Chapter 1: Early Graduation or Early Grave? Part 4 (Daily Life)

Remaining Students: 18

Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor

Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank

Pietro Maximoff "Quicksilver" (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster

Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince

Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief

Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader

Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist

Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel

Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet

Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku

Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader

Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian

Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty

Minori Ichinose(Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm

Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love

Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ?

Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

Hachiken's POV

Our first motive: If a murder does not occur soon, then we will lose power all over campus. I have a feeling that this will end badly.

Sure there's light during the day, but what if you end up out on the main campus at night? An open invitation for someone to come by and stab you without anyone finding out. I need to avoid going out at night if I can.

Everyone in the meeting hall has been discussing the motive for about five minutes after Monokuma left.

Sora quivered at the thought, "Without electricity then…"

"It'll be easier for someone to be killed during the night." Ray finished for her.

"This whole campus has so many facilities that rely on power, without it we can't enter our dormitories, use the stoves in there or in the diner, and many of the buildings will have no lights." Minori explained.

"Are there really no other sources for light? No lanterns? Just these candles?" Dimitri asked and got a lot of heads shaking as an answer.

"Can we just start a fire?" Saki suggests.

"Oh yeah, I have fire magic. Plus we can burn some wood chairs and junk, and also roast food over it. Problem solved!" Kazuma conjures a small ember on his fingertip, impressive.

"Hold on ribbit, we can't destroy any campus property remember? Rule #6 in our handbooks, so the only things we could burn are the clothes on our backs." Tsu shuts down the fire idea.

"Uh, good point." Kazuma admits.

"Is there really nothing else we can do?" Finn asks, but the rest of us can't give any kind of answer.

While we continued brainstorming I saw Kale quickly walking out the door.

"Where are you going? Shouldn't we all stay together in case the power cuts out?"

Kale stops before speaking to me, "I'd be in the way of things, you all will be fine.", she then left without saying another word.

This girl really is a mystery, her mannerisms and the fact that her Ultimate is hidden has me concerned.

Bede then began heading towards the exit as well before he was stopped.

"Now where are you off to?" Ray confronted him.

Bede scowled at him, "I have no reason to tell anyone, much less a simpleton like you."

"Hmph, I see… The fact that you've been actively avoiding us has made it clear what your intentions are. At least what I assume they could possibly be." Ray tells him.

"Well then, do tell me what my intentions are. I'll quiz you on whether or not you were correct." Bede smirks.

Ray grunts, not intimidated in the slightest.

"You're formulating a murder plan, am I correct? Or did I answer incorrectly?"

"..."

Bede and Ray just had an intense staredown for a minute, eventually ending with Bede turning away and beginning to walk out of Hall M.

"If you all continue to refuse the reality of this situation we're in, you won't survive. Trusting complete strangers won't generate a solution in the end."

Bede closed his eyes as he left, with his purple jacket flapping behind him. Jeez, dramatic much?

"No answer, huh?" Finn shook his head disappointedly.

"Whether or not murder is his true goal, there's no telling what he may do if left to his own devices." Ray states as he sat back in his chair.

"Mhm…" Sayori nods slowly in agreement, as do I.

There's no way for us to truly figure that guy out. Bede just walks to the beat of his own drum. Ray could be right in saying that he might be planning to kill someone, but at the same time he couldn't. Either way he doesn't care to trust us, yet the feeling's mutual if he keeps acting like this.

"Hold on… he said generate… I got it!" Tails suddenly rushed up to the podium.

"What's up, Tails?" Sayori tilts her head in confusion.

"Listen, it might take a lot of time, but… I think I could build a generator to power the campus!"

"R-Really?! You could do that?!" I react with astonishment.

"Th-That's incredible." Sakaki says softly.

Dimitri puts a finger to his chin, "I see… so this 'generator' device will be able to assist us?"

Tails grins and nods, "Yup! They don't run on electricity, they provide it! All I need is some kind of fuel, whether it be gasoline or even a mixture of chemicals!"

"Wow! You're so smart, Tails!" Teruhashi compliments him.

The fox blushed in response, "Ha ha, it's nothing…".

"Wait, even if we do find fuel for it, it'll run out eventually. And how long is 'a lot of time' for you to build this thing?" Finn questions.

"Well um… maybe we can try to find a fuel source that we can reuse for a while? Also… maybe a few hours if I have help?" Tails replies.

"Can we really take that chance?" Sora wonders aloud.

The lights then suddenly shut off and I could hear some people shouting in the dark.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Teruhashi screamed.

"Ow! Right in the—" I heard Reyn yelp from the back.

"M-My glasses!" Minori says, alarmed.

"G-Gah!" I cried out as I tripped over my chair and landed on someone.

"Hey! Whoever's on me better move or get knocked into next week!"

Oh no, that was Saki. I really hope she's not the type to hit a guy with glasses.

The lights then turned back on, pretty much all of us were tripping over each other. I immediately sit back in my chair before Saki gets off the floor to see who it was that fell on her.

