Ding dong, bing bong.
"Ho, ho, ho! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another jollllly day!"
I wake up to the morning announcement, as usual. But… something's… off.
Monokuma is on the monitor screen, as usual, sitting in his office chair, holding a drink.
This time, though, he's… dressed in red. A red coat. A red hat. A… long, white beard?
He continues.
"That's right, everyone—'tis the season! Sure, it's not technically Christmas yet. But 'tis a season. And that's good enough for me! We S-tier gift-givers have gotta find excuses wherever we can.
"Once again, each of you will find a special, personalized gift waiting in your room, courtesy of Santa Kuma! You know—that bear who lives in the North Pole, and knows if you've been bad or good. If you've been nice, he'll give you a present, but if you've been naughty… he'll tear you apart limb from limb, and eat you alive! So be good, for goodness sake!
"Oh, and another thing. Last time, you guys were awfully nosy about who opened their present and who didn't. How annoying! Well, don't worry about that anymore. These presents can be easily opened and closed without leaving a trace of evidence. So there's no reason not to peek inside! C'mon—take a gander! Have some holiday cheer!
"Merry Giftmas to all, and to all a good… er… morning! Ho, ho, ho!"
The announcement ends. I'm pretty sure I just hallucinated all of that. Maybe I'm not fully awake yet. Or maybe I've completely gone nuts, after what happened yesterday.
What happened yesterday… with the land mine…
I slap myself awake, and stand up. I look around.
There it is, near my door. A white box, with a red bow on top. My present.
I walk over to it, and kneel down. Last time, the box had a red ribbon tied around it, and I had to cut the ribbon. That's how everyone knew whether a present had been opened or not. This time, though, there's no ribbon. Like Monokuma said—the box can be opened and closed easily.
Should I wait? Akiko got mad at me for opening my last present without the Captain's approval. Maybe this time, I should…
…No, hold on. Even if I did wait, how could I prove that? There wouldn't be an uncut ribbon, or any other proof. They'd just have my word that I didn't look. And that's useless.
So… I really have no reason not to look.
I reach toward the box—but then hesitate. My last gift was… well… that. What kind of perverse, stupid thing did I get this time? Do I even want to know?
Ai steps toward the mound… One more step, and…
I shake my head violently. I need to think about something else. Anything but that.
I reach out, grab the box's lid, and remove it. I peek inside.
It's a big, thick, bulgy…
I stand up, and step back, and cover my burning face. My eyes are popping.
I clench my fists, and grit my teeth. I take a deep breath.
Then I shout: "MONOKUMA!"
"Ho, ho, ho!"
I turn around, and find the robotic bear near my wall, dressed in full Santa garb.
"Hello there, little Koi," he says. "Have you come to offer me milk and cookies?"
"Why did you give me a freaking vibrator!?" I shout.
"Because you've been a good little girl, obviously. That's why I haven't torn you apart, eaten you alive, and pooped you out as coal. You're welcome!"
"What is wrong with you!? First the dildo, and now this? What kind of message are you trying to send, here!?"
Monokuma glares at me.
"Listen here, bucko," he says, all jolliness gone from his voice. "My gift-choosing method works, and you know it. I gave sixteen gifts last time around, and you were the only person who didn't like what you got. That's a mere 6% failure rate—and it's usually zero! You're either the world's worst gift-getter, or you're too embarrassed to admit that you like these things. Either way, that reflects badly on you—not me! Capiche?"
He clears his throat. "I mean… Ho, ho, ho! Merry Giftmas to you, little Koi!"
With that, he lifts a tile, and disappears under the floor.
I stand there for a moment, gritting my teeth.
Then I kneel, and close the box. I sigh, frustrated. We're probably going to have a mass opening again. I don't even want to think about the embarrassment I'm about to suffer.
Ai steps toward the mound—
…Actually, never mind. Maybe I do want to think about it. Just a little.
Someone knocks on my door.
"Don't open the present!" Akiko's voice shouts.
I rub my hands down my face, exasperated. Then I pull myself together. I open the door.
"Heeeeeeyyyy there, Koi!" Akiko says in an overly-cheery tone, wearing an obviously forced smile.
"Hi, Akiko," I reply. "Merry Giftmas… I guess."
"You, um… you…" Her smile turns slight. "You… already looked at your present, didn't you?"
"Sorry," I mutter.
"Ugh!" Akiko cries out, clutching her hat. "You and everyone else! This is such a disaster!"
