Chapter 2: Tightrope of Tension, Big top of Despair
Daily Life
Ding Dong, Bing Bong!
"Ahem! New Hopes Peak Academy announcement! It is now 8 am! Time to get up! And please everyone meet at the gymnasium for a special announcement!" Monokuma's message blared on the screen. Sakura's eyes slowly open but she didnt dare get out of bed
'Kubo...Arthur...' She thinks to herself 'It still feels like a sick dream...but the reality is even more sick. In the span of 24 hours, I had to witness 2 people die...' She slowly sits up 'My heart feels heavy, like at any moment now i'll just collapse...' Suddenly, a knock come from her door
"Hey Sakura! You okay in there!?" Ohana's voice called
"Yeah...I'm up..." She said slowly as she opens the door. Ohana smiles to her
"That's good. Come on! We gotta get to the gym!" She says and runs ahead
'Ohana...always so full of energy...' Sakura thinks as she sighs and heads to the gym. On the way, she bumps into Riku and Hibiki "Hey guys. How are you holding up?"
"I'm not holding up. I'm holding my Handbook!" Hibiki says with a goofy grin "...okay fine I admit it wasn't my finest work."
"He's been trying to tell dumb jokes all morning to 'refuel his mojo' as he puts it." Riku says
"DUMB Jokes!?" Hibiki shouts offended. Sakura couldn't help but chuckle slightly "Hmph...gotta find a way to get my practice back in. With this whole 'killing game' nonsense I haven't had many chances."
"Whatever you say buddy. See ya at the Gym." Riku says as the 2 head off. Sakura continues to walk
'Wonder what kind of announcement that danm bear has for us...' She thinks. But as she opened the door to the gym she was met with an unbelievable sight...
GYM
Cho and Bakubaku shout as they clash fists. "Woah!" Sakura gasps as she falls backwards.
"Kyehehehe! You fight well! As expected of the Ultimate Football Player!" Bakubaku shouts
"Back to ya! Your shockingly good for such a little guy!" Cho shouts back with a laugh.
"Judge me by my size, will you!?" Bakubaku laughs as the 2 punch each other again
"What is going on in here!?" Sakura shouts
"Apparently." Hiroto says, straightening out his shirt "BakuBaku and Cho have decided the best way to choose who the leader is, is to fight."
"Leader?" Sakura asks.
"If they don't stop soon I'm gonna..." Hiko grumbles with a forehead vain popping out.
"Will you two KNOCK IT OFF!" Aijin shouts as she jumps in and kicks the 2 of them in the face. The two boys fall to the ground in shock.
"Damn...that was a good kick..." Cho was quiet
"Kyehehe. I love a woman who can kick my ass." Bakubaku laughs. Aijin smacks him
"Silence!" She shouts as he and Cho stand up.
"Then I guess its decided! Aijin is our leader!" Cho says
"Agreed!" Bakubaku says as the two give each other a firm handshake.
"...wait what?" Aijin looked confused. The two boys laugh
"But don't think I'm taking this interference laying down!" BakuBaku says "Next time, we'll have a real rematch! Man to man!"
"Wouldn't have it any other way!" Cho laughs
'Nice to see at least some people are managing to smile after all of this...' Sakura thinks. Until suddenly
"Goooood morning everyone!" Monokuma says suddenly appearing
"Eeeek!" Futaba shouts, hiding behind Momo
"Oh great! What do YOU want!" Momo shouts.
"Puhuhuhu!" Monokuma laughs "I'm here to announce...the next Floor is now available!"
"The next floor?" Sakura asked. Monokuma nods
"Everyone, to the elevator!" The headmaster shouts as he vanishes once more. The students look at each other confused
"I dont think we have a choice in the matter at this time." Hiroto says. The others nod and agree and make their way to the elevator. Sure enough, a new button has appeared on the panel
"This doesn't make any..." Ren says
"If you complain about the school's structure one more time I'LL be the one on trial!" Hiko shouts, causing the architect to gulp and stay quiet. Sakura presses the button as the elevator descends
Kuma Carnival
The 14 students exit the elevator only to be met with colorful lights, music, arcade sound effects, and a giant black and white tent in the center of it all. "Where are we...?" Sakura asks "A...circus?"
