Hey, remenber what i said last chatper that i wouldn't make another one until the roster was set up? Well i'm gonna have to break that promise because the rate of combatants as been very slow. So i'll just keep some of these going, and i'll get more entrances later on.

(Step one of my master plan to make friends: Look confident and act like I belong here.)

I slither through the grand halls of Hope's Peak Academy, my tail sliding smoothly across the pristine marble floor. My enthusiasm is at an all-time high. Everything about this place feels... legendary. The sheer size of it, the high ceilings, the perfectly polished walls—it's like I've stepped into an entirely new world.

A world where I will finally break my loner curse.

But before that… the cafeteria.

Because let's be real: hydration is key.

(And because my throat feels like it was used as a sandpaper test site after all that motivational self-talk.)

I navigate my way through the school, taking note of every little thing like I'm a protagonist in a detective game. Every detail matters.

Hallway Observation No. 1:

Floors are too clean. Suspiciously so. Are the janitors Ultimates too?Wall banners say "Hope's Peak Academy: Home of the Best." Generic but effective.Security cameras in every hallway. Big Brother is definitely watching.

After a few twists and turns, I finally find the cafeteria.

The moment I step inside, I'm hit with the scent of fresh bread, sizzling meat, and something vaguely sweet that I can't quite place. The place is massive, lined with long tables and booths, plus a gigantic buffet-style serving area.

I flick my tongue out of habit. The air tastes like heaven.

(Focus, Liliana. You're here to investigate, not to drool over food.)

Time to gather intel.

Cafeteria Observation No. 1:

The lights are brighter than necessary. It's like they're trying to blind me into submission.The chairs? Too symmetrical. No signs of chaos. Almost unnatural.The tables are large, clearly made for socializing. A direct threat to loners everywhere.The vending machine in the corner? The real MVP.

I slither over to the vending machine first. My first witness.

(Time to extract some information.)

I place my hands on the machine dramatically.

"Alright, buddy. What kind of secrets are you hiding?"

...It just sits there. Mocking me.

(Damn. It's good at this game.)

I scan the selections—mostly juices, energy drinks, and water bottles. No sodas, which is weird. Who runs a school cafeteria without soda? A tyrant, that's who.

I take out some spare coins and buy a bottle of water, twisting the cap off with a victorious smirk.

Case solved. Hydration acquired.

One step closer to not dying of thirst.

With my first successful investigation completed, I glance around. The cafeteria is mostly empty, probably because classes haven't officially started yet.

A perfect opportunity to continue my detective work.

Cafeteria Observation No. 2:

The kitchen door is closed. Possible secret area?A bulletin board by the entrance has announcements. (Boring. Will read later.)There's a stage in the far corner. Purpose unknown. Talent showcase? Gladiator battles? (Both are acceptable.)

I place my hands on my hips and nod.

So far, so good.

Now all I need is some actual people to show up. Because as much as I love talking to vending machines… it would be nice to have actual conversations with living beings for once.

And maybe. just maybe, this will be the first time in my life that someone actually talks back.

I was going to go find my class. You know, like a normal student. But then I heard it.

A sound.

A squishy sound.

Like someone was aggressively squeezing a sponge over and over again.

Now, normally, I wouldn't care. People do weird things, and this is a school for monsters, after all. But the sound was coming from the kitchen.

Which was locked.

And yet... someone was humming in there.

(Okay, Liliana. Detective instincts kicking in. This is either totally fine… or a horror movie waiting to happen.)

I slithered closer to the door and knocked.

"Uh… hey? Someone in there?"

No answer.

I tried the handle. Locked.

I pressed my ear against the door. The humming continued—soft, almost cheerful—but the squishing noise got... wetter.

(...Yeah, nope. Definitely investigating this.)

I grabbed the handle again, twisting harder this time. Nothing.

I tried shoulder-checking the door. Still nothing.

Okay. Fine. You asked for this.

I reared back, curling my powerful Lamia tail underneath me, and then—

BAM!

The door flew open with a deafening crash, slamming into the wall.

And that's when I saw it.

The floor was stained red. Severed limbs—arms, legs, even a torso—were scattered across the kitchen. A head lay in the center of the room, detached from its body, staring up at me with dull, lifeless eyes.

A Zombie Maid's head.

The humming stopped.

And then—

The head blinked.

The severed head blinked at me, completely unfazed by the situation.

"Owiee."

