Chapter 1: Act 1: Exploration

Location: Gymnasium

Day: 1

Time: 10:00 AM

For around ten minutes, the 23 students did nothing but stare at each other. Everyone was tense, Monokuma's words still hanging in the air. No one wanted to say anything, no one wanted to move. It was nothing but silent staring, everyone thinking the same thing. Akira could feel the sweat beginning to form on the side of his head. He had been rooted in place the moment the Graduation Clause had been explained, a myriad of questions flooding his mind.

What kind of sick twisted joke was this? Who would be so disgustingly malicious that they would trap 23 teenagers against their will and tell them to kill each other? Judging by what he had already seen, there was absolutely no way they were getting out easily. He had to wonder then who had managed to pull this off? The lack of staff, and other students, and the disappearance of the real headmaster just added to the hodgepodge of questions that lacked answers. He wanted to do something, anything, but he knew it would all be useless. His heart was thumping hard beneath his ribcage, threatening to explode from the adrenaline.

Of course, the question of why had entered Akira's mind. Why was this happening? Why was Monokuma doing this? Who was controlling him? Why a communal lifestyle? Why did they have to kill to leave? All questions without answers. He did his best to calm down, trying to relax enough that his heart rate had returned almost to normal. He wondered how it was that Kyoko, Celeste, and Byakuya could keep straight faces. They were certainly a lot stronger than he was because he was trying not to go ballistic.

"So… what are you going to do now? Just stand around glaring at each other?" Kyoko asked firmly. Her statement was enough to pull them back to reality.

"R-right. She's right!" Kiyotaka said, adjusting his jacket, pumping his fist. "To forget such a simple fact… I can't forgive myself. I'm so ashamed! Please, someone, hit me! I can't forgive myself. Somebody hit me, punish me!"

"Jesus, if you have enough energy to yell, you have energy to DO something about it," Mondo replied, shaking his head.

"Perhaps but… what is the mission?" Kazuichi asked, a look of worry on his face.

"The hell is this, a video game? There is no mission. We have to find the bastard behind this and tear him limb from limb!" the Ultimate Gangster cried out.

"I agree with him. I mean, whoever is doing this has to be on campus right? Look at all of the security cameras all over the place. They're watching us!" the fashionista added in an angry tone.

"Someone has to be controlling that bear, it didn't seem like it was functioning automatically," came the meek response of Chihiro.

"That doesn't make him any less dangerous. The damn thing exploded the second Mondo grabbed it. I don't have to tell ya the consequences of one of those things exploding in your hands." Kiyotaka said.

"Then if we can't fight the bear, what do we do?"

"Oh oh~ We can use the ugliest person here as a meat shield!" Hiyoko said, her gaze shifting to Mikan who backed away from her.

"Wha… I don't wanna die!"

"Them's the breaks, someone get some rope!"

"God will you shut the fuck up?!"

The blonde girl's head snapped to the right, her eyes falling on Akira, who hadn't said a single word until now. He glared right at her, fists shaking. "She's a human being, stop treating her like she's a piece of shit. If you hadn't noticed, we are in a very serious fucking situation here, and we could do less with your bitchy attitude."

"Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that, asshole?"

"Be at peace, you two," Hikari said, standing between the pair. He gave the pair a bright smile as he did so. "We should be working together, not arguing."

"Tch… whatever," the dancer hissed, crossing her arms. Akira didn't say anything, turning his head in the other direction.

"Looks like we're off to a fantastic start here." Hajima sarcastically said, shaking his head.

"Forget them! We need to figure out what those regulations are, the last thing we need is another Monokuma blowing up in front of us!" Hina said firmly.

"Fine then, let's read the stupid rules then." the Ultimate Fashionista said, turning her e-Handbook on. Akira took his handbook out of his pocket, pressing the power button.

The emblem of Hope's Peak Academy flashed on screen, followed by his name, Akira Yoshizawa. It opened up to his school identification, containing all of his current information as well as a profile picture. He hit the home button, finding several apps, among them one called Regulations which he immediately tapped.

"Alrighty, let's check out this bullshit," he said, eyes scanning the text before him. "Wow, how official looking."

Number 1: Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.

Number 2: "Nighttime" is from 10 PM to 7 AM. Some areas will be off-limits at night. Additionally, water shall be shut off at night. So please, exercise caution. Toilets are exempt from this rule.

Number 3: Sleeping anywhere other than the assigned dormitories will be considered sleeping in class. You shall be punished accordingly.

Number 4: With Minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your leisure.

Number 5: Violence against the Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited. The destruction of cameras is also a violation.

Number 6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes a 'blackened' will graduate unless they are discovered.

Number 7: Additional Rules may be added by Headmaster Monokuma at his discretion.

"These are some very interesting rules," Hikari said, lowering his handbook.

"They're bullshit is what they are! What the hell kind of rules are these!? I'm not gonna let them control ME!"

"Well then, why don't you wander around the school without a care in the world and see what happens? Personally, I would love to see what happens when someone breaks one of the rules." Celeste said, hiding her smile behind her hand. Mondo shut up immediately, sighing audibly.

"I.. ever since I was a kid, I grew up with my older brother pounding this into my head… When a man makes a promise, he has to keep it, even if it kills him."

"So what?" Junko asked curiously.

"I've made a ton of promises dammit, that's "so what"!"

"Then I take it, you'll follow the rules?" Celeste queried. Mondo just nodded quietly.

"Hey um… I have a question. For regulation number six… what do you think it means exactly?" Sayaka asked. It was the million-dollar question, the one Akira was trying to figure out himself.

"You're talking about the second half, right?" Makoto said, earning a nod from the Idol. "It says "Unless they are discovered". I was wondering about that myself."

"It's obvious. Clearly, it means that if you want to graduate, you have to kill without anyone finding out it was you. The perfect murder." The Ultimate Affluent Progeny said.

