Author's Note: Woo! I'm almost done with the prologue at the time of posting this, but as you can see, I had to split it into two parts because it was getting too long and slowing down my word processor. Fun.
Reviews:
LuckyLucyy17: Thank you! And, yeah, I could have, but I thought cutting it off there was best. :)
Alright, onto the story. Hope you enjoy!
Mikan woke up on a desk in an unfamiliar classroom.
"Wh-What...?"
What in the world had happened? She definitely wasn't the type to just fall asleep in the middle of class, so...
Mikan slowly rose from her seat, her head still spinning a little. After collecting her thoughts, she tried to figure out a plausible explanation typen might've happened.
Maybe... she got herself so worked up, that she ended upJ passing out in the main hall? And then someone... carried her here? If that was true, then that meant she was in a classroom inside Hope's Peak.
...But if that was the case, then that just raised even more questions.
Mikan decided not to dwell on that for now and instead examine the classroom—she should at least familiarize herself with the school's layout, if nothing else. There wasn't anything particularly outstanding about it, only finding a TV monitor, a surveillance camera, and... some sort of metal sheet that had been bolted over where the windows should be.
Mikan gingerly touched the sheet, confused. It was definitely solid. Thick, too.
What the heck? This was really strange, to say the least.
Looking back at the desk Mikan had woken up on—she'd accidentally left a line of drool there. She made a mental note to clean that up later—she noticed a small paper sitting on it that she'd somehow missed. Upon closer inspection, it was some sort of pamphlet that looked like it was created by a child. Picking it up, Mikan read the contents:
"The next semester is about to start. Starting today, this school will be your entire world."
Mikan blinked. What? What could that possibly mean?
Mikan took a step back, trying to make sense of everything. But.. everything felt... off. Nothing made any sense.
However, she didn't have a chance to ponder over the weird circumstances any further, as her eyes traveled over towards the clock on the wall. Mikan's heart nearly leaped out of her chest as she read the time: 8:05 AM. She was late for the meeting that was supposed to take place in the main hall five minutes ago!
It had been just after seven when she first arrived. Had it really been almost an hour since then?
And so, not wanting to disappoint her new classmates even more than she probably already had, she practically sprinted out the classroom and into the hallway. It was pretty spacious, Mikan noted; dozens of people could comfortably pass each other through here. Though, no one else was around, oddly enough. And combined with the eerie lighting and bolted windows...
This was getting stranger by the second...
Mikan shook her head. No, there was no time to think about that right now. She had to get to the main hall ASAP!
After aimlessly wandering around the hallway for a bit longer than she'd like, she finally reached a large pair of double doors—one of which was slightly ajar. Taking a deep breath, Mikan pushed it open, ready to see what awaited her behind it.
"Whoa, hey! Another new kid?"
Mikan blinked, processing what had just been said. "O-Oh! You're all...?"
"Yeah," an extremely short guy with an unexpectedly deep voice replied. "We're all new here. Today's supposed to be our first day of class."
"So, including her, that makes sixteen," a violet-haired boy commented, scratching at his small goatee. "Seems like a good cut-off point to me, but... Is this everyone?"
Standing before Mikan were the other "Ultimate" students that had been hand-picked by the school. She examined at everyone, taking in their faces one at a time. They all definitely had a sort of... aura, that radiated from each of them.
Realizing that they were all staring at her expectantly, Mikan bowed. "Ah! I'm so sorry for b-being late! Something happened, and then I just kinda... um, p-passed out?"
Much to Mikan's confusion, that last sentence sent everyone in a flurry of panic.
"Whoa, you too?"
"Yeah, there's no way in hell this is a coincidence."
"Hey, what the heck is going on?!"
"Everyone, calm down!" a freckled redhead shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "Listen, why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves?"
"The hell?!" a tall and muscular guy with a brown pompadour interjected. "Now's not the time for friggin' introductions!"
