Chapter Summary: After an eventful first morning, two new figures appear.

Notes (copied from AO3): Woo! Here it is! This chapter is my longest yet. There's a lot of interaction (and I had to cut a lot of it) so hopefully it doesn't feel too bloated.

It was around 7 am, and Munakata and Kizakura had managed to get the students out of their cottages. This was apparently a mandatory meeting, to be held every day, much to Chiaki's annoyance. She was always a heavy sleeper, and it took Kizakura practically breaking down her door to wake her up. As it was, she was about ready to pass out and slam her face into her bowl of cereal. Most of the others had gathered already. Taka was chipper, lecturing everyone about the virtues of getting up early. Byakuya was in the corner sipping a cup of coffee, while Toko (who she was still creeped out by) stared at him from afar. Mondo was shoveling his mouth full of waffles; when they'd discovered the waffle machine the guys had gone nuts. Leon, Hiro, and Hifumi had all finished their food and were now cheering him on. Aoi, Sakura, Ryoko and a reluctant looking Mukuro were all gathered at a table with a large box of donuts. Ruruka was in the kitchen making assorted treats; Chiaki made a note to get some later. The rest were scattered about, chatting about things she didn't really know or care about.

Munakata stood up and walked into the middle of the dining area. He cleared his throat and began.

"I need your attention, everyone. Right now, the breakfast meeting is about to commence! I'll be going over some of the things we didn't cover yesterday."

"What, Mr.Kizakura isn't helping?" Asked Mukuro.

Taka clicked his tongue. "That lazy good for nothing," he muttered.

"I heard that!"

"Eeeeek! I-I'm sorry, Mr. Munakata!"

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to...we'll discuss this later. Anyway! Right now, we need to divide up chores between our group. You'll all be pitching in every morning from eight thirty to noon."

"Huh?! But pal and I were gonna continue our anime marathon!" Ryota whined.

"I hate to object, but I need the mornings to do my training," Sakura added. "This is...inconvenient."

"Unfortunately, Sakura, you'll just have to get up earlier for your training from now on. And as for you, Ryota, you're fortunate enough that because you volunteered in the kitchen last night you're off for the morning chores. I can't say the same for Hifumi, though."

Sakura seemed satisfied enough with that answer, although Ryota pouted.

"What chores are there to do anyway?" Hina asked. "I didn't see anything except the rocketpunch market."

"Huh?" Sayaka asked. "Didn't you see the flier? There's a bunch of places! They even have a little farm!"

"Some stupid farm…I'm still mad it doesn't have any friggin' goats…" Leon grumbled.

Kizakura spoke up next. "Why don't we do this: we assign people to different groups that change out on a weekly basis. Every week a person will be working on a different area on the island. That way no one gets stuck in a chore they hate, and no one gets to hog any of the chores that might be preferable."

"Ruruka wants to work in the kitchen!" She shouted. Kizakura gave her a glance.

"I think it would be better if we did things randomly," Taka suggested. "That way, no one gets preferential treatment!"

"That's a good idea," Kizakura praised. "With some exceptions, I think it should work." He took off his hat and placed it on the table. "Everyone! I'll go grab a piece of paper and you'll write down your names. We'll put 'em in here and pick names out at random. There's no ultimate lucky student here, so there won't be any bias. Does anyone have objections?"

"I wanna be with Mukuro! I wanna be with Mukuro! Pleeeeeeease let me be with Mukuro!" Ryoko shrieked.

Munakata sighed. "I'll admit that you're a special case, Ryoko...Mukuro, do you think you could handle being her partner for now?"

"No problem," Mukuro replied. Chiaki was amazed by her patience.

"Let Ruruka work in the kitchen forever!" Ruruka demanded.

"But then you'll have to work on all the meals, not just dessert," Kizakura pointed out. She deflated a little and pouted. "So mean…"

And without further ado, the name drawing began.

