Danganronpa: the Harem Dating Simulator

by Pikamario999

Shortened Introduction to the Harem Dating "Simulator" System: "You are Makoto Naegi: the Ultimate Lucky Student! But was it really mere luck that brought you here, or was it because of destiny? Whatever the cause of you being here, with the help of the Harem Dating "Simulator" System, you are now able to do what you are supposed to do: Fight Despair and bring Hope into the world!"

Dedicated to Choose Your Own Danganronpa by AnonymousUserSecond, Epichaxboi, RikkiSnake, and Welcome_to_the_404 and both its current and former voters, Choose Your Danganronpa Path: Mysterious Lavender Lie by Iamtolazytomakeaname and KyokoK and its voters, Junko The Ultimate Sister. by 4Rys and Welcome_to_the_404.

In honor of the old Chopses Matter Discord server.

Inspired by SAO: The Eroge by SaintInfernalNeos, "The Hope Universe" by Vergilsama92, and Heart of the Infiltrators by MordinofSouls.

Disclaimer: Danganronpa was created by Kazutaka Kodaka and is owned by Spike Chunsoft. I do not own Danganronpa or any non-original characters that may appear in the story.

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[Loading Harem Dating "Simulation" System; Target: Naegi, Makoto]

The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area.

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It's like the school stands at the center of the entire world.

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It brings in top students from every field imaginable.

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A government-funded school of privilege.

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They say that if you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life.

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With hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the workforce every year.

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It was built to raise hope in the nation's future, which makes Hope's Peak a pretty fitting name.

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There are two things you need to attend this school…

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One, you have to already be attending high school.

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Two, you have to be the very best at what you do.

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No ordinary student could enroll here.

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The only way in is if you're scouted by the school itself.

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And standing there at the gate of the ultimate school filled with the ultimate students…

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…was Makoto Naegi.

[Loading: 100%. Loading Complete! Installing Harem Dating "Simulation" System…]

[Installing Affinity Scales…]

[Installing Information Screens…]

[Installing Choice Generator…]

[Installing TimeStopZone…]

[Installing Special Events Mechanic…]

[Installing Notifications…]

[Installing Menu and Options…]

[Installing Stats, Conditions, Abilities, and Titles…]

[Installing Shop, Currency, Inventory, and Gifts…]

[Installing Camera and Gallery…]

[Installing Achievements…]

[Installing Map…]

[Installing "To Protect He!%#%$&$(

[Install Failed!]

[Activating the "Anti-Cuckolding Rule"…]

[Downloading Help Information…]

[Downloading and Installing Other Modules…]

[Generic Installs Complete! H-Scenes Module Will Be Installed Later If Needed. Scanning for Franchise and User…]

[Franchise Detected: Danganronpa Multiverse. User: Makoto Naegi, Ultimate Lucky Student. Initiating Specific Installs…}

{Using Franchise-Specific Skins…}

{Installing Map Locations…}

{Installing "The Luckster's Luck" Ability…}

{Installing the Hope Stat…}

{Installing the D. E. S. P. A. I. R. Meter…}

{Downloading All Known Information Abo%! $!^ (#

{Full Download Faliure! Alternative Method: Downloading Individual Files of Information (Estimated Download Time: Unknown)...}

{Downloading Specific Help Information…}

{Specific Installs Complete! Loading Settings…}

{Scenario: Trigger Happy Havoc}

[Installation Complete!}

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[Location Discovered: {Classroom 1-A} ]

When Makoto woke up, he wasn't expecting any of this. He didn't expect waking up in a classroom, as he wasn't the type to sleep in class (even though science class really tempted him). He didn't expect the classroom to be empty, because that meant he slept for a really long period of time and no one tried to wake him up. And he certainly didn't expect the classroom windows being bolted shut. However, nothing in the "average" boy's life could have prepared him to expect what was in front of him.

[Congratulations, Makoto Naegi! You, And Only You, Have Fulfilled the Requirements to Become "The Protagonist" of the Harem Dating "Simulation" System! Bring Hope to All, and Grow Closer with a Harem of Heroines to Romance and Love!}

'What the heck… is this?' Makoto thought as he stared at the floating screen in front of him. The dark gray, translucent screen stayed at a comfortable "distance" from him at the center, and the content of the white text inside of the screen only made him more confused, 'Am I hallucinating?'

Makoto tried to look away from it and survey the room he was in, but the screen only followed his eyes and stayed at the center. After a couple more tries to get the screen off his sight that ended in failure, Makoto was starting to get a bit annoyed at the screen that was still facing him with intent.

'Hmmmmmm, it doesn't seem to escape my vision. So, how do I make this go away?' Makoto thought as he examined the screen. Now that he thought about it, the screen did look like it came from a visual novel. He had some experience with playing a few mystery visual novels, so he knew how they usually worked, with the text boxes and all. Plus, the screen, though still hard to wrap his head around, did tell him that he was "The Protagonist"; he could probably manipulate it into close or at least move on.

'What can I do to make this change, tell it to continue?' Makoto contemplated. Deciding to give the screen a command, he was going to open his mouth, but something strange caught his eye. Now, the floating screen was at his point of fixation, but that doesn't mean it covered all of his vision. He was still able to see the room through his peripheral vision, and he was able to catch a surveillance camera staring at him.

'It's just staring at me… menacingly,' thought Makoto, who was getting a bit uncomfortable with the camera, 'It's probably watching me. Combined with the bolted windows, something weird is definitely going on here. I probably shouldn't speak yet because the audio may get detected by a recording device I can't see. Maybe I should first try and see if I can change it by thinking of a command for it.'

[You showed Wisdom by thinking your situation through. Wisdom +1 Somehow, you were able to access this mechanic before even the "Heroines" mechanic, so good for you, I guess?]

'O-oh, so I'm probably right about the surveillance camera part. It's actually watching me. Now I'm really hoping I don't act weird in front of it, "Continue."'

[Introduction}

[You are Makoto Naegi: the Ultimate Lucky Student! You were an ordinary boy with average grades, average skills, and an "average" personality, but you were able to get into Hope's Peak Academy because your name was drawn from a lottery. But was it really mere luck that brought you here, or was it because of destiny? Whatever the cause of you being here, with the help of the Harem Dating "Simulator" System, you are now able to do what you are supposed to do: Fight Despair and bring Hope into the world!}

'Thank goodness that actually worked, though I really wonder what I got myself into. Am I supposed to be "The Protagonist" of a harem, like in those weird manga Komaru-chan reads? That can't be right, I'm just an average person, not that there's anything wrong with being average. I don't think a single girl liked me that way back in junior high; I don't think any girl here would like me now, especially since this is Hope's Peak we're talking about. And I wonder how a dating simulator is supposed to "fight despair" and "bring Hope", whatever thats supposed to mean. Still, it could be worse. I mean, it's kind of annoying that it's blocking my view, but at least it's not anything harmful, right?

The screen just "stared" back at Makoto, keeping its steady "gaze" on the luckster. This situation still didn't feel real to him.

'Still, I wonder if all of this is just a dream,' Makoto said before blinking, 'Okay, I am not dreaming, and this is all real. Well, at least I'm not getting my throat slit this time, unlike that day. "Continue."'

[Tutorial Mode: Activated. Think or say, "Menu" to show the Main Menu.]

'It would have been helpful to know that commands can be thought of instead of said back at the start, but at least this confirms it,' thought Makoto before deciding to continue, '"Menu".'

Almost instantly, another screen popped up in front of him. This screen looked like a typical menu screen that you would normally see in video games. There were several different menu items such as |Heroines|, |Gallery|... and a bunch of options that were just LOCKED? Makoto found it odd why there were so many menu options that were just locked, but it would probably be explained later so he decided to let it go for now.

[Tutorial: Think or say, "Heroines" to show the |Heroines| tab.]

Makoto complied.

[Tutorial: Heroines and Your Relationships]

[The |Heroines| tab shows the information you know about your Heroines and how deep your relationship is with each individual Heroine. Each Heroine has an affinity meter consisting of several levels, each needing one hundred affection points to advance to the next one. The higher your level is with your Heroine, the deeper your connection is with her. Here is your current |Heroine Relationships| tab; it seems as though you have already raised affinity with a few Heroines. Good job! Keep meeting more Heroines and raising their affection!]

LOCKED Until "Ultra Despair Girls" Scenario {Komaru Naegi: 20/100 | Level 2: "Totally Not a Bro-Con!"}

{While the term "Sibling Complex" is mainly thrown by insensitive, scissor-wielding psychopaths just to rile people up, it may hold a lot more weight when thrown at the both of you! You and Komaru share a bond closer than most normal siblings, and your level of open care for each other is enough to rub a few people the wrong way. The question remains, though: Will you keep your relationship with your sister as mere siblings, or will you advance it into closer, and more forbidden, territory?}

{Sayaka Maizono: 50/100 | Level 1: "Your Secret Admirer"} INCOMPLETE

{You and Sayaka were enrolled in the same junior high school, but due to being in different classes as well as Sayaka being an idol, you two never officially interacted. However, one fateful day, Sayaka noticed you nursing an injured crane back to health, and since then, she wanted to get to know the kind boy known as "Makoto Naegi." Unfortunately, the idol lifestyle keeps her busy with work and her manager wouldn't like her showing interest to any one individual anyway, so you two never officially interacted during your time in junior high school. The question remains, though: Will Sayaka never get a chance to meet the boy who caught her interest, or will you two finally get to meet each other at long last?}

LOCKED

'Sayaka Maizono noticed me?' thought Makoto, who had a faint blush in his cheeks and was growing a dumb smile. He then mentally slapped himself to snap back to reality before internally screaming, 'I mean, is this telling me my sister likes me? That can't be it! We are normal siblings with a normal sibling relationship! Sure, sibling romance may be a plot point in some of the manga she makes me read with her, but I don't think she actually would take it into real life. In fact, what if the affection here doesn't equal romance but just affection in general? Then it would make sense to include my sister, even though she doesn't like me romantically. That would also apply to Maizono-san, who couldn't possibly romance an average boy. That must be it, right?'

After a couple more minutes of reassuring himself that he would never, ever, EVER date his sister, the storm of denial in Makoto's mind subsided, clearing the way for his more logical thought, 'So, I have a few more questions. What does "Locked Until 'Ultra Despair Girls' Scenario" mean? Why is Maizono-san's tab labeled as incomplete? And much more "locked" information appears in this tab? Why am I blocked from information by the 'System', anyway? Maybe… it's a way to not overwhelm me as I start out? If so, then I guess it's really "nice" of the System to not overwhelm its "Users" with too much information. Whatever the reason, I wonder how I'll "meet more Heroines"...'

Moments after this second provocation of Fate, the door of the classroom flew open, and the floating text boxes hid from Makoto's vision, allowing him to see normally again. Then, a voice exclaimed, "I spy with my little eye… A-HA! Finally, a boy!"

"AAAAH!" A startled Makoto hastily turns to look at the door to see a strange, blonde-haired girl with a wide, toothy grin. She wore a black cardigan that allowed for a bit of her bra to peek out, a red miniskirt that barely covered her thighs, and black boots with red laces. In addition, she was wearing all sorts of stuff that made her stand out even more, like a loose, white tie; long, red nails; and a bunny and a red-and-white bow that she wore as her hair clips. It was clear that she was a very fashionable person, a girl whose beauty and charm is the envy of many others.

