Chapter 1: Act 3: Drawn Blood
Location: Dormitory Plaza, Hotel Despair
Time: 10:00 PM
Day: 1
"Ahem, it is now 10:00 PM. It is now Nighttime! The Dining Hall is now closed. Furthermore, the water is being turned off until tomorrow morning. Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."
Akira glanced at the TV monitor positioned within the dormitory plaza. The image of Monokuma only reminded him of what was going on in this fresh hell he had been placed in. He shook his head, continuing forward, about to turn to the boy's bathroom, only to see the doors closing, a sign that someone had gone inside. He grit his teeth, clenching his fist tightly.
"Shit, how the hell am I supposed to get rid of this ticket now? Fuck me, I spent too much time on that goddamn MonoMono Machine. Why the hell did I bother with it? It's clearly just a trap." he thought, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling. "Come on, Akira, a part of you was aiming for that damn prize. Tch… Ultimate Lucky Student my ass."
Shaking his head, he decided he'd have to get rid of his ticket at another time. He wasn't going to be able to return Sayaka's shears immediately anyway. He'd likely be able to do it after breakfast, whenever no one was around. That would be for the best. He slowly walked forward, so lost in thought he didn't see who was in front of him until it was too late. He ended up bumping into someone, hard enough to knock them to the floor.
"Oh shit…" he muttered, pulled out of his thoughts. He glanced down, seeing the hateful glare he was getting from Kyoko. "I'm sorry, Kyoko, I wasn't paying attention."
"Clearly."
He held his hand out to her, she hesitated for a moment, but accepted it, allowing herself to be pulled back to her feet. He brushed off her clothes, adjusting her blazer for a moment. "Again, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine, whatever had you lost in thought must have been important."
"It really wasn't. I…" he frowned, glancing away, hand on his neck. "I was wondering what the MonoMono Machine prize was. I spent the better half of the last hour and a half wasting my coins trying to get it. Monokuma said there was something there that could help us out but maybe he was lying."
"Seems to me like you were gullible enough to fall for his ploy. He's the Mastermind of this game of his, I doubt he'd give us something like that," she replied, shaking her head in disdain. She walked past him, pausing for a moment to meet his gaze. "Just pay more attention next time."
"I will, I'm sorry."
Blushing in embarrassment, he continued on his way, digging his hand in his pocket for his key. As he slipped it into the door, he glanced back at where he had stood, frowning. "Fantastic impression I've left of myself… Wait… why the hell do I care what she thinks of me? God this place is starting to get to me."
Entering the dorm room, he made sure the door was closed and locked from the inside. Sayaka had been sitting on her bed, a bored look on her face. She looked up at him, smiling a bit at his arrival. "Hey~ What took you so long?"
"I got distracted by that damn gachapon machine. I thought I was going to roll that 0.6% prize but I didn't get shit," he said, shrugging his backpack off. "It was a total waste of time."
"Well… at least you kept yourself distracted. All I've done is sit here waiting for my hair to dry and then brushing it." the popstar said, frowning. "We're stuck in this place with no forms of entertainment. Would it kill the Mastermind to at least leave an iHome somewhere?"
"Oh but my dear Sayaka, if we had the option of music then we'd be able to distract ourselves from the true motive. The sinister machinations of that disgusting asshole."
"Whatever the case may be, you shouldn't spend so much time on that machine. It'll drive you nuts."
"Yes, Mom," he replied, dodging the pillow she threw at him. It was odd how comfortable the pair already were with each other. It almost felt as if they had been living together for a while. He shook those feelings away, pulling out the barrettes he had won from the machine. "Hey, you wear hair accessories, right?"
"Sometimes? Why do you ask?"
He scooped the 30 Kitty Barrettes out of his backpack, placing them all in her hands, a couple of them falling to the floor. She just looked at all of them, eyes widened in surprise. "What the hell?"
"I kept hitting the same 86% chance in that fucking MonoMono Machine, apparently that's one of the most common prizes. I'm not a woman so I do not need them."
"I… uh… thanks, Akira. They're really cute, but I don't know what I'll do with all of them," she said, placing them on her dresser. "Did you get anything else?"
"No, I quit after 30 tries, I got sick of Kitty Barrettes." the boy replied. He left the bathroom, having changed into a Hope's Peak Academy tee shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. He dropped unceremoniously into his bed, pulling the covers over himself. "I'm keeping your pillow."
"That's fine, I have another one, but I want it back tomorrow."
"Kay, goodnight, Sayaka."
"Y-yeah, goodnight, Akira."
Though he wanted to turn the lights off, with the plates blocking the windows, it would be completely pitch black, and he didn't want it to be that dark. He wasn't that tired, but he also knew it would be better to try and get some rest. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard Sayaka speak.
"Do you think we'll get out of here alive?"
He didn't answer, not right away at least. He turned to face her, seeing she was staring at the ceiling, arms crossed over her chest. He bit his lip, shifting his gaze to the back wall. "I'm sure someone will come get us out of here."
"You think so? I mean… this is a government-funded school and we're trapped behind iron plates. What if they planned it? Who'd rescue us? The police work for them, so…"
"We just have to believe, Sayaka. Believe and stay hopeful. I know this situation is… extremely out there. But if we gave up, we wouldn't be able to live. At least we're not alone. Always remember that. It could be a lot worse. We got food, water, a place to sleep, and a pot to piss in, that's better than prison."
"That's fair," she said, shifting onto her side, facing the wall. "Sorry if I woke you back up."
"It's fine, I was still awake. Even though I'm exhausted, I don't think I'm gonna fall asleep."
"Me either."
He stayed quiet for a moment, before sitting up. She glanced over her shoulder for a moment, watching him digging around his backpack. He pulled out a stack of colored paper, which he brought back to his bed. He sat down on the floor, pulling the cellophane wrap from the sheets, placing them behind him.
"You know what I do when I'm restless? I like making paper stars."
"Paper stars?"
"Yep… they're technically called lucky stars. I can't tell you how many I've made over the years," he said, leaning against his bed. "My sister was the one who taught me. She said I cried a lot when I got scared, but this kept me distracted. My first ones kinda sucked but well, I've gotten better."
The Ultimate Pop-Sensation stayed quiet for a moment, before getting out of bed herself. She sat across from him, hands on her knees. "Can you teach me?"
"Sure, it's really simple! All you need to do is take a strip of this paper, fold it into a loop, then make a ribbon. Once you do that, mess with it until it makes a pentagon. After that, you fold the paper in the way it wants to go, but make sure you don't fold it over the points. Once you are done, stuff the excess into the edge, and pinch it with your fingernail, like so~"
He finished the one he was working on, handing it to Sayaka, who looked at it in awe. "There you are, a paper star."
"Oh… it's so cute~ And it's really simple to make too."
"It might look simple but it'll be a bit of a challenge to get it right. Thankfully, you have long nails, so the pinching part will be easy. Here, I'll help you out."
The two would lose themselves for a few hours, making a myriad of paper stars, ignoring the giant camera that was currently watching them.
Location: Dining Hall, Hotel Despair
Day: 2
Time: 7:05 AM
Makoto held back the urge to yawn as he sat in his seat in the dining hall. He was munching on a toasted bagel, the simplest thing he had been able to make for himself. He didn't have good cooking skills, so spreading a bit of Nutella on a bagel was good enough for him. He was washing it down with some canned coffee, hoping to wake himself up. But at the moment, he was still shaking off the throws of exhaustion.