In the end the group was divided into four groups. Group one consisted of Aoi, Sayaka, Hifumi, and Leon, who were in charge of cleaning the hotel and preparing lunch. Group two was Celestia, Ruruka, Munakata, Sakura and Byakuya, who were to be responsible for the farm. Munakata had to read Byakuya the riot act to get him to stop complaining, and Celeste and Ruruka kept glaring daggers at each other. Chiaki pitied poor Sakura and Munakata, who would have to keep those three in line. Group three, which would be working at the rocketpunch market, consisted of Ryota, Kyoko, Mondo, Taka and Toko; the three quietest stuck with two of the loudest. Finally, Mukuro, Ryoko, Kizakura, Hiro and Chiaki were in charge of general trash pickup and surveying the island, a role so vague she could only assume it was made to give the ditzy Ryoko something to do.

Once everyone was assigned, it was off to work for everyone.

-

By the time everyone was done, it was just past noon, and lunch was being served. Munakata came in looking positively exhausted; Byakuya was fuming and Sakura was standing between Ruruka and Celeste to keep them from tearing each other to pieces. Chiaki did not envy them.

She had just managed to find a nice, isolated table to eat at when Celestia abruptly slammed her tray on it and sat down.

"Hello," She said to her, who internally groaned. Not caring, she continued, "I have been meaning to interact with you more. It is a relief to find someone who is able to remain quiet in the face of frustration, unlike...certain people."

The words were so obviously directed at Ruruka Chiaki had to fight back a cringe. Before she could reply, Sakura and Aoi walked up to the table, trays in hand.

Celeste turned to face them.

"Hello, you two," she greeted, clearly displeased by this turn of events.

Great, more people. At least these two aren't as scary...I think.

"Hi Chiaki! Hi Celeste! Mind if we sit with you?"

"Go ahead," Celeste replied, not bothering to wait for Chiaki to speak.

Sakura at least spared her a glance before they both sat down.

"So how was…" Sakura gave Hina a pleading look before she could finish her sentence. "...Your breakfast?" She finished lamely.

"Disappointing," Celeste remarked. "I was forced to make milk tea all by myself. It was a miracle that the proper supplies were available."

"...isn't that just tea with milk? It doesn't seem that hard."

Chiaki instantly regretted those words when she saw Celeste's face. "How dare you! I'll—"

"Celeste. She meant no harm," Sakura intervened. "I suppose you could say she is...ignorant of these details." She gave Chiaki an apologetic look.

"...I suppose," she replied.

As they were talking, the speakers on the monitors suddenly came to life.

"Um, um, testing! Um, hello! I-I have an announcement to make! Everyone please gather at Jabberwock park for more information, please!"

Everyone looked up from their food, confused.

"What was that?" Leon asked.

"Could that be one of the people in charge of the island?" Hiro asked.

"That would be rather strange," Munakata said. "I don't recall there being any other administrators here."

"I do remember one name coming up," Kizakura added. "I can't remember it off the top of my head, but I'm pretty sure it was a woman. I say we gather over there and see what the big deal is."

"Okay, but can we at least finish our food first?" Asked Hiro.

"Fair enough," Munakata replied. "I'm going to go get my sword just in case, though. If anyone tries to harm you, stand behind me."

"I will assist you in this endeavor," Sakura offered.

"Wait, what the hell?! Mr.Munakata has a sword?!" Leon shouted.

-

Once everyone had finished their food, the group made their way over to the park. There was no one around.

"Is this some kind of prank?" Kizakura asked.

"Whoever is doing this, come out!" Munakata shouted. "Don't waste our time!"

"About time!" A squeaky voice cried. "Why did you keep me waiting for so long?"

A pink rabbit jumped out from behind the fountain.

"Aaaaaaah! A ghost!" Hiro screamed.

"Omigosh, she's sooooooo cuuuuuuuute! Ruruka wants to make macarons that look like her!"

"Wh-what the hell?!" Mondo shouted. "Is that a stuffed animal?!"

"That's right!" The rabbit replied, putting her paws on her hips. "I am your squeezably soft teacher, Magical Miracle Girl Usami! Aka...Usami! Nice to meet you all!"

"That's absurd! There's no way a stuffed animal could be a teacher. Besides, Kizakura and I are already here. Having another one would be redundant!"

"You fuckin' kidding me?" Mondo snarled and cracked his knuckles. "This has gotta be a joke. Whoever's behind this better come the fuck out so I can cave your goddamn skull in!"

