Toko stared at herself in the mirror. She looked miserable. Her ears rang. Vaguely, she understood Jack was busy, but he didn't leave any sort of hint and seemed to be hiding in the library. She tried again, closing her eyes and picturing the library once more, calling out for him. He ducked a corner.
Toko opened her eyes with a frown. It hurt when Jack left her alone, usually it meant something got him very upset. She checked her pockets and discovered the E-handbook. Might as well brush up on the… Well god, damn it.
She hurried out of her room and went to the one with Byakuya's plate, hurridly knocking.
"Go away" He answered
She tried jiggling the knob "Byakuya it's me-"
"..." His heart wracked with a fresh set of guilt as he opened the door. "Go bother someone else."
The look of grief on her face made Byakuya shut the door before he could be caught tearing up. He was grateful the traitor's room had no cameras spying on him.
Toko's real life had been a rickety bridge of tragedy she kept breaking the boards of into the despair below. That's what manifested her Dissociative Identity Disorder, after all. She turned in her bed, trying to clear the nightmare of shutting doors from her head.
At least this orphanage, out of the handful she had been in, was nice. The roof didn't leak, the windows didn't draft. The walls were thick enough she only heard her own labored breathing. She filled her lungs the same unsatisfactory way it always seemed to, padded to her desk, and wrote. Her mind only sharing space with the Hope's Peak Academy acceptance letter she recieved.
And she wrote. Cornering herself away in the dining hall, trying desperately to forget the tally Kei kept of doors slamming in her face. Kei kept all the memories, good but mostly bad. Kei rarely fronted, wasn't prone to talking either. Xe merely stayed in the library. A small part of Toko was glad about that. The last thing she needed was someone looking at her that way again.
"Where's Byakuya?" 'Junko' asked no one in particular
"Staying in his room." Toko grumbled quietly, holding her pencil so tightly it might snap.
Mukuro wondered if that was really allowed. "Huh…"
Taka burst in proudly, looking refreshed after sleeping "Oh! You're all already up! Good! We need to investigate the grounds."
Sakura followed after him, Byakuya tucked under her arm. "Myself and Kiyotaka have already found something of note. The stairs are gated."
Mondo snorted "Nice twink you got there, Ogami"
"I-I am not a twink!" Byakuya huffed, squirming to be let go "If we're investigating I am going alone. None of you are trustworthy."
"What?" Sayaka frowned "What makes you say that?"
"Any one of you could be a potential killer. I won't risk myself so easily."
Taka's mouth was agape "We need unity in these trying times! Mr. Togami, please reconsider!"
Hiro clutched his dreads "Dude… What if he's right… None of us know each other here, really."
Mondo scoffed "Get back to your bong or whatever, that's ridiculous."
Leon flicked at his earrings "... But what if it's not? Think about it. What's in it for anybody to stay buddy-buddy with each other? A life of imprisonment?"
Makoto couldn't believe his ears. Would everyone really turn on each other so easily? "Th-then we gotta stick together! If we all separate it'd be even easier to do any of this stuff!"
The others mulled this over, it seeming to make sense.
"Do what you will, but don't be surprised when a knife ends up in your back." Byakuya warned, leaving the cafeteria.
"... What a dick." Chihiro spoke up, to everyone except Taka's surprise and delight
"Maybe this isn't Hope's peak at all, guys. Maybe we got kidnapped and the real Hope's Peak is looking for us!" Hiro proposed, clicking his fidget cube.
Kyoko picked up a map of the school, comparing it to the one in her E-handbook. "Not likely. The layout is almost the exact same, save for the… Interesting renovations, we'll call it."
Hiro made a small whine, clicking his fidget cube faster. This was cut off abruptly by Leon snatching the cube and tossing it.
"D-dude! My dad bought me that!" He screeched. Chihiro passed over a squishy shaped like a stack of pancakes to pacify him.
"It'll be okay guys. Our family will know something's wrong when we don't write to them." Hifumi hoped aloud.
"Some of us don't have families that would give a crap, Hifumi…" Toko mentioned, looking around "So, are the boys' dorms any different from the girls'?"
"Donno, I mean, besides the toolkit we got and the sewing kit you girls did. So… Does it make anyone else feel weird that the bathrooms don't lock?" Leon asked, doing the Lucky Luciano pose and waiting for someone to notice.
"Your bathroom doesn't lock?" Chihiro and Makoto asked in unison.
"... Does yours?" Leon dropped the pose, confused
"Mine wouldn't open last night, I had to go to one in the hall" Makoto said, trying to figure out why his would be locked.
"But ours opened just fine, there was just a lock on the knob" Celestia twirled her hair around her finger
"... D-do you think… Do you think someone's… Someone's in my bathroom?" Makoto hugged himself, scared.
"I can accompany you and check later." Sakura assured him.