Her voice was flat, like she couldn't be bothered to put actual emotion into it.

I, on the other hand, panicked.

"Oh my gods, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to— I wasn't trying to— Are you okay?! Does it hurt?! I mean, obviously, it does, but—"

She let out a slow, almost bored-sounding sigh.

"One apology is enough."

I immediately shut up.

The zombie girl—or rather, her head—shifted slightly on the ground as if getting comfortable. Meanwhile, her severed limbs twitched.

I instinctively moved to help gather her parts, but she lifted a limp hand (which wasn't attached to anything, by the way) and waved me off.

"I can do it myself," she muttered, her voice sluggish and low-energy.

I froze and watched in stunned silence as her body parts reassembled themselves.

Her arms dragged themselves across the floor, grabbing onto her torso and snapping into place. Her legs twisted back upright, and finally, she grabbed her own head and plopped it back onto her neck like a puzzle piece.

Just like that, she was back to normal.

I stared.

She yawned.

Now that she was fully put together, I got a much better look at her.

She had short, messy black hair that completely covered her eyes in front, like she just rolled out of bed and never bothered fixing it. Her maid outfit was... well, unique.

Instead of the usual prim and proper style, hers was oversized and draped lazily over her frame—like she threw it on without caring if it fit. The sleeves were long and baggy, the skirt reached almost to her ankles, and her white apron looked mildly wrinkled. The only part of her uniform that looked well-maintained was the maid headband, which somehow stayed perfectly in place despite everything that just happened.

And that's when it hit me.

I knew who this was.

Mia Gouki

The Ultimate Zombie maid.

...

...

...

The second my brain processed who I was looking at, I absolutely lost it.

"OH MY GODS, YOU'RE MIA GOUKI!"

I practically screamed her name while launching myself at her.

Mia didn't have a chance to react before I wrapped my arms—and part of my tail—around her in a bone-crushing hug. (Well, I thought it was bone-crushing, but considering she could literally fall apart and rebuild herself, maybe it wasn't that big of a deal.)

"I can't believe I'm meeting the Ultimate Zombie Maid on my first day!" I gushed, squeezing her tighter. "You're, like, crazy famous! Everyone knows how efficient you are, and people love you! Do you have a fan club? Oh wait, of course you do! What's your cleaning routine? Do you actually sleep? Do you eat normal food, or is it just brains? Wait, are brains actually a thing zombies eat, or is that just a stereotype—"

A thick, green liquid suddenly dripped down my arm.

Mia let out a deep sigh.

"…Just speak." Her tone was completely flat. "Physical contact isn't my specialty."

I finally realized what was happening and pulled away fast.

Mia's body had greenish-blue blood oozing from the areas where I squeezed her too hard. Her maid uniform was now stained, and to make things worse—

I looked down.

—so was I.

And so was the floor.

Mia stared at the mess.

Then, in the slowest, most unenthusiastic way possible, she pounced onto the floor, landing in an exaggerated slump.

Her arms stretched out limply as she stared at the fresh stains with the most exhausted look I'd ever seen.

"…You made me dirty the floor again," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

She sighed again. Louder this time.

Effortlessly and painfully slow, she turned her head toward me, her messy hair still covering her eyes.

"…This is why I don't like people."

...

...

...

I knew she was going to be here.

I mean, she was all over the school forums. People posted about her constantly. "Mia Gouki spotted cleaning the west wing halls!" "Ultimate Zombie Maid spotted carrying a whole dining table by herself!" "Mia Gouki wipes out the competition—literally!" I saw it all.

But actually seeing her in person? Talking to her? Standing in the same room as her? It was surreal.

I pressed my hands against my cheeks to keep from squealing. "Okay, okay—so I know this is, like, totally normal for you, but do you have any idea how big you are in the Monster world?"

Mia just kept staring at the dirty floor like it had personally ruined her life.

I took that as a go-ahead to keep talking.

"I watched this documentary on you online! It was called 'The Maid Who Won't Stay Dead!' Super dramatic title, but it was actually really cool! It went into your backstory—like, did you know your family used to be legendary castle servants way back in the day? Well, of course you know that, but—"

Mia made zero effort to respond.

I continued anyway.

"They even had these, like, ancient monster texts that said you're part of a long bloodline of undead workers who just kept going no matter what! Like, apparently, your great-great-grandma was a ghost maid who kept cleaning a haunted mansion for over 200 years even though no one lived there anymore! And your great-great-great-uncle? He was a skeleton butler who got blown up in a magical explosion, but his bones still managed to serve tea while scattered across the floor."

