A New Perspective

by Paludachi

It's been 10 days and despite Monokuma's best efforts, the students of The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles are not killing each other. He decides to introduce a new motive that the students can't ignore: he swaps all of their bodies! Shuichi wakes up to find that he isn't really himself anymore. He's in the body of Maki Harukawa, the ultimate child caregiver. The killing game

1. Chapter 1

A New Perspective

Chapter 1:

1.1: The Last Normal Night

Greetings, I'm Shuichi Saihara. I'm the ultimate detective and I have found myself in a situation that is more bizarre than anything I could have ever imagined. It has been over a week since I and fifteen other students have all been trapped in a school: The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. It started about 10 days ago. I woke up in a locker and was met with an unfamiliar school and new people. As it turns out, we are all "ultimate students". Basically, we're each the best at a certain talent. Things got stranger when we were introduced to a dual colored bear, named Monokuma. He claims to be the headmaster of the school we find ourselves locked in. There are 5 other bears, the Monokubs, who are the children of Monokuma and work under him. Honestly, they are all pretty annoying. After that, we were given the news that we couldn't leave the school. That is, unless one of us kills another person. If someone is killed, a class trial will be held. If we properly convict the person responsible, the culprit is executed. However, if we are incorrect, we are all executed instead. Despite Monokuma's attempts to persuade us to kill each other, as a collective, we've done a decent job of keeping it together.

Normal days usually involve Kaede and I, as well as some other students, trying to find a new way to escape. Progress in this regard has been…slow, but Kaede is hopeful that if no murder occurs soon, Monokuma will get bored and let us go. Today, Kaede and I were in the library, trying to find books to pass the time. Kaede was looking in the music section, looking for books with piano playing techniques. It makes sense given that she is the ultimate pianist. She really does live up to the title. She often will play music just for me and it's really wonderful. I, meanwhile, was looking for a good detective story. Sometimes, I can get inspiration from detective novels. One of the cases I solved years ago was a direct copy of a mystery from a Sherlock Holmes novel. I prefer to not think of it as a talent though. In some ways, I feel my "talent" is a curse. While we were looking for something to read, the intercom rang and a picture of Monokuma was plastered on the monitor's screen.

"Good evening, students! As you know, it has been 10 days since you first woke up in this school. I first assumed that being trapped here would be enough to get one of you little psychos to kill someone, but apparently I was wrong. As the school headmaster, it falls to me to make sure that we stick to the curriculum. Thus, I have decided to introduce a new motive.", he said.

A new motive? This soon? The last motive was a first blood perk. It almost worked too, as someone tried to kill Rantaro a few days ago, but he was lucky enough to fight off his assailant. Unfortunately, he couldn't see the culprit, so they got away in a secret exit behind a bookcase. We sadly don't have the means to open the door so we could not pursue. Whoever the assailant was will be lost to time, I guess. I honestly didn't think Monokuma would even bother with a new motive after literal impunity from consequences didn't get any results.

The bear continued, "'What could it be?', you may ask. Puhuhuhu, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out. I'll be holding a meeting in the gym at 9 am. Make sure to get your beauty rest! Attendance is mandatory."

The screen flickered off and we were left with the mystery of what exactly Monokuma was planning. With such a cryptic message, there was really no good way of telling. Does he think he can scare us into killing each other early to avoid his motive? Kaede and I exchanged glances as we met back in the center of the room. She was the first to speak up.

"So Shuichi, what do you think?", she asked.

"Ummm….I'm not so sure. He was pretty vague about it. I can't really find any hints to what the motive is. So much for being an ultimate detective…", I replied back, defeated.

She tensed up and looked a little upset, "Hey, don't say that about yourself, Shuichi! I doubt anybody could figure it out just from some vague announcement. You'll figure it out and you'll know how to counter it. I know it!"

"I-I…I guess…maybe", was all I could muster.

"Hey, hey, no more talk like that. Repeat after me. I can do it! I believe in myself.", she raised her voice at me.

I remained in silence, "..."

She then gave me a very stern look and in a lower, more demanding voice said, "Do it."

Not wanting to anger her, I did what she said. "I can do it and I believe in myself." Her stern face turned into something much more happy. I guess she was pleased with my performance. With a smile she exclaimed, "Good! No more quitter talk for you mister. Ok?"

"Y-Yeah.", I nodded in agreement.

That was one thing that made Kaede so wonderful. She always sees the good in others and can drive them to do better. Sometimes I wonder why someone like her would want to hang out with me, but I know that she wouldn't like me thinking that way. Yet, no matter what I do, I can't see what she sees. My talent has ruined people's lives before. All it's done is get me into trouble. It places expectations on me, expectations that I don't think I can do. I don't want to let her down, but could I really live up to her expectations?

At this point, it was pretty late at night. Kaede recommended that we visit her lab and she would play a song for me. We headed to her lab. Inside, a grand piano lies in the center of the room. A bookshelf full of songbooks and sheet music was in the back left corner of the room. Posters of famous musicians like Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart hung on the walls. The lab had an overall cozy atmosphere and was the first thing I'd think of when I think about the ultimate pianist. Kaede went over to the bookshelf, grabbed a sheet music book, and made her way to the piano. She began playing this calming melody. Any anxiety I was having before about the motive or the situation seemed to just melt away. Kaede's fingers on the piano, just tapping at the keys, were moving so elegantly. She's played this song before. The title is 'Clair de Lune' or 'Moonlight'. It's a rather somber piece that evokes reflection, loss, and even serenity. She's told me before that it is her favorite piece. I find myself enjoying it a lot as well.

I got lost in the music and in my own thoughts.

I may not like being trapped in this school, but Kaede nearly makes it worth it. Before I knew it, the melody was over and it was now time to leave for bed. Both Kaede and I made our way to the dorms. It was a cold night. Recently, the temperature has been dropping and the weather has become more wild, between thunderstorms and high winds. It truly was feeling like fall. On the way, we saw Gonta looking for more bugs in the field of bushes that lay right across from the dorms. We passed by the kitchen and through the window saw Kokichi. He was most likely waiting for Kirumi to prepare him a snack. Kirumi, being the ultimate maid, is really amazing. Any task you give to her will be done without fail. Sometimes I think we may over rely on her a little too much though.

Once in the dorms themselves, there was Tenko and Himiko, standing outside their rooms, chatting. Himiko seemed like she was tired, but I suppose Tenko may have been keeping her up. One was really energetic and one really tired. It was an unlikely pairing, to say the least, but I guess the same could be said for me and Kaede. I would think about joining them, but I got the impression that Tenko wouldn't like that. She hates "degenerate males''. I'm not exactly sure why, but I tend to keep my distance from her. Kaede and I wished each other good night and went to our separate rooms.

When I got to my room, I let out a heavy sigh. I find that I get lonely while in my room. All that's in there are a few things: a bed, a desk, a nightstand, etc. A monitor hangs across from the bed. Monokuma uses it to give messages to all of us. Looking at my bed, I noticed something on it. It was a tablet and beside it was a note. It read, "Dear students, this is a Monopad. It's a gift to you from the headmaster himself. You may lick his feet in thanks when you see him next. This tablet has many uses, including a map of the school, a notes section, and even an app store that has apps related to your talents. Please use it as you see fit, but don't lose it. These weren't cheap, you know?"

A Monopad, eh? It's very peculiar that the stuffed animal that wants us to kill each other would give us a gift, especially since there hasn't been a murder yet. This has to be some kind of trap. I decided that it would be best to not use it. Messing with anything could cause trouble. I'm sure Kaede and I can examine it tomorrow. I placed it on the stand next to the bed. Next, I followed my normal nightly schedule. I hopped in the shower, brushed my teeth, and then I got into bed. It must have been an hour or so before I managed it, but eventually I drifted off to sleep.

1.2 The Motive Revealed

"Rise and Shine Ursine! This is your 8:30 am wake up call for any students still asleep. The assembly about the new motive will be in 30 minutes, so don't be late."

"If you are late, you're in for a fullblown torture session. Hell yeah! I hope dad will let us use the midevil torture weapons!"

"Oh I hope no one is late, that would be very bad indeed!"

"If they are late, maybe we can forgive them if they give us some snacks. I'm hungry."

"How could you think about food at a time like this? Jeez, I don't think we even need food."

"..."

"So long, bear well!"

The morning announcement finished playing and I begrudgingly started waking up. I didn't really want to get out of bed yet. After all, it took a bit to fall asleep last night and I certainly felt tired from being up a bit late. But, I had to make sure to get to the assembly on time. I'm sure Kaede would want to walk there anyways. Maybe I could talk with Kaito or Kibo on the way too. They usually make for good company, though admittedly, I don't know them as well as I would like to. My eyes fluttered open. I immediately began to slowly sit up in bed. I felt an odd feeling on the back of my neck. It's as if a spider's web brushed on it. I brushed the back of my neck in an attempt to get whatever was on it off. What I was greeted with was a whole bunch of hair.