"It would be wise to at least introduce ourselves before we start digging into the bigger problems here," a girl with grey braids and glasses pointed out. "After all, how are we supposed to talk to each other if we don't know each other's names?"
"That's a g-good point..." Mikan agreed.
"Okay, so let's get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else," the redhead decided. "Sound good?"
Everyone seemed to agree to that notion, as they all began to disperse and talk amongst themselves.
But, to be honest, Mikan was still kind of—no, completely—lost, but it would probably be best for her to just focus on getting to know each of her classmates for now.
Looking over the students, Mikan decided to introduce herself to the girl with the grey braids and glasses. Upon closer inspection, she noticed said girl wore a some sort of stick-shaped weapon, obscured by a bag, over her school uniform.
Mikan realized she'd been staring at her for far too long, because she suddenly spoke up. "You're here to introduce yourself, I assume?"
"Oh, um... Yes!" Mikan took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. "I-I'm Mikan T-Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse! It's nice to meet you!"
"My name is Peko Pekoyama," the other girl introduced coolly. "It is nice to meet you, too."
Peko Pekoyama - Ultimate Swordswoman
Peko Pekoyama... She was the Ultimate Swordswoman, if Mikan remembered her research correctly. A kendo master, and most adult men don't even stand a chance against her... Saying it was impressive would be an understatement.
"Hmm..." Peko hummed as she carefully examined Mikan. "You could patch up the people I cut down. Interesting..."
"O-Oh, yeah..." Mikan fiddled with the bandages on her left arm, suddenly finding herself more nervous than usual. "I guess that's all for my introduction, then?"
Peko nodded and gave her a bow, and Mikan took that as her cue to scurry off and find another person to introduce herself to. She found herself walking up to a small, plump boy wearing a chef's uniform.
"Why, hello there," he greeted in a sultry voice once he'd noticed her approaching. "And whom do I have the pleasure of greeting?"
Mikan waved and gave him a polite smile. "I-I'm Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse."
Teruteru flashed her a smile. "It is certainly a pleasure to meet you, Mikan. My name is Teruteru Hanamura. On the streets, I'm known as the Ultimate Cook—but, could you call me the Ultimate Chef instead? It has more of a big-city flavor to it, ya know?"
Teruteru Hanamura - Ultimate Cook
"Of course!" Mikan nodded, maybe a bit too eagerly. "It's very nice to meet you, Teruteru!"
Teruteru nodded as well. "Mm-hmm, I hope we get along well."
"You don't seem too worried about all this..." Mikan couldn't help but point out. "About this whole situation, I-I mean... Ah, unless I'm interpreting it wrong! Pl-Please forgive me if I did!"
"Worried?" Teruteru parroted, running a comb through his well-maintained pompadour. "What's there to worry about? Actually, I'm really happy."
Mikan blinked.. "Really? W-Well, if you say so..."
Teruteru nodded once again, before leaning in and lowering his voice. "I think I can talk about this with you... I have a sneaking suspicion that Miss Peko is actually a bit of a freak, if you catch my meaning. What do you think?"
Mikan shot him a look of absolute horror. "Wha—What?! Why would I have an opinion on that?! That's t-totally indecent!"
To her dismay, Teruteru continued. "She's probably wearing a black thong, too. What are your thoughts on that?"
"H-Huh?!"
"Anyway, when I fantasize about stuff like that, I can't help but look forward to staying at this school. When it comes to cooking and love, passion is the most important ingredient. Mm-hmm!"
Mikan nodded in response, only half-listening to Teruteru now. "Y-Yeah... Well, um, I have to go introduce myself to the others now, if y-you don't mind?"
"Hm? Oh, no, you're fine. I look forward to speaking to you again."
"Y-Yeah..."
After successfully managing to get away from that trainwreck of a conversation, Mikan approached the next available person—the level-headed redhead girl from earlier. In addition to her outfit, she wore a camera around her neck.
