Prologue Part 3

The group returned to the hallway for their investigation. Taka marched to the front of the group, yet Kaito kept pace with him. The two of them seemed to glare at each other and kept trying to get in front of the other. Sayaka guessed that they had already decided to fight for the role of leader. She immediately heard Tenko groan. She guessed Tenko hated the idea two guys fighting over leadership roles. Sayaka would probably believe if it kept going for much longer. She stayed towards the back of the group and took some more mental notes on them. While it wasn't for very long, she felt like she knew Taka well enough to say he was well intentioned. Organization and focus are always important to have. However, he always seemed to be a more passionate person than an intelligent person. Good for leading, but not for planning.

Kaito was in a similar spot in her mind. He was another passionate and strong-willed man that had everyone's best interest in mind. At least, that's what she gathered from Tenko and Kaede. What she knew for sure was that Kaito was definitely someone who spoke without thinking first. Again, a good leader but horrible planner.

Out of everyone she had met there so for, Kaede seemed to be the most normal person in this place. She was calm, polite, and levelheaded. It helped that she was a fellow musician and girl, so approaching her would be simple enough, but there was something else. Something about her seemed familiar. Was it the single pointed hair at the top of her head? Was it her infectious positivity? She wasn't sure, but she knew she had to think on it.

Then there was Leon. That lazy pig. For a brief moment, Sayaka wished she was in Hell rather than this newfound life just to be away from him. Him being there meant he had to have died, but she couldn't feel any satisfaction from that fact. And judging from the earlier encounter, he seemed to not have changed at all. Sayaka knew she'd have to stay as far away from him as possible, but still keep an eye on him. He could tell everyone that she attempted to kill him and frame someone else for it. Taka and Mondo could as well, but they didn't have the grudge Leon had for her.

"Are you ok?"

Sayaka snapped her head to the side to see Tenko right next to her.

"You seem upset," Tenko said.

"Oh," Sayaka said. "It's nothing. It's just…I wasn't expecting to run into Leon here."

Tenko raised an eyebrow before narrowing them. "Was he the one that killed you?"

Sayaka didn't expect the topic to come up so soon. She nodded slightly.

Tenko clenched her fists. "I knew it. I knew that male was a degenerate, but he's the lowest of the low."

Just as Tenko was ready to storm over to Leon and sock him in the jaw, Sayaka grabbed a hold of her wrist. "H-hold on," Sayaka whispered a bit. "Look, I know that what he did was wrong, but we can't start a fight right now. Not when we have investigating to do."

Tenko looked back at Sayaka with confused look on her face. She frowned and sighed. "I guess I can hold back…for now."

Sayaka smiled and let go of the girl. "Thank you."

Tenko smiled back they continued their investigation. They were lucky to regain their attention as they group turned a corner to see yet another giant student. He wore a brown business suit, minus the shoes, and had messy green hair. He was crouched down and digging through a tile in the corner.

Kaito's eyes lit up at the sight of the giant and he dashed over to him. "Gonta!" he said. "It's great to see you again!"

The giant turned his head a bit and slowly stood up. His hand had a few insects crawling around in his palm. For just a moment, the man had a stern, borderline angry expression on his face, but it quickly dropped and was replaced with a bright smile. "Kaito!" the giant shouted out. "And…Kaede? Tenko? Miu? But you all died. Gonta saw you die. What happened?"

Kaede placed a hand on the giant's shoulder. "Well, as hard as it is to believe," Kaede said, "we all did die, Gonta."

Gonta frowned and water almost burst out of his eyes. "But, but Gonta don't want to be dead. Gonta don't want to be murderer."

"Well tough shit," Mondo said. "Just be glad we got a chance to make up for it."

The giant turned his attention over to Mondo. "Hmmm? Gonta never seen you. How are you?" Gonta then noticed the rest of the group. "Gonta never met you too."

"It's a long story," Nekomaru said.

"Why don't you introduce yourself, Gonta?" Kaede said.

"Oh, right!" Gonta straightened up his posture and smiled at the rest of the group. "Gonta's name is Gonta Gokuhara. I am Ultimate Entomologist."

Gonta Gokuhara: Ultimate Entomologist

"Entomologist?" Mondo raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that about bugs and stuff?"

"To more precise, bro, entomology is the study of insects," Taka explained.

Nagito hummed a bit before smiling at Gonta. "An unusual talent, but an interesting one none the less."

"Gonta thanks you!" Gonta gave Nagito a bright smile.