"That's weird", I thought, but I continued to get up. It has been ten days after all, maybe my hair had grown out a bit. I was also still tired, so my mind could easily have been playing tricks on me. I also felt a strange weight on my chest. I figured that it was just the blanket that was still draped on me. I put both my feet over the side of the bed and slowly began to stand up. Once I fully stood up, that weird feeling on my chest turned into a swaying feeling. Wanting to find out what was causing this feeling, I looked down and was greeted by the sight of two breasts, covered underneath pajamas…Pajamas that I didn't fall asleep in.

My hands instinctively went to grab my new assets. As a male, this isn't a view I was familiar with, at least from this angle. "Why did I have breasts?! And how am I in different pajamas?", was what was running through my mind. What could be happening to me? I noticed my hands were still holding my newly acquired assets, so I lowered them to my sides. The best way to see what exactly was going on would be to look in the mirror, so I quickly made my way to the bathroom. As I walked over, there was an unfamiliar feeling between my legs. It felt as if there wasn't anything there at all. Now I was beginning to freak out even more. Once I finally reached the bathroom and looked into the mirror, I discovered it wasn't just my chest that was different, my entire body was different.

My panic began to rise. Overnight, I somehow developed breasts, changed pajamas, lost my penis, became more slender, grew a lot of hair, and even changed height. My eyes darted back and forth, trying to take in the details. My hair was no longer the blue I was used to, instead being black. My eyes were crimson. My figure was much more feminine. It was all too much to take in. After a few moments, which felt like an eternity to me, I was able to focus enough to see the bigger picture of what the mirror was telling me. I could only be one person and the mirror in front of me proved it: I was Maki Harukawa, the ultimate child caregiver.

It was unreal. Anything I did in the mirror, Maki's reflection copied it. First I took my hands and brought them to mine, or I guess Maki's, face. Her skin was so smooth and soft.

Next, I grabbed some of Maki's hair. It was so crazy how long it was. In fact, I don't think I've seen her hair in anything but her twin tails, so seeing it down, in an unkempt manner was a bit weird. To confirm this wasn't some sort of prank, I decided to do what the real Maki has never done since arriving here: smile. The copy of Maki smiled right back at me. That proved it. I really did have control of her body. I continued smiling in the mirror, really taking in that I could make Maki do whatever I wanted. Upon examining it, Maki has a really nice smile. She is pretty cute. It's a shame she hasn't ever smiled, at least when I see her walking around.

It was then that my mind snapped back to what I needed to focus on: the assembly. If I'm in Maki's body, then it would make sense that she would be in my body. A part of me thought this could be a dream, given how outlandish the situation is. Maybe if I got ready quick enough, I could meet with her and we could figure this out.

My eyes turned to Maki's closet. There, she had a selection of different uniforms. She typically only wears this one red colored school outfit. It looks like, much like how I had one outfit, Maki only had one as well. I quickly reached for one uniform before remembering that I would have to remove her pajamas to put on the uniform. I couldn't invade Maki's privacy. Though I may be in her body, it wouldn't be right for me to peep at her like that. I considered closing my eyes while doing it, but I'm not all that familiar with girls' clothing, especially their underwear. After a few moments of debating with myself, I decided that going out in her nightwear should be fine. I then headed out the door.

It was only 8:40, and walking to the gym shouldn't take any more than ten minutes, so I decided to go to my former door and see if I could talk to Maki. I rang the doorbell and waited. And waited. And waited. Was it possible that Maki went ahead to the assembly? As I stood there waiting, the differences between a guy's body and a girl's body were becoming more evident. These were thoughts that I tried to repress, but from time to time they crept back up. Just when I thought about leaving to look for Maki elsewhere, I heard the sound of my own voice.

"Get back here, you perverted male scum!", it shouted from afar.

Was that really how my voice sounded? I guess I only heard it from one perspective before and this was my first time hearing it from a different set of ears. Even more importantly, it sounded angry. Judging by what direction it sounded like it came from, I cocked my head to the left and saw a strange sight. It was Tenko. But she was in nothing but a bra and panties. And she was running around….like that, with a smile on her face. As she passed by, she said, "I don't think so! After all, I am but a helpless damsel in distress, being chased by this brutish man. I just want to show the world my body in peace."

The man part sounded on point, but why was she acting helpless? She's the ultimate aikido master and constantly makes comments about beating up "male scum". It was then that I noticed behind Tenko was, well, me. I looked angry and in my hands were what looked to be a pair of clothes. They actually looked like Tenko's clothes.

They both ran into the distance. I tried yelling out to them, "Hey, wait! What's going on?", but my words did not reach them. I did a double take upon the words leaving my mouth. Even though I really should have, I was not expecting to hear Maki's voice. I guess it made sense, because, though it's unknown how, I was currently her and had her vocal cords.

More importantly, why did my body have Tenko's clothes? I didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but it could be construed as a form of sexual assault. What if someone thought that I forced Tenko to take off her clothes, especially when she was yelling about me being a brute. I was about to give chase when a voice from behind startled me.

"Miss Harukawa, is that you? Shall I fetch you a pair of clothes? You seem to still be in your pajamas."

I turn around and am greeted by…. Kokichi? Is this one of his tricks?

"Kokichi?", I ask. The person in front of me wagged their heads to signify that the answer to my question was a resounding 'no'.

"I'm sorry Miss Harukawa, but I'm not who I appear to be. I may look like Kokichi, but in reality, I am Kirumi Tojo. I am very sorry for the confusion."

Upon examining the body in front of me, the signs did point to something being off. Kokichi was wearing a butler's outfit. His posture was also a bit different. The way he conducted himself was a bit more regal than normal, definitely close to a maid. Kokichi is a trickster though. He often lies or says things to get a reaction from others. This could easily be another scheme of his.

"You're Kirumi?", I asked,not fully believing the person in front of me.

"Yes. I know it may be hard to believe, but I woke up in this form this morning. Last night I was myself, but after going to bed, I somehow wound up looking like Kokichi. I woke up about 45 minutes ago and after the initial shock, I grabbed a suitable uniform for someone of my profession from the storage facility. I then helped the individual in my body get dressed in my usual attire", they replied.

I stood there, dumbfounded. Assuming this was Kirumi and not Kokichi, then this swap may have extended to others and not just me and Maki. I was tempted to believe her since the likelihood of Kokichi making up a story that is so similar to my situation, especially one as outlandish as this, was low. This has a couple meanings. The first is that Maki may very well not be in my body, and judging by the way my body was acting earlier and what it said, I'm guessing that that wasn't her. Tenko probably also got swapped, hence the running around in nothing but her underwear. After giving it some further thought, I deduced that Tenko had to be in my body. That would explain the part about the "male scum" that I heard my voice say earlier. But then, who was in Tenko's body? After giving it some thought, I deduced that the most likely person was Kokichi. Could that imply that Maki is in Kirumi's body or could more be involved? It was impossible to know how many of us were caught up in this weird Freaky Friday scenario.

I guess I lost myself in thought again, because Kirumi interrupted my train of thought,

"Miss Harukawa, the assembly is going to begin within 10 minutes. We should make our way to the gymnasium.", she suggested.

That's right, we have the motive assembly! I had better get going! Kirumi and I began walking to the gymnasium. On the way, I explained to her that I was not actually Maki. She was relieved to see someone else was in her position, especially since we both swapped across sexes. She then reminded me that I was still in Maki's pajamas. It was pretty embarrassing, but at the very least, she offered to help me get dressed after the assembly, understanding that it would be inappropriate for me to do it. It was then that I noticed the pajamas Maki had been wearing. Rubber ducks, huh? I didn't think Maki would wear anything so ….. cute. It was so strange to see Kokichi, or his body at least, sound so polite and genuinely nice too. By now, any doubt that it wasn't Kirumi had vanished. Kokichi would not commit to a bit for this long and be so accurate to Kirumi's character and mannerisms.

Walking down the hallways in Maki's form was different…. Though not all together uncomfortable. It was definitely something I would have to get used to, but hopefully I wouldn't have to get used to it. The most obvious difference was the feeling between my legs. As a guy, I never paid much mind to it. It was just there and always had been. Now with it gone, it was noticeable that it was gone. Maki's body was also a bit more stiff than mine. However, Maki's body actually seemed to be in pretty good shape overall, even better than my own body. Maybe she secretly works out or something. I can imagine you may have to be somewhat fit to keep up with children. Though I remember Maki telling me that she hates children, which really doesn't make sense for the ultimate child caregiver.

At last, we arrived at the gymnasium doors. It was 8:59. One more minute until the assembly officially began. Kirumi held open the door for me and what I encountered inside was chaos. Everyone was there but there seemed to be no order anywhere in the gym. Kokichi, or who I assumed to be Kokichi, was still in nothing but his underwear. On his face, a really perverted grin. He bent over and slapped his butt, while holding out his tongue to Tenko, who was still furiously yelling at him to put her clothes back on. On the opposite side of the gym, I could see 'Miu', with a visibly scared look on her face as an angry looking Himiko gave a death glare from nearby. Kirumi's actual body was talking with 'Kaito', 'Kibo', and 'Kaede'.

"Could that be Maki?", I wondered. I began to step forward to check, but without warning, the assembly began.

The auditorium stage sprang to life as Monokuma jumped onto the podium on the front of the stage. Everyone had gone quiet and all eyes were on Monokuma.

