Prologue: Opening Pandora's Box Chapter 9

(One week later.)

The Ultimate Soldier quietly fumed in the corner of the cellar as her sister and that wrinkled old bastard talked amongst themselves, their backs turned against her. Her ears strained to catch what they were saying, but their talk was as fast as bullets from a machine gun and if she were to try and dodge the metaphorical lead, not even she could escape unscathed.

Towa, Class 77-B, Monokuma, Ryota, Tragedy were some of the words that she caught from the conversation, but out of context, it was all gibberish to Mukuro.

"Wait. Am I hearing this right?" Hakashita said in the latest topic. "You mean to tell me that Hope's Peak Academy, propagators of Talent and Hope is now recruiting elementary students to their high school?"

"You know it!" guffawed Junko, reclining in her velvety chair, stretching her arms out and kicking one leg forward. "Those slippery bastards couldn't wait for a few more years before they turned their eyes towards some pre-teens. The pedos!"

Hakashita himself chuckled in amusement. "I get their main schtick is finding accomplished youths and extracting their credit for themselves, but getting elementary students is getting out of hand. What's next? Kindergarteners?"

The two roared at the thought while Mukuro observed emotionlessly. The two practically fell on the floor in a fit of giggles.

Calming himself, Hakashita got off the floor and grabbed the Ultimate Despair's arm, hoisting her up.

"You already instigated yourself with them, haven't you?" he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Of course I did. It was sooo much fun!" Junko snickered. "I told the kids..." Junko's shifted from model to a more caring persona. "'That's awful! Your parents did that to all of you! Big Sis Junko will take care of all of you and protect you from them!'"

"And then?" Hakashita egged on.

"They totally bought it! All they needed was a little push, a little act of kindness, and then, boom, they were mine. Those brats fell for the hook, line, and sinker."

The two both let out chuckles again.

"Sometimes," Hakashita started in a sly tone. "You have to give people what they want in order to get what you want. And what you gave them was a sense of belonging, a feeling that someone cared for them and gave them the love that their parents never gave them. In short, you were able to manipulate those children."

"Aren't I just a genius?" she said in a high-pitch tone, making a cutesy expression with her eyes sparkling.

"The very best!" the old man cheered.

The Ultimate Fashionista smirked. "So, old man. Have you prepared the gift for Big Sis Junko?~"

"Your birthday is coming up." he remarked, rubbing his gray hair. "Correct?"

"Yup." The strawberry-blonde remarked cheerfully. "December 24th."

"Christmas Eve, correct?"

Junko's face scrunched up in disgust. "Blech! Don't remind me. The bitches on the internet already pointed that out to me." Her face turned green and she held her stomach tightly.

"Christmas is such a hopeful time of year that the mere mention of that holiday makes my skin crawl." she rambled on. "I can't have any of that bullshit near me, thank you very much."

"On the bright side, that means double the gifts." The man in front of her pointed out cheerfully. "Although it looks like I don't have anything for either occasion yet."

"Ehhhh?!" Junko pouted. "Don't tell me you forgot, old man. That's soooo mean." She pointed at him accusingly

"Hey, hey." Hakashita held his hands up apologetically. "I'm not very good at remembering birthdays and stuff. My bad."

"Well, hurry up and get me a present." Junko said, sticking out her tongue.

"It's not even December yet!"

"True, but seriously. Do I have to teach you how to treat a lady? What happened to the good old times where men were fine ol' gentlemen?"

"Ah, you wound me, madam. I've had to learn the hard way that the 2000s are not what they used to be."

"Can we please get on with it?" she cut in, her eyes narrowed.

"Huh?" Junko looked up. "What do you mean, sis?"

"I mean," the soldier growled. "Get to the point. Stop wasting time."

Hakashita laughed.

"She's a lively one, isn't she?"

Junko shrugged.

"She's usually a living statue, but something must've crawled up her panties."

"Enough." Mukuro snapped. "What is the point of this meeting? You've been dragging it out for far too long."

Hakashita turned his head towards the soldier, his smile widening.

"Oh? You seem frustrated, Ms. Ikusaba."

Mukuro growled and turned her head away.

"Don't be rude, sis." Junko chided. "That scowl makes your already ugly mug uglier."

"Now, now." Hakashita waved a hand. "It's understandable why she's like this."

He turned to Mukuro.

"My dear girl, I am deeply sorry for ignoring your presence for so long. The conversation with Miss Enoshima was simply too engaging and I forgot myself."

Running swiftly toward her, the Committee member leapt through the air and skidded in front of the soldier with his forehead touching the floor, palms laying flat on the ground.

