And here we have it! The OC introductory chapter, which introduces the characters taking part in the Mutual Life of High School Killing. Bear (no pun intended) in mind that this is just an intro , and so not all aspects of a character will be immediately shown. I did , however , try to be as true to the characters as possible . In case you are wondering which ones are my OCs , they are Suzu Isaki and Eirik Maeda. They are characters I have submitted to other SYOCs , so you may or may not have seen them before.
Also , the setup of the video is meant to be a bit like the first episode of the anime.
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
The first minute or so of the video simply consisted of clips of students approaching a large school building. A voice over was describing things in a foreign language , but luckily for Reuben , the maker of the video had ben thoughtful enough to add English subtitles. This was how he learnt that the school was called Hope's Peak Academy, and it was a school that searched out the brightest , most talented young students in any field. These students were ones that represented the hopes of the future , and so the school would nuture and teach them in a way that was suitable for such students.
Then , the screen went black, and stayed like that for a few seconds. When a scene was shown again , it was of a dimly lit classroom with individual desks. There was a boy , asleep on one of them . The voice over continued briefly to tell the viewer about the 'Luck Lottery' the school ran each year , entering the names of ordinary high schoolers all over the country. The person who had their name selected would be entered into the school as 'Super Duper High School Level Good Luck'. Then , the voice over stopped , and the boy woke up , sitting up slowly. Reuben saw that he was average looking , much like himself. But this boy had incredibly spiky brown hair, and green-grey eyes.
MAKOTO NAEGI
SDHSL: GOOD LUCK
The letters , which (weirdly , in Reuben's opinion) were in English , flashed up on the screen in bright letters , next to the boy. As Makoto got up , the letters disappeared.
"Where…am I?" Makoto wondered.
Presumably inside the school. Reuben retorted silently. Then , at the same time as Makoto , he spotted something on the desk. Reuben watched as Makoto picked it up. It looked like a poster, done in ridiculously childish crayon scribbles. Matilda would have probably done a better job.
"Entrance Ceremony…Gymnasium….8 AM?" Makoto looked at a clock on the classroom wall, and legged it out of there.
He rushed around, completely ignoring the strange lighting and weird wallpaper…and even what looked like steel plates affixed over the windows, until he came across two large doors.
"Could this be…?" with all his strength, Makoto pushed the door. Reuben found himself holding his breath as he watched.
Apparently this was the Gymnasium. And, even better (or worse, depending) , there were a number of students in there too.
"Are you the Good Luck student?" a male voice asked.
"Y...Yeah. Makoto Naegi." Makoto stepped into the gymnasium, closing the door behind him.
"Oh my , so it is true. I think that's amazing. Just amazing. My name is Marvin Karin , by the way. Will you remember that?" the somewhat lusty voice belonged to an extremely slim girl with long deep -red hair and bright red lipstick, who was approaching Makoto.
MARVIN KARIN
SDHSL:CHARMER
Reuben snorted in derision at the title , clocking Marvin's very short , tight and revealing black dress. He remembered how some of Megan's friends wore outfits much like this whenever they came around.
If Megan turns out like this Marvin I swear to God I'll… Then he remembered that this was fiction , and resumed watching. Makoto was struggling to escape from the girl's advances when he yelled and almost backed into the door in surprise.
A mischievous looking girl had just tickled him , and her fingers were still moving. She giggled impishly.
MIRAI SAKAMOTO
SDHSL:HACKER
This girl was also slim , but she was pale , and the black hair with white highlights emphasised this . So did her clothes , which also had a black-and white colour scheme. Asides from the dragon on her black t-shirt. He couldn't begin to tell what colour that was . Taking her title into account , he assumed the motion of her fingers was meant to mimic typing.
Mirai grinned as Makoto spluttered , and then , just like that , she was gone , leaving Naegi to deal with Marvin alone.