When he first turned to look at Junko, Makoto felt a spark of electricity shooting in him as his washed-out hazel eyes made contact with the girl's light blue ones, 'Wow, if eyes are windows to the soul, then she must usually bring fun and chaos wherever she goes, though something about them seems off, like they're slightly hollow. Though, what do I know about reading people? One thing's for sure, though: they are beautiful. Come to think of it, this girl really is pretty-'

"I know I'm hot as fuck and I certainly don't mind your cute face staring, but we haven't got all day! Mukuro-nee and the others are waiting at the main hall! Oh, where are my manners? I'm the one and only Junko Enoshima, the lovely Ultimate Fashionista. You are?"

"Huh-" Junko's words were enough to get Makoto out of his thoughts, "Oh, uh…"

Before the boy could get a chance to utter something, however, the world around him turned into grays of all shades, with the only exceptions being himself and Junko. She wasn't exempt from being stopped by time like the rest of Makoto's surroundings, though, and to his knowledge, he seemed to be the only thing that was moving in the room or even beyond it for all he knew. Even then, he could only move his hands, eyes, and mouth, allowing him to shout, "Huh, w-what's going on?"

[Tutorial: Choices]

[Congratulations, you have met your first heroine since the Harem Dating "Simulation" System has shown itself to you! The Heroines will make you feel all sorts of strange things, like a spark going through your body when you make eye contact. However, now comes the hard part, relatively anyway: Interacting with a Heroine. In major points with your relationships with Heroines, you may find it difficult to decide how to deal with situations that may involve very heavy consequences. Luckily, unlike a lazy Irish teenager, the System will give you Choices that will determine how you can act in these major moments. The world around you will come to a halt and Time itself will stop for you, giving you all the time you need to think through your choices until you are certain with your choice. When you finally finish making your decision, move your hand over the choice and press the option with your finger. When you gain more experience with using the System, there will be times that you will be left alone to deal with the Heroines through Special Events. However, since the System is still a very new experience for you, Choices will be provided in this instance.]

Makoto contemplated the information contained in the floating box in front of him, "That's… actually pretty helpful of the System. I mean, I don't think I perform well in difficult situations, so it's nice to have some options laid out for me. I just hope they're reasonable."

{Choice: How will you make your first impressions with Junko first and with the others later?}

{A: The name's Naegi. Makoto Naegi. Would you like to "get lucky" with me?}

{B: O-oh, hello, Enoshima-san. I am Makoto Naegi, and it's really nice to meet you. I hope we can get along!}

{C: Makoto Naegi. Ultimate Lucky Student. Lead the way, no time to waste since you're all waiting for me.}

Makoto quickly got to work, 'Alright, Makoto, these are the choices I have to work with, and this choice will affect my introduction not just with Enoshima-san but also with the others as well. Okay, first things first: I'm not cool enough to say A! Besides, what does "getting lucky" even mean? C is somewhat better than A, but it feels rude saying that to someone I just met, even though she was looking for me.I think B is the best among the choices, though the stutter at the start feels weird. It really resonates with me, like it's something I would say. I just hope I don't look even more boring than I already am.'

Makoto stretched out his right hand and pressed Option B. Once his fingertip touched the floating screen, he blinked and opened his eyes to see the classroom back to its original color. Then, his mouth began moving on its own, "O-oh, hello, Enoshima-san. I am Makoto Naegi, and it's really nice to meet you. I hope we can get along!"

An unimpressed Junko merely responded, "Heh, that's it?"

'Oh, she didn't like it. I guess I should say sorry for staring then,' thought a disappointed Makoto, who just added, "A-and for what it's worth, I'm sorry for staring, Enoshima-san. It's just that I've never seen someone like you in person before."

That statement caused Junko's eyes to narrow a bit and her wide smile to turn into a grin, "Oh, and what's that supposed to mean, Naegi-kun?"

"W-well," a blushing Makoto turned his head away from Junko before stuttering out, "i-it's just that you're so pretty I had a hard time figuring out what to say."

[Heroine Unlocked: Junko Enoshima]

[Congratulations! You are now at Level 1: "Kinda Cute, NGL" with Junko Enoshima!}

[+10 Affection With Junko Enoshima!}

"Wha?" Junko was slightly taken aback by what he said, momentarily dropping her grin, widening her eyes, and, if Makoto's eyes are to be believed, growing the faintest bit of a blush. Her stunned state didn't last long however, as she quickly reverted to her teasing grin, "My, someone's forward today! You know what, I'm starting to like you. Sadly, however, we can't dilly-dally any longer. It's already past 8am, and you're lucky the Headmaster didn't pop out yet."

"Huh?" said a confused Makoto who looked back to Junko, 'She actually liked it?'

"It was stated in the orientation guide! You know, the one on the floor in front of you," Junko continued on her mock offensive, "Don't tell me you didn't see it!"

"Wait, there's an orientation guide?" Since Makoto was too busy interacting with the System and the floating screens obfuscating his view, as well as the fact that it likely fell to the floor as he woke up, don't blame the guy for not noticing the pamphlet even though he noticed the camera before, "There is!"

"Oh my God, you didn't!" exclaimed the Fashionista, covering her mouth to emphasize her mock disbelief.

The Lucky Student picked the guide up from the ground and began to read it, "The next semester is about to start… Starting today… this school will… be your entire world? Do you know what this means, Enoshima-san?"

"Dunno, probably just means we'll be spending lots of time in school. Lame," said Junko as she skipped over to Makoto, shoving aside any chairs that stood in her way. When she was done clearing a path to Makoto and stood in front of him, she uttered the first thing in her mind, "Wow, you're short! Like, seriously, did you skip your Noboriyoku* capsules?" (Note: Not a real multivitamin brand)

"Well, actually, my parents preferred Yuukiiku* syrup. (Note: Also not a real multivitamin brand) It didn't work that well, as you can see," answered a slightly ashamed Makoto who tried to bring levity over his height, 'She's a head taller than me, and last time I checked, I was a clean 150 centimeters tall.'

"Eh, size doesn't matter for me, anyway."

"Huh?" Makoto did a double-take as he quickly turned his head up to look at Junko.

"Your shortness gives you cute points with girls. Take it from me, lots of girls in modeling go around dating short guys like you. Point is, Naegi-kun, don't worry about your height too much. I think you're rather cute because of it," finished Junko, looking at him and giving him a smaller, more genuine smile as she spoke. At the moment she flashed her smile, Makoto heard the sound of a camera taking a picture in his head, and his eyes momentarily saw a flash of white before going back to his normal vision. The result:

[Picture Taken: "Junko's Encouragement"! Picture Saved in |Gallery|!]

'Wait, does she actually think I have a complex about my height?' thought a confused Makoto as he stared at the notification that vanished when his reading reached the exclamation mark, but he then made an understanding smile, 'Well, it's the thought that counts. Enoshima-san's actually really kind when she needs to be, despite her… eccentricities.'

"Awwwww shit, I forgot why I came here," said Junko, who reverted back to her usual personality and looked at him, "Let's go, they're probably bored to death right now!

"Yeah!" enthusiastically replied Makoto, and so the two of them began walking to the main hall.

[+5 Affection With Junko Enoshima!}

---

[Location Discovered: {Floor 1 Hallways} ]

While Makoto and Junko were walking in the hallways, the former was navigating the Main Menu of the Harem Dating "Simulation" System. He was looking at the |Heroines| tab, more specifically at the new addition to the list of Heroines.

{Junko Enoshima: 15/100 | Level 1: "Kinda Cute, NGL"} INCOMPLETE

{A simple "random encounter" in the classroom was enough to kickstart the relationship between you and Junko. In her many years in the fashion industry, she met lots of different kinds of people. When she met you, however, she felt a spark go off inside of her, as if you were supposed to be different from the others. This feeling was justified, as you are one of the few people, aside from her sisters, who made her momentarily drop the mask she built, and as a result, you are now a person of interest to her. But will you just be a mere novelty to her, or will you be able to grow closer with her?}

'I'm really flattered by what the screen is saying, but I don't believe that I'm one of the few people who could make her "drop her mask". Maybe, if she knew more people, they could do the same thing,' thought Makoto as he read this in silence. He was walking in the hallway for a while with Junko, who was starting to feel something while walking close to him.

"I'm sooooooo booooooooored!"

"But it's only been a minute since we left the classroom!"

"Well it's the longest minute ever, and I need something to keep the mind busy! Else, the Devil's gonna buy all the shares of my noggin in a hostile takeover," replied Junko, who was thinking of something to do for a moment, then had a bright idea, "Say, Naegi-kun, you have a family, right?"

Makoto was slightly surprised at Junko's question, "Huh?"

"Family, you got any?"

"W-well, I got Mom and Dad as my mom and my dad, and I have Komaru as my wonderful little sister!"

"Heh, you're such a dork," Junko chuckled a bit at Makoto's words before saying, "Still, sounds like you got a nice family, huh?"

"I sure do! They really mean a lot to me. What about your family, Enoshima-san?"

"Hmmmmmmm…, well, I never really knew my parents. For as long as I can remember, all the family I ever had were my sisters."

"Oh," sympathized Makoto, "I'm really sorry for asking about your family-"

"What'cha sayin' sorry for? I was the one who brought up family talk, of course you'd ask about mine," retorted Junko, "You really need to stop being so nice, you know? Lots of people are gonna walk all over you, 'specially when you least expect it."

"Oh, heheheh," awkwardly laughed Makoto, "I get that a lot from people. Anyway, you must have really great sisters if you're able to be this cheerful despite not knowing your parents."

"Yup! Mukuro-nee and Ryoko-nee are the best! …Well, at least Ryoko-nee's the best, anyway."

"Hm?" Makoto was curious about that comment, so he asked, "Did your other sister do something against you?"

Suddenly, the conversation ground into a halt. The same Junko who had initiated it out of boredom just became quiet, and it took for a short while for Junko to just respond with, "...Just forget I said the last part."

"I understand," complied Makoto.

"...Thank you," spoke Junko in a softer voice, before shifting back into her more energetic persona, "So, yeah, my sisters are my world! I'd do anything for them! It's my God-given duty as a triplet!"

Makoto did a double-take, "T-triplet?"

"Yup!" enthusiastically answered Junko, "Mukuro-nee, Ryoko-nee, and I are triplets! I don't know what my parents were like, but they sure produced the three cutest, coolest, and most badass sisters known to man! In fact…"

As Junko rambled on and on, Makoto was watching her with a small smile as he thought, 'Enoshima-san really loves her sisters. I mean, I love my parents and Komaru (BUT ONLY as a sister, surely nothing else), but I feel like she takes it to another level. I could be wrong, but maybe it's because their parents were absent and they're the only people she has. I do wonder, though, was there anything that happened between her and "Mukuro" that caused a slight rift? I know one thing's for sure though: poor Enoshima-san. It must be rough to not have had parents growing up, and I hope that I can help with whatever is troubling her. Actually, since the Affection in the System can't possibly mean romance, maybe I can use this System to understand her problems and go through them. Yeah, that's a great idea!'

"Okay, now that you know just how amazingly awesome my sisters are (and by extension me)," Junko went from being energetic to dull, "I'm bored with this topic now. Next topic!"

"You got bored again?"

"Say, Naegi-kun, you know why I'm here right? That because I'm so fabulous, Hope's Peak wanted me as Ultimate Fashionista?"

"Yeah, you mentioned that when you introduced yourself, Enoshima-san," answered Makoto, before something clicked in his mind, "Actually,... now that I think about it, the name 'Junko Enoshima' sounds familia-Wait, you're the Junko Enoshima?"