Makoto looked visibly relieved. "Thanks…"
"Oh, Sakura-senpai! Try that window!" Hifumi pointed to one of the bolted metal plates.
Sakura nodded, cracking her knuckles and trying to unscrew the bolts "... It's as if they're welded…" She growled. "Somehow not even I could budge them…"
"Can you by any chance punch through brick?" Hiro hoped "Maybe you could wreck-it Ralph through the walls!"
"Puhuhuhuh~ Nope, you aren't allowed to do that!" Monokuma popped up behind them
"Gh-" Hiro jumped, whipping around "Nobody invited you here!"
"Most furries I've met are really nice, what happened to you?" Chihiro frowned
"I'm not a furry! I'm more complex than you could ever hope to understand!" Monokuma swiped his claws at her, making her recoil in defense
Leon t posed over Monokuma "Okay furry"
Monokuma slashed at Leon's knee, ripping his jeans "Listen here you memey little shit, cut this out or I'll really blow you up."
Leon rolled his eyes "Fine, now fuck off."
"Oh wahhh, the kids don't like me, how despair-inducing" Monkuma mocked, walking off "I guess I won't tell you guys what I wanted to nowww…"
"You were going to tell us something?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow
"Well, yes! But you guys made it clear you don't want me to stick around, so I'll get outta your hair! Toodle-oo!"
"No! Headmaster, please!" Taka tried
"Well, since you asked so nicely, it's waiting for you in the gym!" Monokuma skipped off
"... I don't trust this at all…" Toko grumbled
"Still, it's probably more dangerous to ignore it." Kyoko pointed out, leading everyone to where Monokuma said.
Inside the gym were fifteen yoga mats, black with Monokuma faces printed on them. Monokuma waited on the little stage, wearing what looked like 80's exercise gear.
"Ta-da! Welcome tooooo Monoaerobics!"
"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me" Mondo groaned, turning around to leave
"Presence is mandatory! But, since I'm nice, participation is optional."
Taka claimed a mat front and center, craving routine.
"Oh, look at Kiyotaka! A regular class representative!" Monokuma gushed "Anyone else?"
"We're missing someone." Kyoko pointed out
"Oh, that stick in the mud Byakuya? Pff, another one of me is talking his ear off at the library!"
Kyoko raised an eyebrow but said nothing more, sitting on a bleacher. The others following suit.
"This is such bullcrap" 'Junko' whispered to herself.
"You okay?" Makoto tilted her head at her.
What was there to be okay about? The real Junko kept changing the plan, wouldn't answer any messages, Makoto doesn't remember her at all, and she can't even check in with Byakuya.
"I'm okay. Just can't like, wish my dog a happy birthday." She finally answered, pouting.
"You have a dog?" Makoto perked up, making Mukuro's heart melt
"I do! Her name's Pom-pom and she's like, a total diva! Wanna see her on last year's birthday?"
"Yes, please!" He bounced in place, excited.
'Junko' showed off the pictures of a little pomeranian in a tiara, Junko helping the dog open gifts and serving her a cupcake "Isn't she just fab?"
"She's so cute!" He squealed, squeezing 'Junko's' arm in excitement, before blushing and letting go "S-sorry-"
She smiled softly "Like, don't worry about it! You're good, boo!
"O-okay! … You're like, really muscular…" He shrunk into his jacket, embarrassed
"Yeahh, that's what photoshop's for, lmao" She internally cringed. Maybe… she won't say text abbreviations out loud anymore
"I wish they wouldn't- You're way better in person- Is that weird to say?"
'Junko' smiled sadly, shaking her head "No, actually, it's like, the sweetest thing somebody's ever said to me" She kissed his cheek.
He stammered, red as a beet. She was so nice, he couldn't believe it.
"By the way (huff) kids! While you're contemplating murder, keep in mind a certain rule!" Monokuma piped up "There will be a trial after the body's discovered to determine the killer! If you vote right, only the killer gets executed! If you vote wrong, however… Only the killer lives" He cackled
'Junko" tugged her pigtails, groaning. This was her cue, she was told to make an example to the others what happened if you disobeyed. She would be locked away for a day and come back 'traumatized'. "Ugghhh, why the hell do we gotta do that, huh?! That isn't fair! Why should we get punished by figuring out who killed somebody, when they're the one who killed?"
"You mean you don't want to participate in a class trial?" Monokuma stopped exercising.
"Who the hell would?!"
Monokuma chuckled darkly, hopping off stage and waddling over, claws bared. 'Junko' panicked, her combat reflexes kicking in as she kicked him back, and pinned him down.
"Tsk tsk, Ms. Enoshima! Violence against the Headmaster is not allowed!"
Monokuma squirmed underneath her as she was impaled where she stood, several spikes emerging from the floor.