"I'm sorry! Even if I hadn't looked, I wouldn't be able to prove—"
"I know, I know, I know! But that's why it's a disaster!"
Akiko walks into my room—pushing past me—and looks around, as if searching for something. "Ugh!" she groans. "I don't know how we're going to deal with this."
"I'm sure Captain Mizuki will figure something out," I say.
"Of course she will. She's Mizuki Tenshi, the greatest human being to ever live. But that doesn't mean we can rely on her all the time! She needs to know that she can rely on us, too!"
Akiko grabs my present, shakes it a bit—and then bolts toward the door.
"Hey, wait a moment—" I object.
"Oh, oops!" Akiko says, turning around to face me. "I was so frustrated, I forgot to tell you—we're having a mass opening again. Head to the cafeteria as soon as you can, okay?"
She leaves, taking my present with her.
Eventually, I leave my room for breakfast.
Kenji is on his way, too, and I end up walking beside him.
"So," I say, "did you open your present?"
"Yeah," Kenji replies. "I'm betting that everyone did, this time."
"Ugh. I hope they don't do those thorough room checks again."
"My gift is pretty unique, so… it's not like I could've switched it in."
"Oh, good point. Ryu's fake gift was something generic, and easy to obtain. So… I guess we should be on the lookout for other gifts like that."
Luckily, we enter the cafeteria before Kenji can ask what my gift was.
We're almost the last ones to take our seats. Jun, who's last, arrives shortly after us. Meanwhile, there's a pile of presents sitting on a table behind Akiko, near Shingo's table. One of these presents is weirdly elongated—a long, thin box, unlike any of the others.
A short while later, I hear rhythmic clapping. I look up—and see that Akiko is the source.
"Okay, everyone!" Akiko announces. "So… um… it happened again!"
"Tell me about it," Tsubasa grumbles.
"Yeah—tell me about it!" Jeff cheerfully requests.
"There's not much to tell, unfortunately," says Naomi. "The only difference between this time and last time is that, this time, opening a present doesn't leave physical evidence."
"Yep!" says Akiko. "Last time, eight people opened their presents—but this time, everyone might have, for all we know."
"So… what happens now?" asks Yuna.
"That's up to our Captain, of course!" Akiko answers.
"Um," Mizuki says, trying to speak up. "Everyone, p-please raise your hand if you opened y-your present already."
Immediately, five hands go up: mine, Kenji's, Emi's, Shingo's, and Naomi's.
A second later, Jeff and Yuna raise their hands.
Then Momoka and Tsubasa.
Then Takeru and Jun.
Finally, Rin grudgingly raises her hand. Only Mizuki and Akiko keep their hands down.
"Th-thank you for being honest, everyone," says Mizuki.
For being honest? Wait… did Mizuki already know who had and hadn't opened their present? Was she just asking to test our reactions? Jeez… this girl is cleverer than she seems.
"Um," Mizuki says. Her eyes keep shifting between her hands and our faces—like she's trying to look up at us, but only sometimes succeeding. "For now, I-I'm going to open the presents, s-so that everyone can s-see what's inside…"
"Same order as last time, right?" asks Akiko.
"Y-yes. Let's d-do that."
"Okay! That means Rin Ono is up first!"
Akiko goes to the small table, grabs the long, thin box, and places it in front of Mizuki. I suddenly realize what this oddly-shaped present must be.
Mizuki opens the box, and pulls out—yep, just as I expected. A golf club.
"This is, like… a really nice club," Rin says, arms crossed. "Not thatit matters, since you're about to steal it from me."
"Um…" Akiko says hesitantly. "…Yeah, sorry, but… just like last time, we can't let anyone keep these gifts."
"E-especially not d-dangerous ones," Mizuki adds. "We must d-dispose of this!"
"Fortunately, today is trash day," says Naomi. "We can keep this golf club in the Captain's room until it's time to throw it out."
Rin just sits there, grimacing.
Next, Mizuki opens Kenji's present.
"Another book, huh?" says Tsubasa.
"What kind of book is this?" Shingo asks, leaning closer to see. "Is that supposed to be Japanese? I've never seen writing like this before."
"It's an ancient writing system," Kenji says excitedly. "It's pretty obscure, but—my last gift was a book on ancient Asian languages. If I use that book, I might be able to decode this one. And… there might be something useful in there."
"It would be like Monokuma," I speak up, "to leave a clue or something in a book like that." (I'm actually not so sure about this, but… Kenji looked so excited to decode that book. I just felt like I had to back him up.)