"Eeeeeek! Don't hit me!" Usami wailed.

"More importantly..." Kizakura mused, "Just what are you?"

"I'm a rabbit! It's a soft and fluffy animal! That's what I am...a singing, dancing talking rabbit mascot."

"Do not be ridiculous," Sakura said as she folded her arms. "Rabbits do not talk, they do not sing, and they definitely do not walk on two legs."

"And they aren't magical girls either!" Ryota added. "The only magical girl that's even remotely similar to that is sailor moon!"

"Waaaaaah...so mean…" Usami cried.

Everyone looked around, baffled.

"I'm confused…" Sayaka said.

"Is that real?!" Ryoko shouted. "Should I write it down? It's not a hallucination, right?!"

"I'm seeing it too," Mukuro replied.

"Usami...that name sounds familiar…" Hiro said thoughtfully. "Hey, wait a minute, I remember! The ranch has a sign with 'Usami corral' written on it!"

"Usami is harmless, then," Munakata reasoned. "Come to think of it, I do remember something on the pamphlet saying that she was the owner of this island..."

"Oh, I get it!" Aoi said. "That's why there's no people around! There's probably robots taking care of everything! That rabbit must be her way of communicating! She's just a shut-in!"

"Wouldn't be the first time I've seen it before..." Kizakura said.

"Then why does she not simply communicate through the various monitors?" Celeste asked, stroking a lock of hair.

"Like I said before, those are just one-way. If she wants to have an actual conversation, she'd have to visit in person."

"Huh?! Nobody told us that!" Ryoko said. She pulled out another notebook and started writing something down.

"So that means we don't have to do chores anymore, right? Right?"

"Nice try, Hiro, but no. You're still doing chores."

"Oh come on!"

Usami continued sobbing.

"Waaaaah...you're ignoring me…"

"Then offer us a proper explanation," Celeste said. "Do you really expect us to trust a talking rabbit over the authority figures already present?"

"I don't recall you trusting us authority figures either," Munakata muttered. Celeste either didn't notice his remark or chose not to comment on it.

Before Usami could offer an explanation, however, the sky turned dark. A wind picked up. Everyone started looking at each other, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Oh no…" Usami whimpered, "No, no, no, no! Th-this wasn't supposed to happen! He's not supposed to be here!"

"Who's 'he'?" Kizakura asked as he held onto his hat.

"Usami, whatever you are, you had better have a good explanation for this," Munakata demanded as he carefully unsheathed his sword. She started to tremble in fear.

"Th-this s-seems...d-different...f-from when she sh-showed up..." Toko muttered.

"Yeah, man! I'm totally getting negative auras! Something ain't right!"

Suddenly, the wind stopped. An eerie silence fell over the park.

"Puhuhuhuhu…"

"What is this...it's worse than the laugh of Golden Bat…" Ryota whimpered.

"Puhuhuhuhu…"

"Who the hell are you?!" Munakata shouted, raising his sword. "Get out here and face me, you coward!"

"Puhuhuhuhu!!"

"Hey-hey!" Usami shouted, waving a toylike stick around. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

"Ahhhhh-hahahahahahaha!"

A figure seemed to fall out of the sky, landing perfectly on his feet with a light bounce. It was a black and white bear, about the same size as Usami.

"Why hello there! So sorry to keep you waiting! I had some...business to attend to. Long time no see, guys!"

"This is getting out of hand. Now there's two of them!" Hifumi shrieked.

"Hmph! Don't be ridiculous!" The bear shouted. "That twat Usami is nowhere near my level!"

"And just who the fuck are you?" Mondo snarled.

"I am Monokuma, the headmaster of this academy!"

"Bullshit!" Kizakura shouted. "The headmaster of hope's peak is Jin Kirigiri!"

"Not anymore, he ain't! As of right now, I'm taking his position! And now that I've made my dashing appearance, I have to say…" He dramatically trailed off, "Lame! This is so lame! Lamer than the lamest lamesauce with a side of mashed potatoes garnished with dumb dill! Oh...I'm hungry…"

Everyone, Munakata included, just stood there absolutely gobsmacked. Usami spoke up.

