Rantaro's POV
I was just having a conversation with the Ultimate Secret Agent, Akira Takashina when I heard Tsumugi speak up.
"Oh! I think she's coming to." I turned around. And sure enough, the last person to wake up is slowly stirring.
It was a girl around my age who was shorter than me by at least three inches and whose tanned complexion was complimented nicely by her chocolate brown hair tied back into a ponytail.
Her outfit consists of a white tank top with splashes of blues and greens on it, a pale peach crop bolero tied in the front, light denim jeans, and white sneakers on her feet.
Around her neck is a necklace with a crystal pendulum, and a couple of hand-woven bracelets adorn her right wrist while her left wrist is adorned with the same silver bracelet as the one everyone is wearing, including me.
"Hey… Are you alright?" I asked her as I gently shook her shoulder, earning a groan from the girl as she slowly opened her eyes. They were cerulean… like the Mediterranean Sea on a clear, sunny day.
She was dazed for a bit before her eyes widened in shock as she sat up in a panic before I had the chance to warn her, only for her to suddenly bring her hand up to her mouth to fight off nausea.
Ejiro gave me an extra water bottle to give the girl, who was starting to look a little green around the gills.
"Whoa, easy there…" I said to calm the girl before I offered her the water bottle, "What you're feeling is the side effect of some kind of sleeping drug wearing off."
She hesitated before taking the water, and I don't blame her. After all, I felt just as suspicious when I woke up to find myself in the same room as 15 strangers. If I had to guess, I'd say that we got kidnapped.
Normal POV
"Looks like we're all awake and accounted for." Setsuna almost choked on the water when she heard a new male voice speaking up. She was about to ask the boy who gave her the water bottle when she noticed her surroundings; besides herself and the boy, there were 11 other people around her age in the same room; 6 boys and 5 girls. The room itself looked almost… like some sort of mess hall– A large stage with a podium stand at one end. Alarm bells rang in Setsuna's head when she saw the surveillance cameras and boarded-up windows.
"Where am I?" Setsuna must have asked aloud, causing a girl to shake her head.
The girl was an inch shorter than the green-haired boy with a fair complexion and blue hair reaching down to knee-length. Her eyes are a soft teal-green, and she wears round, rimless glasses with white temples. Her uniform consists of a white blouse with an orange bow tied at her collar underneath a two-button, pocketed, teal-black school blazer adorned with two silver buttons on each lapel and a single button on each gorge and a silver bracelet on her left wrist; a knee-length pleated skirt the same colour as her blazer with two dark teal stripes lining the hem. Her legwear consists of dark navy knee-length socks and teal-gray loafers.
"I'm afraid none of us knows." the girl said, making Setsuna recognize the girl's voice as the one she heard before waking up. "By the way, did you receive a letter regarding some pre-orientation at Hope's Peak Academy?"
The girl's question caught Setsuna's attention. "Yeah. I did." She said, "But I somehow blacked out when I took a step toward the school…What's going on? Are all of you the other Ultimates?" That earned a nod from the girl.
Setsuna's POV
"My name is Tsumugi Shirogane. I'm the Ultimate Cosplayer." The girl introduced herself, "And you are…"
"Setsuna Higurashi." I replied, catching the attention of a boy standing about 6'2" with a muscular build, slightly tanned skin and pale lavender eyes. His short, pale ash-blond hair was shaved on one side and framed the left side of his face. He also had two hooped piercings on his right ear, a left nostril ring, and a scar across his right eyebrow. His attire consists of a dark greenish-gray, hooded tank top with a silver bracelet on his left wrist, black pants and dark brown hiking boots.
"'Higurashi'... as in the Former Ultimate Archer, Takuya Higurashi?" he asked.
"Yep. I'm his younger sister." I awkwardly replied since I didn't like the idea of bringing him up at the moment. He was 15 years older than me, but Takuya was my role model and the only family I had left after our parents were killed in a car crash when I was 5. Thankfully, he was old enough at the time to take custody of me…
"So, I take it you're the Ultimate Archer?" A different girl asked. She was three inches shorter than me with silvery-white hair styled up in an elegant bun and icy blue eyes that helped give out a cold aura to her. Her outfit consists of a thigh-length strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and a colour gradation from pale blue to white at the hem, which is scalloped to resemble snowflakes. Over this, she wears a blue-gray bolero with short, translucent sleeves. A silver bracelet adorns her right wrist, and the boots on her feet give off the impression of figure skates.
"Not really. I'm figuring out my Ultimate talent." I said, earning an annoyed look from the icy girl.
"Oh… I don't know why they would kidnap someone so talentless. Especially when everyone else is worth something." She said condescendingly, what's her deal?! I felt my chest tighten before I heard someone speak up for me.
"Hey. Talent isn't everything, you know. Chances are that she's the Ultimate Little Sister." It was the green-haired boy, Ice Queen just rolled her eyes.
"Tch. Yeah, whatever." with that, she just walked off to talk to someone else.
"Don't let her attitude get to you." the boy said as he turned his attention to me, "She's a very 'ice' person once you get past her front."
