I watched the screen intensely. Before me play out the lives of fifteen extraordinary high schoolers. As the courtroom drama ended, the redheaded member was dragged away in brutally killed onscreen. However, this wasn't a late night anime or even some weird drama. No, the perfect event on screen was live events.

I felt thrilled, exhilarated at what unfolded before me. The killing game Junko had set up was well underway. The despair the participants were no doubt feeling shook me to my core. This… This was what she had promised. Inside my chest, my feelings welled up. As this seem continue to unfold, word stumbled out of my mouth.

"I love you so much, Junko…"

"We're almost at the halfway point and we still don't have any leads on the mastermind." Ito mused.

The blue haired Lolita girl set on Tomoki's bed reviewing the situation. Tomoki sat across from her in his desk chair as he closed his eyes and thought. He had called her here before breakfast to go over events thus far. However, Seiji and Suzuki's deaths the day prior still hung over them.

"Let us recall Monokuma's actions then." Tomoki inquired. "The manner of speech in mannerisms are designed to mimic Junko's during her killing game. However, true to mimicry, all these actions are clones of others. I believe you will attest therein lies the location of where we will find our first clues."

"Ah, yes, I understand perfectly. Even the most talented actor can't help, but have a small bit of themselves in any role they perform."

Tomoki got up and begin to turn towards the door before speaking again.

"Now then Ito, shall we embark towards the cafeteria. The morning announcement will be upon her shortly."

"Hmm, I think something is off. A lone figure thought to themself. "This game is missing something."

The person wrecked their brain trying to think of what it was. The people, motive, trial, and punishments were all there. Thinking deeply, the person finally had an idea.

"Aha! It's this game with set up. I've given these idiots too much freedom. If this little community is the thrive, we need some better rules in place. Hopefully, everyone won't complain about the sudden rule change. Oh what the hell, I'm the DM! What I say goes! Now, to make this more interesting. Upupupu!"

The announcement blared over the speaker as Kirika opened her eyes. Clad in only her blue and white striped undergarments, the girl walked towards the small mirror on the wall. One good luck showed her eyes were still slightly red and puffy from all the crying she had done the previous day. After everything, she had still cried herself to sleep. She quickly threw her clothes on and made her way towards the dorm's bathing area.

Entering the women's side, she spotted Aiyaka and Mitsuba.

"Wow, Kirika," Aiyaka said as she changed out of her clothes, save her injured arm's bandages, "you look-"

"Like shit?" Kirika injected.

"I was going to say "slightly better". Geez, why does everyone think I'm all jokes." Aiyaka continued as she walked towards the showers. "Well, see you in here Boobs and Smaller Boobies!"

"Wow, she complains in immediately underscores herself." said Mitsuba. "And it looks like she's continuing on her perverted humor for now. Hopefully, she'll drop it sooner than later."

As she finish criticizing the airheaded-ish girl, Mitsuba walked over to the artist.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Just like I told Miss Spastic. But thanks for the consideration." As soon as Kirika answered, she turned towards the showers and took off. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone a bit more"

The cafeteria buzzed the eight captives begin to worm their way into the room.

"I might just go back to bed after this." Takura murmured.

"When aren't you tired?" Takashi joked only to grow serious. "Although, given the trial and what we witnessed last night, it's understandable if any of us lost sleep."

The room fell silent a moment before an all too familiar voice and image appeared.

"Hello everyone, it's your lovely, benevolent bear to all the children adore." he said as he popped up by the doors. "Now, I've got a little gift for you all."

"We don't want anything from you. It's probably an additional motive." Ito replied.

"I'm hurt that you think so little of me, my lovely girl. I promise you this gift is meant to help everyone. You see, I believe I've been a bad parent to you all. As such, I am laying down some rules to help you wall. In just a second, check your E-Handbook. All the new rules are in there in black-and-white."

Throughout the room, a slight jingle played on everyone's person. Each person pulled out their electronic device into the newly added Rules tab. The screens flash the words Monokuma was now enforcing.

1: Doors locked by Monokuma cannot be accessed.

2: Any attempts to destroy the walls to escape are a no-go.

3: After a murder occurs, if the victim is the mastermind, the main door will open in three minutes.

4: If the victim is not the mastermind, a class trial will be held.

5: A body discovery announcement will sound when two people discover the body.

6: You will be allotted in hour and a half together evidence for the class trail.

7: If the Blackened is the majority vote, they will be executed.