"You're only reacting to who I am now?" said Junko in disbelief, kind of like when Makoto didn't see the orientation guide. However, there was one major difference in the scenarios: while Junko expected Makoto to not have read the orientation guide because she first saw it on the floor when she entered the classroom, she genuinely didn't expect Makoto's reaction to her identity to just come out now. As such, she didn't have the time to expect it, and so she just stopped walking and stared at Makoto with wide eyes and an open dropped jaw. Her hands made no attempt to cover her genuine surprise, and they just fell to her sides as she tried to comprehend the inner workings of the boy. Makoto felt uneasy (not out of fear though, strangely enough) being stared at by Junko in this state, so he just wanted to give an answer as quickly as possible.

"Heheheh, s-sorry, Enoshima-san," awkwardly apologized Makoto, thinking about the System, "I don't usually follow fashion news, so I only know you from the research I did in 3san after I first got my invitation to Hope's Peak, and I kinda forgot about that when you entered the classroom."

"So, when you first looked at me and heard me say my name, you didn't think to yourself, 'Wow, this is the cute and sexy Junko Enoshima!'?"

"N-no," Makoto was getting embarrassed over his mess-up, "when I first saw you enter the classroom, I was just s-stunned by how b-beautiful your eyes were."

[+5 Affection With Junko Enoshima!}

Makoto was surprised at the notification, 'Her affection got raised? I don't think I said anything notewo-wait, I gotta follow Enoshima-san!'

When Junko heard what Makoto said, she just continued walking down the hallway, looking straight so that Makoto wouldn't see the small blush on her face. Makoto followed suit, and excitedly asked Junko, "I still can't believe that I was actually talking to the Junko Enoshima!"

"Yup!" said Junko, who recovered from her shock, "From Red Ribon to NyonNyon, all the publishers are rushing at the chance to get my face on their front covers!"

"Red Ribon? I remember reading through some of Mom's old issues a few years ago. They were… how old were they? Seven, eight years old when I read them?" said Makoto with a thoughtful look.

"Oh?" Junko grew a grin as she teased, "And why were you reading through them? Were you looking to spank your monkey, you naughty boy?"

Makoto was confused since he didn't know what Junko meant, "What?"

Junko looked at him again, her grin straining, "Wait, surely you've rubbed one out before, right?"

Makoto's confusion grew even more, "I-I don't think I have, sorry. Is that supposed to mean something?"

"M-masutrbating!"

"Master… bait?" Makoto had an innocent look on his face, thinking about what the term meant before getting a rough idea in his head, "Oh, I get it! Is that what fishermen use?"

"Aghhhh, forget it!" shouted an annoyed Junko, "I wonder if you're just short due to luck and not due to hormonal issues."

"H-hey! I'll have you know I'm a perfectly average teenage boy!" defended Makoto.

"Oh, really?" questioned Junko, "Then why are you here at Hope's Peak? I wanted to ask you this from the start. You look too… normal, to be here."

"O-oh, I'm only here as the Ultimate Lucky Student because I won the lottery. Apparently, someone else was supposed to get the title, but the letter somehow got destroyed, so they redid the selection and pulled out my name."

"So you're only here due to luck, huh?" said Junko, contemplating what Makoto said. Then, she remembered the students waiting at the main hall, and the irony of the situation hits her, "Wait, hehehe, hehehehe, hahahahahahaha, HAHAHAHAHA!"

"H-huh?" Makoto was worried and confused at this sud, and he felt uneasy as the girl continued to laugh, 'W-why is Junko laughing like that? Is it because I'm not a proper Ultimate?'

"Well, isn't it your lucky day, Naegi-kun?" remarked Junko in a joking manner, "Now's your chance to get lucky with some lovely ladies! And you won't have to worry about any competition!"

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you see-"

"Junko, you're back. Don't just wander around like that," worriedly said a third voice, interrupting the conversation.

Makoto looked at the person, a girl who was about the same height as Junko. Her body was… slender, to say the least, and her build was quite athletic, though the thinness of it made Makoto a bit worried. She wore black, high military boots, a dark brown pleated skirt, and a military vest over a white blouse. She had short black hair in a bob and purple-gray eyes, and many freckles adorned her face across the bridge of her nose. Actually, now that Makoto thought about it, her face looked kind of similar to Junko…

"Geez, Mukuro-nee, I'm not a little kid!" retorted an annoyed Junko, "Besides, you would know a lot about wandering off. Anyway, Naegi-kun, we have arrived outside of the main hall! Thank you for choosing the Junko Enoshima Express!"

The black-haired girl who Junko called "Mukuro-nee" looked at me and, with a formal tone, said, "Forgive my sister, she usually doesn't control herself, Naegi-kun, was it?"

"O-oh, I don't mind. She's really fun to be around and I enjoyed walking with her! I'm Makoto Naegi, by the way. It's nice to meet you!" cheerfully introduced Makoto as he extended his right hand for a handshake.

However, as soon as, "She's really fun to be around," was spoken, time felt like it ground to a halt for the black-haired girl as she meticulously analyzed the boy due to the statement, 'Suspicious statement detected, defense mode activated. Determining threat level: Analyzing body… below average height, apparent scrawny build, no abnormalities. Analyzing clothes… red sneakers, black jeans, black jacket over green hoodie, no abnormalities. Analyzing posture… average, no abnormalities. Conclusion: Low Threat if deemed hostile. Determining hostility: Analyzing voice… friendly tone, no apparent Analyzing face-'

"Don't you know what a handshake is, Mukuro-nee?" scolded Junko, "You've been staring at him weirdly for over ten seconds and leaving the poor boy hanging!"

"H-huh?" Mukuro snapped out of her analysis.

"I-it's fine, Enoshima-san. Maybe your sister just doesn't like me," said Makoto with a slightly strained smile, a little disappointment leaking in his voice as he slowly withdrew his hand. However, he stopped in slight surprise as he felt something unusually soft grab his hand and begin to slowly move it up and down. He turned to look at his hand to see another hand with a weird wolf tattoo shaking it. The black-haired girl was finally shaking his hand!

"O-o-oh," apologized Mukuro, blushing a bit in embarrassment as she began to shake his hand, "my name is Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier. Forgive me for my inaction, Naegi-kun. My mind was preoccupied with things…"

At Mukuro's reciprocation, joy returned to Makoto's face in full force, and replied to Mukuro with a bright smile, "No worries, Ikusaba-san, I just hope we can get along!"

[Heroine Unlocked: Mukuro Ikusaba}

[Congratulations! You are now at Level 1: "Privately Touched" with Mukuro Ikusaba!}

[+20 Affection With Mukuro Ikusaba!}

'Cute,' repeated Mukuro in her mind as she finished her analysis of the boy, a very faint red in her cheeks.

Meanwhile, both confusion and realization creeped into Makoto's mind, 'That's weird. Why did the affection level shoot so high? Enoshima-san only went up by 10 in our first interaction, and. Actually, come to think of it, why is her surname Ikusaba and not Enoshima? Aren't they supposed to be sisters? And she's the Ultimate Soldier too… I don't think I ever saw that title pop up in the threads. Hope's Peak probably wanted to keep Ikusaba-san a secret until the first day of school, and really, I can't blame them. I mean, they already caused massive stirs in letting certain students attend in previous years; letting the "Ultimate Soldier" in was gonna raise so many questions. Anyways, it's really nice to meet Ikusaba-san. She has this cool, no-nonsense aura that really highlights her expertise, compared to Enoshima-san's fun and wackiness. I wonder what their other sister is like-'

"I don't know what's worse," finally spoke an annoyed Junko as she manually separated Mukuro's and Makoto's hands apart, "the fact that the two of you have been shaking hands for over a minute, or the fact that you two kinda forgot I'm here."

"O-oh, eheheh, sorry about that, Enoshima-san," Makoto awkwardly apologized, 'I gotta stop monologuing so often.'

Mukuro just kept silent and returned to her normal, but if one were to be especially observant, you would see a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

As Junko grabbed Makoto's wrist and began to drag him (and the poor boy followed), she decided to tease him, "Well, Naegi-kun, was my sister really that soft, and warm?"

"W-w-what?"

"Her hand, I mean," Junko flashed him a grin, though Makoto could see a slight strain in it, "and here I thought we had something special. Anyway, I'm getting bored standing outside the main hall. It's time to meet your classmates, lucky Naegi-kun!"

[Location Discovered: {Entrance Hall} ]

Makoto didn't even get the chance to react as Junko kicked open the doors to the entrance hall (don't worry, Mukuro checked to make sure no permanent damage was done to the frames and the hinges). Immediately, the people in the room turned to the door to see the brazenly smiling girl dragging the very embarrassed boy inside the room. Makoto got a good look at his apparent classmates, trying to overcome the sheer awkwardness of their staring. When he was done scoping out the room and its people, he had one thing in his mind:

'Why am I the only boy here?'

Makoto didn't get the chance to do more internal monologuing however, as Junko let go of his wrist and began to loudly announce, "I, the great and mighty Junko Enoshima, have returned from my long and arduous journey into the vast unknown depths of the-"

"Hey, what's the big idea? You almost gave us heart attacks back there!" yelled an annoyed tan-skinned girl wearing a red jacket and had her hair tied up in a high-curled ponytail.

"Let me make my grand introduction, damnit!" retorted a miffed Junko, "You should learn to read the room, you know?"

"Oh my," expressed a black-haired girl wearing a gothic lolita outfit, annoyance clear in her voice, "despite being the Ultimate Fashionista, you don't look at many mirrors, do you?"

"Well, at least I see my reflection in them unlike you, probably…"

"And what, pray tell, is the intended meaning of that statement?"

As Junko and the two other girls began their back-and-forth argument, Makoto was watching the scene unfold, rubbing the wrist Junko tightly grabbed and getting second-hand embarrassment from them trading insults. Then, suddenly, he felt a tug on his jacket from the other side. He turned to see a light-brown haired girl with hazel eyes looking away from him with a blush on her cheeks. She wore a long-sleeved dark green jacket with a white collar and yoke, a mid-thigh length brown skirt, black socks that reached her knees, and white shoes. She began to speak in a soft, shy voice, "U-umm, h-hello, it's nice to meet y-you. My name is Chihiro Fujisaki…"

'Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer,' thought Makoto, 'the textboards said that due to her timid little bunny-type schtick, she garnered a lot of adoration from her legions of fans. Somehow, the fact that she created many useful computer programs was only a secondary reason. And I have to say, I can kind of get why.'

"I-it's nice to meet you too," awkwardly answered Makoto, his voice barely being made out due to the loudness of the argument of the three girls, "my name is Makoto Naegi, and I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student. Sorry for almost being late, a bunch of stuff happened, and I woke up in the middle of a classroom, heheh…"

"H-huh? You too?" She seemed surprised.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"W-well, everyone here also woke up alone in a room, i-including me," said Chihiro, a few tears threatening to leak from her face, "W-when I woke up, I was so s-scared…"

"O-oh, don't cry, Fujisaki-san!" Makoto hastily comforted Chihiro, "We'll figure out what's going on here."

"W-we will?"

"Y-yeah, hopefully," Makoto was honestly unsure, but he had to stop Chihiro from crying.

Thankfully for Makoto, it worked, as Chihiro's eyes stopped threatening to tear up. Her head turned to Makoto, and Chihiro gave him a happy smile as she said, "I'm really glad you were here to comfort me, Naegi-kun…"

'I'm beginning to see why her fans like her so much,' thought Makoto as he looked at the girl, a small blush forming on his face, 'but I wonder why the System hasn't fired yet. Maybe I just wasn't able to raise her affection, or maybe not every girl is labeled as a Heroine.'

"Okay, now that's sweet and all, but you really have a tendency to forget others in the room, don't you, dear Naegi-kun?" interrupted Junko who grabbed Makoto's wrist in front of Chihiro who had "her" mouth open in surprise.

"I-I thought you were busy arguing with the two other women!"