"Hey now!" Monokuma appears once again, looking angry "Don't you DARE compare the glory of the Kuma Carnival to a regular, filthy circus! Do I LOOK like a floating set of dentures with eyeballs to you!?"
'...what?' Sakura thinks
"Kuma Carnival?" Hiroto asks. Monokuma nods
"Thaaat's right! Here you can laugh, play and compete in fun games! Watch a show, or even put on one of your own at the Mono Stage! Or, visit the Pier for many fun and challenging arcade games!"
"HOW DID YOU FIT AN ENTIRE CIRCUS UNDERGROUND OVER NIGHT!?" Ren shouts
"Kuma Carnival! NOT Circus!" Monokuma brandishes his claw. Ren gulps and backs off. "Aaaanyway!" The bear takes out a top hat "Ta daa! Its the Job Hat!"
"The job hat?" Sakura looks "You mean?"
"Yep! Time for everyone to get new jobs! I don't like looking backwards for too long, so all the jobs back on Kuma Street are gonna be handled by robots, like all good companies!" Monokuma explains "Same rules apply to the jobs here, though! No working the same job 2 weeks in a row, no swapping jobs, and no stealing!"
"What about the Special Rooms?" Kiyomi asks.
"Oh those? These jobs won't have any special rooms. There was no where to put them, see?" Monokuma shrugs "Alright everyone! Reach on in and get to work!" Everyone reaches inside and pulls out a paper
'Looks like I have to work at the Pier?' Sakura thinks
"Alright everyone! Have a super splendid rest of the day!" Monokuma says "...oh yeah! One last thing! Play as many games as you can! There's a...special reward in it for you~ Puhuhuhu!" And with that, the bear vanishes
"A special reward?" Sakura repeats
"Knowing that bear, there's only one thing it can be" Riku says
"Another motive?" Hana asks.
"Then it should be simple, we should ignore it." Aijin says
"You heard the leader!" Cho says "You can play the games, but don't pay attention to the motive!"
"Stop calling me the leader!" Aijin shouts
"Aye aye boss!" Bakubaku laughs. Aijin groans as everyone goes their separate ways.
PIER
Sakura arrives to the Pier. As the name suggested, it was a beach-side platform with multiple carnival and arcade games lining the path, along with food vendors. Mini Monokumas play on the games and others eat Cotton Candy. 'This is so weird...'
"I take it this means you're also working at the pier?" A voice says. Sakura turns and sees Kiyomi, Ohana and Hinata walk up
"Looks like it." Sakura says "But it only says Pier."
"Yeah. What exactly are we suppose to be doing?" Ohana asks. Suddenly, Monokuma appears from above them
"Well I'm glad you asked!" He says, scaring the 4 girls. "Basically, you 4 are going to be responsible for maintaining the games! Make sure their all in working order, the prizes are being handed out accordingly, stuff like that."
"I don't know the first thing about fixing machines!" Ohana shouts
"Don't worry! I super simplified these machines so even a novice could fix them up! No experience required at all!" Monokuma laughs "Your work hours are 12 PM to 8 pm, unless there is an investigation! And help yourself to complimentary Kuma Lemonade and Mono Chips if you feel peckish! Aren't I just a cool boss?" Monokuma laughs once more before vanishing
"...I hate him...so much." Hinata says, trying to maintain her quiet demeanor
"You and me both, sister." Ohana sighs "Welp! Lets get to it then!"
'Guess we're on our own here...huh?' Sakura thinks. She sees Hiko standing at a shooting game, with a crossbow attached by a chain to the booth. "Hiko?"
"Oh. Hey." She says not looking away from the targets. In what felt like only a second, she hit 3 bullseyes.
'Such accuracy! Guess that comes from being the Ultimate Sharpshooter' Sakura thinks
"You know when you work with the real thing, the game isn't very satisfying..." Hiko sighs, putting the crossbow back in its holder. "But figured I could at least play some games before I have to start work."
"What's your job?" Sakura asks
"I'm on trash duty." Hiko explains "I have to sweep up both the pier and the tent of trash and take it to the incinerator."
