AN: The chapters from here out will be told from Togami's perspective unless I say otherwise c:
When I came to, I was alone in a silent classroom. I had no recollection of how I had gotten here.
In fact, the last thing I remembered was walking into the entrance hall and inexplicably, losing consciousness.
I glanced around the empty room I was in. It was rather large, and not furnished save for some desks with chipping green paint sitting in neat rows. The blackboard at the front of the room was blank except for a childish, crude drawing of a black and white bear. However, there was no chalk to be seen. I approached the board and ran a hand across it. Ah. It was painted on, that was weird, but it explained the lack of chalk.
Odd.
I got up from the desk I was sleeping at and continued my examination of this room. My eyes fell on a clock, it read seven fifty-five AM. If I remembered correctly, I had to be at the gym for orientation at eight, correct? So I had five minutes to find my way to the gym.
I turned and ambled out of the room, still drowsy from my 'nap.'
After three minutes of wandering around the school, I found my way to the gym. But not without noticing something quite off about this school.
There were no doors, there were no windows, there was no escape from this school. Every possible exit was covered with thick metal plates that sealed off any way of escape. They didn't look easy to remove either. I encountered this same problem in every room I searched.
Unless this was an elaborate prank, I had no where to run and was trapped inside this school. I may have more time to solve it's mysteries than I ever wished for.
I walked into the gym, all the fogginess of sleep erased from my brain, ready to meet the pathetic excuses for classmates I was supposed to have.
There were fourteen others gathered in the gym at the moment.
The one closest to me, a girl with neatly combed hair in twin braids and a scowl permanently etched on her face, glared at me over circular, comical almost, thin-framed glasses. "You're b-barely on time. I k-know you already despise my presence, b-but that's no excuse to ignore the r-rules, y-you filthy pig." Ignoring her beratement of me for ignoring the rules I simply quirked an eyebrow and asked bluntly, "And you are...?"
"L-like you actually care who I am. Besides n-no one who won't follow the rules deserves to know my n-name anyways." I gave her an irritated look, "I was trying to give you a chance to make a good impression, but you blew that, Touko Fukawa, Super High School Level Hall Monitor."
She raised her eyebrows and a look of disbelief crossed her face. "Byakuya Togami. Super High School Level Detective." I stated bluntly, "And if you're wondering, I did research before coming here. If you're willing to hunt a little it's really not hard for most people to find out who's in their class." I laid my irritation for her bare and walked away, leaving a surprised girl in my wake.
"Hello!" Two girls approached me with smiles on their faces. "I'm Aoi Asahina!" The one with shining blue eyes and tanned skin proclaimed. "I'm a Super High School Level Fighter, and a member of Sakura's here gang!" She spoke so quickly I wasn't sure I would be able to hold a conversation with her. But luckily, I already knew that information about her and had no need to listen to her blabber on.
Aoi Asahina, the world-class fighter who could take down anyone, male or female. She didn't look physically like she could take anyone, but apparently she was pure muscle and quite fearsome if you've gotten on her bad side. To make her more intimidating, she also was a part of the famous all-women's gang composed of some of the most talented fighters in the world.
Sakura Oogami was the leader of said gang. She wasn't as much as a fighter as some of the other girls in her gang, she was however still very qualified for the role. Her and Asahina are said to be very close, and when they both got invitations to Hope's Peak they accepted.
"I'm Sakura Oogami." The blunt statement cut through my haze of thoughts, "Byakuya Togami." I replied curtly. Sakura seemed unaffected by my curt reply and continued, "As you probably know, I am a Super High School Level Gang Leader."
Yes, I do know. If you think I know something, don't be redundant and say it out load. As you said I quite clearly already know it.
"Detective. Pleased to meet your acquaintance." I frowned and gave the pair a curt nod, before pivoting on my toe and stalking away. "Bye Togami!" I heard the enthusiastic reply fall from Asahina's mouth. I however paid it no notice and started listening to the next two boys trying to introduce themselves.
"Hey! You there! I'm Mondo Oowada, don't forget it! I'm a Super High School Level Mechanic." I stopped walking and glared at the loud man. The first thing I noticed was the ridiculous thing sprouting from his head. "Um. What is that, may I ask?" I asked ignoring his introduction and pointing to his head.
"That's my hair dude! Don't diss it, unless you were looking for a fight that is?" He grinned largely before slapping my back quite hard. "Just joshing! Hey who are you anyways?" I cleared my throat, "Byakuya Togami, detective." Short and simple. Otherwise I'd never get to introduce myself to such a large amount of people.
"That's really cool Togami! If you have any need for help with any machinery or something for whatever the fuck you detectives do, drop me a call, 'kay?" I frowned, "I'm perfectly fine at accomplishing 'whatever the fuck detectives do' by myself thank you." I turned away and the other guy who was with him started talking to me.