"That's… just not right!" Sonia shuddered.

"W-why would we have to do that?" the Ultimate Nurse asked, causing Byakuya to give her a level gaze.

"I don't see any reason to worry about it. Just worry about following the rules as they've been explained to us. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Sheesh, no need to be so blunt," Leon muttered under his breath.

Hina pocketed her handbook, adjusting her jacket. "Let's forget about all that silly junk about murders or whatever. Now that we know the rules, let's start exploring the school!"

"True. We need to find out exactly where we are. Is there any way out? What about food and supplies?"

"Do not worry about food. Me and Ibuki woke up in the dining hall and I saw quite a lot of fresh ingredients. I think we'll be good with food and water." the baseball star said.

"Well, I'll be taking my leave here."

"Huh? Hey, we aren't done here. Just because the little chef started taking orders doesn't mean we're all just gonna split up." Mondo said, standing in front of the affluent progeny.

"I'll be going alone, thank you very much."

"Don't you think that's a bad idea?" Mahiru asked curiously.

"Someone here is already likely planning murder. I cannot put myself at risk, which is why I've decided to explore alone. Feel free to group up if you'd like, I am merely doing what is right to keep myself alive."

"And I'm tellin' ya, it ain't gonna happen." the Ultimate Biker said, glaring at the boy, who merely shrugged.

"Out of my way, plankton."

"The fuck did you just call me?"

"Plankton, an insignificant tiny little lifeform. One that cannot do a single thing against the vastness of the ocean." he merely answered.

"Come on you guys, fighting is not the answer. We should all work together to explore." Makoto said, stepping between the two.

"Someone here might already be thinking about murdering one of us." he retorted, glancing around the room for a moment. "Are you saying we should stand around with them in our midst and make it easier for them?"

The Ultimate Pop-Sensation shook her head. "Wait, hold on a second. That would never-"

"Don't bother saying it couldn't happen. You can't deny that possibility," he said, cutting her off, glaring at her. She shied back, clearly frightened by his aura. "That's why you all seized up with fear when that graduation rule was made clear to you. Am I wrong?"

"Um… well…" Mikan softly said, only to be cut off by the boy.

"So, I am simply acting in accordance with what I think is best for me," he said.

"He's got a point," Akira said, rolling his shoulders a bit. "We don't know each other, and as much as we say we aren't going to kill, we don't know that. We can stand around looking at each other and stating that until we're blue in the face. Fact of the matter is, Rule 6 is an incentive and there is no shortage of people here to kill."

"Which is why we shouldn't let people go alone. You aren't leaving here so easily," Mondo said firmly.

"Everyone please, we have to stop acting like children and think about the grand scheme of things," Hikari said, gathering the attention of the others. "If we give into our desires and urges, then it just opens the door to despair, and that leads to terrible things happening. I believe it would be wise to give people the freedom of movement."

"Meaning?"

"Let Byakuya explore on his own. There are 22 others present here, if anything, there are plenty of people that will keep an eye on him as he makes his rounds."

It was silent for a moment, but Mondo seemingly took his words to heart, stepping away from the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. "Sorry man, I'm just on edge, that's all."

"I do not blame you, believe me, I am just as worried as all of you are. I shall take my leave now," he responded. With that, he left the Gymnasium. It wasn't long after that Kyoko followed along, wordlessly leaving, much to the surprise of the others.

"What do we do now?" Hajime asked curiously.

"I think it would be for the best that we split up into groups," Kiyotaka said, glancing at his watch for a moment. "How about we switch areas every half an hour? We'll call it quits at about 6:00 PM and share our findings over dinner?"

"Works for me. I'll be taking a page from Byakuya's book and working by myself." Fuyuhiko said.

Akira stepped away for a moment, while everyone else started breaking into groups. He wasn't sure if he was going to do the same. There were a lot of questions on his mind, but he didn't know if he could trust anyone. He wanted to believe they were all trustworthy, but given their current circumstances, he had a lot of doubts. He sat down at the bleachers, head in his hands as he looked at the others, millions of thoughts flowing through his mind.

"God… what did I do to deserve this? All I wanted was to come to the Main Course, is that so bad? To yearn for the affection of your foster parents? To be treated like someone that matters to them like your sibling? That's all I ever asked for. Why did I have to get stuck here?"

"You know, asking yourself why this is happening isn't a good use of your time. No matter how much you ask, you aren't getting an answer." Sayaka said, causing him to jump a bit. He shuddered a bit, looking away from her.

"You need to stop doing that."

"But reading your thoughts is fun~"

"Not for me it isn't." he snapped. She looked visibly hurt at this, causing him to frown. "I'm sorry, Sayaka, I didn't mean that. I'm just… really fuckin' stressed."

"I understand. This situation is something I wasn't expecting would happen. To be completely honest with you, I am terrified. But I can't show weakness, or else whoever is behind this wins." she said, sitting down beside him. She looked at the others for a moment before turning to face him. "What about you? Are you joining a group or exploring alone?"

"Hm… part of me is thinking of going at it alone, but with so many people, you never know what's going to happen. There is safety in numbers though… I dunno. What about you?"

"I'm exploring with Makoto of course! We actually know each other from middle school, so I figured I'd stick with people I know. You can come too if you'd like. We did wake up in the same classroom together."

"Having the honor of exploring my new prison with the Ultimate Pop-Sensation? Sounds like a dream come true," he said, chuckling to himself. "I'll join you… it'll be good to be among friends. We are friends, aren't we?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" she asked, giggling. She stood up, pulling him along. "Come on, let's see who else Makoto managed to rope into our group."

Sighing, he rose to his feet, following the Ultimate Pop-Sensation to where his fellow Ultimate Lucky Student stood. By now, the others had broken up into their own groups, already beginning to leave on their search of the school. Makoto smiled at Sayaka, gesturing to Kazuichi and Peko.