"Students, thank you for coming. As I'm sure you are all aware, we have a problem here.", Monokuma started.

From the crowd, someone yelled, "You're damn right we do!".

Monokuma continued, "I'm glad you agree! No one is killing each other! None of you will do the deed and it's making my life harder. You were given clear instructions and have yet to do what has been asked of you. You are all failures and I should execute you all on the spot."

I was shocked to hear this. Was Kaede wrong? Was he going to kill us instead of letting us go? There's no way! He didn't even kill us after letting the first blood perk run out, so we all kind of assumed that he was all bark and no bite.

Monokuma began again, "That's what I thought at first. But because you have such an intelligent and handsome headmaster, not to mention humble, I reflected and came to the conclusion that this failure is my fault. I did not give you a proper motive. The last one was a lot more passive and relied on you to take the initiative. This time, everyone will be involved! That is why I decided to give you all a change of face!"

Suddenly, the crowd of students began erupting in murmurs and talking. I couldn't make out any voice in particular, but it was enough to temporarily halt Monokuma's speech. This does confirm, however, that the body switch is related to the motive. It also confirms that we've all been switched around.

"Ahem, as I was saying, I'm sure you have all noticed that you are all a bit different from usual. Given this opportunity, I want you all to be as depraved as possible. Check out your new forms, make each other look stupid, or at least more stupid than usual, and most importantly, kill each other! 'Mr. Monokuma, sir, I don't want to be someone else', I hear you say. Well too bad. The only way back into your body is to kill someone else. I also hear you say, 'Mr. Monokuma, you are so smart for thinking of this motive. I didn't like my lame body. Now some other loser has it. Also, did I mention you're handsome?' I have good news for you lot, if you can get away with murder, you can have free pick of what body you keep.", he finished.

Everyone began erupting in commentary, no doubt in shock from this motive. A voice from the crowd, one sounding like Korekiyo's, came ringing out.

"Everyone, please calm down. I suggest that we all reveal who we really are so we can foster a community of trust and accountability.", 'he' stated.

Monokuma immediately responded, "Sure, you can do that if you want. But why would you give away who you are? It's a lot easier to get your body back if people don't know who it is that killed their friend. Though, half of you are pretty easy to guess. You're all a big group of cliches, so it shouldn't take a detective to figure out who is who. Or who knows, maybe you can put on a convincing facade. Do we have any ultimate actors here? After all my years as headmaster, I can't keep track of all of you."

Miu's voice responded, "Gonta agree with 'Korekiyo'. It not very gentleman like to lie about self. Gonta will be honest with friends. It good idea to reveal identity". Speaking in the third person gave away who ended up in her body. Clearly, it was Gonta. As much as I hated to admit it, Monokuma may have had a point about guessing who is who, at least when it comes to a few people.

"Yeah, sure Tarzan, you do that. I'm sure you won't end up dead first now that you don't have your strength to back you up. Anyways, that's all I wanted to say. I'm very excited to see what clever cases can come from this arrangement. I know you kids won't let me down again. Puhuhuhu", he laughed, leaving the stage.

The gym was filled with silence until 'Kirumi' or her body at least, spoke up. "Everyone should stay here and reveal who they are. Let's go in a circle and figure this out."

From behind her, 'Himiko' began to speak, " Yeah right, dorkwad. There's no fucking way that I would just give away who I am. None of you shitstains would even have the brain cells required to guess. Maybe if you beg on your knees, I can change my mind, but I doubt it."

Clearly from the foul language to the superiority complex, Miu, the ultimate inventor, was inside Himiko.

I responded to her, "You're clearly Miu. No one else has the same vocabulary. Maybe you should think before saying things like that".

It was then that Miu looked defeated. She was in shock that anybody could prove her wrong. Maybe Maki's body was making me a bit more aggressive than usual, but it honestly felt good to see her back down and grovel.

"Y-you really guessed it right….", she looked down. Miu eventually regained her composure and began to leave, yelling, "Whatever. It doesn't take a genius to identify my elegance, even if I am in this flat chested body."

It was so odd to see Himiko's body say such things and act so cruel, but I guess for the time being, that is Miu's body. Just like how for the time being, I was Maki Harukawa. After she left the gym, more and more people started leaving, including my body, Kokichi, 'Tsumugi', 'Kaede', and several others. All that was left were me, the real Kirumi, 'Kirumi', 'Korekiyo', Gonta, 'Kaito', and 'Kibo'.

'Kirumi' was the first to speak up.

"I was hoping more people would stay, but no matter. I'll start us off. I am Kaito Momota! Luminary of the stars." While saying the last part, he struck a pose, holding a thumbs up, displaying such confidence and charisma.

It's not something I would ever imagine Kirumi, who was always in such a calm and composed state, to do."Woah! These badonkadonks are heavier than I thought. Nice to look at though", Kaito said, gesturing his hands to his new chest. The real Kirumi, in Kokichi's body, went next.

"I am Kirumi Tojo. Despite this weird situation, I will continue to serve you. Kaito, I expect you to take good care of my body while I am out of it. Please do not act recklessly in it"

Kaito flashed her a smile and gave her another thumbs up. "You can count on me!"

I decided to go next.

I tried to be formal in my introduction, "I'm Shuichi Saihara, ultimate detective. I don't think I'll be much help, but I hope we can find a way back to our bodies."

'Korekiyo' seemed to take issue with my introduction though.

"Shuichi, what have I told you about doubting yourself? You need to be more confident. I'm sure you'll be the one to get us all back!"

From that little bit alone, I already knew who it was. A part of me was happy to know that she's ok.

Kaito added, "Yeah Shuichi! We'll all figure out how to reverse this. Your detective skills will be a great help."

Kaede continued her introduction, "I'm Kaede Akamatsu and this is a really weird situation being a guy."

Gonta was next to speak up, "Is it ok for Gonta to reveal who he is?"

It was still unreal to see someone that looked like Miu be polite and also speak broken English.

"Gonta hope he can still be gentleman in this body. Maybe Gonta now gentlewoman? This is too weird for Gonta."

Most of us seem to switch along sex lines. Perhaps Monokuma thought we would all be perverted enough if we were put in bodies of the opposite sex. Kaito seemed like he was a bit interested in Kirumi's skin, but I doubt any of us would be so depraved.

'Kaito' spoke up, "I'm Himiko Yumeno, the ultimate magician. I would try to use my magic to fix it, but Kaito's body isn't magic enough."

Kaito seemed somewhat hurt by that statement. You could see it on his, or is it 'her', face. Finally was 'Kibo'.

"So, I actually didn't swap with anyone.", he explained.

We were all surprised. Kibo was still himself. How was this possible when everyone swapped? More importantly, if Kibo was the same, could others aso not have swapped?

"What?! You didn't switch? That is really you in there, Kibo?", Kaito asked.

"Yes, last I checked my systems anyways.", responded Kibo.

"Hmm, how is it that you were not affected like the rest of us?", I added.

Gonta posited, "Maybe it because Kibo is robot."

Kiboe exclaimed, upset, "That's robophobic! Are you implying I don't have a soul to switch?"

Gonta quickly raised his hands to defend himself, "No, no, no! Gonta not implying that. Gonta not too good with the situation."

"Maybe he was super lucky", Kaede suggested. "Do you have a lucky student talent as well?"

"I do not. My only ability is being the ultimate robot", Kibo proclaimed.

The conversation continued like this until it moved to the topic of how we refer to each other.

"So do we refer to each other by our real name or our body's name?", Kaede asked.

Gonta was the first response, "Gonta think that we do real name. Gonta would get real confused if you call Gonta 'Miu'"

Kirumi spoke up, "I agree. I'm used to being called by my real name whenever someone needs my services"

Kaito still seemed to be a little upset that not everyone decided to stay, since he suggested, "But what about those who chose not to stay? Maybe we should keep our true identities to this group? So maybe you should go by Kokichi and I'll go by Kirumi. Then, it can be an incentive to reveal who you really are."

Kaede, in her typical fashion, suggested that we all openly use our real names, "I know that you are depressed that more people didn't stay, but we should be honest and forthcoming to everyone. Besides, I think referring to us by our real name will keep some part of our identity alive. Please use Kaede for me."

"I guess you're right. Monokuma probably wants us to worry about our identity being lost, so maybe we should keep part of it alive", Kaito admitted. He then turned his attention to me. "What about you Shuichi?", he asked.

Of course. It would probably be Kaito or Kaede who would call on me to add an opinion. I guess it is somewhat important, but why value my opinion?.

I gave it some thought and gave my response, "I guess we should do our real names. I like Kaede's explanation of keeping a part of your old self with you. I guess we should also refer to each other using the pronouns that we used on each other before. It may get a bit confusing otherwise."

Kaito gave his feedback, "That's all I need to hear. I trust your opinion, Shuichi. Next order of business, writing down who is who and adding to it as we figure out the rest."

Kaito took out a piece of paper and started writing our names down, as well as whose body we were in. After writing down all of the names that were present, Kaito asked, " Does anyone have any guesses as to the others?"

I decided I would tell them my guesses.