"Hah?" She lets out as she looks around confused.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Okay… I guess we'll take that chance…" Finn retracts his skepticism for now.

Tails stands back up and dusts himself off, "Ahem, great! I just need a lot of spare parts and any kind of fuel we can use!"

"That's our mission everyone, tonight we assist with the construction of this generator device! Let's get to work!" Dimitri ordered us.

"Can we at least have dinner first?" I heard as I looked to see Sayori raising her hand.

Dimitri was confused at her question, "Um…. very well. It would be a good idea to head to the dining hall before it shuts down."

It looks like Sayori's feeling a bit better if she's thinking with her stomach. Though this could just be her looking to eat a good meal that might help with her condition, which I can understand. Either way, I'm starting to feel hungry too and I agree with Dimitri in saying that now would be the best time to go.

I'll give it to our captors, the food is actually good. Not as good or fresh as it is at my school, but it's not like it's prison food… though it technically is. I'm curious on where it comes from, but I feel better not knowing.

We're all sitting with our roommates at separate booths, since we were all accustomed to each other's presence by now. Sayori slurped spaghetti into her mouth with a satisfied smile and I saw Reyn eating a big bowl of meaty soup with vegetables. Konata and I had some tasty curry rice, while Tails was eating something I've heard is eaten in America a lot: chili cheese dogs. Saki walked over to the table to join us, though with a smirk on her face.

"Yo guys! How do you feel about an eating contest?" Saki suddenly piped up with her mouth full of her grilled chicken bowl.

"That sounds fun! But I don't think I could keep up, even if I love food. Ehehe~." Sayori awkwardly laughs.

"Pass." I stated outright.

I don't really plan on gaining weight during my stay here, even if the food is nice.

"That sounds like a good idea to me! Count me in!" Reyn agrees gleefully.

"So is it just gonna be you two?" Konata asked them.

"Nah, that Speedy Bastard Pietro is doing it too, but it doesn't matter how fast he is. If he can't handle all that food in his gut, then he's gonna lose!" Saki chuckles.

"Um… with his type of speed, I think he could manage to—"

"YEAH! It's Reyn Time, baby!"

Reyn interrupts Tails loudly as he and Saki move to tables that were in the middle of the room.

"Are you three sure you want to do this? Overdoing it could make one of you feel sick." Sora warns them.

"I'm a zombie, I don't think we get sick! Or if we do, I haven't gotten sick anyways." Saki responds.

"Also are we just not addressing the fact that she's a living corpse? Nobody finds that a bit weird?" Finn asks aloud.

"You got something against zombies, pal?" Saki turned to him with a gripped fist.

Finn backs off, "No ma'am."

Like I said before, I SERIOUSLY hope she isn't the type to hit a guy with glasses. I need to avoid finding ways to make her angry.

"Hey, Dimitri! You wanna have a go?" Reyn asks the prince.

I looked over and saw him barely eating a perfectly cooked steak. Is he just not hungry?

"Oh! My apologies, Reyn. I would rather watch than participate in a competition like this." He replies solemnly.

"Aw man, well, more for us then!" Reyn says as a wide selection of dishes are placed across him, Saki, and Pietro.

"Okay, are you all REALLY sure about this?" Sora asks again, exasperated.

"Eh, why not?" Pietro shrugged.

The three of them were about to begin with the contest, but I saw Sakaki fidgeting and decided to see what was up.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked her.

It took her a bit until she answered, "I accidentally left my e-Handbook in my room. So even if we solve the electricity problem…"

"Oh! I ended up doing the same thing actually. Monokuma showed up and unlocked the doors for me. Maybe ask him for help?"

Okay, it does sound a bit crazy to tell her to ask the insane murder bear for help. But what else am I supposed to say?

"R-Really?" Sakaki turns to me for an answer.

"Yeah, though you should be careful in case he tries to mess with you." I warned her.

She nods softly, "Thank you, Hachiken-kun."

I smile, but that suddenly turns into a slightly disgusted face as I see Reyn and Saki tearing apart the food.

"Well, hopefully this won't end badly, ribbit." Tsuyu shakes her head.

Same here…

…

In the end, Pietro ended up winning while being no worse for wear. He confidently rubs a paper napkin over his mouth as Saki and Reyn lie down on the ground with their stomachs bulging.

"How… the hell… did he…" Saki begins to utter slowly.

"Ugh…" Reyn groans, I feel bad for the guy.

"As I was about to say, Pietro's speed seems to increase his metabolism aka he burns through food quicker. Meaning that he must eat a lot in order to get the nutrition he needs to run as he does, so he must be used to eating like this, right?" Tails turns to the speedster after his explanation and Pietro gives a thumbs up in response.

Well that was quite an… interesting sight to witness. Thankfully I'm not feeling too nauseous after seeing them eat so much, but I'm gonna wait to eat tomorrow morning.

