Chapter 2: A Disastrous Storm Part 4 (Daily Life)
Remaining Students: 16
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
Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ?
Hachiken's POV
Free Time
Insert Song: Ezono Arrangement 2 (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)
I stepped outside and… huh, the rain stopped. I guess this is some brief break before the next—
BWOOOOOOOOOSH!
I was then hit by a blast of air right in the face, both my hair and my glasses got messed up. It appears as though the heavy gusts of wind that Monokuma mentioned have begun, and I'm starting to hear the thunder rumbling above once again… I really want to know how they managed to make weather like this happen here.
"Oh, Hachiken, here's something in case the rain starts up again."
Tails walks up from behind me and hands me an umbrella, one with a set of red, blue, and yellow buttons on the handle.
I observe the symbols on each button as I decide to ask him more, "Thanks, so what does each of these buttons do?"
He rubbed his finger under his nose confidently as he explained, "It's pretty simple! Each button increases the umbrella's strength and durability depending on the weather conditions. Blue is when you're only dealing with rain, standard feature for an umbrella right? Well, it's designed to allow the raindrops to bounce off the top of it more easily and help you stay dry! The red one below is designed to take on windy conditions, you won't move an inch when you raise this in front of you like a shield!"
Wow, he really outdid himself! Honestly, it feels like he overdid it, but I'm not complaining. The fact that it's not needlessly complicated when using it makes using it worth the trouble… though I could end up using it wrong, which would make what I said invalid.
"Amazing… This will definitely be useful! What about this yellow button though?" I asked my next question.
Tails chuckled to himself as he pressed it, "Well, see for yourself!"
"Huh?"
I see the top of my umbrella beginning to spin, is it this just to shake off raindrops even more?
"WHOA, WHOA, WHOAAAAAA!"
I was immediately proven wrong as the umbrella lifted me into the air, Tails joining me using his propeller tails.
"Neat, huh? It's for in case the winds manage to lift you off your feet and into the air! You'll be able to steer your way out of the hurricane, and even use it for transportation to other areas of the university even after the storm is over!"
Okay scratch what I said before, he really overdid it.
"Y-Yeah, this is an interesting design choice… but how do I get down?"
"Oh, just press the yellow button again and you'll float down safely." Tails instructs me as I take in deep breaths.
When I land I feel like kissing the ground, but I avoid it to prevent any embarrassment. That was a shock, I DO NOT want to have to press that button in the future.
"I'm just gonna go now…" I wave goodbye to Tails softly as I recover from my brief takeoff.
Tails noticed my reaction and he awkwardly laughed, "Ah ha ha… sorry Hachiken. Be careful out there!"
I really can't be mad at the kid though, he's doing his best with that brain of his to find solutions to Monokuma's motives. That's probably why Sird has her eyes on him, and can't help but worry about what she could do to him. Even if she can't harm him herself, something tells me she'll set him up… I may not be strong like the others, yet I refuse to just let it happen.
Guess it's because I've come to care a lot about both people and animals, and Tails qualifies as both so…
Moving on… I reached the student center, thankfully without too many issues. That red button really is useful, though I still felt the winds pushing me from the back. I feel like those gusts were deliberately aimed at me, just seems like something they'd do. I walk in and see Finn holding a couple boxes.
"Oh, it's you, Hachiken. Ray's upstairs in the office, now if you'll excuse me…"
I felt bad seeing him carry those by himself, but I'm gonna be loading up on boxes myself, so I'm gonna have to leave him be. Carefully I climbed up the stairs, since my shoes were still wet after all, managing to make it to the office without slipping.
Right as I entered however…
"You brat… *sniff*... Oh, Hachiken! Excuse me…"
Teruhashi? She quickly made her way out of the office and down the stairs, looking like she was in tears about something. What did she say before she noticed me? I don't know if I heard that correctly…
"Ugh, can't be distracted right now while we're in the middle of another dangerous motive. Come on in, Hachiken." Ray sighs as he invites me in.
