"Upupupu...greetings, children of the future!" The infamous, even more frightening in person, Monokuma stood on a glossy, levitating platform with a sleek-looking microphone, resembling a stage. Seeing him in real life instead of on the TV screen is a completely different experience. He looks so much smaller and robotic. But knowing what he's capable of doesn't make him any less terrifying...
The room we were in was entirely white, from the floors to the walls to the ceiling. Nothing besides the stage and a futuristic door behind Monokuma was in the room.
"You..." Kazuko looked ready to pounce on the monochrome bear, but thankfully held herself back.
"Yes, me!" Monokuma cackled. "The one and only...Monokuma!"
"We know who you are..." Noriko glared.
"And we know why we're here," Jao frowned. "And your plan won't work! We won't kill each other!"
"Y-Yeah!" I nodded, shaking off my nerves. "There's nothing you can do to make us kill each other." At least I hope so...The motives presented to the students in the first and second killing games were enough to set them over the edge, after all...
"Kill each other?" Monokuma cocked his head to the side. "Who said anything about killing each other?"
"Uh, y-you, literally three times already..." Mac pointed out, scratching his head. He was right. The past three times Monokuma has gathered a group of people like this, a killing game was sure to follow.
"Upupupupu!" Monokuma continued to obnoxiously laugh, filling the otherwise quiet room. His laugh filled me with a sense of dread, like maybe we wouldn't get out of this alive. Maybe someone had it in them to kill in order to escape. Maybe I had it in me to kill to escape...
"Monokuma, what is it?" Izumi asked, her tone quiet but sharp. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"
"Me? Hiding something?" Monokuma repeated, feigning ignorance. "Upupupu, of course not! You guys are exactly right! The children of the future, the most inspiring kids in the world, will all participate in the Killing School Experiment!"
"Killing School Experiment?" Puck frowned. "A-ha! Everyone! I know who the mastermind is!"
"How could you have possibly been able to find out who the mastermind is based on "Killing School Experiment?" Noriko crossed her arms.
"Isn't it obvious?" Puck chuckled. "Experiment? Who participates in experiments?"
"Uh, lots of things actually. Plants, animals, humans, even aliens," Zato said. "Probably."
"Ugh, the specific name for a human who participates in an experiment!" Puck revised, growing impatient.
"A test subject?" Shion offered. "...Right?" Wait a second...
"Exactly." Puck grinned. "And who here is the Ultimate Test Subject?"
"...That'd be Setsuna." Matsuda answered. "It says here in my notebook..."
"Setsuna, you're the one who put us here?!" Haru yelled in anger. "Why you-I'll wring your neck!"
"You think I'm the mastermind just based on my talent?!" I glared at Puck, my blood boiling. It was just like him to do something like this.
"C'mon Setsuna, you can't be mad at moi for suspecting you!" Puck gave me a fake sad look.
"You're not suspecting me, you're downright accusing me in front of everyone!" I yelled.
"ENOUGH!" Monokuma bellowed, in a voice that I've never heard him talk in. The volume of his voice was enough to stop the commotion and other than the echo of Monokuma's scream vibrating the walls, it was dead silent.
"Ahem." Monokuma 'cleared his throat'. "Setsuna Arai? The mastermind?! BAHAHAHAHA!"
"What's so funny?" Tomoe frowned. "No, seriously, what's the joke?"
"Yeah, Setsuna can be anything she wants to be!" Tomomi huffed. I'm not sure I'd take that as a compliment seeing as I'm being accused of being the mastermind...
"Not the mastermind!" Monokuma said. "Her? The freak who's paler than an egg and looks like a tryhard?"
"Hey!" I gasped.
"No, no, no, I can assure you Setsuna Arai is not the mastermind!" Monokuma said, still chuckling a bit. "In fact, are you even sure that there is a mastermind?"
"H-huh?" Hiru gulped. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Yeah, there has to be a mastermind..." Chiharu nodded. "That's how every installment of these killing games end...with betrayal."
"Stop trying to fucking confuse us!" Shion yelled.
"Oooookie-dokie, if you say so!" Monokuma shrugged. "Anyways, allow me to explain the rules of the Killing School Experiment."
"Well that was a quick change of subject..." I heard Puck mutter. I rolled my eyes.
"During the duration of the Killing School Experiment, you students will reside in the Hope's Peak Practice Building, just beyond this door. You will live here in harmony, where, when I feel like it, you'll do...eh, I'll explain later."