To say Sayaka was surprised would be an understatement. Gonta seemed like a wild man, yet he was dressed properly (minus a pair of shoes), and despite his simple speech patterns he was apparently a scientist of sorts. The strangest thing of all to her was, "He's nice?"

"Yeah," Tenko answered Sayaka. "Gonta was probably the only male back at the Ultimate Academy that wasn't a complete degenerate."

"Oh, don't say things like that," Kaede frowned at Tenko. "Not all the guys there were bad."

"Uh, hate to break it to you, Kaede, but you didn't get the see how things turned out," Kaito said with a frown.

"Gonta true gentleman though!" Gonta said. He sounded like a child trying his best to sound mature. "Gonta learned from mistake and won't hurt again."

"Better fucking keep that promise," Miu snapped.

"Now Mr. Gokuhara!" Taka shouted at the giant man. "We are currently investigating this facility and we were heading towards the cafeteria! Would you wish to accompany us?!"

"Gonta love to help!" Gonta said. "Gonta will follow you!"

"Excellent!" Taka smiled. "Now, let us-"

"Let's head on to the cafeteria, guys!" Kaito interrupted Taka before charging ahead. Kaede shrugged before taking Gonta by the hand and leading him along. Everyone else followed suit.

Taka just stayed back. Once again, Kaito had stolen his thunder. He was furious, but he had to stay levelheaded. For his fellow classmates. He took a deep breath and followed the rest of the class.

It didn't take long for the group to find the entrance to the cafeteria and just like before, Nekomaru and Mondo stepped to the front to open the door. The cafeteria itself was just as old and filled with vegetation as the rest of the school. However, the long tables and chairs were actually set up neatly, although that may have been done by those that were inside the room. Seated at the front of the table was a round boy with a button-up shirt and glasses who was nervously fiddling around with his backpack. At the other end of the table was a purple haired girl with an apron and bandages around her arms and legs that seemed just as nervous as the boy. Then two dark figures stood of in the corners of the room. One was a pale boy with a scar over his eye and a purple scarf wrapped around his neck. The rest of his outfit was black pants and a black trench coat. The other was a boy with long black hair peaking out from under his hat. His face was covered with mouth mask and was dressed in a nice uniform decorated with priceless metals.

Sayaka at least recognized the round boy from her brief time at Hope's Peak and remembered him being…off putting. She could understand that teenage boys were rather perverted, but the boy's obsession with "2-D" was too much for her to follow. The two dark figures seemed like they would be difficult to approach, so she made her way over to the purple haired girl.

"Hello there," Sayaka greeted the girl. "My name is Sayaka Maizono. Who are-"

"Stand back!" the scarred boy suddenly between the two girls.

Sayaka jumped back a bit but the purple haired girl was so startled she fell out of her chair and crashed onto the floor. Sayaka reached out to help her up, but the scarred boy intervened again.

"I said stand back," he said with a deep, almost villainous tone. "I can assure you this woman is not as innocent as she appears. She will drag you down to the depths of Hell like a siren drags sailors to the depths of the sea!"

Sayaka stared blankly at pale man before her. 'Is this guy for real?' she thought to herself. 'He's acting really strange?'

"The hell's your problem?" Mondo asked.

The boy crossed his arms. "I am simply warning your companion of the dangers this girl possesses. You may ignore them if you'd like, but that may be a fatal mistake."

The round boy finally stood up to speak. "Um, Mr. Tanaka? Miss Tsumiki hasn't really done anything."

The masked man slid over to the center of the room. "Perhaps your active imagination is getting the better of you," he said, almost in a whisper.

"I have no idea what is happening at the moment, but I can tell that this conversation isn't important right now!" Taka spoke up. "We were simple investigating the school for other students!"

"Then you have arrived at the right place," the masked man said. "Not only is there us in here, but there are three other people in the kitchen."

"Thank you very much," Taka smiled at the tall gentleman. "Now, may you introduce yourself?"

"I'd be happy to," the masked man said with a slight snicker. "My name is Korekiyo Shinguji. I also happen to be the Ultimate Anthropologist."

Korekiyo Shinguji: Ultimate Anthropologist

"Greetings, Korekiyo!" Taka said. "My name happens to Kiyotaka Ishimaru!"

"Ah, so our names share the Kiyo part," Korekiyo said. "Interesting. Kiyo on its own can either mean contribution or service. I wonder which meaning represents you the most."

"Anthropologist?" Nagito raised an eyebrow. "That's the study of different cultures, correct?"