"Got bored arguing so I just shut them off. Anyways, I brought your cute ass here so that you can meet the others, not so that you can play hero with the only girl here that's shorter than you!" there was an annoyance in Junko's voice that Makoto didn't understand.

"Oh, hehe, sorry, Enoshima-san," Makoto used his free hand to rub the back of his head in embarrassment, "I'm not used to meeting such amazing people like Fujisaki-san, Ikusaba-san, or you."

[+2 Affection With Junko Enoshima!}

"...Hmph, you're lucky you included me," Junko rolled her eyes as she said this, a small smile on her lips, "else I would smack you for, uh, taking forever with Fujisaki-san. God, I hope you double-time with others…"

Something fired in Makoto's mind suggesting that Junko wasn't being 100% honest about her reasoning, but he decided to just follow her and introduce himself to the others.

---

"Hi, I'm Sayaka Maizono. I look forward to getting to know you!" sweetly introduced a pale, slim, dark blue-haired girl who Makoto recognized as the Ultimate Pop Sensation. She wore a white sailor school uniform and a blue skirt, thigh-high socks, and dark brown shoes. There was a visible purity in the way she presented herself, like she was a doll to be taken care of, or a religious icon to be worshiped. Nah, that can't be, not even her most rabid fans would ever dedicate a whole church to her like she was some sort of goddess, right?

"I'm just a human, you know?"

"H-huh?" expressed a confused Makoto, "Did I say something wrong, Maizono-san?"

Sayaka's eyes slightly widened for a bit before going back to normal as she brushed it off with a smile, "Sorry, Naegi-kun, there was just something in my mind. Anyways, you were in Blackroot Junior High too, right?"

"Y-yeah, but if I remember correctly, you were in Class 4, while I was in Class 2."

"Yes, that is correct," confirmed Sayaka, "I actually really wanted to talk to you all this time, but I was unable to back then due to the circumstances."

"Really?" asked Makoto as he thought, 'The System actually was right. I can't believe it, I'm talking to the Sayaka Maizono, and she actually noticed me back in junior high! Komaru's going to be soooo jealous of me. Actually, maybe I should get an autograph for her!'

"Yeah!" replied Sayaka, "And sure, do you have a pen and paper?"

"H-huh?" Makoto was surprised, "Did I say my thoughts out loud?"

"Nope, I'm just psychic," said Sayaka with a straight face.

"Ehhhh?" let out a surprised Makoto, 'Does she know…?'

"Just kidding!" Sayaka flashed him a smile, "I just have a really good intuition."

"Wow, you sure got me, Maizono-san," Makoto let out a chuckle before he sighed in relief. Then, he began rummaging through his jacket pockets to prove his point, "Anyway, I'm sorry, but I don't have any- huh?"

Expecting to find nothing, Makoto found two things that were strangely in his jacket pockets. In his left pocket, he found a notepad with a green cover that you could usually find in a store. Strangely enough, although the cover said "200 Pages", it looked like there were only about fifty pages connected to the spiral spine, suggesting that most of the pages were ripped off and it has seen heavy use. None of the pages had any writing on them, though, adding to the mystery. In his right pocket, he found a ballpoint pen with a pastel pink and white-striped barrel and a clip shaped like a ribbon bow. Makoto remembered purchasing the AMHAH merch pen, but he didn't remember purchasing the notepad, and he certainly didn't remember placing the both of them in his pockets regardless.

"That's weird," Makoto voiced his confusion, "I don't remember placing these in my pockets."

Sayaka, however, focused her attention on another aspect of this strange situation, "Hey, Naegi-kun, is that an official AMHAH pen?"

"O-oh, y-yeah! It's a really nice pen to hold, too! Though I only used it a few times before, and I bought this mainly to support your idol group…"

[+5 Affection With Sayaka Maizono!}

"Awwwwwwwww, you're so sweet!" happily replied Sayaka, "I assure you, Naegi-kun, that all the money goes to making AMHAH the top idol group in Japan! So anyway, do you still want my autograph?" asked Sayaka.

"Y-yeah! Of course!" answered Makoto, giving her the notepad and pen.

"Alright, two signatures, coming up!" said Sayaka as she began signing on two pages of the notepad, "Let's see, 'Dance… in the… Garden!... -S. Maizono'... and… 'Aiming… for your… Heart!… -S. Maizono'. Add some finishing touches… and, done! Here you go, Naegi-kun, one autograph for your sister and one for you! Yours is the one with the hearts, since we'll be classmates after all!"

"Thanks, Maizono-san!" gratefully thanked Makoto, "I'll treasure this signature for as long as I live!"

[+10 Affection With Sayaka Maizono!}

"I'm glad I made you so happy, Naegi-kun!" When Sayaka heard Makoto's words come out, she gave him a smile in return. Unlike the normal smiles she gave in interviews and fan meetups, however, this one was different. Something in her heart was telling her to give a smile brighter than any she gave before this moment, and so she obliged. She gave him a smile that could overpower any stage light, and Makoto was left speechless, admiring the purity and brightness of her smile.

"Okay now," interrupted an annoyed Junko, "you got your autograph, Naegi-kun, now let's move on."

"H-huh?" Makoto was still too stunned to understand Junko.

"You heard me, now let's go," said Junko as she began dragging Makoto by the hand to the next girl, "At least that'll be a one-off, right?"

---

"N-n-not that you will r-remember anyway d-due to all the o-other g-girls here, b-but I'm T-toko, Toko F-f-fukawa," stuttered out a girl with long, dark purple hair, large wire-rimmed round glasses, and a small mole on the left side of her chin. She wore a purple Japanese school uniform with a very lengthy skirt, white socks, and brown shoes. She had a very nervous demeanor, fidgeting with her hands and looking away from Makoto as she spoke her words. The girl was wildly different from the picture of the Ultimate Writing Prodigy in Makoto's mind, but he brushed it aside; after all, he shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

"It's really nice to meet you, Fukawa-san," said Makoto with a polite smile, "You're the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, right?"

"Y-yeah, you g-got a problem with that?" Toko suddenly seemed a bit more apprehensive, 'Oh no, don't tell me…'

"N-not at all!" quickly answered Makoto, "In fact, I'm a really big fan of your work!"

That statement caused Toko to grit her teeth in annoyance as she began internally ranting, 'Goddamnit! Why did I publish that stupid, delusional novel? I would have gladly lived in a cardboard box if it meant not being bothered by so many perverts like this-'

"I really loved Blue Thread from the Scarred Mountain," admitted Makoto.

[Heroine Unlocked: Toko Fukawa]

[Congratulations! You are now at Level 1: "(Nicholas) Sparks Between Us" with Toko Fukawa!}

[+20 Affection With Toko Fukawa!}

"...H-huh?" blurted out a surprised Toko, her flurry of angry thoughts being replaced with a single line, 'This jerk has to be pulling my leg, right?'

"I read the novel for a book report in junior high," continued Makoto, "I didn't really get a high grade because I had a hard time expressing what the book's themes were in words, but even after the project, I couldn't really get the novel out of my mind."

[+10 Affection With Toko Fukawa!}

'He must have s-skipped major parts of the story, r-right? That's why he g-got an average grade?'

"I really sympathized with Kusugawa Fuyuko's struggles as she went through her school life, and it really hurt seeing every relationship she formed, from her childhood friend to the boy from the other class, stab her in the back."

[+15 Affection With Toko Fukawa!}

'H-he must n-not have finished all the w-way to the e-ending, then?'

"In fact, I cried a bit at the ending, where it was clear her suffering wouldn't stop but the book had to end somewhere."

[+20 Affection With Toko Fukawa!}

'S-Surely he must have m-must have at least h-hated the main c-character of the novel?'

"I just want the best for Kusugawa, she deserves it after all the pain she went through."

[+25 Affection With Toko Fukawa!}

'Oh my god, he actually read it. Someone actually read Blue Thread from a Scarred Mountain…'

"So, Fukawa-san," concluded Makoto, "I would just like to thank you for writing my favorite novel. I don't usually read books, but your work really made an impact in my life."

[+10 Affection With Toko Fukawa!}

[Congratulations! You are now at Level 2: "Therefore, Thou Art Romeo!" with Toko Fukawa!}

Toko was left stunned by Makoto's words. This boy. This one boy she had just met and was average in every way except height. He was one of the few people who read the novel she put blood, sweat, and tears into, unlike the hordes of perverts who know her from that work. More shockingly, he loved it! He actually loved it! He wasn't a professional, yet he loved it!

A strange but weirdly pleasant feeling started bubbling up in the writer. She almost never felt this feeling due to her background, and the few times she did feel this way ended up bringing her great pain, such as her first crush and her time writing that book. Her lips started creasing upwards, her face gradually grew warmer, and she started twiddling with her index fingers. Weird thoughts started forming in her head revolving around situations of herself and the lucky student, and as a result, drool started leaking out of her mouth and she started rubbing her thighs together. Toko Fukawa was very happy.

On the opposite end, however, Makoto was confused looking at the System's notifications, 'There must be something wrong with the System. There's no way someone's affection for anyone, especially me, could rise up so high, so quickly. It must be a glitch, right?'

The boy's thoughts were interrupted, however, by a hand starting to pull him away from Toko, who appeared to be in her own world. The hand came from Junko, who whispered into Makoto's ear, "Now's our chance to leave, Lady Killer."

Makoto whispered back, "Shouldn't we, you know, ask Fukawa-san if she's alri-"

"NO- I mean, no. Now let's get moving before she starts writing a marriage contract."

"Between who?"

"J-just follow me, damnit! End of conversation," whispered a frustrated Junko, before muttering to herself, "Seriously, how does he do it?"

---

"Heya! Sorry 'bout earlier, just got spooked, that's all. I'm Aoi Asahina, by the way! But my friends just call me Hina. 'Sup?" enthusiastically greeted a brown-skinned girl with blue eyes and brown hair in a very high curled ponytail. She wore a red jacket over her white tank top, blue dolphin shorts, and green sneakers. She looked really warm and cheerful, and she would be a great friend to have in general. Coupled with being the Ultimate Swimming Pro, it's no wonder why the textboards said she's popular to the point that many girls wanted to swap places with her, though that would just be a far-off dream for most.

"Y-yeah, I understand. Enoshima-san's entrance really was… something…," responded Makoto, "My name is Makoto Naegi, it's nice to meet you, Asahina-san."

"Hmmmmmm…," Hina took a more thoughtful look, "'Makoto Naegi,' how do you write it?"

"W-well, you write it like how it sounds," answered a confused Makoto.

"Alright, let's see," Hina opened the palm of her left hand and started tracing Makoto's name with her right index finger, "M-A-K-O-T-O…"

"W-what are you doing, Asahina-san?"

"Oh, don't ya know? You gotta write someone's name on your hand three times to remember their name!"

'I don't think that's how it works…,' silently thought Makoto as he watched Hina continue.

"So, first name is done, on to the last name. N-E-G-E-I-"

"Th-that's not how you spell my last name," corrected Makoto.

"Oh, sorry. Then, N-A-G-E-Y?"

"That's not how you spell it either…"

"Seriously? What about N-I-"

"N-no!"

"Geez, your name is so hard to spell."

"I-it's only five letters!"

"Then, here," Hina presented the palm of her left hand to Makoto, "Why don't you be the one to write your name instead?"

"H-huh?" Makoto was even more confused.

"Well, I spelled your name wrong three times already, so you should show me how to spell it!" Hina gave her usual cheerful smile.

"W-well, okay," Makoto brought out his pen and notepad to write-

"No, I mean on my hand, silly!" corrected Hina.

"W-what?" exclaimed Makoto.