"Hey, I got Peko to join us. I see you were able to convince Akira too."

"It wasn't hard. The two of us agreed that it was far better to stick together than alone. Less chances of getting stabbed," the raven-haired boy said, giving Peko a nod. "It'll be nice working with you two."

"You as well. You seem to be a rather level-headed person, far more than some of the others," the Ultimate Swordswoman noted. Akira frowned, scratching his neck.

"But still… Do you think we'll actually find anything? This place is huge, and from the looks of things, we aren't going to get out through a window."

"Aw don't say that! You have to be positive, Kazuichi! How about we start with the Classrooms? Akira and I woke up in Classroom 1-B. Makoto, you woke up in 1-A right?" the blue-haired girl asked, earning a nod from the boy. "Then it works out. Let's start there, we'll check both of them, head to 1-C, and then double back to the First Floor Plaza."

"Works for me. I'll follow you guys." Akira said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He had a myriad of questions swirling in his mind, but he doubted he'd get any answers soon.


Location: Hotel Despair

Day: 1

Time: 10:15 AM

Group 3: (Mahiru, Hajime, Sonia, Junko)

Hajime's group had been the first to leave the gymnasium, heading to the part of the school named Hotel Despair. It was the dormitory building of Hope's Peak Academy. Located within was the Dining Hall, as well as the kitchen. To the very left of the large spacious plaza was a bathhouse, though it was currently blocked off by what looked like caution tape. Further ahead, was what looked like a Laundry Room.

Further ahead, the plaza opened up into a darkened corridor, bathed in dark red light. From where the four stood, they could see several doors, each with a key sticking into the lock. To the very right, near the entrance to the Dining Hall, was a corridor that ran down toward a stairwell, leading upstairs. There was a metal grate blocking access to it, so they wouldn't be able to explore it just yet.

"Well, looks like this is where we'll be hanging our hats while we're here," Junko said, arms crossed as she looked around. "Don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of staying here overnight."

"Neither do I, but the corridors all look the same. All of the windows are sealed off and there's no way out." Hajime said, pocketing his e-handbook. "There were those double doors down the hall from here, but I doubt they led outside."

"So… the bastards who trapped us here went out of their way to prepare places for all of us. It's as if they anticipated we wouldn't be leaving today. Fantastic." Mahiru said, shaking her head in disdain. "Well, what are we gonna do now?"

"Guess we'll have to look around for a bit. I did notice there was a bathhouse here as well, but it looks like it's closed off for the time being," Hajime said, pointing toward the room to the far left, the sign "Bath House" nailed above it. The Ultimate Photographer frowned.

"Where the hell are we supposed to shower then?"

"Looks like we'll have to find out," Junko said, taking the lead. Moving further into the dormitory area, it opened up into a darkened corridor, which had dimmed crimson lights. Hajime noticed all of the doors on either side of the corridor.

There were signs placed on every single door, with a pair of keys hanging from every single handle. Hajime paused for a moment, noticing each door sign featured an 8-bit representation of one of the students. Most of the doors had signs representing a single person, while some had two. There were also doorbells installed at each one. At the other end of the corridor was what looked like a trash disposal room, but it was currently locked. Looping around, he spotted a pair of empty bathrooms. It didn't take the group long to return to where they started, having seen everything on the outside.

"There's 16 dormitories, and each one has a sign on it. Seems like we'll be rooming with other people."

"God, do they expect us to stay the night?" Mahiru asked, clicking her tongue. "No way in hell, we need to find a way to get out of here!"

"I didn't notice an exit. However, during my initial inspection, I did notice a set of stairs leading up. But it's blocked by a gate, it doesn't seem like we'll be getting access to it anytime soon." Sonia said, looking up at the others. "Most peculiar, isn't it?"

"I certainly say so. If this is the dormitory area, then those stairs may lead to more dorms. If that's the case, why the hell are some of us forced to share rooms?" Junko questioned, earning a shrug from Hajime.

"Maybe it's part of their ploy," he replied, glancing back at the dormitory area. "We should check them out, and relay that information to the others later."

"If you say so," Mahiru mumbled quietly. The five of them split up, heading to their individual dorms. Hajime found his at the other end of the corridor, almost next to the trash room. He read the sign, seeing he was sharing a room with the Ultimate Princess. He frowned, glancing at the floor.

"Co-ed sleeping arrangements? I thought we were going to be split up by genders?" he thought to himself, grabbing the keys. He unhooked one of them, turning the wooden block, and saw the name "Hinata" laser etched into the wood. He heard footsteps beside him, slowly turning to see Sonia, who had a look of curiosity on her face.

"Oh wonderful~ You know, I've never had a roommate before. I think it will be rather fun, won't it?" she asked, making him cough slightly.

"I suppose but… isn't it wrong for a man and a woman of our ages to share the same room? On top of that, you're a Princess."

Sonia's smile changed into a frown, looking away from him. "I was hoping you didn't bring up the fact that I'm a princess, Hajime. I'm trying to forget it for the time being. Back in Novoselic, I always had everything I wanted. From lavish furnishings to the largest rooms. I just wish to live a normal life…"

"I'm not sure how normal our lives are going to be in our current situation. It doesn't seem like we're getting out any time soon, given the fact they prepared rooms for us," he said, sighing to himself. He slipped the key into the lock, twisting it. He smiled at her, holding his hand out. "Ladies first."

The blonde princess stepped into the bedroom, followed by Hajime. The lights automatically turned on the second they stepped in. Their accommodations were rather plain. The room had been divided in half, tucked to the far end of the room was a single twin-sized bed, with light blue bedding. There was a dresser tucked into the wall, right below the windows sealed with iron. Across the room was the other bed, this one being covered in light pink garments. There were a pair of dressers as well. A circular table sat in the center of the room, along with a trash can which was placed near the dresser. Finally, there was a door that led to the en-suite bathroom. Overall, it looked like a normal room.