The second he heard Monokuma's morning announcement, the previous day flooded back into his mind. He had woken up within Hope's Peak Academy, and was sealed in with no way out. He was trapped with 22 others, and a mechanical teddy bear was encouraging them to kill each other. It was something straight out of a nightmare, but it was his reality. He was still having trouble accepting it.
What was worse for him was what he had discovered in his bathroom. While exploring his dorm room, he had tried to get into his bathroom, only to notice it was locked. As it turned out, his door didn't fit right, so it appeared to be locked. After Monokuma left and he entered it, he found a peculiar envelope sitting on the toilet seat. It was a ticket, a secret ticket.
His mind had been racing the second he had read it. He wondered why he had gotten it. He thought back to his own title, and realized he must have either been chosen by luck, or it had been a deliberate move done by the Mastermind. He was going with the latter explanation because it was a lot simpler in his mind. As he continued to chew his bagel, with the expression of a deflated zombie on his face, he couldn't help but wonder what the new day would bring for him.
"I'm so damn tired." he thought, rubbing his eyes. "That was probably the worst night of my life. What the hell was I expecting? The fact that I got some sleep is impressive."
"Good morning Krusty Krew~" Ibuki cried, as she entered the dining hall, a bright smile on her face. She was practically bouncing as she stepped in, the energy oozing off of her. "Man, I had the best night last night, my bed was so super comfy~"
"Congratulations, you are likely the only one who slept well here," Hajime muttered, groaning a bit in his seat. "I stayed up later than I probably should have."
"I'm sorry," Sonia said, bowing her head apologetically. "My bed was just the worst, it didn't agree with me. No matter how I slept, I just couldn't get comfortable. I kept feeling the springs no matter how I shifted."
"What the hell? Are you some storybook princess or something?" Hiyoko asked, a look of disbelief on her face. She shoved some gummies into her mouth, sitting up a bit. "Hey, if we put a pea under your mattress, will you feel it?"
"Hiyoko, don't be silly. Her mattress was likely a little bit more used than the others. It tends to happen with bad spring mattresses." Mahiru said, adjusting the lens on her camera.
"I don't know why you peasants are complaining, I slept lavishly. It was almost as if my bedding was made specifically for me." Byakuya said as he sipped on his coffee.
"Fuckin' douchebag," Junko mumbled under her breath as she sat across from Makoto. She had followed his example, slathering a bagel with Nutella. "Glad to know some people managed to get some sleep in this shithole."
"While I won't say it wasn't a restful sleep, it at least was better than I expected," Celeste said, sipping at her tea. "It could have been quite worse."
"You've got a point there."
"Man, I just want my fucking PSP bro," Akira said, as he sat down next to Makoto. As opposed to the others, he was still wearing his night clothes, a tee shirt and basketball shorts. "I'd love to distract myself with some Persona 3, or anything that isn't staring at the fucking wall."
"Aw, don't say that, making paper stars was pretty fun," Sayaka said, as she sat down to Makoto's left. "Morning, Makoto, how'd you sleep?"
"Okay, I guess, you?"
"It was a bit rough, but Akira and I made some paper stars until we were tired. We ended up filling a cup and a half. Maybe we can show you later?"
"Sounds like fun."
"Hgn."
The Ultimate Clairvoyant made his way into the dining hall, finding himself a spot at the long table, resting his face on it. "I'm so tired."
"Dude, did you even sleep?" Leon asked. Hiro shook his head.
"Nah… I spent the entire night trying to contact the spirit world to find out what's going on. Took all my mental juice, but I ended up failing,"
"That seems like something the Ultimate Clairvoyant would do… actually, what even is fortune telling?" Makoto thought to himself.
"Sounds like a waste of time to me," Fuyuhiko said, crossing his arms. "Speaking of, I have to talk to you about something, Hiro. Think you could make time later on?"
"Uh… m-maybe?" the man nervously said, clearing his throat. "I just remembered, I have some laundry I have to do, so I'll be busy most of the day."
"I don't care, you and I have to talk. Either you do that or things will get ugly," the gangster said, a bit more forceful. Hiro bobbed his head, holding his hands in a prayer in front of himself. The gangster grinned. "Good."
"Ah! Good morning everyone, great to see all of you here!" Kiyotaka said, a bright smile on his face as he entered the room. By now, everyone except Kyoko was present. He looked around for a moment, noticing she was missing. He waited for a moment before sighing, continuing on with his speech. "Okay, well, we all made it through the night. Now that we have, we must redouble our efforts searching for a way out!"
"Why bother? We aren't going to find a way out," Leon said, sitting back in his seat. "There's nothing to do or watch. Maybe we should play a game of basketball or something."
"I can't think of a bigger waste of time," Celeste said, dabbing her lips as she lowered her teacup. "I, for one, am not going to bother wasting my time searching. After all, it goes against my own philosophy."
"Why don't you just admit that you're a lazy ass already. Everyone is thinking the same thing." Hiyoko replied, being ignored by the Ultimate Gambler.
"We can't just sit around with our fingers up our asses and do nothing either," Junko returned, pausing between bites of her bagel. "Who knows? We might find something."
"You've got a point, but we've already established our findings for the first floor. What more can we hope to find here?" she asked, looking around. She gave them a smile. "Remember what I said last night. We must adapt to our current circumstances if we wish to live."
"Yes, we've heard this before," Hajime said, shaking his head. "As much as I want to go against it, she's right. We can all search if we want, but if the 23 of us couldn't find anything, then why bother?"
"We mustn't give up yet. There has to be something we overlooked, right? Maybe we can all start from the beginning in different areas of the school." Sonia said, trying to encourage the others. "We could make new groups as well, and truly get to know one another."
"Nah… I wanna take a nap!" Kazuichi cheerfully said, holding back the urge to yawn. "I mean seriously… I don't know why the hell I'm so damn tired today. I slept all night."
"Yeah, me too. It's like I had a massive sugar crash." Hina said, rubbing her eyes.
"Hm… I'm tired too… though I don't blame anyone else for that. After all, staying somewhere against your will is hardly a good motivator for a restful night." Makoto thought to himself. Hikari stood from his seat, cheerfully clapping his hands.
"I for one agree with Sonia. We should all strive to become friends, after all, if we do that then we remove Monokuma's main motive, right?"
"That's true. If we do get to know each other, we won't have a reason to kill each other." Peko said, adjusting her glasses. "Regardless of that though, will that help us attain our freedom?"
"Something's gotta give. We just have to stay positive! We'll get outta here soon enough!" Kiyotaka said. "Alright! Anyone who wants to continue searching, feel free to! But if you are tired or just aren't up for it, that's fine too. Just as long as you are relaxed, that's all that matters. We don't need anyone collapsing on us."
"If you feel sick, don't hesitate to come to me. I might not have my medical bag with me, but I can at least help you out." Mikan cheerfully said.
"Gross, I'm not letting you touch me with your pervy doctor hands!" Hiyoko said, shuddering at the thought. "Trust me, if I need medical assistance, I'll get it somewhere else."
"Yeah, why don't you call 119? Maybe they'll send you an ambulance while you are at it." Akira sarcastically replied, glaring at the blonde dancer. "Seriously, stop treating Mikan like that, she just wants to help everyone, you damn brat."
"Wha… how dare you talk to me like that?!"
"Hiyoko stop it, he has a point, you are being unnecessarily mean to Mikan. She's a nurse. If you get hurt, God forbid, she might be the one who can save your life!" the photographer said, making the blonde girl sigh.