"I'm sorry , I can't read what that says. "
The focus shifted to another part of the gymnasium , and the focus was on two students. One was a boy who had stylish hair that was so red it could only be dyed , and mismatched eyes. One brown , one gold. Reuben was pretty sure that there was a name for those type of eyes , but he couldn't remember it. The boy was clad in clothes that Reuben could only describe as fancy , with all the red and gold and velvet everywhere. He also noticed the boots that the boy was wearing had a bit of heel to them.
The girl standing next to him was holding a notebook opened at a page with writing on it. She was tanned and pretty , her hair long and black and held back with a hairclip shaped like a rose. She wore a silvery cardigan over a black and light blue outfit. Oddly , she had a red ear stud in one ear , but the other wasn't pierced at all. She didn't say a word.
JANUS 'JAY' ABANDONATO
SDHSL: STAGE ACTOR
SUZU ISAKI
SDHSL:ICE SCULPTOR
Reuben assumed that the girl was Suzu and the boy was Janus.
"She's written that her name is Suzu Isaki , and that she wants to know your name too. How come you can't read Japanese?" So this series comes from Japan , huh?
The person who had spoken was a dark -blue haired boy who had been in the background for the previous few moments. His clothes had a similar colour scheme to Mirai's , but the outfit was made unique by the presence of a silver key on a chain around his neck . Reuben recalled that he had seemed hard and antisocial then , but now his eyes were alight with curiosity.
EIRIK MAEDA
SDHSL: TRANSLATOR
Janus introduced himself briefly, and explained how he had only spent a few years in Japan , and so didn't have enough time to learn to read it –only to speak it.
"Oh. My name is Eirik Maeda." He pronounced the name like 'Eric' , and then Reuben noticed his eyes. One light green , one dark green.
Heterochromic! All of a sudden , he remembered the word. Two guys with heterochromic eyes. A bit weird ,that. Then again, the entire situation was weird.
"Good to meet you both , Isaki-san , Maeda-san." Janus said.
"Isaki , don't you speak?" the girl merely shook her head in response to Eirik's question. Then , she smiled , bowed and left them, presumably to introduce herself to other students .
"What is your first language then , Janus?" Eirik asked.
"Italian." Upon hearing that , Eirik launched into a stream of what Reuben assumed was Italian ,and Janus responded. Soon , they were having a full on conversation , but it wasn't followable as the video creator hadn't provided subtitles for that part.
The video then decided to show the other characters. Subtitles showed fragments of various conversations. A boy and a girl were sitting on the benches at the side, having a very mathematical- seeming conversation. Reuben actually had trouble keeping up, despite having Maths as one of his subjects.
ARISA ISHI
SDHSL:MATHEMATICIAN
KEVIN BROWN
SDHSL:CHEMIST
Arisa was the girl, with black eyes and long black hair. Her outfit was neatly coordinated -her hairband being red like her skirt, and her navy blazer matching her shoes. She was also very lively , instantly showing annoyance when Marvin came to flirt with Kevin , a socially awkward boy with sandy hair and a lab coat over his all black outfit.
"You interrupted out conversation! Find someone else to play with!"
Marvin giggled in a poor attempt at being sexy "Oh , I'm sorry. Kevin-kun doesn't mind though , do you ?"
'Kevin-kun' blushed and stammered something incoherent. Marvin was clinging to his arm as if she was drowning , and he looked as if his blood supply was being cut off. Reuben started to wonder what the story was with the '-kun' and '-san' that seemed to be attached to everyone's names , when an outraged cry from off screen interrupted his thoughts.
"Okay , which one of you guys thought it would be funny to steal from a thief? You know , Irony and all that? Huh?C'mon , fess up already!"
The owner wandered into focus , making wild gestures to emphasise his rage. He was lean , with blue hair and very bright blue eyes. His hoodie , cargo pants and t-shirt were all black.
AKIHITO WATARI
SDHSL: THIEF
Thief? Really? Reuben raised an eyebrow as he watched. Somehow he thought that title would be better suited as a warrant for arrest.