Except for the security camera. Hajime noticed it following their every movement, the red light blinking brightly. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked back at Sonia, who had been carefully inspecting her bed.

"What do you think?"

"Hm… aside from the fact we're being watched, the room looks quite nice. It's far less lavish than what I'm used to. But regardless of that, it looks warm and inviting." Sonia said, smiling at him. "I think I should like staying here very much."

"Glad to hear it. I'm still against the idea of sharing a room with a girl, but if you're alright with it, so am I. We can discuss boundaries and bathroom times later as well." he said, rubbing his neck as he glanced at the back wall. "Christ, I'm already used to the idea that I'll be living here from now on."

"That isn't necessarily a bad thing. We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, us inevitably having to remain here. Monokuma and whoever is controlling him is a heinous villain indeed, who wants something from us. We must become united in a single front and show them that we won't bend to their whims. And how do we do that?" she asked, giving the boy a grin. "We live our lives as normal."

With that, she threw herself into the bed, sighing contently at how springy it was. "Wonderful~"

"Well, you seem like an easy woman to please, Sonia. I guess as far as roommates go, I can't go wrong with anyone else." Hajime said. He shifted his attention toward the bathroom door, seeing the sheet of paper that was taped to it. Wandering over it, he read the words written on it.

"Announcement from Headmaster Monokuma. Each room's lock has been designed to be completely against tampering or lock picking. Remaking an individual room key is quite troublesome, so please don't lose yours. Your room comes furnished with a shower, but please note that the water is turned off at nighttime. Also, the bathroom in the girls' dorm includes a lock of their own.

Finally, we've prepared a small gift for each of you. For the girls, a sewing kit complete with a diagram of all the vital parts of the human body. For the boys, a tool kit. One strike from any of these tools will surely leave someone dead. For Co-ed dorm rooms, you lucky few get a set of both! I do hope you break out into fits of domestic violence. That would make this bear beary happy. Always remember these wise words! Don't think! Just feel! And let's all enjoy ourselves!"

He ripped the paper off the door, tearing it up into strips. He continued until those strips were nothing more than confetti, which he threw into the trash bin. He brushed the dust from his hands, glancing at Sonia who had a firm look on her face.

"I'd rather we didn't think about that note. Unless we need them, we should also leave those kits unopened."

"Of course. I doubt I'll need to sew anything anytime soon…" she said, rubbing her arm as she looked away from the book. "I don't exactly know how to sew things."

"Neither do I. Guess we have common ground." he chuckled, glancing at the wall clock, taking note of the time. "We should meet up with Mahiru and Junko. They probably ran into the same thing as we did."

"Aw… I wanted to take a nap."

"Perhaps later, Sonia. We still have to conduct our search, who knows? We might not have to sleep in these beds tonight. Here's to hoping." he said, trying to sound cheerful.

The pair returned to the hotel plaza, finding the other members of their group. Mahiru and Junko had looks of disappointment on their faces. Hajime could feel their disappointment oozing from their bodies. It was the same thing he was feeling.

"Did you check out your rooms?" the red-haired photographer asked, earning a nod from the young man.

"Yes, we did," Hajime said, rubbing his neck. "Did you guys get roommates too?"

"I did, I'm rooming with Asahina. Mahiru got lucky, she gets a dorm room all to herself." the fashionista said, slightly annoyed at the thought of sharing her room. "What about you two? Did you get single rooms?"

"I'll be sharing a room with Hajime. Our room was split perfectly down the middle, and our beds even have color-coded bedspreads. The mattress is quite comfy as well, though I do have particular tastes when it comes to mattresses," the Princess said. She hardly noticed the look on the redhead's face.

"What the hell? You are sharing a room with a man? That can't happen! Hajime, you need to get out of that room as soon as possible."

"Where exactly am I supposed to go? Are you going to give me your room?" he asked.

"Of course not! You should go talk to another person who has a roommate and arrange things with them!"

"Oh sure, because it's so simple to just do that."

"Guys, seriously stop arguing, it's giving me a headache," Junko said, looking away from her e-handbook. "Besides, you are making a big deal out of nothing. Rule 3 states people have to sleep in their assigned dormitories. So even if Hajime wanted to, he wouldn't be able to switch with someone else."

Mahiru pulled out her handbook, wanting to verify what the blonde fashionista was saying. She reached the third regulation and scanned it, frowning when she realized what it really said. She looked back at Hajime before shifting her gaze toward the princess. "If he tries anything, tell me and I'll make sure he never gets an erection again."

"Jesus Christ, I'm not a sex offender. I respect people's boundaries. Besides, you actually think I could do something to the woman who's been trained to fight since she was 5?" the black-haired boy said, shaking his head. "Seriously, I get that it's not an ideal situation but I'm not a perv."

"I must concur with Hajime. He seems like a kind individual, and while I would prefer to sleep with someone of my own gender, I am alright with sharing a room with him. I don't know why it is but I feel like I can trust him." she said, giving him a bright smile.

"Hm… if you say so."

"We should keep exploring this place, make sure we don't miss anything. All the groups agreed to rotate after half an hour. We should make sure everything is looked through." Junko suggested, earning nods from the others.

"Excellent, then let's continue exploring! I'm certain we'll make some good discoveries!" the princess said, a smile on her face. Hajime smiled as well, taking the lead.

"Alrighty, then let's get to it."


Location: Entrance Hall

Day: 1

Time: 10:50 AM

Group 2: (Leon, Mondo, Mikan, Hina)

"This damn thing won't budge." Mondo cried as he continued kicking the door. Leon was standing a few feet behind him, brow quirked as he watched.

"Dude, it's made out of thick metal, I don't think kicking it is going to do much of anything to it," he replied.

"I know that, but I wanna keep trying!"

