Arc 1: Secrets, Buried and Unearthed

Naoko heard the ringing of a doorbell, bringing him back to reality. His thoughts were, not long ago, overwhelmed by the situation he found himself in. He was in a small, gray space, with a group of total strangers, with large chunks of his memory removed, and he was told by a self-purported artificial intelligence that he was meant to stay there for the rest of his life. How was he supposed to handle that? And for that matter, how did he get in such a strange situation in the first place? Naoko struggled to find answers to those questions, and many more, and figured he must have fallen asleep at some point. Oh yeah, and someone was outside.

Naoko got up and answered the door. On the other side was Yori, one of the many Ultimates trapped with him. "Yori?" Naoko asked. "Is everything okay? How long have I been in here?"

"It's been about an hour since IMONO dismissed us," Yori explained. "To answer your first question, though, there's been a lot of panic. The revelations we were given had a very damning effect on all of us. People have begun to calm down, luckily."

Naoko breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I almost expected you to say that something bad was happening."

"Have you calmed down yourself, then?" she asked.

"I guess so," Naoko replied. "Still, I can't help but wonder what we should be doing about this. I'm sure there's a solution that'll resolve all this, but I don't even know where to begin."

"Then you should follow me. We've agreed to meet in the cafeteria to discuss our current situation. I was asked to take you there."

Naoko nodded. Meeting up with everyone else sounded like a good idea, even with what had happened previously when they were all together still fresh in his mind. If he could get input from his fellow Ultimates, it wasn't unreasonable to assume that they could figure out how to escape and return to their loved ones. That line of reasoning didn't sit entirely well with Naoko, though. Not because it suggested a way out, but because it reminded him that his loved ones must still be alive. He could only imagine what his parents were thinking. Naoko had to remind himself not to dwell on that for the time being. That would only make things worse.

Naoko and Yori made their way to the cafeteria. Inside, they saw everyone else, already having been gathered there. Though there was already some light chatter, it ended once they made their way inside, as the two of them briefly became the center of attention.

"Ah, good. He's here, finally," Bankei noted. "I was starting to become bored."

"Sorry about that," Naoko said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "This has been a lot to take in."

"Of course it has. It's been like that for everyone," Eryu responded. "That's why we need to talk to each other. If we put our heads together, we can figure this out. Don't you agree?" Naoko couldn't say that he didn't. After all, that was his own reasoning.

"Since we're all here, we may as well get the conversation underway," Takeshi said. "I think that the main reason we were so panicky before was because everyone here seems to be missing memories. Is that right?" Everyone in the room responded in the affirmative.

"Yep, that's right. And it's the same kind of memories we're missing, too," Ishi added. "Mostly we're missing memories of our high school days. I mean, we can remember attending classes and junk, but we can't remember what school it was."

Naoko finally decided to sit down at one of the large tables in the cafeteria, finding himself next to Sasa in the process. Luckily, the timid girl didn't seem to mind all that much. At that point, he decided to make his own voice heard. After all, he reasoned, he was the Ultimate Puzzle Solver. It only made sense that he'd try putting his talent to use.

"That's definitely true for me," he said. "I know that I went to high school, but I'm afraid I don't remember its name. Specifics are practically nonexistent when it comes to that point in my memory."

"Figured you'd say something like that," Michio responded. "Still, if we all have this problem, it can't be a coincidence, can it?"

"It isn't," Mariko cut in suddenly. Naoko could feel the swiftness of which everyone turned their attention to her. He could tell that she too was aware of the sudden shift in attention, as she began to look as if she were uncomfortable. "I, um, was spoken to by IMONO while I was in the computer room."

The faces of those around her shifted to surprise. "Excuse me," a confused voice spoke up. Naoko looked towards its source and saw that it was Yasuo. "I'm afraid I have to ask you about what you just said, Mariko. You said that IMONO spoke to you?"

"Well, yeah," Mariko said, adjusting herself in her chair. "That logo with the eye popped up on one of the monitors, and it started talking to me through the computer's speakers."

"Well, that's kinda dumb, isn't it?" Kimi remarked. "That creepy voice wanted to talk to you? Why the hell would it want to do that? And when the hell did it even do that?"

"I'll admit," Mariko responded, not commenting on the rude implications of Kimi's questioning, "I have no idea why it'd want to talk to me. Anyway, it was after we left the gym. That was when a lot of us started splitting off from each other."