Overall, she seemed like a fairly nice person, which gave Mikan the courage to speak up first. However, the other girl managed to beat her to the punch. "Hey, there. Did you want me to introduce myself? I haven't done it yet, right?" A warm smile grazed the redhead's face. "Let's see... I'm Mahiru Koizumi. Nice to meet you."
Mahiru Koizumi - Ultimate Photographer
The Ultimate Photographer... She definitely had a promising future as a photojournalist. Apparently, she's also won numerous awards for her photography—especially for the ones that included pictures of other people.
Mikan couldn't help but feel drawn to the girl's aura. It was warm and comforting, like a mother—well, more like other people's mothers (Mikan's relationship with her mother was... complicated).
"Hey, are you alright?"
Mikan snapped back to reality to realized that she'd been embarrassingly spacing out. "Oh gosh, I-I'm s-so sorry! Um... I'm Mikan Tsumiki! I'm the Ultimate Nurse! It's very nice to meet you, too!"
"I see... Mikan Tsumiki, huh? Well, I look forward to getting to know you."
"S-Same here..."
With a bow, Mikan quickly exited the conversation to avoid embarrassing herself even further, and she quickly found another student to introduce herself to. This student had fluffy-looking white hair and wore a big green jacket over his clothes. He also had a noticeably sickly complexion to him; Mikan's nurse instincts wanted to question him about it, but she immediately decided better and kept quiet in case it was sensitive to him.
The boy offered his hand and a polite smile. "I'm Nagito Komaeda. Nice to meet you."
Nagito Komaeda - Ultimate Lucky Student
Now that Mikan thought about it, she realized that she never found any info on him during her research. Nagito must've knew that, too, because he followed with:
"Ah, along with my introduction, I guess I'll also tell you about my talent so you know why Hope's Peak Academy chose me. ...Well, even if I tell you, in my case, it's a pretty disappointing talent."
"A d-disappointing talent? Wh-What do you mean?"
"I'm lucky."
"E-Eh?"
"It's not a joke or anything. That's my actual talent. I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student... At least, that's what I'm called, anyway. Let me explain: through a country-wide lottery, apparently only one ordinary student was chosen to attend Hope's Peak Academy. And, as you can see, I was the one chosen for this year."
"O-Oh..."
"I never thought an average, talentless high school student like me would ever enter Hope's Peak Academy. At first, I declined. I told them I didn't deserve it. But they told me they really wanted me to attend. Apparently this so-called "luck" of mine is a talent that even the school doesn't fully understand."
"Oh. Th-That's... actually r-really interesting."
Nagito nodded in agreement. "Hope's Peak Academy is amazing if they can actually research something as vague as "luck". Well, thanks to that luck, a guy like me was able to attend Hope's Peak Academy. But... I feel a little out of place here, honestly."
"W-Well, um, I mean..." God, Mikan was absolutely terrible at reassuring people (and comforting people in general, really). "It's still technically a t-talent, right? I-I don't think having it makes you as l-lesser than everybody else..."
"Ah, I guess you're right. Sorry. I have a bad habit of viewing most things through a pessimistic lens." A beat. "Uh, yeah, I guess that's it for my introduction. Now then, it's your turn."
"Oh, right! S-Sorry!" Mikan took a step back and bowed. "I'm Mikan Tsumiki, Ultimate Nurse."
"Ultimate Nurse, huh?" Nagito scratched his chin. "That'll come in handy during our time here."
"O-Of course!" Mikan straightened up, suddenly more confident. "As the Ultimate Nurse, I'll do my best to help everyone!"
The two shared a laugh, and then Mikan set off to find the next person to introduce herself to, which was a fairly average-looking guy with his spiky brown hair and generic shirt, tie, and pants.
He seemed rather spaced-out, Mikan noticed when she approached him, so she took the initiative and lightly tapped him on the shoulder.
"U-Um, hello...?"