I laugh a bit at his pun before he continues, "Her name is Akari Tohsaka, and she's the Ultimate Figure Skater." That makes sense given her outfit and icy attitude…
"The guy who asked about your brother is Katsuki Inushima. Given how Katsuki's the Ultimate Huntsman, I wouldn't be surprised if he saw your brother as a hero." The notion of the Ultimate Huntsman looking up to my brother made me smile…
"Oh… And my name is Rantaro Amami. People refer to me as the Ultimate Adventurer, nice to meet you." he offered his hand out, causing me to shake it slightly.
Normal POV
"Listen, I'm not 100% sure about our current situation. But I think it would be wise if all 16 of us got to know each other." Rantaro mentioned, "I've already made my introductions, but I'll tag along if you'd like."
Setsuna nodded before realizing what he had said, "Wait… '16'?"
"Three of them went to check the kitchen while you're unconscious, but they've been there for a while now." The Ultimate Adventurer explained.
"So, there's 16, including Rantaro and myself." Setsuna thought to herself. As she decided to walk to the first door she saw. Rantaro quickly caught up to her.
"Setsuna, the kitchen is that way." He pointed to the swinging doors right beside the stage, causing Setsuna to feel sheepish before feeling someone touching her butt.
Panicked, Setsuna let out a surprised yelp as she turned around to see a boy standing 5'1" in height with a freckled complexion and a slender build, short greenish-gray hair styled in a spiked fauxhawk, and cat-like eyes; one of them was brown, and the other was hazel. He wears a khaki-coloured jacket with short sleeves, a black v-necked shirt with sleeves ending at his forearms, a dark gray scarf around his neck, black pants with a utility belt, and dark gray running shoes. His right wrist is adorned with a silver wrist and is holding a rectangular object in each hand.
"Aw… Didn't mean to startle ya, but it looks like you're part of the cool kids." the boy said with a cheeky smile, causing Rantaro to snatch one of the objects out of the boy's left hand out of annoyance.
Setsuna's POV
While I still felt a little flustered with the boy's action, A part of me was grateful for Rantaro taking… wait, I had that in my back pocket?! And where's my phone and other personal belongings?
"I thought you were working on getting the lock picked." Rantaro said sternly to the boy, only for the latter to shrug.
"Ya know I get bored easily. Plus, I wanna keep my skills from getting rusty. And it's always fun when there's someone new and unsuspecting." The boy then turns his attention to me, "Setsuna, was it? Satoshi Rangetsu's my name and being the Ultimate Pickpocket's my game."
That would explain him taking whatever it was from my back pocket without me almost not knowing, but still… I'd have to keep my guard up when I'm around him. And I'm not just referring to his thieving habits…
"Perhaps I should bring this up to Takashi." Rantaro said threateningly, bringing my attention back to Satoshi trying to take something from the former. The Ultimate Pickpocket quickly backed away.
"Um… Come to think of it, I was just takin' a l'il break. But I'll get back to it." With that said, Satoshi retreated to the locked door before Rantaro guided me toward the swinging doors.
Rantaro's POV
"Are you alright? You went a little pale when Satoshi pulled that stunt on you." I asked out of concern when I returned her Monobook.
"Y-yeah. But since when did I get this…" she turned hers on to take a good look at it, "'Monobook'? And what exactly is it?" She looked at me in confusion.
"It's some sort of digital handbook. Apparently, everyone has one." I then pulled mine out to show her. Setsuna looked like she was contemplating on whether or not to look through the features before she placed it back in her front pocket.
"The introductions come first. Also, I noticed that Satoshi failed to do the same thing to you." She told me, prompting me to remember how I threatened to tell Takashi.
"I've had experience with the likes of him from my travels." I explained before we entered the kitchen. Inside, we quickly spotted the three Ultimates.
Setsuna's POV
One of them is a young woman standing 5'3" with a fair complexion, light brown hair in a shoulder-length braid hanging over her right shoulder and brown eyes. Her attire consists of a chocolate-brown pencil skirt and a white dress shirt with her sleeves rolled up. She also has a white apron tied around her waist, a silver bracelet on her left wrist, white knee-high socks, and black mid-heel shoes.
The other girl is about 4'11 with a doll-like appearance with a dark purple ribbon tied in her wavy caramel-blonde hair and robin-egg blue eyes. She wears a white short-sleeved seifuku uniform with a dark purple collar, striped with a single white line, and sleeve cuffs. She also has an apron over her uniform and a light blue scarf peeking from between the apron and the seifuku collar. Her knee-length, pleated skirt was the same dark purple as the collar with a matching ribbon on the back of her skirt, and black ballet flats on her feet.
The boy was the same height as Rantaro with his shaggy caramel-blond hair and robin-egg blue eyes, making me realize that he and the doll-like girl could be siblings. He wears an unzipped, red hoodie with a white lining inside, showing off a dark gray t-shirt underneath. He was also wearing black pants, and dark crocs on his feet. I also noticed the identical silver bracelet adorning their wrist; the doll-like girl on her left, and the boy on his right.
"Hey… do you three have a moment for a small introduction?" Rantaro asked, catching their attention.