"I knew it was you! You're not supposed to be here! How did you get in here?"

"Aww, don't sweat the deets! Whatcha gonna do, try to stop me?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" She shouted. "With my magic stick, I'll protect my students!"

"But what about us?!" Kizakura cried.

Usami leapt in the air, raising her magic stick. Sparks flew out of it towards Monokuma. He effortlessly dodged them as everyone shielded their eyes. He leapt up into the air and brought his fists down on Usami, punting her into the ground. She feebly tried to wave her magic stick again, but Monokuma slammed down on it, breaking it in two.

"Nooo! My magic stick!" She cried.

"Dun-dun-da-dahhhhh...victory!" He proclaimed, looming over her. "Now, what to do after my flawless victory...first of all, you're too plain! White rabbits are fair too plain! Soooo, I'm gonna remake you to resemble my glorious visage! Prepare yourself for the Monokuma makeover!"

The two proceeded to brawl, kicking up a cloud of dust while the rest of the group stood and watched.

"Ugh! Stop it!" Usami cried. The dust cleared, and now the weeping rabbit was half pink and half white, wearing a diaper.

"Ta-da! The epitome of fashion! I hereby dub you...Monomi!"

"Waaaaah! Monokuma ruined Usami!" Ruruka cried. "Somebody do something!"

"Bah, you kids don't know anything about fashion these days," Monokuma replied dismissively. "In any case, as of today, this school trip is now under my jurisdiction! And for my first act as the new headmaster and lead teacher of this trip...I'm gonna make some changes!"

Everyone gawked at him. Everyone, that is, except Munakata.

"Explain yourself!" He demanded, pointing his sword at the bear. "What do you want?!"

"Oh, nothing much…" he replied cutely. "Just a little bit of...despair."

"Despair?" Kizakura asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, come off it! Elderly people these days, they're getting dementia faster and faster! Listen up, kiddos! From this moment forward, the killing school trip will commence!"

"K-k-killing?!" Hiro stammered. "Wh-what are you saying?!"

"Isn't it obvious? You guys are going to kill each other!

"This is ridiculous!" Munakata shouted. "I'll never allow you to put anyone here at risk!" He charged forward and swung his sword. Monokuma somehow evaded it, but he managed to stomp on the bear's head, sword poised to strike again. He was about to bring it down, when Monokuma suddenly cried out:

"Come to my aid! I call upon you, spears of gungnir!"

Munakata's eyes widened. "Shit!" He barely managed to leap back in time before spears erupted out of the ground.

The entire group gasped.

"Munakata, are you okay?" Kizakura said as he rushed to his side.

"I'm fine…" he replied, dazed.

"Puhuhuhu! Awesome reaction time there! You almost had me for a second! Now we managed to get off topic for a little bit, so let me explain the rules! It's kinda boring to just leave the island after getting along together, isn't it?"

"No!" Monomi shouted. She ran up to Monokuma and tried to tackle him, but he backhanded her.

"Ow! It hurts a lot when you punch me!"

"Monomi, such a foolish child...as I was saying, if you want to leave this island, from now on you need to kill one of your friends!"

"I can hardly call anyone in this group of commoners a friend," Byakuya scoffed.

"K-kill our friends…?" Ryoko whimpered. Her hands were shaking so much she could barely process what was happening, let alone write it down.

"That's right! And then, please make it through the class trial without getting caught!"

"How barbaric…" Celeste whispered. "I am assuming that there is a punishment should the culprit be caught, correct?"

"Smart girl! That's right! Allow me to explain! If one of you gets murdered, the surviving members of the trip will have to participate in a class trial! The goal is to find the culprit, henceforth known as the blackened, among the innocent students, henceforth known as the spotless.

"During the trial, you'll discuss who you believe the blackened is. At the end of the trial, you'll all vote! If you pick the correct person, good for you! Only they will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person…

"Well, then everyone else will be punished, and the killer will get to leave!"

"I take it that the 'punishment" isn't imprisonment," Kizakura said.

"Bingo! The punishment...is execution! Smashed, burned, torn to pieces in a hurricane! Which we can do, by the way. The climactic finale of the class trial! Puhuhuhu, what sort of punishments will we get to see? I can't wait to find out!"