"You gotta write your name on my hand so that I can remember it! A piece of paper just won't do, I'll lose it in no time!" explained Hina. Considering who she was, that was probably a reasonable argument on her part.

'...I guess she has a point, sort of. I'm only going to touch her hand, anyway, so it's no big deal,' thought Makoto before conceding to Hina, "Well, alright, if it makes you happy."

"I knew you'd under-" Hina's words died in her throat as Makoto's right index finger started making contact with her palm. At first, it moved slowly, dragging on her and teasing her with its almost tickling feeling. Then, it started gaining speed as it did both straight and curved motions, almost sliding through as it did its work. Hina felt Makoto's finger twist and turn, noting how it felt soft and warm, yet there was this firmness to it that she can't quite explain. Her mind was simply blank as she started to blush involuntarily, in part due to the sensation Makoto's finger brought her, though it was helped by her realizing just how embarrassing the situation was.

"...and done!" exclaimed Makoto as he finished writing his last name on her hand three times. He lifted his index finger away from Hina's palm as he playfully commented, "Now you won't ever forget my name! Right, Asahina-san?"

"...Hina," said the girl in reply, diverting her eyes away from him while having some red in her face.

"I-is something wrong, Asahina-san?"

"Y-you can call me Hina, N-Naegi-kun," the girl was acting meek, a sharp contrast from how she was acting before.

"U-um, alright, H-Hina-san," Makoto decided to give her some space, 'Wow, that was awkward… Wait, the System has notifications for me? Maybe they can explain what happened with Hina-san.'

[New Ability Unlocked: "A Certain Magical Index Finger (Soft Side)"}

[Congratulations! You are now at Level 1: "Who's Doing Butterflies In My Stomach?" with Aoi Asahina!}

[+15 Affection with Aoi Asahina!}

'W-what the? I "Unlocked an Ability?" WIll this explain what happened to Hina-san?' Makoto quickly checked out the new ability he unlocked.

[Tutorial: Abilities]

[The job of a Protagonist is a hard one, with trying forming connections with troublesome Heroines, maintaining your connections with other Heroines, and {fending off those who would try to turn your Heroines to Despair}. Fear not, however, for with Abilities, your job becomes relatively more manageable! When spending time with your Heroines, use Abilities to help with their problems, impress them with what you know, and just generally bond with them. {Inversely, use Abilities to win arguments, engage in political maneuvers, and even physically fight against Despair if ever the need arises.} Abilities are separated into Tiers, and almost all of them, barring certain exceptions, start at the lowest tier, Bronze. However, with careful and strategic use of your abilities, you will be able to raise them to higher Tiers. Do note, however, that repeated use of Abilities will lead to less effective and possibly even counterproductive results, so be smart in using them!]

{A Certain Magical Index Finger (Soft Side) | Bronze Tier}

{Your index finger is a weapon of peace, your index finger is a weapon of war. It can be used to endear as much as it can be used to antagonize. The Soft Side of "A Certain Magical Index Finger" allows you to show your affection to the Heroines of your life with just the tip of your finger. Touch them in their special areas with your index finger, and make them feel things they never felt before!}

"What's the matter, Naegi-kun? You finally realized you drew your name on a woman? On her hand, I mean," asked Junko as she began pulling Makoto along, looking at him with a smirk on her face but also a hint of worry in her eyes. From her point of view, he gave Hina space after she started blushing like crazy, and then he turned around and his face reddened as well. It was as if blushing was an epidemic, and it might as well have been with just how embarrassing that whole hand-drawing thing was.

On the receiving end of Junko's words, the red Luckster was, well, contemplating the given information, 'I am so, so sorry, Hina-san! I really need to make it up to you!'

---

"I believe we have started on the wrong foot due to the… eccentricity, of Miss Enoshima. Pleasured to meet your acquaintance, my name is Celestia Ludenberg," elegantly introduced a very distinct-looking girl with red eyes and black hair tied into two large twin drill pigtails. Black dominated her gothic lolita-style dress adorned with white lace, and she wore thigh-high black socks to complement her red shoes. Her skin was really pale, like all the melanin was sucked out of her, and her face showed no visible blemish, suggesting either copious amounts of makeup or a diligent face-care routine. Needless to say, Junko had some ground in calling her a vampire who looks like she would do awful things, and Makoto would be kind of scared to be alone in a room with the Ultimate Gambler, especially in a bathroom for some reason.

'Wow!' thought Makoto, 'I can't believe I would be studying with such a presitigious foreig- Okay, I don't buy it for one second, she has to be pulling my leg. I mean, come on, her name sounds like one of those minor villain aristocrat names from one of the isekai manga Komaru reads! Though, I do have to say, her voice sounds kinda familiar… Still, M1r4-chan taught me that I should "show courtesy" to people like her, so… what greeting do Europeans use again?'

The girl was getting a bit impatient with the boy so deep in thought, like he just does it all the time, so she commented, "I know many are stunned by my beauty, Mister Naegi, but a conversation must require two people."

Makoto replied by suddenly grabbing her hand and lowering his head to kiss it, by the palm, saying, "I am honored to meet your acquaintance, Mizz Rud-, ah, Miss Rudin- ahh, Miss Ludin-"

[Heroine Unlocked: Celestia Ludenberg]

[Congratulations! You are now at Level 1: "Her D-Rank Servant" with Celestia Ludenberg!}

[+5 Affection With Celestia Ludenberg!}

"I am… flattered," interrupted Celestia, her poker face doing well to hide her surprisingly pleasant surprise towards Makoto's actions, "by your attempt to act formal, but please, just call me Celeste. And please don't hesitate to use Japanese honorifics when addressing me, for I am still Japanese after all."

"You're Japanese?" Makoto let go of her hand and asked her in surprise, at the fact she just admitted to a fact that breaks her "Celestia Ludenberg" character.

"Of course."

"Yet, your name is Celesta Rud- Celeste."

"Yes, that is correct."

"...Can't you just tell me your real name?" Makoto was getting a bit irritated.

"My real name is Celestia Ludenberg, Mister Naegi," but Celeste wasn't budging.

So, Makoto resorted to a line he only used during his days of talking on 3san and online multiplayer games, "You're, you're… you're full of crap, you know that?"

It felt as though the world stood still when Makoto said those words to Celeste. Makoto realized what he had just said, and he covered his mouth in shock. Junko, who was watching the scene unfold, first covered her mouth in a controlled surprise over Makoto choosing to press Celeste on her name (I mean the name "Celestia Ludenberg" felt a little too perfect), but the moment Makoto said "crap", controlled surprise gave way to the real as her hand fell and her open mouth was in full display. As for Celeste? Well…

[+20 Affection With Celestia Ludenberg!}

"Pfffffff, hahahahahahahaha!" she started laughing out of amusement. Someone was pressing her on being Celeste, but he showed her courtesy as well, as misguided as it was since he kissed her palm instead of her backhand. What's more, Makoto just happened to use a line that reminded her of a boy, one she grew to like in a previous life,, 'Is this what you meant, S3eD, when you said that there is value found in the normal? If so, you were right, you were right…'

On Makoto's end, however, he was suffering major confusion from the turn of events, 'Why did Celeste-san's affinity jump that high? The System has to be joking like it did with Fukawa-san, right? There's no way someone gets happy from that! I mean, M1r4-chan would but I met her on 3san, of course she'd be weird… Man, I miss her…'

When Celeste finally stopped laughing, she slightly narrowed her eyes in amusement as she remarked, "How insolent of you, Mister Naegi… You remind me of someone I knew…"

Makoto, still confused by Celeste's reaction, just responded, "Y-yeah, same here. Your voice reminds me of someone I played with online."

[+5 Affection With Celestia Ludenberg!}

"Video games, how… quaint," replied Celeste with a wistful look in her eyes for a moment before announcing, "I believe it is time for me to depart. I look forward to getting to know you better, Mister Naegi-kun, and I will have my revenge."

Celeste started walking away, leaving a confused Makoto alone with Junko, who was just watching the whole introduction with a blank face. The latter took the initiative and broke the silence, "...Ummmmmm, what the hell just happened?"

Makoto just answered, "...I don't know, I just don't know."

"Still," Junko grew a massive grin as she told Makoto, "you got major balls telling the Ultimate Gambler she's full of crap. You know, the teenager who's somehow so good at gambling and probably knows folks in the criminal underworld. Guess you're not as big of a herbivore as I thought…"

"I just got used to saying that line on 3san whenever someone was clearly lying, which was all the time."

"3san…," Junko stopped grinning and began to look at the Luckster incredulously as she asked for confirmation, "You spent time in 3san?"

"Yeah! I even used the site to learn about you guys, remember? Their info had holes, though, since I didn't know anything about Ikusaba-san."

"Isn't 3san the same site that leaked Al Sayf base coordinates in Iraq, which was used by Fenrir for their operations?"

"T-that was only /a/! I mostly spent my time on /v/, the Video Games Board."

"And what, dear God, is "/a/" for? Discussing the army?"

"...Discussing anime and manga."

"...Of course it's those people. But point is, how the fuck is someone like you a 3san user? You don't curse, and you don't even know what masturbating is!"

"W-Well, one of the moderators was a 'devout Christian', so he banned anyone who said even a single swear word. I think he was charged for possessing, 'CP'? Whatever that is…"

"...I'm starting to wonder who's the bigger weirdo, Celeste-san, or you," Junko was in such a state of disbelief over Makoto, and can you blame her?

"Also…"

"What?"

"What's masturbating? I'm kinda curious…"

"F-figure it out yourself!"

---

"I am Sakura Ogami," introduced a tall, slender girl with white hair and pale blue eyes. She wore a typical sailor schoolgirl uniform, a white shirt with a blue collar and its sleeves ripped off, a short, blue skirt, and gray shoes. Bandages were wrapped around her lower arms and lower legs, as expected of the Ultimate Martial Artist. And, as the Ultimate Martial Artist, she towered over Makoto, standing over a foot taller than the Luckster, and Makoto's head only reached up to her chest, meaning he had to actively look up to her in order to not gaze at her… large assets. Makoto was certain that a girl like Sakura would be the talk of the town, she would surely have lots of people who would want to go after her, right?

"Hey, you," her voice was deeper than the other girls he interacted with, yet it was still certainly feminine, as intimidating as it was soothing.

"H-huh?" Makoto squeaked out, a bit scared of the Martial Artist.

She then started to poke and prod at his body, just suddenly touching him in areas such as the arms and chest. A flustered Makoto could only spurt out, "E-eh? W-what are you-"

"Muscular quantity and quality is below that of the average highschool student," observed Sakura as she continued touching Makoto's muscles, or lack thereof.

'Is she examining my body?' thought a confused Makoto, 'I'm not that bad, am I?'

"Hmph, this is worse than I thought," concluded Sakura, "You have an utter lack of muscle, and you're unfit to be my training partner."

'Oh…,' Makoto was somewhat disappointed, but then he double-taked at what Sakura said, 'Wait a minute, did she say training partner? Am I spared from a workout routine? Did my scrawniness save me? Yes! I'm saved!'

"Instead, I will be facilitating and overviewing the development of your muscles in the coming weeks." said Sakura as she just walked away in a slight worry over Makoto's health.

'...Oh, no,' In contrast to his previous relief, Makoto felt his heart sink a bit. Still, Sakura's introduction led him to wonder, 'Why didn't the System intervene with Ogami-san? It intervened with Enoshima-san, Ikusaba-san, Maizono-san, Fukawa-san, Hina-san, and Celeste-san. The only other girl who the System didn't intervene in was Fujisaki-san. I wonder what the reason is. I mean, do they share the same reason? That's probably it. On the one hand, I'm grateful that the System didn't show itself for once, but on the other hand, I feel… disappointed? That can't be right… right?'