A moment later, the boy snapped from his daze and eventually noticed Mikan standing there. "Huh? Oh... Sorry about that. You're here to introduce yourself, right?"
Mikan nodded, then bowed. "I-I'm Mikan Tsumiki. I'm the Ultimate Nurse!"
"Yeah, it's nice to meet you, Mikan. My name is Hajime Hinata. I'm the Ultimate... um... er... I'm the Ultimate..." Hajime's brows furrowed. "I... don't remember my talent, actually."
Hajime Hinata - Ultimate ?
Mikan blinked. "R-Really? That's... odd." And it wasn't like she could help him; she hadn't came across him there during her research. "Ah, s-sorry! Did that sound rude? I'm not trying to be rude or a-anything!"
"No, it's fine... I'm confused, too." Hajime sighed. "Hopefully I'll figure it out soon..."
"Um, I wish you luck...?"
"Yeah, thanks..."
With that weird encounter over, Mikan had finished introducing herself to the first set of students; it was now time to move on to the next set. She went up to a girl with dark green twintail braids, adorned with a multitude of hair accessories, including a headband and white bows. She wore a light blue school uniform, along with a pair of sandals.
"HIIYAAAHH!" she suddenly exclaimed, causing Mikan to yelp. Finally noticing that the latter was standing right in front of her, the former shot her a sheepish smile. "Oh, sorry for scaring you! I'm yelling so I can build up my spirit energy! Don't you know you can unlock your brain's full potential by yelling to build up spirit energy!?"
"U-Um, no... I don't recall hearing ever about that.
"It's to help prepare me for combat, just in case someone tries to attack me! I will protect myself with Neo-Aikido!"
"O-Oh, then you must be... !"
"Oh, yes! I'm Tenko Chabashira!" She struck a few martial arts poses as she yelled. "HIYAH! I'm the Ultimate Aikido Master!"
Tenko Chabashira - Ultimate Aikido Master
"Neo-Aikido is an original form of aikido that my master and I completely made up ourselves!" Tenko explained.
"R-Really? That's so impressive!"
Tenko suddenly grew flustered at that, hiding her face in her hands as she slowly backed away from Mikan. "N-No, you're just saying that... I-I'd better go!"
"W-Wait! I didn't get to..." Before Mikan could finish her sentence, Tenko promptly turned on her heel and practically disappeared into the crowd that was their classmates.
Mikan immediately began to panic. Oh god, I said something wrong, didn't I?! In her panic, she accidentally collided with another student—the violet-haired boy that she noticed earlier. "Ah, I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you, I swear!"
"Whoa, hey, you're fine," he assured, patting the girl on the back. "I haven't introduced myself yet, right" Jutting out his chin, he put his hands on his hips. "I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! Even crying children adore the Ultimate Astronaut!"
Kaito Momota - Ultimate Astronaut
"How 'bout it!?" he asked excitedly. "I'm an astronaut! Isn't that cool!?"
"W-Well, um, I don't really know much about it, but it sounds interesting, kinda..."
"Haha! Well, of course! Not just anyone can get up there! I may be an astronaut, but... I'm actually still in training. But I'm the first teenager to ever pass the exam! I mean, normally you need a college degree to even take the exam."
"Huh?! Then how did you get in?"
"I had a friend who was pretty crafty... So I had him forge some stuff for me."
"Wait, isn't that i-illegal?!"
"Yeah, I ended up getting caught," he said as if it wasn't a big deal. "I was in pretty deep shit! But the people up top decided they liked me and let me in anyway. 'Course, I aced the exam too."
"Th-That's reckless! You could've ruined your career!"
"Sometimes you gotta be a little reckless to make your dreams a reality! No way I can wait till after college! I wanna get to space as fast as I can! Everyone told me it was impossible, but I never gave up! Not for a moment! That's because... limits don't exist unless you set them yourself! There are no walls you can't get over!"