"All by yourself!?" Sakura was shocked "That's a lot of work for one person..."
"I'm use to hard labor." She sighs. "So what's my prize?"
"Oh right. Let me see." Sakura goes behind the booth "...eh? There's...only some coupons." She says as suddenly, Monokuma appears again
"Thaaaat's right!" Monokuma laughs "For playing these games you win these special Prize Coupons for the Prize Machine at the end of the dock! Save up enough and you'll win the special prize~ Puhuhuhu!"
"Not interested!" Hiko shouts as Monokuma laughs and vanishes.
"We should check it out anyway." Sakura says as the 2 walk over. They see a vending machine-like structure decorated with Monokuma's logo. "Wow...subtle."
"Are these children's toys?" Hiko looks at the prize selection. Sure enough, within the machine were paddleballs, bouncy balls, stuffed animal Monokumas, hand held video games. But at the very top of the machine was a file.
"Is that the special prize?" Sakura asks, looking at it. The file was old and torn with the word 'crossbar' written across it "Crossbar? Why does that sound so...familiar..."
"Ugh. Guess there's nothing here for me after all." Hiko rolls her eyes "Great...I'm just suppose to sit around bored for the rest of the day?"
'Maybe I could help her pass the time...no one else is here right now anyway' Sakura thinks "So...you're in the Yakuza?"
"Was" Hiko says, taking a Kuma Lemonade from a vendor "I was their go too hitman."
"How does a high schooler even get involved in a group like that?" Sakura asks
"My uncle. Turns out he was the head honcho for a specific group. He took me to a gun range one day for fun, saw my accuracy and well...one thing lead to another." Hiko says looking down
"O-oh. Um...how...was it?" Sakura asks 'what a stupid question! She obviously doesn't want to-'
"...I hated it..." Hiko say depressingly
"eh?" Sakura asks
"Every second of it...I hated it" Hiko crushes the can in her hand "But...I had no choice but too..." She shakes her head "Never mind. I don't wanna talk about THAT. But...thanks. Felt nice to talk for a bit. I should let you get back to work." Hiko says, standing and leaving.
'She had no choice but to be a hitman even though she hated it...did her uncle force her?' Sakura thinks as she watches Hiko leave.
"SAKURA HELP! THE COTTON CANDY MACHINE IS ON THE FRITZ!" Ohana shouts
"Wha-We've been here 10 minutes!" Sakura runs to help. After fixing the broken Cotton Candy machine, 8pm struck as Sakura groans. "All that stupid music is hurting my head. I still got some time before lights out...maybe I should go investigate the Tent...see what that's all about." Sakura says to herself as she heads in the tent's direction
MONO STAGE
Sakura enters the tent, being greeted by a massive circular stage with benches surrounding it from all angles. In the back were 2 doors labeled 'Storage' and 'VIP Lounge'. Sakura looks around "Wow its huge!"
"Hahahaha!" Hibiki laughs looking around "Perfect! This is absolutely perfect!"
"I see you're happy. So what's-" Sakura walks over only to be blown backwards by a gust of wind caused by Hibiki running past her
"Sorry! No time to chat! Plans! Big plans! Meet me in the gym tonight! BRING THE OTHERS!" He shouts out.
'...well...that happened.' Sakura blinks as she stands 'Guess Hibiki is feeling better. But what's...' She looks around
"Only the stage and storage can be visited." Kiyomi says suddenly behind Sakura
"Gha! How long have you been!?" She looks
"The VIP lounge can only be accessed by those working in the tent." She explains.
"Good to know..." Sakura says, catching her breath. Kiyomi leans back in her chair as she reads from a book 'and right back to those pages...' Sakura sighs as she walks over to the Storage room
STORAGE ROOM
As the name suggests, the room was filled with a variety of props, tools, additional curtains, cans of paint, tarps, and other such objects. When inside, Sakura sees Futaba looking at something "Futaba?"
"Eep!" Futaba hides behind Momo, who currently had half his hair painted
"Now look what ya did ya dumbass!" Momo shouts. "I was in the middle of getting a touch up!"