"We shouldn't throw this book away, then," says Shingo. "Perhaps we can allow Kenji to decode it under supervision—borrowing it from the Captain's room when needed."
"That s-sounds reasonable," says Mizuki.
Soon, Jun's present is in front of Mizuki. She opens the box, grabs the gift inside, and holds up… a bag of potato chips.
We stare blankly at it.
"More potato chips," Shingo says, frowning.
"Seriously?" says Tsubasa. "You got the same gift twice?"
"Not the same," says Jun. "These are barbecue chips."
"Why, what an interesting coincidence," Emi says, touching her cheek. "If I recall correctly, this exact variety of chips is available in the vending machine." She smiles coldly. "Of course, the same is true of your previous gift."
Jun shrugs. "Guess Monokuma cheaped out," he says. "Well, the bear knows me. I like chips. A lot. Can't think of many things I like more."
We stare blankly at Jun.
"Jun," Shingo says sternly. "If you'll recall, Ryu tricked us by replacing his gift with water bottles—items he obtained from the vending machine."
"Yeah, I recall," Jun replies coolly.
"We thought nothing of it," Shingo continues, "because you also received a vending machine gift. But Ryu's gift was fake. In this context, your original gift seems rather unique. And now you've received that same gift again."
"Not the same," Jun corrects. "Barbecue."
We stare.
"I can't help if it seems suspicious," Jun says. "Take it up with Monokuma. He picked out the damn things."
More staring.
"J-Jun," says Mizuki, "please s-stay after we're d-done opening presents. We need to t-talk about this."
Next, we see Tsubasa's gift: a book of poems.
"Yeah—I don't get it either," Tsubasa says, scratching his head. "I've never really been a poetry guy."
"Maybe there are coded messages in it?" I suggest.
"We can't rule it out," Shingo says. "This book shouldn't be tossed away, either."
Next is Momoka's present. Our Captain reaches into the box, and holds up… a pill bottle.
"Hmm," says Momoka. "They're sleeping pills…"
"They are?" squeaks Yuna. "Hey—let me see those!"
Yuna walks over to the Captain's seat, takes the pill bottle from Mizuki's hands, and inspects it. She opens the lid, and peeks inside. "B-be careful," Mizuki warns.
"These are sleeping pills!" says Yuna. "I recognize this brand. I—I think that these are actually authentic!"
"Hmm," Momoka drawls. "Can I keep them? I've had trouble sleeping…"
Yuna's sad gaze shifts between Momoka and the pill bottle. "Momoka…" she says. "I'm sorry, but—Monokuma isn't a doctor. You're not supposed to take something like this without a prescription. You could develop a dependency, or—or experience other side-effects. And… we don't know if you'll really… if we can trust you not to…" she trails off.
"Um," says Akiko, "I don't think normal side-effects are the issue here."
"For all we know," says Naomi, "those pills could be laced with poison. Even if they look authentic, we can't trust anything Monokuma gives us. These ought to be disposed of."
"Mmm," Momoka mutters, her face falling. "I understand…"
"But there are other ways to improve your sleep cycle!" says Yuna. "Like regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy diet every day!"
"…Mmm…"
Emi's present comes next. Mizuki lifts the lid, and takes out… a metal box.
"Another empty safe?" I ask.
"It is quite similar to my previous gift," Emi admits. "However, this safe proved to not be empty. Although I unlocked the door, I did not remove the object inside."
Mizuki gently swings open the door to the metal safe. She reaches inside, and pulls out…
"A key?" says Jeff.
"Let me see that," says Jun.
The key gets passed down the table until it arrives in Jun's hands. He looks closely at the small, golden key, inspecting it from every angle.
"Thought so," says Jun. He looks up. "This thing's electronic," he says. "The key shape's just for show. Whatever this opens, it does so by being scanned."
"Weird," says Tsubasa.
"But… what does it open?" asks Jeff.
"I'm curious, as well," says Emi.
"We shouldn't th-throw this away," says Mizuki. "I will k-keep it in my r-room until we can f-figure out… what it's used f-for."
She puts the key in the safe, and Naomi puts the safe on the table behind her, along with the other gifts we've seen. Meanwhile, Akiko takes a present from the table behind her, and puts it in front of Mizuki. "Okay!" says Akiko. "It's time for the moment of truth! Let's see what I got!"
Mizuki opens the box, and pulls out a compass.
"Another compass?" I say.