"What got stolen?" Janus asked.
"My cell phone! My poor, poor cell phone! " Akihito made a mock –swooning gesture .
"Well , the only cell phone I have is my …" Janus dug into the pockets of his black slacks , and then froze.
"Or not. "
"Your phone too?" all of a sudden , students all over the gymnasium were searching their own pockets. The only one who didn't search was Arisa , who muttered that she didn't have a phone in the first place, and Marvin , who apparently had left her cellphone in her luggage , since her very special outfit was pocket less.
Reuben was pretty sure someone would have retorted to that declaration had the mood not been so serious.
"So…this is how it is…" a girl stepped into focus. Reuben recalled her having been in various shots , a blurry character on the side-lines , watching everything , deep in thought. Her long , silvery-purple hair flowed like ribbons and was undone apart from a single plait tied with a black ribbon. She wore a purple-black leather jacket over a white shirt , red tie and burgundy looking skirt.
KYOUKO KIRIGIRI
SDHSL: DETECTIVE
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear , revealing that she wore black gloves on her hands. Her expression barely changed , but her almond shaped eyes seemed troubled. She turned to where Naegi was standing.
"Naegi-kun, did you also wake up in a classroom after fainting?"
"Yes..."
"I thought so." Kyouko murmured, seeming to draw into herself. Another girl walked past her , also very introspective.
AKAYA KIYOMIZU
SDHSL: PARAPSYCHOLOGIST
Reuben raised an eyebrow. She couldn't possibly be a high-schooler, he thought, taking in her child like stature. Her blond hair was really long, causing Reuben to wonder if the school had a preference for long haired girls that year. Her outfit was casual, consisting of ripped jeans and a blue patterned white tank top, with grey trainers on her feet. The clothes contradicted her thoughtful expression as she approached a window. A window with steel plates affixed to it.
Akaya reached up and touched it, hesitantly. Whatever chatter had remained now stopped. They all stared at her. She turned and looked at them , unfazed.
"I guess we're trapped." She said .
Protests bubbled up everywhere. Nobody wanted to believe that this was the reason for the strange situation they were now in.
"We. We're really trapped?" a small , pale ,short haired girl in an umbrella-skirted school uniform trembled .
CHIHIRO FUJISAKI
SDHSL: COMPUTER PROGRAMMER
To Reuben , it seemed as if Chihiro's fear radiated across the room as her eyes welled up.
"Ooh, don't cry!" Mirai appeared out of nowhere, patting Chihiro's head as though she was a kitten. "Don't cry…you're so adorable!" Mirai continued to pat Chihiro , who started to blush , and then giggle weakly.
"Wait ,so you mean I'm stuck here? With all you…you…you fishing-town people?!"
The girl who had spoken was slightly shorter than average in height. Her pale skin , blond hair and hazel eyes were all flawless , and her somewhat fancy outfit was completely white. Reuben raised an eyebrow. The girl was pretty , the type that Joseph would probably go bug eyed over , but the look on her face was pure poison.
NANAKO TAMURO
SDHSL:ACTRESS
"F-fishing town people?" Makoto asked.
"None of your business, ordinary boy!" Reuben winced mentally , feeling sorry for Makoto.
"But you're the one that said it…" Janus retorted quietly. Nanako ignored him , and tried to walk away from everyone , heading to the door when she tripped over something large and blue. Reuben stifled a laugh as he watched one of her high heeled shoes fly off her foot and land in front of Suzu and Akaya, who had started a conversation of sorts.
The video then decided to focus on what Nanako had tripped over. Or rather , who she had tripped over- a boy with black hair and brown eyes , who looked fat in his blue jumpsuit …until Reuben spotted two microwaves and a beach ball poking out of the suit.
AFAR TOAR
SDHSL: HOARDER
Somehow , that explains both everything and nothing at the same time… Reuben shook his head to clear it , and concentrated on what was on screen.