"Puh-leeze fuh-gib meeeee!" he mockingly 'apologized'.

Mukuro glared daggers at the top of the gray haired man's head, contemplating on jamming her knife through his unprotected neck. The urge to hang the bastard's head on a wall was getting more and more tempting by the moment, but a single glance from Junko dispelled that tirade from her head.

"I don't need your begging." she said with an icy tone. "I just need answers."

Immediately, the man bounced off the floor and sat down on the nearest table, crossing one leg over the other. "Sheesh. Now I know who's the killjoy in the family."

He gave a single nod towards Junko.

Pushing up a set of glasses and holding a clipboard and pen in the other hand (Mukuro never knows where she got that), she said in a mature voice "The Despair Video video is already finished. We have already tested the effects on Chisa Yukizome, serving as our sleeper agent for Class 77-B and more interestingly, one former Ultimate Student Council President, Kyosuke Munakata."

Hakashita raised an arm.

"Yes?" Junko said, pointing her pen at him like a teacher does with their student.

"I heard that Munakata has dreams of taking over Hope's Peak someday. Says that he will become the next 'Hope' of the world. What do you think about that?"

Junko tapped the end of her pen against her cheek.

"I've heard of his dreams of becoming the new hope, the light shining at the end of the tunnel. To that I say..."

She slammed a fist on the table.

"BULLSHIT!"

Laughing maniacally, Junko formed a rock-star pose.

"Munakata is just one delusional man who tries to satisfy his oversized dick by seeking out control to bend the masses under his will. He thinks that he's so different from the other sheep in the world, but in reality, he's no different than those idiots."

She turned to her audience comically.

"I mean, seriously? His girlfriend is brainwashed and he doesn't have a fuckin' clue. I'm sure that even if they sleep with each other, the idiot wouldn't even know the difference between her real self and the video's brainwashing. What an idiot!"

Mukuro nodded along.

"Of course, it is expected from my sister."

"She is troublesome though." Hakashita pointed out. "Yukizome has been fighting off the effects of the video every day, although the resistance has been growing more and more minimal by the hour. We just have to make her watch the video everyday and we can snuff out that rebellious spirit."

The Ultimate Soldier glared at the old man. "Are you saying that Junko's video is flawed?"

"Shut up Muku-chan." Junko said calmly.

Muku-chan shutted up.

"Now as I was saying."

A combat boot stomped on top of a chair as the Ultimate Despair formed a pose reminiscent of a general inspiring his battalion of soldiers for battle.

"Hasn't he heard of the expression 'Despair rules, Hope drools'? Hope is weak, easily swayed and manipulated, but despair, oh, despair, is strong, powerful, and all-consuming. When you're in despair, there is nothing left to hold onto, nowhere left to run, and no-one left to rely on. It's just you and your suffering and that, my friends, is a beautiful thing."

Junko took a moment to regain her breath.

"As much as I like a good show, it's not enough." she continued. "I don't want to just sit here and wait until the video takes effect. I want to see the despair myself. So that is why…"

Sweeping a remote control from the desk and pointed it at the TVs.

"..we must make preparations."

With a dramatic click the screens blared to life, coating the faces of the sisters and senior citizens in an eerie blue sheen, before turning into a violent shade of red. The focus suddenly began to zoom out as the red glow grew smaller and smaller until a shade of black started to emerge.

Zooming out even more, it was then revealed that the source of the crimson light came from a small plush toy bear. However, this wasn't your standard teddy bear. The left side (the bear's right) seemed innocent enough being a snow white in color with a beady black eye. However, it was the right side (the bear's left) that made it so menacing. It was a shade of obsidian like a starless night and smiling a wide, unnatural smile. Instead of a black dot eye, a jagged line, almost like a crimson bolt or red scar adorned the face.

The camera then revealed that this bear was one out of hundreds standing in neat, orderly rows like an army of despair, their red eyes lighting up maliciously.

Junko herself spun in her chair, and grabbed something she had been hiding behind her. In her arms was an exact copy of the throng of ursine dolls staring into their souls.

"Everyone. Say hello to Monokuma."

She gripped onto one of its stubby arms and made it wave at the two individuals before it, hiding her face.

"Hey, HEY!" it spoke in a ridiculous, high-pitch manner. "Who's ready to meet the lovable, charming, and irresistible bringer of despair?!"

The bear turned around to face its audience, one smirking while the other one had a confused look in her eyes.

"A…teddy bear?" asked the soldier with uncertainty.

"Ooii." He huffed. "Who are you calling a teddy bear? Can't you see that this sexy body is filled with more than cotton, felt, and velour? I'm the one and only Monokuma!"