"I'm Kiyotaka Ishimaru! Pleased to meet you Togami!" I flinched at his loud voice, "Keep it down will you?"
"I'm sorry! Forgive me Togami." I sighed, that was still very loud and it grated on my ears, but I saw no point in dragging this exchange out any longer. "I know who you are anyways. You're a gambler, am I not correct?" Ishimaru looks a mixture of shocked and happy.
"Ah! So you know me! That is wonderful!" I waved my hand at him in a shooing motion, "Yes, yes we have established that. Please leave before you destroy my ears completely."
Mondo Oowada was a mechanics famous for fixing up old cars that were considered 'dead' and would never work again. He owned a famous business with his brothers fixing old cars and machinery.
Kiyotaka Ishimaru was a gambler, one of the best ones alive as of now. He's known for gambling many people dry, and is very rich and hated by most people he's gambled against and their families. He has many enemies out there, and has unsurprisingly had attempts on his life from people trying to get at his money. He's said to be a fair gambling opponent and follows the rules, no slight of hand or anything of that matter.
I walked up to the petite girl standing in the corner, away from all the action.
"You are?" I asked her as I approached. "A-ah! Please don't touch me! I'm Chihiro Fujisaki, Super High School Level Photographer." That was weird, don't touch me? I never read about that nugget of information on the internet.
"Don't touch you? Why?" Fujisaki looked up at me with wide-eyes and sighed, "U-um, I bruise very easily, very easily. I would like it if you didn't touch me mister...?" Unsatisfied by his response, but seeing I was getting no more information out of her I resigned myself to telling her my name.
"Oh! I've heard of you before Togami! You're that... famous detective right?" I didn't deny the small swell of pride at hearing someone here had heard of me.
Chihiro Fujisaki was a fragile girl known for her work in photography. She was mainly known for the beautiful nature shots she takes when traveling. She's said to be an angel from her fans, and has a decent sized fanbase.
This marking the finish of my introduction with the short brunette girl I nodded at her and walked away.
And fell into a massive blob of pure fat.
"Hey! Watch where you're going." I said indignantly glaring at the large man in front of me.
"Oh hello there! My name is Hifumi Yamada, I'm an author. I'm sure you've heard of my works."I narrowed my eyes, "You mean I've heard of those glossy over-glorified fanfictions you call books? Yes then, I have."
Yamada glared at me angrily from beneath the circular glasses perched atop his nose. Seeing as he planned to say nothing I took this as a cue to end the conversation, "I am Byakuya Togami, detective. Good-bye."
Hifumi Yamada was a famous author among the teenage ladies. He was famous for trashy romance novels (at least in my opinion) that feature most all male or all female casts. There is a rumor going around that he bases one character off himself in every novel he writes because he has such a pathetic love life.
"Hello Togami." I whirled to face a girl with long, black, curly hair that was spun in to large twin curls. "Ah. Hello, Taeko Yasuhiro. You are a Super High School Programmer are you not?" She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled quietly, "Yes. It's nice to know someone here's heard of me. I've also heard much about you. Not that you're any interesting though." I suppressed the urge to roll me eyes at her. "Of course, everyone knows you prefer computers to real life people."
Taeko Yasuhiro is a programmer known for many innovative virtual intelligence programs. It is said that since she is so good at creating artificial intelligence programs, that she secretly hopes to live in a castle full of perfect computerized men.
She lets out a small indignant noise and I turn to approach a blue-haired girl.
"Byakuya Togami. Pleased to meet you, Sayaka Maizono." I already knew everyone here, these long introductions were getting to me. Maizono giggled girlishly, "Yay! You already know me! But, who wouldn't know an amazing fashion model like myself?" Bit full of herself, isn't she? I remarked internally.
She peered at me curiously after she had said her introduction, "Oh? But who are you? What ability do you have?" I frowned, "I'm a detective, and I will not repeat my name seeing as I've already told you." She pouted and stared at me, "Aw! You're no fun Togami!" I sighed, I felt like I was talking to a child.
Sayaka Maizono was a famous fashion model that often appears in popular magazines. She was short, pretty, and peppy. Fairly one-dimensional if you asked me, but she has a loyal following in teenage girls and boys. I always wondered what would happen if she stopped fake smiling and showed her true emotions. It doesn't take a detective to figure out how fake her personality, looks, and laughs are.
"Heh-Hem!" Maizono and I stopped our conversation and turned to face a lady in a short skirt glaring at us and brushing two large pink ponytails.
"I said, my name in Junko Enoshima. Super High School Level Princess. Pay attention when people talk to you, geez." I stared at her impassively, "Yes, yes. I'm Byakuya Togami, a detective, and this is Sayaka Maizono, a fashion girl." Enoshima smiled widely at us and threw up a peace sign, "Ah! So nice to get your acquaintance! Or however the heck you say that, I don't care much about manners! I mean, you guys get my drift fine, right?" I sighed impatiently, "I get your drift. Good-bye."