"Look what you made me do,retard!" Nanako got up , hopping around hysterically as she tried to find her other shoe.
Suzu approached Nanako with a smile , handing her the shoe. Nanako snatched it ,and put it on. Then she seemed to remember some manners , and thanked Suzu , who simply nodded in response , and walked back to Akaya.
Nanako seemed curious about Suzu's silence , and looked as if she was about to ask something when something hit the back of her head. Nanako turned , and glared at Afar , who simply mirrored her expression briefly ,before getting up off the floor and walking away.
Nanako made as if to yell at Afar before a voice cut in.
"Now , now. Arguing isn't going to help the situation any."
DAI YOSHIDA
SDHSL: ANTRHOPOLOGIST
Dai was a short boy , wearing a beige suit , blue shirt and striped tie. He seemed to be one of the watchers , simply observing the situation , but now he was actively trying to calm down Nanako. His words were quiet , and therefore indecipherable , so Reuben was unable to understand what was going on for a while before Nanako suddenly beamed and said.
"You know what , I think you're right. Sorry, Toar." Afar merely nodded in response. Nanako then left Dai , and went to talk with someone else.
"What did he even throw?" Akihito asked.
Dai picked it up
"A slinky , I think. Yes , a slinky. Cool. I haven't played with one of these for a while ." Dai stretched it , an amused expression on his face.
"Erm, I hate to sound dim , but what's a slinky, exactly?" Janus asked from somewhere off screen.
Everyone stared at him, and the video focused momentarily on Janus before going back to Dai.
"Oh, it's a kid's toy, and it's basically like a spring. It can go down the stairs itself, apparently. Basic , but cool. "
"I hate to kill the happy conversation, but WE ARE TRAPPED! Remember? We're trapped in our new school , for no apparent reason! Why aren't we trying to get out of here?!" Arisa yelled , pacing up and down , her annoyance eventually being reduced to angry mutterings with each step she took.
"Onee-Chan didn't say anything about this…and I was looking forward to coming here as well…"
"We do remember. But panicking won't help." Kyouko said calmly.
"She's right."
KOSUKE KOBAYASHI
SDHSL: DOCTOR
The boy who had spoken was tall and blond with pierced ears. He wore a navy jacket over a yellow t-shirt, denim jeans and navy converse shoes. That , combined with the fact he had braided bracelets on his right wrist and a ring on a necklace around his neck , didn't make him seem the doctor type , but Reuben had a feeling that this was the least of the surprises the series had in store.
"Then , what do we do?" Arisa fumed.
"E...Erm, maybe go over what we know , and decide what to do from there?" Chihiro piped up hesitantly.
"That sounds like a good idea ." Kyouko said briskly. "So , we all woke up in a classroom , by ourselves ."
"Actually, I woke up with Maeda-kun sitting ..or sleeping , rather , at the desk next to mine. " Akihito said. Eirik, who had gone back to standing by himself with an angry look a while ago, simply nodded to agree.
"And I woke up with Kiyomizu-san." The girl who had spoken was also blond , with the tips of her hair dyed a dirtier shade of the colour , grey eyed with a slight tan. The leggings under her yellow plaid skirt were torn , but this seemed to be a fashion statement rather than poverty. At least , Reuben hoped it was.
EMI KASURAGI
SDHSL:BLOGGER
"Okay. So we were either alone or in pairs. That could mean something , but for now let's put that to the side." Kyouko said.
"Then , we all found a leaflet saying we were to meet here , and we all made our way here immediately…does that sound right , Kirigiri-san?" Akihito asked.
"Yes. " Kirigiri said no more , as if waiting for the others to start filling in.
"I was the last one to arrive…how long were you guys waiting?"
Suzu scribbled something in her notebook and held it up. There was a breakout of murmuring as people tried to figure out the answer , until Janus noticed Suzu.