I get right to the point on what I just saw, "Hey, Ray, what did you say to Teruhashi? She looked really upset."
Ray just rolled his eyes, "She just came in here, asking if I could do her a favor. I said no, that I was busy and she should go away."
"Jeez man, you could have at least hear her out!" I told him, feeling sympathetic towards her.
"Nah, she'll probably find some other guy to help her out anyways. I really don't trust someone like her, using her looks to get what she wants, ridiculous how many of you guys don't see that." He says bluntly.
I object to that way of thinking, "Come on… she can't be as bad as you say she is… I mean, she's both pretty and nice to people! What's not to love?"
"Keep telling yourself that, Hachiken. Now where are the lists from you and your dorm mates?" Ray just brushed off my defense of her and moved on.
Insert Song: Tag (The Promised Neverland)
I handed each of them from my pocket, and I'm pretty sure you can tell who wrote each one without reading their names:
Sayori's handwriting was neat and had little doodles of hearts, stars, and… a cow?
Reyn… I can barely read it at all. Brawn is better than brains, huh?
Tails I can figure out immediately, it's all so organized and his list even has the exact amount he needs unlike the others' lists!
Saki's list is so intense, like… there's a lot of exclamation marks and the way she writes words is pretty sharp and scratchy.
Finally Konata's is decent, but it lists off the manga and ethernet cord I questioned her about, among other things that aren't too important for survival in the storm. I guess they might be useful to her, but it's subjective.
"Hm… I think we have all of these things in the student store already, you plan on getting everything now?" Ray questioned me as he looked over each list.
"If I carry all of that stuff with wind like that, then it'd all go flying." I tell him honestly.
Both of Ray's eyebrows went up as he nodded, "Right, might as well help you out then. I could use the time to stretch my legs. Plus I don't want to rely on that Quick Guy too much or I'll start owing him favors."
"Thanks, that'll really help."
We gathered what we needed at the student store, briefly stopping to use some Monocoins I saved up to get a few items.
Obtained Presents! - Choco Flies, Training Weight, Pink Comb.
I got a lot of these items by increasing the amount of coins I used on the "Monomono Machine", and unexpectedly got lucky. If only I could have this kind of luck in lotteries…
As Ray and I finished getting each item… yes even including the ones that may have very little practical use. You're welcome Konata, and you too Saki, who even has a Tamagotchi these days? I sat back in a nearby chair to relax for a bit before we went outside. I really don't want to go back out there yet, even with my upgraded umbrella.
"Gonna rest up for a bit? Don't blame you at all, these motives are starting to escalate in terms of danger and complexity. Losing power is one thing, being stuck in a "natural" disaster is just insane…" Ray popped open a water bottle and handed me one that I fumbled a bit.
"Amen to that, I can't even imagine what we're gonna have to deal with next…" I drank my water slowly as I sighed.
Ray grunted as he took a sip of his water, "Gonna have to endure it all, we've all got people waiting for us and we can't let them down."
Huh, I shouldn't be so surprised he's got some loved ones, but he's seemed so distant to everyone here. Not that he's been against working with us, the opposite in fact. And yet…
"The people waiting for you, family? Friends?" I asked politely.
"Family." He answered my question without any hesitation, "Too many siblings I need to take care of, and if they had managed to capture me then…"
Yeah, I imagine that Sird and whoever else is running these killing games would also go for candidates from the same world. It would make things easier for them to just grab them all at once… crap, this could mean my friends are likely to be in a killing game too! Even Mikage…
"Damn it… that's right, they can just go after the people we care for, just like us…"
Ray glanced over at me before shaking his head and finishing the rest of his water, "Sorry, didn't mean to put that idea into your head. Wherever they are, we can't worry about it too much or we'll never get out. It's hard to not think about them, but this is what they'd want."
I contemplate that statement for a few seconds before answering.