Hina looked away from the biker, glancing at the Ultimate Nurse. She had a nervous look on her face as she poured through the documents on the bulletin board. There was nothing of interest on them, other than announcements for school clubs and sports teams. But it was keeping her distracted at the very least. She slowly approached her, giving her a small smile.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"H-huh? You're… actually talking to me?"

Hina tilted her head in confusion. "Um… yes? Why wouldn't I?"

"It's just… so many people say I'm too ugly to talk to. And they say I smell bad even though I shower every day. I make sure to get all the knots in my hair too, but I'm still too ugly." she admitted, looking away from her. "I thought no one wanted to talk to me."

"Oh sweetheart, you are not ugly at all, in fact, you are very pretty. Don't let Hiyoko bully you, alright? You are worth more than whatever comes out of her mouth." Hina happily said. "I would be more than happy to talk to you!"

"That… that makes me so happy. I thought of so many cool topics to talk about but I'm so nervous I can't remember any of them," she said, giggling. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Hm… do you like donuts?"

"I try not to eat things that are high in calories. I want to keep a healthy diet, you know? I'm supposed to be a nurse, and nurses can't preach about health if they're overweight." she admitted, in a firm tone. Her eyes widened a bit, and she almost instantly shrunk away. "I'm so sorry, I just insulted your topic, didn't I? If you want to hit me, please feel free to!"

"Dude… what kind of response is that?" Leon said, taken aback. "No one is going to hit you, alright? Hell, if anyone is hitting you, let me know, and I'll set them straight."

"Hell yeah, ain't no one going to beat up a woman while I'm around." the biker said, towering over the nurse. He looked her over for a moment, frowning. "You get beat up a lot, don't you?"

"Um… yes. I'm used to it." she sadly returned, sighing. "No one likes me, it's always how it's been. People used to hit me with sticks and throw rocks at me. I got hurt so often no one wanted to help me, so I had to teach myself. That's why I'm a nurse. I don't want other kids to experience what I did."

"And you aren't! You are in a safe place."

"Yeah… safe." Leon deadpanned. He gave Mikan a smile, patting her shoulder, eliciting a pained cry from the girl, which he didn't hear. "Don't you worry, Mikan! You'll become friends with everyone here in no time!"

"I-I sure hope so."

"I gotta say though, this shit is really pissing me off." Mondo hissed, glaring at the door. "Who the hell just traps a buncha kids behind a metal door? What kinda school does that?"

"I'm wondering that too. There's no way the people in charge of this place would allow this to happen, would they?" Hina asked curiously.

"I heard online that the staff in charge of teaching the students are also researchers. Maybe they're doing some sort of research test?" the violet-haired nurse asked.

"That's illegal! It violates all sorts of human rights, hell it goes against the Geneva Convention, doesn't it?"

"Tch… you think the government gives a shit? For all we know, we could be locked in some bunker under the ground. A shithole that looks just like Hope's Peak. That's why the windows are boarded up, the metal is keeping the dirt outside!" Mondo said, looking back at the door, balling his fists tightly. "God when I get outta here, I'm gonna wring out their necks!"

"I don't think that's the case, Mondo," Hina said, shaking her head. "Still, it is one theory about what's going on. There has to be a way out, right? Leon, you woke up in the kitchen, right? You said there was food and water?"

"Yes. I didn't look around, but there was a whole section of fresh produce, along with a lot of fridges and freezers. This place is fully stocked, I'm sure of it."

"Then that means someone must've brought that stuff in here. So there's a way out!" Mondo said, smirking. "And if we find a way out, we'll be able to leave!"

"Exactly! We just have to figure out where it is and we'll be able to use it!" the brunette said, turning around. "We should head to the kitchen and check it out! It's almost time for us to switch anyway."

"Um… are you sure we should go there so soon? There might be something around here we missed."

"I doubt it, Mikan, I mean… you looked through all of those papers, right? Anything of interest?" the baseball star asked. She shook her head, frowning.

"No… just ads and headlines for the clubs. None of them had a date though, you'd think they'd list those," she said, scratching her cheek. "Maybe I should read them a little better. I could have missed something."

"Later, let's head to the kitchen," Mondo said, taking the lead of the group. They entered the plaza, about to head toward Hotel Despair when Hina noticed something else. She stopped in her tracks, pointing toward the School Store.

"Hey look, the store's open."

"Huh… oh yeah, it is! Wanna check it out real quick? We might be able to find some snacks or something to munch on." Leon said. Mondo shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, why the hell not?"

Shifting their direction around, the quartet headed to the school store. It was a rather small store, with a single counter. The front shelves were filled with gaudy-looking souvenirs. Postcards, stationery, pens, notebooks, and anything a student would need while staying in the academy. Sweatshirts and letterman jackets were hanging above the counter. Off to the right, there was a set of fridges, filled to the brim with all sorts of drinks. Across from it was another set of shelves, filled with candy, chips, and snacks.

The final thing they noticed was the massive gachapon machine that sat on the countertop. It was black and white, decorated with a series of multi-colored light bulbs. It was quite large, and filled with several plastic balls containing prizes. Mondo strolled toward it, knocking the glass with his fingers.

"The hell? They actually put one of these stupid things here?"

"Guess the school wants to milk every last cent out of its students." the baseball star said, opening one of the fridges. He grabbed a Ramune from the top shelf, closing it right after. He dug his hand in his pocket, frowning. "Shit, I don't have any money, where the hell do I pay?"

"I don't think anyone will care if you take it. Not like there are any teachers around to scold us for it." the Ultimate Swimmer said.

"Oh, don't you worry! You can take anything you'd like from here~"

"Gaaah!"

Several postcards flew around the room as Mikan jumped forward, startled by the monochrome bear. She turned around, panting wildly, eyes widened and filled with fear as she glared at Monokuma. He merely laughed, jumping onto the countertop.

"Wow sweet cheeks, I didn't think you'd be this jumpy. I ain't gonna kill ya, that's what you all are for!"