"Whatever."
"Great talk everyone, we're on the road to becoming the best of friends."
"Really?" Kazuichi asked, causing Akira to shake his head.
"I was being sarcastic."
"Everyone, please!" Kiyotaka said, standing at the center of the room. Everyone's eyes were on him, the young man having a hurt expression on his face. "I understand that all of you are scared, I am as well. But we cannot let the bear win. Bertrand Russel once said, "The one thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation". I believe those words will inspire us to work together and become better people."
"Bertrand Russel also said that the problem with the world was that it was full of fanatics that were sure of themselves, and smart people who were full of doubts. What hope can you have of inspiring us all when you yourself aren't sure of our odds?" Fuyuhiko said, rising from his seat. He walked around the table, shaking his head. "Face it, man, we're not getting out of here any time soon, so don't bother searching for a way out."
With that, he ended up leaving. It wasn't long after that Byakuya also left, and so did Kyoko, who had quietly come in for some breakfast, listened to Taka's words, and then headed out. What Fuyuhiko had said struck a chord with all of them, and almost instantly, everyone deflated, the weight of the situation returning.
"It is as I've said before, we must adapt to being here. Only then can we all truly survive. There is nothing else we can do." the Ultimate Gambler added.
The Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 79 didn't acknowledge her words. He just lost himself in thought. He looked around at everyone, being attentive to their expressions and feelings. Some were trying to forget what had just happened while others, like Ibuki, went on like what Fuyuhiko had said hadn't happened. He wished he had the mental strength to be like her, but his mind would always be filled with unanswered questions. He sat quietly in his seat, reading his notes while listening to Makoto and Sayaka's conversation.
"So you saw me take care of that crane?" Makoto asked, earning a nod from Sayaka.
"That's right. It was such a beautiful bird, but you got it back to full health. I always wanted to speak to you when you were taking care of it." the popstar mentioned, making him chuckle.
"You should have, I wouldn't have minded. Heck, I think we could have become friends a lot faster if you had approached me. I never did because well… you're you." he replied. Sayaka frowned, tucking some hair behind her ear.
"I don't blame you. A lot of people ended up putting me on a pedestal, I was practically unapproachable. I just wanted true friends I could speak with, but everyone always talked about my career." she answered, frowning. "I think… watching you take care of that crane made me feel a bit like a normal girl."
"Really?"
"Mhm… is that weird?"
"No… not really I guess. If it makes you feel any better, you are nothing but a normal girl right now. We're all trapped in the same situation, and we can always talk about things other than your career."
"Aw but that's no fun~ I want to know which one of my songs you sing in the shower!"
"Pfft."
The pair looked at Akira, who was holding back a laugh. "That's a good one."
"What? What's wrong with singing in the shower?"
"Nothing, it's just surprisingly wholesome imagining Makoto belting Nagaigoto Ensemble while he washes his hair," he replied. His fellow Lucky Student glared at him, cheeks tinged crimson in embarrassment.
"What about you? What song do you sing in the shower?"
"Idol, duh."
"Oh? You liked my cover of that song?" the girl asked, earning a nod from the boy.
"Of course I did. I just love the energy you bring to the lyrics, and the music video is fun! I guess I just like you doing Wotogei with your idol group." he said, rubbing his neck. "I… may or may not have memorized the choreography to it."
"That's adorable! Hey, if we get out of here and I host a concert, I'll totally bring you on as a backup dancer."
"Only if you sign my coup-de-gras. Sayaka Maizono's Summer Collection." he said. She went wide-eyed, grabbing a hold of his tee shirt as she did so, almost making him choke on his spit.
"That magazine doesn't exist, understand? If you tell anyone about it, anyone, I will find out where you live and I will burn your house down."
"Okay, god damn dude." he fearfully said, backing away from the idol. The smile on her face returned as she clapped her hands.
"Excellent! So, the second we're out of here, you'll be my backup dancer, right?"
"Yes." he softly replied. Akira wasn't one to frighten easily, but the last thing he needed was an angry Popstar. Especially when she was his roommate.
The Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 79 finished his breakfast shortly after, politely excusing himself from the table. By now, only a few people remained in the dining hall. He stretched his arms above his head, holding back a yawn as he left, keen on returning to his dorm.
"Jesus, I didn't think Sayaka would react that way when I mentioned that magazine. It wasn't a bad collection either. Maybe she regrets doing it? Sheesh, I need to apologize to her later." he thought to himself.
He slipped his key into the door, pausing for a moment when he spotted the Ultimate Princess walking past him. She had a worried look on her face as she walked. She noticed him out of the corner of her eye, giving him a small smile.
"Good morning, Akira. How are you doing?"
"I'm… alright I guess. I'm a little tired but I think I'll manage. What about you, Sonia? Are you settling in fine?"
"Indeed, though I am worried. I was hoping to continue our search in earnest, but most of us don't want to do that," she said, shaking her head. "I wish to inspire them, but I doubt I will. There's also that ticket I received."
"Huh?"
"Oh… I probably said too much," she said, quickly turning away from him. "Forget I said anything, alright Akira? If you are up for it, would you like to play a game of Chess? I don't want to play with Celeste because I'm sure she'd beat me. But I want to see if your Luck really is Ultimate."
"Sure, I think I can make some time for a chess game. Are you sure you're alright, Sonia? You look worried."
"I'm fine, don't worry about me. I've been through worse," she said, flexing her arm, a confident look on her face. "I'm pretty tough, you know."
"Oh I'm sure, any lady who can drive a tank at the age of 5 is gonna be one tough broad to mess with," he replied, opening his dorm room door. "I'll see you later Sonia, I'm gonna take a shower and see if I can get some things done today."
"I look forward to our game then, have a good morning~"
He entered the room, locking the door behind himself. He had a myriad of questions in his mind, but one stuck out the most. "Did Monokuma give her a ticket too? I thought that ticket was meant for me. Wait, if Sonia got one… could it be everyone got one? But if that's the case, that means someone might be planning on using it."
The young man breathed in deeply, slowly exhaling to calm his nerves. "Don't overthink things. It's possible he just handed out multiples and made us all believe only one exists. That makes things a whole lot harder now, shit."
Shaking his head, he decided to distract himself with a shower. He gathered his clothes, stepping into the bathroom. The scent of roses and vanilla filled the room, greatly relaxing him. He took his time, letting the warm water wash some of his worries away. After around 25 minutes, he finished his shower, drying off. He quickly got dressed, stepping back out into the bedroom. He adjusted his watch as he sat on his bed, sliding his feet into his boots.
He paused for a moment, reaching into his backpack for the shears and his ticket. He started cutting it up, making sure it was entirely shredded. When he finished, he stuffed all the tiny pieces into the envelope, not noticing one of them had remained on his sleeve. As he finished up, he stuffed the envelope in his pocket, keen on getting rid of the remains elsewhere.
"Maybe I should search the school again. I might find something, like I did with that planner." he thought, narrowing his eyes. "But what are the odds of that happening again?"
Glancing at his watch, he noticed it was already 8:30. He went back to the drawer where he had found it, and returned it. Sighing to himself, he closed the drawer, placing his hand on the bed beside him to stand up. As he did so, he heard something fall to the ground. He looked down at his feet, eyes widening.
"What the…" he grabbed the envelope from the floor, looking it over. It was identical to the one he had gotten. He turned it over, seeing the seal was unbroken. "So I was right… Monokuma gave these to everyone. That's why Sonia mentioned it… that means… is this supposed to be a secret? No one else has mentioned it."