Junko Enoshima was a young princess who lives in a nation constantly at war. It's said she enjoys the war there though, which is quite preposterous. She's said to appear on the battlefield sometimes though with her twin sister, a literature girl who makes most of the weapons they use in their wars. Both of the sisters are prolific in hand to hand combat and can fire a gun.
Speaking of Enoshima's sister, she was right over there and was making a move to come talk to me. "Hello, Mukuro Ikusaba." I greeted her. "Ah, so you know my name. As it happens I also know yours. It seems we have no need to be introduced." And that was that. She drifted away to talk with Enoshima presumably soon after.
The last three people, an odd trio I might add, approached me.
I nodded to them one by one. "Hello. Who are you?" The lilac-haired one responded first in a flat tone, "Kyouko Kirigiri. Super High School Level Good Luck. Before, you ask, I know who you are, there is no need to tell me."
Ah, so this is Kyouko Kirigiri. The daughter of the late headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. I couldn't find any other information on her.
"Yo! I'm Yasuhiro Hagakure, a Super High School Level Cook! You're that one dude, Bakugon Toegami that was talking to Ishi earlier weren't you?" I cleared my throat, "Yes, I'm Byakuya Togami, pleased to meet you. I'm a Super High School Level Detective." Hagakure looked shocked, "Ah! That's so cool Toges!" I scowled at him for using such a weird nickname.
Yasuhiro Hagakure is a cook who is famous for his spicy dishes. Not much else is very notable about him, except for the weird story he span depicting a hamburger, fate, and aliens that led him to becoming a chef.
I decided to turn to the last person I had to introduce myself to. Thank goodness.
"I'm Leon Kuwata, part of the famous boy band, Tornado. I'm a Super High School Level Idol if you couldn't tell." I looked him up and down, "Yes I can see by your horrid taste in clothing that you're definitely an idol. Anyways, you know who I am from my introduction with Hagakure, so I'll be leaving now."
Leon Kuwata was a lead singer in the boy band, Tornado, which is vastly popular with girls age eleven to fifteen. I personally only knew him as the imbecile with horrid fashion taste and weird hair.
Having finished my last introduction, I sat down on the bleacher in the gymnasium and waited for orientation to start. It had actually been twenty minutes since I'd arrived, it was weird that it hadn't started yet.
Then I realized why. One student hadn't arrived yet, obviously, seeing as, including myself, there were only fifteen of us. I was sure there were supposed to be sixteen.
Just as I thought that, a small boy burst through the doors breathing heavily from running the whole way here supposedly. "A-ah, I'm sorry I'm late everyone!" He spoke between pants.
So that must be Makoto Naegi, the Super High School Level Scion arriving, of course. What an undignified entrance for someone in such a high position.
"Y-you're late! T-twenty minutes late, that is inexcusable!" As I would've suspected, Fukawa was the first to talk to the newcomer, and of course when she opens her mouth only blabbering about rules comes out. Not that anyone else here seemed to be saying anything more interesting though.
"Am I that late? I'm sorry for making everyone wait!" He scraped his hand against the back of his neck nervously and seemed unaccustomed to all the attention being thrown at him. Which was unusual, should he not be used to have a spotlight pointed at him by now?
"U-um, shouldn't you introduce yourself? None of us really know who you are..." Fujisaki spoke up from the back in a quiet voice.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I'm really frazzled right now, I'm forgetting everything!" But, at the rate dribble was falling out of his mouth, I'm not surprised his sister was the one chosen to head his family instead.
That does raise questions though, I hadn't found much online on Naegi. I had read a lot of articles about his sister, who was the next candidate for the family head. I had found one article listing her family that seemed to mention an older brother though.
It baffled me that he was chosen instead of his sister. If I were headmaster, I'd have waited the two years and gotten his sister when she entered high school, wouldn't she be more suited to the title of a scion?
"I'm Makoto Naegi, Super High School Level Scion." He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck, "I'm sorry for being so late... I blacked out when I stepped into this school and I woke up in a classroom roughly, uh, five minutes ago?"
A murmur ran through the crowd, so it seemed everyone had encountered the same problems Naegi had. A voice spoke up from the middle of our little group, "No way! Me and Sakura also woke up in some classroom. In separate ones nevertheless even though we came in together..." Asahina seemed to be deep in thought, her fingers absently brushing through her short hair as she twisted it into a bun.
"... I do recall walking in with Aoi, and waking up without her." Sakura confirmed what Asahina had previously said.
Intriguing.