"A terrible idea, as far as I'm concerned," Eryu commented, speaking at a somewhat fast pace. "A situation like this requires cooperation. Splitting off does nothing but put us all in danger. I'm just glad nobody did anything harmful to themselves or others."

"I can definitely agree with that sentiment," Keiko added. "But let's not forget what Mariko wants to say."

Mariko nodded appreciatively. "As soon as it showed up, it asked me what I was doing searching through the contents of the computers. That led into a pretty strange conversation."

"A conversation with an AI definitely sounds strange," Naoko agreed. "What did you two talk about?"

"It was mostly just me asking questions," Mariko clarified. "After I explained myself, I wanted to get some information that I could share with you guys, so I started asking it about stuff."

"What stuff?" Takeshi asked.

"I started by asking about our memory problems. It said that it blocked out a lot of stuff in our recent memory." Before Mariko could say any more, Haru let his thoughts become known.

"That thing is the reason why we can't remember shit?! Why the hell would it even do that?!"

"TO KEEP YOU ALL SAFE."

Nearly everyone in the room jumped as they all heard an all too familiar voice. There was a screen on one of the cafeteria's walls, and it had apparently been turned on mere moments before IMONO itself joined in on the conversation. Its eye logo was now being shown on the screen, as static as ever.

"W-wah!" Sasa cried out. "Why would you do that?"

"YOU ARE ASKING QUESTIONS. I AM HERE TO PROVIDE ANSWERS. IF ANY OF YOU WISH FOR MY AID, CALL FOR ME, AND I WILL APPEAR. NOW, TO CLARIFY, I HAVE ALTERED YOUR MEMORIES FOR ALL YOUR SAKES. BY BLOCKING OUT YOUR RECENT MEMORIES OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD, YOU WILL ALL BE ABLE TO ADJUST TO YOUR NEW LIFE."

IMONO's logic was baffling to the students. It had tampered with their memories of high school? All to keep them here? Naoko couldn't help but find himself confused by the AI's reasoning. "Wait a minute," Naoko cut in. "You removed our recent memory of the outside world so we'd stay here?"

"YES."

"If that's true, then why didn't you erase more? I still remember going to classes, and I'm pretty sure I remember life before high school, too."

"Pretty sure?" Haru asked. "What do you mean you're pretty sure? You either remember or you don't, right? So which is it?" Before Naoko could clarify, IMONO shut him down.

"THIS IS AN OFF-TOPIC DISCUSSION. TO ANSWER YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION, I DID NOT WANT TO UNDO THE WORK THAT YOUR TEACHERS DID TO FORM YOU ALL INTO THE CAPABLE TEENAGERS THAT YOU ARE. I ALSO DID NOT WANT TO ARBITRARILY REMOVE KEY POINTS OF YOUR FORMATIVE YEARS. YOUR PERSONALITIES HAVE BEEN LEFT INTACT."

Mine let out an exaggerated "oh" sound. "So, you didn't block everything? That kinda sucks, though. I still have some memories I'd rather not have."

"But…" Keiko looked deep in contemplation. "How did you do any of this? Memories can be blocked out, yes, but not forcibly."

IMONO paused for a few seconds. "THAT IS SOMETHING I CANNOT TELL YOU."

"Oh, come on!" Kimi cried out. "You've gotta be kidding me! You tell us you used some sorta voodoo techno-magic to make us forget what high school I went to, but you're not even gonna explain yourself?"

Naoko couldn't help but agree with Kimi on that point. There had to be a reason IMONO wouldn't disclose that key information.

"I HAVE ALREADY EXPLAINED MY ACTIONS TO YOU ALL. I ONLY HOPE THAT YOU APPRECIATE THEM."

Everyone in the room looked like they were holding themselves back from saying something in response to IMONO's remark. Naoko couldn't help but feel like some wanted to say some very colorful things, given some of the expressions he saw. Still, nobody was ready to push their luck with the AI.

"Can I ask you something else, IMONO?" Naoko asked to relieve the tension.

"YES, NAOKO. OF COURSE YOU CAN. WHAT IS IT?"

Well, that was...polite?

"If we're all in this facility together, and we're all Ultimates, does that mean that we all went to the same high school?"

The others began to murmur. That sounded like it'd make sense to most of them. There was still the problem that none of them recognized each other, but that could be chocked up to them lacking vivid memories of that time.