He jumped a bit as a loud bell chime echoed through the room. He quickly shoved the envelope into his back pocket, making sure it was hidden beneath his jacket. He quickly moved toward the door, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves before opening it, and seeing Sayaka standing behind it.
"Hi, sorry to come back so abruptly."
"It's fine, Sayaka. This is your room too, I was just about to head out for the day. I promised Sonia I would join her for a game of chess."
"Sounds like fun. Do you think we could talk real quick?" she asked. He nodded, stepping aside so she could step into the room. She turned to face him, her smile having changed into a worried expression. "Um… Can I talk to you about something?"
"Sure, anything."
"I want to find something to defend myself. I know we share this room but, we're not going to be together all the time. There are a lot of people here that could hurt me physically, and I'd rather have something, you know?"
"Makes sense I guess. Idols have to deal with a lot of messed-up stalkers. Even if there are a lot of other people around here who could defend her, we are in a place that encourages murder." he thought to himself.
"I haven't had to deal with stalkers, thankfully. But I'd rather avoid that altogether."
He didn't say anything, shaking his head. "Right."
"What… you aren't gonna say anything?"
"Nope."
"You're no fun."
"Still… I get that you are worried but if anyone tries anything, I'll protect you." Akira said, a firm look on his face. "I might not look it, but I know how to fight."
"That's sweet of you, but again, we aren't always going to be together. I'd rather be ready, just in case. So, would you mind if I find something and bring it back? Would that be okay with you?"
"Yeah, I don't mind at all. Just as long as it's something you can conceal. The last thing we need is everyone else thinking we're carrying around weapons to kill each other." the black-haired boy said, adjusting his glasses.
"Great! I asked Makoto to help me out with that, I noticed you were a little out of it so I didn't want to bother you."
"It isn't a bother, but I'm sure you want to reconnect with Makoto after not speaking with him for a while. I thought that story with the crane was really cute," he said, making the idol flush.
"H-he's just a kindhearted person is all. You can tell a lot about a person by how they interact with animals."
"Very true," he said, scooping his keys off of the table, stuffing them in his pocket. Her smile dropped a bit as she turned around, grabbing a hold of the door handle.
"You know, I always wanted a puppy as a kid. My father was always busy at work, so it made it really boring when I was at home. I asked for one but our apartment didn't allow pets. I had to get my puppy fix at the local Dog Cafe, which, while fun, didn't give me the best experience. You know? It's fun but it doesn't really scratch the itch."
"I get that. Well, perhaps if we get out of this hellhole you'll be able to meet my pupper. I just got him recently, his name is Casper and he's super fluffeh~" he said, smiling when he remembered his dog. "It took forever to convince my folks to let me have him. My dad's allergic to dogs so I had to find a hypoallergenic breed, settled with a Samoyed. I can't wait for you to see him! I'm sure you'll love him."
"I don't think I've ever seen that dog breed before! I look forward to it, one more thing that'll keep me going! Being able to pet that fluffy puppy." the pop idol cheerfully said. "I should get going, I wouldn't want to keep Makoto waiting for too long. What'll you be doing?"
"Making my rounds, I want to give the places we checked another look through. We might've missed something."
She pouted her lips, crossing her arms. "You think we might actually get out of here that easily?"
The young man shook his head. "Sadly no, we're gonna have to work for it. But what I do know is that no one is going to die here. We're all walking out of here. Alive."
The Ultimate Pop-Sensation wanted to say something, but she decided to stay quiet. This time, she didn't want to bank on her intuition, especially because it was telling her something bad was going to happen.
Location: Entrance Hall
Day: 2
Time: 9:05 AM
"I don't think addressing Hiro is wise, young master."
Fuyuhiko clicked his tongue, glancing away from the bulletin board he had been staring at. He gave Peko a firm glare, and though she was taller, she was the one who was intimidated the most. "What did I say about calling me that? I told you, while we're here, I want you to call me by my name."
"I understand but… it's very disrespectful toward you."
"That shit doesn't matter, if you haven't noticed, we're not exactly in an ideal situation." the gangster said, shaking his head. "I mean seriously, what the fuck kind of bullshit is this? Being trapped within Hope's Peak Academy against our will? What the hell are they thinking?"
"We can't be certain, but what I can be certain of is that you pursuing Yasuhiro is going to lead to unwanted issues. I understand he swindled the young mistress but-"
"He didn't just swindle her, Peko, he robbed her for everything she had. 30 Million Yen's worth. And then he decides to show his face around here. The lazy ass is lucky that I'm deciding to show mercy, or else he'd be buried by now."
The silver-haired swordswoman remained silent, listening to his barely audible muttering. He had been rifling through the documents that had been left behind, hoping to find something, anything that could help. So far, he hadn't found a single lick of information. Nothing but clubs and useless other things. "What do you think this is, Peko? Some sort of ploy to get money out of us?"
"I certainly doubt that. If Chihiro, Kazuichi, and Hikari's claims are to be believed, the Mastermind doesn't want money. I believe this is all purely to experiment on us. After all, my intel was able to procure a lot of relevant data." she said, glancing away from the man for a moment. "Hope's Peak Academy suddenly raised the tuition fees recently, the reason why was hidden from the public. But I was able to get my hands on an unsubstantiated rumor."
"Human experimentation, right? I heard the Gambler talking about it in the gym yesterday. None of those idiots managed to even spot me beneath the bleachers." the blond boy said, holding back the urge to smirk. "So that's it? We're all the unwitting subjects in some researcher's sick game? That pisses me the fuck off."
"As I said, it is unsubstantiated. It could entirely be possible that I am incorrect and that the money is being used for something else. But these renovations Kyoko spoke of had to have been paid by someone," Peko said, turning back to the boy. "Which is why I must ensure you are safe and sound. I cannot risk you being injured or worse."
"Peko, I'll be fine. I'm not some sissy who can't take care of himself, got it? And seriously, stop hovering over me like goddamn shit on a goldfish's ass. Let me breathe, will ya?"
The woman frowned, pursing her lips. "Is that an order?"
Fuyuhiko pinched his eyes. "Fuck… fine, if you want it to be, yes! I order you to stop following me around, I order you to call me by my name, and finally, I order you to stop following my orders."
"Understood, Young Master."
"What the fuck did I just say?"
"You ordered me to stop following your orders, and I will follow that order to a T, Young Master."
"Now you're just fucking with me."
"Hm… so this is the truth?"
The pair jumped a bit, Peko reaching for her shinai on instinct. She lowered her hand when she spotted the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, standing at the entrance. "I figured the two of you had some sort of connection. Pekoyama always seemed to hover behind you, Kuzuryuu."
"Yeah, I figured someone'd figure out eventually. But please, just call us by name, no need for formalities, Togami."
The rich heir smirked. "Then do me the same courtesy. I couldn't help but overhear a bit of your conversation. About the human experimentation?"
"Do you know something about it?" Peko queried, a curious look on her face. The young man shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Sadly, all I have are baseless rumors, much like you. But I do happen to know that Hope's Peak Academy was planning something big. The tuition fees were raised to pay for a brand new complex behind the old one, which should have started construction already. The first thing that was built was a power station to power it all up."
"A power station? Wait… how do you know all of this?" Fuyuhiko asked, causing Byakuya to smirk.
"Why, I happen to be the supplier. The Togami Corporation is in charge of quite a lot of product construction. We happen to specialize in the manufacturing of power distribution and control equipment. I happened to close a very lucrative deal with the Steering Committee, the result of which allowed me to join the 78th Class as the Ultimate Affluent Progeny."