My train of thought was cut short as Kirigiri stated, "It's half past eight right now. I'm sure orientation should have started by now. Everyone has arrived." Kirigiri said calmly. Had she spoken a moment later, it would have been incorrect, seeing as in that moment a bear of some sort jumped up from behind the podium.
"Hello, you bastards! Are you enjoying Hope's Peak?"
Oh, it speaks. That's nice. What's next, will it tell us to kill each other?
I abruptly paused my thoughts to hear the next words the bear uttered.
"Well, good! You're gonna be spending the rest of your lives here!"
Huh?
That's not right... The scholarship was only for three years...
"What?"
"There's no way to graduate?"
"Not at all?"
"We're stuck here forever?"
"What about my family?"
A chorus of voice ripped open the silence imposed by the ominous statement made by the stuffed toy sitting atop the stage. This was giving me a headache... I decided to speak up and shut their blubbering mouths, "Idiots! What do you think he'll say? 'Oh sorry that was a mistake! You all can go now!' Don't tell me you didn't notice the heavy metal plates blocking off the windows and doors?" I swear I'd kill whoever said they were so oblivious as to not notice the bolted metal plates.
"H-he's not lying is he? We're stuck here..." Fujisaki said quietly, "Yes, I'm sure that's what happened. Which means all we need do is adapt." Taeko stated boldly.
"What d'ya say, witch? If you think we can just forget the outside world and live here as if nothin' happened, you got another thing coming to ya!" Oowada said while flexing his arm and holding a large wrench.
"Upupupu! Before I was so rudely interrupted by you bastards, I was going to say that there is a way you can graduate!" Monobear smiled and seemed about to coutinue but someone felt the need to interrupt and screamed.
"Get on with it! I will not be stuck here longer than necessary, bear!" I whirled around to glare at the accuser, Ishimaru. "He was, if you'd just shut your trap." I scoffed.
I could feel the gambler's glare hot on the back of my head as Monobear finished, "The way to graduate is to kill a fellow student! You can't get caught either! In other words... Commit the perfect crime! Upupupupu... I can't wait."
The silence was too immediate and oppressive, even I had nothing to say.
This was one of the only times in my life that I was truly and utterly...
Shocked.
My face only wavered for a second though, as I frowned and pulled my mask on again.
But, my mask felt cracked and a little emotion leaked through as I whispered a quiet, "I see." Into the darkness.
"Bye, you guys! Upupupupu! Don't forget your Student ElectroIDs! They have your name on them, so get the right one. Check the rules carefully, because if you disobey them you will be punished!"
Then the bear disappeared again.
I stared blankly at the stage, waiting for him to reappear and tell us it was a joke... I was of course, also inwardly scoffing at the fact I had disobeyed my own advice and was hoping this was a practical joke instead of accepting it and moving on.
"H-hey, you okay there?" I turned around and snapped out of the trance like state I was standing in as I stared at the empty space on the podium that bear was occupying a moment ago.
Naegi was standing there, looking at me with a concerned look on his face. "You've been standing here for a minute. You didn't respond to anyone else... They've all left, by the way, we headed to the cafeteria to talk."
Okay, so I spaced out for more than a moment.
"I see. Goodbye." I walked forwards and pushed Naegi out of the way to access the door leading out of the gym.
I was shaking slightly from that revelation a few minutes ago I managed to calmly walk out of the gym before stumbling into the entrance hall and letting my mask crumble.
I would skip the meeting, blame it on not knowing it would happen, and head to my room. Naegi hadn't exactly proved reliable yet, so that excuse should hold for now.
I couldn't keep up my calm composure for much longer, I needed alone time.
I pulled out the ElectroIDs we'd received and tried to locate the dorms. I found them relatively easily and assumed the door marked with my name was quite obviously mine.
It was a simple dorm, with a modest bed, some wooden cabinets and a desk with a chair placed near it. A small room to the side was a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower. There appeared to be a lock on the main door, but no lock on the shower door.
I stepped inside and flopped on the bed. I let out a deep breath and kicked off my shoes. I lay there on my bed, lost in thought, when the reality of this situation came crashing down around me.
I was stuck in an inescapable place with no option but to kill, be killed, or live in peace and harmony until someone gets sick of peace and tries to graduate again.
I was doomed to death unless I made a move and condemned another for my sake.
Then another horrifying thought crossed my mind.
The fact I would actually like this. It was a challenging puzzle that would be difficult, but not impossible to solve. It felt merely like something to stretch my brain.
A game.
Right, that was all this was anyways, right?
If I treated this as a big game of life and death, I might just be able to cope. I could stay calm if I just remember that this is a game, and just a game, only a game.
Satisfied that I had found someway to deal with my current situation, I decided to 'accidentally' stumble upon the others and join their meeting.
That being said, I got to my feet and ambled out of my little dorm.