"I'M SORRY, BUT I'M AFRAID I CANNOT TELL YOU THAT, EITHER. YOU SHOULD NOT WORRY ABOUT SUCH DETAILS IN THE FIRST PLACE. THAT WAS THEN. THIS IS NOW."

"It sounds plausible, though," Mareo added. "Quick question for everyone: in any of your memories of high school, do you remember anyone who wore a getup like mine?"

The answer to that question, Naoko reasoned, would not only help determine whether his hypothesis was correct, but also put into perspective just how much of their memories they'd lost. If they were in the same school and didn't remember seeing Mareo of all people, whatever IMONO did must've been pretty extensive.

Ishi grabbed her chin and gave it her all. "I feel like I'd remember someone who looked like a golden-yellow android, but...nah, sorry."

Mareo sighed, looking defeated. "Damn," he said. "That's unfortunate."

"ARE THERE ANY MORE QUESTIONS?" IMONO seemed to want to change the subject.

"Yes," Hoshi said. "In the rules section on our phones, it mentions 'punishments' quite a few times, especially in regards to the rules in place in case one of us were to kill another student. Can you clarify this, please?"

"I EXPLAINED THIS PREVIOUSLY TO MARIKO, BUT IF YOU HAVE NOT YET BEEN MADE AWARE, I WILL EXPLAIN. PUNISHMENTS ARE GENERALLY HANDLED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. HOWEVER, IN REGARDS TO THE RULES AGAINST KILLING FELLOW STUDENTS, THE RULES ARE ABSOLUTE. THE PUNISHMENT GIVEN TO AN EXPOSED KILLER IS DEATH."

Many of the students looked at one another nervously. That rule didn't sound pretty, but it was probably meant as a deterrent. Recalling their previous encounter with IMONO, however, Naoko realized something.

"Hang on," Naoko said. "In the rules, you said unexposed killers would be forced to leave, and you said it was the worst possible punishment."

"YES. TO LEAVE THIS PLACE WOULD BE TO LIVE THE REST OF ONE'S DAYS IN AN INFERIOR ENVIRONMENT. THAT IS THE WORST PUNISHMENT ONE CAN BE GIVEN. WORSE THAN EVEN DEATH."

Anyone who hadn't made up their minds yet were able to at that very moment. IMONO was definitely insane.

"I feel like since I didn't tell you guys before, I should now," Mariko said. "I asked IMONO about what happens to everyone else if a killer is released. Apparently, the punishment for everyone else is also death."

"A DETERRENT, OF COURSE. NOT ONLY WOULD THE KILLER LIVE THE REST OF THEIR LIFE OUTSIDE THESE WALLS, THEY WOULD LIVE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY KILLED ALL OF THEIR FELLOW ULTIMATES AS WELL. THUS, THERE IS NO REASON TO KILL, JUST AS THERE IS NO REASON TO LEAVE."

That certainly did make the prospect of escaping via the trial system seem completely unappealing, at least from Naoko's perspective. Still, there was the question of whether or not people were considering it regardless. Surely, they wouldn't go to such lengths, would they? That wasn't an easy question to answer, considering the fact that Naoko barely knew any of them. I mean, they seemed like good people, but would that observation be good enough to guarantee their safety? Probably not.

"So," Eryu spoke up, "you're hoping to use fear to keep us in line. Is that it?"

"YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. HERE, ALL OF YOUR NEEDS ARE TENDED TO, AND YOU HAVE EACH OTHER. I DO NOT INTEND TO SPREAD FEAR, BUT HOPE. NOW, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, I RECOMMEND YOU ALL BEGIN TO BOND WITH ONE ANOTHER."

"Actually, I have a kinda weird question," Ishi admitted.

"WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION?"

"Where are we, exactly? Does this place have a name?"

There was another short pause.

"THE FACILITY DOES NOT NEED A NAME. WHERE IT IS LOCATED DOES NOT MATTER, EITHER. IF YOU WOULD LIKE, YOU MAY GIVE IT A NAME. PERHAPS SOMETHING SYMBOLIC, SUCH AS 'HOME' OR 'EDEN'."

"I call bull on that second one," Kimi interjected. "This place is no garden. It's some sorta prison, that's what it is."

"YOU WILL APPRECIATE IT IN TIME. NOW, I SHOULD BE LEAVING. CALL ME IF YOU NEED AID."