"Awwwwwwwwww, is little Naegi-kun scared of the tall Ogami-san?" teased Junko, "Or are you just disappointed her panties didn't drop for you?"

"W-why would she ever do that?"

"Exactly," Junko grinned at him knowing he was too innocent to understand, "So, I think we only have one introduction left."

"With who?"

"That would be me."

It was at this moment that a girl with long, flowing lavender hair and purple eyes decided to join the conversation. She wore a dark purple blazer over a white blouse and brown tie, a short, black skirt, and knee-high black boots. In addition, she wore black gloves and a black ribbon as a hair tie, further giving her an aura of mystery. She held a stoic and confident demeanor with a poker face excellently hiding any visible emotion in her. She was definitely a person to stand out, and Makoto would think that many people would adore her from her presentation alone. Looking at the girl, Makoto himself swore he felt something tingle inside of him, as if she was someone special.

She quickly marched up to Makoto in front of Junko, the clacking of her boots being pronounced. Seeing her, Makoto began to say, "Oh, hello, my name is-"

"Makoto Naegi, I've heard," the girl interrupted him, "Kyoko Kirigiri. Ultimate Detective. I have been watching you ever since your entrance with Enoshima-san."

"Y-you've been watching m-me?"

Kyoko leaned forward, closing more distance with the already flustered Makoto, "Your every step. In the span of fifteen minutes, you have managed to seduce a Pop Idol, a Writer, an Athlete, and a Gambler, like a Casanova."

"S-seduce?" Makoto got even more flustered, "Y-you've got i-it all wr-"

"Couple that with the fact that you're the only boy here that we know of, and it's only logical that I keep my eyes on you," her gaze at Makoto intensified.

Makoto couldn't muster up a vocal reaction under the weight of her gaze, so he resigned himself in his mind, 'I mean, she has a point… I really am suspicious, aren't I?'

"As such…"

[Heroine Unlocked: Kyoko Kirigiri]

[Congratulations! You are now at Level 1: "Do You Hear the Canon Firing?" with Kyoko Kirigiri!}

[+50 Affection With Kyoko Kirigiri!}

"I want you… to become my partner in detective work so I can confirm your innocence," Kyoko then gave him a small smirk as she instantly grabbed Makoto's right hand, "Effective immediately."

Being a normal boy, Makoto didn't have the reaction time for Kyoko's hand-grabbing, doubly so as he was still processing the utter bombshell that was Kyoko's declaration. When Kyoko's fingertips made contact with Makoto's hand, however, the latter felt… something weird. It wasn't that that something felt very wrong; on the contrary, if only for a brief moment, Makoto felt as if Kyoko's gloved hand gave him a comfort and warmth that he was very fond of.

Then common sense kicked into Makoto's mind, "Ehhhhhhhhhhhh? A-a-a-assistant?"

"Why are you so shocked?" asked Kyoko as she tightened her grip a bit in reaction to Makoto trying, in vain, to squirm his hand out, "Detectives need assistants. Sherlock Holmes, for example, had Watson."

"B-but why me? I don't have any experience in d-detective work!" Makoto argued, his pitch slightly higher than normal due to his struggle with the strength of Kyoko's handholding.

"You have a ballpen and a notepad in your pockets, remember? That's a good start," countered Kyoko. She wasn't budging, and Makoto was starting to get a bit uncomfortable with the tightness of their handholding.

It was up to a still somewhat taken aback Junko to try and save his hand, "W-what are you doing?"

"Hmm?" Kyoko cocked her head at Junko, "Don't you usually stay quiet with an increasingly annoyed look as Makoto was seducing the other girls and only drag him off at the end?"

"I-I wasn't s-seducing them…"

"J-just let go of him, damnit!" yelled Junko as she took Makoto's left arm and began pulling to help him get out of Kyoko's hold.

"Why? Didn't Naegi-kun do something similar with Asahina-san?" Kyoko glared at Junko as she was actually struggling to keep her grip on Makoto and was holding tighter to compensate.

"Girls, please…"

"That was different! Naegi-kun agreed to it, knowing it was fucking embarrassing, so Hina-san would be happy!"

"Well, I believe that Naegi-kun would be happy to be my assistant. Isn't that correct, Naegi-kun?" Kyoko looked at Makoto hoping to prove her point, but instead, her face shifted to worry, "Naegi-kun?"

"Someone… please… help me…," Makoto whimpered as his right arm was being stretched to its limit, feeling like it could come off at any moment. Kyoko suddenly let go of Makoto's hand, feeling a bit guilty over causing Makoto pain, The good news was that Makoto's hand was no longer stretched. Unfortunately, however, Junko was still pulling on Makoto's left arm, so the force brought Makoto to Junko, and the momentum caused the both of them to fall to the ground, "Ahhhhhhhhh!"

When Makoto braced for impact, he didn't expect something soft to cushion his head as he felll to the floor. He began moving his head to figure out what that thing is, but he just received a moan in response. He opened his eyes to see what was going on, only to see Junko looking at him, red as a tomato.

[+3 Affection With Junko Enoshima!}

[Picture Taken: "Lucky Accident No. 1"! Picture Saved in |Gallery|!]

He then realized what was going on: his head was resting in between her breasts. His head was resting in between a girl's breasts. His head was resting in between Junko Enoshima's breasts. Most importantly, his head was resting in between the breasts of the one who tried to help him from the start despite her eccentricities.

You can guess Makoto's reaction, "I am so, so sorry! I really didn't mean to-"

"A-are, are you okay?" Junko just asked, her voice much more timid, her eyes looking away from Makoto in embarrassment.

"H-huh?" Makoto was expecting a physical beatdown, kind of like the ones in Komaru's manga, 'She's not mad?'

"C-c-could you please get off me?"

"O-of course!" Makoto tried to get up, but he still didn't fully recover from the fall, so he was only able to move off of Junko and land on the floor.

"Here," Kyoko offered him her hand to get up, "I'm sorry for all of that, Naegi-kun."

Due to what happened earlier, however, Makoto eyed her hand a bit wearily. In response, Kyoko added, "It won't be like earlier, I promise."

'What makes someone just grab a person's hand so tightly?' internally asked Makoto, 'Still, I should forgive her. She's probably just not good with people.'

Makoto accepted Kyoko's hand in getting up, and in turn, he helped Junko stand. While dusting herself off, Junko asked, "You okay, Naegi-kun?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," answered Makoto as he began flexing his right arm to check for anything wrong. He then looked around to see the others watching the whole three-person debacle, making him feel embarrassed, so he did some damage control, "I-I'm fine, everyone. Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure, Naegi-kun?" asked a still-worried Sayaka as she started looking at Makoto, "That looked like a hard fall."

"I-i-it w-was the f-fault of t-that h-h-h-harlot and her m-m-massive b-boobs!" accused Toko, pointing her finger at a still somewhat embarrassed Junko, "S-she w-was pulling on h-him t-too hard!"

"My sister was only helping Naegi-kun escape," retorted Mukuro who shot a glare at the Writer, who immediately crumpled in fear.

"Yeah! If anything, Kirigiri-san's the one who started this whole thing with the whole handholdng bit!" Hina pointed out.

"Also, relevance of the breast size, Miss Fukawa? Though," Celeste shot a small glare at Junko, "the landing position was quite unfortunate."

"G-guys, please stop f-fighting," pleaded Chihiro, a few tears threatening to leak from her eyes.

"Fujisaki-san is right. Meaningless bickering will get us nowhere," added Sakura, "especially when we don't know what is going on in here."

"Huh?" This surprised Makoto, "You guys don't know what's going on either?"

"Yeah," replied Junko, "I just woke up in some random room here. That's why I was looking around and found you. It's seriously really creepy in this school, now that I think about it."

"I tried destroying the metal plates, but I couldn't do it," added Mukuro, "I kicked and punched them. I even wanted to hijack the turrets here to, but I…"

"You… what?" asked Makoto as he looked for, saw, and got scared of the turrets guarding the vault door.

"I… don't know how," admitted a slightly embarrassed Mukuro, averting her eyes from Makoto's.

"Guess Iraq didn't teach you that, huh Mukuro-nee?" taunted Junko. Mukuro just looked away in more shame.

Kyoko gave her input, "In any case, there's no access to the outside world. Couple that with you being the only male here to our knowledge, Naegi-kun…"

"I-i-it's o-obvious t-that N-Naegi-s-sama k-kidnapped all of u-us here s-so h-he can m-make us all p-part of h-his h-harem," Toko started panting, rubbing her legs and salivating as she imagined Makoto claiming all of the girls in the room. Chihiro, who was standing next to the Writer, just distanced herself physically.

"K-kidnapping? Naegi-kun would never!" defended an off-put Sayaka, "Would you, Naegi-kun?"

"O-of course not!" was the instantaneous answer of the shaken Luckster, 'A-at least, I hope not. I don't even know how I got here. But now, I was given the "Harem Dating 'Simulation' System" and as a result, I'm now somehow surrounded by girls as beautiful as them,… am I… am I actually the one behind all of this?'

Then, all of a sudden, the television near the doors of the entrance hall turned on. The screen started out with pure static until a black, rounded, shadowy figure formed from the chaos. The speakers came alive as well, at first blaring out static noise, until a coherent sound, a robotic yet generically happy voice, came out, "Testing speakers, one, two, three… Testing speakers, one, two, three…Testing speakers, one, two, three…"

Makoto moved his eyes to the screen, feeling a growing uneasiness in him, 'What the…?'

"People, assemble in the gym," the voice spoke, then it repeated itself again and again, "People, assemble in the gym. People, assemble…"

"Sh-, should we follow it?" Hina asked the group, feeling more nervous as the voice kept repeating the same sentence over and over again.

"I believe we should," answered Celeste, her face showing no emotion, "if only to understand what is going on. Besides, I feel uncomfortable in a closed room with two turrets."

"I'll be waiting for your acceptance, Naegi-kun," Kyoko just started walking to the gym, keeping a stoic face. Work went first for her, after all.

"W-we should follow Kirigiri-san," suggested Junko, also feeling scared from what's going on yet unwilling to let Kyoko face whatever is in the gym alone. Before she could do that, however, Mukuro grabbed her shoulder to stop her from going forward.

"I'll go first, Junko," stated Mukuro.

Normally, Junko would make a snide remark towards her sister; this time, though, she just agreed, "Yeah, you do that."

Makoto himself was planning to go after Kyoko, but he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to see a scared Sayaka, whose face was practically begging him to let her come with him. Seeing her pleading face, how could he say no? "You can hold on to me, Maizono-san. I'll protect you."

[+5 Affection With Sayaka Maizono!}

He received a very soft "Thank you" from the girl in return. Chihiro, Celeste, Hina, and Sakura already went out in that order, so the only other person who hasn't left the entrance hall was Toko, who stopped her fantasizing as soon as the speakers went on. She was currently shaking and biting her fingernails, and her nerves were preventing her from walking out with the rest of the others. Makoto wanted to help her, so he looked at Sayaka who, with her intuition, knew what Makoto was going to ask and reluctantly nodded despite her reservations with Toko's behavior. With Sayaka's permission, Makoto asked, "Do… Do you want to come with us, Fukawa-san?"

[+5 Affection With Toko Fukawa!}

Toko jumped at the chance without a second thought, grabbing on Makoto's free arm, and the three of them started walking.

[Picture Taken: "Sayaka and Toko, At Your Sides"! Picture Saved in |Gallery|!]