"I saw my body and Tenko's body earlier today. Judging by their actions and words, I think Tenko is in my body and Kokichi is in her body", I said.

Kaito was ecstatic, "Great deduction, Shuichi! Just as expected from the ultimate detective!"

I knew he was trying to be nice, so I gave a little chuckle, but I really didn't deserve the praise for such a small thing. I think anybody could have figured that one out.

"Umm, technically a detective in training", I whispered meekly.

I don't think Kaito heard it, since he continued on, "Kokichi being in Tenko would make sense. Only he would be so childish. Though, I mean….". He paused, looking for the right way to phrase it, "I'm not saying what he did was right, but Tenko is kinda hot though, right Shuichi? I thought it was an interesting sight if you catch my drift."

I felt a little embarrassed. I swear I could feel my cheeks turn red. "I-I guess so….", I replied.

He kinda put me on the spot there. Plus it felt kinda weird talking about it, since Tenko had no control over her body's actions. She would definitely call us degenerates, but considering that we were talking about if she was hot, she may have a point with that one.

"Alright. I think that's all we need for now. And all of you, if you ever need advice, I'm always open", Kaito concluded.

Kaede rode on the momentum Kaito started, "Right, and I can try to encourage you if you need it. Let's all get through this!"

Kaito and Kaede are trying their best to make the others feel comfortable. Yet, both of them are in a similar situation to the rest of us. I somewhat envy their ability to lead and their ability for compassion. This filled me with a sense of determination. For them, I'll try to live up to expectations. For their sake, I'll solve the mysteries needed to get us back!

1.3: Learning how to be a Girl

With that, the meeting disbanded and we all went our separate ways. We all promised to alert the others if we discovered any other identities or if we noticed anything strange. Kaede, Kirumi, and I exited the gym from the rear entrance, while the other exited through the front. As we were walking back towards the dorms, Kaede began to converse with me.

"So Shuichi, what will you do today?", she asked.

At first, I wasn't so sure what I may do today, but as we walked I could feel the fabric from the pajamas I was wearing rubbing against my skin. That reminded me that I wasn't technically dressed correctly. "Well, first I'm gonna have Kurumi help me get dressed", I answered.

Kaede gave me a look of confusion before asking, " Kirumi is gonna help you? Why?"

It was then that I began blushing. Maybe Kaede hasn't thought of the implications that being in the opposite sex brings. It was difficult to explain to her. I tried to find the words to explain it, but was having a hard time, "W-well you know. I'm a guy…. Maki's a girl… And I don't want to do anything…ummm… disrespectful."

Kaede gave a sly grin, or at least I assume she did. Korekiyo's mask made it a bit hard to tell. "Why Shuichi, are you saying you don't want to sneak a peak? This could be your one chance to look. It is technically your body right now."

I was lost for words. If I wasn't red before, I certainly was now. How do I even respond to that? Coming from Kaede of all people.

"Well…..I…ummm… am a little….curious…..but-"

Before I could finish, Kaede started chuckling, "I'm just kidding, Shuichi! Haha, lighten up!" Even Kirumi was giggling a little bit. I tried giving out a chuckle as well but I was just relieved that she wasn't actually serious.

Silence followed. It was somewhat awkward, but I think Kaede was able to sense my uneasiness towards the situation. She tried to console me, "Shuichi, you have a good heart. Just make sure you find your own happiness too. Now come on! "

"Huh?", I replied, taken off guard by the sudden burst of excitement.

"I'll help you get dressed. We don't need to bother Kirumi with it", she suggested. Kirumi gave a nod. By now, we were right in front of the dorms. Kirumi turned to us and bid us farewell, "If you have this under control Miss Akamatsu, then I shall go attend to my other duties." She began walking away, but turned her head and gave me one last comment, "And Miss Saihara, if you require any additional help ... .adjusting to the situation, please do not hesitate to get me." She continued walking away while chuckling to herself. Did she really have to include that 'Miss' portion? It's all in good fun, I guess. At least someone is finding amusement in the bizarre situation.

Kaede and I returned to Maki's room. Kaede helped me get dressed. First, we undid the buttons to the pajama top. One by one, the buttons were undone until my chest was out in the open. At this point, I closed my eyes, still not comfortable seeing Maki's bare body. Kaede did my bra for me, sliding it to fit my breasts and then buckling the straps to keep it in place.

She asked about the fit, "Does it feel alright? You don't want it to be too tight or too loose."

"I guess so. I have no frame of reference really for how it's supposed to feel", I quipped. This made Kaede chuckle a bit, causing her to respond, "Maybe you'll have a lot of time to learn." Hopefully that wouldn't be the case at all.

Next was the top part of the uniform. I slipped her red student outfit over my head. It was surprisingly more comfortable than I thought it would be. The fabric was pretty soft and it felt somewhat like being wrapped in a blanket. It's definitely not like any school uniform I've worn before. It was at this point I opened my eyes.

Now all that was left was the pajama bottoms. I slipped them off and next slid off Maki's underwear. I tried to tilt my head upward so I didn't accidentally get a peak of anything. Kaede handed me a new pair of underwear which I quickly put on. She was still finding amusement in the situation, seeing me struggle in trying to avoid looking at my new anatomy. She handed me a skirt, which was very easy to put on. Honestly, it was easier than I thought. There were some buttons on the side that could snap together, making it rather easy to slip on.

As I finished putting on the skirt, it immediately hit me just how different a skirt is from pants. My lower end felt so exposed. Anytime I stood, I could feel the air passing between my legs. In a way, I felt naked. But I felt somewhat free as well, as if I was no longer stuck in the world I once was. Honestly, I couldn't tell if it was my brain trying to find positives in this situation, but I think I may like some aspects of being a girl. I still kind of miss pants though, but at least I could mark wearing a skirt off my bucket list, if it were on there at all.

Finally, I put on the leggings and shoes. I almost looked like the usual Maki, except my hair was a mess. I didn't really brush it after waking up, due to the shock of what happened. I had to have Kaede help me style it like Maki usually would. I thought it would be complicated to get the hair just right, but it was pretty simple. After brushing it, I separated the hair into two twin tails. Then I simply put each tail into a hair band and I look a lot more like Maki. The only hard part was how long it took to straighten my hair using the brush. It did feel somewhat nice to not be reminded of the situation we're in with hair constantly on the back of my neck. Now it feels more normal to me, with the longer hair off to the sides.

At this point, I was finished getting dressed. Now the main issue would be figuring out what we could do. We didn't finish finding books in the library yesterday, so maybe we could return there. On the other hand, I wanted to find out how we could get back to ourselves. I went back and forth like this for a while, but Kaede spoke up and got my attention.

"Oh, Maki got one of these as well?", she inquired, pointing at the Monopad that was on the nightstand by the bed.

Upon further thought, it is suspicious that we received a 'gift' the night before we all swap bodies as a part of a death game. Perhaps there can be some connection. I quickly took the Monopad and began cycling through all of its apps.

"What are you doing, Shuichi?", Kaede wanted to know.

"I'm trying to see if I can find anything off with it. Maybe a strange app or setting", I said.

She seemed to catch on to what I was thinking, "Do you think that it may have something to do with the motive?"

I confirmed to her what I was thinking, "Exactly. The timing is a bit too suspicious. Theoretically, it would be easy to use something that was given to everyone in order to swap them. The question is, how could a tablet switch people's minds?"

Kaede's eyes lit up and she paid me a compliment, "That's really smart thinking, Shuichi! With thinking like that, I'm sure you will have it solved in no time!"

Usually, when she praises me, I wouldn't really show a reaction, but I guess I must have been somewhat smiling, since she commented on it."Woah, I don't think I've ever seen Maki smile. It's a cute smile. I think you wear it very well."

That sent me a bit into overdrive as I began to blush yet again. How many times will that happen today? Kaede sees the best in me and has a high amount of faith in me. I can only hope that I can live up to that reputation. It was a bit weird hearing these words come from Kiyo's body. What were once very nice comments come across as a bit creepier coming from his voice. It sounded as if Kiyo were just doing an impression of Kaede's voice as it sounded higher than Kiyo's normal pitch. I decided to just take the compliment though.

I continued to go through the tablet, not finding anything of note. Somewhat frustrated, I said, "There doesn't seem to be anything off about the tablet. Like the note said, there are a few apps used for note taking, alarm clocks, and the app store, but nothing suspicious. I could try looking at the hardware, but I wouldn't know what to look for. I'm sorry for hitting this dead end so soon."

Both Kaede and I looked down in defeat, but Kaede perked her head up and recommended, "Hey, maybe we could bring it to Miu. Maybe she would spot anything in the hardware."

I wasn't exactly happy to go and see Miu. Especially after I outed her identity in front of everyone, she probably wouldn't be in a good mood. Despite my hesitation, I agreed that finding Miu may be the best course of action. We didn't have any other clues to follow anyways. So, both Kaede and I agreed to search for her. The first place we'd want to start is the kitchen. We exited Maki's room and began going outside into the courtyard. Upon exiting, I felt a giant gust of wind brush against me.

"Kyaaa!" I let out a small scream.

"Shuichi, what's wrong?!", Kaede asked, visibly worried.