"Interesting… I wasn't aware that your company was responsible for making such equipment." the gangster said, leaning back slightly. "So… the complex was built first. What do you think the power was necessary for?"
"I've no idea why, but what I do know is that the powerplant that was constructed was enough to not only power the entirety of Hope's Peak Academy, but it would power the Neurology Department, the Reserve Course, New Hope's Peak Academy as well as half of a city." the blond boy admitted. He adopted a pensive look on his face, eyes narrowed in thought. "It begs the question, what did they need the excess power for?"
"Hm… perhaps those baseless rumors about human experimentation were right on the money. It would make sense with our current situation. If the experiment is to put a selected number of people through something like this, then it'd have to be self-sufficient, or else the city would start wondering why they need so much power." Peko added, her gaze shifting onto Fuyuhiko. "We have to stay vigilant, we can't allow the Mastermind to pit us against each other."
"We're gonna be fine, I doubt anyone is stupid enough to fall for that shit show."
"On that, I disagree."
The pair glanced at Byakuya, who straightened up a bit as he looked back. "Monokuma's entrance ceremony and explanation of Rule 6 was enough to plant that seed in us. Someone out there is already thinking about murdering someone to escape. It won't be a matter of if, but a matter of when. If you play it smart, you might be able to leave alive. If not, well… Celeste seems to have things figured out."
"Tch… staying here? In this shithole? Nah, I don't think so."
"Then by all means, go ahead and have your hitwoman murder someone for you. But do remember, you don't know what Rule 6 entails. And judging by appearance, Monokuma doesn't seem like the type to make things easy for us. Sit back and watch, it could save your life." he said, swiveling on his foot, glancing over his shoulder. "Or don't, at the end of the day, it isn't my funeral."
With that, the Affluent Progeny took his leave, silence falling over the pair. Peko didn't say anything for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. She faced Fuyuhiko, looking right into his eyes. "I will not let anything happen to you, all I ask is that you allow me to defend you if you ever need it. Not as your weapon, but as your friend."
Fuyuhiko's eyes widened a bit before he scoffed, shaking his head. "Whatever floats your boat. But don't come crying to me when you get yourself killed defending me."
"Don't worry, I won't. The dead can't exactly cry, Young Master."
"I said cut that out!"
Location: Gymnasium
Day: 2
Time: 9:30 AM
"Kobe~"
The basketball fell through the hoop, hitting nothing but net. Leon let out a growl as he scratched his neck. "What the hell, Ibuki?!"
"What? Don't you know you have to say Kobe before shooting your basket? I thought that everyone knew that." the Ultimate Musician said, giving the baseball star a grin. "Man though, you really suck at basketball."
"I wasn't scouted as the Ultimate Basketball Star you know," he said, frowning. "But it's your game, what's that? H?"
"Yep, and you my friend are an E short of a Horse. Shame the word horse ends in E and not an A, because all you are missing is the ass end," she said with a wink. The boy snorted, holding back his urge to laugh.
"Alright, that one got me. Come on, let's go."
As they started their game anew, the other students continued lounging about. Celeste was with Mahiru and Hiyoko, the trio playing a game of cards, while Hiro sat nearby staring at his crystal ball. Hina and Mikan were lost in conversation, though Hina was the more boisterous of the two, as Mikan spent most of the time trying not to offend her. Hajime and Kazuichi were playing their own game of Horse, though they were far more into it than Leon and Ibuki were. That left Mondo mostly on his own, sitting by the edge of the bleachers, a look of boredom on his face.
Kiyotaka had tried to inspire them but none of them wanted to continue exploring the academy. He didn't blame them, after all, the previous day was spent doing just that. There was nothing else to discover and if there was, it was extremely well hidden. But his mind wasn't on the exploration, in fact, it was on something else. He had been thinking about the item he had found within his dorm room, an accursed envelope of despair.
He had been nervously pacing back and forth, not knowing what to do. He paused mid-stride, clenching his fist tightly. "Something like this is enough to send us all into disarray. A ticket that guarantees freedom at the cost of a life? That is just inherently awful. But I have to keep it to myself. The 24-hour period will expire tonight and then I'll be able to share with everyone."
He closed his eyes for a moment, only to start shaking. "Oh, but I can't do that! If I share it with someone then they might get angry. There's a genuine way out, and I wasted it! Leaving the academy would be good, we could get help, but not at the cost of a life! That is far too much!"
"Yo dude, you look like you're gonna shit yourself."
"Eh?"
Mondo leaned back a bit in his seat, brow quirked. "Jus' pointing it out. You seem to be lost in your own head, you're gonna end up giving yourself a stroke."
"Ha, I certainly doubt that. I am quite healthy of mind, Mondo. Believe me. I just… have a lot on my mind."
"Yeah, so do the rest of us. We're all stuck in this shithole with a gun to our fuckin' heads. Nothing annoys me more than twiddling my thumbs doing nothing, but shit, there's nothing else we can do." the biker said, earning a glare from the Moral Compass.
"You know, swearing in a school environment fosters nothing but hatred."
"Freedom of speech, sue me. Besides, who the fuck's gonna tell me to fix my mouth, the Headmaster? That dill hole is probably responsible for all this." he said, sighing audibly. "Fuck, I shoulda listened to my brother."
"You… have a brother?"
Mondo nodded. "Yeah… name's Daiya, good guy, good head on his shoulders. Used to be the leader of our Biker Gang. He got himself a lady and decided to put his bike away, passed the reins on to me. I had to fight tooth and nail to get those bastards to listen to me, but I managed."
"I see… he's a good man, I don't exactly condone gangs but he managed to get out of that life. I commend him."
"Heh… I said the same thing to him. Guess a good woman is enough to change a man's ways. Regardless, the leadership fell onto me and I had a lot of rank and weight to pull. Took me a while but I managed, only to get trapped in here. God, if my boys knew what was going on, they'd likely be tearing this place apart."
"I suppose the same could be said about my father. He's a police officer, a good one too, he's the reason why I'm such a stickler for the rules. He's had a rough life after what happened with my grandfather. Not a lot of people trusted the Ishimaru name, but he managed to carve himself away from that."
"Right… I only heard bits and pieces about what happened. Ain't gonna ask cuz that's not my business but hell… must have been rough growing up."
"It was, a bit. My father did his best but I still bore the brunt of things. Maybe that's what led me to become the person I am. I worked hard to distinguish myself, to bring pride back to the Ishimaru name. I thought Hope's Peak Academy would help with that, but now…"
He sighed, shaking his head. "I have to remain strong for the people who are counting on me. Everyone here. We might not know each other, but we're already friends. We must work together if we want to get out of here alive."
"Pfft… say all the inspiring words you want, man. But we're fucked six ways from Sunday."
"We are not!" Kiyotaka said, hands on his hips, a confident grin on his face. "No matter how intensely the stormy seas may batter me, I will not fall as long as my feet are firmly planted! And if you can't do it alone, just find someone to support you, and you can support them back! That's how you can overcome any storm!"
Mondo let out a laugh, shaking his head. "Those are some mighty inspiring words. Guess I should also keep fighting. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I'll keep searching for a way out."
"Well said, Classmate Mondo! Of course, we can wait for a bit. We must build rapport with our fellow friends, and for that, I suggest a good old-fashioned game of Basketball! We have enough players, so why not?"