Mia blinked slowly.

"…Yeah," she said, her voice as lifeless as her blood.

But I wasn't done yet.

"And obviously, you're their modern successor! I mean, when you were like, ten, you took over an entire hotel's cleaning staff because they all got sick! And you did it perfectly without sleeping or eating the entire time! And remember when that huge flood hit Ibrahim last year? People thought the whole place was doomed, but you were there, scrubbing the streets before the water even finished draining!"

Mia let out the longest sigh I'd ever heard.

"…Yeah," she repeated.

I gasped dramatically. "And let's not forget your biggest accomplishment yet!"

Mia didn't react.

I pointed to the locked kitchen door behind her.

"You somehow managed to get in there—even though it was locked."

Mia finally turned to face me, lifting a hand to point at the vent on the ceiling.

"…I crawled through there."

Oh.

…Well, I wasn't expecting that.

Mia let out another long, slow sigh, staring at the mess on the floor with the same energy as a ghost who'd just realized they were still haunting the living.

"…Could smell the stench from far away," she mumbled.

I blinked. "Wait. You mean the cafeteria?"

Mia gave a slow, barely noticeable nod. "Dirtiest place I've ever cleaned…"

She trailed off, her dull eyes staring into nothing.

I tilted my head. "Uh… You okay?"

She didn't respond.

Her whole body just… froze. Like a game character with lag.

Seconds passed.

Then minutes.

I waved a hand in front of her face. "Helloooo? Zombie maid? Did I break you?"

Finally, after what felt like a full eternity, Mia blinked.

"…Was trying to compare it to something else," she muttered. "But I forgot."

I frowned. "Huh? How do you just forget like that?"

Mia placed a hand on her head and pressed slightly, like she was trying to squeeze out a thought.

"…Rotten brain," she said slowly. "Slows down my thinking. Far below that of a normal monster."

She sounded like she'd accepted her fate.

I, on the other hand, was fascinated.

"Wait, seriously?" I leaned in, eyes shining with curiosity. "Like, how bad is it? Can you remember basic stuff? Do you ever, like, forget who you are?"

Mia just stared at me. Then, without changing expression, she pointed at her own nametag.

I looked down.

MIA GOUKI was written in big, bold letters.

"…Oh," I said. "Smart."

Mia nodded slowly.

Mia gave me a long, tired look.

"…Are you done?"

I blinked. "Oh! Yeah, I—"

Wait.

Wait, wait, WAIT.

I forgot something.

Something really, really important.

I NEVER TOLD HER MY NAME.

"Oh crap—" I smacked my forehead. "I got so caught up in fangirling that I didn't even introduce myself!"

Mia stared.

She didn't look surprised. Just waiting.

I took a deep breath and composed myself.

"Ahem. My name is Liliana Albright!" I declared, placing a hand on my chest. "I'm a Ground Lamia, and my talent is—" I cringed. "—Ultimate G-Lamia Loner."

Mia didn't react. Not even a little bit.

Then, finally, she gave me a slow nod.

"…I see."

And then, despite already knowing who I was, she reintroduced herself anyway.

"I'm Mia Gouki. Ultimate Zombie Maid."

I nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I know! I've seen your—"

Mia suddenly held up a hand.

I froze.

"…I was going to ask you to leave so I can finish cleaning," she said in her usual slow, lazy voice.

I pouted. "Aww, already? But I just got here—"

She raised a hand again. I shut up.

"But."

She stopped.

Went completely still.

Then I saw it.

The tiniest. Faintest. Slightest.

Squint.

"…I forgot your name."

The world stopped.

The air grew tense.

I could feel my soul leave my body.

And then—

"WHAAAAAAT?!?!"

I clutched my heart like I'd been stabbed.

"How could you—?! We JUST—?! I literally JUST told you—?! I'M STILL RIGHT HERE—!!!"

Mia remained unbothered.

Expression blank.

Voice monotone.

"…Name," she repeated.

I collapsed onto the floor, defeated.

This was nothing new.

People forgetting my name.

It's happened too many times to count.

Even when I tell them. Even when I introduce myself properly.

They still don't use it.

They say "her."

They say "hey, you."

They say "that one Lamia girl."

It's like my name is a ghost no one can hear.

But…

Maybe this time is different?