"I guess you're right again…"
" I usually am, weird huh?" He snarks as I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, yeah… I guess I do have to believe that they'll be alright. A little faith in them can't hurt, right?" I say to him, a little more hopeful.
Ray nods in agreement, "Yup, had to learn that the hard way. And besides, my siblings have two other people they can count on to lead them while I'm gone. I trust that they'll ensure all of them are safe."
Whoever they are, they must be as smart as he is or even smarter. Glad I got the chance to chat with Ray, though the kid is still a mystery. Maybe I'll ask more about those two people he trusts next time…
After we both carried back the supplies to my dorm, we bid farewell as I walked in with both boxes.
Insert Song: Dairy (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)
"I'm back… oh man, I'm beat…" I say as I greet everyone in the living room.
Carrying back this much stuff, along with trying to deal with the wind, took a lot out of me. I drop the boxes on the coffee table (guess Monokuma came by to replace/fix it) and plopped my butt down on the couch.
"Thanks for getting everything, Hachiken. Feel free to take it easy now…" Sayori patted me on the back in reassurance.
Tails dug around in one of the boxes and took out some items, "This is just what I needed for upgrading my Miles Electric, I appreciate you grabbing this for me!"
"You're welcome, although I'm curious… What kind of upgrades?" I asked the fox.
"Communication, trying to see if I can actually speak to Yu and ki directly and see if I can reach anyone outside the campus! It'll be difficult to focus on making it right now, due to the storm, but it's good to have these parts in reserve until I'm ready."
He doesn't stop working, does he? I can only imagine what one can do with a brain like his, ideas are probably flooding through his mind constantly. I make a quick headcount of everyone here, and notice someone missing…
"Uh, guys? Where's Konata?"
Sayori answers, "She went out to get brunch at the diner a few minutes after you left, since she missed breakfast. We told her it would be risky but…"
"Otaku Girl just said she'd run back as soon as she was done. Honestly, I can respect her for having guts." Saki told me as she leaned back in her chair.
"Did she at least bring her umbrella?" I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance after hearing this.
"She did, but it's been about half an hour and the storm could be way worse by the time she's done. That's why we're all here. If she doesn't come back in the next half hour, we're all going out to look for her. We were gonna do the same for you if you didn't come back, mate." Reyn looks out the window at the clouds gathering above.
As much as I'm also worried about her, having an entire group of us searching in this weather can only end badly.
BZZZZZZZZZ!
Our e-Handbooks all vibrated at once and my fears were confirmed by a message from our least favorite bear.
"HURRICANE WARNING! Unless you plan to get horrifically killed or injured, any students must refrain from stepping outside your dorms for the duration of the storm. Which will be… likely forever if no one gets killed, so scratch what I said earlier. Please go outside, or at least kill someone indoors if you can. Thank you! Puhuhuhuhu!"
Insert Song: Immediate Threat (Xenoblade Chronicles 3)
"Crap… Let's get moving now!" Immediately makes a break for the door, alongside Reyn.
"W-Wait! You forgot your… ugh! I'll just bring them myself. Deep breaths, Tails, it's just a little thunder…"
Tails followed them, carrying three umbrellas in his hands. I can hear the winds blowing even harder, plus the rain returned with a vengeance from what I can tell. Damn it, what is with this weird timing?
Sayori began fidgeting as I was still hesitating, "S-Should we go too?"
"No we shouldn't!" is what I feel like saying right now, but my legs just moved on their own out the door. Sayori handed me my umbrella as we saw the horrific display before us all.
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! KRACKABOOM!
Right away there's large puddles as we step outside, yet there's no time to worry about wet socks (even if I do feel uncomfortable wearing them), we need to find Konata and back before someone gets hurt or worse. The thunder booms above our heads as we see a glimpse of the neon sign of Black & White Bear Diner at the student center.
Saki was the farthest ahead of us, "Hurry up, slowpokes! We're almost—"
KRAKABOOOOOOOOM!