"Indeed it is," Korekiyo applauded Nagito. "I study all aspects of human society. Whether it would be its history, its art, or its architecture, I believe to be an extension of the human spirit. And as such, I can't describe it as anything other than beautiful."

Sayaka toned out of the conversation and faced the scarred boy. "Since you interrupted me, why don't you introduce yourself?" She couldn't help but be uncomfortable around him, but maybe things would get better after he opened up a bit.

The scarred boy chuckled to himself as he grinned. "So, you wish to know my name? I can't say I blame you. I suggest you burn my name into every corner of your mind as it will be the name that rules this world! I AM THE OVERLORD OF ICE, MASTER OF THE FOUR DARK DEVAS OF DESTRUCTION, ULTIMATE ANIMAL BREEDER, GUNDHAM TANAKA!"

Gundham Tanaka: Ultimate Animal Breeder

'I guess that counts as opening up,' Sayaka thought to herself. 'Although, I think I regret asking.'

"Now, tell me who you are," Gundham commanded.

"Oh, yes," Sayaka straightened her posture and smiled at Gundham. "My name is Sayaka Maizono. I'm the Ultimate Pop Idol."

"Ah, so you must be a siren then," Gundham commented to himself.

"Um…no. I'm just Sayaka."

"It is no use trying to fool me, siren!" Gundham laughed. "I've seen your kind before! You lure in hundreds to thousands of lost souls with that sound of your voice! What you plan to do with them is of no concern to me, but don't think I will be affected as well."

Tenko leaned over to Sayaka's ear and whispered. "Is it me or are these degenerates getting weirder by the day?"

Sayaka didn't respond, but she couldn't help but agree with her friend.

Meanwhile, Miu had wondered off into a corner to be by herself when the round boy approached her. Miu tried to give him a stank eye in the hopes he'd just scurry away, but he stayed put.

"Is there any reason you decided to come bother me, tubby?" Miu asked. "Because let's face, there's no way I'm screwing a virgin like you."

The round boy immediately frowned and almost burst into tears. "I just came over her to introduce myself. Why do you have to be so mean?"

Mondo and Leon soon appeared behind the round boy. "Yeah, she's been like that since we found her," Mondo explained. "She's honestly a pain in the ass."

"Yeah," Leon agreed before eyeing up Miu. "Still pretty hot though."

Mondo groaned and smacked Leon upside the head. Leon whined as he grabbed the back of his head.

"Ow!" Leon cried out. "What's your deal, Owada?!"

"Keep your stupid comments to yourself, dumbass!" Mondo said.

The round boy simply smirked and shook his head at Leon. "Hehehe. You'll always become a victim to your urges as long as you long for 3-D girls," he explained. His glasses shined as he exclaimed, "2-D IS THE ONLY WAY TO SURPRESS THESE FOOLISH URGES!"

Leon looked back at the round boy. "Uh, yeah if you never want to get laid."

"Can you all piss off already?" Miu said, although this time she didn't have a scowl across her face. Instead, her face was red from blushing and she was biting her lip. "A-all of you guys ganging up on me…i-it's too much…"

Mondo raised an eyebrow and took a step back from Miu. "Wh-what the hell?"

Leon followed suit. "Ok. I don't think I can handle crazy chicks."

The round boy didn't take a step back, but he was just as put off by the girl's behavior. "Um, how about I just introduce myself then I'll leave you to…whatever it is you need to do?"

Miu nodded sheepishly.

"Ok, well my name is Hifumi Yamada," he explained nervously before putting on a brave face. "However, you may know me better under my pen name "The Alpha and The Omega!" This allowed me to gain the title of the Ultimate Doujin Writer!"

Hifumi Yamada: Ultimate Doujin Writer

Miu took a deep breath and her blush disappeared. "Thank God," she said. "That was so lame that it totally turned me off."

Hifumi gasped. "L-Lame?! How could you call my life's work lame?! My doujins have touched the hearts of thousands with the teachings of our base urges!"

Miu waved her hand as she walked past the boys. "Yeah, all I got from that was lame virgin shit. So, I'll leave you to that, tubby." And with that, Miu walked back towards the main group.

Hifumi frowned and was about to openly weep until Mondo placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Forget about it," Mondo said. "The chick isn't worth the effort."

Hifumi looked up to Mondo before weakly nodding back.

As everyone was exchanging introductions with each other, the purple haired girl finally built up the courage to talk to someone. She meekly approached Kaede and tugged on her sleeve. "H-hello," she said quietly.