"Urgh, urgh…"

"Huff… huff…"

"Ack…"

"Hold it steady, you three. There's still a bit of daylight left!"

Sora, Finn, Dimitri, and I were carrying a broken vending machine from the small junk area behind the recreation center. And by carrying I mean Dimitri was lifting it with one arm, while the rest of us were barely able to hold up our sides of the machine.

"Hoo, this man is as strong as a wookie. How is he able to do this?" Finn quietly asks Sora and I.

"It must be some kind of extensive training, since he's a prince, maybe he has to go through it to become king?" Sora guesses.

Sweat rolls down my face intensely, "For him to be this strong… I don't think I want to know what he's been through."

All of us began our task of helping with the building of Tails's generator. This time instead of our usual groups, we were all mixed up so we could get to know each other better. I ended up with Sora, Dimitri, and Finn as I just mentioned.

Tails was with Minori and Ray building the generator itself. Book smarts and tech smarts have got to lead to something going right, right?

Pietro and Reyn are also gathering scrap metal or machines for parts. Reyn didn't really look too well, though it's his and Saki's fault for the eating contest. On the bright side though, we're allowed to tear these things apart since they're junk and not school property.

Konata and Saki went with Kazuma and Tsuyu to gather supplies from the student store for if we get stuck outside. With this many power surges, we might get another blackout a lot sooner than we thought.

And Sayori was with Sakaki and Teruhashi looking for some kind of fuel source lying around. I made sure to check on Sayori before she went with them, in case her depression was still affecting her but it seems like it's gone… for now.

Speaking of Sayori, Saki brought the rope she was using back to the gym during a short break. Tails and I got everyone else's attention so that no one would see her carrying it and get suspicious. In this current scenario, rope can only be seen as a use for killing or building a deathtrap to kill, so getting it out of sight is a good move.

We finally manage to bring the vending machine to Tails, and I feel like I'm gonna faint from exhaustion. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened to me.

"Good work. Now let us get back to work!" Dimitri says as the rest of us are taking a breather.

"Your Highness, with all do respect… can't we just take it easy for at least a minute?" Sora suggests, panting heavily.

"Ah, my apologies. I shall continue on then, while you all get some rest. Be sure to meet up with me again once you are all well-rested!" Dimitri tells us as he gets back to work.

"Hooo…" Finn sighs in relief as he sits down on a bench.

As we were relaxing I checked my pocket to make sure I still had some things and luckily I found them. The candle that Monokuma provided for us, and a match to light it. If/when a blackout occurs, I wouldn't want to be without these.

"Hah…. Do you two want some water?" Sora asks us.

"Yeah, that would really help. Thank you." Finn nods.

"Hachiken, how about you?" Sora turns to me next and I was too tired to answer vocally so I gave her a thumbs up, "Great. I'll ask the group in the student store if they have any water bottles to spare."

"T-Thanks…" I responded.

Sora's really a reliable person. She's been making sure all of us have been alright, ever since the beginning of this experience with Sird's attack. Along with Dimitri, she really cares, it's almost motherly in a way.

Man… I miss my mom. She'd definitely have a heart attack if she found out I was in a situation like this. Goddamn it, I'm stuck thinking about home again.

"Hachiken? Are you crying, kid?" Finn questions me suddenly.

I didn't even notice I was, sheesh. I wiped away my tears before facing him.

"Hm… you know, this definitely seems hopeless right now. Doesn't mean that things are guaranteed to get worse though."

I just continued to look down at my shoes, "I guess so but…"

"You've got some people back home you miss, don't you? That's why you were tearing up just now, huh?" Finn hit the nail on the head.

Other than my mom, there's my girlfriend Mikage and the rest of my friends back at Yezo High. I really want to see them again, I want to make sure they're okay…

"You should keep fighting on then."

"Huh?"

"Don't just sit there crying when you have people worth fighting for. That is what that black and white ewok wants you to feel. You gotta keep having hope, kid, or else you'll never get the opportunity to see them again. "

"..."

He really has a good point. The goal of this killing game is to drive us mad to the point of doing terrible things to escape. If we let it get to us, then it won't end well at all.

"Finn, thank you. I…"

"Glad to help." He holds out his hand and I shake it.

That was definitely reassuring… but now it looks like things are about to take a turn.

*Ding dong, bing bong*

Monokuma appeared on our e-Handbooks in a comfy looking chair.

"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Hope you all won't be kept in the dark for too long, puhuhuhu~. Okay then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite…"

I forgot that nighttime was around 10pm here, should have remembered that. Because now if a blackout happens…

Complete darkness. Time to race against the clock to build that generator!

Heyo peeps! Yesterday was my birthday, but this is my second birthday present to y'all after the Guardians chapter! I have plenty of reasons to be grateful for being born, and I consider writing stuff I like that other people might enjoy to be one of them. Having people read this is a gift in itself, so thank you. Hope you all enjoyed this part, and soon enough we will get our first death. Leave thoughts or predictions if you want to and I'll see you next time!