"Hey, you can't just leave us on a cliffhanger like that!" Zato sighed loudly.
"Anyways, you all know the drill, if you're really that desperate to leave this paradise, you can always resort to murder," Monokuma stated, as if it were nothing.
"We've already told you that will not be happening." Michie frowned.
"You say that now, but I bet you'll be the first one to snap!" Monokuma sneered. Michie narrowed her eyes.
"I'll be on my way now!" Monokuma announced. "See you bastards later!"
And with that, in a blink of an eye, Monokuma was gone.
"That felt...anticlimatic," Mac admitted.
"Well, we already knew he was going to make us participate in a killing game, so it didn't shock us that much." I explained.
"S-still, w-what if someone actually k-kills?" Toshi gulped, visibly shaken.
"I won't let that happen." Tomoe reassures. "I'll protect you all with my life!"
"Oh Inari, please don't say that," Tomomi shivered. "Talk about a death flag..."
"You're a fool if you think no deaths will occur." Aya said. "You should all prepare for the worst, as I have."
"No need to be so negative, dude." Yoshiharu frowned.
"But she's right, isn't she?" Hikari asked, with those blank, dead, eyes of hers. "If you don't prepare for something bad happening, when it does, you'll break." I have a feeling she might be talking from personal experience.
I can only imagine how many thoughts Hikari has running through her head right now. Being a tactician, she must be coming up with all sorts of things. It's unfortunate that her slightly antagonistic personality is getting in the way of her speaking up. If she used her talent to its full ability, I'm sure she'd make a great leader.
"Hey, what was that about Monokuma making us do something when we're in the Hope's Peak Practice Building?" Kinuya asked. "I hate to be a worry wart, but it doesn't sound so good."
"It's nothing, dude, just him trying to scare us." Yoshiharu claimed. I wasn't so sure of that.
"Regardless, we should make our way to the Hope's Peak Practice Building, yes?" Magane spoke up, after being somewhat quiet since our introduction.
"Yes. After all, we might be able to find a way out." Michie suggested. Sorry, Michie, but I, unfortunately, don't think it'll be that easy...
We all wordlessly approached the door, wondering the same thing. Was there a mastermind? If so, who? And what exactly is the Killing School Experiment? What is Monokuma hiding? We've all been trapped in this place simply for wanting a better future. What did we do to deserve this?! We're just kids for fuck's sake...
When we got close enough to the door, it opened with a swoosh sound, like a sliding door at a clothing store. I lagged behind the rest of the group, absorbed in my own thoughts. I heard a sound like a door closing, but it wasn't the door to the Hope's Peaks Practice Building. Turning around, I saw Shinya near the worn down looking door at the other side of the room.
"Shinya? Did you go back to the hallway?" I asked.
He replied with a simple nod.
"Why?" I pressed further.
Shinya sighed, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a balled up piece of paper. He unrolled it, and I realized it was the list of the students. "I thought it might be useful later on."
I stared at the smudge in-between mine and Yoshiharu's name. "Do...do you think I have something to do with us being here, too?"
Shinya stayed silent for a bit before shaking his head. "No. Like I said before, I think someone is going out of their way to make you look suspicious."
"Thanks." I smiled. Ugh, Puck is such a dick, going out of his way to accuse me in front of everyone. Maybe he's the mastermind...Ugh, unfortunately, it's probably not that easy...
Shinya nodded, and brushed past me as he went through the door to the Practice Building. I looked around the room once more, sighing as I saw the stage Monokuma was on.
I still don't understand why we're still here. Surely people must be looking for us by now...
Shaking off my possibly unrealistic hope, I walked through the door, entering a world of blackmail, lies, and betrayal.
A/N: Yeah, definitely got a case of writer's block during the holidays. That, and the fact that it was the holidays is the reason this chapter is long overdue, so sorry about that! I'm thinking of uploading another chapter today or tomorrow, but I still have to edit, so I'm not so sure. Also, sorry this chapter is on the shorter side. In every SYOC the chapter where Monokuma first appears is usually the shortest, though, so hopefully, you can understand.
Also, I don't know if I should be announcing this, but I have started to come up with the cases, including killers and victims! Boy, it is hard to decide who lives and dies...But I promise, to those whose characters die, you definitely don't want to stop reading, there will be plenty of chances for your characters to still play a part in COTF!
Thanks for reading everyone, have a great day/night! :)