"I-I guess?" All Mikan could say about this guy was that he was undoubtedly determined—that, and full of energy. "Oh! I'm M-Mikan Tsumiki. I'm the Ultimate Nurse."
"Nice to meet ya, Mikan!" Kaito grinned, giving her a thumbs-up.
Mikan nodded, and with that conversation done, she went up to the next person: a guy with large brown dreads and wearing baggy clothing, whom she also noticed had spoken earlier.
"H-Hi!" Mikan waved. "I'm the Ultimate Nurse, Mikan Tsumiki!"
The guy grinned. "I'm Yasuhiro Hagakure—Hiro for short! Take it easy, yeah? I know I will!"
Yasuhiro Hagakure - Ultimate Clairvoyant
Yasuhiro Hagakure, known as "Supernova" in the psychic community. The trend-setting Ultimate Clairvoyant... Mikan couldn't say that she believed in that sort of stuff, but if Hope's Peak thought that it was a valid talent, who was she to judge?
Yasuhiro didn't follow up after his introduction, and that's when Mikan noticed that he was staring at her rather intensely.
"Um..."
"Oh, whoops." Yasuhiro chuckled as he leaned back. "I was just examining your aura, you know? Like, your aura is an open book, but so mysterious at the same time. If you're interested, we could grab some drinks and dissect it."
Mikan gasped, horrified. "Wh-What?! We can't drink! We're still in high school!"
"Oh, I'm actually 21. I've been held back a few times, and...well, it's a long story."
"O-Oh." Mikan decided not to comment on that, and swiftly (well, as swiftly as she could) exited the conversation and turned away from Hiro.
Mikan, thankfully, didn't have to go searching for the next person, as a girl with strawberry blonde pigtails as well as stylishly dressed approached her, dragging along a similar-looking girl alongside her, except she had raven-black hair and a bridge of freckles over her nose and cheeks.
"Hi!" she greeted, her grin stretching from ear to ear. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet, right?"
"Yeah... I'm Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse."
"I'm Junko Enoshima. Charmed, I'm sure. And this," she gestured to the girl beside her, "and this is my favorite sister, Mukuro Ikusaba!"
Junko Enoshima - Ultimate Fashionista
Mukuro Ikusaba - Ultimate Soldier
"Uh, Junko," Mukuro spoke up, "I'm your only sister..."
Junko giggled. "Exactly!"
The Ultimate Fashionista and the Ultimate Soldier... The Ultimate Fashionista was he more recognizable of the two. After all, she was pretty much what every girl wanted to be. She had more charm and presence than any high school student in the country.
Then there was the Ultimate Soldier. She was apart of a military group called Fenrir. Surprisingly enough, she'd never sustained a single injury, despite the countless battles she'd been in—but that was only more reason to consider her the best of the best.
Wait... Sister? "E-Er, I don't mean to be rude, but... Why do you two have different last names?"
Mukuro's already straight lips flattened into a grimace, but she said nothing. Junko, however, simply laughed it off.
"Don't worry, we get asked that all the time. It's just a family thing, you know?"
Mikan nodded, but she didn't really get it. Not that she was going to press further; one invasive question was already enough.
"Hey, Mikan..." Junko tilted her head to the side, giving the other girl a once-over. "I think you're pretty cool."
A warmth spread across Mikan's pale face. "Y-You do?!"
"Yeah. We should totally hang out sometime!"
Mikan had barely noticed the shocked look Mukuro was giving her, too focused on not letting a full-on blush appear on her own face. "U-Uh, um, w-well... Y-Yes! We should! If you're okay with that, I-I mean!"
"Cool." Junko patted Mikan's shoulder before sauntering off with her sister to find someone else to introduce herself to.
Mikan almost sprinted off to find her next classmate, slapping herself a couple times to try and cool the heat in her face. She managed to find the tall guy with the pompadour next. Presenting him with a slight smile, she said, "H-Hello! My name is Mikan Tsumiki. I'm the Ultimate Nurse."