"Isaki-san has something to say." His voice carried across the room , and they all turned.
"I was the first to arrive , and that was at about 6:55 this morning." Eirik read out , having decided to re-join the group, at least temporarily.
"We arrived ten minutes after that!" Emi said, adjusting the black glasses atop her head briefly.
The conversation continued in a similar way until they had concluded that it had taken just over an hour for their captor to get them to gather in the gymnasium.
"So , we've also confirmed there are steel plates on the windows and elaborate locks on the entrance doors. And our cell phones are gone too. What else is there?" Dai mused.
"Where's the rest of our luggage? We were supposed to leave it somewhere to be taken to our rooms, if I remember correctly ….but if we've been kidnapped, we should be wondering about it anyway. "Makoto spoke up suddenly.
Judging by the faces of everyone who was on screen at that moment, nobody had thought about that until Makoto had bought it up . Kyouko gave him a surprised look before nodding in what Reuben assumed was approval.
"How does this help us anyway? " Marvin wanted to know "Will it allow us to get out, Makoto-kun?" all of a sudden , Marvin was back to harassing Makoto.
"Erm…. "Once again , Reuben felt sympathy for Makoto. It must be hard being ordinary when around extraordinary people.
"We can at least predict what's coming next, right? As in, our captor is bound to turn up soon, since we've all gathered here. "Emi said.
"Is that actually a good thing?" Arisa wondered.
"It could be. We might be able to learn more about why we're here." A freckled, hazel eyed girl wearing a pale blue hoody with black cat ears spoke up, brushing blue- green bangs away from her right eye as she did so. Reuben noticed only the tips of her hair were this colour, the rest of it being black.
SHIKA SAYURI
SDHSL: ANIMAL TRAINER
When everyone stared at her, she turned her face away, blushing.
And then the voice came.
"Testing , testing! Ah , whatever , I'm sure y'all heard that loud and clear anyways!" The voice was loud and squeaky , making everyone jump.
"W-what was that?" Chihiro asked
"That was me!" everyone turned to the stage at the opposite end of the gymnasium. Out of nowhere, a small half-white, half-black bear appeared. Everyone blinked. Arisa stopped pacing. Marvin didn't attempt to flirt. Even Mirai's ever typing fingers stilled for a moment as they all tried to take in what was happening.
"A stuffed toy?" Janus asked in amazement. I was wondering the same thing Reuben thought.
The bear took offence at this "I'm not a stuffed toy!" it complained , jumping up and down on the stage "I'm Monobear!"
The word was pronounced 'Monokuma', so Reuben assumed 'kuma' was the Japanese word for 'bear.'
Akihito squawked in surprise "THE STUFFED TOY JUST TALKED!"
"I already said , I'm not a stuffed toy , I'm Monobear! I'm your proud school principal!"
Shika snorted in derision , earning her a few glares.
"Really? I mean, bears are pretty clever, but I'm pretty sure they can't run a school!"
"Well, I….oi, you bastard , was that an insult or a compliment?" when Shika didn't respond , the bear shrugged.
"Never mind, let's get this show on the road….the stand and bow thing is a waste of time, so let's get on to the real fun stuff!"
"Fun stuff?" Makoto asked curiously
"Of course! Like , did you bastards know that you are trapped in this school? And you will be forever?"
A shockwave went around the room. Reuben supposed it was one thing to have a feeling about something and another to have it confirmed.
"Why?" Kyouko asked.
"Why , you ask? Why? Because I want to make you despair! Symbols of hope , despairing! Isn't that a lovely image?"
"No! It isn't. " Akaya stated simply.
"I don't care about images or whatever…just let us out!" Eirik grumbled.
"Oh? You want to leave? But you can't!" Monobear made a noise that vaguely resembled a chuckle.
"Why not?" Reuben couldn't tell who had said that.
"Because I said so! You bastards will spend the rest of your lives here. Unless…"
As expected , someone caught the last part of what the weird bear had just said.