"You actually think you can get the others to join in?" Leon, having overheard the boy, asked. Kiyotaka nodded.
"Yes, I can! It'll be fun. What better way to show the Mastermind our unity than to host a fun game? Eh?"
Leon shrugged. "Sounds fair to me, let's split up. I'll head to the dormitory building and tell everyone there, and you get everyone nearby. Sound fair?"
"Yes, it does. Let's go, this game will be so much fun!" he excitedly said, running across the basketball court. Leon rolled his eyes, following behind him. Mondo shook his head.
"What a weird dude."
Location: First Floor, Near the Classrooms
Day: 2
Time: 10:00 AM
"Thanks again for accompanying me, Makoto. It is a shame that I wasn't able to find anything for myself." the Ultimate Pop-Sensation said, a sad tone in her voice. "I'm confident nothing will happen but I'd rather not take any chances."
"It's no problem, Sayaka. Honestly, as long as you feel comfortable here, that's all that really matters." Makoto replied, cradling the fake katana he had brought. It had been wrapped in old newspaper, which they had managed to find in a classroom. "Still, I'm sure there's something around here that you can use."
"That's true. I guess in this instance, I'm glad that I have a roommate. Akira is really nice, and he looks capable. I'm getting a bit of a hard read on him. He seems locked in his mind a lot." she admitted, cocking her head slightly. "I don't think he has a lot of friends."
"Perhaps he's socially awkward? He did say he came from the Reserve Course. I've never stepped in there myself but if it's a regular school, maybe he went through it?"
"Hm… probably. Do you think he'd get mad at me if I asked him about it? I've heard a lot about the Reserve Course myself, and it doesn't seem like a fun place to be. I can't imagine having to pay such high tuition fees just to be there."
The boy gave her a shrug, smiling. "I don't think he'd get annoyed. Who'd get annoyed with you, Sayaka? You're really nice and friendly."
"Aw, thanks for saying that. But I can't be tough too, you know. I'm tough as nails!"
"Yeah right, you couldn't hurt a fly."
The pair broke into laughter. As they entered the hotel plaza, they noticed the laundry room door was open. Junko emerged moments later, a look of annoyance on her face. Having noticed them, she gave the pair a small smile, her mood changing almost immediately. "Heya, having fun on your date?"
"D-date? What date?!"
"Oh Makoto, I think she's just joking," the blue-haired girl replied. He deflated a bit, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "We're just shooting the breeze, nothing more for us to do, sadly."
"You got that right. I already read all the magazines in the laundry room, and it's all old shit from when I did that Fall fashion show in Milan. You know, I really miss my sister." she said, looking disappointed.
"You have a sister?"
"Mhmm… her name's Mukuro. She's the Ultimate Soldier and was supposed to be here with me. I'm really worried about her, you know? I was gonna call her but when I found out my phone was missing, Well…" she shook her head. "She's the quiet type, but she has some gnarly war stories."
"Wow… I've known about you for so long but I never knew you had a sister. Can you tell us more about her, Junko?"
"Sure. Like I said, Mukuro is a soldier. The two of us came from a normal family, but after a bad car accident, our parents died. We were adopted by my best friend's family, and we lived with them for about two years. One day, on our way to school, this big black van pulled up behind us, and tried kidnapping me. But Mukuro… She ended up jumping on the guy, biting him, and kicking him. She ended up being kidnapped instead."
She looked away for a moment, a hand over her heart. "I never thought I would see her again. I fell on some hard times myself, ran away from home, and tried to look for her. I ended up living with some homeless people for a long time. I ended up really falling in love with clothing, probably because I was always cold. I always imagined myself as a model, and somehow, I made it out of there. It wasn't long after my big break that my sister came back to my life."
"That's impressive! But what happened to her? Where'd she get taken?" Makoto asked, greatly interested in her story.
"She didn't say much, but she told me it was somewhere in the Middle East. She was trained by a group named Fenrir. She told me she was trained with the strength of 100 soldiers. Their initiation was surviving in Siberia, with nothing but a knife and a blanket. They were dropped completely naked. She made it out alive, because all she thought about was finding me. She eventually joined a P.M.C. and took hits for powerful people, even governments." she replied, lips pursed slightly. "Eventually, Fenrir was taken out, and in the chaos, she scrubbed all of her information and left. She came to find me here in Japan, and shortly after, we were scouted for Hope's Peak."
"Sounds like everything worked out in the end, huh?" Sayaka said, earning a nod from the fashionista.
"Yeah, it did, but she's not here, and I'm starting to worry. I just got her back, you know? But I know she can take care of herself. She's been through a shitload of terrible crap, even saw some crazed asshole using White Phosphorus. She eats shit that'd make Billy goats vomit. I trust her… I just can't trust I'll make it out of here alive."
"You will, Junko. Don't give up hope yet… I mean, it's only been a day, maybe help will come soon?" the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78 said, in a reassuring tone. "We just have to stay positive."
She didn't know why, but she found herself smiling. "You're right, Makoto. I gotta say, your hope is infectious. Maybe we will make it out of here alive."
The strawberry blonde glanced at the item in his grasp, tilting her head slightly. "So, what's up with that? Are you making paper mache or something?"
"Hm? Oh, this? Nah, it's that fake sword from the Gym. Sayaka wanted something to defend herself with, but we didn't find anything. She thought this thing would tie my room together a bit. Thing is, it's covered in this gold leaf that's just flaking off. It'll get everywhere."
"Ah, I see. Well, I do hope it brings a bit of life into your room. I wish I could get my hands on a nightlight or a radio, or something with a light. It's pitch black in there with the lights off. You have no idea how many times I banged my leg on the table on my way to the bathroom." she said, subconsciously rubbing her shin. "Guess it's worth it though. It's so black in there the camera can't see shit, and that means I can rub one out without being seen."
"Oh, dude."
"Junko, come on! Don't tell me you actually did that?!" the pop star questioned, only for the fashionista to laugh.
"A girl doesn't kiss and tell, does she? Well, it's been fun, but I gotta check on my laundry. I didn't really have to do anything, but I wanted to get that drawer smell outta my clothes. It's weird… they smell as if they haven't been worn in a long time, but they were added in there recently."
"I think it's just you overthinking things, Junko," Makoto said.
"Meh… maybe. Well, be seeing ya."
She took off, heading back toward the laundry room. The pair started walking toward Makoto's room, and as they did so, noticed Akira leaving his and Sayaka's dorm. He was looking at his notebook, glancing up from it momentarily, brows furrowing. "Did you guys start making a piñata or something?"
"No, it's the sword from the gym. It's got this flaky golden stuff on it and we didn't want it to get everywhere." Makoto replied, earning a nod from the boy.
"I thought you were doing your rounds, did you get back just now?"
"Yes, I was sucked into the thirst trap known as the MonoMono Machine. I wasted all the coins I had left and won nothing but a metric fuckton of Kitty Barrettes. Monokuma deadass came in the middle of my rolls, laughing his ass off, opened the machine, and put more in there, because apparently I had them all. I didn't even get the special Monokuma-themed one because I didn't hit the right percentage." he said, taking a breath after his long-winded reply. "I swear, that bastard gets off on our suffering."
"That's weird. I tried that machine myself and got some pretty neat stuff from it."
"Could it be that your good luck is canceling out Akira's good luck, and giving him bad luck instead?" Sayaka asked, causing the boy to chuckle.
"I don't think it works like that, Sayaka."