I rubbed a hand on the back of my neck and said, "S-Sorry, I'm not exactly used to feeling wind fly so freely around my lower body. I kind of miss the feeling of pants."

Kaede gave me another laugh, "Haha, I guess you wouldn't be used to wearing a skirt. Should we go to the storage closet to find some pants for you to wear?"

"N-No, it should be fine. It's just a new feeling is all", I didn't want to bother her.

Kaede gave me another devious smirk. "Wow Shuichi, running around without pants. You're one step away from being like Kokichi."

I was kind of done with these types of jokes. "Ha ha, very funny, Kaede", I said sarcastically.

Kaede definitely knew how to defuse tension. She was pretty witty and knew how to make light of any situation. I just wish I was more in the mood to take the jokes.

As we walked outside, we saw a few of the others walking about. We saw 'Angie' smoking a cigarette by the side of the building, just outside the door. One of 'her' feet kicked back against the wall. Opposite of 'Angie', deep in the courtyard field was 'Gonta'. It looked like 'he' was lifting some heavy looking logs. On my earlier 'Kyaa', 'he' gave me a deep thousand mile stare. 'He' held it for several seconds as we continued to the right, eventually dropping it and going back to what 'he' was doing earlier. Up ahead, walking towards our direction was Himiko. She looked tired. As she passed us, we tried greeting her. "Hey, Himiko!" She just continued walking past us, only saying, "Nyeh? I'm going to nap."

Kaede and I reached the mess hall. Upon going in, my legs felt immediately warmer, contrasting the chilled wind that was outside. Before either of us could scan the room and look for Miu, we immediately heard a voice.

1.4: Confronting the New and Not Improved Miu

" Well, look who it fucking is. You got a lot of nerve, bitch to reveal who I was back there.", Miu spat at me.

Every fiber of my being wanted to tell her that anyone could figure it out, but that may have made her angrier, so I decided it was best to ignore it and continue on with our request.

"We wanted to know if you could take a look at the hardware of the Monopod. We think it may be connected to how we were all swapped.", I said, presenting my Monopad.

She gave me a look of confusion before saying, " A tablet capable of swapping our minds? Dumbass! What kind of fiction have you been consuming?"

I tried to reason with her, "Well, don't you think it's suspicious that we all received one right before we switched?"

Miu then looked like she was deep in thought for a moment, considering the possibility. Eventually, after what felt like a while, she responded, "I suppose I could consider checking it out. In return, I want you to reveal who you are."

I guess it was only fair. Especially since we wanted everyone to trust each other. Kaede and I nodded at each other, expressing our agreement and Kaede introduced herself first.

"I'm Kaede", she started

"I'm Shuichi", I followed.

Miu then looked like she was about to burst out in laughter.

"Wait, you're Pooichi? Hahahaha! What, you couldn't get a girl to date you, so you decided to become one?"

"It wasn't exactly my choice.", I huffed.

"Sure, but I think you're enjoying it. You get an all-access pass to a girl's body. I bet you've already fingered yourself at least 5 times. Did Kaidiot help you?"

I waved my hands, trying to defend myself from such vulgar assertions, "I-I haven't done anything yet."

"Likely story. Sadly for you, you didn't get my perfect body. Now that's a body! Pooichi gets stuck as a 7, if I'm generous, while he misses on a 10! Hahahaha", Miu laughed.

At this point, I decided to give her a taste of her medicine.

"Well, Gonta is in your body. Hopefully he doesn't do anything naughty", I coyly teased.

Miu stopped laughing and had a terrified look on her face.

"Gonta….. In my hot body… Would he violate me like that?", she sounded concerned.

It was clear she was taking it more seriously than I thought she would. I don't think Gonta would do something like that, but she seemed to wrap her brain, trying to consider the possibility. Miu quickly snapped out of it.

"Eh whatever. I'm sure God felt bad that he grew up in the jungle and wanted to give him a little time in a better body to see what he's been missing out on.", she coped.

Kaede spoke up, "So do you think you could look at it."

She looked confident for a moment, "Could I? Hell yeah, I could! After all, even in this surfboard of a body, my incredible mind is still mine alone."

"Great, so how long may it take?", I inquired.

"However long I fuckin please. Maybe I'll get to it in a few days.", was the response.

I was shocked at the answer. I gripped my hands around her arms and asked, "A few days?! But don't you want to get back to your body as soon as possible?"

She replied in a really nonchalant manner, "Meh, I could always give this body a boob job. Of course, it will never be as beautiful as my old one, but I could live in it. That or someone could kill. Then we kick his ass in a trial and we get back to ourselves. Shouldn't be long before that happens."

Kaede interjected, "I have faith that nobody here would kill. In a way, you're our only hope of getting back."

This seemed to make her perk up.

"So you're saying I'm like your savior then?", she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I guess…in a way", I said, playing on her ego.

"Alright peasants, I, your sexy, intelligent goddess will work on the tablet. Give me a few days, and you'll be back to your loser selves.", she said triumphantly.

Kaede and I were excited that our idea worked. "Thank you! Thank you so much!", we said in unison.

"Yeah, yeah. Now leave me the hell alone. My food is here.", Miu scoffed.

From the other room, Kirumi came out, holding a giant dish of some kind. She walked over and set it on the table where Miu sat. She took off the lid to reveal a roasted chicken, showered in a type of lemon sauce, served on top of vegetables. Honestly, it looked picture-esque. Kirumi really was amazing.

She turned her attention to us and asked, "Mister Saihara, Miss Akamatsu, can I prepare any food for you as well?" Hey, at least she dropped the whole 'Miss' thing.

I was pretty hungry, so Kaede and I asked her to prepare two bowls of pasta. Within 10 minutes, we were staring at bowls of authentic Italian spaghetti. The aroma filled my nostrils, increasing my hunger. It smelled like I was on a rolling hillside in Italy. Maybe Himiko was right, magic did exist and Kirumi had it. I immediately began eating. As I ate, it was apparent that even actions as simple as eating felt different. It wasn't my mouth, but Maki's. It was her taste buds, her tongue, and her teeth that I used. While not bad, my new taste buds gave me a different experience than I imagined. Another immediately noticeable difference was how much food I could get through. In my own body, I could eat a fair bit. Maki's stomach was a bit more petite. I wasn't even able to finish it all. I felt stuffed around three-fourths of the way through. After lunch, Kaede suggested we put the investigation on hold. We had to wait on Miu anyways, so I didn't see any problem with stopping for now. I grabbed my tablet from Miu and we headed out.

1.5: How to Train Your Fingers

First, we returned to Maki's room to drop off the Monopad. Then, Kaede asked me to follow her. I did as she wished and eventually we ended up outside her laboratory.

Kaede put her hands in front of her, examining them thoroughly. "I want to see if Kiyo's body will affect how well I can play the piano.", she said as she wiggled her fingers. It didn't even dawn on me that our bodies may affect our talents. Though Kaede was the ultimate pianist, Kiyo's body may not be used to the precise movements needed to professionally play an instrument. In that sense, I guess I can be considered lucky. My ultimate ability is moreso related to my mind, which I get to keep in this exchange.

She pushed open the door, holding it open for me to enter. "Ladies first.", she said. Good to know chivalry isn't dead, even if I'm not used to being on the receiving end of it. I grabbed a seat in a chair towards the front of the room. She walked past me and made her way back to the bookshelf in the back of the room, making sure to retrieve the same book she used the night before. She then sat at the piano and began to play.

I would be lying if I said it wasn't rough. Even though I am not all that good at music, I could tell that she would accidentally play wrong notes, as well as have inconsistent timing. Kaede seemed visibly frustrated. "I guess Kiyo's body isn't used to this. Guess my talent is kind of useless here.", she half chuckled. It was odd to hear Kaede doubt herself. Usually, it was me that she had to talk to about believing in myself. I decided that I had to play her usual role. I stood up and tried my best at imitating her supportive style, "Don't say that. Maybe you just need to warm up a bit. After a few attempts, you may have trained Kiyo's body to move how you want it to". She seemed to perk up a bit at my comment, " Yeah, you're probably right. Let's give it another try!".

She played the same song several more times. None of them were exactly like the way she played it the night before, but with each attempt, she got a little better. Mistakes were less frequent. The tempo became more consistent. Before we knew it, a few hours had passed.

Kaede swept her long black hair out of her face, "I think I'm getting better, but it just doesn't feel right, you know?"

"Yeah, this whole situation doesn't feel right", I responded.

"You're right about that!", she giggled.

She turned her attention back to the piano, eyeing all the keys on it.

That's when she spoke up again, "I think I want to practice a bit more."

"Sure, I would love to hear more", I tried to be supportive.

It was at that moment that she gave me a smile and a half sympathetic look, "Well, about that….. I actually want to practice alone."

This one sentence somewhat destroyed me. Did I do something to upset her? Is she falling into despair? That would be because I couldn't support her well enough, isn't it? Kaede sensed my anxiety and continued, " Don't take it the wrong way, Shuichi. You supporting me is a great help! I just want to practice by myself so that the next time you hear the music, it will be my best performance ever". I was relieved to hear that it wasn't because she was tired of me. At least, it was a reasonable response to fight any anxiety that could be anything else. We have spent a lot of time together since arriving here. Besides nighttime, we haven't been apart for too long.