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Hm? I'm here to explain to you what this darling machine is for!" he said, happily tapping the gachapon machine. "This darling machine of mine is called the MonoMono Machine! I wanted to have something here so that you'd all have lots of cool little trinkets! But of course, I'm not just gonna give them to you for free, so bam! Gachapon! There are a lot of neat items here. Who knows? There might even be something here that'll help you escape."

Their eyes grew wide with surprise. The bear merely chuckled. "And just like that, I've hooked you in! If you want to play, all it takes is a MonoCoin! I hid a bunch all over the school! But for the first time, I've gone ahead and prepared a generous amount for everyone here! 100 Coins as a start!"

He reached behind his back, and as if by magic, pulled out five black and white pouches, handing them to the five students present. Hina opened hers, pulling out three of the coins from inside, and looking them over. "They have your face on them, greaaat."

"It's a machine of my design and creation, of course, it can only take the most premium of premium coins! There are tons of unique items, the more you put in the machine, the more unique the items. They might make good presents for your fellow classmates. Go on, try it!"

"I don't like how he's encouraging us to play with this thing. For all we know, we could get a bomb or something." Leon said, backing away from the machine. "I ain't gonna try it."

"Pfft, pussy, I'll go," Mondo said, drawing five coins. He placed them all into the machine and twisted the key, holding his hand out for the capsule. Popping it open, he saw a rather odd object inside it. It was a glass bird, filled with water. He stared at it for a moment, scratching the side of his head. "The fuck is this?"

"It's a water flute! If you blow into it, it'll sound like a chirping bird. Use it to annoy someone until they try to kill ya!" the bear cheerfully replied. The biker unceremoniously dropped into Hina's hands, stepping out of the store.

"I'mma head out, let's meet up at the Dining Hall, okay?"

"Wait for me man," the orange-haired lad said, grabbing another Ramune before leaving the store. Hina and Mikan shared a look, both of them still holding their coin pouches in their grasp.

"A-are there any interesting things in there?" Mikan asked, causing the bear to laugh.

"Course there are, you just gotta roll for them! I scattered coins all over the school, so do your beary best to collect them all. Who knows? Maybe you'll hit that 1% and get that lucky prize!" he said, jumping off the counter. "Can't wait to see one of you guys croak! Puhuahahahahah~"

The Nurse shuddered a bit, only for Hina to place a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile. "Hey, don't listen to what that stupid bear is saying, okay? We're going to make it out of here just fine, just you wait."

"I-I know… but I can't help being a bit scared," she said, glancing at the coins in her hands. She looked at the machine for a moment. "Do you think you could stay with me for a little bit? I just want to try this out. We'll leave in five minutes, I promise."

"You take all the time you need, okay? I don't mind waiting at all!" the swimmer cheerfully said. She looked at the flute in her hands, grinning. She blew into it, the sweet sound of bird chirps filling the school store.


Location: Kitchen

Day: 1

Time: 11:25 AM

Group 4: (Chihiro, Hikari, Kazuichi)

"Wow, look at all this food!" Kazuichi belted the second he entered the kitchen. His eyes were wide and filled with stars, as he hungrily stared at everything around him. "It's all fresh too!"

The kitchen was massive, boasting several gas-powered stoves, along with large storage freezers each filled with the finest cuts of meat in the world. There was a shelf filled to the brim with fresh produce, while smaller fridges kept all of the other perishables. There were freezers filled with frozen vegetables, novelties, and various other things. The center island served as a plating station, and above it, the finest of cookware was arranged. There were cabinets filled to capacity with fine china. It had everything a school needed to feed a massive student body.

And yet, only 23 people would be able to enjoy it. It was a crazy thought.

Chihiro walked around the back of the kitchen, taking a look at all of the cooking areas. There were several gas-powered stoves, each of them being state of the art. There were shelves filled with fine china and the finest cookware from around the world.

"This is all so impressive, I never thought I'd see appliances like these. Some of these are in the hundreds of thousands of yen," she said.

"Wow, really?" Hikari asked.

"Oh yeah, just by looking at them, I can tell they're super fancy. I mean look at that microwave there," he said, pointing to the microwave near one of the large fridges. "That thing is automatic, you press a button, it pulls out and you dial the time in and it pulls itself back in. And that fridge there, it's the same kind used in 5-star restaurants around the world. It's likely got the best industrial parts known to man. I'd love to take one apart and see how it works!"

"You shouldn't do that, Kazuichi. We wouldn't want to mess one up or something." the ultimate programmer said, only to cringe. "N-not that I don't believe in your abilities or anything. It's just not wise to touch these things."

"It's fine, Chihiro, I totally understand. Besides, I don't have any of my tools with me, so even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to take it apart," he replied, smiling. "I bet you it's full of yummy food! Shame there's no Ultimate Chef here with us."

"Hm… I do wonder, how exactly will we be able to ration it?" the Graphic Designer questioned, leaning against the island. "There are 23 of us here, meaning all of this food will start to go quickly. Even if there's a lot of it here, it'll all go eventually."

"There's no need to worry about that~"

Kazuichi let out a surprised scream, backing away from the bear. "What the hell? You can't just pop outta nowhere like that!"

"Yes I can!" the mechanical bear said with a laugh. He glanced up at Hikari, smiling at him. "You were wondering about the food, right? Well, there's no need to worry. The food here will be restocked depending on what you consume. We have a nearly limitless budget, so we'll be able to replace anything you use."

"That's reassuring. At least we won't be starving to death here. Now, would you be so kind as to let us out?"

"Pfft, no. I already told you all, if you wanna leave, you gotta kill! Fun fact, did you know that if you mash up a good amount of potato sprouts, you can get enough cyanide to kill a group of people? That little tidbit might become useful~"

"It definitely won't be useful, what the hell, we aren't going to fall to your sick game!" the mechanic growled. Monokuma's smile dropped as he glanced over his shoulder at the pink-haired boy.