"Jeez—what's with all the repeats?" says Tsubasa.
"Well, this compass is a bit different," Akiko says, leaning over to inspect it. "The last one pointed north, like a normal compass. But for some reason, this one is pointing west."
"So… it's a broken compass?" Tsubasa asks.
"Yep!" Akiko says, winking. "But it's trying its best, and that's what counts!"
Next is Naomi's present. Mizuki pulls it out, and looks at it—her eyes widening.
"It's a horror manga," says Naomi. "Murder at Hope's Peak Academy. I flipped through it, and… it seems to be based on Ryu's murder of Hiroto. The names have been changed, but the story is essentially the same."
"H-how awful," Mizuki mutters, flipping through the manga, her face whitening. "Th-these pictures are so g-gruesome…"
"One thing I should note," says Naomi, "is that a few pages seem to be missing near the middle."
"I—I see that now," says Mizuki. "It looks like f-five pages have been t-torn out."
"I don't know why Monokuma would remove those pages," Naomi says. "They ought to show the part where Ryu hid his knife in his toilet tank. But, with those pages missing, the book simply skips over that part."
"How odd," Shingo says, frowning.
Naomi puts it away with the others. Then Akiko grabs another present, and puts it in front of Mizuki. "Okay!" says Akiko. "It's time for the other moment of truth! Let's see what you got, Captain!"
Mizuki takes off the lid, reaches into the box, and pulls out—
"GAH!" Jeff gasps, recoiling. "Don't shoot!"
"Fear not," says Takeru. "This appears to be a weapon whose purpose is to paralyze one's opponent—not to deal a lethal blow."
"A dart gun," Jun translates.
"Oh… I see," Jeff says, blushing. "S-sorry about that."
"You'd think an American would know the difference," Tsubasa mutters.
"It c-comes with d-darts," Mizuki says, holding up a long, syringe-like object. "Th-they already have… some substance inside…" She's staring at the dart with a deep eagerness—a barely-restrained hunger. Her eyes are large, and glowing with desire.
Jeez—first the taser, now this. Our tiny, soft-spoken Captain… really likes weapons, huh? You wouldn't exactly know it just from talking to her…
"Um…" Akiko says, covering her eyes. "Captain, you… really shouldn't make such cute faces in public. Some people might have trouble controlling themselves! Not me, of course, but—probably other people!"
"I… suppose we must d-dispose of this," Mizuki mutters, sounding disappointed.
"Of course," Naomi affirms.
"Th-though," Mizuki mutters, her eyes sparkling, "s-something like this would h-help me enforce the r-rules…"
"Naomi," says Shingo, "will you please take that thing away from her?"
Naomi does this, and Akiko replaces it with another present. "You're up next, Yuna!" she announces.
Mizuki opens the box, and looks inside.
"Um," says Naomi, "Momoka… what are you doing?"
Momoka is leaning over Naomi—toward the present—and sniffing loudly.
"Hmm," Momoka mutters. "Chocolate… and almonds."
"Wow—that's spot on!" says Yuna. "They're chocolate almond bites! A delicious and nutritious dessert that anyone can enjoy!"
"Nutritious… chocolate?" says Jeff.
"It's more likely than you think!" says Yuna. "Chocolate might be high in calories, but if you eat it sparingly, there are some health benefits. Especially high-quality dark chocolate—the more cocoa, the better!"
"I'm impressed, Momoka," says Naomi. "I couldn't smell them at all."
"Hmm," Momoka drawls. "My sense of smell is… pretty good…"
"As expected of the Ultimate Perfumer!" says Akiko.
Soon, Naomi takes the box away. Yuna crosses her arms, and pouts. "Ugh—it's so unfair!" she protests. "Now I'm totally hungry for chocolate almond bites, and I don't get to eat even one!"
"Fret not, my hungry friend," Takeru says, smiling. "By creatively utilizing the ingredients available to us, I believe we may be capable of brewing a similar concoction."
"Really?" says Yuna. "Alright, Takeru! You're the best!"
"Well, Takeru is the Ultimate Child Caregiver," I point out. "I guess it's no surprise that he knows all about cooking up sweets."
"That's right!" Akiko says, placing another present before Mizuki. "And now it's time to open Takeru's present! Maybe it's something food-related!"
"Alas—I'm afraid not," says Takeru.
Mizuki opens the box, and—very carefully—pulls out…
"Yikes!" yelps Jeff.
"Another ninja star," I mutter.