With that, the monitor turned off, and the students were left amongst each other.

"Okay then," Eryu said, standing up, "I think it's time we lay some ground rules. First of all, we're not listening to IMONO. We're getting out of here. All of us. How we'll escape, I'm not sure, but I have no doubt it's possible."

Even though it didn't seem like an easy thing to do, what with IMONO watching them constantly, these words of encouragement were able to, at the very least, help some of the more fearful students calm down a little. Naoko was sure it was possible. There had to be some way to work behind IMONO's back, to escape.

"You shouldn't say things like that out loud," Yori noted. "IMONO is monitoring this entire facility, judging by the large number of cameras. If we are to bring up such a topic again, we should find some way to communicate to each other without it seeing or hearing what we're saying."

"Do you have any ideas on how that's possible?" Yasuo asked. "Should we, perhaps, whisper to each other?"

"Maybe," Michio responded. "Still, IMONO could still know what we're saying, right? What if it can read lips?"

"Then we should write messages to each other and read them in places where the cameras can't see," Hoshi suggested.

Yori nodded approvingly. "Maybe. For now, though, we should keep quiet about this topic."

"Agreed," Eryu said. "Now, secondly, if we're gonna get through this, we'll have to work together as a unit. If a discovery is made, everyone should know. If there's an idea, it needs to be shared with everyone. To maintain group cohesion, I'd like to propose we all meet here every morning for breakfast and every evening for dinner."

"So, in other words," Takeshi said, "we'll all eat together. Does that mean that people can't take food and then leave?"

"Yes, that's exactly right," Eryu replied.

"B-but I don't like eating with other people," Sasa admitted.

Eryu looked at her frustratedly. "Well, it's a skill you're going to have to learn." This didn't put Sasa at ease. If anything, she looked like she was experiencing dread.

"You seem to expect a lot from us," Bankei noted. "I, for one, would rather avoid having to deal with whatever complicated schemes you have in mind. Is it alright if I sit out whatever plans you happen to create?"

"No," Eryu denied flatly.

"Oh, come on, Eryu. No need to be so stubborn. I'm just a simple mythologist. I sincerely doubt there's anything I can bring to the table."

"That doesn't mean you can't contribute, you know," Naoko countered. "If we gave you special permission to do nothing, you could end up doing something behind our backs."

"Eh-heh. Oh, please," Bankei said with a smile. "What would I possibly want to do behind your back?"

Plan a murder, Naoko thought. He was going to say it, but had a feeling it didn't need to be said. He made a mental note to keep an eye on her.

"You're included in this group whether you like it or not," Eryu said forcefully.

Bankei shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if that's how it has to be, then fine. Don't expect me to like it, however."

"Whatever," Eryu said. "Now, let's talk about roles. Since we'll be living here for the time being, let's establish who does what."

What followed was a somewhat lengthy conversation wherein it was decided what everyone would be doing in the near future. Naoko and Yori both decided to volunteer to prepare dinner for the group, as they both had some cooking experience and nobody distrusted the two of them enough to object. Michio volunteered to take out the trash for everyone, which was very much appreciated by everyone else. Mareo was given the position of team medic, him having a good deal of medical knowledge. Keiko was given the position of team therapist, in case anyone needed someone to talk to for support. Mine and Haru were both tasked with keeping a watch on people and breaking up fights, with the latter looking rather disappointed by the position. Everyone else was either given miscellaneous tasks or told to investigate the facility further. Content that they had everything figured out for the time being, Eryu dismissed everyone.

Naoko was left with mixed feelings. It seemed like people were willing to work together, albeit begrudgingly for some, and he thought that if they could actually do so, they were as good as free. On the other hand, there was the issue of IMONO. It had to have heard everything they just talked about, including their desire to escape. Who knew what countermeasures it was putting in place? Who knew what it was planning?

Still, he had other things to think about. After all, he had just been given a very important responsibility. Since he had time before he and Yori had to cook, he decided that talking to his fellow Ultimates would be a good way to spend that time.

A/N: Well, this is the end of Chapter 1. I hope that you enjoyed this nice little info-dump. After this, I'm planning on having an in-between segment that will simulate the free-time events in the Danganronpa series. I'm planning on these Free-time segments being a regularly-occurring thing, in order to get in some nice character development. So yeah, look forward to those.