"Yes you will, humans are simple creatures. All you need to do is plant one tiny little seed and watch it sprout. And that seed has already been planted. As long as you keep remembering that dirty outside world, you won't want to live peacefully here. And if you can't live peacefully in here, that means you'll have to kill to leave. It's an endless cycle, my friend. It's best if you get used to things here."

With a boisterous laugh, the bear sauntered off, leaving the three in disbelief. Hikari's face dropped, his frown deepening as he glanced at the ceiling. "Seems like getting out of here isn't going to be as easy as we thought it'd be."

"We just have to stay positive, right? I'm sure the police will help us out! Once they realize we're missing, they'll come here and pull us out!"

"Here? Do we even know if we're inside Hope's Peak Academy? For all we know, we could be somewhere that looks like it."

"I'm not so sure. I doubt the government would have enough money to replicate an entire floor of a world-famous academy." the graphic designer said, grabbing one of the apples from the fruit stand. He rubbed it against his shirt, biting into it. "We should focus on the here and now, and for the time being, that's searching for an exit. We've secured food and water, and there are dorms for us to stay in. We'll be fine."

"Y-yeah… I don't like the idea of staying the night here but… it could be worse," the programmer nervously said. Kazuichi grabbed himself an apple, tossing one to Chihiro who almost dropped it. "T-thanks, Kazuichi!"

"No problem. Come on, let's keep searching around. Here's hoping we find something!" he said, holding his apple up for a moment before tearing a chunk out of it. Chihiro looked at hers, sighing quietly to herself.


Location: Gymnasium

Day: 1

Time: 12:00 PM

Group: 5 (Celeste, Ibuki, Hiyoko, Hiro)

"Come on… you have to show me something, anything." Hiro said, as he clutched his crystal ball tightly in his grasp. Hiyoko was standing next to him, slightly bent over as she stared into the ball, a look of curiosity on her face. "Ah! Finally, I see something!"

"What? What is it?"

"A ham and cheese sandwich!"

The Ultimate Traditional Dance gave him a deadpanned look, hands at her hips. "You asshat, this isn't the time to start thinking about food! Aren't you the Ultimate Clairvoyant? You're supposed to be using that thing to look for a way out!"

"Sorry blondie but it doesn't work that way. I've been trying to contact the spirit realm since the others left and they haven't said a thing," he said, sighing. "Guess I'm hitting my 60% instead of the thirty."

"Honestly speaking, I don't believe in that fortune-telling mambo jumbo! Ibuki controls her future! Not some silly glass ball!" the musician said, dribbling her basketball. She shot it into the hoop, grinning. "Swish swish bish~!"

"All of you are wasting your time. The rules have been laid out for us clear as day, no matter what we do, we won't leave so easily." the gothic lolita said, grabbing their attention. She was sitting at one of the bleachers, shuffling a deck of cards. "Simply put, in order to survive, we must adapt to our current situation."

"Adapt? You wanna live here?" Hiyoko cried out, disbelief written on her face. "Nah-uh! Fuck that noise, I got shit to do and it ain't here. God, I shouldn't have even bothered showing up to this shithole."

"But you did, didn't you? You were scouted by Hope's Peak Academy and accepted that invite. The time has come and gone, darling. You are here now, and no amount of moaning and groaning will change that." she returned, clapping her hands. "Now, how about a game to pass the time?"

"Sure, 5 Card Draw?" Hiro asked, sitting down on the floor in front of her.

"Hm, yes that'll do, standard rules apply. We'll be skipping betting rounds since clearly, none of us have money," she said. Ibuki and Hiyoko shared a look but decided to join in anyway. Celeste expertly dealt the hands out. Hiro took his, pouring over them for a moment before discarding a pair, drawing two from the deck.

"I don't know how to play but I guess if there's no betting, I'll be okay," Ibuki said, staring at her cards. She had no idea what was good or not. "Do you think someone out there knows what's going on here?"

"Duh! Hope's Peak Academy is smack in the center of the city. You'd have to be blind, deaf, and stupid to not notice the iron plates on the windows and the massive ass metal door." Hiyoko said, dropping three of her cards and drawing three new ones. "It won't be long until someone comes knocking."

"Ladies relax, I'm telling you all! This is all just some elaborate prank by the higher-ups, that's all!" Hiro nonchalantly said. "I'm never wrong when it comes to these things."

"Are you sure about that? I read on the forums that you have a 30% success rate. Are you truly banking on that 30% to be correct?" Celeste asked, looking away from her cards, crimson eyes boring into Hiro's green ones. "You do know people are bound to die, right?"

"D-die?"

"Don't say that even as a joke, Celeste, sheesh." the dancer snapped. Though she tried to look tough, she had a look of fear on her face. "T-they wouldn't allow people to get murdered… would they?"

"Certainly not, were we in a normal academy. I surmise this must be some sort of game for whoever is running this place. I did hear some rather interesting rumors about Hope's Peak Academy while in the underground world." Celeste said, dropping one of her cards. She rearranged her hand, looking up from them. "Rumor has it, the school is running some sort of… experiment."

"Experiment? What kind?"

"The kind that uses human subjects, darling. I'm certain that silly ball of yours could have told you that," she said with a bright smile. Hiyoko snickered, sitting up slightly.

"So wait… they're poking at people's insides here? Ew… sounds kinda gross if you ask me."

"Ibuki, human experimentation is more than just poking around." the clairvoyant said, slowly exhaling as he leaned back. "I hate to agree with Celeste but, I did hear some rumors myself. The Reserve Course's tuition fees rose again, from 400k to 2 million yen. Seems to me like they needed the money for something."

"Indeed… what do you think a school with government funding and absurdly high tuition fees would do?" the gambler asked. She gestured for them to show their hands, before adding her own. A Royal Flush, she easily defeated them. Hiyoko turned away, while Hiro frowned and Ibuki simply looked confused. "It's quite obvious the sick machinations of some Mastermind are being displayed here, and we are the unwitting subjects."