"Name's Mondo Owada," he introduced, tilting his chin up slightly. "Nice to fuckin' meetcha."
Mondo Owada - Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
Mondo Owada... That meant he was the current leader of the largest biker gang in Japan. He earned respect from every gang in the country. He was the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader...
"Um, well, it's nice to meet you, Mondo!"
Mondo grinned. "Hell yeah."
Mikan turned around, introduction officially over, and came face to face with the next student. Er, well, more like face to air, as the girl in front of her had a child-like stature; along with that, she had blonde hair tied up into pigtails and wore a bright orange kimono.
Overall, she seemed cute and harmless—
"What? Why are you just standing there like that, pig barf? If you're not gonna introduce yourself, get out of my face. Seeing you just makes me want to puke."
"Ah! I'm s-so sorry that my face is so ugly! I'll make my introduction quick so you don't have to look at it any longer! I'm the Ultimate Nurse, Mikan Tsumiki!"
The other girl smirked. "Well, I guess I can tell you my name. I'm Hiyoko Saionji."
Hiyoko Saionji - Ultimate Traditional Dancer
Hiyoko's talent was known as the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. As a rookie, the Japanese dance industry expected a lot from her. Impressively enough, she'd already performed overseas many times. Her performances are also popular among young audiences—mostly men, which was rare in the Japanese dance industry. Mikan tried not to think about the implications of that.
"Our introductions are done now, right?" Hiyoko snarked. "Why are you still standing here?"
"R-Right!" Mikan slightly bowed, backing away. "It's nice to meet you!"
More than happy to get away from that conversation, Mikan approached was a short guy sporting a blonde buzzcut and a pinstripe suit. He scowled at her once he noticed her standing there. "What're you lookin' at?You got something you wanna say, bitch!?"
Mikan bowed. "Please forgive me! I didn't mean to stare at you! I just w-wanted to introduce myself, I swear! My name is Mikan Tsumiki, I'm the Ultimate Nurse!"
The boy crossed his arms. "Hmph... Name's Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. Just so we're clear, I don't plan to act friendly and shit with you guys."
Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu - Ultimate Yakuza
One look at him, and, despite his height, she could tell that he was definitely not one to mess with. And that made sense, considering he was the Ultimate Yakuza. He was heir to the Kuzuryu Clan—the largest crime syndicate in the nation, exceeding over 30,000 members.
"Hey, bitch..." Fuyuhiko spoke again, startling Mikan. "If we're all done here, how 'bout you make like a tree and fuck off?"
But trees don't move, is what Mikan wanted to say, but she decided it would be in her best interests to keep quiet and scurry along.
Mikan whimpered; she definitely drew the short end of the stick with her last two classmates. Hopefully her next classmate would be better. And the tiny guy who had the deep voice was next on Mikan's list.
"Sheesh... What a strange place," he commented as she approached.
Mikan glanced around, examining the main hall—it was similar to the hallway and classroom from earlier in the fact that they had an eerie atmosphere. "Y-Yeah, it's weird, isn't it?"
Ryoma shrugged. "It's pretty cool. Compared to prison anyway..."
"P-Prison?!" Wait, then that meant... "Oh! Aren't you that person who took down an entire mafia with only one tennis ball?!"
"Hmph... That's an old story. Ryoma Hoshi, the man named the Ultimate Tennis Pro, no longer exists. I'm nothing more than his empty shell."
Ryoma Hoshi - Ultimate Tennis Pro
"Well... I'm Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse," Mikan introduced.
Ryoma nodded. "Well? What do you think of the loser before you who used his talent to kill?"
"U-Uh, well... I guess I think it's kind of weird that you would throw away your future like that..."
Ryoma pulled down the pointed hat over his head. "Hmph, it's because I didn't need a future anymore."
"H-Huh?"
"No... it's nothing. It's not like me to talk so much. Anyway... I'm warning you. It's dangerous to just walk up to a killer like me."