He was given a pause and then looked back at the screen to the hundreds of exact same looking bears behind him on the cameras.

"Okay." he groaned. "Maybe not one of a kind, but I'm still a S++ rank anyway!"

"Nice to meet you Monokuma." Hakashita said pleasantly, extending his right hand. "Do you do hand…errr… pawshakes?"

"My, a man with manners." gasped the monochrome. "You barely find those nowadays."

The two laughed together and shook.

Meanwhile, the Ultimate Soldier felt like her brain was being split by her own combat knife.

"Um, sis-"

"It's Monokuma!"

"Ah, right. Monokuma."

The freckled girl swallowed.

"Do you mind telling me where it- I mean you- came from?"

Junko dropped her speaking piece to give her a blank stare. Mukuro squirmed.

"Weren't you listening to a thing that Hakashita and I were discussing earlier? I bet not." she continued before her sister could reply. "Afterall, you were always the brawn over brains type of gal. I mean, if it weren't for the fact that it's on our birth certificate, I would've believed that you came from gorillas more than my blood."

Mukuro muttered a quick apology which Junko ignored.

"Remember that Towa brat that I mentioned earlier? Of course not, or you wouldn't have needed clarification. But you at least know about the Towa Group, right?"

The soldier nodded quickly. "A prominent technology corporation run by the Towa Conglomerate." she replied, pleased with herself.

Junko raised an eyebrow. "Wow. I'm impressed sis. I thought that noggin of yours only knew how to kill someone and the different weapons used to kill someone."

Mukuro blushed bashfully.

"Back to the subject," the fashionista said, "Monaca, you see, is gifted. No. She is more than gifted. She's an ABSOLUTE genius. That girl made the Monokuma as I wished it to be entirely from scratch in exact detail. And she's in what? First Grade? Way better than that shit-for-brains Haiji for sure."

She guffawed, banging onto the desk while clutching her stomach. "The sad thing is that none of the Towa group, not even Tokuichi Towa, the CEO and her father realize how talented she is, only dumping her as a Lil' Ultimate in order to get rid of her. The irony is that the unfavorite child is the Ultimate while the favorite never even got to Hope's Peak."

Hakashita turned to her with a curious hum. "So only Monaca allied herself with us?"

Again, Junko's persona shifted into the mature teacher attitude. "Correct, although considering the nature of the two Mr. Towas, they will easily crumble under the might of despair."

Satisfied, the man leaned back putting his legs up on the table. "Good. Just to make it clear, the video is done?"

"Yes."

"And we recruited the Lil' Ultimates to our cause?"

"Right. And the Reserve Course for you?"

He gave a small grin. "I have other plans for them. In fact, I have an entirely different crusade in store."

Junko immediately dropped her act and focused her full attention onto the man in front of her, brimming with a sense of confidence in spite of staring into the eyes of the beast.

"Really? And does it relate to…Project Pandora?"

Hakashita nodded.

"If all goes according to plan, then we won't need the full might of the Reserve Course. In fact, we won't even need the Monokumas, as well-crafted killing machines they are. All I need is a volunteer for this magic act and it will take the world by storm."

The Ultimate Despair narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her, using her Ultimate Analyst tallest to see if the man was bluffing or not. Mukuro noticed that Junko seemed to be unusually serious in that regard, dropping whatever exotic personality she had in mind in favor of a blank, emotionless look. Even though she was not the target of her sister's scrutiny, the back hairs of her neck trembled in the eerie silence of the room.

"You know, Hakashita," Junko said at last, "You're interesting. I don't say that often. Usually, everyone is so predictable and easy to read. However, many of the things that you've done confuse me. From the way you can shift between agreeing to my notions to acting out on your own accord ever since you come out blue to offer your 'assistance'. I mean, what's a gal to think?"

She then gripped the man's tie in one of her intricately manicured fingers and pulled his face to her own. Junko's eyes were so intense that Mukuro thought that she would've melted Hakashita's glasses.

"I do what I please. The only reason why I kept you alive for so long is that you amuse me, like a court fool entertains a queen. But I'm the Queen of Hearts and I can have your head on the chopping board whenever I want."

She leaned in so that her lips were close to his ear. "So you better give me a damn good magic show or else I'll make this magician disappear…forever."

"Understood." He said calmly.

Junko let go of his tie to give him the same blank look for a few moments. Then she laughed.

"I like that attitude, Mikaboshi-kun. As long as you can give me despair, then you're A-O-K in my book!"

Stifling a yawn, Junko got out of her seat, giving a couple of stretches.

"All this talking has made my ass fall asleep. A little walk around the school will wake it up!"