"These frickin' repeats!" says Takeru.
"Interesting," Shingo says, brow furrowed. "It's exactly identical to your previous gift."
"Indeed," says Takeru. "The world changes, yet my desires remain constant."
"All the other gifts are at least a slight variation, if not a different thing entirely. This is the only exact repeat we've seen. How peculiar."
"Sadly, the reasons for this peculiarity are beyond my knowledge."
Next up: Jeff's present. Mizuki opens it, and pulls out…
"Another repeat, huh?" Tsubasa mutters.
"It's not exactly the same," Jeff retorts. "Last time, I got a kabuki-style mask of Slicer, the bad guy from Adolescent Deformed Ninja Tortoises. But this is a mask of Amadeus—one of the good guys."
"A wise choice," says Takeru. "Though, I have always been more partial to Ludwig."
"I'm more of a Strauss girl, myself," I pipe up, refusing to be left out of this conversation.
Naomi takes the gift away. "Okay!" says Akiko. "So, um—technically, the Quartermaster's present should come next. But! Shingo spoke privately with the Captain and First Mates, and we agreed that—for reasons of security—his gift will not be shown."
"Um, what the fuck?" Rin grumbles. "You can see it, but we can't? Like… that's not a load of fucking elitist bullshit."
"I assure you," says Shingo, "there are good reasons for this."
"P-please," Mizuki mutters. "As your C-Captain, I hope you can t-trust me to make… d-decisions such as th-this one."
"We trust you, Captain Mizuki!" Yuna shouts.
"For now, I shall place my life in your hands," says Takeru.
Rin grimaces, arms crossed.
"In that case," says Akiko, "there's only one gift left. And that gift…" She places a present in front of Mizuki. "…Is Koi's!"
"Um!" I squeak, my face reddening. "Actually—can I do the same thing as Shingo, and skip this part?"
"Koi," Akiko says, looking at me apologetically. "If that's what you wanted, you really should've spoken to us beforehand."
Naomi sighs. "I'm assuming this is similar to your previous gift," she says. "In which case, perhaps we ought to follow the same procedure—with the Captain and First Mates looking, but not showing it to others if we find it… inappropriate."
"Th-that seems r-reasonable," says Mizuki.
"Don't worry, Koi!" Akiko says, winking. "This time, I promise not to laugh!"
…I'm not here, I'm not here, I'm not here…
Slowly, Mizuki removes the lid. She, Naomi, and Akiko peek inside.
Mizuki quickly closes the box, her face turning bright red. Naomi sighs.
"See, Koi?" says Akiko. "Just like I promised, I didn't laugh at aaaAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! IT'S EVEN BIGGER THAN LAST TIME AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Breathing is fun. I like breathing. I'm just going to focus on breathing. Breathe in, breathe out… that's all that matters… just breathing…
"MONOKUMA!" shouts Naomi.
"Ho, ho, ho!" says Monokuma, bursting through the door. He's still dressed up in Santa garb. "Merry Giftmas to you, too, little Naomi!"
"This has become ridiculous," Naomi says, scowling. "One time might be considered a fluke—but you've targeted the same girl for harassment twice now. What is the mindset behind this, exactly?"
Monokuma tilts his head. "Um… haven't we gone over this?" he says, the jolliness gone from his voice. "I already told you, my secret gift-choosing method—"
"But what does that mean?" Yuna interrupts.
"Last time," says Shingo, "you claimed that this method is 'almost like you're choosing a gift for yourself.' That's a rather enigmatic statement, however."
"It's no explanation at all," Naomi agrees. "Until you tell us what your so-called 'method' is, we cannot know anything about how it led to this situation."
Monokuma glares at Naomi. "You punk kids!" he growls. "You're trying to steal my secret gift-choosing method again! Way to ruin my Giftmas spirit! I'm outta here!"
He turns around to leave—but then stops. "By the way," he adds, "Don't forget—today is trash day. So, stay clear of the trash room at 5 p.m., and don't come in until the trash men are done. It's bad enough that they have to work on Giftmas without you cretins bothering them!"
He exits through the door.
"I still don't understand," Shingo says, deep in thought. "A gift-choosing method that's 'like you're choosing a gift for yourself'… surely, he chose those words intentionally. I've been trying to make sense of them for days, but I feel no closer now than I was when he said them."
"One hell of a puzzle," Jun agrees.
Meanwhile, Akiko is barely restraining her chuckles. Mizuki closes the lid on my present—slowly, staring at it with a wide-eyed look of awe and wonder.