"A...touch up?" Sakura asks
"Yeah! My paint was starting to rub off! So she was fixing it!" Momo yells "So can you give us a little PRIVACY!"
"M-momo i-its okay" Futaba says quietly. "M...maybe she can h-help us."
"I don't want some dirty lawyer hands on me!" The puppet yells back
'Dirty!?' Sakura thinks, extremely offended. "Um, I'd be glad to help however I can. Its what friends do right?" Sakura smiles
"Friends..." Futaba says quiet before smiling back. "O-okay. U-um can you find me some green paint?" she asks
"No problem." Sakura looks around the storage room. She helps Futaba repaint Momo, making the dummy look like new again "You look great Momo."
"I don't need you telling me the obvious dummy!" Momo shouts at her. Futaba eeps
"M-momo, please be nice...she did a good thing for you." She says. "Say thank you..."
"I don't remember asking her for help!" Momo shouts at her, causing the puppeteer to eep and sink into her shirt.
"You know Momo...its your attitude that makes Futaba so easily scared." Sakura says
"WHATCHA SAY TO ME LAWYER GIRL!?" Momo gets in her face. "If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't even BE here right now!"
'...what? What does THAT mean?' Sakura thinks.
"So I think i'll speak however the hell I want!" Momo continues "Whatcha gonna do!? Sue me!?"
"M-momo that's enough." Futaba squeaks out, pulling the puppet back. "T...thank you for you're help Sakura. A-and sorry about Momo...he's been really protective of me since..." She then goes quiet
"...since...?" Sakura asks before
Ding Dong, Bing Bong!
A nearby TV screen buzzes to life as Monokuma appears "Ahem! New Hopes Peak announcement! It is now 10 PM, please return to your cottages and get a good nights rest! And as a quick reminder! The Mono Stage is off limits during night time! So if you are currently there, get out!"
"Sounds like we gotta leave." Sakura says as she, Futaba and Momo head out.
GYM
As per Hibiki's request, everyone met in the gym "This better be important, jokey!" Aijin shouts
"Yes please...I wish to sleep...I can't even be bothered to be poetic right now." Hinata says
"hehehe" Hibiki rubs the underside of his nose. "Ladies, Gentlemen and Puppets alike! I, Hibiki Yabe, am proud to announce!" He spins and shows off a...crudely made poster "A once in your life time, never before seen live Ultimate Comedian Comedy Show! To be held on the Mono Stage in 2 days!"
"...Ultimate Comedian..." Sakura says
"...Comedy Show...?" Hiroto asks, genuinely confused.
"That's right!" Hibiki says "I already got the all clear from Monokuma! And I'm uh...gonna need help setting it up. So tomorrow after your shifts, if any of you can come by to help I'd really appreciate it! This show is gonna be the exact thing we need to get some energy back in this group! Plus, lets me get back into the Funny Making!"
"...this sounds super lame." Hiko says
"Then again, beats sitting around doing nothing after work." Ohana says.
"Great! Alright see you guys tomorrow! I gotta get my jokes ready!" Hibiki runs off with a spring in his step
'Looks like tomorrow we'll be helping Hibiki prepare for a comedy show...maybe he's right. Maybe all we need right now is a good laugh' Sakura thinks as she returns to her cottage and soon falls asleep
Sakura Masayoshi: Ultimate Lawyer
Hiroto Eto: Ultimate Debater
Hibiki Yabe: Ultimate Comedian
Hiko Seiko: Ultimate Sharpshooter
Kubo Mizu: Ultimate Fisherman: Dead
Ren Kesseki: Ultimate Architect
Cho Sukoshi: Ultimate Football Player
Aijin Tsukuyomi: Ultimate Ninja
Hana Watanabe: Ultimate Impressionist
Hinata Yasai: Ultimate Poet
Riku Yamamoto: Ultimate Contestant
Bakubaku Hakai: Ultimate Demolitions Expert
Kiyomi Kadokawa: Ultimate Bookworm
Futaba Zenigata: Ultimate Puppeteer
Ohana Ichimaru: Ultimate Hiker
Arthur Mogami: Ultimate Mythology Fanatic: Dead