She giggled. "I hope nothing too scandalous." She gave a big smile to show she was joking.
Naegi held up the sword.
"Ooo!" Enoshima teased. "Is this some new kink play I haven't heard about yet?"
Naegi turned red. "W-What? No! I-"
Enoshima laughed. "Ahaha! I'm only joking, sweet Naegi. You must really be readying yourself." Her face dropped slightly, as if she too suddenly remembered the severity of the situation.
"W-what about you?" Naegi asked.
"Oh trust me. I can take care of myself." Enoshima said. "Believe me."
Naegi nodded.
"And how are you doing, darling Maizono! Has your gentleman been treating you well?"
I giggled. "I'm his Ultimate Assistant now. We're gonna work together to get everyone outta here!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Enoshima said.
I looked at Enoshima's face, considering it carefully. At first, I just assumed it was all the photo editing that made her look so different, but it seems that her entire resolve was so different than I expected. I couldn't help but again feel like she was hiding something. Her feelings, perhaps. She seemed particularly drawn to Naegi, which for some reason bothered me. I hoped it wasn't jealousy, jealousy is frightening.
"I should head back to my room. But I'll see you two lovebirds at dinner! You both make a super cute couple~" She said playfully. Oddly enough, she didn't move from where she was standing. I tried not to look back as Naegi and I walked back to the dorms, but I could tell she was watching us.
When we each got back to our bedrooms, we bid each other farewell and closed our doors behind us. I breathed a sigh of relief. So far, our second day trapped in the Academy had gone smoothly. I hoped it would last. For someone to turn to murder just to leave… I couldn't bear thinking about it. I collapsed on my bed. Even though there were still several hours before dinner and by extension nighttime, I felt in dire need of sleep. I turned on my side, my body facing away from the door. I felt my long blue hair rest on my face, shrouding my vision. Even though the light was still on, I quickly drifted to sleep.
Several hours later, I was awakened by a knock at the door. I groggily got up, straightened my hair out a bit and opened the door.
"Enoshima?" I said.
"Why do you look surprised?" She looked at me skeptically. She shook her head. "I didn't see you come out of your room. Everyone's heading to dinner."
"Ah. Cool. I'll come with you." I closed the door behind me and walked with Enoshima to the dining hall. Everyone else was already present. I went to sit down next to Naegi, but he seemed deep in conversation with, strangely, Kirigiri of all people. As before, her face was completely devoid of all emotion, but she kept nodding and responding to his words like a normal person would. Naegi seemed to enjoy her company, though, so I left them alone. I smiled at Enoshima and sat next to her at the large table with all the others. Ishimaru addressed all of us, but none of us were really listening at this point. I made small talk with various people as we ate, before heading off back to the dorms.
"Sleep well, Maizono and Enoshima." Naegi said.
I smiled at him. "You too, Naegi."
Enoshima blinked in surprise. "Thank you, Naegi! Don't dream too much of me." She winked. I rolled my eyes.
"Ehehe, sure…" Naegi said awkwardly. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight!" I smiled at him before heading into my room to sleep.
Several days passed. I spent time with various people during that time. Although I spent plenty of time with Naegi and Enoshima, I made sure to talk to the other people. I need to learn more about them and gain their trust. Not everyone was very likeable though, for instance, Togami and Fukawa always seemed to brush me off with nasty comments, and Ishimaru and Hagakure were incredibly annoying. Out of everyone, Fujisaki, Asahina, and Ogami seemed to be the nicest to me. Kirigiri didn't seem to have time for me, and I didn't exactly want to spend much time with Yamada, Owada, and Kuwata. They all gave me bad vibes, and I always trust my intuition.
However, I did learn a lot about everyone. Interestingly enough, I found out 'The Ultimate Baseball Star' hated baseball, and instead wanted to create a band. I can't say I didn't sympathise with him, but his attraction to me was almost obsessive, and his musical style was… a little different to my own, so I couldn't help him as much as I wanted to. But he seemed appreciative of my help, so I left it at that. I also took on Naegi's weird habit of searching the school for coins and gambled with the Monomono machine (as Monokuma called it) in the school store. It seemed like the coins were placed deliberately, which confused me to no end. Asahina seemed very appreciative of the swimsuit I got from the machine (how can a swimsuit fit in a tiny capsule anyway?) and I learned a lot about her training habits and her swimming exploits. I talked to everyone and learned more about their past, each story was unique and just as insane as each other. But I'm one to talk, my journey wasn't exactly easy-going either. When people heard about my mother, they were always shocked and sympathetic, and they were amazed by my determination to become the idol I am today. For a little while, it almost seemed like things were peaceful - like we had actually adapted to our communal life.
But it was not to last.
That night, 3 days after we first met, Monokuma interrupted our daily dinner meeting in the dining hall.
"Okay! Let's get back to business! Your life here has already begun and a couple days have gone by, and nobody's killing anybody!"
I felt my stomach drop.
"I thought all you kids were lazy and selfish, and here you are working together." He continued. "But I'm totally bored!"
Naegi fumed. "There's nothing you can say that'll make us start killing each other!"
"Oh yes there is! Ding ding ding!" Monokuma cried excitedly. "I figured it out! All the mystery ingredients are here - right people, right setting. So why hasn't anyone killed anyone yet?" He asked rhetorically.
Everyone looked nervously at each other.