Mia's a zombie. Her brain is rotting and doesn't work at full speed.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's probably it!

It's not like she ignored me on purpose!

Feeling hopeful, I quickly stood up straight and put my hands on my hips.

"No worries, Mia! My name is Lily!" I grinned, trying to sound extra confident. "Liliana Albright! Don't forget it this time, 'kay?"

Mia simply stared.

She stood there, blank-faced, unmoving, processing my words way too slowly.

Then…

She finally opened her mouth.

"…Leave."

I blinked.

She didn't even say my name.

Not even once.

Just—

"Leave."

I stood there for a moment.

Then, slowly, I lowered my arms.

My tail felt heavy.

"…Yeah. Okay."

I turned around.

I slithered away.

And as I left the cafeteria, feeling crushed, I thought to myself…

Why did I even bother?

(5 Minutes later)

...

...

...

Nope.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

That was not normal.

That was not okay.

That was very, very bad.

I was just trying to find my class. I was just trying to look for a bulletin board.

But instead…

There was someone.

Or something.

Watching me.

From far down the hallway.

Tall. Too tall. Their head almost touched the ceiling.

I couldn't make out any details. Just a shadowy figure.

And their eyes…

Oh gods—their eyes.

I couldn't see them, but I could feel them.

Like they were digging into my soul.

Like they knew everything about me.

Every failure. Every insecurity. Every moment of loneliness.

And they just stood there.

Not moving.

Just staring.

My breathing hitched.

My hands felt clammy.

My tail tensed up like it was trying to coil around me for safety.

But I couldn't move.

I couldn't run.

I couldn't do anything.

I was frozen.

And inside my head—

I was screaming.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't even scream.

That thing was staring right into my soul.

A shadowy, hulking figure stood in the distance, barely illuminated by the dim school lights. Its body was massive, towering over me like some unstoppable horror movie monster. And the worst part?

It was getting closer.

I took a step back. Then another. My tail coiled slightly, ready to bolt, but my legs? Frozen.

My mind was already spiraling into a tragic monologue.

"So this is how I die... Alone… forgotten… in a school hallway of all places. My dear family, please remember me as the bright, beautiful, intelligent Lamia I was…"

But I wasn't ready to die yet! No, I had so much more to do! So many games to play! So many meals to eat!

I had to fight!

I clenched my fists and puffed out my chest. "S-Stay back! I know Lamia martial arts!"

That was a lie. A fat, desperate lie.

The figure kept approaching.

I started mentally screaming for help.

"MIA! HELP ME!"

"BROTHER, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

No answer. No one was coming.

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable. Any second now, I'd feel the sharp claws, the horrifying teeth—

…Huh?

Something tapped my hand.

I cracked one eye open.

The hulking figure was standing right in front of me, looming like a horror villain about to make the kill—except instead of tearing me to shreds…

He was holding out a piece of paper.

I cautiously took it with shaking hands. The handwriting was surprisingly neat.

Hello. My name is Hanzo Sukuna.

I am the Ultimate Shark Horror Slasher Film

I cannot speak due to a condition. I apologize if I scared you.

I blinked.

Then I blinked again.

Then I looked up at him properly for the first time.

A shark monster. A really big shark monster. His skin was dark murky blue, littered with pale scars across his arms and chest. His fingers were webbed with razor-sharp claws, and a massive dorsal fin stuck out from his back. His eyes? Pitch black. Like two bottomless voids.

But the worst part?

His mouth.

It was permanently grinning. Wide, sharp, unsettling. Like he was stuck in the middle of a slasher movie poster.

I stared at the note.

Then at Hanzo.

Then at the note again.

Then back at Hanzo.

Then at the note one more time.

…

And then I screamed.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

Hanzo just stood there. Smiling. (Well, permanently smiling.)

I pointed an accusatory finger at him. "*I— I thought I was gonna DIE! I was ready to have a tragic protagonist death scene! I was gonna be the most devastating first victim in school history! AND YOU JUST WANTED TO SAY HI?!"

Hanzo nodded.

I clutched my chest, feeling my heart nearly explode.

I was going to pass out.

Before I could recover from my near-death experience, Hanzo suddenly reached into his coat pocket.

I froze again.

Oh no. Oh no. Was this it? Was he gonna pull out a giant butcher knife and actually finish me off?!

But instead of a weapon…

He pulled out a mask.

A very familiar mask.