---

[Location Discovered: {Trophy Room} ]

Makoto learned that walking with two afraid girls holding onto him was a difficult experience. His own walking speed was slowed down by Sayaka's and Toko's, and he felt that the two girls were dragging him down with how hard they were holding on his arms, though they weren't as severe as Kyoko. Plus, it was generally awkward to have a girl each on both of his arms, though Makoto brushed it aside. They were scared, and he had to help them; besides, it's not like it'll end with the girls receiving probably irreparable mental scars, right? Still, Makoto was struggling with the arrangement even as they entered the Trophy Room.

The room itself had many trophies displaying the achievements of former Hope's Peak students. It also had many interesting artpieces, so Makoto tried to distract the two girls from their fear, "M-Maizono-san, Fukawa-san, look! A g-golden sword! C-cool, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"N-n-no offense, b-but it l-looks o-obviously f-f-fake…"

'That wasn't very effective,' awkwardly thought Makoto, 'Can't say I blame them though, this whole situation unnerves me. Like, what's going on in here? I guess it's time to enter the gym…'

Makoto, along with Sayaka and Toko, took his final step in the Trophy Room to enter the Gym…

[Location Discovered: {Gym} ]

…To find only the others inside. The gym itself had several foldable chairs arranged in rows, and the stage had a large desk with a red cloth containing the white Hope's Peak academy logo as the covering and microphone on its surface. Kyoko was looking around, observing the gym for any abnormalities. Mukuro was circling around Junko, keeping an eye out for any threats that might appear, while Junko was just sitting down, disappointed at being scared over seemingly nothing. Hina and Sakura were just confused as to why they were called to a place with seemingly no one in it, and Chihiro was just standing there, looking at the stage. Celeste was the first one to notice the trio, "Oh my, Mister Naegi, how brazen of you. So that's why you were the last to arrive…"

"Yeah, I was helping Maizono-san and Fukawa-san with their troubles," explained Makoto, which resulted in Celeste just looking at him amusedly. Then, he said to Sayaka and Toko, "We're here now. You guys can let go."

Sayaka let go of her hold, giving another thank you to Makoto for his "protection". Toko was more reluctant, but she ultimately also released her grip. Now that Makoto was alone, he was able to contemplate the situation, 'Finally, freedom. It's nice to help them, but that was difficult… Why were we told to go here, anyway? No one's here, or maybe… maybe they're going to make their entrance right now.'

Confirming Makoto's suspicion, smoke began filling the stage, and the ceiling lights were dimmed. A few spotlights turned on, doing patterns as they made their way to the center of the stage. As all of these were happening, Kyoko, Mukuro, and Sakura were put on guard, while Celeste and Junko did their best not to show their unease, and Sayaka, Toko, Hina, Chihiro, and Makoto felt the fear come back stronger than ever. A trapdoor in the stage opened, and the sound of machines suggested the raising of something, or maybe someone, through the open trapdoor.

The figure in question… looked very much like a bear, similar to the teddy bears you could purchase from a toy shop. From Makoto's perspective, its design was split between the middle, with its right side being colored white with a black, circular eye, while its left side was colored black with a red jagged, horizontal eye. Strangely enough, its belly and its snout were not affected by the divide, remaining wholly white, and the color scheme was reversed in its teeth. Despite looking like a teddy bear, however, the figure looked as big as a normal person, and its presence only added to the unease of the people in the gym.

The silence was broken by Chihiro, "H-huh, a teddy bear?"

"Good morning, everybody!" was the robotically energetic first sound that came from the figure as it waddled straight forward, not caring for the desk in front of it as it fell over and was trampled on and destroyed. It walked so far forward that it fell off the stage and landed on its belly with a loud thud.

'What the… heck?' was Makoto's only thought so far.

The figure stood upright, again, then it continued, "I am your short and stout yet not so black-and-white Headmaster, Monokuma! You few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world, and to foster such splendid hope… you will all live a communal school life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school."

'This… raises more questions than answers,' thought a wary Makoto, looking at the others who weren't faring much better, 'The System is already weird enough. This just feels… wrong.'

"For this school year, we have separated the students into boys and girls into different buildings to preserve the dignity of the students as part of an experimental new method of conducting the development of our students' talents. Unfortunately…," Monokuma suddenly turned its head to Makoto, its gaze betraying a strange, underlying contempt towards him, "due to clerical errors, at least one boy was placed into the girls' school building. We at Hope's Peak, sincerely say sorry for our severe lapse in judgment. However, due to the nature of the school, we are unable to remove anyone within our premises."

Chihiro was just looking down at her seat, probably in fear; Makoto felt guilty for making her uncomfortable. The one beside her, Kyoko, glared at Monokuma, "And why is that?"

Monokuma just continued with its speech, ignoring Kyoko but answering her question anyway, "Due to the nature and for the safety and security of the experiment, we have decided to seal this building until the experiment's end to prevent contamination from outside factors. This means that until your time in Hope's Peak is over, no student shall be able to exit the building, and interaction with anyone outside the building is strictly prohibited. Not your friends, not your family, no one."

With that declaration, the fear that the students were feeling from the situation was finally justified. They accepted the invitation to attend Hope's Peak Academy, thinking it would just be a normal albeit prestigious academy that would set them up for life. Then, all of a sudden, they just wake up in a random part of the academy without warning and with no explanation as to what's going on. Now, the school tells them that they're now part of an experiment that they didn't sign up for and that they won't be able to see their loved ones until all of this is over, all through this overenthusiastic-sounding teddy bear? The situation was a powder keg, waiting to explode.

"Also, due to the long-term goals and theoretical nature of the experiment, estimated duration is… between three and twenty years."

The powder keg was set ablaze.

"Ehhhhhhhh?" shouted an outraged Junko, "We didn't sign up for this, you two-faced teddy bear!"

"W-what the heck? You can't be serious!" Hina was in a similar state of shock, though she exuded less outward confidence than Junko. Deep inside, they were both feeling similar levels of fear for the situation.

"No, this isn't happening, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…," Toko was in denial, refusing to believe what the bear just said and choosing to retreat into her mind. Sayaka's body was convulsing, and she was shaking her head rapidly, her pupils constricted and her face being grim.

"P-p-please, c-calm down, e-everybody," Chihiro was trying to ease the panic of the others, but since she herself had red eyes and her tears were flowing openly, she wasn't effective at all.

Even the more stoic ones like Celeste, Kyoko, and Sakura were visibly disturbed by the Monokuma's announcement, but they were able to somewhat maintain their composure. Even then, however, Celeste had a few beads of sweat rolling down her face, ruining her makeup a bit, and Sakura's hands were shaking, though not nearly to the extent of Toko and Sayaka.

Makoto himself was stressing out over this whole revelation, 'Mom… Dad… Komaru… Even M1r4-chan… I won't be able to see them again for who knows how long we're stuck here. I'm not even sure if they'll even remember me after twenty years. First, I get this "Harem Dating 'Simulator' System" that's, what, gonna help me get a harem out of the poor girls who got trapped with me here? And then… and then this? D-d-damnit all!'

"Not to worry, however!" the Monokuma just continued with its awfully cheerful voice, "All of your accommodations will be provided for by the Hope's Peak administration. This includes food, water, electricity, clothing, housing, cleaning, recreation, and all the other things you could possibly need. Now, let us all work together to develop our talents in the name of our Founder, Izu-"

Monokuma's speech was interrupted with a loud thud that caused it to fall over to the floor. Makoto and everyone else immediately stopped their panicking and turned to the source of the noise: an stone-cold Mukuro, with a broken folding chair, standing over Monokuma, who she knocked over from the back. She kept on hitting Monokuma with the broken pieces of her folding chair that got increasingly more broken each time she struck the Monokuma, the clanking noise proving that it was just a robot. In response, the Monokuma just started repeating, "WARNING, VANDALISM! WARNING, VANDALISM! WARNING,..."

"What are you doing, Mukuro-nee?" Junko screamed out in worry for her sister.

"Let. Us. Out," Mukuro however was too absorbed in beating the metal out of the robot. When the pieces of her chair were too small to use, she resorted to using her fists, making dents on the Monokuma. The air in the gym felt like it dropped twenty degrees, and the students' blood ran cold seeing Mukuro in rage. Most of the students either felt paralyzed due to fear of the Soldier, or they were still deep in thought, wondering how to maneuver in this difficult situation.

"Stop it!"

"Just stay back, Junko. I'll take care of this."

"WARNING, VANDALISM! WARNING, VANDALISM!"

"Get back here, you idiot! You don't know what it can do!"

"I failed being a sister once, I won't fail again. I will destroy anything that separates our family!"

"WARNING, VANDALISM! WARNING, VANDALISM!"

Makoto was watching all of this continue to unfold, paralyzed by fear of an angry Mukuro turning her rage his way, 'Oh, no! This is bad! This is very, very bad! Something wrong's gonna happen, I just feel it! But… what can I do?'

Then, the world around Makoto suddenly became monochrome, and any movement was brought to a sudden stop. Makoto was first shocked that this was happening to him, but he then remembered that this sort of thing happened to him once before, when he first met Junko. Though he was still shaken by how swiftly turned gray, he was able to expect what was going to happen next: he was going to be given a Choice.

{Choice: Will you intervene with Mukuro?} WARNING: Choices will lead to serious consequences. Choose carefully!

{A: Run Towards Mukuro and Tackle Her Off the Monokuma.}

{B: Do Not Intervene at All.}

'Are, are these the only choices I have to work with?' Makoto was starting to get frustrated from the stress of the situation, 'Two choices? The previous one at least had three!'

It took Makoto a "while" to calm down, which didn't really matter since time didn't move while it was black-and-white. When he calmed down, however, he began thinking it through, '...Alright. Let's try to think about this calmly. First of all, I knew it! Something dangerous was gonna happen! Now, what should I do then? With Choice A, I'm probably gonna have to face a very scary Ikusaba-san, tackle her even, as well as deal whatever unexpected is gonna pop out. In short, plain suicide! In contrast, Choice B sounds much safer. So, I should choose Choice B,... right?'

Just before choosing Choice B, however, Makoto looked around his surroundings for final confirmation. He saw Toko, Sayaka, and Hina paralyzed in fear of Mukuro, just like he was just before his world went gray, and Chihiro was especially crying a river due to the situation. Then, he looked at a visibly shaken Celeste and Sakura, with a stone-faced Kyoko just analyzing the situation. Finally, he saw Mukuro herself on her knees assaulting the Monokuma she pinned to the ground, her eyes looking for blood, while a horrified Junko was just watching in… horror over her sister acting so savagely. Looking at all of the girls, however, he started having doubts.

'...But is it really right to choose B? To do nothing while the others are this worried? I don't know how to explain it, but there's… something in me that compels me, to not accept just doing nothing. I'm not sure if it's the System or if I'm actually feeling something for the girls or what,' Makoto looked at Choice A as his hand retracted from the other option, 'What was thing the Introduction said? "Fight Despair" or something like that? If I choose A, I'm going to have to accept the System… but better that than letting this state continue!'

Makoto looked around again for confirmation, and any doubts he had of choosing A were cast down. So, he pressed Choice A, and color immediately returned to his surroundings. Immediately, his feet started running, faster than he could run normally. Makoto once tried to stop his running, but he couldn't, probably due to the Choice he made in the System. It was just a test, anyway, since he didn't want to stop running towards his destination: Mukuro.

"Please, Muku-nee, I want to stay here. And Ryoko-nee wouldn't want this, so please, stop hurting yourself," Junko made a final plea, tears rolling down her eyes as she was beginning to cry.