Kaede turned to the shy girl and smiled brightly at her. "Oh, hey!" Kaede said. "Sorry we didn't give you a chance to introduce yourself there. This situation is a little chaotic, isn't it?"

The girl nodded sheepishly.

"Well, my name is Kaede Akamatsu," she introduced herself. "What is your name?"

The purple haired girl twiddled her fingers as her knees shook. She looked like she would just pass out from the interaction, but she stood her ground. "U-um, m-m-my name is Mikan Tsumiki. I-I am the U-Ultimate Nurse. From the bottom of my heart, I-I hope we can become friends…"

Mikan Tsumiki: Ultimate Nurse

"Oh, you're a nurse?" Kaede asked. "That will be helpful to have. And of course we can be friends, Mikan. You seem really sweet and cute."

Mikan's face turned completely red. Such a simple complement was enough to make her blush and then start crying. "I'm sorry!"

"Huh?" Kaede said before panicking and attempting to calm the girl down. "Wait a second, what's wrong?"

"Way to go, Kaediot," Miu said just as she approached the two girls. "Your shit attempt at flirting frightened her."

"I wasn't trying to flirt with her," Kaede said to Miu before returning to soothing Mikan, rubbing her back lightly. "Everything's ok, Mikan. There's nothing apologize for."

"I-I didn't have to apologize," Mikan asked, sniffing and sucking some tears back into her eyes.

"Of course not," Kaede smiled. "We're all ok."

Mikan immediately burst into tears again. "I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

"H-hey!" Kaede gasped a bit. She was going to have her hands full with Mikan.

All of the conversations the group was having began to die down as they all gathered around the table in the center of the room. With all the introductions for those in the cafeteria done, Taka, Kaede, and Nekomaru decided to on into the kitchen while everyone else chose to sit down. While Taka wished his fellow classmates would keep moving, it had been a difficult day so far and allowing them to stop to rest was understandable and acceptable.

Nekomaru opened the door for Taka and Kaede to step inside. Once inside, they spotted three people. The first one they spotted was a girl with a punkish school attire and piercings. She had taken several pots and kitchen utensils and was using them like they were a drum set. The second was another girl, this one outfitted in a gothic Lolita dress that contrasted against her pale white skin and red eyes. She was seated in a chair with her hands laid neatly on her lap. The third was a small boy in a chef's outfit. He was stirring a cup of tea while staring holes into the gothic girl.

The gothic girl turned her attention to Taka's group. "Well, it appears I was right," she said in a forced French accent. "There are more students in the building."

The punkish girl spun around and waved at the group. "Hey! New people! OH! And Neko too! How are all of you?!"

Nekomaru smiled at the punkish girl and waved back. "It's certainly been a while, hasn't it?"

"It's been too long since I got a chance to see you, Nekomaru," the chef said with a sly smirk across his face. He then looked at Taka and Kaede. "And it looks like you brought some pretty good-looking friends with you too."

"Greetings, everyone!" Taka shouted out. "We were investigating this school in order to find anyone else here!"

"Well then, you have found us," the gothic girl said. "I take it you have found plenty of others, correct?"

"Yes, we have," Kaede said before turning to Taka. "I think we should all sit down and discuss if we're missing anyone."

"And excellent idea, Miss Akamatsu!" Taka smiled. "I'm sure it will also allow our colleagues a chance to rest longer!"

Kaede nodded before looking back at the three strangers. "Oh, by the way, I'm Kaede Akamatsu. I'm the Ultimate Piano Player. I'm actually from a different killing game…Not a great thing to have in common, but it is the truth."

"OooooOh~!" the punkish girl approached Kaede and got right up into her face. "A piano player! We totally need to make a band!"

Kaede backed up a bit, but gave the punk a smile nonetheless. "Are you a musician too?"

"Yep!~" the punk girl smiled brightly. "I-Bu-Ki Mio-Da! Ibuki Mioda is the Ultimate Musician! We need to rock out soon!"

Ibuki Mioda: Ultimate Musician

"I don't know if my style would really match up with rock, Ibuki," Kaede said.

"Pfff, that doesn't matter!" Ibuki laughed. "Ibuki will think of something."

The chef soon stepped in between the two girls and smiled up at Kaede. "If you don't mind me, I'd like to get acquainted with the lovely Miss Akamatsu as well."

Kaede felt a chill travel up her spine. She wanted to back away, but Taka was right behind her. "Of course you may, friend!" Taka said. "We were curious as to who you were as well."