"They wouldn't do that though… don't you think people would ask questions if 23 students just went missing?" Hiyoko asked curiously.

"In another academy, sure, but do remember, Hope's Peak Academy pays for student's expenses. That includes rooms and board. Our families would be none-the-wiser because they would assume we are at a school that is paying for every one of our needs."

"Shit… that's like… incredibly not cool!" Ibuki cried, crossing her arms. "If that's the case then… What the hell dude? That's hella illegal! Someone call the CIA!"

"Why would we call an American Agency? And did you forget we have no phones, stupid?"

"Well… I'm gonna go with the prank explanation for what's going on. But if this is really real then…" Hiro paused, shuddering a bit. "We find ourselves in a really messed up situation, ladies. You guys might want to update your wills."

Celeste merely giggled, shaking her head. "Oh, forgive me for laughing, but updating my will will not be necessary. You see, I've merely been dropped in a new kind of game. It isn't the first time I've risked my life to win a hefty amount of money. As long as I treat this as a game, I shall come out on top."

"Seriously? People's lives are in danger and you wanna think of this as a game? That's sick!"

"That's strategy, Hiyoko, dear. I've never lost a game in my life, and I am not about to start now," she said, dealing out their next hand. She rearranged her cards, dropping one and taking another one. "I would suggest keeping an eye on the others. Some of us here have some talents that might make things difficult in the future."

"How can you stay so calm?" Ibuki said, a curious look on her face. "I can hardly sit in my seat without bouncing around, and I'm not good with situations like this but you… you have a face of diamonds. You hardly showed emotion when Monokuma told us to kill each other."

"I've had a great many years to perfect my poker face dear. There are millions of nerves in your cheek muscles, it's how you can emote. I learned a great deal of control over them. You can reveal so much about your mental state through your face." she admitted, looking through her cards before discarding one. "A smile reflects happiness, a frown, sadness. A slight smirk might tell me someone believes they can win, while an arrogant grin might show superiority. But in the end, everyone shows the same expression when they lose."

She set down another Royal Flush, taking the others by surprise. "Abject fear, horror, realization of a poor choice, sadness, rage… all of those emotions flash through people in the blink of an eye. If you can master not showing your emotions, you'll fool everyone around you into believing what you want them to believe."

"Hm… is that why you talk in that ridiculous fake accent? Because you want us to believe you are from Europe?"

"Hiyoko, darling, I am from Europe." the gambler said, giving her a malicious grin.

"Still… you got some real balls of steel, Celeste. Not being affected by what that mechanical bear said. It takes a lot of guts." Hiro said, scratching his head, wondering how he had lost a second time. "You are someone I wouldn't want to mess with."

"Thank you for your rather vulgar way of describing me, Hiro," she replied, not at all bothered by what he had said. "Everything I am saying loops back to what I said before. We must adapt to the way things are. A lack of adaptability is a lack of survivability, my dears."

"Adapt to living here? I never will. I have an important person I want to see again out there. I came to Hope's Peak to make him proud. I don't want to die here." the traditional dancer said, hugging herself tightly. "J-just thinking about that scares me."

"It'll be fine, Hiyoko. It's like I said, this is all just some sort of joke!"

"Hm… I sure hope it's a joke." Ibuki said, groaning as she lay back on the gymnasium floor. "When I agreed to come here, it was because I wanted to make lots of awesome friends and great music. I have a lot of song ideas in the ol' noodle. This is only a setback, when we get outta here, I'll make some awesome tunes for everyone! This sure as hell will inspire me!"

"That's one way to look at the positives, I guess."

"Hehehe… don't worry, you'll adapt to living here soon enough. It'll be hard but I'm sure all of us can pull it off. Improvise, adapt, overcome~"

She dealt another hand out, already knowing she'd win. Hiyoko suddenly looked up from her cards, giving Celeste a curious look. "Did you just quote Bear Grylls?"


Location: ?

Day: 1

Time: ?

"Ugh… how boring~ All they're doing is exploring the school, when does the fun begin?!" the mechanical bear cried, staring at all of the cameras around him.

His focus was mostly on the ones for the first floor of Hope's Peak Academy. The 23 unwitting victims had been exploring the building. They had split off into groups and were searching for ways out of the academy. They had been buddy-buddy with each other the second he had left the gymnasium. And that was not going to fly.

He needed to see some excitement! He needed to see some good old-fashioned death.

"But how do I get the message across? Hm.. How indeed?" the bear mumbled, tilting his head a bit. An idea came to mind, a smirk flashing upon his face. "Of course!"

He wiggled back and forth for a moment before standing up. Leaping down from where he had been sitting, he moved to a filing cabinet, which he opened with a skeleton key in the likeness of himself. He pulled the cabinet open, pulling out 23 envelopes, all of them in the same style.

"Ah… I love a good motivator~ And this one is a great one! Time to get these envelopes delivered! Let's see who takes the bait first!"

The mechanical bear burst into laughter, already imagining all of the thrills, chills, and kills he was about to get. For the students of Hope's Peak Academy, they were about to get a very terrible wake-up call.


A/N: Uh Oh, das not good.

You know things aren't going to be going great when you get a day 1 motive, hehe. You know, it's been a fun time working on this story. I expected it to be challenging, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy I could work. Maybe it's my past experience, or maybe it's the fact I haven't written anything since May. I finished Promise back in May and posted throughout the year ending in September. It's been rough getting back into it. Well no, I kinda lied, I did try to write a Persona 5 story, but that went nowhere. I am halfway done this one at least, so I'll have something to post while working on other things, so that's fun, that's a fun time. And given some upcoming games, I'll need that time to focus on other projects.

Anyway, I rambled on as I always do. Have a good one, I'll be here next week, maybe. See ya~