It was white, cracked, and eerily expressionless, with deep black voids where the eyes should be. The edges were burnt and chipped, as if the mask had been through hell and back. A single, deep scar-like scratch ran from the forehead down to the left cheek.

I gasped.

"NO WAY—!"

Before I could even say it, Hanzo slowly put the mask on, tilting his head just slightly. The moment it settled on his face, his entire posture shifted.

He wasn't Hanzo Sukuna anymore.

He was KARVER THE UNDYING.

The legendary horror slasher villain.

The masked, silent executioner from the Midnight Massacre series.

The unstoppable stalker who always walked, never ran, and still caught you anyway.

The butcher of Camp Hollow Hill, the phantom of the forgotten asylum, the reaper of final girls and cocky jocks alike!

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" I screamed again, stumbling back like a horror protagonist who just realized she was about to die in Act 1.

Hanzo just stood there. Silent. Looming. Completely in character.

My heart pounded. My hands shook. My tail instinctively curled up.

I pointed a trembling finger at him. "Y-You— Y-You played him?!"

Hanzo gave a slow, deliberate nod.

I lost it.

"YOU'RE KARVER?!"

Another slow, deliberate nod.

My entire body shook with fear, excitement, and pure disbelief.

"Oh my gods, I-I can't believe this— You're the guy from Midnight Massacre VI: Blood Moon— Y-You were the reason I couldn't sleep for a whole WEEK!"

Hanzo tilted his head again, his cold, eerie stare never breaking.

"—AND WHY ARE YOU STILL IN CHARACTER?! CUT IT OUT, YOU'RE GONNA GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"

Finally, he tilted his head back and took the mask off, revealing his permanent grin once more.

…That somehow wasn't any less terrifying.

I placed my hands on my knees, taking deep, heavy breaths. "Okay, okay, Lily. You survived. You didn't die. You're still alive. But I swear, if one more thing happens today—"

I glanced at Hanzo.

He was already holding up another mask.

I nearly fainted.

Before I could even recover from the first jumpscare, Hanzo pulled out another mask.

I panicked immediately.

"NO— NO WAIT, DON'T—!"

But he ignored me and put it on.

This time, it was a clown mask.

But not just any clown mask.

The paint was peeling and cracked, like old porcelain left in a haunted house for centuries. The eye holes were pitch black, too deep to see anything inside. Its mouth was stretched into an unnatural, jagged grin, revealing rows of rotten, uneven teeth that looked like they had chewed through something that definitely wasn't cake. The mask itself had splotches of red and black, making it unclear if it was just part of the design…

…or stains from past victims.

I screamed again.

"WHY. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"

Hanzo just stood there, unmoving. His oversized frame and unnatural stillness made it worse.

"OH MY GODS, THIS IS EVEN WORSE THAN THE FIRST ONE— I HATE CLOWNS, DUDE!!"

Hanzo tilted his head in amusement before slowly reaching into his coat pocket.

"IF YOU PULL OUT ANOTHER ONE, I SWEAR—"

Instead of another mask, he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me.

I hesitantly took it with shaky hands and read it.

"I have many more masks of the other slashers I played in my career."

I threw the paper in the air.

"NOOOO, WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME THAT?!"

I gripped my head in pure horror. "Dude, I can't handle this! I've already had one near-death experience today! Please, I am BEGGING YOU— don't show me any more of those—!"

Hanzo just… stared.

I could tell from his posture that he was very entertained by my suffering.

But after a few seconds, he finally nodded and took the mask off.

I exhaled in relief. "Okay… okay, good. We're making progress. I think my heart rate just went down a little bit—"

Then, he handed me another paper.

I cautiously took it and read it.

"Do you know where my class is?"

I blinked.

"…Oh. That's what you wanted this whole time?"

Hanzo just gave me a thumbs-up.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "You could've just asked that in the first place instead of traumatizing me with your freaky slasher cosplays…"

Hanzo shrugged.

I groaned, then looked around. "Alright, alright, I was actually looking for my class too. Let's find the bulletin boards and see if we can figure this out… but if you pull out another mask, I'm slithering out of here at full speed, got it?"

Hanzo gave another thumbs-up.

I narrowed my eyes.

…This dude was definitely going to do it again.

Yes, Hanzo is another creation of mine. I've never seen a mute Fangan character in a killing game before (If you don't count Klutzy from Penguinronpa of course), I decided to experiment with that idea.