"Next time you hear it, you'll be like 'Wow! This is the best performance I've ever heard.'. It'll be all thanks to your encouragement, Shuichi. Without you, I would've given up after the first try.", she said, smiling. A part of me thought she may have been lying. Sure she seemed discouraged at first, but knowing her usual cheeriness, I don't think she would have just given up. It was then that I saw her eyes, or Kiyo's eyes, I guess, sparkle. She put her hands up, excited, " I just had an idea! How about I put on a performance for the entire group?".

I wanted to be supportive, so I said, " I think that would be great! You'll knock them dead.". It was then things fell silent for a moment. I was not exactly sure what I would do while she practiced. I awkwardly said, "So, umm, I guess I'll leave you to it."

At times, I swear she can read me like a book. "So what will you do while I practice?", she asked. I dreaded this question. I spent most of my time with Kaede. Sure, at times I've hung out with Gonta or Kaito or Angie, but it was always with her by my side. I wasn't exactly sure how I would interact with the others on my own. I gave her a stock response, "Oh, I can maybe figure out something."

I turned to the door and began to walk toward the exit, before hearing Kaede speak up, "Hey, thanks for believing in me!". I was about to respond that it was no problem, but she continued, " I want you to believe in yourself like how I believe in you. I know being a girl is new and different for you, but don't push yourself too hard to try and reverse this. It's ok if we're stuck like this for a bit. Try to find things to enjoy!". I know that Kaede said it's fine if I don't figure it out quickly, but for all of our sake, I don't want to keep them waiting. I responded with a halfhearted smile and a simple, "I'll try."

1.6: New Equipment

I then left the room, closing the door. I had a few hours of free time before it would be time to go to bed. A part of me wanted to keep looking for clues to solve this case, even if there wasn't much to go on yet. Every time I'm reminded of the situation we're in, I think about how different this body is than my own. When I was with Kaede, she could keep my attention off of it all. Now that I was alone, all the thoughts I tried to repress started bubbling to the surface. I decided that it might be best to find someone to spend time with. After all, we were all in this strange predicament, so if I could talk to someone on my own, maybe I can find some comfort in everything. Maybe Kirumi would be available. I already talked to her earlier, so I have some experience with her alone.

I walked down the hallways, deciding to make my way to the cafe. My chest was bobbing with every step. My new butt bounced in ways that I wasn't familiar with. Even the clothes that I had on rubbed on me in ways that surprised me. It was then that I was struck with a very familiar feeling. The problem was, it wasn't a feeling that I was hoping to feel….. I had to use the bathroom.

I quickly rushed to the nearest restroom. I was on the first floor, so I went to the girl's bathroom there. I pushed open the stall door and stared at the toilet in front of me. I would have to use Maki's body to go number 1 and number 2. That would definitely violate her privacy. I briefly reconsidered holding it in when I got another wave of that oh so familiar feeling of having to go. I sighed and resigned myself to go through it. I pulled up my skirt, lowered my panties, and sat down. At first, I wasn't sure which muscles to relax to let the stream out, but the body's muscle memory seemed to kick in after a few moments of hesitation. I tried looking upwards, so that I wouldn't accidentally sneak a peak of Maki's private bits. Meanwhile, a stream exited out of me. As it poured out, I began feeling some sense of relief. It was so weird feeling the urine brush against my new ….parts….

Defecation was about the same as before and isn't something I do not wish to describe. After a few moments doing my business, I was finally finished. I felt much better than before, at least in the sense that I no longer had to go. I felt worse when it came to protecting Maki's privacy. I instinctively wiped my rear, as normal, but as I began to get up, I remembered that girls also have to wipe the front. I took an extra piece of toilet paper and stared down at it for a bit. I tried to avoid looking down during this entire ordeal, but I would need to see to do the next part. I quickly wiped from back to front and got up. Luckily, it was quick and then over with.

I pulled up my panties, raised my skirt and pressed the button to flush the toilet. As I exited the stall, I heard some kind of clicking noise. Usually I would investigate the source, but I honestly just wanted to get out of the girl's bathroom as quickly as possible. I felt like a peeping Tom, seeing something that I shouldn't have seen. First though, I had to make sure to wash my hands. I turned on the water and began scrubbing. During the process, I looked to the mirror that was right in front of me. The reflection in the mirror was bright red, unsurprising given what I had just done. A wave of guilt brushed over me. It's a natural process and it would happen eventually, but I felt as though I had violated Maki's privacy.

However, even worse than that experience was what followed. As soon as I exited the bathroom, none other than Monokuma appeared.

"Shuichi, you look redder than a bloody tomato. Did you do anything naughty there?", he asked with eyes wide. I think I spotted steam rising from him.

"N-no, I didn't do anything perverted", I stuttered back

"No need to lie to ol Monokuma. I know you teenagers are all perverts! But I just came by to say to keep going. Be depraved! You have an all access pass to the opposite sex. Really enjoy it! Do naughty things! Maybe you'll find that you'll like it enough to kill to keep it. I hear that a particular rubbing motion feels great on your va-", he began rambling on.

I stopped him right there, "I said, I didn't do anything! I'm not gonna fall for your schemes and I will find a way to get us back to normal!" All Monokuma could do was laugh, "Puhuhu, you? You are going to fix everyone? Puhuhuhu. There is no way back until someone is dead. What are you going to do? Murder someone, out yourself as the killer, and switch everyone back at the cost of your life? I don't think so, muchacho. Or is that now muchacha? Might as well enjoy that body because if no one kills, you're gonna get very familiar with it."

Upon thinking about it, Monokuma may be right. What could I do?…

At this point, I was beginning to feel the despair that Monokuma wanted. Could I actually get everyone back to normal? Even if I found a way, Monokuma could always switch us again. Could I be useful at all? But I remembered what Kaede said earlier. For her sake, for the sake of the others, even for my own sake, I have to try!

"We'll see about that, Monokuma. I have hope that I can get us all back. Then we'll reveal the mastermind and get out of here.", I began to say as I walked past him.

He chuckled and resumed his earlier ramblings, " Sure kid, whatever you say. Now like I was saying, if you find a rounded object, you can shove it right up your -"

I tried to drown him out as I was leaving but I wasn't looking where I was going, so I bumped right into 'Gonta'. Even in my old body, I knew Gonta was tall, but being in Maki's body, his stature was even more intimidating as 'he' lumbered over me. 'He' looked down on me, giving me a glance that could kill. "Oh, it's you.", is all that 'he' said. From behind me, I could hear Monokuma chuckle.

"Now isn't this interesting. Hey Shuichi, you want to tell Maki here what you did with her body?", he tried to provoke the situation. My head flipped from Monokuma to the giant in front of me. But did Monokuma just say the giant in front of me was actually Maki? My heart began to race.

"You- you- you're M-maki?", I managed to stutter.

"Oh. So it's Shuichi who got my body.", was the only response I got from the giant. This confirmed that Monokuma wasn't lying. Even worse, that means that the real Maki was right in front of me and could break me in two.

"What's this about my body?", she raised an eyebrow at.

I was more terrified than I have ever been in my life. How do I face her after what I just did? How would she react? If she got mad, she could hurt me. Now, my only option was to tell her. I immediately leapt onto my knees and started groveling at her feet.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm-" was all I could say.

"Sorry for what?", she coldly inquired.

"I, um, I, went to the bathroom in your body….."

From behind me, I could hear Monokuma comment, "Hey Shuichi, I can see your panties."

If my face wasn't already red, it was now, as I readjusted myself, hid my butt under my skirt and continued to apologize, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm-"

"Shut up", was Maki's response.

"Huh?!", I asked, confused.

"I don't care", she responded.

Her response confused me, so I just reiterated, "Huh?!"

She took a deep breath and explained, "You just went to the bathroom, right? It was bound to happen eventually". How could she be so nonchalant about this?

"But-but I violated your body….", I stammered.

"I've accepted that it isn't my body anymore. Do what you want with it.", she began glancing off to the end of the hallway.

I tried to reason with her, "You've accepted the swap? But once we get back to normal, we-"

She turned her attention back to me and somewhat annoyed, she said, "I said I don't care. It's not likely we'll return to normal."

Monokuma chimed in, "Puhuhu, looks like someone's fallen into despair. I'm so proud! What can I get you for killing weapons? A knife? Rope? Ooh, I may be able to manage a bazooka if you want to go big!"

Maki coldly stared at the bear behind us and said, " I don't plan on killing anyone. I just know that the most likely outcome is that we stay as is. Now move. I'm going to the gym to work out."

I tried to reason with her before she left, " Maki, wait! Don't lose hope. I'll fix this."

She stopped walking and sighed, never looking back at me. Before leaving again, she gave me one last response, " If you are really concerned about what I think, if you can get us back to our bodies, the only rule I have for you is don't get my body killed. Other than that, I don't care."

I got back up to my feet, staring in disbelief as she disappeared down the hallway and eventually around the corner. She really doesn't care? What does she mean that most likely we'll stay switched no matter what? Monokuma brought me back to my surroundings.