The chef smiled and shook Kaede's hand. "My name is Teruteru Hanamura. I'm the Ultimate Cook, but if it's ok with all of you I'd rather be called the Ultimate Chef. It has more of a big city flavor to it. Don't you agree?"

Teruteru Hanamura: Ultimate Chef

While the question was intended for Kaede, she didn't answer. She simply took her hand out of Teruteru's grasp. Taka on the other hand, did answer the question.

"I'm not sure I understand the difference, but if it is what you wish I will gladly accept your request, Chef Hanamura!" Taka said.

Teruteru smirked at Taka. "I was asking the lady, but I'm still glad to hear from you, handsome."

Nekomaru shook his head a bit. Seemed like Teruteru hadn't changed at all since their killing game. He turned his attention over to the gothic girl. "And who are you?" he asked.

The gothic girl smiled and rose from her seat. She bowed her head lightly as she introduced herself. "I am Celestia Ludenberg. The Ultimate Gambler. Once things calm down, I would love to play a game with you all."

Celestia Ludenberg: Ultimate Gambler

"Oh, I'd love to play with you, my gothic princess," Teruteru muttered to himself.

"Now that these introductions are out of the way, why don't we reunite with your group?" Celestia asked Taka.

"Of course!" Taka replied. "Follow me, everyone!"

With that, they made their way back to the cafeteria.

While Taka, Nekomaru, and Kaede were in the kitchen, the rest of the group were seated at the main table discussing various topics among themselves.

"So," Kaito spoke up, "while we're all here, should we talk about how we all died?"

"Dude," Leon gasped a bit. "That's a pretty messed up topic right now."

"Well, I'm sure most of us are wondering about it," Kaito said. "Besides, isn't it a good thing to get that off your chest? That way we can avoid it from happening again?"

Mondo sighed a bit. "It's not like I disagree, it's just that it's a sore subject. And I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way…"

"Besides, it seems like some of us don't even know how we died in the first place," Nagito said. "I don't know who was the one that killed me in my killing game."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me!" Tenko spoke up before turning to Korekiyo. "What did happen to me during the séance? All I know is that all the lights went out, I kneeled down, then I woke up here. Do you know who ended up killing me?"

"I do," Korekiyo said before raising a finger to the girl. "However, you may not be happy with this information."

"Well, it was obviously a degenerate, right?" Tenko said as she rolled her eyes. "So, just tell me who it was. I tried asking Miu earlier, but she told me to bug off."

"I said piss off," Miu corrected.

Sayaka looked over at the inventor. "Why wouldn't you tell her?"

"I don't have to explain anything to anyone," Miu groaned out. "Especially to Tencrotch."

'I guess Miu is just the pettiest person here,' Sayaka thought to herself. 'I can't imagine how Tenko and the others delt with her for so long.'

"Well, nevermind that," Tenko said. "Kiyo, can you tell me who it was?"

Kiyo sighed before looking Tenko right in the eye. "The person that killed was-"

Suddenly, the main doors for the cafeteria swung open. "Don't you think giving away the answer spoils the fun?" an obnoxious yet childish voice called out from the entrance of the room.

"Who said-" Tenko said as she turned to face the intruder, but the moment she spotted him her confidence dropped. Her eyes widened and all that was left was dread. "N-noooo. No."

Sayaka turned around to see a small boy, possibly smaller than Makoto, with purple hair dressed in a white outfit and a checkered scarf around his neck. Sayaka didn't know what this boy had done to cause such a reaction from Tenko, but she can feel some vile intentions behind his smile.

And that's it for the 3rd part of this prologue and boy is writing this a challenge. I want to keep a balance with characterizing all of these characters well along with keeping the plot moving at a steady pace. Each time I start a part for this prologue it gets harder and harder. Sure, I'm planting the seeds for fun interactions (get ready for Teruteru to simp hard) but we're still in the middle of the introducing everyone to each other part.

Kokichi's introduction was always going to go do like this. He's just the worst possible person to end up with in a situation like this.

I don't have that much to say about this particular part, so I think I'll just leave with some announcements. First of, I think the prologue may go up to at least six parts then Chapter 1 officially starts off. Second, the game plan is for it to be weekly updates. I don't believe it will always be like that, especially since next week is my birthday and thanksgiving so be warned.

I do want to take some time to thank everyone for reading this story, it's easily my most viewed story ever and I hope for it to grow in terms of quality and popularity. So, as always, please remember to leave reviews down below and possibly share the word. It would mean the world to me.

Oh, I don't own Danganronpa.