And before Mikan could react, Ryoma turned his back to her without so much as a goodbye. Mikan didn't know how to respond, so she didn't. Instead, she went up to the final student—a short redhead dressed rather peculiarly.
"Nyeh... So are we stuck here?" she asked tiredly, rubbing her eyes.
"Um, well, we're not sure yet... But I don't think we need to worry. I'm Mikan Tsumiki, by the way. The Ultimate Nurse."
Himiko shook her head. "I'm not scared. It's just a pain. Something like this won't make me panic. Cause... I'm a mage."
Mikan blinked. "A w-what?"
"Oh... that's right. I haven't told you yet." The girl made a couple of grand hand gestures. "Prepare to be amazed. Fall to your knees. I am Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Mage. But... I'm officially called the Ultimate Magician."
Himiko Yumeno - Ultimate Magician
"The Ultimate Magician?" Mikan giggled. "I bet you make a lot of children happy!"
"Only on paper... I'm known as a magician, but that's just a ruse. I am actually... a mage."
"R-Right." This girl was very adamant about being a mage... "So, um, how did you get your title?"
"Well, you might not know them, but... There's a group called the Magic Castle. Also known as the Hall of Magicians, it's where the world's magic lovers gather. l was the youngest person to ever win their Magician of the Year award."
"Th-That's impressive! Really!"
Himiko pouted. "It's all a ruse. They're keeping my magic a secret by disguising it as tricks. Because of this ruse, I became famous all over the world for performing tricks. But..." She began to sniffle, on the verge of tears. I'm not a magician... I'm a mage... Nobody believes me..."
"Please... don't cry? I'm s-sure if you showed off your magic, I would believe you. L-Like, you could cast a spell—"
"Magic isn't all-powerful," Himiko interrupted. "I can only do so much."
"Oh. Um... Wh-What can you do, then?"
A lopsided grin appeared on Himiko's face. "I can choose the card you picked, pull out coins, and release doves. Nyeh... If I get serious, I can even saw someone in half."
That's just ordinary magic tricks!
However, Mikan somehow knew it would be pointless to try and change her mind, so she simply agreed and politely ended the conversation there.
And with that, all the introductions were done. Her classmates were definitely interesting, to say the least.
And now, it was finally time to discuss the strange circumstances that they were in.
"Okay," Mahiru started. "Mikan, you said a bunch of stuff happened and then you were "just asleep," right? Well, the same is true for all of us."
Mikan gasped. "Wh-What?!"
Peko nodded. "After all of us arrived at the main hall, we lost consciousness. And when we came to our senses, we were somewhere here in the school. That's what happened to you, right?"
"B-But that's just...weird! That every one of us would just pass out like that! It's..."
"Exactly!" Mondo exclaimed. "That's why we're all freakin' out!"
"And that's not the only thing," Nagito added. "You saw where all the windows in the classes and hallways were, right? But instead of normal glass windows, it was a bunch of big metal plates covering them. And then there's the main hall here. The front exit is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch."
"Plus, all my stuff's missing!" Junko complained, splaying out her hands as proof. "Even my cellphone."
"Yeah, she's right," Hajime confirmed as he checked his own pockets.
"What the heck?" Mahiru furrowed her brows. "What's going on?"
"You don't think we got caught up in some kinda, like, you know... crime or something?" a nervous Teruteru asked.
"What, like a kidnapping?!" Tenko suggested.
"Come on, don't think like that," Hiro interjected. "Cheer up! I bet this is all just part of the school's orientation procedure. Yeah, I'm sure that's it! So I'm just gonna take it easy for a little bit."
"Oh, so you think they wanted to do something to surprise us?" Kaito asked.
"Hahaha!" Hiyoko laughed. "Then we don't have to worry!"
The atmosphere loosened up, and Mikan could feel herself relax a bit.
Of course, she should've known better, because then... it began.
*Ding dong, bing bong*