"You heard her, now you can get really nasty!", Monokuma sounded more excited about it than he should be.

I had enough of Monokuma and angrily said, "Don't you have anywhere else to be?"

"Not until 3", he joked.

I decided it wouldn't hurt to just try asking Monokuma how he did it, " How did you manage to switch us? Something like this should be impossible"

He gave me another joke answer, "Would you believe me if I said a pair of earmuffs did it?"

I was not amused and remained silent. Monokuma seemed to be bored, standing there in silence as well, until he broke that silence, "Hmmmm….. I'm curious what Kokichi is up to. Now that kid is having fun with this! You could learn a thing or two. Anyways, adios!", he then disappeared, just like that, leaving me alone again.

What immediately sprang to mind was Maki's statement. I mulled it over in my head as I continued on my way. What did she mean that we are most likely stuck this way? Maybe I could understand if I broke down the possible outcomes.

Outcome 1: Nobody is killed and we all stay like this.

Outcome 2: Someone kills someone else. We have a trial and the culprit gets away with it. Then the rest of us are dead, so I guess it wouldn't matter.

Outcome 3: Someone is murdered but the culprit is caught. Wouldn't we return to normal then? I thought about it and came to a realization: what would happen to the people who don't have a body to return to? Someone's body would be murdered by the culprit and another person's body would be executed. It would be unfair to essentially kill them by having them ejected from their current body to no body at all. Maybe they would stay in the body they are currently in. But if that's the case, then others couldn't return to their bodies either, depending on exactly who is who. Maybe they get the culprit's body, since the culprit will be gone anyways. There were many possibilities running through my head. So, the only definite way to get us all back would be to find a way back ourselves without killing. I guess Maki was right. Assuming all outcomes had an equal opportunity of happening, there was a good chance that we would be stuck as is.

1.7: Kokichi and his Antics

After coming to this realization, my resolve to fix this became higher. For all our sake, I had to do it. But am I capable of that? Maybe it would be best to just accept that this is my body now. Maybe…..maybe I'm just dreaming. That was my personal hope. I still find this scenario so outlandish, so stupid, that it couldn't possibly be real. I continued to consider these thoughts, swaying back and forth between optimism and despair. Without even realizing it, I entered the kitchen and eventually ran into the main table. Before I could regain my composure, I heard an all too familiar voice.

"Oh! Maki, I am soooo glad you're here!", rang the voice. I then saw Kokichi, this time completely naked, come towards me. "Shuichi is being so mean to me! He says that I'm not really Tenko. But how can that be? If I wasn't Tenko, would I have this booty?", he continued shaking his butt in my direction. He then forcefully took my hand and brought it to his butt. It was unexpected, so I didn't have the reaction time to resist or fight back.

"St-stop it, Kokichi!", I said flustered. "You're not fooling anyone. Everyone switched, so we know you aren't actually Tenko. You really shouldn't use her body like that."

Kokichi responded, " If we all switched then who are you supposed to be, if not Maki?"

I decided it wouldn't hurt to reveal my true identity. After all, I'm supposed to be promoting trust and cooperation, "I'm Shuichi."

At this point, Kokichi dropped the act and started laughing, "Hahahahaha! You-you're Shuichi! You ended up in little Miss 'I'm so serious'? Hahaha! How ironic."

I decided to just let him get it out of his system. He seemed to be calming down from his laughing fit when he looked to the doorway, before turning his head back to me.

"Hey, Shuichi! I'll let you touch mine if I can touch yours.", he said.

I responded with a simple, "What?"

I had no time to process what was going on as he quickly seized my left hand again, this time bringing it to his chest. A "huh?" was all I could manage.

Just then, my body, with Tenko inside, walked through the doorway. When I looked over, all I could see was a look of disgust and complete fury. She immediately began to yell out, "You sick degenerate scum! Not only do you violate my body, but Maki's too!?". I then remembered my hands were still on top of Kokichi's chest. Realizing how bad this looked, I removed my hands from the bosom and tried to explain myself. "Wait, Tenko! It's not what you think! Kokichi, he-" I was immediately interrupted by a still mad Tenko, "Save it! Your excuses will be of no use for you now."

Kokichi then chimed in, "Hey Tenko, it's Shuichi who's in that body." Kokichi stood there, a big smile plastered on his face. He was enjoying the drama that was unfolding and he was even stoking the flames.

Tenko continued, "Shuichi? You're in that body? UGH! That stupid bear switched everyone across sexes just to piss me off." She then stormed out of the room, stomping her feet as she went. After leaving, my mind couldn't help but think about what she could do. Would she want to get revenge on me? She does have my body currently, so she could do something to damage it by the time we switch back, if we ever do switch back.

I turned my attention back to Kokichi, who was just laughing his ass off at his prank, "Did you see your face, Shuichi? I don't think I've ever seen Maki turn so red! And Tenko? She made your face look more angry than I thought possible! Hahahaha"

"Why are you doing this? You don't gain anything by pissing Tenko off", I said, trying to calm myself down.

"Why do I do this? Shuichi, my dear boy, do you even have to ask? Are you not the ultimate detective? I thought you would know by now", he coyly replied. He then took a big pause, allowing me time to think of a response. No matter how hard I tried, however, I just couldn't think of any reason for his action. He continued after a few seconds.

He gave a short answer, "For the chaos."

The chaos? He likes causing mayhem? But after thinking about it for a moment, it does fit his background. From what I gather, he's the leader of an organization of trouble makers. Causing chaos would fit that image. I can't help but think that doing that in a killing game wouldn't be a smart idea though. If anything, making enemies or pissing off the wrong people would be the last thing you would want to do.

I tried to point out the flaw in his logic, "For the chaos? Why would you want to do that during a killing game? It'll be more likely to get you killed than anything else."

"Shuichi, Shuichi, Shuichi.", he flashed me his trademark mischievous grin, " We experience something that on paper would be impossible. Why would I not take full advantage of the situation? For Tenko's sake or modesty? She's a 2 dimensional stereotype. Pushing her buttons is so easy! Too easy, in fact. No, my goal is more lofty than just messing with one person."

He then began to leave the room, but not before giving one last statement. "Know your enemies, Miss Detective". Again with the 'Miss'... I'm actually getting a little used to it.

After a few seconds, he was gone. Well….. That wasn't really an answer. It probably wouldn't be worth it currently to think further on it. If there is actually a deeper reason, it'll reveal itself with time. Now, there are more important things to do.

"Hey, don't let him get to you", I heard from behind me. I turned my head and sitting at the table was 'Tsumugi', eating a bowl of fruit. One leg crossed over another. A coffee mug held in 'her' hand. It was then that I noticed 'Kaede' cooking in the kitchen. I couldn't quite tell what it was from looking at it, but it had an interesting smell, not quite like anything I've smelt before. I was curious as to who was put into Kaede's body, but it would be rude to ignore 'Tsumugi'. I returned my attention to the blue haired person sitting at the table.

"Y-yeah. I'll keep that in mind. It just doesn't make sense to me. Why provoke someone? Even if for fun, it doesn't seem wise to do that when we are being conditioned to commit murder."

'Tsumugi' responded, " I couldn't tell you…..Shuichi, was who you said you were, right?"

"Yes, that's right.", I confirmed.

"There may not be a greater reason. He may just be doing it for the sake of it", 'she' pondered.

"You're probably right", I agreed.

A silence followed until I was brave enough to ask about 'her' identity, "Ummm, who are you really?"At the very least, maybe I could be helpful in providing information to the group.

It was then that 'Tsumugi' looked down at 'herself' and sighed deeply, "I'm sorry, but for the time being, I don't think I want to reveal who I am. For my own safety, it's best that I remain anonymous."

Then 'Kaede', who was still working at the stove added in, "Nyeheheh, I asked them earlier, Shuichi. No dice. Would you two like me to share my dinner? There is enough for everyone"

Immediately, 'Tsumugi' stood up and excused 'herself', "I'm alright. I was about to head out anyways." I watched 'her' walk out of the room, waving goodbye. Then the attention was turned to me.

"Well Shuichi, what about you?", the blond haired girl in the kitchen wondered.

The truth was, I didn't want to impose on 'her' like that. I felt somewhat bad about relying on Kirumi too much, so I don't think I would want to rely on Angie as well.

Speaking of Kirumi, I'm surprised that she wasn't here. She usually cooks meals for people if they ask, yet 'Kaede' was cooking alone.

I found the bravery to ask about it, "Where is Kirumi? Wouldn't you like her to cook for you?"

"I tried asking earlier, but alas, she was busy. Apparently Kaito gave her a job that will take a bit. She wouldn't tell me what it is though", 'she' replied, still minding 'her' food.

A part of me wanted to head to bed, in hopes that maybe this day was just a dream. I'll wake up and everything will be normal again. I think if I told Kaede about this dream, she would have a good laugh. I couldn't for sure cross out the possibility of it being a dream. After all, switching bodies shouldn't be possible. In fact, the more I thought about it, along with all the things that happened today, I was more convinced it was a dream.