At the sound of Junko, her own sister, using her old nickname and crying over something she did again, Mukuro returned to her senses and realized what she had done. She turned her head up at Junko, and she said with a remorseful tone, "J-J-Junko, I-I'm sorry…"

While a guilty Mukuro was too focused with Junko, the Monokuma suddenly and quickly announced, "THREAT LEVEL: LOW. FIRING WARNING SHOT!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a spear flew out at a very high speed. It's aim was straight for Mukuro's body, and since the girl was caught off-guard, she wouldn't have been able to dodge the spear that she could have dodged normally. But then…

["The Luckster's Luck" has been activated!]

"Ikusaba-san, watch out!" Makoto knew he wasn't the best in athletics. Back in junior high, his performance was below average during PE class, and he didn't practice any particularly healthy habits. So, it was a surprise to him that he was able to run quick enough to reach Mukuro over the Monokuma, step on one of its arms, and finally use his momentum to push Mukuro and himself off of the Monokuma just as the spear reached the place where Mukuro's chest was supposed to be. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the situation, or maybe it's because the System temporarily boosted his physical capabilities to do the act. Whatever the reason was, Makoto was glad he chose A and saved Mukuro from a terrible fate.

[+30 Affection With Junko Enoshima!}

[+50 Affection With Mukuro Ikusaba!}

[Picture Taken: "Tackling the Kansas City Chief"! Picture Saved in |Gallery|!]

Makoto tackled Mukuro out of the Monokuma just as the spear flew by the place where Mukuro was but ten seconds ago. It was a sight to behold, and from the point of view of both, the moment they were suspended in the air felt like it lasted an eternity. However, gravity meant that this moment was not to last.

Both of them landed flat on the ground, Makoto's body on top of Mukuro. When Makoto recovered from the fall, he flipped himself off of Mukuro, and he asked her, still catching his breath, "Are- are you alright, Ikusaba-san?"

"Y-yes, Naegi-kun, I'm alright. T-thank you for saving…" Mukuro responded, looking at Makoto. But then, as she looked at Makoto's body further, her eyes widened and her face twisted into one of horror, "Naegi-kun!"

"What's wrong, Iku-ack!" Makoto tried to move, but he felt a sudden, sharp pain on his left side. He used his left hand to touch the general area of where the pain was located; he felt wet when touching the area, which couldn't mean anything good. He quickly brought up his hand only to see blood on it, causing his eyes to widen in shock and to try to see the place he touched. He quickly looked at his side, discovering a nasty-looking wound with blood flowing out. Instead of hitting Mukuro in the chest, the spear was able to graze the left side of his torso!

{D. E. S. P. A. I. R. Meter +3}

'AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Damnit, damnit!' Makoto was understandably panicking from the wound, which started to hurt more once Makoto realized it was there. He was seething from the pain, and more blood started flowing out from the movement.

Most of the other girls quickly rushed to the two of them as soon as they hit the floor. Since she was the closest to them, Junko was the first to see the wounds, and with shaking hands and wide eyes, she exclaimed in a horrified manner, "Naegi-kun, oh, God!"

When they bore witness to Makoto's injury, Sayaka and Hina started shaking in fear for Makoto and tears started flowing down their eyes, the former hastily looking for any handkerchief she might have and silently lamenting her lack of. Chihiro was also crying her eyes out, her hands covering her mouth in sheer horror. Unlike the other girls, Toko didn't run to check up on Makoto at all, yet hearing about what happened caused her to faint in overwhelming shock. Even Sakura looked disturbed at the sight, and Celeste had a grim expression in sharp contrast to her previous poker face.

Makoto felt someone softly grab his right hand with both of theirs. He ignored looking at his wound for once, and turned to see Kyoko looking at him in a visible worry, "Take deep breaths, Naegi-kun."

Despite everything that happened in the entrance hall, Makoto still trusted Kyoko, and he reset his breathing from hyperventilating to deep ones. He slowly started to feel a little better from it, and some of his mind's distress was taken away as a result.

Mukuro, laying beside Makoto, was overridden with guilt due to all of this, 'Not only did my impulsiveness caused Junko to worry for me again, but now I also caused actual harm to befall Naegi-kun, and I can't do anything to fix- Wait, wasn't there a Nurse's Office just across the Entrance Hall? I could use the Nurse's Office to patch up Naegi-kun!... Or, at least if it was open. I couldn't open it while I was waiting for Junko, and… I don't want to break the door because Naegi-kun might get hurt again.'

The Monokuma who she pinned to the ground earlier finally stood back up again, and he blared from his internal speakers, "HURT INNOCENT DETECTED! PROTOCOL: UNLOCKING NURSE'S OFFICE…"

With that declaration, Mukuro was almost grateful to the Monokuma. She quickly picked Makoto up and carried him bridal-style as she sprinted to the Nurse's Office as quickly as she could.

[Menu Item Unlocked: |Victory Conditions| !]

---

[Location Discovered: {Nurse's Office} ]

There was a very awkward silence in the Nurse's Office as Mukuro was tending to a topless Makoto's wound the best she could. Though her previous experiences administering first-aid were always quick and efficient due to being in a combat scenario, Mukuro took her time in this case, delicately moving around Makoto's surprisingly smooth and soft skin to clean the wound and dress it with some medicine. Still, looking at the depth of the graze, she grimly concluded that there would be a scar left even when the wound fully heals up.

On Makoto's end, he was silently looking at the new Menu Item that was just unlocked. With a name like "Victory Conditions", it had to be important.

{Tutorial: Victory Conditions}

{Despair lurks in the situation that you are in. It moves in the shadows, it strikes the hardest when you least expect it, and it corrupts all that it grabs a hold of and tries to slither into. Makoto Naegi, you must bring Hope to your Heroines and fight the Despair around you. The System labels the long-term situations where you fight Despair are named Scenarios, and the System generates several goals and objectives for you to complete as a guide. The more you complete, the closer you are to ending the Scenario and bringing your Heroines out of Despair and into Hope. Complete the Victory Conditions and lead the charge of Hope against Despair!}

'...Did it call me by my name?' thought a curious Makoto, 'The other Tutorial screens just called me "The Protagonist", yet this one called me directly by my name. Why? Is this there something special to this one, like it's just for me? Also, didn't I see the word "Scenario" before…'

{Scenario: Trigger Happy Havoc}

{GOALS}

Escape the Hope's Peak Academy Building

Destroy the Despair Parasite Within the Mastermind

Ignite and Maintain the Hope in Your Heroines

{GOALS}

{OBJECTIVES}

The Freed Britney

-Deal with Mukuro Ikusaba's emotions after the fact.

{OBJECTIVES}

Reading the goals, Makoto was shocked enough by the information to blurt out, "H-h-huh?"

"I-I-I'm sorry, Naegi-kun," quickly apologized a slightly startled Mukuro, "W-was I being too rough?"

"N-n-no, no, I was just, uh, thinking of something. It wasn't your fault," replied Makoto, "I-in fact, thanks for doing a great job so far in treating my wound!"

Though Mukuro was a bit skeptical of Makoto, she continued her treatment, giving Makoto time to reflect on what the System just revealed to him, 'So something shady is going on in here… and it's caused by someone infected with, some sort of… Parasite? Wait, …does this mean that, that one of the others is behind all of this? Actually, how am I supposed to deal with something I know nothing about, much less "destroy" it? In fact, how am I supposed to share this with someone like Kirigiri-san without sounding like I made it up? …I, I guess it's something I need to handle on my own first. But why do all of this in the first place? I wonder…'

"I'm done patching up your wound, Naegi-kun," stated Mukuro, her eyes looking away from Makoto, "Try not to stretch your left arm too much or the wound might o-open again."

"O-oh, uh, t-thank you very much, Ikusaba-san," Makoto got off of the patient bed he was lying on. Mukuro gave him a nurse's outfit she found while searching the room, because his shirt, hoodie, and jacket had bloodstains that didn't dry yet and smelled awful regardless (though he pocketed the notepad, pen, and especially Sayaka's autographs). He realized that Mukuro gave him a female nurse's uniform, but it was probably the only thing she could find since this was the girls' building, after all. So, despite his embarrassment, he wore the top since his jeans weren't affected by the blood.

When Makoto finished wearing the nurse's top, he gestured to Mukuro while heading for the door, "Come on, Ikusaba-san! The others are probably waiting for us in the g-"

Before he could go far, however, Mukuro grabbed his right forearm from the back, halting his movement. Makoto turned around to see her face so full of remorse, "I-Ikusaba-san?"

"I'm s-so-sorry, Naegi-kun… If I wasn't so c-careless, you wouldn't have gotten h-hurt," If Mukuro's words weren't enough to convey the guilt she felt, her wobbly voice would be.

Makoto tried to comfort her, "The s-s-spear, it came out of nowh-"

"I attacked the Monokuma out of a blind rage without c-considering the c-consequences. If I didn't do that, nobody would have p-panicked more than they already had, you wouldn't have rushed to t-tackle me, and that s-spear would never have been fired in the first place," Tears were starting to roll down Mukuro's face, despite her futile attempts to hold them back.

After a few moments to gather his thoughts, Makoto merely started speaking in response, "...It's true that you caused the situation in the first place, and though I'm lucky it was just a graze, it still really hurt…"

Mukuro started to look even more downcast than before, but then, Makoto continued, "But,... I just want you to know that I don't regret pushing you out of the spear's way."

"H-huh?"

"It probably wasn't the best course of action since we don't know anything about what's going on, and I don't exactly know what's going on with you and Enoshima-san. However, what I do know is that blame for this situation ultimately rests on Hope's Peak, or whoever is behind all of this. They chose to trap us in this school without our knowledge nor consent, they chose to use Monokuma with its overenthusiastic voice to explain it to us while not caring about our reactions, and they chose to install a mechanism that fires a deadly projectile somewhere in the gym. So don't blame yourself for this, Ikusaba-san, because while you had some part in it, my anger is reserved towards the one who started it in the first place!"

[+30 Affection With Mukuro Ikusaba!}

[Congratulations! You are now at Level 2: "Privately Touched" with Mukuro Ikusaba!}

[Picture Taken: "The Nurse's Office Declaration"! Picture Saved in |Gallery|!]

[New Ability Unlocked: "Friends, Heroines, Countrymen!"}

[Objective Completed: "The Freed Britney"! Performance Rewards: Wisdom +2 Charm +2 Hope +5}

Mukuro felt her eyes widen with Makoto's words, and then she hugged him, a rare small smile on her lips. His words weren't enough to remove all of or even most of her guilt regarding the situation, but it was as if a burden was lifted off of her heart, "...Thank you, Naegi-kun."

Makoto was bombarded by a bunch of notifications from the System, but it didn't matter to him. What mattered was that Mukuro didn't blame herself for getting him hurt, and he was glad that his words were able to reach her. This whole situation was a mess, and it probably wasn't going to end any time soon, but for as long as there was Hope within them, that there was relief at the end that they could reach if only they trust the goodness in themselves and in others, that they will be able to make it through intact and eventually, just maybe, defeat the Mastermind and escape the school.

Maintaining that Hope was to be the mission of Makoto Naegi, the Protagonist chosen by the Harem Dating "Simulator" System.

---

Wow, I finally did it! I've published my first chapter!

First, I would like to thank Vergilsama92 for allowing me to use some of his concepts and ideas for this own work. Check his work out with the Hope Universe on Tumblr!

Second, I'm not sure when I will be able to post the second chapter, and I'm not sure if it will be as long as this one. What I do know, however, is that I will take my time in writing this story, so don't expect any quick updates.

Third, this fanfiction was born due to Choose Your Own Danganronpa by Welcome_to_the_404 and RikkiSnake. If you want to see discussion for that CYOA and other CYOA's from different franchises (no harems, though) or if you want a place to reach me, join the Discord Server: /wFQmpASVdy

Till then, thank you for reading!