"Kick some stray puppies on the way then!" shouted Hakashita to the young woman.

The Ultimate Despair chuckled. "You know me too well!" she said as she walked through the entrance way, the room growing quiet besides the sound of Junko's combat boots stepping up the stairs through the cellar door.

Mukuro waited until the Ultimate Despair was out of earshot before turning to Hakashita.

"You're a dead man." she said bluntly, with no small amount of satisfaction in her voice.

The Committee member gave a 'so-so' gesture and shrugged.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Who knows? Nobody knows the future for sure." he paused. "Not unless I pay that clairvoyant a visit. Maybe he knows?"

The Ultimate Soldier scoffed. "The same guy who's only right thirty percent of the time. You must be joking."

"Well, if he's a precious Ultimate like you, then there must be some truth in his prowess in divination. If not, then it would be an amusing spectacle all the same."

The girl in front of him merely gave him a sneer as Hakashita began to sit up from his place. While he was dusting off the front of his pants, Mukuro turned back to the corner of the room where the plan diagrams were lying in wait. The three which Junko had thought up were filled with written ideas, papers, and pictures already stating completion or at least near that level. However, the last plan diagram, Hakashita's or Mikaboshi's, was completely empty save for a red marker on the whiteboard reading Project Pandora.

"You don't have a single idea of your own." she said dully. "In fact, Project Pandora probably doesn't even exist. You made it up."

Hakashita approached her silently as he stared at the whiteboard in front of him.

"Of course it's made up." he said as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. He pointed to his forehead. "The human mind must formulate plans they 'made up.'"

"You know that is not what I mean."

The gray-haired man merely gave a shrug. "It is a matter of perspective. It is perfectly reasonable for you to believe that I merely created 'Project Pandora' as a means to get into your sister's graces. All bark and no bite."

He went near the whiteboard and picked up a red marker.

"However, just because something is not visibly evident does not mean it does not exist. Humans cannot see emotions, nor can they see intuition, willpower, love, or anything of that ilk. They cannot see anger, sadness, happiness, fear, intelligence, stupidity." He turned to the soldier. She couldn't see his eyes but for some reason Mukuro felt an intense heat from them. "Despair. Hope."

"But that doesn't make them any less real or meaningful. Unlike talent, every one of us has the capacity to experience such immaterial matters in various situations. A mother can show love through nurturing a baby they gave birth to or killing anyone that dares lay a finger on their loved one's head. A leader can show ambition through desiring to unite a country, but they can either do it diplomatically or through war. Fear can be a motivator for tactical retreat when one is outmatched or a display of weakness when one freezes up in a dire moment."

Mukuro blinked. "That…has nothing to do with anything I have just said. I would expect that you would take your life more seriously when Junko was I guess I need to give you more convincing."

Without a word, she took out her combat knife from her pocket and pointed it to Hakashita.

"Resorting to violence now? Junko was right. You really are just a brawn over brains type of person."

He blinked as Mukuro suddenly disappeared before reappearing with her back towards him. A large cut suddenly appeared on his arm from the wrist to the elbow as an ooze flooded from the gash.

"That was a warning. Next time, I go for your heart." She said simply before freezing. The Ultimate Soldier looked at her knife expecting to see traces of the warm, crimson blood that flows from one's wounds instead finding an oozy, brownish-color only barely considered red on the flecks of her knife. She recognized it as blood that came from corpses during decomposition.

Before she could process this new revelation, she heard a growling behind her and the combat knife was immediately kicked from her hand.

Hakashita stood before her. However, instead of cowering at the soldier's combat prowess or being injured, if anything seemed to pissed off.

No. That wasn't quite right.

The Committee Member seemed almost...inhuman. His eyes, hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, were now a glowing shade of orange light that Mukuro was sure was not possible in normal people. The cut on his arm, the very same injury Mukuro had inflicted on him, had healed up without a trace of the wound ever being there. There was a smell of smoke coming from him like a campfire from one of Mukuro's own camps as a Fenrir soldier, but far more intense.

But the thing that Mukuro was the most curious about was the aura that Hakashita was giving off. It was a combination of heat, gravity, and a strong force that seemed to weigh down on her entire being.

Just as quickly, the aura was gone, with Hakashita going back to a more relaxed stance, as if he wasn't affected by the attack at all.

"Now, now. No need to be hasty, Ms. Ikusaba." he said calmly, "Afterall, I have been nothing but cordial to you, so this behavior is rather unbecoming."

He picked up her combat knife and wiped the ooze off with his sleeve.