As I stood thinking, Kaede asked me again, "Oooh, Shuichi! You never answered my question". Whoever was in her body sounded awfully sweet.

"Ah, no thanks, Angie. I was actually about to go to bed.", I tried to be as polite as possible when giving my response.

She looked a bit disappointed but became happy again in an instant, "Oh, that's a shame! Well, more for me then. I'll see you in the morning, Shuichi!". 'She' nearly sounded like the real Kaede.

1.8: My First Shower

I waved goodbye to 'her' and made my way back to the dorms. It was still windy outside, but I was somewhat expecting it. It wasn't nearly as much of a shock to feel the breeze on my exposed legs or my longer hair as it was the first time. Out in the field, I think I spotted Kaito and Kirumi talking. It was hard to tell based on how dark it was at this point. I couldn't make anything out in the conversation either. I guess it wouldn't really be my business anyways.

I made it to the dorm entranceway and walked towards my room, but as I looked at the faceplate stuck on the door, I remembered something, I wasn't exactly myself at the moment. Which room exactly would be the one I'm supposed to use? My old one or Maki's? As if on cue, the PA system began to ring and I heard Monokuma's voice.

"Attention students! There may be some confusion as to where you are supposed to sleep. We have determined that your room will be the one that belongs to your current body. In fact, we have decided to add a new school rule: You are no longer allowed to enter the room that you had while in your own body. Anyone caught entering their old rooms will be punished."

The announcement ended and I had my answer. I moved away from my old door and moved up the stairs to Maki's room, or I guess for now, it was my room. This wasn't my first time entering the room. I was here earlier when getting dressed, but, this is my first time alone and after all that's happened today. I took a deep breath and turned the doorknob, entering the room.

I didn't really take time to examine it before, but everything was neat and organized. Her bed wasn't made, but that was due to my actions in the morning. Everything else was in place and easy to Monopad I returned earlier lay on the nightstand. This time, it was blinking.

I haven't seen it do that before. I clicked on the screen and it said I had a text message. I didn't know this thing worked as a cell phone either. It makes sense though. Most modern tablets have messaging apps. I took a look at the sender and saw it was from…. Gonta?! I don't think technology is Gonta's strong suit, but I clicked on it to open the message. It read:

"Shuichi, it's Maki. You seemed flustered earlier. I can't stop you from feeling the way you do, but I thought you might need to hear that you have permission to take a shower in my body. I really don't care if you do or don't, but I don't want you whining to me about it."

So it was actually Maki? I guess the sender address would be based off of which Monopad the message came from. Since we never switched tablets, that would mean Maki used Gonta's tablet. More importantly, the message reminded me of something that didn't come to mind: I would have to take a shower sooner or later. Typically, I shower at night before bed, which means that now is the usual time I would do it.

I stood there, motionless. Thoughtless. But a thought occurred to me: What if this was a dream? I know this thought was something I thought of earlier, but it was the most logical solution. There is no way that we could have switched bodies, right? Even if this was real, Maki brought up a valid point: there are a lot of scenarios where we would stay as we are, so in a sense, this is my body now. So would it really be so wrong to shower? I undid the knots on my uniform, took off the stash, and slid the uniform off over my head. My attention turned to the skirt. I undid the buttons and dropped it to the ground. Next was the leggings. I sat on the bed as I slowly took off my socks. The feeling of Maki's bed against my butt felt different. It was soft and it felt like I was in a groove that I really didn't want to move from. It was very comfortable. I got up, headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. After a few seconds, steam started to fill the air.

I turned around, facing away from the bathtub and looked into the mirror. This was the same mirror that revealed my new face to me. However, when I looked at my reflection this time, I was calmer. There was no freakout, no surprise. I had all day to get used to my new form. I saw Maki's face, my face staring back at me, blankly. My eyes wandered down lower. The reflection in front of me was in nothing but her underwear. My face turned red being reminded about my new physiology but the feeling quickly subsided.

I had convinced myself that it was mostly likely a dream and/or we would be stuck this way anyway. I think the reasoning worked well, which is why I didn't feel as embarrassed. Maki gave me permission anyway. Kaede suggested I try to not worry about it. This wouldn't be so bad to do. I have nothing to feel bad for. I kept repeating this in my head. By now, the steam had overtaken the room. The mirror was too foggy to use. I finished stripping as I removed my bra and panties. The bra took a few tries for me to unlatch, but after a minute of struggling, I eventually figured out how to get it off. I took one more deep breath. Once I hop in the shower, there would be no going back.

I put one foot in. The hot water slowly slid down my thigh. I followed this with my other foot. Now I could feel water hitting my entire body. It was somewhat sensual, feeling the water splashing against me, then slowly gliding down on me. Down my hands, my legs, my….breasts. I tried to ignore these feelings and get down to business. I first took the shampoo and lathered my hair. It was then that I realized I forgot to take the hair scrunchies out of my hair before hopping in. I took them off and the hair fell upon my back. All this wet hair was much heavier than I was accustomed to. I slowly made my way down my hair, making sure to lather every part of it. It took much longer to do than I thought. My old head of hair was short, so it was usually a quick process, but Maki's hair was so long. I managed though.

I took a nearby wash cloth and began putting soap on it, rubbing it against my now delicate face. I then rinsed out both my hair and head. That was done. Now came the…..harder portion. In my head, I could hear myself repeating, "This isn't wrong. This isn't wrong". I took the washcloth and got to work, deciding to start with my stomach. Now the choice was mine. Do I move up or down? I decided to clean my breasts next. As I rubbed the cloth against my bare skin, the sensual feelings overwhelmed me. It felt somewhat…..good. I looked down to see the suds on my boobs. My boobs. That isn't something I thought I would be saying, but it felt somewhat empowering to do so. These are…..my breasts. They weren't a bad pair. I try not to think about women in that way. Thinking in terms of how big or small or perky or saggy is really skeezy and degrading, but I couldn't help but admire the ones I saw before me. They weren't huge and I was somewhat thankful for that. If I ended up in Miu's body or Kaede's body, I don't think I would be able to ignore the much bigger assets. But Maki, her chest was more modest. But still nice.

I brought both hands to cup them, a wave of pleasure spreading throughout. My heart was pounding. A warmness was growing inside me. As I stare at them, slowly caressing them, the heat I felt grew hotter. For a second, a part of my subconscious was telling me to stop, but I kept going, not wanting to end this feeling. I could hear my breathing was audibly heavier.

I kept rubbing my breasts in different motions and eventually, as if on instinct, my right hand wandered into my lower area. At first, it started with a little rubbing of the outside area, near the opening. The water, hitting my body and gliding down on me was sending me into overdrive. The pressure I was feeling just kept going.

After a few motions around the area, the index finger began to wiggle its way inside my body. The heat was at an all time high. I began to breathe much more heavily, until I would eventually start panting. My knees were getting weaker. All the pleasure made it feel like I couldn't stand. I couldn't stop. Next was followed by the middle finger. Back and forth. Back and forth. I had found the sweet spot. In my mind, I fantasized about Maki….no, myself, making lewd poses, doing lewd things. Each turning me on more and more. I continued thrusting my fingers inside me. The pressure was almost too much to bear. I let out various moans, something that I never imagined doing before. This continued until a wave of pleasure, unlike anything I've ever felt before washed over me. My knees were shaking and without even noticing, a large moan, bigger than the other ones, escaped my mouth.

I had just masturbated as a girl.

My fingers slid out of their cave and back to my sides. The heat was subsiding. The hot water hitting against me was now prominent once again. I…..I just masturbated in Maki's body. I feel like I should be ashamed. But I wasn't. And I wasn't sure why at first. But I reminded myself of my logic from before. The dream, Maki didn't care, the possibilities of being stuck, and so on. I had nothing to be ashamed of, right? After all, it felt so good. While I'm still convinced it's a dream, this was so vivid and unlike anything I've ever been able to do before.

But what if we could get back? What if Maki didn't consider the possibility that I would do that? What if this wasn't a dream. I was so conflicted. Was what I did wrong? I couldn't say anymore. After swapping bodies, cheering up Kaede, going to the bathroom as a girl, being harrassed by Monokuma and Kokichi, and now trying to shower, I think I wasn't in the mood to think about it any longer. I continued washing, going up and down my arms and legs and back with the washcloth.

I turned off the water and got out of the shower. I took a towel and began drying my body. This time I was successfully able to ignore the sensations that rubbing a towel against me brought, though I still felt a little tingle in my inner self as the towel rubbed against me. The hair took the longest to dry. My arms stretched above my head to dry each section of hair, leaving me completely exposed. The air was cold around me, reminiscent of the early breeze from outside. This time, I had even less clothing though. After I was mostly dry, I opened the bathroom door and walked to Maki's dresser. I searched for clean underwear to put on and found it on the top drawer. I put on a new pair of panties but couldn't get the bra on. I struggled with it for what seemed like forever. I wished Kaede were here to help me with this. After more struggling, I decided to just forgo the bra. I hopped into bed, exhausted, ready for the day to be over. I closed my eyes, thinking that tomorrow, I'm gonna wake up and it's going to be a dream. Everything will go back to normal and everything will be fine. I continued to think this as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

END CHAPTER 1