"Don't worry, I'll figure it out at some point. I still don't know how the hell it was I won the lottery, but hell… Maybe the world wanted me to be here, for whatever sick reason." he said, glancing at his watch. "Gotta go, I don't want to keep Sonia waiting."
"Oh right, you were gonna play a game with her, huh? Go easy on her, alright?"
"Believe me, I will. I only know how to play a bit of chess, I doubt I'll be able to beat her," he said, giving the pair a wave as he headed to the dining hall. Makoto turned to Sayaka, giving her a small smile.
"Well, I appreciate you walking me back to my dorm. Though shouldn't it be the man walking the woman back?"
"Pfft… if this were a date, then sure, but it's just two friends hanging out," she admitted, a slight flush on her face. "M-maybe if things were different, this would be a date."
His eyes lit up a bit, and he coughed into his fist, looking away briefly. "Y-yeah! Honestly, I'm just happy to have someone I know here. It makes this whole situation bearable."
"Me too," she said with a smile. Makoto reached into his pocket for his key, slipping it into the door handle. "Oh uh… Makoto?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for accompanying me. It's probably silly, I know in my heart that nothing will happen but… my gut is telling me something else."
"You are psychic after all. Maybe it's telling you something, or maybe your breakfast didn't agree with you."
She let out a laugh, covering her lips with her mouth. She paused briefly, kissing the boy on the cheek. "That's for keeping me calm. How about we meet up at the gym in an hour for a game of Horse?"
"S-sure!" he cheerfully said, entering his dorm with a spring in his step. "See you soon, Sayaka!"
As the door closed, the blushing pop idol turned on her heel, about to enter her dorm when she heard someone call out to her. "Hey, Sayaka!"
"Ah… oh, hi, Leon," she said, the smile dropping a bit as she turned to face him. "What's up?"
"Nothing much, Taka is hosting a game of basketball and wants everyone to participate in it. Are you down?"
Sayaka stayed quiet for a moment before nodding. "Sure, I don't mind. I'll head there in around ten minutes. Did you ask Akira and Sonia already?"
"Yeah but both of them said no. Seems the Princess is hellbent on having that chess game. Kazuichi wasn't too happy about it. Dude's head over heels for her already, hehe." he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Can't say I blame him, she's smoking!"
"Right. Well… I'll be out soon so… you can head back if you want."
"Ah right… um…" he rubbed his neck, forcing a smile onto his face. "Do you think we could talk about something in private? I don't want the others to think I'm a jackass or anything."
She pursed her lips, mentally sighing. "I think so. What's up? Anything I can help you with?"
"It's gonna sound weird, but I need some tips on how to sing. I tried asking Ibuki but she's no help. You're the Ultimate Pop-Sensation and all, and I really wanna be a rockstar, you dig? If there's anything we can talk about, anything at all, It'll be greatly appreciated!"
Sayaka didn't say anything for a moment, pondering his request for a moment, before opening her bedroom door. "Alright, I guess I can spare a few tips. But you have to promise me you'll take this seriously. None of that rockstar lifestyle bullshit. I didn't bust my ass for five years of my life to have someone think they can sing metalcore and believe they're famous."
"O-of course! You know I respect your talent!" he said, following her into her dorm room.
xxx
"Just so you know, Sonia, I know jack shit about this game other than the basics," Akira said, watching as she set the board up. "You likely got more than just military training, so please go easy on me."
"Oh, don't be like that. While I did get strategy and tactics training, you cannot compare chess to an actual battlefield."
"That's fair I suppose," he replied, admiring the chessboard she had brought along. "This is some fancy board. It's glass, right?"
"Yep, while searching around our dorm, Hajime ended up finding it. It was tucked beneath the bed with several other board games. They all looked very heavily used, as if they were played constantly. It was quite peculiar," she admitted.
"Huh… That's odd," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Why would the Mastermind leave some board games under your bed? Especially if they got rid of all the other forms of entertainment?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps it was something they decided to do at random?"
"If that were the case, those games would have been in mine and Sayaka's room, or Makoto's," Akira said with a chuckle. "Do you have Uno?"
"No, regretfully, I do not have Uno."
"Hehe, she activated my trap card." Akira thought to himself as he cleared his throat. "Everyone has Uno, it came free with your fucking Xbox."
"I didn't get it, and I have the oldest Xbox known to man."
Akira's face froze a look of surprise on his face. The Ultimate Princess merely sat down, folding her hands in front of her. "I happen to peruse the internet when I am not handling royal duties. I happen to be a bit of a memer myself."
"No shit? Well, that's certainly something."
She merely smiled, gesturing to the board. "Now then, I've set the board up so that you start first. I wish to see if your luck really is Ultimate. I made the same offer to Makoto earlier but he seemed to be busy with Sayaka."
"They know each other from middle school, I don't blame them for wanting to catch up," he admitted. He glanced at the board for a moment, deciding to start with e4. "He's luckier than most of us. He has a friend he can rely on, someone he knows from before. The rest of us, well…"
"I know what you mean. I have had a very sheltered life, I would not be able to do things like this back home. I didn't have many friends growing up, rather, all the ones I did have were selected for me. Despite this being a harrowing experience, I'm happy to be around people my age."
"There's a silver lining in everything, I guess." the boy said, making another move. "I don't have any friends. I was just average to people, even my parents didn't care for me. They were always focused on my sister and reminded me how I'd never amount to anything. You should have seen their faces when I showed them my acceptance letter."
He paused for a moment, biting his lip. "I'm not so lucky now, god, I can almost hear their laughs."
"Don't say such nonsense!" Sonia exclaimed, causing him to look up from the board. "You are without a doubt quite lucky. You did something no one else in the history of this academy has done, leave the Reserve Course. That is an accomplishment! Not only that, you have a friend in me, so know that you aren't alone."
Akira nodded, lips pressed into a thin-line. Chuckling, they curved into a smile. "You're right. I do have friends here."
"Indubitably," she said, making a single move. "Checkmate."
He stared at the board, eyes widening as he looked at the pieces. He deflated a bit, crossing his arms. "See? I told you I wasn't very good."
"You were distracted. Let us begin again. Ah, but before we do, how about some snacks? I'll go to the school store and procure some gummies. You can set the board back up for me."
"I can do that."
"I won't be long." she returned, rising to her feet. He watched her go for a moment, heart fluttering a bit at her smile.
"I can see why Kazuichi is attracted to her. She's so graceful and poised, and her words are quite inspiring too." he thought, glancing back at the board. "Fuck… I'm probably gonna sit here for the next two hours getting beaten in chess."
Shaking his head, he grabbed all of the pieces that had been moved, setting them back to their proper place. Glancing over his shoulder, he paused to look at his watch, rising to his feet. He patted his pocket, nodding to himself. "Well, now's as good a time as any."
He swiftly left the dining room, looking around for a moment, finding himself completely alone. Releasing the breath he'd been holding, he kept walking toward the bathroom, closing the large door behind himself. He slowly inched forward, looking around for a moment, making sure it was completely empty. Stepping into the large stall, he reached into his pocket for his shredded ticket, pouring the pieces of it into the toilet. He flushed it down, waiting for the bowl to fill before flushing it again.
He tore the envelope up and flushed it down as well, glancing at the water for a moment before turning around. "Alright, mine's gone. Now all I have to do is keep Sayaka's ticket with me until the time expires and it'll be over and done with."