A bolt of lightning engulfed her, making me stop and gasp in disbelief.
"SAKI!"
All of us called out to her at once…. And then she STOOD UP.
"HUH?!"
"Don't 'HUH' me! C'mon, what's the holdup?! I'm about to leave you guys if you're just gonna stand and gawk at me."
Saki's voice sounded so… electronic. She was also glowing too, not a single sign that she'd been hurt by that lightning strike. Tails, now recovered from the shock (pun not intended) of both her survival and the sight of the lightning striking so close to us, stepped forward and observed her.
"Fascinating… is this a part of your undead physiology? The ability to absorb electricity like this… it's so cool!"
"Uh… thanks?" Saki replied, feeling awkward at the attention.
"Find Konata now, science stuff later! We've got a job to do!" Reyn reminds him as he rushes past us, holding his umbrella in front of him like a shield.
"S-Sorry!" Tails apologized.
We enter the student center and immediately check out the diner. No sign of her, shoot… she might be outside somewhere. We run back outside only to be greeted with wind blowing us back, with rain flying into our faces. What we're doing is absolutely insane…
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A loud scream causes us to turn towards the direction it came from. Doesn't sound like Konata, so it seems that there's MORE people out here for some reason. Did they actually take Monokuma seriously in that announcement of his?
Tails presses the red button on his umbrella, "This way, everyone!"
We follow his example and use ours to defend against the wind and rain. I could barely open my eyes every time I took a step, but I just focused on staying with our group and hoping I wouldn't lose them. Soon we saw another group of five ahead of us: Teruhashi, Konata, Ray, and Finn.
"What are you doing out here?! Are you crazy?!" Finn yelled at us.
I fired back in the same tone, "We should be asking you the same thing! And Konata, we were waiting for you back at the dorm!"
"Well I'm sorry I didn't feel like eating boring old cereal! There were custom omelets in the diner, Hachiken! Custom omelets!" Konata got defensive for her decision.
Reyn confronted Ray about his reason, "And why are you out here? I thought you were sorting out the lists!"
Ray groaned, "I had to step outside to help Finn and this lady, since their boxes were too heavy for her to carry!"
Teruhashi then looked at him with a blank expression, "Did you just call me 'this lady? And I also couldn't carry them because my hand is injured, see?"
Teruhashi revealed a cut on her right hand, wide but not too deep. I guess I can kinda excuse her needing help for the boxes.
Ray grit his teeth as wind blows through his hair, revealing the left eye he usually kept hidden, "Whatever, we've gotta get out of her—AGH!"
Ray was suddenly airborne as the weather began to take a turn for the worse.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Finn called out to him as Tails took to the sky to try grabbing him.
"I got you… WHOA WHOA!" The wind intensified as Tails grabbed Ray's leg, it's almost like it was actually being aimed at him.
I saw Reyn hopping on top of a streetlamp and used his own strength to weigh them down, "And I've got YOU! Just hang on…"
I feel my own body begin to lift off the ground as I desperately try to get back to the ground.
"No no no no no no no!"
"Eeeeek!" Sayori cried out as she was getting blown backwards.
"Oh no you don't!" Saki grabbed onto a bench and clutched both of our hands.
WOOOOOOOOOSH!
I shut my eyes as my glasses flew off of my face, ugh, they were prescription too! My vision gets worse than it already was in this chaos, with the only thing I can clearly see being the rain drops hitting my eyelids.
"Shit, I think my arm's about to…"
*POP!*
"SAYORI!" Saki and I called out to her as Saki's arm disconnected from her body.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Saki turned to me as she tightened her grip on me, "Did you see where she went?"
"I can't see anything!" I told her with desperation in my voice.
"Please be okay, Sayori…." I repeatedly prayed with all my heart to any god that ever existed.