"That's what I couldn't understand." Monokuma continued. "But I just realised there was one very important piece missing!"
"And that would be…?" Celeste prompted, stone-faced. While I was still in the dark, it was clear that she knew exactly what he was going to say.
"A motive! " He shouted.
"A-A m-m-motive!?" Fukawa cried, clutching her head. "Nnggaaahhh!"
"Puhuhuh! It's so simple! I just have to give everyone a motive!" Monokuma was essentially monologuing at this point.
"Motive? What the fuck are you talking about?" Owada growled.
"Oh, by the way…" Monokuma ignored Owada. "There's something I want to show you guys!"
"Stop changing the goddamn subject!" Owada yelled.
"I have a little video I'd like you all to see. Ooo, but it's not some pervy adult video or anything like that…"
I gritted my teeth. Monokuma's snide jokes were truly grating.
"It's a special video for each of you showing what's going on outside the school."
"Outside the school?" I breathed.
"What are you talking about?" Naegi asked.
"Hee hee hee, Master's so impatient today, isn't he? Well, why don't you just watch it and find out?" Monokuma teased.
"W-watch it?" I said.
"Here in the school, there is a special place you can go that has everything you need to watch the video."
"You're talking about the A/V room, right?" Kirigiri said, her voice and face stoic. "Well, let's get going. No use dilly-dallying."
"My, my, you're eager aren't you?" Monokuma said slyly.
"No, I'd just rather not listen to your inane ramblings." Kirigiri replied and swiftly left the dining hall.
"INANE!?" Monokuma said, genuinely insulted. "Hmph. You guys are no fun at all. I thought you'd be excited about all this."
"Excited?" Enoshima said. "Why the hell would we be excited about the prospect of killing each other!?"
"No point in arguing with the bear." Togami butted in. "It's as Kirigiri said, there's no point in, as she so eloquently put it, 'dilly-dallying'. Let's make our way over to the A/V room and get this over with. Outta my way, stuffed freak." Togami marched forward, following Kirigiri out of the dining hall.
"STUFFED FREAK!?" Monokuma screeched. "Eugh, your words cut me so deep. Well, off with you all!" Monokuma disappeared.
"Just what in the hell was that all about?" Kuwata asked. Everyone shrugged.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped. "Uwaaah!"
"Maizono, are you alright?" Naegi asked.
I relaxed. "How could anyone be alright after that? I… I have to know what's happening outside, right?"
"I'm not sure if that's wise." Naegi said.
"No, I have to know." Owada said, his head down. "I have promises to keep. I need to know… I have to know…" Owada slowly trudged out of the dining hall.
Kuwata frowned. "He's right. There could be something that could be useful to us getting out, right?" He walked away before any of us could answer.
"Wait!" Fujisaki cried. She ran after Kuwata and Owada. "Let me come with you!"
Enoshima raised an eyebrow at Fujisaki before turning to us. "Well, no sense in us wasting time, right?" She turned on her incredibly tall heels and walked out.
"She's right." Ogami said. "If we don't push forward…" she trailed off.
"Sakura's right!" Asahina cried, slamming a fist into her open palm. "We have to do this!"
Her confidence was contagious. Everyone's spirits were slightly raised, and together the rest of us all walked to the A/V room. When we walked in, we saw everyone standing in the A/V room apprehensively. Togami was white-faced, leaning against the desk and saying nothing. Only Kirigiri was calm. She slowly took her headphones off her head. She turned around slowly to address us all.
"It seems each of us have our own individual video, each of them on a disc." Kirigiri explained, holding up a box. "As you can probably tell, Togami and I have already seen ours. I want you all to prepare yourselves for what you might see."
That tone coming from Kirigiri… it shook me to my core. I looked at Naegi, and through his terrified expression, he smiled at me. One by one, we each grabbed a disc and found a DVD player and inserted the discs.
"Ah-!" I gasped. There on the screen was… "My group…" There was me, standing in the centre of the stage in costume, all my pop friends on stage with me. It was a concert, and one I remember will. It was my last concert before I got accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. I smiled. If the video ended there, it would have been almost hopeful. But as I had come to learn, this wasn't a hopeful situation.
"Sayaka Maziono…" Monokuma's voice came through my headphones. I gulped. "The Ultimate Pop Sensation - lead singer for a world-famous all-girl pop band. For these girls, the glowing spotlight only made them that much more beautiful."
I looked over at Naegi next to me, and he too was smiling. I got a small glance at his monitor, and saw his family smiling back at him.
"So it's a video about who the most important people to us are…" I said to myself. I looked back at my screen, and gasped again.
"But then…" Monokuma said. The screen went static, and what I saw next was horrifying beyond belief. There, all my friends that I had been performing with for several years, lay unconscious on the same stage. Monokuma's evil smiling face showed up on the screen in the back of the stage. "This ultra-successful team suddenly fell apart! None of them will ever perform on stage again. None of them will ever feel the warmth of the spotlight… For Maizono, there's simply nowhere for her to return to. So here's the billion-dollar question: What oh what could have caused the group to go to pieces? Look for the answer after graduation!"
The video ended.
"No…" I breathed. I slowly took off my headphones and stepped back. I couldn't breathe. I felt my entire world crash in on itself. And that was then, I finally knew, I finally knew what that bastard Monokuma meant.
Despair.
Pure and unbridled despair.