"Unless what?" Kyouko demanded
"Unless one of you kills someone else…and gets away with it!"
"Kill….what do you mean?" Nanako asked.
"Ah , you know. Stab , strangle , drown , beat , poison , starve ,shoot , whatever! If one of you manages to kill another of you and gets away with it , that person will get to graduate!Upupupupu!" Monobear looked pleased with himself as he hopped off the stage and approached the students.
Then , unexpectedly , Monobear made a surprised noise. Mirai had snuck up behind the bear and had started patting its head.
"I can't believe you're real. You're saying annoying things but you look cool!" Mirai said simply , tickling Monobear , who giggled until he remembered himself.
"Well , now isn't the time for tickles , although I do enjoy a-HEY!"
Now Afar had come and picked up Monobear , regarding him with a curious expression. A disgruntled Mirai didn't bother to fight back , but instead went to stand with Chihiro. Everyone stared as Afar continued to consider the bear.
Reuben was starting to wonder what was going on when Afar grinned suddenly and proceeded to stuff Monobear in his jumpsuit.
Monobear went nuclear.
"Hey!HEYY! What are you doing? I'm your school principal !Acts of violence against staff members are strictly forbidden!"
And then an ominous beeping filled the room. Reuben winced at its loudness . This couldn't be anything good.
Kyouko echoed his thoughts
"This is bad!"
Afar looked at her oddly.
"Drop it!" she commanded.
"Why?"
"Just do it , quickly!"
Afar complied, puzzled. Monobear flew into the air , and then exploded in a ball of fire.
Everyone gasped or screamed in shock , crowding around (somewhat hesitantly) to see what had happened.
"Did…did the teddy bear die?" Chihiro asked worriedly.
"I'm not a stuffed toy! But thanks for your concern!"
Arisa gave a short surprised shriek as everyone looked towards the stage. Monobear was back , looking as if nothing had happened.
"What the…what the hell?" Akihito voiced what everyone was clearly thinking.
"Hehe. Toar-kun , I'll let you off with a warning , but next time , you will be severely punished. I hope the rest of you bastards heard that! Acts of violence against members of staff are strictly forbidden! If you forget , then the school rules are all in your ElectroIDs."
"ElectroIDs? What ElectroIDs?"
"Over there!" Monobear pointed a box that Reuben was pretty sure hadn't been there before. "Your names are engraved on them , so make sure not to take someone else's by accident. Anyway , byeeee!" Monobear jumped a few times and disappeared as suddenly as he had come.
Everyone just stood where they were for a moment , stunned and blinking . Then , they all rushed towards the box , and the video started to fade out, signalling the end. The words 'to be continued' appeared in a goofy font in the bottom right hand corner of the page before the video stopped.
Reuben sighed. He wasn't expecting that. Then again , he wasn't entirely sure what it was he had been expecting. Deciding it was too late to watch the other videos , he shut down the computer and went to bed , his mind filled with the faces of the exceptional students and one very odd bear.
.
I mentioned last chapter that some of the future chapters will be a bit unconventional-I'll be explaining that here. Firstly , the chapters that are relating to events between murders(up until point of body discovery) will be told as-it-happens , so to speak , and chapters pertaining to investigations and trials will be told from the view of Reuben watching the videos of them , like this chapter. During these chapters , there will be references made as to which of the events that led up to the murder are ones Reuben witnessed. There will also be chapters titled 'Evidence Collection 1' , 'Evidence Collection 2' etc. These will contain bits of narrative from viewpoints you wouldn't see in the rest of the story , and extracts from fictional newspapers , letters , emails and anything else I can think of. These will all , in one way or another , help to figure out the overall mystery of the story(as in who the culprit is , the motive for setting up the Mutual Life of High School Killing etc. etc.) , and will appear randomly . Anyway , I just decided to tell you all that so won't get confused.
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