My face is on fire. I've been humiliated yet again, but… whatever. At least it's taken my mind off of… other thoughts. Honestly, deep down, I'm almost glad for this distraction.
"Okay, guys!" Akiko announces. "We have some more things to discuss, so let's HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!" She pulls herself together. "S-sorry, Koi! I know I broke my promise not to laugh, but—it' all out of my system now! So let's move past this, and AAAAHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!"
Well, I'm almost glad. Almost.
I'm lying in bed, letting stray thoughts pass through my mind.
Ai steps toward the mound—
I shake my head, and stand up. Stray thoughts are dangerous right now.
Maybe I should go talk to someone.
-FREE TIME-
I walk aimlessly through the hallway, until I reach the staircase—and see that Rin is standing in front of it. "Hi, Rin," I say. "Are you up to anything?"
Rin snorts. "Yeah—I'm, like, so busy," she says, rolling her eyes. "There's, like. So many exciting things to do in here. I just can't, like. Pick one."
"Mind if I keep you company? Maybe it'll stave off the boredom a little."
"I was, like. About to stretch my legs? So you can, like. Join me, if you want."
Rin and I walk through the hallway, away from the staircase. Eventually, we're just walking in circles around the dorm area.
"So," I say, "how did you get into golfing? Did your dad teach you?"
Rin snorts. "My dad who, like. Went out to get cigarettes when I was five? And, like. Never came back? Sure. Big inspiration he was."
"Um… was it your mom, then?"
"My mom who, like. Drank all day? And all night? And, like. Scammed the welfare office so that she, like. Wouldn't have to work? Yeah. I can totally picture her on a golf course."
"I'm sorry," I mutter.
"Don't be. It's not your fault my parents are shit-stains."
I'm nervous now, though. Clearly, Rin's had a rough childhood. I want to learn more about her—but I don't want to drag out more painful memories. I've got to word my questions carefully.
"Um," I say, thinking, "well… how did you get your first golf club?"
"Stole it," Rin casually answers. "Not for golf, though. I used it to fuck up some punk kids."
Her words hit me like a truck. I'm almost too shocked to react. "Um… oh…"
"Yeah. There were, like. These asshole guys making trouble for my gang? And—"
"Your gang?" I interrupt. "You mean, like… a street gang?"
"Um, duh. It's not like my mom gave a shit about me. That crew was, like. All I had."
"But, um… when you say 'gang,' you don't mean, like… a criminal gang, right…?"
Rin laughs. "Jesus Christ, Koi. Sometimes I forget how fucking naïve you are."
"Hey—don't make fun of me! I'm just… not used to hearing about that… that kind of thing. I'm not trying to judge, or anything… sorry if I sounded like I was."
"I, like. Wouldn't give a shit if you were? But, like. I knew you weren't."
"So, um. Your gang…"
"Yeah. We had, like. A low-level yakuza connection? And he'd, like. Pay us for shit we stole, y'know? He's also, like. Give us drugs to sell? Like, y'know—meth, cocaine, heroin—"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" I interrupt, slightly alarmed. "You don't have to keep admitting felonies to me!"
Rin snorts. "Yeah. Because I'm so worried that you'll, like. Turn me in, or whatever."
I'm afraid to even ask about the golf club, at this point. But Rin continues the story anyway.
"So there was, like. This other gang, right? And they were, like. Trying to butt into our turf. They were huge assholes. Kept fucking sneak attacking us. So we, like. Decided to arm ourselves? So I, like. Went to a sports shop. To, like. Look for a weapon to steal. And the golf club just, like. Stuck out to me for some reason, y'know?"
"Wow… really… how fascinating…" I'm answering manually now, trying to pretend I'm not horrified to be hearing this.
"When the big fight came? I, like. Fucked a bunch of them up. Like, really fucked them up. Some of them had to, like. Go to the hospital."
"Oh… really… is that so…"
"This one guy, like. Tried to run away from me? And that's when I, like. Saw this tin can on the ground. And I just, like. Had this burst of inspiration, or whatever. Something, like. Came over me, y'know? So I swung my golf club, and, like. Hit the tin can. And my aim was, like. Fucking perfect." Rin pumps her arm, excited just from recounting this. "Even though he was running away? The tin can hit him right in the fucking head. And he went fucking down."
"Was he okay?" I blurt out automatically.
"Who gives a shit? The important thing is, those punks, like, never bothered us again."