"Oh, you must have woken up." The young girl greeted me, "I'm Nozomi Yashiro. That's Keiko Ichihara, the Ultimate Baker. And this is my older brother, Daisuke. He's the Ultimate Sculptor."
As Nozomi respectively gestured to the other two Ultimates, she confirmed my suspicion that they were siblings. However, I noticed that she hasn't revealed her Ultimate Talent yet. The Ultimate Sculptor just nodded his head toward me; I guess he's not much of a talker…
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Setsuna Higurashi." I said, "And I'm slowly figuring out my Ultimate talent. Sorry." I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly, feeling more self-conscious due to how everyone else is seemingly more important while I feel like your 'Average Jane Doe'...
Normal POV
"There's no need for apologies, dear." Keiko said warmly as she offered a plate of freshly baked cookies, allowing both Rantaro and Setsuna to take one each. "Not everyone here is obsessed with their talents."
"Take Nozomi, for example." The Ultimate Baker gestured to the younger girl, "She's the Ultimate Ceramist, but she doesn't think much about her talent."
"I just… don't like how everyone tends to only know me for one thing, like my talent." Nozomi stated bashfully, "I mean, there's more to me than just being the 'Ultimate Ceramist'."
Setsuna nodded in understanding before taking a bite of her cookie, savouring the delectable warmth and moisture. "Keiko certainly isn't the Ultimate Baker for nothing… Though she gives off the impression of an older sister figure." she thought to herself.
"The three of you've been here for a while now. Have you found anything that could help us?" Rantaro asked, only for the three Ultimates to shake their heads.
"Keiko just came in here to bake some cookies in order to break the ice. My sister helped with the baking while I looked around. I'm not sure if it would help us, but what's interesting is that there's more than enough food for everyone." Setsuna nearly choked when she heard the Ultimate Sculptor speak up.
"Which means, we wouldn't have to worry about food for a while." Rantaro mused out loud. Setsuna's mind flashes back to what happened when she took a step toward the school.
"Whoever's responsible for this must have planned it out thoroughly." She thought to herself… but at least they wouldn't have to starve, right?
"Are we… really kidnapped? What's going to happen to us?" Nozomi asked with uncertainty in her voice, causing Setsuna to realize that the Ultimate Ceramist might be the youngest of the group as Daisuke placed his hand on his sister's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
Rantaro's POV
"We'll find a way out of here. Satoshi is picking the lock as we speak." I reassured Nozomi, as she reminded me of my little sister.
She looks up at me with a subtle hope in her eyes, "You really think we'll get out of here?"
"I promise." Daisuke silently nodded his thanks, to which I responded in kind. We older brothers had to stick together, after all.
"The three of us will join you in the mess hall shortly." Keiko told me before giving a cookie to Nozomi and Daisuke, "I have a feeling that Setsuna still has to introduce herself to the others."
Being reminded of why I was in the kitchen, I turned my attention to Setsuna who was looking around the kitchen, before her eyes settled on the monitor screen with a disturbed expression on her face.
"Do you want to continue?" I touched her shoulder, causing her to jump before turning around and calming a bit when she saw me.
"I guess…" Setsuna said as she followed me out of the kitchen, only to add in a hushed tone. "But I hope that we get out of here soon."
Killing School Retreat Rules
1. Campers may reside only on the campgrounds for the remainder of their foreseeable future. Leaving is a violation of the "camp spirit" and an inappropriate use of time.
2. "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas, paths, and activities are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.
3. Sleeping anywhere other than the cabins will be seen as sleeping during camp activities and punished accordingly. The only exception to this rule is the infirmary if a camper needs rest to recover.
4. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Camp Hope's Fall at your discretion.
5. Violence against Camp Director Monomata is strictly prohibited, as is the destruction or tampering of surveillance equipments and Monobooks
6. Monobracelets act as keys to your cabin dorm, so refrain from tampering with it lest you be blown to pieces.
7. Male campers are not allowed in the girl's cabin, and vice versa.
8. Anyone who kills a fellow camper and becomes 'blackened' will leave camp, unless discovered.
9. The 'blackened' can only kill, at maximum, two people.
10. The "Body Discovery Announcement" will play when three or more campers discover a body; the only exception to this rule is if the 'blackened' is among the first three to do so.
11. You will have three hours to investigate before the class trial begins, participation is mandatory for all surviving campers.
12. The killing game and class trials will continue until only two surviving campers remain.
13. Additional camp regulations may be added if necessary.
14. Attempting to access surveillance feeds or areas deemed "off-limits" is strictly prohibited.
Campers Met So Far:
Setsuna Higurashi - Ultimate ? - Age 17
Rantaro Amami - Ultimate Adventurer - Age 17
Tsumugi Shirogane - Ultimate Cosplayer - Age 16
Katsuki Inushima - Ultimate Huntsman - Age 19
Akari Tohsaka - Ultimate Figure Skater - Age 16
Satoshi Rangetsu - Ultimate Pickpocket - Age 15
Nozomi Yashiro - Ultimate Ceramist - Age 14
Keiko Ichihara - Ultimate Baker - Age 18
Daisuke Yashiro - Ultimate Sculptor - Age 18