8: If the blackened isn't the majority vote, they will continue living.

9: If the mastermind isn't killed by the end of the two-week period, all but the mastermind will die.

10: Monokuma is free to add to the rules of the situation calls for.

"Well, what do you think? Great, right?" Monokuma practically sung.

"Intriguing." Tomoki said. "You have provided additional assistance as you claimed."

"Exactly! Thanks for your cooperation."

"However," Tomoki continued, "these rules will aid any Blackened. The added and change the rules allow them a surplus of time to cover their tracks if they are mistaken."

"Heh-heh." Monokuma chuckled as he began to fidget around. "Well, I can't just support only my good kids. A true parent loves all of them unconditionally."

"Even with that, it is nice that we now have a solid list of rules." Mitsuba said as she continued to scan the display.

"Um, why does he keep insisting we're his kids?" asked Takura.

Monokuma look pleased with himself. With his new rules in place, he knew the game would evolve. Finally, this would be on the stage it was meant to be.

"Much like Santa, I'm givin' and ditchin'. Toot-a-loo!"

True to his word, the bear spirited himself away from the group.

"So, anyone else wonder why he didn't answer Takura's question? Anyone?" asked Aiyaka.

"Takura, Aiyaka, I don't believe this is the big takeaway here." Sora said. "With these rules, Monokuma is definitely scheming something, right?"

"No doubt." Ito added. "Not that we don't have enough to worry about already. It's obvious he wants to speed up the rate we're killing each other and foster the growing distrust among us."

Across the room, the sudden sound of a chair scraping against the floor drew everyone's attention. The cause of the sound, Kirika Miki, tossed her garbage away and continued her walk out of the room.

"It appears our compatriot Kirika still needs her time." stated Tomoki. "I do not blame her after what she has gone through. I hope you do not believe me to be cold, but given our predicament, it would be in our best interest to withhold our emotions for a latter date."

"Perfectly understood." Mitsuba replied. "It's best to be rational at all times. If we give into emotions, we'll be more likely to act against our best interest. We just have to imagine it's the championship game and set our sights on the trophy."

"Um, that's good and all for you to meat-head, sports types, but care to simplify it better for us normal folk?" Aiyaka joked.

"Really." Takashi said shaking his head.

Walking towards the makeshift trial room, Kirika veered to the door to the right of the hallway. She had noticed the doors had unlocked after the trial last night. Kirika had stayed last and stumbled back to her room when she accidentally started to open the door. Given the floor plan and what all the group had already discovered, she had a guess that behind the door laid the stairs to the main basement floor.

She opened the door, she was greeted with downward stairs. Kirika knew her guess was right as she began to descend. After a split, single level set of stairs, and empty door framed assured the artist into the bottom floor. Kirika readjusted her dyed red bangs as she walked into the construction site.

The large, open room was a pale white; it's mid-completion evident wherever someone looked. A finished elevator shaft connected it to his upper, finish comrades. Two restrooms, two open rooms, and a single room that had a door lined the walls. Despite the fact that work was needed, the floor was clear of any construction supplies, save a few scattered hammers and saws. No doubt the mastermind had left them out to aid in the murders they wanted to happen.

"That's strange." Kirika muttered as she noticed the one room that had a door. She walked over to the door and placed her hand on the doorknob. To her surprise, the door opened and yielded a bigger surprise.

The act of walking into the room caused the lights to turn on. With the room now illuminated, pictures all over the room became visible in addition to another door all the way on the other side of the room.

"What the…"

Plastered over all the walls were various pictures of Junko Enoshima. Though a majority of them were from magazines and the like, several photos bore a different style. They seem to be taken by non-professionals. Private pictures intermixed with the others. Several bore locations from Hope's Peak.

Kirika was taken aback by all this. As she tried to process the information, she knew what to do.

"Everyone needs to see whatever the hell this is."

The picture was simple. The blonde first year and her Senpai stood side-by-side; their arms around each other like friends. Even though they could've gotten that redheaded photography girl to get the shot, they had decided to be more secretive about it. Instead, the first year had forced her older sister to do the job.

With a sudden flash, the scene was copied to the small camera. The two subjects of the picture looked over the image. The second year smiled with delight.

However, that same picture was the only one not on display. As the former second year decorated the room, she kept that one for themself. Not only would the image incriminate them, the picture also held great sentimental value.

Their picture with them and Junko sat alone on the desk in the sealed room. If only the other captives had seen it, the legacy of despair would have ended for them there.