"Oh… cool…"
"After the fight? I, like, kept thinking about that swing. I, like, practiced hitting more stuff with my golf club? And it turned out I was, like. Really good at aiming, and shit. Just, like. Naturally. It was the first time I'd ever, like, actually felt like I was good at something."
"Um. Well. At least one good thing came from that fight."
Rin snorts. "Um, were you listening? Lots of good things came from that fight. I got to, like. Beat up a bunch of assholes."
"Yeah… I guess you're right…"
Honestly, part of me is pretty disturbed to be hearing all this. Rin comes from a very different world than mine. A harsh, rough world where she had to struggle for everything.
And yet. Somehow, she overcame all that. Somehow, she ended up in Hope's Peak, as the Ultimate Golfer. As awful as her childhood must have been… it only makes her life's trajectory that much more impressive.
I feel like I got a bit closer to Rin today.
As we eat dinner, some people are talking about trash day. Shingo, Mizuki, and the First Mates had all stood outside the trash room at 5 p.m.
"It only lasted about a minute," says Shingo. "There was a loud rumbling sound from within the trash room. Then Monokuma allowed us to enter—and the dumpster was empty."
"It's too bad you weren't allowed to meet the garbage men," says Jeff. "I bet they'd be friendly!"
"Um…" says Tsubasa. "I… don't think there were actually any garbage men in there."
"There's no way," I add. "This school is supposed to be completely closed off. If they were coming and going just to collect garbage—that'd be too obvious an escape route."
"But, uh…" Kenji mutters. "If that's the case, then… where did the garbage go?"
"Indeed," says Emi. "It is quite a mystery."
"Enough with the garbage talk!" says Yuna. "It's dessert time! C'mon, Takeru!"
Yuna and Takeru pass around the chocolate and almond bites they made earlier today.
I take one bite, and…
"MMMMmmmmm," I moan, unable to help myself.
"This tastes way too good to be healthy!" says Jeff.
"It's perfectly okay to eat," counters Yuna. "As long as you don't overdo it!"
"All things are best in moderation," adds Takeru.
"Hmm…" Momoka drawls, holding the treat close to her face. "The chocolate smells a little different… compared to Yuna's present…"
"Really?" says Yuna. "I didn't even notice. It's probably a lower-quality chocolate—but I think it turned out fine, thanks to Takeru's help!"
"Hmm," says Momoka. "The almonds also smell a little different…"
"The… almonds?" Yuna says, taken aback. "What are you talking about?"
"Wait, wait, wait," says Tsubasa. "So—first of all, you can smell the almonds separately from the chocolate? And second of all—you can smell the differences between different batches of almonds?"
"Hmm," says Momoka. "I guess so…"
"Are you, like… some kind of canine?"
I laugh, and take another bite.
It's late now, and I'm alone in my room. Alone with my thoughts.
Ai steps toward the mound—
I shake my head, and think about the dessert we had, and the laughs we shared.
I cling to those thoughts as hard as I can. So long as I do, I might be able to survive.
After all—today was a little better.
Maybe tomorrow will be better, too.
Author's Note: you guys really like Rin, huh? Well, at least five of you do. Thanks for voting, by the way! There'll be a few more FTEs this chapter, with characters picked based on the poll's results.
"Chapter 1, Daily Life, part 5" was the last gift-giving segment, in case you want to refresh your memory.
STUDENT E-HANDBOOK: REPORT CARDS
~·~·~
Female students:
~·~
Koi Amaki
• Ultimate Fangirl
• 5'4"
• Eyes: hazel
• Hair: auburn; has an ahoge
• Outfit: navy-blue sailor fuku with a red necktie; pixelated Kyoko and Chiaki earrings; a pixelated Kaede pin in her headband
• Freckles
The protagonist. An otaku who loves the Danganronpa franchise—among other things.
Her gift: … (Previous gift: …)
~·~
Rin Ono
• Ultimate Golfer
• 5'10"
• Eyes: gray
• Hair: blonde (bleached)
• Outfit: a white button-up shirt that isn't buttoned all the way up, and a short skirt
• Tanned skin, and glossy makeup
A gyaru who was raised in deep poverty. Her golfing skills have brought her fame and fortune.
Her gift: a golf club. (Previous gift: a makeup kit.)
~·~
Naomi Shimizu
• Ultimate Mangaka
• 5'6"
• Eyes: reddish-brown
• Hair: red; tied up in a professional-looking bun
• Outfit: a businesslike suit
• An intense gaze
She's written award-winning manga since she was a child. Her works span nearly every genre.