I can barely see the others now, being nearsighted in a hurricane is not something I would wish upon my worst enemy. Also… I think… I hear some voices in the distance. One blob was saying something to the another one, and I couldn't tell who was who. They disappeared from my far from perfect sight before I could see where they went. I've got a bad feeling about this….
"Brace yourselves!" Reyn said to the rest of us as he struggled to hold onto the light post.
"Urk…" I clenched my teeth as I expected the worst…
…
…
…
…
"Huh?"
Everything's… all clear now. No, that can't be it, right?
The bright light of the "sun" appeared above us, beginning to spread all over the drenched campus. My vision is still awful, but I can see that most of the dark weather has gone away due to the lack of gray in the sky. I pant heavily, that's enough excitement for today…
"Everyone alright? No injuries?" Ray looked us over as we regrouped.
Saki smirked, "I could use a hand, heh heh!"
"N-Now's not the time for that! Where's Sayori?!" I shut down her joking as I frantically looked around for our friend.
"Guys! Heeeeeeeeeeyyy!"
Thankfully we see her running up to us while waving her arms in the air, like she's totally oblivious to any attention she might draw to herself. Sayori arrived and… she was wearing my glasses?
"Ah, that was so scary… oh! I caught these while I got separated from you all, you can have them back!"
Sayori handed Saki her left arm back, which she tested by flexing it, and my glasses. I put them on and…
*crack*
One of my lenses falls out and shatters on the ground next to our feet. God damn it… I need to head back to the dorm to grab a new pair.
"O-Oops. Ehehe~." She giggled, embarrassed.
I sighed heavily, "Ugh… at least you're okay. You don't look like you hit anything when you went flying like that, how were you able to avoid getting hurt?"
Sayori put her finger on her chin as she thought about it, "I don't know, to be honest. It just felt like I was caught by something… or someone…? I didn't see anyone when it was all over so…"
Hm, was there someone else out here that we didn't see? Can't imagine they had a good reason for that like us. I guess I can be grateful, since Sayori's safe and unharmed. Thank you, I guess, whoever you are!
"All's well that ends well, right?" Tails says as we all simultaneously look at him with exhausted faces, "Uh… guess not…"
"Come quick, I need help!"
A familiar voice calls out to us, and we see Teruhashi standing there with a worried look on her face. Hold the phone… if the storm's over then…
No, no no no no no…. Please no!
We follow her quickly to what looked to be a toolshed and right away see a trail of blood spreading underneath the door. Teruhashi was quivering as she pointed ahead, too afraid to open it.
"Damn it… guess we don't have a choice." Reyn says as he opens the door for us.
And it's just as we feared…
…
…
…
Insert Song: Hope's Breaking Noise (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)
Finn, lying in a pool of his own blood. His eyes still wide open, just as shocked as we were right now.
As much as I wanted to… I couldn't tear my eyes away from the grotesque sight. I could feel the nausea building in my stomach, and I forced myself to swallow the vomit. Compared to the first time this happened, we recognize the one that was killed.
Another important ally of ours, someone who told us to keep going, a rebel against Sird's reign…
*Ding dong dong ding*
"A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin!"
Well now… I guess you could say he's Finn-ished…. Okay sorry, I had to. Happy Birthday to me! Decided to upload a new part today, and a shocking one at that, as a gift to all of you! I think the only gift I'd want from any of you readers is some comments on this story and a few others, but none of you are obligated to do that. I do appreciate it whenever you all do have things to say, especially when you go into a LOT of detail, so truly thank you so much for the support during my time as a fanfic writer. It's been rough lately (and I won't go into much detail, unlike some writers who do so to explain their absences), but I'll always love putting in the time to write about my favorite characters and bring them together. Investigation starts next time, who killed the former Stormtroooper and member of the Resistance? See if you can piece things together before the trial starts... unless of course y'all already know who it could be. In that case… wait to see how the killer fares in the trial. Farewell for now then, peeps! - Renegade Braveheart