Extract from article: 'Students from prestigious school missing' in the Towa Gazette, dated April 20th, 2019:
Twenty students from Hope's Peak have been declared missing after they failed to return to their dorms a week ago, after a whole-class road trip undertaken to apparently prepare for Hope's Peak's upcoming Reiwa Era celebrations. The students, ranging in age from 16-18, are understood to all be from Class 78-B and include...
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Messages recovered from the phone of Akari Kishinami, found at the accident scene:
[2nd April 2019, 21:30PM] Katsuya Komiya: So, you know how we need to go to Yodoe for Sen-sen's umbrellas, and we have to get a whole bunch of things from other places? =D =D
[2nd April 2019, 21:30PM] Lilian Lao: Yes, what about it?
[2nd April 2019, 21:30PM] Katsuya Komiya: Why don't we make it like a proper road trip? =D
[2nd April 2019, 21:31PM] Katsuya Komiya: I mean, Hatachii knows how to drive so we can borrow one of the mini-vans, right? =D
[2nd April 2019, 21:32] Azami Kishinami: We'd have to go through Kyoto to get to Yodoe, right?
[2nd April 2019, 21:32] Azami Kishinami: We'd be able to get more traditional-ish decorations and whatsit there! And we could do the tourist-y thing too!
[2nd April 2019, 21:32] Azami Kishinami: I mean I've been before, just not for the tourist-y thing! It'd be fun to go together!
[2nd April 2019, 21:33] Azami Kishinami: Also my sis can't be bothered to come on, but she likes the idea too :)
[2nd April 2019, 21:33] Rin Hatakawayama: yh I can drive, up for it if everyone else is
[2nd April 2019, 21:33] Sen'ya Ochiai: Yeah I'm cool
[2nd April 2019, 21:33] Sen'ya Ochiai: Also Komiya I've been telling you for over a frigging year I hate that nickname -.-'
[2nd April 2019, 21:33] Katsuya Komiya: Sorry, sorry! But it's so cuuuuuute! =D
[2nd April 2019, 21:34] Sen'ya Ochiai:…
[2nd April 2019, 21:34]Katsuya Komiya: But yeah, deffo we can go through Kyoto! =D
[2nd April 2019, 21:34] Lilian Lao: So, when are we planning this trip for?
[2nd April, 2019, 21:24] Katsuya Komiya: Uh, maybe this weekend? =D
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Extract from an email sent from the medical examiner to the detectives investigating the Class 78-B case, dated 6th June 2019:
…It is clear in my mind that every single one of these victims were murdered. However, from victim to victim, the cause of death differs wildly (for example Akari Kishinami being stabbed twice, whereas Sen'ya Ochiai was strangled). However, there is one common pattern, in that if you arrange the students in order of death, every alternating student's death appears to have been more akin to torture than murder-though even these torture methods seemed to have varied wildly from student to student…
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The letter sent to Akio Arisato from New Hope's Peak, dated July 12th 2039, and arrived at the Arisato household July 13th, 2039.
Dear Akio Arisato,
We are writing to inform you that you have been selected to be the first 'SHSL Lucky Student' to be admitted to the New Hope's Peak Academy, which is due to be opened next academic year. As with our predecessor, the Lucky Student is randomly selected from all the current high school-aged students in the country who are unlikely to be considered for their own Talent.
The re-opening of Hope's Peak as New Hope's Peak has been a long time in the running, and we are honoured to finally be able to prepare to re-open the school. Equally, it is also a honour to accept you as a member of this new school's first class.
More information will be sent to you in the coming months in preparation for your attendance. A new website and phone line has been set up for general information and inquiries, and the details of these are below. We look forward to seeing you next April.
Yours sincerely,
Kyosuke Munakata (principal)
A quick clarifier-though this story has started in mid-July, the Kochi festival referenced in the prologue is technically in August in reality. However, for the purposes of this story, I have made it such that it is a two part festival-one part from 9-12th August as it is actually, and another from 20-23rd July, which is the one Mai is going to. My only justification is A: I am silly, B: I don't feel like re-writing to correct it and C: It is 2039 in the present day of the story timeline anyway.
But anyway, this sort of chapter will be the 'special' chapters of these fics, and they'll probably be a little longer than this one. They'll pretty much have things the way this one does, but as time goes on there will be scenes from the POV of Victim characters too. I'm not sure how many I want to do, or even how often, but yeah, some updates are gonna look like this.
Also, the SYOC is still very much open-including the few I accepted, there haven't been many submissions at all so chances are quite good. So, er, yeah. Submit away :)
I'll leave it there for now-I hope you enjoyed this little chapter.
(P.S. Big thanks to Grampy for the title suggestion for last chapter!)