Staring at his reflection for a moment, he turned to leave the bathroom, heading back to the dining hall. He didn't set a foot inside when he heard someone scream. He jumped, swiveling around, only to see a curtain of blue hastily leaving the plaza. Pulling himself out of his stupor, he dashed in the same direction, entering the academy proper.
He ended up almost running into Sonia, who had a look of concern on her face. He slowed to a stop in front of her, panting a bit. "Did you see who ran by here?"
"It was Sayaka, I tried asking her what was wrong but she just ran past me. She was crying!" she said. His heart sank a bit when he heard this.
"Do you know where she went?"
"She brushed past me in that direction. I don't think she went into any of the classrooms, and everyone else is in the gym," she said. He nodded, walking past her.
"I'm gonna go look for her."
"Alright, I'll search the classrooms, you search the store and entrance hall," she said.
He didn't wait, racing toward the first-floor plaza. He briefly peeked into the school store, looking over the counter, not seeing the Ultimate Pop-Sensation. He left the store, almost running through the center of the plaza as he checked the entrance hall, finding it empty as well. He looked around for a moment, remembering there were a pair of bathrooms near the gym. Moving toward them, he checked the men's room first before trying the ladies' room, finding it locked. He gave a knock on the door, holding the handle tightly.
"Sayaka? It's Akira, is something wrong?"
"Get him away from me!" she screamed back, greatly confusing him.
"Get who away from you? It's just me, no one else," he said, being joined by Sonia shortly after. He shook his head. "Sonia's here too, let us in, it's just us!"
He heard the door clicking open, allowing the pair to enter the room. Sayaka quickly closed it behind them, backing away, almost dropping to the floor. Akira grabbed a hold of her, hugging her tightly. "What's wrong?"
"I was t-talking with Leon in our dorm. It was n-normal but after a while, he started t-to get closer. He started t-touching me and told me I was pretty and…" she grit her teeth, bursting into tears. She hugged the boy tightly, who merely looked at Sonia, eyes widened in shock.
"What else happened? Did he hurt you? Did her touch or heaven forbid… violate you?"
"No, he didn't. I started to fight back, and I kicked him in the balls. I tried to get away but he managed to grab me. We fought and Makoto ended up coming out of his dorm, completely taken by surprise. He fought him off and that's how I managed to get away." she said, suddenly letting go of Akira. "Oh God, Makoto! He's probably still fighting him off!"
"Sonia, go get Mondo and Taka right now, I'll go back and check on Makoto!" Akira said firmly.
"But you can't go alone!"
"Trust me, Sonia, I can handle myself just fine. Sayaka, sweetheart, you stay here and lock the door okay? We'll be back soon."
"No! I can't stay here, Makoto is in danger! We have to make sure he's fine." she said, a firm look on her face. He sighed, but nodded. The trio left the bathroom, with Sonia heading in the other direction.
It didn't take them long to reach the dormitory plaza. The pair headed straight to their dorm, finding the door completely open, signs of a struggle visible in the room. Akira grabbed Sayaka's hand and pulled her along, not wanting to leave her alone. Finding the room empty, he turned around, shrugging his backpack off. He pulled out the shears he had taken from her sewing kit, handing them to her.
"Here, you hold onto this while I check the area. You keep this door closed and wait for me to come back. I'll ring the bell three times before entering, okay?" he asked, earning a nod from her. He left the room, closing the door behind himself.
Akira looked around for a moment, finding Makoto's room door was closed, but he did notice several flecks of gold on the floor. He started looking around, following the trail of gold down the wall and up the corridor, finding a broken sword sheath on the ground. He saw several slash marks on the walls, urging him to move forward. He checked the ladies' room first, finding it empty, quickly leaving. His hand landed on the door to the men's room, and as he was about to open it, he felt his heart beating wildly in his chest.
"What the hell… why do I feel like something bad is going to happen? God, I just hope they broke up and let it go. I'm gonna have to deal with Leon myself for getting fresh with Sayaka. What the fuck is wrong with him?" he thought to himself as he opened the door.
The bathroom was in a state of absolute disarray, almost unrecognizable from what it had been a mere twenty minutes ago. He saw scratch marks on the wall, and on the mirror. One of them was shattered, pieces of it having fallen onto the floor. He saw what remained of the fake katana on the ground, the blade broken in half, sharpened to a point where it had broken. He slowly walked ahead, broken glass shattering underfoot as he checked the first stall.
He opened it, finding it empty, but he still didn't feel at ease. He moved toward the handicapped stall, seeing the door ajar. He steeled his nerves, pushing the door open, peering into the stall, only for his heart to drop.
Laying on the floor was the unmoving body of the Ultimate Lucky Student, Makoto Naegi. His head and shoulders were drenched in water, his face having gone pale. The broken end of the fake sword lay beside him, the tip covered in bright pink blood, which had spilled from his throat, which had spilled on the stall floor.
All emotion had drained from his face as he stepped away from the stall. He didn't know what to say, what to do, or how to even react. Everything around him just seemed to stop. He felt like screaming but managed to keep his wits about him. He didn't even notice Kiyotaka calling his name, until he felt himself physically shaking.
"Akira, are you okay? You're just standing here, unresponsive. What's the matter?" he asked. Akira simply pointed behind him, brushing past the Moral Compass. He shared a look with Mondo, who had also been with him.
The second he stepped out of the bathroom, he heard Taka screaming Makoto's name. That snapped him back to reality. What followed next was a message that would haunt him for the rest of his days.
Ding dong dong ding
The monitor sparked to life, showing the cheerful face of the psychotic bear responsible for keeping them all imprisoned. "A Body Has Been Discovered! As it is your first one, I am calling an immediate assembly. Don't keep me waiting!"
Monokuma's voice ceased, the monitor shutting off shortly after. He didn't notice the others who had slowly begun gathering, looks of confusion on their faces. Sayaka pushed past a few others, stopping shortly in front of Akira. Mondo and Taka emerged from the restroom shortly after, the latter drying his tears while the former had a look of sadness on his face.
"What… happened…?" Sayaka quietly asked.
"Makoto… he's… gone."
Hearing this, the Ultimate Pop-Sensation ran forward, being caught by Akira who held her tightly, digging his heels in. "No… no don't go in there, you don't want to see him."
"He's my friend! I have to… I have to-"
The boy held her tightly as she passed out, struggling to remain standing as he stopped her body from falling to the floor. He didn't say anything, not really having words. He simply scooped the girl into his arms, lifting her from the floor, a firm look on his face. He didn't look at the others as he cradled the unconscious girl.
"Let's go… we best not keep the bear waiting."
With that, he started walking, not looking back. His heart continued racing beneath his ribcage as he forced himself to hold it together. He didn't know what would happen now, but all he knew was that one of his friends was dead, and now that blood had been spilled, there was no going back.
A/N: Ah the sweet sound of crickets, my favorite!
You know when I decided to write a Danganronpa story, I decided I wanted to work on something unique. So many stories seem to do a lot of the same things, and I didn't just want to make a novelization or something along those. So I decided to do something entirely different. It's been fun working on it, I'll admit, but Honkai Star Rail has taken my time so I am slowing down. I say this as if I'm running out of chapters to edit and post when I have 32 ready to edit lol. Regardless of that, choosing victims and murderers was a blast, especially because of how this story is going to work. No spoilers on that but I do look forward to posting it.
I will be posting the investigation chapter today as well, because I'm really happy with how it turned out. So uh... look forward to that before I disappear for like a week lol. Such is life. I will be getting my laptop back, and I will be working on stuff again, especially some personal projects. So uh... that'll do pig, that'll do.