"I appreciate your devotion to your dear sister," he said, throwing back the knife to the Ultimate Soldier. "However, I would suggest that you leave me to do things on my own terms."

"What are you?" asked the soldier, clutching the knife.

"Me?"

Hakashita pointed at himself.

"I'm just a normal old man who wants to see your sister's plans come into fruition. Nothing more, nothing less."

Mukuro stared at him for a moment before giving a slight nod and sheathing the knife.

"Fine. If you do anything to harm her, to derail her ambitions, then I will not hesitate to kill you."

The old man's mouth widened into a toothy grin.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Ikusaba. Your dear sister is in good hands. We'll make her dreams come true."

The two held onto a staring contest for a while before Mukuro turned away and began to exit the room.

"Hey, Ikusaba!" called out Hakashita.

The Ultimate Soldier paused at the entrance.

"Tell your sister that the present will be ready this week."

And a roll of her eyes, the girl closed the door, leaving Hakashita alone, not noticing the burn marks on the table where his hand was resting on before.

(That night)

The gray-haired man emerged from yet another panicked meeting amongst his 'fellow' Steering Committee colleagues regarding the whereabouts of Kamukura.

He had left not immediately as if to get away quickly, nor last as if he were hesitating, but specifically in between the rest of the leaving members during the move. After all, keeping his head down was one of his favorite tactics of his, blending in the crowd before waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He had never cared for cartoonishly loud and obvious outcries that cartoon villains would declare to satisfy their egos, be it big or small.

Stalking through the abandoned halls of the school, the man disdainfully looked at every room, each being significantly big.

Classroom 11.

Classroom 32.

Classroom 47.

Classroom 59...

The old man couldn't help but scoff at the blatant display of the Academy's pride at the Hope's Peak 'Hall of Fame' that showcased past students and their accomplishments, both big and small, in a manner of awards, certificates, and photos.

It was a sham.

The man had known of the Academy's true nature ever since he first stepped foot as a 60 something year old man who was part of the Steering Committee, the apparent top dogs of the academy. Oh so proud to look down upon the student body, the old man was disgusted at their arrogance.

They believed themselves above all.

They believed that they were gods.

He could not stand them, that arrogance and delusion. And he could not stand people like them in power.

The way they treated the students like mere collectibles to gather. The way they extorted the Reserve Course like a parasite extorting blood from its host. The way they promise 'hope' for the world while in reality reaping the benefits for themselves. Tch.

Not that he was any different, however.

I'm just lucky that their security is terrible. He thought to himself, noting the irony surrounding the fact that apparently 'best' school in Japan had a security as mediocre as a young child putting toy soldiers up to guard against an angry dog.

He shook his head.

It was naivety. The Steering Committee were not the Ultimate Despairs or anything like that, and the sheer belief in their superiority and the power of talent blinded them.

He turned the knob to 'his' office far away from the majority of the rest of the school and entered, closing the door behind him.

There was nothing too special about the room itself. The walls were a dull gray with the furniture matching the theme. It was a fairly normal room if it weren't for the stacks of papers lying haphazardly all over the place. A dead cockroach laid in the corner, the only source of color in the room besides the light coming from the lamp. He quietly swept it off the table and into the trash bin.

Sauntering in, he took off his coat and laid it on one of the couches nearest to him. He stared out of the window where the stars shone brightly. Their beauty enraptured him, distracting his own conflicting thoughts for a moment as one star suddenly fell from the sky. It journeyed far from its brethren, shining brighter than any of the others before its light finally died out.

"Make a wish on a shooting star," the man whispered to himself. "And the universe will hear your plea."

He had a moment of silence to himself before he began looking at the papers on his desk.

However, in the middle of reading a particularly interesting report regarding an incident with the Ultimate Team Manager and the toilet in the men's bathroom on the second floor, the door opened.

The man didn't bother to turn around as the figure closed the door behind him.

"I was not expecting any guests tonight." he said casually, not bothering to turn back and give the intruder a glance. "Especially you."

The lavender-haired girl emerged from the shadows, her arms crossed and light reflecting her studded gloves. She flicked her hair braid tied with a purple ribbon and stared at the man in front of her with an intense look on her face.

"Eisuke Hakashita." Kyoko Kirigiri said to the man. A clicking noise interrupted his reading and he looked down to see a pair of handcuffs caught on his wrists. "You are under arrest for suspicion of vandalism, theft, and acts of terrorism against Hope's Peak Academy."

At last, our dear Ultimate Detective has met Amatsu Mikaboshi. Now that he's been caught, I'm sure that Kyoko can stop the Ultimate Despair sisters and prevent the Tragedy from happening. Ha, ha, ha...right?