"Bold of you to assume any of us are going to kill each other," Taka seethed.

"Oh, but you will! Any method is fine, by the way. Bludgeoning, stabbing, strangling, whatever! I'm not choosy! I may even give extra points for creativity!"

"You're disgusting," Mukuro snarled. "I'm going to the airport, and we're getting out of here!"

As if on cue, there was a distant explosion. The sound echoed throughout the island.

"Wouldn't be too good of an idea now, would it?"

"Damn you…!"

"Well then! Why don't we get this party started? Surge...O gods who dwell between light and darkness...in accordance with our contract, I summon thee now…"

"What is he talking about?!" Ryota cried.

"Come forth, Monobeasts!"

The statue in the center started to shake, and cracks appeared. Pieces of it started to fall away, finally, five gigantic robots burst forth, landing behind Monokuma and throwing several of the smaller members of the group off their feet.

"What the fuck…?" Mondo asked, incredulous.

"I…" Munakata gaped, as he and Kizakura stared in shock.

Chiaki was at a loss for words. This was the kind of thing you found in bad first person shooters or side scrollers, not real life. Why were there bosses at the very first level?

"Everyone, please stay back!" Monomi shouted. "I-I will protect everyone, even at the cost of my own life!"

"You did a poor job of that before," Sakura remarked. She looked up at the monsters looming above them. "What are these hideous creatures…?"

"They're not hideous, they're monobeasts!" Monokuma shouted. "And you, you, you! You with your sickly sweet sense of justice! I've decided to make an example of you! It's punishment time!"

On cue, the winged monobeast pulled out Gatling guns and unloaded all of its ammo onto Monomi. A bullet ricocheted and slashed Mukuro's cheek, drawing blood, and she winced. By the time the smoke cleared, nothing was left except for Monomi's bow, shredded by the bullets.

The gravity of the situation seemed to finally sink in. Ruruka cried. Hiro screamed. Munakata collapsed to his knees. Chiaki's mind was swimming. It was only the first stage...and the helper character was already dead?! They hadn't even gotten a tutorial level! This couldn't be real. This was all just a nightmare, right? She would wake up in her cabin, and Mr.Munakata would come and get her…

"Ahh, delicious! This feeling of despair…making an example was the right call! Anyone up for a challenge now?"

Nobody made a move. Not Mondo, not Sakura, and especially not Munakata.

"Now then...enjoy the rest of your school trip! Ta-ta! I have work to do!"

And with that, he was off, his monobeasts vanishing along with him.

"What...what…" Hina stammered.

"No...Ruruka can't stand this…!" Ruruka sobbed.

"Dammit...how are we supposed to go up against that bastard?!" Mondo shouted. "It's totally impossible! We'll end up being turned into butter!"

"Don't lose hope!"

The others all turned to Ryoko, who had abruptly shouted out the declaration.

"Hope…?" Hifumi asked.

"That's right!" She said. "Those monobeasts are machines, not monsters! That means that someone is controlling them...and if we can find that person, then we can defeat them and leave! We can't give up!"

"Ryoko is right," Munakata added, stepping up and sheathing his sword. "We will find the person responsible for this travesty. I will not rest until they are brought to justice. And until then, I will protect you all from Monokuma as best I can."

"Woo! You're amazing, Mr.Munakata!" Taka gushed.

Byakuya cleared his throat.

"You may say that, but is it really true? It seems like you're looking at the wrong target."

"Byakuya—"

"No. Let me finish," He demanded. "The real threat here isn't Monokuma or the mastermind, is it? In reality...it's everyone around us."

Everyone turned and stared at each other. As harsh as his words were...they rang true. Chiaki had heard stories of even the most innocent of people being forced to take lives...could she really trust these strangers, who she had known for just over a day? It was possible that a killing would never occur, and that they would find a different means of escape. But those monobeasts...it would take an eternity of grinding to get to their level.

And not everyone was as patient as the ultimate gamer.

Prologue

Fun in the sun

End

End notes (copied from AO3): Woohoo! The killing game has begun! Now I will probably plan out chapter one and hopefully have most of it posted sometime later this month. Let me know what you think!