Her gift: a horror manga. (Previous gift: a nice pen.)
~·~
Emi Togami
• Ultimate Origamist
• 5'7"
• Eyes: blue
• Hair: black; clipped up in a traditional Japanese style
• Outfit: an elegant red kimono
• A pink origami flower in her hair
She's often smiling—but what's behind that smile?
Her gift: a safe, and a key inside. (Previous gift: an empty safe.)
~·~
Akiko Narumi
• Ultimate Sailor
• 5'4"
• Eyes: pink
• Hair: white; pixie cut
• Outfit: a sailor fuku with a white top, blue necktie, and short blue skirt; a white sailor hat
• Very white skin
Despite her albinism, she's sailed around the world several times.
Her gift: a compass that points west. (Previous gift: a compass.)
~·~
Mizuki Tenshi
• Ultimate Moral Compass
• 4'11"
• Eyes: green
• Hair: light-brown; pigtails that begin below her shoulders and reach down to her legs
• Outfit: a plain, black dress, with a white collar, and a skirt that goes down to her ankles
• A pink armband
She's shy and quiet. But she cares a lot about enforcing the rules.
Her gift: a dart gun. (Previous gift: a taser.)
~·~
Yuna Koyama
• Ultimate Dietician
• 4'8"
• Eyes: violet
• Hair: violet; tied up in a ponytail
• Outfit: a white lab coat that goes down to her knees
• Tiny
She can be pretty annoying—especially if she finds you eating junk food.
Her gift: chocolate and almond bites. (Previous gift: olive oil.)
~·~
Momoka Ito
• Ultimate Perfumer
• 5'2"
• Eyes: dark-brown
• Hair: blue; frayed, tangled, and disastrously unkempt
• Outfit: a yellow sweatshirt that's too large, and a navy-blue skirt with little tears in it
• Looks like a mess, but smells amazing
She seems to barely have a grip on reality. As if she's drifting through life on good smells alone.
Her gift: sleeping pills. (Previous gift: ambergris.)
~·~
Male students:
~·~
Kenji Sasaki
• Ultimate Linguist
• 5'8"
• Eyes: brown
• Hair: black; slightly unkempt
• Outfit: a normal, dark gakuran uniform
• An all-around regular-looking guy
He speaks over 300 languages—but he's not much for conversation.
His gift: a book written in an ancient script. (Previous gift: a book on ancient languages.)
~·~
Jeffrey Silverstein
• Ultimate Kabuki Actor
• 5'9"
• Eyes: blue
• Hair: brown; short
• Outfit: white t-shirt, and blue gym shorts
• Strong-looking, though not too bulky
A good-natured, optimistic American who's loved kabuki theater since he was a child.
His gift: a kabuki-style mask. (Previous gift: a kabuki-style mask.)
~·~
Tsubasa Haneda
• Ultimate Speedrunner
• 5'4"
• Eyes: green
• Hair: yellowish-green; spiky; sticks out in all directions
• Outfit: baggy jeans, and a loose, black t-shirt with a game controller design on it
• Several earrings. A sort of punk vibe.
A gamer who's easy to get along with. He's very straightforward, and tends to speak his mind.
His gift: a book of poems. (Previous gift: strategy guides for classic games.)
~·~
Jun Mujun
• Ultimate Hacker
• 6'2"
• Eyes: brown
• Hair: black with blue highlights; hanging around his head in big, messy locks
• Outfit: jeans, and a leather jacket
• Tall and lanky. Bags under his eyes.
An enigmatic genius. It's hard to faze him.
His gift: potato chips. (Previous gift: potato chips.)
~·~
Takeru Tao
• Ultimate Child Caregiver
• (not a ninja)
• 5'7"
• Eyes: violet
• Hair: violet; sticking straight up
• Outfit: a full black bodysuit, and a green camo vest
• Headband has a metal plate over the forehead; the Hope's Peak crest is carved into it
He seems to think he's a ninja. Kids love it. His parents don't.
His gift: a ninja star. (Previous gift: a ninja star.)
~·~
Shingo Chiba
• Ultimate Accountant
• 5'11"
• Eyes: gray
• Hair: black; well-groomed
• Outfit: a black suit with a bowtie
• Thin-rimmed glasses
An orphaned prodigy. He's literally accounted for everything.
His gift: ? (Previous gift: a digital camera.)